Chapter 2

The financial issues that arose later caused some changes in the content. However, it doesn't have much to do with the main plot, so please read it with peace of mind.

"Hey, I'm home, Haru, I'm back."

I shouted as I entered the small, dilapidated house that had been standing for over 50 years.

"Hmm? Ah, big brother, welcome home."

Inside the house, my only family member, my younger sister Kizaki Haruka, greeted me. She is cute, smart, and good at sports, but her shyness and sharp tongue are her flaws. She is my pride and joy. Oh, and I forgot to mention, my name is Kizaki Fuyaka. Despite having a rather feminine name, I am an ordinary man who supports this household. I am neither a handsome man nor a feminine boy, and I am neither ugly nor a genius. I am just an ordinary male student who has practiced a bit of aikido. Due to certain circumstances, I am no longer a student. What am I thinking about all alone? Being a loner isn't good, after all.

"Big brother, what are you spacing out for? Make dinner."

"You're 16 years old, so you should learn to cook by now. You've finished compulsory education, you know."

"I don't care. Since you've already quit school, it doesn't matter, does it?"

That's right, we live alone, but we are both still high school age. Haruka dropped out of high school in her first year, and I dropped out in my second year. Without any guardians, we don't have a single yen to go to school. Normally, one could work part-time to earn tuition, but the tuition at the high school we attended was unexpectedly high. Even if we wanted to transfer, we couldn't afford the entrance fee, and we don't have the brains to be scholarship students. We can't even afford to buy study materials. Besides, it's a bit too early to start job hunting since a certain incident happened. The reason we ended up in this situation goes back a season.

Our mother died in a car accident last June. Of course, it was sad, but the fact that she died because she ran into the road while drunk was unbearable. Thinking about it, our parents were rarely home, and I can't say for sure if they raised us with love, as I don't know much about our surroundings. Since both parents were rarely home, my sister, despite being in her rebellious phase, became attached to me, and my housekeeping skills grew to the point where I could rival any housewife.

Our parents, despite being somewhat high earners, gave us just enough money to get by for a year if we lived on convenience store bentos. If they had told us to use this money to manage our meals when they were away, it would have been manageable. We were given 1500 yen per day. Convenience store bentos could barely cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Since we were growing, we needed more, so we never ate convenience store bentos. We also received money for clothes and other necessities, and we became resourceful enough to use the difference as our pocket money. Of course, our parents found out and never gave us money for fun.

Thus, my mother's death was accepted with just a feeling of sadness. I cried, but that was it. My sister was completely unfazed.

The problem arose four months later. In October, our father disappeared. The passbook and my mother's small altar were gone, and there was a note on the table.

"Dad, the company went bankrupt, so I'm running away. Don't die, or it will be a hassle. Oh, I'm taking the money for our honeymoon, and I'm taking the altar too. Take care."

It was clear that our father was a scumbag. Ignoring the misspelling of 'honeymoon,' a lot happened after that. First, we sold all the furniture we didn't need for daily life. We sold the sofa, dishwasher, and TV. We can get information from a computer without a TV. We canceled Haru's smartphone and shared mine as the Kizaki family's phone. We also sold the refrigerator. A smaller used refrigerator was more cost-effective in terms of both the purchase price and electricity bills.

Next, we moved out of the house. Although it wasn't something we could do on our own, our father had prepared the necessary documents before he left, which were in his bedroom. Unfortunately, we lived in an apartment, not a house, so the contract was terminated. Since there was no damage, we were relieved that there were no additional charges.

Our new home was a small house that had been used as a warehouse, located a fair distance away. As a warehouse, it had a dusty small bathroom and toilet, a narrow hallway with a kitchen, and a living room that had been completely converted into a warehouse. There was also a small basement, which was apparently used to store wine. Of course, there was no wine, only various large items stored as a warehouse. Since there was no city gas, we had to set up new contracts for propane gas, electricity, and water.

We had the delivery people move the furniture we didn't sell from the apartment, and we completed the move. And the good news: What a foolish father. When selling the furniture, we found 100,000 yen hidden in our father's bedroom. We will use it wisely.

We moved to a former warehouse in the countryside of Kanagawa with the 100,000 yen we had left and the money we had saved for living expenses, which was in my account.

However, this former warehouse was extremely old. The floor creaked when walked on, and drafts blew through the gaps. The windows were not just broken; they didn't exist. We cut a board from the basement using a saw from a toolset in the living room and screwed it to the window frame. We initially thought about buying windows, but after researching online, we found that they were unexpectedly expensive. We had to resort to this makeshift solution to avoid unnecessary expenses. There was a wall about 2 meters high surrounding a fairly large garden, which looked quite suspicious, especially since the wall was already in poor condition.

Finally, we sold or disposed of most of the large items in the house, which reduced our funds. Some large items required payment to dispose of, and there were few items that could be sold. So, we dismantled wooden furniture that couldn't be sold and stored it in a covered area outside. We repaired and used items that were still usable.

While reminiscing about these events from a few months ago, I stir-fried tofu and bean sprouts with margarine and soy sauce. Today, we have a small amount of white rice given to me by a cheerful aunt at my part-time job, so we can have rice. It's a luxury we enjoy once a week, and it makes us smile. Everything is ready, and the rice should be almost cooked.

"Haru, the house renovation is appreciated, but dinner is ready, so come over."

"Okay, I understand."

