Chapter 6: Rin’s Request

♧♧♧

It’s the long Golden Week holiday. Mom was sometimes working, sometimes off, and at times we’d pile into a big taxi and head from Eran Town to a place a little farther away where we could see the sea, or go to a shopping mall, spending fun times with everyone.

The fun time passed in a flash, and it became the last day we’d spend in Eran Town. Tomorrow morning, we’d have to head back to Seishin Town early.

“Since it’s our last day here, let’s prioritize what Rin wants to do.”

“Hoeh?”

My little sister’s absent-minded reply was cute as always.

“That’s right. We’ve been dragging her around to our sightseeing spots the whole time.”

“Hehe, Rin-chan, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“Hmm, it’s not that there isn’t a place……”

“Rin, anywhere is fine, okay? You don’t have to worry about money or anything.”

“I know that…… and it’s also because Onii-chan worked so hard…… that’s why there’s a place I’d really like to go!”

My little sister clasped her hands together as if praying and looked straight into my eyes.

“Onii-chan!”

“Yeah?”

“I—I want to go to a dungeon with you, Onii-chan!”

“Ehhh!? A d-dungeon!?”

“Yeah!”

My little sister’s eyes gradually began to sparkle.

But she’s still just a middle schooler, and like me up until last year, she hasn’t been granted a license yet.

Without a license, it’s impossible to even enter a dungeon.

“Rin? It’s not just your age, but you don’t have a license either, so you can’t get in.”

“Ehh! But didn’t you go in, Onii-chan? You used that skill called ‘Absolute Stealth’ or something to sneak into a dungeon for the first time, right?”

When I tried to enter Dungeon E117, I was stopped by the soldier guarding the entrance.

It was a mistake to tell her how I managed to slip past and get inside.

“I…… I want to see how Onii-chan fights with Hii-nee and the others in a dungeon! The way you beat up those flirty guys the other day was so cool too! I can’t wait until next year!”

“Rin……”

“Plus, Onii-chan, Hii-nee, Shii-nee, and Hiroto-nii are all strong, right?”

“Well…… I’m not that strong, though……”

Hina and Shino came up to either side of my sister.

“Onii-chan~”

The two of them mimicked Rin.

“Even Shino and Hina now……”

“An E-rank dungeon should be fine, right? And with me and Hina-chan here, I think they’ll let her in even without a license.”

“Hm? Is that how it works?”

“Yeah! With two S-rank potential holders, I think they’d let an F-rank in without a license.”

I’d always assumed you absolutely couldn’t enter without a license.

Come to think of it, when I go into dungeons with them, they never check my license either.

“Alright. But you have to promise me one thing: absolutely no running off on your own or trying to fight.”

“Yeah! I promise!”

“Haah…… I never thought we’d end up going to a dungeon…… Fujii-kun, you okay with this?”

“I’m fine too~ I brought weapons just in case.”

“Got it. Then, since we’re here, how about we head to a dungeon in Eran Town today?”

“Yeah!”

Shino and Hina explained the things to watch out for in a dungeon, and my sister sat properly with a serious expression, listening intently.

I used the smartphone Fujii-kun handed me to look up dungeons in Eran Town. Fujii-kun was also about to search and had just opened the app.

There were two dungeons in total: one E-rank dungeon and one D-rank dungeon.

Once we finished researching and their explanation wrapped up, we headed straight to the E-rank dungeon in Eran Town.

When we arrived at the dungeon, it was surprisingly bustling with explorers.

The dungeons I usually go to are mostly empty, but here, a large number of explorers were coming and going.

“Leader! What’s the strategy?”

“W-Well, let’s focus on protecting Rin. This time, we’ll have two in the vanguard and two guarding, switching off as we go.”

“Got it!”

Seeing Rin’s sparkling eyes fixed on me made me feel a little embarrassed.

I’m not used to giving orders…… but in the special training program, it worked out, and I managed to beat my seniors, learning a lot from it.

Even if I don’t give orders, they’d probably handle it with ease. Still, my ideal would be to let these strong girls stretch their wings and fight freely at their full potential.

We quickly confirmed the strategy and headed into the dungeon. Sure enough, we were stopped by a soldier at the entrance.

“Stop.”

