Chapter 8: Fujii-kun’s Repayment

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The next morning came.

While lightly jogging again today, I ran into Kurogane-sensei by chance.

“Sensei. Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

I run side by side with Sensei again.

“Sensei. What kind of gathering is the study session on Goddess Island?”

“Hm? Were you invited by the principal?”

“Yes.”

“Hoh~ So this year it’s Hinata-kun, huh. That’s pretty impressive.”

“So it’s really like that……?”

“Yeah. There hasn’t been a chosen student in the past few years.”

“Eh!? There hasn’t been one……?”

“Ku ku. From the sound of it, you haven’t heard the details yet. Well, details aside, it’s more like receiving lessons or seeking guidance from strong explorers on Goddess Island—it’s not something you need to stress over. However—”

“However……?”

“The people gathered there. They’re explorers fighting on the front lines. Not a few students end up shrinking back in front of them. That’s why we only send students with a strong will who won’t lose to them. From your group, it seems both leaders, Kamui Akari and Kagura Touma, have been there too.”

Somehow, I can picture those two standing fearless as ever.

“It won’t be easy, but I think it’ll be a good experience, and you’ve got a party with members holding S-rank potential. You’ll probably end up going to the top-tier dungeons someday, right?”

“We’re still just C-rank and barely managing……”

“You’re keeping their strength in check, aren’t you? If they got serious, couldn’t they conquer a C-rank dungeon?”

“That’s…… probably true, I think.”

If Hina fully unleashed her Absolute Ice power, I bet all the monsters in the area would freeze in an instant.

“Even just with their power, it’d be like that. You’ll need to prepare yourself to go to places like that eventually. In that case, it’d be good to meet those front-line fighters. You should see that island at least once too. Being able to casually talk with foreigners isn’t an experience you get often~”

“Ahaha…… I’ll definitely consider it.”

“Umu.”

While saying that, Sensei patted my back gently yet firmly with his big hand.

The back pushed with a soft pon—it made me wonder if this is what it’d feel like if Dad were around.

After finishing my morning routine and taking a shower, I left my room in time.

I met up with Fujii-kun at the dorm lounge, and we headed to the Kamui house together.

“Fujii-kun? Where are we going today?”

“Hm~ It’s a secret!”

“Haha……”

He mentioned something about returning a potion, but…… where are we going?

We met up with Hina and Shino at the Kamui house and set out.

We took a bus from Seishin Town and traveled for a while.

Hina and Shino sat side by side in the front seats, looking out the window and chatting, while I watched them from behind, feeling like we were on a field trip. When we go to C3, it’s all about hunting, so I don’t get to see everyone’s relaxed expressions like this.

“Ah, we need to get off at the next stop.”

Fujii-kun, sitting next to me, leaned forward and pressed the stop button by my side.

A faint whiff of Fujii-kun’s refreshing cologne reached me.

From behind, I heard an old lady sigh, “Kids these days don’t care about others watching……”

No…… Fujii-kun is…… a guy……

After getting off the bus and walking a bit, Fujii-kun stopped in front of a large building.

“Today’s destination is here!”

At the top of the building—a large sign read Berners Magic Tool Shop.

“Magic tool shop? Isn’t this Fujii-kun’s family’s company?”

“Yep, that’s right. Come on, let’s go in.”

Overwhelmed by the size of the sign and building, I followed Fujii-kun.

As we entered through the automatic doors, unfamiliar music played—not something you’d often hear in Japan—with English lyrics flowing through.

The vast interior was lined with countless showcases, displaying rows of magic tools.

Descriptions and prices were written in both Japanese and English.

Hardness Blade. Magic Capacity 500. Magic Conductivity 60 seconds. ¥600,000

A sword with a slightly thinner blade caught my eye.

“Interested?”

Shino popped her head out from the side.

“I’ve never really heard of magic capacity or conductivity, so that’s what caught my attention.”

“Uh-huh. You know magic tools use magic stones to charge and operate, right? Magic capacity is the numerical value of how much magic can be stored. Higher is better, but it also gets heavier, so it’s a reference for that too~”

“Oh~ Like a storage tank, huh.”