Haru's hobby is modifying and repairing things, which is not common for an ordinary girl. As a result, although she was in the art club in middle and high school, she never drew pictures but instead did crafts. I heard this from a classmate before.

Her beauty and quiet demeanor attracted attention from boys, and information about her even reached other grades. As her brother, it makes me feel uncomfortable, but since we don't have many friends at school, only a few people know we are siblings.

Regardless, thanks to Haru's interest in crafts, she repairs broken floors and other issues in the house with simple tools. While she would like to fully repair them, we don't have the money, so we just try to reduce inconvenience. Haru is happy to be able to use a hammer without worrying about other rooms, unlike in our previous home.

"Thank you for the meal."

We slowly chewed and finished the meager meal, then joined hands with Haru. After sending her to the bath and cleaning up the dishes,

the day's work was done.

"Haru, go to bed. I'm going for a run."

I told Haru, who had just finished her bath, to go to bed as usual, put on my sturdy shoes that I've been using for a year, and went outside. This running habit started after we moved to this house. Living in the countryside was tough for me, who had always been in the homeroom club, but now I can easily run 10 kilometers around the house.

Running 10 kilometers on gravel roads, slopes, and uneven terrain near the house is much more challenging than running 10 kilometers in the city, and the sturdy shoes I bought for durability are heavy and more suitable for hiking. I haven't realized this yet, whether it's a blessing or a curse.

After a good sweat, I returned home and quickly took a lukewarm bath, then went to the basement bedroom.

I wanted to work every day, but in such a rural area, there are no places to work part-time. Haru also doesn't like it when I'm away from home for long periods.

After doing some stretching, I went to the basement, which used to be a warehouse and is now our bedroom. The first floor isn't very spacious, so we converted the warehouse into a bedroom. The basement is cooler in summer and warmer in winter, making it an ideal bedroom in a house without heating or cooling.

I went to the basement bedroom, which I share with my sister, and covered myself with my futon to sleep.

It was February 7th, 10 PM. I never imagined that this daily routine would be so easily disrupted.

"!"

I woke up in shock from a sudden jolt from below. In the next moment, my body was airborne and fell about 2 meters. I barely managed to land in a defensive position, but the impact from the high fall while sleeping was too much, and I hit the ground, the air being knocked out of my lungs. I quickly took deep breaths to calm my lungs and opened my eyes.

I was in the basement. Or rather, I was at the bottom of a square pit over 2 meters deep inside the house. I quickly got up, despite the pain, and looked around. I could see rock surfaces, and a path leading deeper into the house. I knew what this phenomenon was.

"A dungeon?"

I couldn't help but say it out loud.

On August 1st, dungeons appeared in various places, and many people were killed by the monsters inside. They are dangerous, and even after six months, ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

"Big brother, you need to get out of there. This is a dungeon, right?"

Haru called out from the entrance of the dungeon, sounding a bit panicked.

"Right, if I stay here, I'll be killed by a monster. Well, I heard that the entrance to the dungeon is where the wall material changes, but if a monster spots me, it can come out of the dungeon."

Monsters can move outside the dungeon when there are no enemies, but they are more likely to spot you inside the dungeon. I was standing just one step away from where the wall material changed from brown rock to gray rock.

"Phew!"

I quickly moved away from the gray rock and back to the basement. To get back, I needed to climb a height of over 2 meters, so I asked Haru to get a ladder. Normally, I could climb with my arm strength, but after hitting the ground, it was painful. It didn't seem to be broken, but it hurt.

"What should we do?"

I heard Haru mutter and looked into the dungeon again. No monsters were coming out, but I didn't know what would happen if we left it as it was. Normally, we would report it to the police, but if they came, we would definitely be forced out of the house. We couldn't afford to find a new home with our limited income.

There are no laws requiring us to report dungeons, and I had no intention of doing so. The government can't forcibly take land with dungeons from civilians, so they protect the area after a report is made.

"For now, let's leave it. At this height, even if a monster comes, it won't be able to reach the basement. The only concern is if it gets sealed off. If it explodes, the house could be destroyed."

"That shouldn't be a problem. The house is full of gaps, and as long as there's a door, it should be fine. The door of this house, which can be kicked down, won't be considered a wall."

Indeed, a lot of information about dungeons has been made public for the safety of civilians. As long as an ordinary person can enter with a clear intention, it should be fine. So, it shouldn't be a problem.

Still, I was curious about what was inside the dungeon. There are precedents where monsters overflowed from dungeons left unattended, which is scary. But involving Haru for that reason...

"Hey, big brother, why don't we explore the dungeon a bit? I heard that you can get meat and other things by defeating monsters. It's a way to save money, you know."

"Ah, yeah."

Haru, who seemed to read my thoughts, spoke to me with a blank expression but sparkling eyes. I gave an ambiguous answer, but if Haru wants to go, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright, it's 1 AM now, so let's sleep until 6:30 and then go to the home center by bike. It opens at 9 AM, so if we leave by 7 AM, we should make it."

I actually got my moped license with Haru during the previous summer break, but we sold the moped before moving to this house, so we only have one bicycle.

I thought it was strange to get a moped license a month after our parents died in a car accident, but since the reason was that they were drunk, it didn't matter. However, I clearly remember that we promised not to drink alcohol.

For now, I retrieved my futon, which had fallen near the dungeon entrance, and went upstairs with Haru to set up our futons and go to sleep.

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