“Here~ These are our explorer licenses.”

“Let’s see…… S-rank!? And two of them!?”

“Yes. We’re here to escort a friend.”

“G-Go right ahead!”

The soldier’s surprised voice drew the attention of those around us, but Hina and Shino, unfazed as usual, took Rin’s hands and walked inside.

Fujii-kun and I followed behind them.

Inside E198 was a bamboo forest stage, with bamboo as thick as an arm lined up.

The leaves weren’t too dense, so you could see the blue sky. Natural bamboo forests are usually packed tight, but this stage was quite open.

It’s probably designed that way as an easy stage for an E-rank dungeon.

“Hoeh~ So this is a dungeon……”

“Rin-chan~ Welcome to your first dungeon~”

“Woo~!”

Shino and Rin hopped around adorably, and not just us but the explorers around us watched with warm smiles.

“But the monsters are really strong, so be careful, okay? Hinata-kun will probably take them down easily, but that doesn’t mean they’re weak.”

“Got it!”

Well, it’s less me and more Shino and the others who are strong……

“Let’s go~!”

“So exciting~!”

Despite all the warnings, they were acting like they’d come for a picnic.

Still, she didn’t run off and stayed by my side until I moved forward.

That’s so like my responsible little sister, it’s reassuring.

As we started walking through the first floor of the dungeon, a large creature approached slowly from ahead.

It looked like a tanuki, but it was twice the size of any tanuki I knew. It was over a meter long, with sharp claws and fangs, clearly a monster.

“Hinata-kun, should we go first?”

“Yeah, please do.”

“Leave it to us!”

Not knowing the enemy’s strength, Hina and Shino stepped forward together at first.

They each pulled weapons from their magic bags and split left and right to attack the monster without getting in each other’s way.

The tanuki monster reacted to them, letting out a high-pitched screech and swinging its front paw at Shino.

While Shino drew its attention, Hina swung her sword down from behind.

The sound of slicing wind echoed, and with a single strike, the monster’s body was cleaved in half.

At first, my sister covered her mouth and looked away, but she quickly turned back to watch the monster.

I’ve seen the cross-sections of defeated monsters plenty of times since I started coming to dungeons, so I guess I’ve gotten numb to it.

But this is a dungeon. There’s no time to dwell on that.

I activated all my skills to stay alert and ensure my sister’s safety.

“Hinata-kun~ It’s an E-rank-level monster~ One of us would be enough, I think.”

“Got it!”

“Then, Hina-chan~ Let’s see who can take down more prey in front of Princess Rin!”

“I won’t lose!”

From then on, keeping Rin in the center but not straying too far, the two of them dashed around at incredible speed, hunting tanuki monsters.

The other explorers couldn’t help but stare in awe at their movements.

“Shii-nee and Hii-nee are amazing!”

“Yeah, they’re both really strong.”

“They’re incredible. Those monsters are pretty fast, but they don’t let them get close at all. That’s impressive.”

Oh right, this is Fujii-kun’s first time seeing them fight too.

I glanced at Fujii-kun and noticed he was holding a bow. Its white body and beautiful string were striking, but one thing stood out: he didn’t have a quiver. Every bow-using explorer I’d seen in dungeons had one. Maybe he pulls arrows from his magic bag as needed.

School rules require wearing uniforms when entering dungeons, so Hina and the others were in their uniforms.

We hadn’t planned to come to a dungeon, but since uniforms are tougher than bulletproof vests and useful in emergencies, most students carry them everywhere. Hina, the others, and I had brought ours too.

Every time they moved, their skirts fluttered in the wind, occasionally making it hard to know where to look.

The biggest reason for that was the ‘Gaze Detection’ skill I’d gained from training with Grandpa. Normally, I use ‘Area Scan’ to stay alert, but now I could also monitor things visually. Or rather, I’d ended up able to. Every move Hina and Shino made—their bodies, clothes, and weapons—was crystal clear in my sight.

“Onii-chan? Why is your face turning red……?”

“Hah?! N-No, it’s nothing!”

“……”

Sensing something, my sister gave me a deadpan stare.

Right. Hina and Shino aren’t so weak that I need to watch over them. I’ve seen their strength up close, so I consciously shifted my focus away.

We slowly progressed deeper into the dungeon.

