Chapter 61

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At first glance... The ramen shop of the Hirasaki family seems like a store that used to be a convenience store.

The exterior is covered with beautiful wooden panels, and a large signboard resembling a single plank of wood is illuminated by lights on the roof. In front of the store, there is enough parking space for about five or six cars, and the design makes it easy for cars on the national road to enter.

"This is our family's shop, 'Ramen Honpo Hirasaki.'"

"Wow."

After being introduced by Hirasaki, Tatsuki and Yuzi looked up at the store and exclaimed in admiration.

"Come on, let's not stand here all day. My father said he would close the shop early today to have a family meeting."

"Huh, is that okay? Isn't this the dinner rush hour for restaurants?"

I was surprised by Hirasaki's words as we started walking towards the store. Closing a restaurant during the dinner rush hour? And it's not even a regular day off?

"Indeed, this is the busiest time. But my father said so when I was on my way to school..."

"Wow."

The image of Hirasaki's father I had in mind when I heard about Hirasaki's motivation to take the explorer test was a bit different. I had imagined a father who would casually send his daughter into the dungeon for his own ideals... But to decide to close the shop temporarily during the busiest time to persuade his daughter to quit being an explorer?

Following Hirasaki, I approached the store and saw a large notice on the menu board near the entrance that read "Temporary Closure."

It seems he's serious about making his daughter quit being an explorer.

"Come on, please come in."

"Um... I'll be in your way?"

I thought it was a bit odd to say "I'll be in your way" when entering a ramen shop, but I couldn't think of a better phrase, so I had no choice.

Pushing open the door, I entered the store. Inside, T-shaped tables and chairs were arranged, similar to a certain chain of beef bowl restaurants. The smell of tonkotsu ramen broth wafted through the empty store, and my stomach growled with hunger.

"We're home! Dad, Mom... Is either of you here!?"

Hirasaki looked around the empty store and called out to the back. A few seconds later, a woman wearing a blue apron with the store's logo in white and a blue bandana appeared from the kitchen, which seemed to be the entrance to the back.

"Welcome home, Yuki. ...Oh? Are these Yuki's friends?"

Hirasaki's mother's eyes widened slightly as she observed Tatsuki and Yuzi with interest. Well, it's understandable to be surprised when your daughter brings two boys of her age home at once.

I observed Hirasaki's mother without using my appraisal skill. Hirasaki's mother looked like a grown-up version of Hirasaki without glasses, with her hair tied back. So, Hirasaki takes after her mother.

"Yes, that's right. Let me introduce them: Tatsuki Kusunoki and Yuzi Hirose. They are my fellow explorers who go into the dungeon with me. I asked them to join our discussion today."

"Um... Yuki? You went into the dungeon with boys? I didn't know that!"

"I didn't tell you, so it's natural that you didn't know."

Hirasaki's mother was taken aback by Hirasaki's shocking statement. In contrast, Hirasaki seemed unfazed by her mother's suspicious gaze.

"Anyway, let me introduce my mother to you two. This is my mother, Hirasaki Miyuki."

Ignoring the flustered Hirasaki's mother, Hirasaki introduced her to Tatsuki and Yuzi.

Miyuki and I made eye contact, but it felt a bit eerie. But, well, for now...

"I'm Tatsuki Kusunoki. I always receive help from Hirasaki."

"I'm Yuzi Hirose. Please rest assured, there's nothing to worry about as you might be thinking."

Tatsuki and I bowed slightly and greeted Miyuki.

Yuzi added a word to try to dispel Miyuki's doubts and suspicions, but would it have any effect?

"Um... I'm Hirasaki Miyuki. Thank you for taking care of my daughter..."

Miyuki also bowed slightly to us, but her gaze still had a hint of suspicion.

Well, it can't be helped... She has an only daughter. I'll try to dispel Miyuki's suspicions gradually.

"Okay, now that the introductions are done, let's start the discussion... Where's Dad?"

Hirasaki, who had been looking around the back, tilted her head when her father didn't appear and turned to Miyuki to ask about his whereabouts.

"Dad went out a little while ago. He should be back soon."

"Okay."

Hirasaki's face relaxed slightly after hearing about her father's whereabouts.

---

Miyuki suggested we stop standing and sit at the counter. Tatsuki and I sat down, and while we quietly sipped the tea Miyuki served, Hirasaki and Miyuki had a conversation a bit away from us.

Thanks to the enhanced hearing from leveling up, I could hear their whispered conversation clearly.

"By the way, Yuki. I have something I want to ask you..."

Miyuki asked Hirasaki in a low voice.

"Did you really go into the dungeon with those two?"

"Yes. We've been acting together since the explorer test."

"Is there anything going on...?"

"No. As Hirose said, we haven't done anything inappropriate."

Miyuki seemed to finally be convinced after hearing it directly from Hirasaki and sighed, giving Hirasaki a stern look.

"Listen, Yuki. It's fine now, but you're a girl. Be careful not to do anything reckless. Understand?"

"I understand."

"...Do you really understand, Yuki? I only knew that you were going into the dungeon with friends, so I thought you were going with girl friends."

Hmm.

It seems Miyuki is suspicious that Tatsuki and I might turn into perverts at any moment. We should clear up this misunderstanding as soon as possible.

I glanced at Yuzi, who was sitting next to me, and he gave me a similar look. We nodded silently to each other.

"Then, Yuki. What do you plan to do from now on? Are you going to quit being an explorer as your father suggested?"

"Huh? I have no intention of quitting being an explorer."

"...Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious. Besides, there's a reason I can't quit now."

"Reason?"

Miyuki tilted her head, not knowing the reason Hirasaki mentioned.