“Yup, yup. Magic conductivity shows how long it can stay active per unit of magic used. There are detailed formulas for it, but it’s been simplified to the number of seconds per unit of magic for clarity.”

“True…… what matters is how long you can use it.”

“Yup, yup. Tiny magic stones restore 10 magic, small ones 100, medium ones 1,000, and large ones 10,000. Though…… it takes more time to charge that much.”

“I see. Since charging magic in a dungeon is tough, the amount it can hold becomes important too.”

“Exactly. Hina-chan and I try to keep it to a minimum when activating or tweak it in various ways, you know?”

I’ve seen Shino’s weapon glow right before it hits multiple times, and I remember her mentioning something like that before too.

“Shino’s amazing as expected.”

“Ehehe!”

Shino’s smug face was, as always, pretty cute.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Fujii-kun, who was staring at us with half-lidded eyes.

“Come on, let’s head deeper in~ Both of you~”

“Yea~h.”

Maybe because it’s the weekend, or maybe it’s always like this, but the spacious shop was filled with lots of people looking at magic tools.

We moved through the bustling store together.

As we passed by, I saw the staff bowing deeply to Fujii-kun.

When we reached the counter at the very back, a man with prominent white hair and foreign features was lazily resting his cheek on his hand, staring blankly around the shop.

“Manager Daniel. Morning~”

“Hm…… Isn’t that young master Hiroto……?”

“Oof…… Out of energy today, huh.”

“Haa……”

The manager let out a sigh while staying sluggish, glancing briefly at Fujii-kun without moving.

“Young master…… Is it maintenance day……?”

“Nope. Not that. I’ve got someone I want to introduce today.”

Fujii-kun stood next to me, and the manager’s lazy gaze shifted toward me.

“He’s my party member.”

“Hmmm……”

“Hinata-kun. Sorry about this. He’s top-notch, honestly—the best in our magic tool shop, no exaggeration—but he’s like this and doesn’t care about anything except the work he wants to do. That’s why he got demoted and sent to the Japan branch.”

“Eh…… I just…… wanted to do the work I like…… haa……”

“Haha, but when he gets motivated, he goes all out, so you can trust him! He made my magic weapon too.”

Fujii-kun spoke with a hint of pride.

There’s probably a deep bond between him and the manager from way back.

“By the way, your Japanese is really good, huh? You don’t seem Japanese.”

“The manager’s British. Long ago, someone told him to learn Japanese, and since they brought really rare materials, he picked it up in no time, right?”

“Yeah…… haa…… I wonder where that person is and what they’re doing…… I thought I might meet them if I came to Japan…… ughhh……”

He slumped over dejectedly.

“The materials aren’t available, but he might take an interest in Hinata-kun, don’t you think?”

“Hm…… Maybe……”

Fujii-kun grinned and whispered something in the manager’s ear.

“……”

“So?”

The manager’s gaze sharpened.

“Young master? Even for you, if you’re joking with me, I’ll get mad.”

“Of course. I’d never joke with you, Manager. I brought him here because I trust him, and I’m confident.”

“……The two in the back are your teammates too?”

“Yup.”

“Fine. Everyone, come to the back.”

Suddenly acting like a different person, the manager invited us behind the counter, and we went through a door into the back.

It was a spacious warehouse with countless magic tools scattered around haphazardly.

There wasn’t a single person inside, and the only entrance seemed to be the one from the counter. There were no windows either—just a few ceiling vents.

“Now, let’s see your power.”

While saying that, the manager handed me a strange sword-shaped lump of iron from the far end of the warehouse.

Taking it from him, it felt just as heavy as it looked.

“It’s a weird-shaped weapon isnt it~? Manager.”

Shino, friendly as ever with everyone, muttered while looking at the iron lump I held.

“It’s still unfinished, but it’s an extremely wild magic weapon. I made it, but it turned out too heavy for anyone to use. And activating it makes it even worse.”

“Hinata-kun? How is it?”

“How…… Well, it doesn’t feel like anything. Just heavy, I guess? How do you activate a magic weapon?”

“Usually, there’s a button or something on the grip, maybe?”