The scenery didn’t change, but surprisingly, there were more people than in urban dungeons, and my sister’s eyes sparkled as she watched the explorers fight.

It’s not fair to compare them to Hina and Shino, but their overwhelming skill in taking down enemies was something other explorers couldn’t replicate.

Most groups had three or four people forming a line, drawing the tanuki monsters’ attention while fighting.

Some parties even had someone with a big shield taking hits while the others attacked.

Thinking about it, our group feels kind of uncoordinated in a way.

But with Hina and Shino being so strong, I guess it can’t be helped……

“Still, there are a lot of people. That’s surprising.”

“Hm? Surprising?”

“Yeah. The dungeons we usually go to don’t have many people. There were often parties waiting at boss rooms, though……”

“Really……? It doesn’t feel that crowded here to me…… Well, E-rank dungeons might have more people than in the city. We don’t come to E-rank dungeons much.”

“Ehh~ Hiroto-nii? You don’t come to E-rank dungeons often?”

“Nope~ They don’t raise your level much, and the materials aren’t particularly valuable. If anything, D-rank dungeons with harsh environments are the most profitable, so E-rank dungeons aren’t in high demand.”

“Hoeh~ But this one’s nice, right?”

“Maybe because it’s rural? Also, from what I looked up, there’s only one E-rank and one D-rank dungeon here, so the D-rank one might be even more crowded. Unless its environment is too harsh.”

“I see…… What’s a harsh environment like?”

“Hmm. Near our school, there’s one with a snowy field. It’s super cold.”

Haha…… It’s been three weeks since I last went to a dungeon, and I’m starting to feel nostalgic for D46.

I pictured Hina and Shino in their fluffy clothes. My sister would look cute in them too.

“So you have to prepare a lot to go in, huh?”

“Yeah. That’s why magic bags are so valuable to explorers. They’re expensive to make and buy, so not everyone can get one. By the way, that snowy dungeon I mentioned doesn’t have much use for its materials, so they’re cheap and unpopular. Though I think the floor boss’s materials were valuable.”

“I see…… The use of materials makes a difference too, huh.”

“And dismantling materials is important too. There’s even a job called a porter that specializes in dismantling and carrying stuff. For top-tier parties, porters are super important. Fighting comfortably matters.”

“Hmm…… Oh? Didn’t Onii-chan say he took porter classes……?”

Both of them looked at me.

“Yeah. As you can see, those two are really strong, so I thought I’d do what I could.”

“Hii-nee and the others are amazing~ They zip around, slash, and take them down in no time.”

“Thanks to that, we get a lot of money from exchanges. —Rin.”

“Yeah?”

“—Are you satisfied now?”

At my question, my sister blinked for a moment, then gave a slightly shy smile.

“Yeah……!”

“Thanks for always worrying about me, Rin.”

I reached out my right hand and gently patted my sister’s head.

She’s such a kind sister. I know she wouldn’t ask to come to a dungeon for no reason.

Even so, she mustered up the courage because she wanted to see what I do in dungeons, how I interact with the team, and what happens inside.

Hina and Shino, having learned of her kindness in this short time, probably encouraged her this morning for that reason.

As Hina and Shino kept defeating monsters, we ventured deeper.

The entrance to the boss room was a torii gate that fit perfectly with the bamboo forest, with a few stone steps leading up to it.

Just then, a tanuki monster passed by the entrance.

“Hinata-nii~chan!”

Shino gave a mischievous smile and clung to my right arm.

“W-What’s up?”

“Since we’re here, I want to see you do something cool~”

My sister’s hopeful gaze was probably partly because she wanted to see what I’m like, though she’d been too worried about the danger to say it.

“Alright.”

I can handle up to a D-rank dungeon. I need to show her I can manage in a dungeon without making her worry.

I rushed toward the tanuki monster guarding the boss room entrance and kicked it hard.

Maybe because I went all out, the monster flew far away.

《The skill ‘Monster Analysis (Weak)’ has identified the monster as ‘Muro.’》

《Its weakness is wind attributes. Its rare drop is ‘Tiny Magic Stone.’》

“Huh? Onii-chan disappeared, and then the monster disappeared? Shii-nee.”

