Chapter 48

Five years ago, the term "Dan-chiku" was nominated for the New Word and Buzzword of the Year award. The word "Shachiku" was selected as the New Word and Buzzword of the Year in 1990, long before I was born, and "Dan-chiku" is a derivative of that term. Originally, it referred to explorers who, despite their hard work in dungeons, could not improve their living standards. Now, it seems to be used for people who spend more than half of their day in dungeons. What about me, then? I've been diving into dungeons for 32 hours straight. I'm not just a "Dan-chiku"; I'm beyond that.

The work involves nothing more than finding and catching Haniwa and throwing them. Sometimes I use magic to increase my proficiency, but this is the basic task. Despite this, I've continued to work hard and have collected over 800 magatama. At first, I only got one magatama for every two Haniwa I defeated, but now I get nine out of ten. It's very efficient. The minimum luck value is 80, and the drop rate for those who don't meet this is said to be 0.82%. Compared to ordinary people, my efficiency is over 100 times higher. No, since the PD has a monster spawn rate five times higher, it's 500 times more efficient?

"Kuro, let's go! What? You're tired of the Haniwa figurines? They only smell like dirt and don't run away, so there's no fun in hunting them? I see... Then, let's go for a walk to change the mood..."

When I said that, Kuro wagged his tail vigorously. It was Thursday evening. We went for a walk together. Our usual route is to buy dog treats at a convenience store along the national road and then walk along the river. Until May, the riverbank was full of beautiful rape flowers, but now they're gone. Usually, there are many stray cats, but they don't appear during our walks, probably sensing Kuro's presence. When we pass other people walking their dogs, their dogs often lie down and don't move. It's very awkward. Kuro has no ill intentions, so I can't be angry with him.

"Kuro, can't you get hidden skills or buried skills? Is it still impossible? You're working hard, that's great. When you learn the skills properly, you should get a haircut at a pet shop. What? You want to work hard? So, you like being fashionable?"

If it were a mobile grooming service, you could get a haircut without worrying about other pets, but since Kuro is motivated, it wouldn't be right to discourage him. By the way, Hime contacted me the other day and said she successfully tamed a monster. The success rate is less than 1%, and so far, she has only tamed slimes, but it's still a big step forward. She needs to conduct further verification before making it public.

"If taming monsters becomes common, you might have a companion. Wolves live in packs, so having companions would be more fun, right?"

I pet Kuro's head.

"Huh?"

Is that Mizuno? She was by the river. What is she doing? She's not picking wild herbs, is she? I heard she doesn't have much money, but I didn't know she was that poor. No, wait, picking wild herbs doesn't necessarily mean she's poor. My mother used to go to Mount Ikoma to pick mugwort and make mochi. I reminded myself of this and was about to leave when—

"Woof!"

Kuro barked. She stood up and turned around. She was holding a small white puppy.

* * *

"Really? A stray dog?"

"Yeah. I found it in that cardboard box just now. I can't keep it at home, so I didn't know what to do... I should have called the police, but—"

Abandoning a dog is a crime. Ideally, you should leave the scene as is and call the police to have it temporarily protected. However, even if you call the police and the animal is temporarily protected at an animal shelter, it might be euthanized if the owner doesn't come forward. So, Mizuno, knowing it was wrong, decided not to call the police and brought a potato from home to feed the puppy. When the puppy escaped from the cardboard box and ran to the river, she hurriedly caught it and ran into us.

Kuro looked up at me. Ah, yeah, that's right.

"I'll call the police first."

"Yeah, that's right... But it's no good, is it?"

"I'll take care of it after that. We need to take it to the vet for vaccinations... Will you take care of it, Ichino-kun?"

"No, I'll just take care of it for now. Kuro probably wants a friend, though."

I said this and placed the puppy on Kuro's head. The puppy didn't cower in front of Kuro. Maybe because it's just a newborn and doesn't recognize Kuro as a threat, like how small children aren't afraid of yakuza. They'll probably become good friends. My mother is against keeping pets with a limited lifespan, so it's difficult to keep it at home, but taking care of it for a while should be fine.

After getting permission from my mother over the phone, I called the police. Thirty minutes later, the police arrived and conducted a site inspection. We then moved to the nearby police station, filled out some paperwork, and I officially took custody of the white puppy. For now, I'll take care of it for three months and look for a new home afterward.

"Um, Ichino-kun. About the vaccination and food costs... I don't have much money, but I'll pay—"

"No, if we find the owner, they can pay. I think that's how it works with rescue dogs. I have someone in mind who might take it."

Will Milk take care of it? If she does, Kuro can go for walks with it anytime. Whether Milk or Hime takes it, it should have a comfortable life as a pet in a wealthy home.

"Thank you, Ichino-kun."

"You're welcome. By the way, do you always come to this river, Mizuno?"

"No, I don't usually come here, but I had the day off from my part-time job today—"

Mizuno said with a smile.

"I thought I might catch some carp for dinner. I caught a pretty big one."

"Okay. If you're going to eat it, put it in a bucket and let it spit out the mud first."

I said, wiping sweat from my forehead.

By the way, I thought about bringing the puppy into the PD, but it wasn't possible. I thought it might be allowed since it's not human, but apparently not. Yesterday, I received my first review for this work. Thank you.