As Shino said, I checked the handle I was holding and the thick blade—only about 30 centimeters long—but couldn’t find anything like a button.

Moving it around while holding it didn’t change anything either.

“…………”

“Yeah, nothing’s happening. Manager-san, is this fine?”

“…………”

“Manager-san……?”

“Kukuku…… kuku…… kahahaha!”

“Manager-san!?”

His sudden loud laughter echoed through the warehouse.

“Ah. Looks like his switch flipped.”

“Switch……?”

“Hehe. It means he likes you, Hinata-kun.”

“You’re Hinata-san, huh! Interesting! To think you can stand there perfectly fine holding that for almost a minute already!”

……Well, I’m just holding something heavy, though. Does Manager-san maybe like this kind of dramatic flow?

“Hinata-kun~ Can I try holding it too?”

“Sure. Be careful. It’s heavy.”

“Yup!”

I handed it to her gently, turning it sideways.

Shino took it and lifted it easily without even a change in expression.

I thought it was pretty heavy, but I guess people with high levels get stronger too……

“Ah. This is bad.”

“Shino!?”

“Here, Hinata-kun. I’ll give it back.”

She gently returned it to me, then collapsed into Hina’s arms.

“Uuu……”

“Shino-chan? Are you okay?”

“Water……”

“Here. I already prepared some.”

“Thanks, Hina-chan……”

What in the world happened to Shino……?

Her face didn’t look that bad, so it didn’t seem worth worrying too much over.

“Hinata-san! You’re incredible!”

“Uh, um…… Th-thank you?”

“Now, stand over here with that.”

“Y-yes.”

As told, I stood on a strange platform, holding the iron lump while waiting for the next instruction.

Meanwhile, Fujii-kun and Shino were grinning at me.

Somehow…… being stared at like this feels ticklish or something……

What am I even doing right now, anyway?

“Hinata-san. Do you feel sick anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

“Try raising that magic tool up.”

“L-like this?”

“Oh! That’s good! Next—”

For a while after that, I was made to strike various poses as the manager instructed.

“I didn’t do anything tough, but I’m suddenly exhausted……”

The place I thought was a warehouse turned out to be the manager’s personal workshop.

The three of them quickly tidied up the workshop littered with magic tool scraps, and the area around the table in the back became neat.

We set out tea and such on the table and all sat around it.

“Manager, have some tea too~”

“Just a bit more!”

“No_pe”

Shino forcibly dragged the manager away from the wide desk with a big blueprint, easily lifting him despite his larger size.

“Ahhh, just a little more work—”

“You need to rest when it’s time to rest! Resting your head is important too! So take a break! For Hinata-kun’s sake too!”

“Uuu…………”

Forced into a chair, the manager reluctantly started sipping the tea.

There’s a big age gap, but somehow it feels like Shino’s the big sister scolding her little brother.

Seeing them like that warmed my heart a bit, and a smile slipped out.

“Hm……? Delicious…… It feels like my head’s clearing up……”

“It’s a tea that boosts focus~”

“I see…… This is nice. I was just thinking I wanted something to drink.”

“Here, have some sweet snacks too.”

“Thank you.”

Maybe he’d calmed down, as the manager’s expression softened a bit.

“Manager. What was that thing I was holding?”

“Oh, right, I haven’t explained yet. How much do you know about magic tools, Hinata-san?”

“Uh…… I haven’t really looked into them much……”

“That’s common enough…… You know magic tools use the magic stored in magic stones as energy to work, right?”

“Yes.”

“That energy acts in a special way as the goddess’s power. Thanks to that, magic tools can exhibit all kinds of abilities—hardening, generating arrows, cloaking in fire, or making the hit spot explode…… It’s a power beyond human understanding.”

I kind of get what the manager’s saying.

Hina’s sword feels like it uses a special power when it cuts, Shino’s weapons match their attributes in attacks, and Fujii-kun’s bow doesn’t even need arrows—it’s something human strength alone couldn’t achieve without skills.

“But…… we humans can also unleash mysterious powers. Some create ice. Some release fire. All sorts. In a way—I started thinking, doesn’t that mean there’s a power like a magic stone inside us?”