“Ahaha…… To Rin-chan, it looked like they vanished. Even I could barely follow it with my eyes. See, it went like this, and then that happened.”

Shino whispered something to my sister, and her eyes widened.

“Alright~! Next is the floor boss. I can’t wait to see Hinata-nii-chan shine again~!”

Pushed by Shino, we entered the boss room.

The boss room was the same type as D46, with a waiting area before entering.

In the waiting area, just like outside, many people were spread out with leisure sheets around the central path, relaxing.

“So many people~”

“This is the waiting area, right?”

“It’s for the wait time before re-entering the boss room, yeah?”

“Exactly! Rin-chan’s so smart~”

My sister beamed as Shino patted her head.

She’s my proud little sister, remembering everything from the brief dungeon explanation this morning.

It shows how seriously my sister is trying to face the dungeon.

Hina’s silver hair and refined features stand out anywhere, but Shino, just as cute, doesn’t lose to her. Walking between them, holding hands with both, my sister is every bit as adorable.

Having spent every day with her, I hadn’t noticed it before, but walking alongside them makes her cuteness stand out even more.

It’s not just me being a doting brother—I’m sure I’d feel the same even if I were a stranger.

As if to prove it, the gazes of the explorers waiting around gathered on Rin and the others.

Some parties were even whispering about which girl they liked best.

We walked down the open central path and stepped onto the magic circle leading to the boss room.

The scenery changed, revealing a nighttime bamboo forest stage.

A full moon floated in the sky, and bamboo surrounded a wide open space in a circle.

It seemed to indicate this was the stage for fighting the boss, with the same structure as the E90 boss room I often visit. The bamboo just acted as walls.

If you really wanted to, you could climb over and move behind, but there didn’t seem to be any advantage to doing that.

In the center of the boss room stood an especially massive bear, towering upright.

As I stood before the giant bear, it glared at me with glowing red eyes and a sharp gaze.

“GROOOAAARRR!!”

The sound pressure alone reached this far.

“Shii-nee……? Is this really okay……?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Hinata-kun is really strong.”

I heard my sister’s voice from behind, but with Hina, Shino, and Fujii-kun there, I could trust them to protect her.

It’s a different feeling from leaving my back to them—a sense of reassurance that the people I want to protect are being kept safe.

I recalled my first dungeon. Fighting a tyrannosaurus, nearly dying—but I survived because I had a place to return to. That place was my sister, my family. Having trusted comrades protect that place…… this is what it means to have teammates.

I accelerated in a burst, kicking upward with all my strength from beneath the giant bear’s feet.

A loud BOOM and a powerful shockwave spread outward, the bamboo toppling backward with tremendous force.

Until now, I’d just been striking, but by refining my martial arts, I succeeded in an attack that dealt internal damage without blowing the opponent away.

The giant bear collapsed on the spot.

《Due to experience, the skill ‘Martial Arts’ has evolved into ‘Martial King.’》

《The skill ‘Monster Analysis (Weak)’ has identified the monster as ‘Merina.’》

《Its weakness is wind attributes. Its rare drop is ‘Bear Gall Pill.’》

“Onii-chan~! So cool!!”

I heard my sister’s voice from behind.

Waving my hand, I pretended to store the monster in my magic bag while simultaneously dismantling its materials.

Come to think of it, ‘Martial Arts,’ which has supported me all this time, just evolved. I’m glad it grew not just from using it but from experimenting with things like eye contact and other techniques.

This is all thanks to the training with Grandpa the other day—I can’t thank him enough.

Hina, Shino, and my sister were all thrilled, and with that, today’s dungeon hunt came to an end. Only Fujii-kun was left wide-eyed.

After defeating the floor boss, we returned to the waiting area and headed outside.

On the way out, many explorers’ gazes were still drawn to Hina and the others.

As we returned to the first floor and headed for the entrance, I saw familiar guys walking toward us, grumbling loudly.

“Damn it, a fine because of that little shrimp? What a load of crap!”

Their voices were loud enough to carry over here. The surrounding explorers cast cold glances their way.

“Those guys……”

“The flirty guys from before, huh.”

“……‘Little shrimp’? Could they mean Hinata-kun?”

The icy aura radiating from Hina grew stronger. It’s been a while since I last saw her this angry.

