Chapter 96

A faint light illuminated the sea surface, reflecting the undulating ripples in the sky.

In the center of this space, there was a building resembling a temple, supported by four massive pillars. There were no walls between the pillars, making the structure quite open. At the center of the temple was an altar-like area, adorned with a complex and intricate magic array. Additionally, from the temple surrounded by the sea, four walkways floated on the water, each leading in a different direction. At the end of each walkway was a circular platform, also inscribed with a magic array.

Suddenly, one of the four magic arrays began to shine. After a moment of explosive light, two figures appeared there. It was Aichi and Kaori.

"…This place is… Is that a magic array? Could it be, we’ve cleared it?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, I didn’t expect to clear it so quickly… Compared to other dungeons, it felt a bit easier… I thought the final boss would be the Ice Sea Spirit…"

Clearly, they had arrived at Mei Melkine’s residence. Realizing this, Aichi’s expression turned a bit disappointed. Kaori, peering over Aichi’s shoulder, responded with a wry smile.

"You know, Aichi-kun. This place is truly remarkable. The initial underwater cave, ordinary people can’t even enter without a submarine, let alone clear it. Continuously consuming a vast amount of magic power, one wrong move and you could drown. The Ice Sea Spirit is an absurdly strong enemy, and with the undead immune to physical attacks, even if you could enter, you couldn’t defeat the undead army. It’s a ridiculously difficult level."

"Ah, that’s true…"

"Moreover, the people in this world have a very strong faith… Being forced to witness such madness…"

"It’s mentally exhausting…"

Kaori’s point was that Aichi was too strong. At this point, Aichi acknowledged it. Indeed, at the Great Mount Guren, if not for Fried’s sneak attack, they could have cleared it without taking any damage.

Thinking about it, they had arrived before meeting up with the others. How were they doing? Just as Aichi was thinking this, as if reading his thoughts, the magic array at the end of the right walkway began to shine.

After the explosive light subsided, Yuki, Sia, and Tio appeared there. Perfect timing.

"Good timing. Is everything okay on your side?"

"Yeah… Is everything okay on your side…?"

"Ah, Kaori-san, are you okay!"

"Um? Are you injured? What about the recovery magic?"

As Aichi greeted them, the three of them each showed a spirited appearance and sent worried glances at Kaori, who was on Aichi’s back. In response, Kaori said…

"Thank you for your concern. But I’m fine. It was partly a bit of a tantrum."

Kaori’s bright smile and bold declaration made Yuki squint her eyes, "I’m envious. Let me do it," Sia urged, and Tio, with a mischievous grin, said, "Oh oh~"

"Hey, Kaori. Can you stand up now?"

"Hehe, actually, I could probably walk from the beginning… Sorry?"

"Ah, hurry up and get down."

Seeing Kaori’s mischievous smile, Aichi looked a bit flustered as he put her down. The two of them walked side by side to the temple, where they met up with Yuki and the others.

"So? What’s the good news? Hmm? Tell me quickly, Master. What happened with Kaori? Come on, come on, tell me what happened? Don’t hold back, puhaha!"

Because Tio’s persistent questioning and sly smile were too annoying, Aichi, who was irritated, slapped her. Tio spread her legs and fell in a seductive pose, her cheeks flushed as she panted.

"R-really, it’s been a long time since I felt such a shock~ Haa haa, um, Master, can you punish me a bit more? Or, how about kicking me?"

Tio exuded an atmosphere of anticipation, wriggling as she spoke. Ignoring her, Aichi and the others walked towards the altar inside. From behind, they heard, "Just one more time, one more time! Please, hit me~" but the three of them pretended not to hear.

"…So? What happened?"

Yuki asked the same question as Tio. However, she didn’t look at Aichi but at Kaori. Kaori, meeting Yuki’s gaze, smiled happily and, as usual, dropped a verbal bomb.

"I just kissed Aichi-kun a little."

"…Oh?"

"Ah!? Really!? Who! Who went first!? Could it be, Aichi-kun!?"

Hearing Kaori’s words, Yuki’s tone became lower, while Sia excitedly asked.

"I went first. …Aichi-kun got angry for me… He couldn’t bear to see me taken away."

"Like, like when it happened to me! He couldn’t bear to see me taken away either. Fellow companion, Kaori-san!"

"Ahaha, that’s right. Sia, this time, let’s take him together? How about we just go all the way?"

Despite Aichi being right there, the two girls started planning to attack Aichi. Aichi’s cheeks broke out in a cold sweat. They seemed to be joking, but in fact, both Kaori and Sia had serious expressions. It was hard to imagine that Kaori would look at him with such a predatory gaze.

"…I thought you’d run away with your tail between your legs."

Yuki sent a probing glance at Kaori. In fact, she had noticed that Kaori’s heart was being tormented by inferiority. So she thought that this time, Kaori, who was attempting the great dungeon for the first time, might be discouraged and might even run back. Of course, she had no intention of comforting her opponent who had declared war on her. If Kaori backed down here, she would just make a victorious declaration, "Your love is only this much."

However, Kaori had clearly rallied, and her aura was even more resolute than before. Therefore, Yuki was somewhat curious about what had happened.

"…That’s right. Dealing with Aichi-kun, this straightforward method is the best. But the gap with Yuki is too large… At this point, this method won’t work."

"…A last-ditch effort?"

"It could be said that way. Anyway, I came here as a last-ditch effort, but I forgot the gap between my ideals and reality. As a result, I showed a pitiful side."

"…It would have been better to give up directly."

"Hmph~ Scared? Afraid I’ll take him away?"

"…Don’t get too cocky. Troublemaker."

"…That’s what Aichi-kun said too… Am I, that kind of troublemaker…?"

Hearing Yuki’s sharp words, Kaori’s cheeks tightened. Being called a troublemaker by both her lover and rival made her a bit disheartened, but she quickly regained her spirit. Incidentally, not only Kaori, but Aichi and the others were all troublemakers, so Yuki’s words could be considered a boomerang, but she was unaware of it.

"Well, maybe Yuki is right… But I’m at least Aichi-kun’s [important]. No matter what others say, I’m determined to aim for [special]."

"…I see. Then, as always, I accept the challenge."

"Yep! And, I don’t dislike Yuki? A friend who can argue, that’s kind of my ideal."

"…Friend? Me and Kaori?"

"Yes, a friend. In Japan, there’s a term that is written as ‘enemy’ but read as ‘friend.’ So, can’t we write ‘rival’ and read it as ‘friend’?"

"…Japan… Aichi’s homeland… The more I hear about it, the more it seems like a mysterious country. But… it feels good."

"Right~ Ahaha, so, please take care of me from now on?"

"…Okay."

Somehow, the atmosphere between Yuki and Kaori seemed good, and Aichi, listening to their conversation, felt very awkward. It felt like a boy had intruded into a group of girls having a girl talk. Moreover, Kaori knew the lines of a heavily made-up person from the end of a certain century, and Yuki’s retort was similar to