V1C6

Translated by SoundDestiny Edited by SoundDestiny

Today’s class also ended without any particular incident.

Harumachi-sensei still seems to be sensitive to my presence and her attitude was quite strange but she is still a professional teacher.

She was able to give a good lesson and her explanations were clear.

Well, it was cute that she blushed whenever she saw my face.

And after school.

I went home straight away, ready to explore.

“…..fuu.”

I finish getting my gear ready and let out one sigh.

With this, my own preparations are over.

All I have to do now is wait for Harumachi-sensei to arrive.

Sensei’s equipment has been properly prepared, so if she wears it,she will be fully prepared.

And just then, the doorbell rang.

Apparently, she was already here.

“Yes! I’m coming!”

After shouting loudly, I headed for the front door.

I looked through the peephole in the door and saw…It was Harumachi-sensei.

However──

‘…..? Sensei, what have you got in your hand……?’

I look at Sensei’s hand and a question mark appears.

It was a long, brown stick that looked like wood.

It must be about one hundred and eighty centimetres long.

It is taller than Sensei’s height.

It is about as thick as an iron bar and seems easy to grip.

But I can’t keep her waiting forever.

I opened the door, wondering about the mysterious stick.

“Saino, I have come……”

“Yes. Come in for now. You don’t want to be seen by other people..”

“Y,yeah, that’s right.

Sensei turned away from facing me and became fidgety.

I invited Sensei into the house and immediately closed the door.

“…………”

Harumachi-sensei looked restless and kept rubbing the stick she was holding.

Even her ears are red and she can’t seem to stay still for a moment.

Yesterday she couldn’t even have a conversation with me, so now it’s a little bit better but she still can’t seem to erase her embarrassment towards me.

Indeed, she is a maiden in love.

“Well…..sensei’s what is that stick?”

Aside from her cute embarrassment, I asked her what was on my mind.

Sensei brought a mysterious long stick.

It has no particular decoration, so I don’t know what it is.

Sensei then opened her mouth, although she was still embarrassed.

“This is a Rokushakubo…it’s a weapon. I’m good in bo jutsu”

[TL:Rokushakubo: A fighting style using a long stick/staff hence the word Bō]

“Bo jutsu?”

“Aaa, I have a fifth dan in Mutengi Shinryu. It’s not a well-known style and you wouldn’t know it if you were told….”

“Mutengi Shinryu 5th dan in Bo jutsu……”

It is true that staff jutsu itself is minor and the name of the school has never been heard of at all, as Sensei says.

There are probably far fewer people who know of it.

However, a fifth dan seems to be a pretty high rank.

I wonder if Sensei might have been a reasonably fierce fighter in her own right.

She doesn’t have that many muscles and I don’t get the impression that she is a martial arts expert.

“……Well, let’s get ready anyway. I prepared my mother’s hand-me-downs, which she wore the other day.”

“Mm….I understand.”

Sensei nodded honestly while still avoiding eye contact with me.

I showed her to my parents room and she got herself ready.

…… Incidentally, I took a peek at her change of clothes.

Sensei’s underwear is hot.

“All right, shall we go then?”

“Umu.”

The entrance to the labyrinth.

After all the preparations, we finally decided to start our exploration.

In Sensei’s hand was that long staff.

It seems that she intends to use this to fight monsters, after all.

I’m a bit curious to see how well the Mutengi Shinryu 5th dan will work in the dungeon.

[TL: Here’s the raw [無天技神流] ,I only know if one of characters but in chinese. I google translate this since I’m unsure..]

But just as we were about to enter the labyrinth, I offered Sensei something.

It was…

“Sensei. Before you dive into the dungeon, please read this”

“Nn……? What’s this?”

“It’s a sort of strategy book for this labyrinth. It also describes the monsters that appear, so I think it’ll be useful.”

“Okay…….”

Harumachi-sensei takes the diary from my hand.

She looks a bit strange.

Well, the very fact that there is such a thing as a strategy book is suspiciously game-like, isn’t it?

However, Sensei continues to flip through the pages to check the contents.

I observed the situation and prayed that the exploration would be successful.

‘I hope it’s good enough to fool Sensei….’

The book I gave to the teacher was the diary that I picked up at the entrance to the labyrinth.

It’s another book that I transcribed its contents from …..in summary,it’s like a codex.

However, I did completely transcribe it.

In some parts, I secretly changed the descriptions.

That part is, needless to say, the description of levels and items.

Levels are raised by combat experience for both humans and monsters.

The item has no effect and the instructions are a boring joke.

However, if you collect them all, you get a very valuable treasure.

Those are some of the alterations I’ve made.

“Levels increase with combat experience and can be found in the……palms of your hands…….?………!!!”

But, come to think of it, how many lvls does Sensei have?

I’m pretty sure she’s had sex with me a total of six times so far.

And the first time I had sex with her, she wasn’t a virgin, so she must be at least lvl 7.

It would be shocking if it was lvl 100 or something like that, but I wonder how many she really is.

I closed one eye and checked the teacher’s level, feeling a little uneasy.

Then the number that came to mind was…

“Wa…..?”

A dumb voice leaked out of my mouth.

However, no matter how many times I looked, the Sensei’s lvl was the same number.

……It was 6.

“H, how can this be…..? Why is it the same as the number of times she did it with me…..?’

Despite my confusion, Sensei continued to read the book.

And after a while, he finally closed it.

“Hmm, at least I know a bit about this place. It’s…..a strange place after all.”

