Chapter 25

I was dead in the classroom.

"What's wrong, Yino? You look sleepy. Did you stay up all night playing games?"

"No, I went on a trip. This is a souvenir."

I handed one of the souvenirs I bought at the hotel where I took a bath to Aoki. I thought I had to buy a few souvenirs to appease my father and mother.

"Kokko? Fuji-Shizuoka, did you go to Shizuoka? That must have been tough."

"Yeah, it really was."

I talked about what happened after I took a bath yesterday. After that, we went to the general hospital by car. But we couldn't get a taxi. Of course, even though the Self-Defense Forces had confirmed it was safe, the taxi drivers had evacuated and weren't around. In the end, a high-ranking person who stayed behind as the deputy manager drove us.

It seems the anesthesia was still effective, so he couldn't talk, but his wounds had healed properly. I was very grateful to Milk's mother. Milk also thanked me, but at the same time, she confronted me, asking, "Who's Hime? What do you mean by 'bath'?" If Milk's mother hadn't intervened, it would have been a hassle. I really wanted to wait for Ushizou to wake up, but since I had school tomorrow, I decided to go home.

Of course, I thought I could go back by helicopter, but I was told that if I took the helicopter, I would stand out. If I waited for the first train, I wouldn't make it to school on time. So, we decided to go back by taxi because we could still catch one in the city. The taxi fare was an unprecedented 150,000 yen. When I got home, it was almost morning, and my mother and father were really angry. They calmed down when I explained it was for Ushizou's treatment. When it was time to go to school, I realized I had left my bike at the station and, despite being sleep-deprived, I ran to the station with all my might. I could have rested in the PD, but the inside still smelled strange, and I couldn't go in after taking a bath.

"Yesterday was intense, right? The TV said that without the secret American weapon, we wouldn't know how many casualties there would have been."

"Yeah, the secret American weapon..."

Of course, after that, the media asked about the identity of the masked man at the press conference held by the government. The one who appeared at the press conference was none other than King Campbell. He explained through an interpreter:

"This was a magical weapon that our company and the U.S. Army jointly developed. Since it's still in development, I can't disclose specific information, and it's not something that should be made public. However, at the request of the Prime Minister of this country, we introduced it to help our friendly nation, Japan, in a time of crisis. Due to military secrecy, I can't say more, but while it's effective against monsters, normal weapons are more effective against humans. Please consider it a weapon designed specifically for use against monsters."

When it's called a military secret, you can't ask more questions, and when it's said to be a weapon for monsters, not humans, it gives a sense of reassurance. On the internet, the woman who appeared with the masked man was identified as King's daughter, Oshino Hime, which increased the credibility of King's statement. However, I didn't expect King himself to appear. Hime said she was just one of many children, but her father is a kind dad to listen to her request and do this much.

"But, it's still concerning. Why did you use earth magic to burrow underground? Can you only recharge your magic power underground?"

My being in the PD was thought to be due to a type of earth magic called 'Burrow.' It's a spell to hide underground, but it probably looked like a meaningless action to people watching on TV.

"Aoki, you went to the dungeon yesterday, right? What level did you reach?"

"Yesterday's Umeda dungeon was empty! I already reached level 4!"

"Really... that's great."

"From the looks of it, you're probably level 6. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Aoki declared war, but I laughed it off.

※ Side: King ※

In the private jet on the way back to America, King spoke to the black marshmallow-like creature sitting next to him.

"Was this within your expectations, Dumper?"

"No, I didn't think anyone other than you could use magic outside the dungeon."

"I see. I thought you were cheating on me."

"Of course not—my resources aren't that large. If I sat between two chairs, I'd fall through."

Chasing two rabbits, you catch neither, Dumper said.

"I see. Well, now that we've narrowed the gap, we can go. Let's return to our battlefield."

"Sure, let's do that."

"Release: Spatial Transfer"

With that, King and Dumper vanished instantly from the sky over the Pacific Ocean.

※ ※ ※

"So, Hime is just a party member. Hime is her real name, it doesn't have any weird meaning. We just fight in the dungeon together. You know I'm strong, right?"

"But why do you call her by her first name?"

"That's what she asked. Hime is from America, so the distance is different from Japan. Besides, Milk calls me by my first name too."

"I know, but..."

"Next time she comes back, I'll introduce her to you. I didn't mean to exclude you. Don't pout."

"...Introduce, huh? Okay, I'll definitely make time."

I could feel his energy over the phone. Well, the call is over, so I'll go to the PD.

I entered the PD in the yard.

At the same time,

"---!?"

A black shadow leaped at me.

By the time I realized it was a Dark Wolf, it was too late. I was completely off guard. I had no weapons, and at this distance, I couldn't use magic. I didn't even have time to get out the D-can—

"...Huh?"

The Dark Wolf had shrunk. It was licking my face, like a dog licking its owner.

"Taiga, you finally came? It was difficult to get rid of the smell afterward?"

"Damp, what is this?"

I asked Damp, who greeted me as if it were normal.

"This? Ah, it's a Dark Wolf. After you left yesterday, it was foaming at the mouth and collapsed in the corner of the room."

"No, I killed it. I was sure—"

"You killed it, but it came back to life. It has sworn allegiance to you, so it's fine."

"Sworn allegiance to me—huh?"

"It's a monster created by Dumper. It was supposed to return to the dungeon's energy after being killed, but since it died inside this dungeon, it couldn't return to Dumper's dungeon and ended up like this. You're the first to make a monster a pet! Congratulations."

A Dark Wolf as my pet!?

My mother is against pets, how am I supposed to convince her!

Maybe my luck value is abnormally high, or maybe it's just my imagination.

"Woof!"

Ignoring my inner cry, the Dark Wolf barked like a dog.

End of Chapter 1

Thank you for reading this far.

I will introduce the characters and move on to Chapter 2.

Thank you to everyone who has read this far!

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