Chapter 37: The Four of Them at the Secret Base ②
“Shi-chan, it’s been so long! Manamin’s here right now too, you know!”
Otama-chan ran up to Shi-chan’s SUV.
“It’s been a while, Tama-chan. Ah, Natsume-kun… would it be alright if I parked my car here for a bit?”
“Of course.”
Both my parents are out, and a house in the countryside can easily accommodate a few cars.
Shi-chan got out of the car and smiled sweetly.
“It’s been a while, everyone. You haven’t changed.”
“Shi-chan, have you been well?! I almost died the other day, you know!”
“…Hey, don’t make a joke out of it. It’s hard to know how to react,” I chided.
Shi-chan gave a wry laugh, “Ahaha.”
“Of course, I know. I was watching the stream too.”
“Eh?! You were?”
“Could it be that the comment from the Dungeon Management Bureau’s official account was…”
“Yeah, that was me. Sorry I couldn’t be of much help,” Shi-chan said, looking a little sad.
“That’s not true. You did a lot for us behind the scenes, didn’t you? Thanks.”
“…Yeah.”
Shi-chan gave a small nod.
That gesture hasn’t changed since we were kids.
It might be because she’s short, but I feel like Shi-chan retains the most of her old self.
A nostalgic feeling washed over me.
“…It’s been a while for you too, Manamin,” Shi-chan said.
“O-Oh…”
“Huh? Manamin, are you crying a little? Are you that happy to see Shi-chan?” Otama-chan teased.
“Huh? Shut up. Weren’t you the one bawling your eyes out after getting poisoned in the Ota Dungeon, Tamama? It was on the stream,” Manamin retorted.
“Th-That’s not something you should be teasing about!”
“Fufu…”
Shi-chan laughed, looking amused.
“You all get along so well. Have you been meeting up like this all along?”
“No, today’s the first time I’ve met Manamin since we became adults. And it was only about a month ago that I coincidentally reunited with Otama-chan,” I explained.
“Is that so…? It doesn’t seem like it.”
“I think so too.”
Both Otama-chan and Manamin make me feel like we’ve always been together.
Is it because we share memories from our childhood?
“So, Shi-chan, what brings you here? Don’t you have an investigative hearing at the Explorer Association from 10:30?” Otama-chan asked.
“Yeah. I still have a little time, so I thought I’d come over and at least take a look at the exterior of the Private Dungeon mentioned in the report.”
“I see…”
So she came to see the Secret Base.
I heard that the initial report on the Ota Dungeon accident has already been submitted to the government by the Explorer Association.
There was probably a description of that Private Dungeon in it.
In that case, then.
“How about we all go to the Secret Base now? It’s interesting inside. Oh, do you two have Explorer licenses?”
“I have one since I’m an Investigator, but…” Shi-chan replied.
“I have one too, technically. It’s a Green one, though,” Manamin added.
“Setting Shi-chan aside, Manamin, you were an Explorer too?”
With a Green License, you can only enter dungeons with no danger.
“Back when I was a fledgling blogger. I just took the Explorer course for reference.”
“Manamin, you’re a blogger?” Shi-chan asked.
“Yeah. Tamama seems like she has a loose tongue, so I don’t want to tell you my account,” Manamin said, glancing at Otama-chan.
“Wh-Why?!” Otama-chan protested.
…Well, if all four of us have licenses, that’s perfect.
“Let’s go right away. You have your hearing time to consider,” I said.
☆★☆
Clack…
Miiiin-min-min-min-min…
When Manamin opened the door to the Private Dungeon, the sound of cicadas echoed from inside.
“Uoh…”
“Waah…”
Manamin and Shi-chan, faced with the summer scenery spreading out beyond the door, each let out a cry of surprise.
And then.
“Eh…?!”
“Wh-Why…?!”
Otama-chan and I were just as surprised.
“The Private Dungeon… has gotten bigger…?!”
Until now, the Private Dungeon only had three types of terrain: rice paddies, a forest, and a river.
To be more precise, adding the shrine made it four types of terrain.
But, before our eyes.
“A Japanese House…!”
A new Japanese-style house with a black tile roof had appeared.
Wooden pillars, a long veranda, shoji sliding doors…
To the far left of the dungeon gate, a large, single-story wooden house stood imposingly beyond the rice paddies.
“What’s going on…?” Otama-chan asked me.
Not that I had an answer, but…
“Come to think of it, when Otama-chan first entered this dungeon, there were changes inside too. Sunflowers bloomed, and the river’s water level rose.”
“Was that so?”
“Yeah. I told you about the sunflowers, didn’t I?”