“Ye, yeah, it is.”

I nodded at Sensei’s statement while trying to keep my composure.

Sensei was successfully fooled, but the shock of the numbers I had just seen was too strong for me to comment anything about it.

I’m doing my best to hide my surprise.

However, we can’t stay here forever.

I just said, [Shall we go then?] and turned my feet towards the labyrinth.

Sensei’s lvl is inexplicable,so let’s just start exploring.

We pass through the first floor using the direct passageway and soon arrive at the second floor.

Green walls, green floor.

The atmosphere is clearly different from the first floor.

The taste of the air was also somewhat different.

“Sensei, today we will be looking for the two remaining items on this floor. The enemies are…”

“The [Electric Sheep], the [Mandragora], the [Laughing Pumpkin], and the [Thorny Bug]. And the lvls are 5 to 10….wasn’t it?”

“…..yes. I’m at level 8 and Sensei is at level 6, so it’s quite possible that the enemy is better than us. Let’s be careful.”

“Mmm, I understand.”

Harumachi-sensei nods at my words and grips the staff tightly.

She has a very dignified expression.

The embarrassment towards me that was there long ago is now a shadow of its former self.

Is that how nervous she is?

The memory of the death struggle with the laughing pumpkin may have made her realise that dungeon exploration is quite dangerous.

“….Then let’s go. Follow me.”

I then take my smartphone out of my trousers and launch the mapping app.

The map of the second floor is still completely blank.

I had explored the area before, but I didn’t have time to do any mapping.

At this rate, we might obtain the items before I complete the map.

We continued along the corridor to the left.

Last time we used the right hand method, so it should be more efficient to use the left hand method this time.

“…………..”

“…………..”

We walk slowly but are somewhat silent.

It’s not that we feel awkward but there is a strange sense of urgency when they don’t talk about anything.

Continuing the exploration at this rate is likely to be quite exhausting due to the tension.

I wonder if Sensei would be able to relax more moderately if we chatted about something.

Well, we can never be too careful in a dungeon and I don’t think it’s a good idea to have too much conversation.

At any rate, I decided to ask him about a topic that Sensei seemed comfortable talking about……Bo Jutsu.

“Sensei, let’s see…..Mutengi Shinryu, was it? Why did Sensei learn such martial stick art?”

“Mmm….. ah, that’s an……embarrassing story, but my father is the head of the Mutengi Shinryu dojo. So I was forced to be taught…..”

Saying this, Harumachi Sensei’s dignified and tightened expression breaks down a little.

Her cheeks are slightly tinted and she looks a bit embarrassed.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that but why does she look like that?

In response to my questioning, Sensei continues to speak, sounding truly embarrassed.

“Well, you know.My house is like that, I was brought up like a man. I wasn’t allowed to play make-believe and they never bought me skirts.”

“O,ooo…that’s unfortunate…”

A spectacular past told by Sensei’s own mouth.

Sensei’s family is quite crazy, raising girls as men.

I have only seen such stories in comic books.

Even though she is the head of a martial arts family, her father’s educational policy is probably overkill.

“So I don’t really want to tell people that I’m a Mutengi Shinryu master. I feel like it would give away that I was educated that way……”

Harumachi-sensei blushes when she says this.

Sensei’s past had made her have a complex about it.

It’s cute to see her embarrassed and I don’t think it’s weird for me, but she may be quite concerned about it herself.

The fact that she was not brought up as a woman is certainly not without a negative image, such as 『lacking modesty』.

‘Aree….?’

But then a strange thought suddenly flashed into my head.

Sensei was brought up as a man and was not allowed to wear skirts.

But since yesterday, she has been wearing long skirts to school.

‘Maybe that’s……’

No, but I don’t think so.

I thought it was impossible but I decided to just say the thought that popped into my head.

“…..Sensei, was it just yesterday that you put on a skirt for the first time?”

“!!!!”

“Se,sensei!?”

As soon as I ask, Harumachi-sensei cower in place.

Her hands are covering her face and I can hear her moaning in embarrassment.

‘No way, this reaction…was my prediction correct?’

Seriously….?

I looked at the teacher in disbelief, still crouched down.

There’s no doubt about it.

Harumachi-sensei is….

‘F,for me, she wore a skirt for the first time in her life. ……!’

I can’t help but almost, 『You’re kidding me』coming out of my mouth.

What can I say …… I really can’t believe it.

A woman who has only worn trousers all her life crossed that line for me?

I made Harumachi-sensei make such a big decision…..!

“Sensei……”

“D,Don’t say anything!”

My heart warms up and my mouth naturally calls out for Harumachi-sensei.

However, Sensei interrupted my voice like a scream.

Apparently, she doesn’t want me to be the only one to mention it.

But I dared to continue speaking.

If a woman has put up the courage for herself, as a man I have a duty to respond to that.

Besides, Sensei looked so beautiful when she was dressed up.

I don’t want her to regret it after summoning up her courage.

I put my heart into it and slowly let out my voice.

“I really liked the way you looked in your skirt. Sensei looked like an adult woman and it was very nice. I was happy that you wore a skirt.”

“!!!…Is that true!!?”

“It’s true. I was so surprised to see such a beautiful person.”

“~~~!!!”

Harumachi-sensei’s face turns red at my praise and she raises her voice inaudibly.

She crouched down while stomping her feet and repeatedly hitting the floor with the end of the stick.

Does this mean that she is…..too happy to stay still?

