Chapter 29

After chatting lightly at a café near the local station, when I returned home with the two of them, the sun had already set halfway. My family was already back, and it seemed I was the last one. Mika greeted me at the entrance, eagerly asking about my dungeon experience, but when my mother appeared from the living room and urged me to put away my things before dinner, Mika reluctantly gave up.

After putting my things in my room, I joined my family at the dining table. The menu was a simple one soup, three dishes, essentially a ginger pork set meal. The steam and aroma were tempting, but the scenes and sensations of slaying monsters in the dungeon still lingered in my mind, making it hard to eat. The only relief was that I wasn't feeling nauseous.

"What's wrong, Daiki? You don't seem to be eating much..."

While poking at the ginger pork with my chopsticks, my mother, worried, asked me. I wanted to keep eating to avoid worrying her, but my chopsticks wouldn't move to my mouth.

...There's no helping it.

"Sorry, Mom. I appreciate the meal, but I'm just not very hungry."

"Is that so... How about some ochazuke? If you're not sick, it's better to put something in your stomach, even a little."

Ochazuke, huh? Maybe I can just gulp it down. It's not good to eat nothing at all.

"Okay, please."

"Then, wait a moment. I think there's an instant ochazuke packet left."

Mother got up from her seat, took my rice bowl, and headed to the kitchen. I realized I have a rather delicate spirit, despite not being thin.

I managed to eat a convenience store sandwich without much thought right after coming out of the dungeon, but now, back at home and trying to eat calmly, I'm in this state.

Mika, who had been watching my exchange with Mother, asked worriedly.

"Are you okay, Onii-chan? Leaving your favorite ginger pork uneaten..."

"Hmm? Ah, I'm just not very hungry. I'm not sick, so don't worry."

Mika's face showed a bit of relief at my response.

You must be showing it on your face, even if you don't realize it. I'm not feeling particularly bad, though...

"Onii-chan, did you go to the dungeon today?"

After letting out a sigh of relief, Mika peered into my face with a curious look.

"Yeah, I went with some friends."

"How was it!? Did you fight monsters!?"

Fought, huh? Of course, that's what comes to mind.

I glanced at Father, who was eating while watching the TV news, to see how he would react to Mika's question, but he continued eating without any particular reaction.

Is this the normal reaction in today's world...

"...Yeah, we fought."

"Then, did you get any drop items!? What kind of items!?"

Mika, still holding her chopsticks, leaned forward excitedly and eagerly asked about the dungeon. Her whole body expressed her keen interest.

"Quiet down, we're eating. Save that talk for after dinner."

Mother, holding a larger bowl of ochazuke, gently scolded Mika, who was making a commotion. She placed the bowl in front of me and sat down next to Mika.

It's umeboshi ochazuke, I see.

"...Okay, I understand. But Onii-chan, you have to tell me later!"

"Sure, I will."

Now, what should I do? It's probably better to be honest about my dungeon experience, but it's a straight path to grim stories about killing monsters and the possibility of explorers killing each other.

While pondering how to tell the story, I lightly mixed the ochazuke with my chopsticks and took a mouthful. The sourness of the umeboshi stimulated my appetite, and the smooth rice grains slid down my throat easily.

Yeah, it's delicious.

"The ochazuke seems fine. I'll save the ginger pork for your bento tomorrow."

"Thanks."

I can't eat it now, but I love ginger pork, so it's a relief to have it saved. Maybe after a good night's sleep, I'll feel better and can eat it tomorrow.

I slowly poured the ochazuke into my stomach, and while I wasn't completely full, my stomach was reasonably satisfied.

"Itadakimasu."

I finished first, but since everyone else was still eating, I decided to stay and watch the TV news.

Even with the dungeon, the world is still the same, with no particularly interesting news. At least, unlike in foreign countries, there are no daily reports of explorers committing murder or robbery. Perhaps it's a matter of national character, but so far, the crimes committed by Japanese explorers have been minor, like property damage due to increased strength from leveling up. Most incidents are settled out of court. There are also many videos of explorers' mishaps posted on video-sharing sites.

"Itadakimasu."

While idly watching TV, I realized everyone had finished eating.

Mother started clearing the dishes, Father switched the TV to a baseball game, and Mika...

"Come on, Onii-chan! Now that we're done eating, tell me the story!"

She clung to my arm. It's nice that at this age, siblings aren't shunned or avoided, but can't she get rid of this habit of clinging? It's a bit troublesome.

But, well, it's fine. I was planning to talk about being an explorer and the dungeon anyway.

"Okay. Can we go to my room? I need to organize my things."

"Sure!"

"Alright. I'll get ready. Go to my room first."