“Inside people……?”

“Yes. Magic tools draw out the magic from stones and convert it into power. So I wondered if there’s a way to draw out a similar magic-like force from within people and convert it into power. That weapon was made to realize that. But…… it has a slight flaw.”

“A flaw……?”

“Yes. It’s fine to draw out the magic-like force from within a person, but…… right now…… I can’t adjust it. It keeps sucking it out, you see. Normally, forcing someone to hold it like that would put their life in danger.”

“Eh!?”

“Since you seemed fine holding it, Hinata-san, that’s a huge help!”

“Haha…… ha…… I’m glad I’m alive……”

Since I’m level 0…… there’s probably nothing to suck out, so I was fine……

“Yeah, the draining was pretty intense. I gave up after a second!”

“Even you felt it that much, Shino-san?”

“Yup, yup.”

“Hmm…… Is that young lady over there also a highly talented individual?”

“S-rank potential~”

“That’s amazing! I’m shocked to meet an S-rank person~”

I thought there’d be more of them worldwide, but maybe not?

“As expected, the poor magic conductivity of that tool is the issue…… Hmm. What to do. I’ll need Hinata-san to help out more.”

“Ahaha…… If my life’s guaranteed, helping out’s no big deal, but……”

“…………”

Why are you looking away!?

“AHAHA! YOUR WILL PROBABLY FINE!”

Why’s he suddenly talking broken English!? Scary!

“Hinata-kun. Despite how he seems, the manager values people’s lives more than anyone and won’t force research forward recklessly. Though he overdoes it sometimes.”

“I-I see…… Well, if Fujii-kun’s coming along, it should be fine.”

“Yup. Let’s all come together. Oh, but I haven’t told you why I brought you here yet.”

“Ah…… I got swept up in the momentum and forgot……”

“Skipping the details— I brought you here because I wanted Manager Daniel, the best craftsman in our company, to custom-make a weapon for you, Hinata-kun! That’s okay with you, right, Manager?”

“Oh! Of course! Please let me make Hinata-san’s weapon!”

The manager and Fujii-kun’s eyes sparkled.

It’s a generous offer, and I’ve got no reason to refuse, but…… is it really okay for me?

“Is it fine for someone like me……?”

The manager stood up, slamming the table with a tan.

“Not ‘someone like me’! Hinata-san, you’re a man with incredible talent! Please let me make your weapon! But I have one promise I’d like you to make.”

“A promise……?”

“The magic tool—magic weapon—I make…… I just don’t want you to use it to hurt innocent people.”

“That kind of—”

I caught a glimpse of something like deep sadness in the depths of the manager’s eyes.

It reminded me of that day when Shino desperately tried to walk through the town and took off her earphones.

In the alley, the sad smile in her eyes showed a past she couldn’t change and had to give up on.

The manager now—feels like Shino back then.

That’s why I thought I should answer properly.

“I promise. Besides, I don’t want to get stronger to hurt anyone…… I want to aim to be an explorer with Hina, Shino, and Fujii-kun, moving forward together as teammates. So I won’t use it to hurt anyone.”

Hearing my answer, the manager smiled brightly.

“Then let’s find a weapon that suits Hinata-san right away!”

“Got it.”

“What kind of fighting style do you usually use?”

“Mainly hand-to-hand combat.”

“Hand-to-hand, huh…… That’s rare for explorers. You don’t hear that often.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The only one I can think of is Kamui Jizou, a top-class explorer who fought on the front lines long ago.”

“Ah, that’s Grandpa.”

Hina reacted to her master’s name faster than anyone.

“Grandpa?”

“Hina-chan’s grandpa is Kamui Jizou-sama~”

“Oh! The granddaughter of a living legend! This party’s incredible! Full of members worthy of Hinata-san leading them!”

“Ahaha…… I’m more like the extra here, though……”

Everyone stared at me with half-lidded eyes for a moment. Even the manager looked a bit stunned.

What’s wrong with everyone……?

“Manager-san! Make Hinata-kun’s weapon the best it can be!”

“Leave it to me!”

Shino shook hands with the manager.