And it was soaring, as if she was about to start dancing.

‘Sensei looks like a normal girl in this way…..’

Sensei’s appearance as a naive girl makes me think about such things with deep emotion.

She becomes fashionably aware of the eyes of the people she likes and likes them so much that she can’t even have a conversation with them.

She is more pure and adolescent-like than my classmates’ girls.

Well, it is said that she was brought up as a man, so her mental age as a woman may be very young.

Her appearance is so mature and sexy that when she makes such gestures, it’s too unbalanced and destructive.

“Wha! Aah! Aa!”

Harumachi-sensei continues to hit the floor with a stick while in embarrassment indefinitely.

My words seem to have a critical hit on Sensei and she doesn’t seem to be able to return to her former dignified appearance.

But then──

“MEEEEEEEEEE!!”

“……….!”

A distinctive bleating sound comes from the end of the passage.

I hurriedly turned my eyes in that direction and saw a large sheep a dozen metres away.

Unlike normal sheep, its wool is yellow.

It is slowly but surely approaching us.

There is no doubt that it’s about to…….

It’s the [Electric Sheep], the monster on the second floor…!

Sensei banging around on the floor might have caused them to notice our presence by the sound and come charging at us.

“Sensei,incoming enemy!”

I rush to call out to Harumachi-sensei and start to remove the torch from the wall.

The electric sheep is characterised by the fact that it has a charge on its body, which means that we must be careful how we attack.

So it should be better to attack with a torch than with a knife.

Sensei seems taken back and I have to take the initiative in dealing with the electric sheep.

But just as I took the torch off the wall…

“Uuuooooooooo!!”

“!!?”

Suddenly, a spirited cry can be heard from behind me.

When I turned around in a panic, Harumachi-sensei was no longer there.

“Eh,Ehhhhhh?!”

Sensei is running towards the electric sheep.

The six-foot stick is being swung at such a high speed that it is impossible to follow its trajectory.

However, contrary to the length of the stick, the swing is very compact.

It has a much smaller range than holding out both hands.

As it is, Sensei screams and comes to close quarters against the electric sheep.

And then──

“Ha! Ta! Oryaaaaaa!!”

“MEE, ME, MEEE!?”

Thrusting, lashing and smashing.

With what could be described as divine speed, Sensei’s stick attacks the electric sheep.

The electric sheep is shaken by the attack in an interesting way and can only scream.

“Fuaa! Haa! Taaah! Ha!”

Sensei uses the momentum of the attack to launch a series of follow-up strikes.

It’s a one-sided fight.

Before the electric sheep can regain its position, Sensei’s next attack has already been launched.

Moreover, the parts of the body that are attacked are critical points.

Not the torso, but the head and legs.

Sensei’s attacks are concentrated in areas that are considered fatal to electric sheep.

It was pitiful to watch and so merciless.

But I was blinded in another way by such a merciless series of attacks.

‘Amazing ……!’

A flow of emotion floods in my chest.

It’s beautiful.

It is beautiful.

Each time sensei attacks, it is terribly artistic and spectacular.

Although it is an actual battle, it feels like watching an enbu performance.

[Enbu 演武, performing martial arts in front of an audience]

The Rokushakubo, which is supposed to be longer than her height, attacks the electric sheep sometimes compactly and sometimes dynamically.

It is as if the length is changing freely.

It is such brilliant stickwork that one wonders if he is hallucinating.

Sensei continues to attack unilaterally, and then──

“MEE……”

The electric sheep let out a faint scream and runs out of power.

Its body turns into a swarm of light particles and is sucked into the labyrinth.

Sensei’s total number of attacks was probably about …twenty times.

The attacks were so fast that I’m not sure I counted them properly.

“………..”

Harumachi-sensei bows quietly on the spot, as is the custom in the martial arts.

A 『Master』.

The imposing appearance of Harumachi Sensei naturally reminded me of such a word.

Sensei is truly an expert in Bo Jutsu.

Apparently, being a fifth dan in Mutengi Shinryu is even more amazing than I thought.

But…

“!!?”

Harumachi-sensei turned around and rushed towards me at a high speed.

Sensei came straight up to me and then opened her mouth.

“Th,thanks!”

“Wha..?”

For some reason, Sensei thanked me and I had no idea what she was thankful about, so I put a question mark on my face.

Senseir then smiles while her cheeks are stained and says…

“I’ll keep dressing up from now on!”

“………….”

…… I was unintentionally stunned.

After such a brilliant fight, that’s what her first words were.

It’s as if the electric sheep was just a distraction.

No, It’s different.

It is precisely because she fought the electric sheep that she is able to think straight and thank me in this way.

Yes, I don’t like to think about it too much because it’s terrifying, but Sensei is….

‘She used the electric sheep as a tool to vent her emotions….’

The hits on the electric sheep sends a shiver down my spine.

Sensei’s smile is very cute, but it looks more than a little scary.

I may have fallen in love with a rather dangerous person.

‘…..for now, let’s just be careful not to tease her too much.’

I bear this in mind and smile awkwardly at Sensei.

I then opened my mouth in a deceptive way.

“Right, let’s resume our exploration.”

“Mm!”

Harumachi-sensei nods broadly with a smiling face.

She looks very lively and healthy.

Apparently, the current battle has blown a lot of things out of the water and she doesn’t seem to be holding back her embarrassment towards me.

It seemed that she was not even unnecessarily nervous.

‘…… Well, if she feels like this, we should proceed with our exploration without being so tired.’