Eventually, we came face-to-face with the approaching guys.

“Huh? These guys…… from that time!”

“……”

“Tch. You bastards……! I let my guard down last time, but this time I’ll kill you!”

The guys drew their weapons without hesitation.

As I stepped forward to shield Hina and Shino, Hina stopped me.

“Hinata-kun, can you turn off Absolute Ice Dissolution?”

Normally calm, Hina now quietly revealed her anger.

As she asked, I deactivated Absolute Ice Dissolution around her.

Hina walked toward the armed men, and with each step, the ground began to freeze.

A chilling presence—not just that. The overwhelming cold ruthlessness emanating from her. Even without feeling the cold, just seeing her made it palpable.

Rin, watching alongside me, grabbed my left arm. I could feel her trembling slightly.

“It’s okay. You know Hina’s kind, right, Rin?”

“Y-Yeah……”

At first, the men were openly hostile, but as they felt Hina’s Absolute Ice firsthand, their faces paled, and they stepped back bit by bit.

“W-What the hell! T-These guys are bad news!”

“Eeeek!”

The men threw down their weapons and fled. From behind, they looked comical, but the cold aura Hina exuded was terrifying enough to scare even Rin, who’d been close to her, despite not being the target.

“Hina.”

At my voice, Hina turned to me with an expressionless face.

This was why she was called the Ice Princess. That emotionless mask. But right now, she was showing emotion—anger.

I slowly approached her.

“What’s wrong? You’re so angry.”

“Those guys…… they did something wrong, but they talked like it was your fault, Hinata-kun……”

“Thanks for getting mad for me. I’m glad you used your power to protect your teammates, Hina.”

Even so, her excitement hadn’t subsided, and the cold aura showed no signs of fading.

When she’s with me, she smiles a lot, and even when she releases cold air then, it doesn’t feel bad. But the cold radiating from her now felt like it was meant to attack someone, a ruthless chill.

I slowly reached out my right hand and gently patted Hina’s head.

“Hinata…… kun?”

“Come on, let’s forget about those guys and head back.”

The light returned to her once-dull eyes, and the cold aura subsided.

Shino, smiling, slipped between me and Hina.

“Let’s go~! We’ve got more fun stuff waiting for us today!”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”

Hina’s expressionless face softened into a smile at Shino’s cheerful grin.

I glanced at my sister, worried she might still be scared from seeing the monster.

I thought she might still be frightened, but she was staring intently at the Absolute Ice pouring from Hina.

Though her face showed nothing, her eyes were wide, her heart seemingly racing as she watched.

“Rin……?”

Her gaze, cold like Hina’s expressionless eyes, turned to me.

When our eyes met, light quickly returned to hers, and she gave me her usual gentle smile.

“Hinata-kun~ We’re leaving you behind~!”

Shino waved and called out to us from a distance.

“Rin, let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

Rin jogged over to Hina’s side, and Fujii-kun and I followed.

♧♧♧

The sun was starting to set as we stepped outside.

“Ugh~ I got all sweaty……”

Shino grumbled.

Maybe it was my imagination, but Hina, Rin, and even Fujii-kun seemed to be keeping their distance from me.

When I took a step closer, all three stepped back.

“Everyone……? What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing’s wrong! Let’s just head back quick~!”

“?”

Then Fujii-kun whispered to me quietly.

“Look, we moved around a lot in the dungeon and got sweaty, right? Girls care about stuff like that.”

“Oh~ So that’s it. They could’ve just said so. Hey, everyone, come over here for a sec.”

Since there were a lot of people around, I led them to a quiet spot behind a building.

As soon as we got there, I held out my right hand toward the three girls.

“—Skill ‘Clean’”

Colorless bubbles appeared and enveloped their bodies.

They were surprised but accepted it willingly.

“Hinata-kun……? What’s this?”

“It’s a skill called Clean. It makes your body feel as fresh as if you’d just taken a bath.”

“!? You really are so useful, Hinata-kun……”

“Haha…… If something like that’s bothering you, just let me know right away.”

Come to think of it, Hina once said she doesn’t sweat thanks to Absolute Ice, but maybe she went along with Shino and the others’ vibe?

Shino chatted eagerly with Fujii-kun as we headed back home.