After that, the manager got back to developing, and at the same time, he’d start working on my weapon too.

He said some complicated stuff I couldn’t follow at all, so I left it entirely to him.

Since it’s a rare chance, I thought a weapon might be something commonly used like a sword, but according to the manager, it’s better to craft it to match my usual fighting style.

Otherwise, it’s not you wielding the weapon—it’s the weapon wielding you.

……Yeah. That oddly makes a lot of sense.

After checking my hand size, height, weight, and all that, we left Berners Magic Tool Shop for the first time.

For lunch, we went to a nearby Chinese restaurant Fujii-kun said he wanted to eat at.

He’d been there a few times before, it seemed, since the moment they saw him, we were led to a private room.

Probably because he orders enough food to fill the whole table.

When we left the ordering to Fujii-kun, he rattled off a list of unfamiliar dish names like Shino ordering drinks at a café.

I was impressed by the waitress taking the order without missing a single word.

While waiting, Hina spoke up.

“Still, I never thought such an amazing person would be in Japan.”

“Amazing person? You mean the manager?”

“Yup. In the magic tool crafting world, Daniel-san from Berners Magic Tool Shop is super famous, you know?”

“Oh~ I didn’t know that. At first, I thought he was just a really unmotivated guy.”

Hearing that, Fujii-kun chuckled.

“The manager doesn’t do work he doesn’t like, you know. Lately, it’s gotten even more obvious, and he followed me here because I was coming back to Japan. Well…… it was kind of half like getting rid of a nuisance, though.”

“Huh? Fujii-kun, you weren’t raised in Japan?”

“I was born in Japan, but when I was a kid, I went to England because of my parents. Since both my parents are Japanese, I went to Japanese schools the whole time, so I was mostly surrounded by Japanese people and didn’t really feel like a returnee, I guess? Well…… there were a lot of things I struggled with at first, though.”

“I see……”

“Yup. The seniors I got involved with were introduced through Berners Magic Tool Shop, and they formed a party with me—basically power-leveling. Thanks to them, I got stronger, and I’m grateful for that, but it wasn’t exactly fun. Compared to that…… now feels so fulfilling, and every day is fun!”

“Yeah. I also have fun spending every day with everyone. My level doesn’t go up, so I can’t contribute much in fights, but…… I want to find things I can do myself and work hard at them—”

“That’s fine. Hinata-kun, you’re doing more than enough already.”

“R-really……?”

“Yup. Hinata-san and Shino-san think so too. Look, they’re both grinning over there.”

When Fujii-kun pointed it out, I looked at them, and sure enough, both were staring at us with big grins.

This is…… kind of embarrassing.

“By the way…… Hinata-kun?”

“Hm?”

“When are you going to start calling Hiroto-kun by his first name?”

Now that Shino mentioned it, it’s true.

Come to think of it, Hina and Shino…… only asked me to call them by their first names themselves……

“W-well…… there’s no special reason, but……”

When I looked to Fujii-kun for help, he had a mischievous expression on his face.

“Hmm~ Then maybe I’ll start calling Hinata-kun ‘Suzuki-kun’~”

“I don’t mind that, though……”

“…………”

“…………”

A subtle tension spread between me and Fujii-kun.

!? C-could it be…… this is……!?

“S-sorry. That might actually be a bit troublesome.”

Fujii-kun let out a “fuu~” through his nose and propped his cheeks up with both hands.

“I see…… So to Hinata-kun, I’m……”

“N-no, it’s just…… I thought it might be rude to call you by your name without permission……”

“But you call Arai-kun ‘Gai-kun,’ right?”

“Gai-kun is…… my childhood friend, sort of, and everyone called him Gai-kun, so……”

“Fuu~n. Let’s leave it at that, then?”

Lately…… it feels like Fujii-kun’s picked up Shino’s habits too.

No, from now on, I need to call him Hiroto. I’ve got to get used to this kind of thing.

“Th-then, from now on, call me by my first name too, okay?”

“Sure~”

Right after Hiroto’s reply, there was a knock, and a waitress brought in the food.