With mixed feelings, I proceeded with my steps.

At any rate, the electric sheep was a bit weak but Sensei’s current attitude is not bad.

I relaxed myself and properly alert our surroundings, so we will not be caught off guard in any strange way.

It was the ideal attitude for an exploration.

“Leave the electric sheep to me. I don’t feel like losing against them.”

“Sure……..But we should deal with the other monsters together. Especially the laughing pumpkin, it’s definitely more advantageous for two people to attack it.”

“Mm, that’s true. About the spiny Thorny Bug…..”

While continuing the exploration, we also discuss our strategy.

It is better to have a plan beforehand than to think about how to deal with the monsters after or during our encounter.

‘It feels kind of refreshing……’

I was pondering about such things in the difference between this and previous explorations.

Until Sensei found out about the dungeon, I was the only one exploring.

That’s why I didn’t have any conversations and I wasn’t aware of such a combination.

It feels strange to be exploring the dungeon while talking like this.

We continued on our way through the labyrinth, mapping it as we went.

We discuss during our walk in the safe passages with good visibility and be silent and vigilant together around corners.

The map was steadily filling in and the entire second floor was somewhat visible.

“Sensei, look at this.”

“Mmm…..?”

“This is the map of the second floor so far. And this is the first floor. Which may be the same size as the first floor..”

I show Harumachi-Sensei the screen of my smartphone and explain.

From the shape of the passageways revealed so far, it seems that the second layer is also a 400 metres square, just like the first floor.

The passage is of course winding but the perimeter is very beautiful.

I also told her that the entrance to the next floor was likely to be in the middle of it and explained the existence of a direct passageway.

I don’t think Sensei will be exploring alone but it’s important to share information.

“I see……”

Harumachi-sensei folds her arms impressively.

I put away my smartphone and continued to speak.

“I still don’t know the conditions about how the direct passageway appears. It may be item completion or defeating all types of monsters…I would like to verify this on this floor if possible.”

“Hmmm…… that would be the right choice. I think it’s a good plan.”

Sensei completely agrees with me.

The convenience of the direct passage seems to have been understood without explanation.

After the explanation, we resume our exploration.

It has already been 30 minutes since we entered the second floor.

Although we haven’t found any small rooms with items, the map is steadily filling up and our pace is not too bad.

We only encountered a few electric sheep but that didn’t tire us out.

And about ten minutes after I had explained the map.

About two thirds of the way around the perimeter of the second floor had been mapped, when finally…

“!!!”

“Saino, could that be……?”

The now-familiar entrance at the end of the corridor.

When Sensei and I spotted it, we both tensed up.

That’s……definitely the small room.

It took us longer than usual to find it but we might finally get a new item.

“Sensei, there is probably one monster inside. Let’s take a look inside first and decide what to do depending on its type.”

“Ooouu…..”

Sensei nodded, her expression tightening.

We quietly approached the entrance to the small room and slowly peered inside.

‘Isn’t that a……[Mandragora]?’

In the centre of the room, as expected, is a treasure chest.

And right next to it, a huge plant was growing.

…… No, growing is not quite the right word.

It looks like a radish but its roots are completely out of the ground, in the shape of a person.

It looks like a pure white doll with leaves growing out of its head.

They’re about as tall as me, which is pretty spooky.

They seem to have their backs to us, so a surprise attack may be possible.

I close one eye and see that it is Lv 6.

Same Lv as Sensei and a lower Lv for me.

“……Sensei.”

“Aaaa”

I make a short, small voice and communicate with Harumachi-sensei.

We already decided the battle strategy against Mandragora.

All I have to do now is fight accordingly.

I pull my knife out of its sheath and jump into the room in time with Sensei.

Then I approach the mandragora with my footsteps silent…

“Hmph!”

“GYA!?”

A sneak attack.

A large wound is inflicted on the white back of the monster.

The mandragora jumps up and down, its body bounces and it sounds surprised.

That’s a good response.

Its Lv is also high and it may have taken quite a bit of damage.

But I didn’t give chase and immediately moved away from the mandragora and covered my ears.

Sensei did the same and put her hands over her ears.

As soon as she did so…

“──────!”

Even with our ears covered, we can still hear bits of its screams.

The air trembles and the vibrations are felt.

…… Yes, this is what mandragoras are known for.

『Screaming attacks.』

Mandragoras are not particularly good at fighting.

However, by performing this screaming attack. Enemies of the Mandragora will fall into a coma.

Once unconscious, the opponent can no longer do anything.

No matter how low the mandragora’s attack power is, it will be smashed to death.

In that sense, in a sense, it could be said to be an instant death attack.

However, it seems that even such a powerful screaming attack has restrictions on its use.

It can only be used once per battle.

And the timing is also fixed, it only activates immediately after the first attack.

We already knew that, so it was easy to deal with.

‘…… Okay!’

I feel the air stop vibrating and stop covering my ears.

Sensei beside me moved her hand away in the same way.

And then…

“Hah!”

“GYAA!?”

I slashed at it with my knife as I ran right past it.

I then turned around and faced the mandragora.

This completes our advantageous position.

Me in front of the mandragora, Harumachi-sensei behind.

Sensei and I have successfully formed a formation to pincer the mandragora.

“Ta, ha!”

“GYA, GYAA!”

“Sora!”

“GYAAA!?”

Sensei’s two blows knock the mandragora out of its stance and my knife runs through the gap.

It’s a perfect combination.