Me, who likes catching bugs, and Otama-chan, who likes playing in the water and games like tag.
For the two of us, our preferred play areas already matched, so perhaps the dungeon’s changes weren’t that noticeable.
However.
Shi-chan, who likes reading, and Manamin, who liked playing house and other make-believe games.
The two of them were more into indoor activities.
With all the Secret Base Members entering the dungeon, the first floor of the Private Dungeon has regained its true expanse—
I don’t understand the logic, but that’s how it feels.
What with its growth to a second floor, it seems the Private Dungeon still has room for more changes.
“Sniff, sniff…“
“…Hm?”
When I turned around, Shi-chan was crying.
“U-Uoh, Shi-chan…”
“What’s wrong?”
“U-Uu… I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“Don’t cry, Shi-chan…” Otama-chan said, rushing to her side.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, we finally got to meet everyone… I don’t really know why, but I just feel so sad…” Shi-chan sobbed.
“…”
Come to think of it, Shi-chan was always a crybaby…
Shi-chan must have gone through a lot after moving to Tokyo.
At times like this.
“Here, it’s okay.”
“Ah…”
I patted Shi-chan’s head.
“Shi-chan, don’t cry!” Otama-chan hugged Shi-chan.
“Sh-Shi-chan… Did Tamama make you cry?” Manamin asked, looking for the culprit.
“H-Hey, I didn’t do anything!” Otama-chan exclaimed.
“You made her cry by eating her candy without permission back then, didn’t you?”
“I only made that mistake once! And hey, don’t you treat Shi-chan and me differently?”
“I have a soft spot for Shi-chan. You’re strong, so you’ll be fine, right?” Manamin said.
“Don’t talk about me like I’m insensitive!”
“…Fufu.”
Shi-chan wiped her tears with a handkerchief and smiled.
“Everyone, thank you… I’m sorry, we finally got to meet, and I ended up crying…”
“After your investigative hearing today, how about we all go out to eat?” I suggested.
Shi-chan quietly shook her head at my suggestion.
“…I have to write up a report by the end of today. It seems a lot of important people are quite concerned about the Ota Dungeon accident…”
“I see, you’re busy…”
“It’s because Tamama messed up…” Manamin muttered.
“H-Hey, is it my fault?!” Otama-chan cried out.
“It’s not Tama-chan’s fault. Hey, Natsume-kun. Did you learn various skills in this dungeon, Natsume-kun?” Shi-chan asked, changing the subject.
“Ah, yeah. Like this…”
I reached out and caught a dragonfly.
Bwoan!
“Ah…”
“Uoh!”
The dragonfly turned into a small magic stone.
“This dragonfly only drops a magic stone, but depending on the insect, you can learn a skill when you catch it.”
“Papa… you’ve got some good skills, don’t you?” Manamin commented.
“I’m not your Papa,” I retorted.
“Amazing… It’s the same as how you learned to use <
“Yeah. Though its actual name is <
“I learned my <
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah. The people from the Explorer Association were speculating that there might be merits only we can obtain,” I explained.
“I, see…” Shi-chan said, sounding lonely.
“…?”
“Ah, I have to get to the Association soon! Yamada-san will get mad at me again! Sorry, Manamin, but you should head home for today!” Otama-chan suddenly exclaimed.
“Mama… well then, you should get married soon,” Manamin quipped.
“My treatment!” Otama-chan wailed.
☆★☆
As we left the Private Dungeon, Shi-chan muttered.
“Do I… even have the right to enter this dungeon…? Me, who left everyone behind and went to Tokyo…”
“So that’s what you were worried about…”
I made a suggestion to Shi-chan.
“Then, try opening that door.”
“Eh…? Why…?”
“Just do it.”
Shi-chan reached for the door to the Private Dungeon entrance.
And then.
Clack…
“…I opened it?”
“Yeah. It opened.”
–Then, there’s no problem.
“…Only we Secret Base Members can open this door. When people from the prefectural or city office tried, it wouldn’t open, as if it were locked.”
“Is that so…?”
“That’s right! During the investigation, only Ko-chan and I could open it,” Otama-chan confirmed.
“In other words…” I said gently to Shi-chan.
“This dungeon accepts you too, Shi-chan. You don’t need to worry about whether you’re qualified or not. Besides… we all feel the same way.”
“Yeah. I was happy to see you, Shi-chan,” Manamin added with a rare smile.
“Even if it’s not for work, come visit anytime! Right, Shi-chan!” Otama-chan chirped.
“Ah…”
And so, Shi-chan once again started shedding tears, drop by drop.