“Welcome back.”
As Keiichiro stepped back through the gate, Natsume, who had been waiting, bowed her head.
About three hours had passed since he entered the Dungeon.
She must have been waiting here the whole time.
“Did any problems occur?”
“There were no problems.”
Answering thus, Natsume averted her gaze from Keiichiro.
“Well, if I had to say—”
Natsume hesitated slightly.
Where her gaze landed was—
“Ah, he came out!”
A bright voice was heard.
A black dress adorned with frills.
Standing there was a girl dressed in what’s known as a Gothic Lolita Dress.
“Heeh, so you’re the owner of this Dungeon, Onii-san.”
The person tilted their head.
Their night-colored hair, reaching down to their waist, fluttered softly.
“Oooh. That’s some cool equipment. It has a certain presence. Yup. Black equipment really is nice, isn’t it?”
The person looked up into Keiichiro’s face.
It seemed they were very interested in the Twilight Series armor Keiichiro was wearing.
(An Adventurer, huh—)
Keiichiro made that judgment.
A Gothic Lolita Dress that didn’t seem like everyday wear.
And a Knife was carried at their waist.
It was clear they weren’t an ordinary person.
Apparently, they had been waiting for Keiichiro to exit the Dungeon.
Waiting in front of a Dungeon they didn’t have exploration rights for.
An action with no apparent benefit, thinking about it logically.
He didn’t want to think they were trying to cause trouble in front of the Dungeon Supervisor, but—
“Hmm? Just so you know, I’m not thinking of snatching your rewards or anything, okay? I don’t like doing uncute things like that!”
The person before him laughed cheerfully.
“My name is Tsukigase Tsukasa. As you can see, I’m an Adventurer. By the way, my rank is B!”
The person in the Gothic Lolita Dress—Tsukigase Tsukasa—placed a hand on their chest and announced this.
B-Rank.
In terms of rank, they were higher than Keiichiro.
Even considering how Keiichiro had grown stronger with his Unique Skill, their strength was likely close to his current level.
Keiichiro naturally looked at Tsukasa searchingly.
Tsukasa then gave a small, troubled smile.
“Ufufu. You might not believe it looking at me, but I’m actually a boy, you know. So even if you’re interested in me, I can’t return your feelings, Onii-san.”
—So, sorry, okay?
Tsukasa—he—spun around, and the skirt of his Gothic Lolita Dress flared out softly.
Between his knee-high boots and the lifted skirt, a glimpse of white skin could be seen.
Age-wise, he looked about middle school age.
According to his own claim, he was male, but his slender legs looked somewhat alluring.
“If you don’t believe me, lend me your hand for a sec.”
Tsukasa approached Keiichiro and grabbed his hand.
Slender, pale fingers enveloped Keiichiro’s hand.
Tsukasa then guided his hand to his chest.
“See? Cute, but still a boy, right?”
Tsukasa stuck his tongue out playfully.
Where Keiichiro touched, there was certainly no feminine softness.
It seemed he hadn’t been lying.
“Isn’t that equipment for women?”
Keiichiro asked.
Some equipment could only be worn by a specific gender.
The outrage of a man wearing bikini armor wasn’t permitted.
On the other hand, what Tsukasa was wearing was a Gothic Lolita Dress.
The cute clothes, like something a doll would wear, looked like nothing but female-exclusive equipment.
“Yup. It’s definitely equipment for girls. But since I’m the cutest, I can totally pull it off!”
Tsukasa lifted the hem of his skirt.
As if calculated, just enough so that his bare legs weren’t revealed.
“It suits me, right?”
Tsukasa smiled mischievously.
(Does he have the [Disguise] Skill?)
Keiichiro saw through the Skill Tsukasa likely possessed.
Adventurers with the [Disguise] Skill could wear any equipment without being restricted by gender.
That was the only reason he could think of for why Tsukasa could equip the Gothic Lolita Dress.
(Meaning— he’s an Assassin-type class.)
Only Assassin-type classes could learn the [Disguise] Skill.
Assassin types were speed-oriented attackers.
His weapon being a Knife was likely also to avoid hindering his own speed.
“Onii-san, can I ask your name?”
While Keiichiro was thinking about such things, Tsukasa brought it up.
“—Kageura Keiichiro.”
Keiichiro answered after a moment’s thought.
An Adventurer he had just met for the first time.
Was it okay to trust such a person so readily?
Although he thought that, he reconsidered that just giving his name should be fine.
At the very least, he didn’t sense any malice from Tsukasa.
“Un un. Kageura-san, right? Well then, maybe I’ll call you Kageura-oniichan from now on?”
“Why ‘oniichan’?”
Tsukasa laughed, ignoring Keiichiro’s words.
“It’s fine, right? Getting called ‘Onii-chan’ by a cute middle schooler is a rare opportunity, you know?”
“A male middle schooler, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m cute.”
Saying that, Tsukasa reached into his clothes.
What Tsukasa took out from his chest area was—a smartphone.
He held out the smartphone to Keiichiro.
“Since we’re here, let’s exchange contact info too. My intuition is whispering that I should get along well with you, Onii-chan.”
Tsukasa showed a smile like a blooming flower.
Pressed by him, Keiichiro took out his own smartphone.
The eccentric Gothic Lolita girl—or rather, boy—he had suddenly encountered.
However, connections with other Adventurers had many benefits.
Especially if it was a promising Adventurer.
In that sense, Keiichiro’s decision wasn’t wrong—probably.
“Ehehe. Now we’re fellow Adventurers, right?”
Tsukasa hugged the smartphone to his chest.
When he spun around on the spot, black petals seemed to spread out.
“See ya, Kageura-oniichan. I’ll contact you if anything interesting comes up!”
Leaving those words behind, Tsukigase Tsukasa departed.