Sensei’s attack seems to be less powerful due to her Lv and weapon but I can use it as an advantage to do a lot of damage.

Mandragora can do nothing but writhe in pain on the spot.

“Sei!!”

I put all my strength into it and gave the mandragora another blow.

And then──

“GYA……”

After a small cry, the mandragora transformed into a swarm of light particles.

It was absorbed into the labyrinth and soon left no trace.

We secured a win.

“Fue…..”

“……….”

I let out a sigh and the teacher took a quiet bow.

And when we finished, we looked at each other and we both smiled.

The battle now was very ideal.

We received zero damage.

The strategy fitted in well and there is a kind of exhilaration.

Besides, it was also great that I was able to match with my own teacher.

If I were to use an analogy, it would be like the results of practising in tennis doubles.

I kind of wanted to exchange high-fives with Sensei and praise each other.

‘Well, whatever it is…..’

I forcefully switch my consciousness from the afterglow of victory.

I didn’t fight the mandragora because I wanted to fight.

I had only one objective from the start.

“Let’s see…….”

I squat in front of the treasure chest and put my hand on its lid.

Sensei says nothing and watches quietly next to me.

It won’t be that much of a problem if she sees it.

If she believes the contents of my codex, they will think the instructions are a joke.

I slowly open the lid.

Inside…

“…..? A wristband?”

Sensei tilts her head curiously at the contents of the treasure chest.

As she said, what was inside was apparently a wristband.

It was pink in colour.

There’s only one, so I can only wear it on one hand.

I picked up the instructions that came with it to find out what it was.

『The [Lucky Band] – when worn on the wrist, this wristband allows you to touch any woman’s body with your hand without being perceived. However, the people around you will notice it. It also has no effect if worn on a part of the body other than the arm. Usable number of times: ∞ times.』

“Heee….”

I put the manual back in the treasure box after reading it and immediately put the [lucky band] on my right hand.

I then reached out to Harumachi-sensei’s breasts and gently squeezed them.

“Nn…… nn……?”

Harumachi-sensei’s body jerks slightly, as if a pleasant sensation has been triggered.

However, she did not show any resistance.

She just looked at me strangely when our eyes met.

‘I think I understand how this works……’

While enjoying the softness of the teacher’s breasts, I put my other hand on my chin and think about it.

Apparently, this [Lucky Band] does not have the effect of directly raising Lv.

However, as far as I’m concerned, it’s an item that I’m grateful for.

To be able to touch a girl’s body without her being aware of it would be a tool that a man could only dream of.

I’m touching Sensei’s tits right now without permission, and my hands are very happy.

I’m so happy to be able to taste this anytime when we’re alone.

“Hm, nn…… nn……?”

Harumachi-sensei, who tilts her head cutely while jerking her body at me, who has fallen silent.

I took my hand off the teacher’s chest and suggested, in a casual manner, that we continue our search.

After defeating Mandragora and obtaining the Lucky Band.

Harumachi-sensei and I left the small room and resumed our exploration.

The Lucky Band is in my bag.

I thought about sexually harassing Sensei throughout the passage, but that would be underestimating the dungeon.

Considering the presence of monsters, it was clearly dangerous to lose concentration.

‘Besides, if we were forced to transfer, the [lucky band] would return to the treasure chest…..’

Recalling the rules of the labyrinth, I reconfirm the risks.

If I take too much damage and are sent back to the entrance, the items I’ve acquired in that exploration will go back to the treasure chest.

So I don’t want to be caught off guard and get hit by a monster. In the first place, getting hit by a monster hurts a lot.

With Sensei, it would be easy to get the [Lucky Band] again, but it is not the same as forcing a transition.

For efficient exploration, forced transitions should generally be avoided.

“Sensei, let’s go right here. From the shape of the map, it’s probably an immediate dead end but that doesn’t mean there aren’t small rooms.”

“Hmm, okay.”

For the umpteenth time, there’s a fork in the road.

When I suggested this while looking at the screen of my smartphone, Harumachi-sensei nodded in agreement.

It seems that Sensei intends to leave most of the exploration decision to me.

Maybe she trusts me a lot.

I continue to lead our exploration down the corridor.

The destination to the right is still a dead end.

Unfortunately, there are no small rooms.

We quickly turned around and took another route.

Soon afterwards, we came to…

“Oops……”

“…….Mu”

The moment we turned the corner, we saw a yellow object about ten metres down the corridor.

It rubs itself against the wall constantly, as if its body is itching.

That distinctive fur-coloured animal is, no doubt, an electric sheep.

Its face is turned towards us but it doesn’t notice us, perhaps preoccupied with scratching its body.

‘It’s Lv is……9?’

Apparently it’s a higher Lv than me.

“….. Okay, Saino, wait here.”

“Is Sensei planning to fight it on your own, by any chance? From Lv wise, I’d say Sensei is a bit reckless…..”

“Aaa. I’ve told you that I wouldn’t lose against any electric sheep. Leave it to me..”

Harumachi-sensei grips her stick with great motivation.

I’m worried, but I can’t stop her strongly enough.

After all, Sensei had won a crushing victory over Electric Sheep earlier as well.

I didn’t have time to check the Lv at that time but even for me, it seemed as if Sensei would win regardless of Lv.

It is not good to let one’s guard down, but I still felt a strange sense of security.

However, I couldn’t let a woman fight alone knowing that it would be dangerous.

I remind Sensei, who was about to rush off.