After I untangled Mika's arm and told her to go ahead, she nodded happily and went upstairs.

I watched her go, then turned to Father and Mother.

"Father, Mother, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"...What?"

Father turned from the TV to look at me, and Mother stopped clearing the dishes and peeked out from the kitchen.

"I'm going to talk to Mika about the dungeon and being an explorer, but the content might be shocking, so can you help me support her?"

"Support? What kind of content?"

"Yeah."

Father, looking puzzled, and I replied firmly.

I'm about to shatter Mika's romanticized view of explorers and the dungeon with the harsh reality. It will be a big shock, so support from someone other than me is necessary.

"I don't know what you'll say, but I understand. Essentially, you need to comfort Mika, right?"

"Yeah. Please. If it goes well, she might stop talking about the dungeon all the time."

"Oh, really? That would be a relief. She's been buying all sorts of dungeon magazines and isn't focusing on her studies at all."

Mother, with a somewhat welcoming tone, agreed to support Mika.

...It's a bit different from what I intended, but, well, it's fine. Now, since the preparations are done, let's go.

I took a bottle of water from the kitchen and headed to my room where Mika was waiting.

When I entered the room, Mika was sitting on my bed, ready and waiting. She couldn't wait to ask me questions.

"So, what was the dungeon like? How is it different from what's shown in magazines and TV specials?"

As Mika said, magazines and TV specials often feature the inside of dungeons these days.

However, photos and videos can't fully capture the atmosphere. They generally present a polished, amusement park-like image, emphasizing the good aspects and editing out the inconvenient parts. This well-worn technique is effective.

And this image of the dungeon, as presented by magazines and TV, is what most people imagine and what fuels the current dungeon craze.

I handed my sister the bamboo sword bag containing Kusunoki, which I had never let her touch before, but it would be necessary for the conversation to follow.

"Hey, what's this?"

"It's the weapon I used in the dungeon. Take it out and see."

Mika opened the bag as I instructed and took out Kusunoki. Her face showed a hint of surprise when she saw and held it. I took back the bag and, holding the sheathed Kusunoki, spoke to her in as calm a tone as possible.

"How does it feel? It's heavy, right?"

"Y-Yeah. It's pretty heavy. This is the weapon you took to the dungeon..."

"My friend Yuzi, you know him, right? He got this from his grandfather. It's a type of Japanese sword called a guntō, named Kusunoki."

"Japanese sword... Kusunoki."

Mika murmured, still staring at Kusunoki. The weight of Kusunoki seemed to have a calming effect on her excited state.

"Try pulling out the blade a little, but don't pull it all the way out, it's dangerous."

"O-Okay."

I showed Mika how to release the locking mechanism to prevent accidental slips and had her pull out the blade slightly. The unmarked, silver blade reflected our faces. I could hear Mika's sharp intake of breath. Her body stiffened, and she stared at her reflection in the blade. I had the same reaction.

"Mika, you can put it back now."

"! O-Okay, I got it."

Mika slid the blade back into the sheath and stared at Kusunoki in her hand for a moment, dazed.

So, I'll tell her. I need to explain what this thing in her hand really is.

"Heavy, right? That's the weight of a weapon that takes life."

"!!"

Mika's mouth opened and closed, trying to say something but unable to form words. Her face was gradually turning pale, and her hand holding Kusunoki was trembling slightly. Maybe I was a bit too harsh?

...Yeah, maybe a bit too much.

"I went to the dungeon with this. Of course, I used it to fight monsters..."

"Onii-chan, you mean..."

I nodded and clearly stated to Mika, who was looking at me with teary, anxious eyes.

"I used Kusunoki to cut down monsters. In other words, I killed them."

"..."

Mika, still holding Kusunoki, lowered her head and fell silent. The cheerful Mika who had been eagerly listening to my dungeon stories was nowhere to be seen. I had ruthlessly shattered her romanticized view of dungeon exploration. But this is just the beginning. There are many other things I need to tell her about my experience in the dungeon today.

It will be tough for Mika, but it's better to thoroughly explain the dangers of the dungeon rather than give her a half-hearted explanation.

"Mika, it might be hard to hear, but do you want to hear the rest of my story?"

"..."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you're still thinking about going to the dungeon, it's better to hear it."

Mika remained silent for a while, then tightened her grip on Kusunoki and slowly raised her head. Clenching her teeth and looking at me with teary eyes, she nodded firmly.

It's a shame she's not giving up on going to the dungeon, but if she's decided to listen, I'll tell her.

"Alright. So, where should I start?"

I took Kusunoki from Mika and began to think about what to say.

This is Mika's persuasion. After slaying a monster, the protagonist's words will carry more weight and persuasiveness.