Episode 54: The Gears Begin to Turn
Yuma and the others returned from Seeker’s Town to Chiba in the jeep driven by Tanaka. The time was past 9:00 PM.
“Ah, I’m tired. Well then, Tanaka-san, I’m counting on you to take care of Yuma.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
The president and Maika got out of the car and headed home.
Watching them, Tanaka backed up the car, stepped on the accelerator, and moved onto the road.
“I’m sorry, Tanaka-san, for having you take me all the way.”
“No worries, it’s nothing. My home is in Tokyo too, so it’s just like I’m heading home anyway.”
Smiling cheerfully, Tanaka used the turn signal and turned right at the intersection.
He entered Route 6 via the old Mito Highway and headed south towards Tokyo. During that time, Tanaka spoke to Yuma in a friendly manner.
This was the first time Yuma had talked so much with Tanaka alone, and he was grateful for the consideration, thinking again what a thoughtful senior he was.
By the time they arrived at his house, it was past midnight. Yuma got out of the car and peered into the driver’s seat.
“Thank you very much. Tanaka-san, I’m sorry it’s so late.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Yuma-kun, see you the day after tomorrow. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Yuma slammed the door shut and watched the car drive away. He entered the house, told his still-awake mother that he was back, and quickly went up the stairs.
As soon as he entered his room, he locked the door. He put down his luggage, opened the drawer of his desk, and took out a notebook from inside.
“This should be it…”
He sat in the chair, opened the notebook, and flipped through the pages.
For a while after the Metal Slime appeared, Yuma had recorded the date and the situation in the notebook.
He quickly got tired of it and stopped, but he knew the date he first defeated one.
“There it is… The first time a Metal Slime appeared was… August 2nd, the year before last.”
And the giant boss Slime appeared on September 19th last year. Yuma checked the calendar.
He had hunted Metal Slimes every single day without fail.
If it was really true that the floor level increased by one for each one he defeated, then that small Dungeon would be incredibly deep.
Yuma added up the number of days he had confirmed on the calendar with a calculator. Yuma gasped at the number displayed.
“413 days… a 413-floor Dungeon…”
That far surpassed Orpheus, said to be the world’s deepest at 300 floors… the world’s deepest Dungeon.
“No way… Could it be–“
◇◇◇
Kanzaki, the president, returned home, took a can of beer from the refrigerator, and was planning to have a drink before going to bed.
“Dad, make sure you take a bath!”
“I know, I know.”
His daughter Maika nagged him while he was putting away his luggage. Kanzaki wondered who she took after as he popped open the can of beer with a “pssh.”
He gulped it down, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV with the remote.
Just as he was about to relax, the smartphone he had placed on the table rang. Wondering who it was at this hour, he looked at his phone with a dubious expression, and saw that the caller was Aisha.
“Oh, what’s up? At this hour?”
“Ah… I’m sorry, Kotaro. There’s something I need to talk to you about urgently.”
“What is it, an urgent matter?”
“It’s hard to explain over the phone. Could you come to the Laboratory now?”
“Huh!? Are you kidding me? It’s already late at night! I just got back from work and I’m tired.”
“I see… But I really need you to come. Is it impossible?”
Kanzaki was taken aback because it was the first time Aisha had said something like that.
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? I don’t have a car right now, so I can’t go!”
“I’d like you to come as soon as possible if you can. I’ll pay for the taxi, so please come right away.”
He knew it must be something serious because of their long relationship. Kanzaki sighed and emphasized that it would take some time.
He reluctantly got up because she said she didn’t mind.
“Maika, I’m going out for a bit.”
“Eh!? Now? Where are you going?”
“To Aisha’s place. I’ll be back by morning.”
“Hey, wait a minute, Dad!”
Maika hurriedly peeked into the entrance, but her father had already opened the door and gone outside.
◇◇◇
The time was 3:00 AM. Kanzaki, who had hailed a taxi and come to Ota Ward in Tokyo, scratched his head as he got out of the car.
It had cost him quite a bit of money. He decided to take the first train home and paid the taxi fare before sending it off.
He had been planning to relax at home, but he had gotten into a terrible situation. Thinking so, Kanzaki entered the Laboratory made of corrugated iron with a disgruntled expression.
“Hey! I came!!”
Kanzaki violently opened the door to the room that Aisha always used. The lights were not on in the room, and only the light from the computer leaked into the dark room.
Aisha was sitting in front of the computer with her legs crossed, sipping a canned coffee.
Kanzaki turned on the room’s light switch. He had been here many times, so he knew where everything was.
The lights flickered on, and the entire room became bright.
Aisha was still facing away from Kanzaki, looking at the computer screen.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“…It’s about Mitaka.”
“Mitaka? You mean Yuma? What about Yuma?”
Kanzaki remembered that he had done a physical examination of Yuma three days ago.
“Don’t tell me, does he have some kind of illness!?”
“No… He’s perfectly healthy.”
“What the heck, you scared me! So what is it then!?”
“Do you remember measuring his Mana Index before?”
“Hmm? Oh, you mean with that huge machine. I remember.”
“The results are out.”
“Is that so… And? Did he have a Mana Index?”
When the president asked that, Aisha put the canned coffee she was drinking on the desk, turned her chair around, and faced Kanzaki.
“To conclude, yes, he has Mana.”
“Oh, is that so! I knew it. That’s right, there’s no way there’s someone who has a hard time raising their Mana from the start.”
Kanzaki smiled happily and asked Aisha, “So, what was it?”
But Aisha was silent with a serious face. When Kanzaki wondered what was wrong, Aisha muttered in a small voice.
“…465,200.”
“Huh? What?”
“That’s Mitaka Yuma’s Mana Index. There are fractions, but that doesn’t matter. It’s over 460,000.”
“Huh!? What are you talking about?”
Kanzaki was confused by Aisha, who had suddenly started saying incomprehensible things. However, Aisha continued to speak with a perfectly serious expression.
“I measured it with my Mana Measurement Device. There’s no mistake in the numbers.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, the machine must be broken! 460,000!? Even the world’s strongest Seeker, Flame Emperor Albert, only has a Mana Index of about 8,200. Are you dreaming?”
“The device is accurate. Unless my eyes are deceiving me–“
Aisha stood up and glared at Kanzaki.
“Mitaka Yuma is the world’s largest, an overwhelmingly powerful Mana holder!!”