“….. I understand. But I’ll stay nearby. If you’re in a pinch, I’ll help you right away.”

“Oh, okay. Then, I’ll go.”

Nodding at my words, Harumachi-sensei runs towards the electric sheep.

This time, Sensei is still running while swinging the stick compactly, but is that a kind of preparatory exercise?

Or is she giving the tip of the stick more momentum by doing so?

Either way, I have to keep up with her with a moderate distance.

I removed the torch from the wall, held it and followed Sensei.

“HAH!”

“MEEEEE!”

Sensei’s sharp thrust, delivered with the momentum of running.

The electric sheep turned its head away to avoid the direct hit and conversely, leapt towards Sensei.

The surprise attack failed since it was facing our way after all.

However, Sensei didn’t panic and immediately rotated the Rokushakubo.

She then aimed at the electric sheep’s jaw from directly below, with the tip opposite to the one that had done the thrusting.

“MEE……!?”

The electric sheep didn’t predict such an attack, loses its balance and lands on the floor.

The electric sheep would not even have known what had happened to it.

“Fuh!”

Harumachi-sensei’s rokushakubo swung again, not missing the chance of the flinching electric sheep.

This time, she rotated her entire body and delivered a large naginata blow.

The blow was absorbed by the electric sheep’s body and the stick sucked into it.

The electric sheep’s body shook with shock.

“MEEE……!”

However Sensei’s attack power is low but it still does some damage.

The electric sheep grunts and shrinks a little on the spot.

Sensei continues to thrust, aiming at the front legs.

Right, left.

The Rokushakubo ran at high speed, as if it could expand and contract at will.

I’ve seen this before, a ghastly weak point.

Now the electric sheep will no longer be able to move properly.

But──

“MEEE!!!”

“!!!?”

The electric sheep makes a loud bleating sound and rushes at Sensei as if it is upset.

‘Her attack didn’t work!’

Sensei panicked and held the Rokushakubo to the side to catch it.

But…

“Ku,uuuu…..!”

Unable to kill the momentum, Sensei was pushed back a few steps.

‘This is bad!!’

I immediately ran out and tried to go around the side of Sensei and attack the electric sheep.

….. but I didn’t get there in time.

Timing-wise, I was just in time.

But there was one obstacle in front of me.

It was the Rokushakubo that was still held in her hand.

Despite Sensei’s skill in Bo Jutsu, the length of the staff was still about 180 cm long.

To fight up close, its length was a great hindrance.

“!!”

“Damn!”

Harumachi-sensei completely loses her balance.

I had no choice but to hit the electric sheep on the head with my torch to stop its momentum.

“MEE!?”

Was it a good hit, or did I catch it by surprise?

The electric sheep stops charging and retreats, as if startled.

At the same time, Harumachi-sensei fell on her buttocks and I threatened the electric sheep with a torch to protect him.

“Sensei, are you alright?”

“A,aaa….”

At the sound of my voice, Harumachi Sensei rushed to my feet.

When I glanced at the electric sheep warily, Sensei did not appear to be hurt.

However, her expression clearly shows that she is in shock.

It doesn’t feel like she can continue the battle.

“…… leave the rest to me!”

That’s all I shouted and I rushed towards the electric sheep.

The electric sheep is bending over and straining to intercept me.

It may be trying to evade my attack to the side and counterattack from there.

I deliberately feinted by repositioning my torch several times, then attacked it sideways.

“MEE, MEEE……!”

“!!!”

My attack hit the electric sheep in the head, while being somewhat deflected.

However, the enemy did not flinch and bent down further to counterattack.

It seems to be trying to hit me with its body.

If such an attack were to be made on this thing, which has electricity flowing through its body, it would probably do quite a lot of damage.

…… but that’s to be expected.

I threw down the torch I wielded and pulled the knife from its sheath with my right hand while guarding my body with my left.

“MEEE!!!”

The electric sheep rushed in.

I grit my teeth and…

“!!!!Y,youuu!!!”

The moment I blocked its rush, my vision flickered and pain shot through my body.

But I gathered my strength and forced myself to swing the knife.

“MEEEE……!?”

The numbness and pain that had been attacking my body disappears.

The electric sheep has moved away from us and there is a sharp cut across one of its eyes.

Apparently, the blow I had struck earlier had just hit the vital spot.

I gathered up all the energy in my body and ran towards the electric sheep.

With holding my knife upside down.

I was conscious since it was missing one eye and I approached it from its blind spot.

Then, with all my might, I thrust my blade into the electric sheep’s brain.

“TERYAAA!!!”

“ME, E……!”

Was it because the damage had accumulated, or was the brain indeed a weak point?

The electric sheep stopped moving on the spot with the knife stuck in its head….and slowly collapsed to the floor.

And at that moment, it turned into a particle of light and was sucked into the labyrinth.

Somehow, it seems, we’ve won.

“Haa……”

I relaxed from my body and returned the knife that had fallen to the floor to its sheath.

It was a tough fight.

I haven’t struggled like this since the Laughing Pumpkin battle.

It was utterly gut-wrenching.

……, but there are two things I’ve learned a lot this time.

The first is that 『Lv difference cannot be ignored』

Sensei’s two strikes to the front leg were perfectly well executed.

But the electric sheep withstood it and even fought back.

The cause of this would be none other than the amount of damage inflicted.

The Lv difference between Harumachi-sensei and the electric sheep from earlier is 3.

It’s the same Lv difference as when I struggled with the laughing pumpkin.