A delicious-smelling plate of fried rice was brought in on a big dish, followed by more large plates of appetizing food placed on the Chinese-style table.

We spun the lazy Susan in the center of the table, taking what we wanted onto our own plates to eat.

Lately, I’ve had more chances to eat with Hiroto, and being able to enjoy so many flavors at once like this is really nice.

The meals at the Kamui house are great too, with lots of variety served in small portions, which makes me happy.

But I also like the occasional big dish like we had at home, where everyone shares the main course, so I think each has its own charm.

Hina’s smartphone pinged with a sound.

At the same time, my phone vibrated too.

It was a photo of Rin hanging out in town with a few friends.

“Rin-chan’s really popular, huh~”

When I’m around, people don’t come near her, but when I’m not there, my little sister’s super popular and loved by tons of people.

“Oh~ So this is the necklace Hinata-kun gave her~”

Shino, peering at Hina’s smartphone with her, pointed at it.

“It really suits Rin-chan.”

“Yup, yup! People around her might start rumors that it’s a gift from her boyfriend.”

“Guh!? Boyfriend!?”

N-no…… It wouldn’t be surprising if Rin had a boyfriend……

But since I’m the one who gave it to her, I hope it doesn’t cause any weird misunderstandings.

Well, my smart little sister will probably handle it fine.

“We’re gonna have tons of fun today too~!”

“Hiroto-kun, are you done with your errands at Berners Magic Tool Shop~?”

“Yup! Other than wanting to come here, that’s about it for me~”

“Got it! Hinata-kun?”

“I don’t have anywhere specific I want to go either.”

“Then let’s go around to all sorts of places as a group of four again~”

“Oh, I…… have somewhere I’d like to go tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“Somewhere you want to go? Tomorrow instead of today?”

“Yup. It’s a bit far, so if we went now, it’d get dark.”

“Oh~ It’d be a shame to miss out on dinner at Hina-chan’s house!”

Dinner at the Kamui house isn’t just delicious—it’s the joy of eating together with everyone. Even though we eat dinner together every day, we never run out of things to talk about, and it’s always fun.

Lately, Master’s been joining us for dinner too, and Aunt seemed really happy about it.

Master…… he should just eat with us all the time. Surprisingly, Hina might’ve learned to control her emotions and distance herself from people by watching Master’s back.

I don’t know the reason, but he doesn’t seem to want to get too involved with others……

Manager Daniel at Berners Magic Tool Shop called Master a living legend, so maybe he’s embarrassed by being seen that way?

After eating, we wandered around town, fully enjoying our Saturday.

The next day.

Today, we all took a train early in the morning to head out.

I don’t know where Hina wants to go, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Seishin Town is a pretty developed place, but it’s more geared toward explorers. Because of that, there aren’t many houses or regular shopping streets, and surprisingly, not many magic tool shops either.

There are magic tool shops for regular people and ones for magic weapons, but the ones for magic weapons seem really tough to run.

Well…… once you buy a magic weapon, you use it for a long time, and it just needs maintenance or magic stones, right?

Some explorers keep getting stronger and buy the next powerful gear, but most are more conservative, sticking with their equipment for a while after upgrading.

The scenery outside the train window started filling up with tall buildings.

Seeing the tightly packed buildings, I—someone from the rural Eran Town—felt my heart race.

There were so many people, more than I’d ever seen even at the shopping street in front of Eran Town’s station.

Watching the crowds come and go, we got off the train at Hina’s signal: “Here we are.”

It’s over thirty minutes away from Seishin Town, and if it really would take an hour to go here and back, going today instead of yesterday was a good idea.

The train and station were packed, so the four of us lined up and let the crowd carry us along.

I’ve heard on the news about molesters and stuff. Worried about that, Hina and Shino walked in front while Hiroto and I followed behind.

Even with so many people walking around, Hina and Shino somehow stood out, shining.

Men and women, young and old, all glanced at Hina and Shino. Some even sent shady looks their way.

As we left the ticket gate and were about to exit the station, two young guys blocked Hina and Shino’s path.

“Hey, little kittens. Wanna go on a date with us~?”

“We won’t.”

The two replied without even looking at them.

