Before the sun rose. Shirogasaki stared intently at the smartphone she had tossed onto the bed in the dimly lit room, lying on her back.
A well-defined nose and jewel-like eyes.
The emotions hidden within her lovely and beautiful face, often praised by her mother, were… an uncontrollable dissatisfaction towards that man.
(It’s wrong. Absolutely wrong.)
She replayed the conversation from that time in her head, over and over again—and the more calmly she thought about it, the more she discovered solid evidence that things were amiss.
For example, the participation of high school students in Dungeons.
He had said it was to lay the groundwork for preparing for the future threat of Dungeons, but according to the Labyrinth Agency’s official website, the participation of high school students is clearly stated as being ‘for the purpose of improving basic physical fitness.’
Recently, it’s common sense for even athletes to level up in Dungeons, so it’s understandable if it’s for health and growth.
They’re definitely not entering Dungeons as some kind of reserve force.
And the Labyrinth Agency is complaining about a shortage of Hunters, but…
According to SNS, there are many people claiming that it’s just a pretext for the Labyrinth Agency to secure its own interests, and many others saying it’s a convenient excuse to collect taxes from the people.
In the first place… isn’t there a theory that Dungeons themselves aren’t actually that dangerous?
Monsters basically don’t come out of Dungeons unless a Gate Crash occurs.
And Gate Crashes are hardly ever heard of in Japan these days.
Just the other day, there was an incident where a large-scale Gate Crash warning—a Dungeon alert with a magnitude of 8.3—was issued, but it was immediately canceled. The prevailing theory is that it was an alert experiment by the Labyrinth Agency, and some even say that it shows how idle the organization is, to be doing such pranks.
In other words. The threat of Dungeons doesn’t really exist.
Everything Kageichi Futsuu said was a lie.
But Kiraboshi-san is a serious person by nature, so she’s been influenced by his conspiracy theories.
My mother always says, “It’s because you’re poor that you get deceived by the news,” doesn’t she?
…That’s why I have to protect her.
It’s my duty as a “friend” to save her….
Just as she clenched her fist while lying down, her phone alarm rang.
“Ugh,” she groaned, holding her head, which was still heavy with sleep, and changed into her uniform before heading to the dining table.
“Good morning, Ojou-sama. …You seem to be staying up too late lately.”
“I’m sorry. I have trouble falling asleep, Jiiya. …By the way, where’s Mother?”
“She’s on a business trip starting today. It seems she’s going on a trip abroad with some friends.”
I wanted to consult with Mother if possible, but it can’t be helped.
I’m a high school student too, and I’ll become an adult eventually, so I need to be able to make my own decisions properly.
Today… I’ve arranged another opportunity to talk with Kiraboshi-san, under the guise of apologizing to Kageichi-san.
I asked her to come to my house, and she agreed.
Come to think of it, it’s the first time in my life I’ve invited a friend to my house. I’m a little nervous.
Still, people can become friends by talking to each other.
I believe that’s the wisdom of humans… Shirogasaki thought, shaking her sleep-deprived head while putting a mini tomato from her breakfast into her mouth,
“…?”
Something seemed to flicker in the corner of her eye.
At the entrance leading from the dining room to the front door, swaying.
Like a trailing thread… what could it be?
“Jiiya. Did you see something just now?”
“Hmm. I didn’t see anything.”
Was it just my imagination? Maybe I’m just tired… Shirogasaki thought, finishing her breakfast neatly and having Jiiya clear the dishes.
She brushed her teeth, tidied her hair and clothes as usual, and was about to head to the entrance when,
…?
She was bothered by it—or rather, she noticed a sweet smell?
She sensed something and stepped into a room in the basement of the mansion, which was usually used as a theater room.
“…Ah.”
She found it.
A small Gate, swirling with a faint silver vortex. The entrance to a Dungeon.
—Normally, when a Dungeon is discovered, you should first report it to the Labyrinth Agency.
If possible, enter the Gate, photograph the shape of the entrance and the first Monster, and then retreat. The Labyrinth Agency will rank the Dungeon’s difficulty based on that data, but if you’re afraid of taking pictures or find it difficult, you can just report it without entering.
Shirogasaki slowly stepped into the Dungeon.
Spreading out before her was a background like an aquarium… like the bottom of the sea.
It seemed to be a newly formed Dungeon, with only one open space in the center.
Floating there was… something quite cute and weak-looking.
Only one star-shaped, konpeito-like object was floating around.
I guess it’s not a big deal… Shirogasaki thought, relieved, and took a picture of it with her smartphone—wait.
…If what they say on SNS is true, then the Labyrinth Agency is unfairly exaggerating the threat of Dungeons.
And Shirogasaki is about to tell Kiraboshi that “the threat of Dungeons is a lie by the Labyrinth Agency, and you’re being deceived by Kageichi,” and awaken her.
Wouldn’t it be inconsistent for someone like me to report the appearance of a Dungeon?
Besides…
That Monster looks weak no matter how you look at it.
It’s just floating around, arranging small star-shaped stones around it… it seems harmless even if you leave it alone.
—I feel like I could easily defeat it.
If it were a really scary Monster, it wouldn’t appear in such a shallow part of the Dungeon.
More than anything.
If I get scared here, I feel like it would be just as that man Kageichi Futsuu pointed out, and that’s infuriating.
I’m a high school student too. I’m still a child, but I’m one step away from being an adult.
Believing in my own will and making judgments—courage and resolve are sometimes necessary too.
“…Let’s keep it a secret from Jiiya. Then I’ll defeat it by myself, maybe tomorrow.”
Shirogasaki now has a very important role to awaken Kiraboshi.
Dungeons can wait.
No. I must never let my friend get involved with such filthy and barbaric things like Dungeons again.
Okay, Shirogasaki thought, leaving the Dungeon and greeting the driver who was waiting for her as usual at the entrance, and psyching herself up to make it another good day.
*
“Kiraboshi-san. What do you think is the secret to surviving in a Dungeon?”
Once upon a time—while exploring a certain Dungeon, Kiraboshi was asked by Kageichi, and she thought for a moment, gripping her knife.
“Is it… to fight without fear?”
“That’s sometimes necessary too. But the most important thing is to be cowardly.”
Kiraboshi tilted her head at the uncharacteristic words.
Kageichi continued with a perfectly serious face, pushing up the bridge of his glasses.
“What you need in a Dungeon isn’t courage or resolve. It’s the cowardice to back down when you think something’s wrong. And accurate information. I’m not saying that experts are always right, but a specialist is a specialist. If you find a sick person, wouldn’t anyone rely on a doctor first?”
Hearing this, Kiraboshi couldn’t help but laugh. Because…
“There’s no one who would do something so stupid, right?”
“There are.”
“Eh?”
“It may be a side effect of Dungeon streaming becoming widespread, but there are cases where people misunderstand and think, ‘I can do it too,’ and attack Monsters on their own, only to be defeated. It’s a typical example that accounts for the top causes of accidents in Dungeons. —Thanks to that, it can be said that it’s easier to deal with troublesome people.”
Fear correctly based on correct information.
Don’t carelessly touch things you don’t know.
Kiraboshi listened to his serious words about the basics of Dungeons and nodded earnestly.