By the time we got home, it was completely dark.

The holiday lasted until tomorrow, but since people who’d come home or traveled would leave tomorrow, fireworks were being set off tonight.

The venue was crowded, and since Mom had prepared dinner, we returned home.

“It’s a bit far from the house, huh.”

“Yeah……”

Rin, who’d been excited to watch the fireworks with everyone, seemed a little disappointed that the venue was farther than expected. Noticing this, Shino pointed to a spot.

“Hinata-kun, wouldn’t the fireworks look great from up there?”

“Up there……? At this time of evening?”

She was pointing to the top of a nearby mountain. Sure, the fireworks would look beautiful from up there, but it was already dark—wouldn’t the mountain path be dangerous?

“Huh? If we run, it’ll be quick, right?”

“Huh?”

“?”

“R-Run up there……?”

“Rin-chan can be carried by Hinata-kun, and Fujii-kun should be fine too, right?”

“Probably okay? If it’s too much, I’ll follow slowly.”

“Alright~ It’s settled~ Let’s go! I’ll tell Auntie~!”

“You young folks go ahead. I’m fine here.”

“It’d look prettier from up there, you know?”

“Sure, but I’m good here. Thanks, Shino-chan.”

At that, Shino gave a shy smile, then took Hina and Rin’s hands, and we all left the house.

Running up there…… Is that really okay?

“Here we go~!”

Shino took off, with Hina and Fujii-kun following behind.

Not wanting to be left behind, I hurriedly scooped Rin up in a princess carry and chased after them.

“O-Onii-chan!?”

“Rin, if you get scared, just close your eyes, okay?”

“O-Okay……”

As Rin rested her head on my shoulder, the faint, pleasant scent of her shampoo wafted over.

Come to think of it, how many years has it been since I last carried her like this?

“Hinata-kun~ From here, we’re going up from above~!”

Shino announced—and then, unbelievably, instead of running through the forest, she started leaping across the treetops.

With incredible agility, she hopped along the tops of the trees to climb the mountain.

Well, I could do it too, so it’s only natural Shino and the others can. Normally, I’d use Absolute Stealth and Fool’s Mask to run, so doing it like this without them feels unfamiliar.

As we bounded across the treetops, fireworks bloomed in the night sky with loud booms.

At first, Rin seemed scared, but when she looked toward the sound, she was mesmerized.

“Pretty……”

If Rin’s happy, coming up here was worth it.

Normally, climbing a mountain would take hours, but running across the treetops got us to the summit in less than ten minutes.

At Shino’s urging, I pulled chairs, a table, drinks, and snacks from Dimensional Storage, and we held a little five-person camp at the deserted mountaintop.

Soon, dazzling fireworks bloomed before us with resounding booms.

“Onii-chan~! Fireworks~!”

“Yeah!”

Spending time not just with family but with teammates was so much fun. The brilliant lights lit up the dark sky, illuminating the smiling faces of my friends each time.

“Onii-chan.”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve made some great friends, huh.”

“Yeah. The best teammates ever.”

“Mhm. With them, I can wait for you without worrying~”

“Rin…… Thanks. Thanks for always worrying about me.”

“No way. I always believed you’d be totally fine, Onii-chan!”

“Really?”

“Just kidding! I believed in you just a little!”

“Only a little!?”

“Ehehe~”

“What about you, Rin? You couldn’t hang out with your friends because of me—was that okay?”

“Yeah! Lately, I’ve been playing with all sorts of friends every day~”

“That’s good…… Wait, you don’t mean guy friends too, do you?”

“Ehh~? W-Well, yeah, I guess there are some……?”

“I-I see. Uh…… If you get a boyfriend or something, make sure to tell me, okay?”

“I don’t need a boyfriend!”

Her instant reply made me break into a wry smile.

“You better tell me too if you get a girlfriend, Onii-chan.”

“G-Girlfriend!?”

“Hii-nee or Shii-nee. Which one do you like?”

“Which one do I like!? N-No, no, no…… It’s not like that…… you know? They’re my teammates.”

“Hmmm~ Well! I guess I’ll let it slide for now.”

“Ahaha……”

I can’t win against my sister.

The final grand firework painted the night sky, signaling the end of the holiday.