Looking back, that monster didn’t flinch too much from my attacks that time either.

Apparently, if we are 3 lvls apart, it means that we can’t kill them with a few attacks.

Sensei’s attacks are a flowing series of blows, so it might be tough if she’s been counterattacked.

And the second fact that turned out to be true was…. the poor combination between me and Sensei.

In a pincer formation, we would never get in each other’s way.

However, in close combat in the corridor, Sensei and I have to fight side by side.

This time, Sensei’s Rokushakubo becomes a great hindrance.

The stick is not a very useful weapon for fighting in a party in this labyrinth.

“……………..”

“……………..”

Somehow, we both become silent.

Sensei must also be thinking the same thing as me.

It was very awkward.

‘Hmmm……I have to do something about this…..’

I was thinking about that in my head, I pretended I didn’t care about anything and asked Sensei if we should continue.

“I guess you don’t run into opponents like that often….”

“Yeah… right…..”

After a close call with the electric sheep.

Me and Harumachi-sensei, who were continuing our exploration, both felt a subtle awkwardness.

To use an analogy, we were a couple who made a weird mistake on our first date.

Pretending not to mind or care for each other, but we in reality, we really do care. And not knowing how to fix the mistake between us and the other side knowing that I don’t know what to do.

Frankly, it’s a very bad atmosphere.

‘Frankly, I have zero idea how to mend this problem….’

As we continue to walk, I frantically think of a solution.

Sensei with her stick and me with a knife or torch.

Both can only engage in melee combat and we would get in each other’s way if there’s a fight in the corridor.

If the space is somewhat open like the small room, we can adjust our positions and fight well but this is not the case in a passageway that is only three or four metres wide.

It would be quite risky to slip past the enemy every time.

‘Hmmm…….I still think her weapon is…..But I don’t know if it would work if I let Sensei use a knife……’

I simulate a battle in my head if Sensei uses a knife.

Two people approach the enemy, attack the enemy without hurting each other and then the enemy will……

‘…. no good. I’m sure I’m still stronger fighting alone’

I can’t format a good plan at all.

Sensei’s strength is only due to her beautiful barrage of stick attacks and accurate rapid aim.

She doesn’t have the arm strength and even if I give her a knife, she won’t be able to attack effectively.

Besides, it is definitely not easy to swing a knife with two people side by side.

It was hard to think that we would be able to attack the monster while taking each other into consideration.

“………”

“………”

Harumachi-sensei and I moved through the corridors, having fallen silent.

The map is steadily filling up, although I can’t think of any solutions.

More than half of the floor has already been mapped.

We continue our exploration, and…

“….Sensei

“Aaaa.”

We call out to each other briefly, looking at the end of the passage.

It has been about ten minutes since the battle with the electric sheep earlier.

At last, we found the last small room on this floor.

‘A laughing pumpkin, lvl 7. It’s hard to make a surprise attack.’

I take a look inside quietly and identify the guardian of the treasure chest.

Indeed, there is a treasure chest in the centre of the room.

And behind it, a laughing pumpkin sat with its face turned slightly to the side.

“Sensei, as we discussed.”

“Mm, I know.”

“……Okay, let’s go then. I’ll leave the timing to you.”

With that said, I pulled my knife out of its sheath.

I’ve already decided on a strategy when the Laughing Pumpkin is my opponent.

It’s a two-man distraction tactic, with my attack as the main focus.

Sensei grips the Rokushakubo, looks me in the eye and nods.

Then, after taking a deep breath, we leapt into the small room.

“GYAHA!”

The giant pumpkin notices us and lets out an eerie laugh, just like its name.

It spins slowly, trying to take aim.

The first target seems to be Harumachi-sensei.

“Sensei!”

“I know!”

Harumachi-sensei shouts and runs to avoid being targeted.

Completely free, I rushed towards the laughing pumpkin.

And then…

“Teiii!!”

“GYA……!?”

A grunt escapes from the laughing pumpkin’s mouth at the full force of the blow.

I can see a deep crack has formed on its surface.

It seems that I was clearly able to inflict more damage than the Lv 10 monster I fought before.

It seems that the difference in lvl really affects the amount of damage.

“What’s the matter! You’re not gonna shoot at me?”

“GYA…… GYAHAA!”

“Ha! You can’t hit me like that!”

Harumachi-sensei’s voice is heard from behind the pumpkin.

Followed by her voice was an impact sound, it was probably the sound of the laughing pumpkin seed hitting the wall.

Sensei seems to be playing the decoy role brilliantly.

“Oraaaaaa!!”

“GYAHAAA!?”

I strike it once more.

Thanks to Sensei’s diversion, I’m able to completely make my mark. I could attack with all my might without worry.

Creating another deep wound on the monster’s shell, while twisting in my blade. Digging into it further.

“GYA……AA……!”

The laughing pumpkin stops moving.

And then…

“GYAHA…….”

With a small grunt, the giant pumpkin turns into particles of light.

Within seconds, it disappeared completely.

“Fuu…..”

Exhaling in relief, I sheath my blade. It was a complete victory.

We were able to fight with a lot of time to spare because we were in the small room where it was easy to maximise our combinations, and the monster was not at a high level.

Only three attacks were needed.

It seems that I was able to inflict more damage with a single attack than the lvl 10 laughing pumpkin I had fought before.

‘At any rate, I’m glad we won easily.’

Seeing Harumachi Sensei bowing quietly, I feel a little relieved.