“Ouch, that’s harsh~ Those two in the back— one dull guy and…… another girl friend, huh~”

“I’m a guy, though……”

“What!? So cute yet you’re a guy……?”

“…………”

“Ahem. Anyway, instead of that dull guy over there, come hang out with us. We’ll show you some fancy places.”

“Um…… we’re minors, you know?”

“No biggie! Girls as cute as you could totally make it in the entertainment world! Oh yeah, I’ve got a friend connected to showbiz—I’ll introduce you.”

“No thanks. Not interested.”

“Whoa~ This is a chance, you know? Everyone’s working hard to get famous these days. I think I could help you out~”

“We don’t particularly want to be famous, and this is a waste of time, so could you move?”

Then, the guy in the back and the talkative one in front started changing their expressions.

Oh…… so that’s their true nature, huh.

If this escalates further, it could get dangerous for the two of them, so I stepped in front.

“Fuu~n? A dull guy like you acting like their boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend…… no, but I’m their party leader.”

“Party leader? Haha! You, looking like that, an explorer~? Bet you can only handle E-rank dungeons, you weakling.”

“…………True, like you said, I might be an unreliable leader, and I can’t fight well on my own, but a party’s about working together. I don’t think you have any right to criticize us.”

“Ku ku ku. So weak yet protected by these cute girls~? Gyahaha! Everyone~! Did you hear that!? This dull guy says he bought these three cute girls with money to be his party members~? How pathetic! As men, we’ve gotta teach him what it means to be a real man!”

Oh…… so that’s their real intent, huh. Even though they know Hiroto’s a guy, they’re deliberately treating him like a girl. I get why Shino said she hates the media for exaggerating things like this during that irregular incident.

This guy lies without a second thought to satisfy his own greed. He acts like his words are the truth, and strangely, the onlookers’ gazes gradually shift to support him.

The looks directed at me slowly started resembling those from back in Eran Town.

From a distance, I heard voices like, “That guy buying girls with money is unbelievable,” and “I hope that handsome guy saves them.”

Hearing that, the guy in front of me grinned confidently and struck a fighting pose.

“Here we go! Time to save these cute kittens!”

“Hinata-kun? Should I take care of it?”

“I’ll handle it.”

“Yup! Hinata-kun, do your best~!”

“Hinata-kun, do your best~”

“Hinata-kun. Smash them……!”

I heard the three of them cheering from behind.

No one around was rooting for me, but somehow, just their cheers filled my heart with courage.

At that moment, I suddenly recalled something Master had told me.

—“Martial arts are for protecting people. Martial arts used to hurt others are just weapons. Strive to practice martial arts that save people.”

The guy lunged at me.

His movements were fast—but having trained with Master, Shino, and Hina so many times, I didn’t think I couldn’t keep up.

As his punch aimed for my face, I dodged at the last second and scooped his chin up with my right palm.

It was less my strength and more a counter that used his speed against him.

Then, I threw his flowing body backward, and he flew easily, crashing into the ground.

“Ha……?”

A dumbstruck sound came from the guy waiting in the back.

I could wait like this, but if the guy I threw gets up, they might flank me, which would be dangerous. Especially if they took Hina or Shino hostage—that can’t happen. So I won’t let my guard down.

I rushed at the second guy, and he swung his arm down hurriedly as he reacted.

Dodging it just barely again, I redirected him like the first guy and threw him backward.

Drawing an arc, he landed right on top of the first guy, and they piled up on the ground.

“Waa~! Hinata-kun, so cool~!”

Shino immediately clung to my right arm.

“Sh-Shino? It might not be over yet, you know?”

“Hm? It’s fine. It’s already over. Those guys are super weak.”

“R-really?”

“They’re already knocked out, so we can just leave them, right? Thanks for saving us, though!”

“Me too! Thank you, Hinata-kun.”

Hina said it with a happy smile too.

Behind her, Hiroto huffed proudly, nodding at me with a smug “Well done” look, making me chuckle.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Ha~i!”

A crowd of onlookers had gathered from the commotion, but as we moved forward, a path opened up.

Shino, still smug, pulled my arm and strutted confidently down the cleared path as we left.