The price of orc materials has dropped recently due to increased supply.

"I have a debt."

Hirasaki briefly told Miyuki the reason she couldn't quit being an explorer.

"...What!? Yuki, you have a debt!?"

Miyuki was momentarily stunned, unable to understand what Hirasaki said, but then she changed her expression and exclaimed in shock.

Hirasaki took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and answered Miyuki's question.

"Yes. My weapons that I took into the dungeon broke, and I borrowed money to buy new ones."

"Borrowed from where!? How much did you borrow!?"

Miyuki was intensely questioning Hirasaki about the debt. Well, the cost of weapons is quite high, so it's unlikely that a legitimate place would lend money to a high school student.

"Don't worry, Mom. I didn't borrow from loan sharks or anything like that."

"Then, where did you borrow from? There are no legitimate places that lend money to high school students."

"I borrowed from the three of us."

"?"

Miyuki was confused by Hirasaki's words.

"I borrowed from the party fund that the three of us pool together."

"...Oh, I see."

Understanding dawned on Miyuki's face.

"You know that I always bring back orc materials from the dungeon, right? In our party, we usually sell the dropped items and split the money. The two of them were considerate enough to let me keep the orc materials without selling them. We deduct the appraisal value of the orc materials from the total amount and pool the remaining money as our party fund."

Well, without my spatial storage skill, this wouldn't be possible. It's unlikely that the total amount from selling items would always be more than the appraisal value of the orc materials for three people.

Financial disputes are one of the main causes of relationship breakdowns.

"Okay... How much do you owe, Yuki?"

"About 500,000 yen, I think."

"500,000 yen!? That much!?"

When Hirasaki casually mentioned the 500,000 yen debt, Miyuki let out a strained, almost screaming voice. Well, it's understandable to be shocked when your high school daughter has a 500,000 yen debt.

But I don't think it's that shocking an amount...

"Yes. But, Mom, is it really that shocking an amount?"

"What are you saying!? Do you know how many bowls of ramen we'd have to sell to make 500,000 yen!?"

"...Oh."

Now that she mentioned it, Miyuki is right.

To earn 500,000 yen normally, it would be quite a challenge. Recently, we've been able to earn money easily by going into the dungeon, so our sense of money has become skewed.

Glancing at the menu on the counter, the cheapest ramen costs about 500 yen. To earn 500,000 yen, we'd need to sell about 1,000 bowls, and after deducting various expenses, we'd need to sell twice that amount... If we sold 100 bowls a day, it would take nearly 20 days.

...Yeah, our sense of money is seriously off. We might need to do some regular part-time jobs to recalibrate our financial sense.

I let out a deeply troubled sigh, and Yuzi, sitting next to me, also had a troubled expression and let out a bitter laugh.

"Why didn't you consult us before borrowing such a large amount!? If you had told us, we could have helped you. Yuki, do you think we're so unreliable?"

Miyuki asked Hirasaki with a sad, resigned expression.

"No, that's not it."

"Then why didn't you consult us?"

"Well, um, that..."

Hirasaki was struggling to answer Miyuki. This... Should I step in and help?

I glanced at Yuzi, asking if we should help Hirasaki, but he quietly shook his head. It seems Yuzi thinks Hirasaki should resolve this on her own. Well, it's probably not a good idea for outsiders to get too involved in family matters. I'll just observe for now.

"Come on, why?"

"Well, um, Mom. 500,000 yen is a lot of money, but for an explorer with decent skills, it's an amount that can be earned in a month. So, I didn't borrow recklessly."

"...Yuki"

Even after hearing Hirasaki's desperate explanation, Miyuki's doubts didn't seem to be resolved.

Her expression was a painful mix of concern and worry for her daughter's efforts to reassure her.

"Really, don't look at me like that. Tatsuki, Yuzi! Please, say something to Mom!"

Hirasaki's request for help came sooner than I expected.

Miyuki's gaze shifted from Hirasaki to us. Did her gaze have a hint of accusation? I cleared my throat and spoke.

"Um, Hirasaki's mother?"

"Call me Miyuki."

"Okay. Miyuki, what Hirasaki said about earning money in a month is true."

"Really?"

Miyuki sent a skeptical look my way. Well, it's understandable not to believe a stranger right away.

So, I need to show some proof. The best would be a certificate of exchange from the guild, but I don't have it on me... I'll show this.

I took out my smartphone from my pocket and displayed the bank account deposit records.

"Here. As proof... this."

I stood up and approached Hirasaki and the others, handing my smartphone to Miyuki.

"The amount shown is from selling dropped items from recent dungeon runs."

"Wow! That much!?"

Miyuki's eyes widened as she looked at the smartphone.

The screen showed an amount exceeding 100,000 yen.

"Yes. So, what Hirasaki said about earning money in a month is not an exaggeration."

I retrieved my smartphone and emphasized to Miyuki that Hirasaki's statement was not exaggerated. Miyuki stared at Hirasaki with a stunned expression, and Hirasaki nodded in agreement with my words.

Seizing the opportunity, Hirasaki continued to persuade her mother.

---

It seems the discussion has reached a conclusion.

Tatsuki and I quietly observed Hirasaki and her mother as we drank our second cups of tea.

"Alright, Yuki. If you want to continue being an explorer, I won't say anything more."

"Thank you, Mom."

"But you need to persuade your father properly."

"Okay."

"I'll help you, but only to a certain extent."

It seems Miyuki's persuasion was successful. Now, it's just Hirasaki's father...

By the way, when is Hirasaki's father coming back? Checking the clock, we had been there for about 30 minutes.

If a child secretly has a high debt, the parents would be shocked, right?