After the struggle with the electric sheep, her expression had been sour.

But this time, being able to fight properly together, she seems to have regained a little bit of her composure.

Well, if she encounters the same monster in the passage again, she might regress.

‘…… for now, let’s open the treasure chest’

I stopped observing Harumachi-sensei and headed for the centre of the room.

I crouched down in front of the treasure box and slowly opened the lid.

Inside of it was──

“!!!”

I took a slight gasp of air.

The item in the treasure chest, it was what I needed at this moment.

The timing was too good to be true, but it’s fate that it appears.

I immediately read the instructions that came with it.

『[Romance Crossbow] a high-strength crossbow with high attack power. Up to five arrows are automatically charged each time the user enters a dungeon. If the arrow pierces a person who has romantic feelings for the user, that person will not be wounded, but instead their romantic feelings for the user will be strengthened. Cannot be used outside the dungeon. Effective range: 30 metres. Usable number of times: ∞ times.』

‘Nice! This is a long-range attack weapon that I need……!’

I put my hand inside the treasure chest and lifted the item.

The [Romance Crossbow].

It looks like a bowgun, like a gun with a bow attached.

There is a lever on the barrel, which is probably used to load arrows from the upper magazine.

It weighs about two kilograms.

It is a little hard to hold with one hand but with two hands it feels light.

If properly held with both hands, even a non-strong person will be able to stabilise their aim.

“Saino,that’s ……”

“Yeah, and we can properly use it as a weapon…… Sensei, I need you to do hit-and-run attacks, and if possible, please keep it in my line of sight. Can you do it?”

“!!……. Of course I can!!”

In response to my words, Harumachi-sensei smiled broadly.

She seems a little excited.

It seems,Sensei also realised the great potential of this item.

Sensei and I quickly left the small room and resumed our exploration.

Our goal was neither the treasure nor the entrance to the next floor, but the monster.

We both wanted to know to what extent the presence of the [Romance Crossbow] affected the battle.

Then, ten minutes after leaving the room.

Most of the map had been filled in and the path to the third level had become somewhat clear.

“! Sensei……!”

“Aa, there it is……”

Around the corner, a long passage of about 20 metres.

In the middle of it, there was a yellow-haired beast.

That was definitely an electric sheep.

This is the third time we’ve encountered it during our exploration.

It has its back to us and does not seem to have noticed us.

I checked the Lv and found that it was Lv 9, the same level as the one we struggled with earlier.

“……For now, I will take the lead and try to sneak attack it. And Sensei will──”

“Aaa. After that, I’ll rush in and catch its attention while waiting for Saino’s second attack. For now, I’ll fight with emphasis on defence, so Saino can give me instructions as you assess the situation”

“Understood.”

After a brief battle plan, Sensei holds up her stick and I hold up my Romance Crossbow.

The romance crossbow is not equipped with a scope, but instead has a small round ring in front of it that could be used for aiming.

This kind of thing is called an iron sight.

There’s a projection just at the tip of the crossbow and if I put both it and the monster in this circle,I’ll be able to get a good aim.

“Here goes nothing……”

I say a word to Sensei and put my finger on the trigger.

Then I took aim and pulled the trigger.

At that moment──

BASH!!

“MEEEEEE!!!?”

An arrow was fired at high speed from the Romance Crossbow.

It flew in a precise straight line and pierced the electric sheep’s buttocks with great force.

Naturally, the electric sheep’s body jumps with the impact and a scream escapes from its mouth.

From how it looks, I must have done a lot of damage.

“I’m going in…..!”

Harumachi-sensei said and rushed towards the electric sheep as agreed.

Sensei then attacked the monster, who finally looked at us, with a sharp thrust with very few gaps.

“Hu! Ha!”

“ME,MEEEEE!?”

A quick double thrust, so quick that I thought Sensei had reached the speed of sound.

Both of the thrust landed on its hand and the electric sheep shook its head.

It shows that Sensei didn’t do much damage.

It looks like her attacks are only good for holding it back.

I get a little closer to the electric sheep and Sensei, and pull the lever of the romance crossbow.

The sound of Gachan was heard.

I looked and saw that the arrow was properly loaded and ready to fire.

“Second shot, ready!”

“Ouu!”

At the sound of my voice, Harumachi-sensei gave the electric sheep another poke in the head then backed to my side.

It allowed the line of fire to pass through, I took firm aim and pulled the trigger.

“MEEEEEEEE……!”

“Good shot!”

The second arrow also hit the target with flying colours.

And the place where it hit is also good.

The arrow was deeply embedded in the left eye of the electric sheep.

“MEE…..”

The electric sheep gave a feeble bleating sound and slowly collapsed.

And the moment its torso hit the floor, it turned into a swarm of light particles.

Victory.

“………..”

“………..”

I stopped holding the Romance Crossbow and approached Harumachi-sensei.

Sensei also walked up to me.

And then──

“……Sensei! We did it!”

“Aaa! With this fighting style, we can do it ……!”

Our faces lit up as we both discussed our response to this method of fighting.

The combat with the Romance Crossbow was much better than we had imagined.

The attack power was perfect and we were able to get the combination right.

Both of us were able to play the vanguard and the rearguard perfectly and there is no better way to fight.

Harumachi-sensei and I have a big smile on our faces and we praise each other.

The lvl 9 electric sheep that we had struggled with earlier.

The fact that we were able to defeat it perfectly, the bad atmosphere had just disappeared completely.

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