Honestly, I was planning to ignore them.
Even if we promised to enter the Dungeon together, there’s no need to talk amicably.
I’ll avoid even meeting their faces…
But Kiraboshi’s resolve was thwarted when Imoutoya bowed her head politely first.
“I’m sorry, Class Representative. I want to properly apologize for everything that’s happened.”
“――っ”
“I’m sorry.”
First floor of the “Nagi Plains.”
While walking along the gently spreading path of grass and trees, after passing through the hall called the resting area, Imoutoya next to me bowed her head.
Suppressing the urge to hurl insults, Kiraboshi replied with few words, “It’s okay.”
The first floor of the Rank S Dungeon “Nagi Plains” was quite popular, even on weekdays.
Perhaps due to its convenient location near the station, there were even families who seemed to have come for a stroll in the park. Kiraboshi sighed, resigned.
Although she felt aversion, she wanted to maintain appearances at least.
“Class Representative, I understand why you’re angry. The violence my sister committed wasn’t my fault, but I want to apologize on her behalf.”
“…………”
“But, Ojou… Shirogasaki-san suggested we reconcile, and I thought I should consider it. I realized things can’t continue like this. So, will you give me a chance?”
Imoutoya’s tone was calm, but she always spoke that way. Her emotions were unreadable.
“…If you say so much.”
“See, Kiraboshi-san! Imoutoya-san is saying this, so let’s believe her, okay?”
“People start by trusting each other!”
I internally cursed Shirogasaki, who had interrupted, telling her not to do things like ambushes.
*
On the first floor of the Rank S Dungeon “Nagi Plains,” there’s a standard route that’s even listed on search sites.
It involves going counter-clockwise from the entrance plaza, the “Resting Area,” collecting materials along the side paths.
You cross a river with a bridge, listening to the murmuring of the stream, and defeat the appearing monsters, Petit Slimes, as you go.
Petit Slimes are a type of slime, but they’re so weak that you can defeat them without weapons, and even if they bump into you, the impact is only about as strong as a five-year-old’s collision.
Even if you fall, there’s no need to worry about fractures in a Dungeon where damage is converted into Magical Power.
They’re perfect for beginners, as described online…
“Uhyahh!? Th-this Slime-san is strong!”
Bechi! Shirogasaki, who was bumped, fell on her butt.
It would hurt on the ground, but Shirogasaki was wearing a silver breastplate, a golden crown, and a chainmail made of Magical Power underneath, so she wasn’t damaged.
To those who knew, it was an outrageous set of protective gear worth over 10 million in total—especially the crown, which had super performance with a 30% reduction in all attributes—but the person in question was flailing her sword at the Petit Slime.
Only the sword was cheap. Her parents probably didn’t want her to have a weapon.
I never dreamed I’d be watching this with Imoutoya.
“Hey, Class Representative. What can I do to earn your forgiveness?”
“…You don’t really mean it, do you?”
“I do. My parents scolded me after that… Seeing what happened to my sister, I realized for the first time how terrible I had been.”
Imoutoya lowered her bobbed hair and looked down.
…It’s too late to act meek now.
“So, I wanted to apologize to you. But I didn’t have the chance… Then, Ojou called out to me. She said, ‘Let’s start over.'”
“I won’t forgive you. I can’t forgive you. You’re the one who spread the rumors about my sales, right?”
“I wasn’t myself back then. I did the worst thing a person could do. So, I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. Please give me time.”
Imoutoya scratched her cheek sheepishly.
This is like youth… making up after a fight.
“Don’t you think Ojou… Shirogasaki-san is a good person when you look at her again? She’s giving us this opportunity for our sake.”
“I didn’t ask for it.”
“But, could you think about it, even a little? I’m going to show you with my attitude, too.”
Ugh, this is difficult! It’s stressing me out!
Even if I know it’s impossible, when someone apologizes so sincerely…
Could it be that she’s really apologizing from the bottom of her heart?
Could there have been a change of heart that Kiraboshi doesn’t know about? I started to consider that possibility, however faintly.
Sensei would say, “Whether the other person tries to change or not, I’ll eliminate them if they cause me stress,” but Kiraboshi isn’t that strong.
Besides, if I reject them here in front of Shirogasaki, Kiraboshi will be the bad guy, and I’ll be giving them an excuse.
—The JK’s victim move is a double-edged sword.
It’s strong when the opponent attacks, but weak when they apologize—the offense and defense switch like in Othello.
If it were like Sensei, who would say, “If it’s a monster, let’s just get rid of it,” it would be a quick solution…
While I was thinking about how to trap them somehow, I saw Shirogasaki defeat the first Petit Slime and wipe away sweat with a big smile.
“Come on, Kiraboshi-san and Imoutoya-san, let’s defeat the monsters! Recently, ‘Dun-Friends,’ who become friends by fighting together, are also popular!”
“I know, but is that really true… or is it just TV lies?”
Besides Dun-Friends, there are also “Dun-Jobs,” where they look at your Dungeon abilities when you’re job hunting, and “Dun-Marriages,” where they see your true feelings in the Dungeon.
I thought they were just making up names to ride the Dungeon boom… but the three of us proceeded slowly—
“Oh? Kiraboshi-san, Imoutoya-san, there’s someone over there… Doesn’t he seem strange?”
A man was seen turning left, in the opposite direction of the arrow that said “Route.”
His gait was strangely unsteady.
I checked the map on the app. …That’s strange.
The path ahead is called “Butterfly Room,” and although it has a beautiful flower garden and is a sight to see, it’s a restricted area where Poison-Dust Swallowtails come if you admire it and relax too much.
The poison damage at low levels is intense, and many people had accidents there in the past…
Even though it’s well-maintained, this is still a Dungeon.
It’s been said repeatedly that entering places where you shouldn’t can be life-threatening—
“You can’t go there! That’s the wrong way, you over there~!”
“Ah, Shirogasaki-san!?”
Shirogasaki chased after the man. That idiot, don’t suddenly run in the Dungeon!
What if she’s careless and gets ambushed by a Poison-Dust Swallowtail?
No matter how high-performance the armor is, it can be fatal if it can’t prevent poison.
That concern hit the mark in a different way.
“Watch out!”
The staggering man shielded Shirogasaki, who had jumped out.
He took the scales of the Poison-Dust Swallowtail that appeared, and groaned, clutching his chest in pain.
“Oh, geez!” Kiraboshi jumped at the Poison-Dust Swallowtail with a knife in hand, eliminating it, and then—
—Huh? She was puzzled.
It wasn’t because she was surprised by the Poison-Dust Swallowtail.
This man who had knelt down after being exposed to the poisonous scales…
I hadn’t noticed because I had only seen his back until now.
The young man with sparkling brown hair and a sweet smile—
“Kazami-san?”
“Eh!? …Ss!”
Kazami looked at Kiraboshi and flinched, then collapsed from the effects of the poison.
…Is he okay?