After that, Hina guided us to the place she wanted to go, and Hiroto and I chased after her and Shino again.

Like that guy said…… I’m weak. But I want to do what I can for everyone in my own way.

Someday, even if a powerful enemy appears, I want to be strong enough to protect everyone……

After walking a bit, we arrived at a large building, but compared to its size, there didn’t seem to be many people around.

“A museum?”

“Yup! For just three weeks starting this week, there’s a limited-time exhibit about dungeons~ I wanted to see it.”

“Waa! So exciting! Hinata-kun~ Hiroto-kun~ Hurry up, let’s go in~!”

Tickets were sold at the entrance, and I quickly bought four.

Passing through the gate, the high ceiling and rows of showcases inside caught my eye.

The glass cases were filled with materials I’d never seen before.

We started looking around from the ones near the entrance.

Materials and monster photos from overseas dungeons were displayed with detailed data, showing where they’re used, their effects as materials, and their use in magic tools.

There were even purchase prices listed—not in a currency I recognized, but converted to yen too.

Near the entrance, most of the materials were from D-rank to F-rank dungeons.

As we went deeper, there were C-rank materials and introductions to rare overseas dungeons.

“Waa! This B-rank dungeon is an ice world!”

“I kinda want to go……”

“If Hina-chan used Absolute Ice there, it might blend into the dungeon and not stand out much~?”

“You think so~?”

“Maybe the ice in this dungeon is Absolute Ice itself.”

“Fufu. Then if Hinata-kun went, all the ice might disappear.”

“Haha~ Poor dungeon would go bald~”

No, no…… I can’t just melt anything and everything…… Well, if it’s regular ice or Absolute Ice, I guess I could……

“Ah! That’s what I wanted to see!”

Spotting something, Hina raised her voice and hurried over.

There weren’t many people in the museum, but a crowd had gathered around the showcase Hina headed toward.

I chased after everyone and peered into the showcase too.

Inside was—a strange material that kept shifting colors between light blue, silver, and white.

It looked like a liquid at a glance, but since it held its shape, maybe it was solid……?

The description read Angelic Core.

“Core……?”

“Yup! It’s famous as the most beautiful material in the world, and it’s the core of a really strong boss monster!”

“H-huh…… A core, like the one from E117?”

“Yup, yup. That’s the right core.”

The core from E117, known as the weakest monster, is super cute in appearance and even became a popular stuffed toy.

But there are different types of cores, and this one’s from a really strong one……

“Huh? But it says the dungeon’s location is Japan?”

“Yup. It’s the boss monster from the lowest floor of B7, Japan’s highest dungeon. It’s only found in Japan, but since so few explorers can clear B7, it’s rare. Plus, it has tons of uses!”

As Hina explained, the description listed a bunch of uses.

It’s often used in magic tools, and its best effect is that just wearing it on your skin gives you strong resistance to indirect monster attacks like fire or ice—known as attribute attacks.

The most common use seems to be making it into a ring to constantly protect yourself.

It’s not just for monsters—it’s highly effective against fire outside dungeons too, so some firefighters use it.

If it were cheap, it could be mass-produced to help lots of people, but its high cost makes it hard to spread, so it’s mostly used to protect the rich or important people.

“If we could mass-produce this, it’d save so many people……”

“Yup. But some would use it for bad things…… That’s why B7 is only open to people born and raised in Japan with Japanese citizenship. It’s the same for other countries’ B-rank dungeons.”

“Oh…… I think I read something like that in a textbook.”

It felt like a far-off world to me, so I’d tucked it in the back of my mind, but it’s about protecting national resources, I guess.

“Even now, Onee-chan and the others dive into B7 for long periods to get this ‘Angelic Core Liquid.’ They say it’s such a big expedition they can’t go often.”

“Even Akari-san struggles that much…… B-rank dungeons are tough, huh.”

“Yup. It’s not just the monsters’ strength…… the hardest part is how deep the floors go. D-rank isn’t too bad, but B-rank is super deep.”

“I see. Even if you bring food in a magic backpack, you still need rest time, huh.”

Hina nodded firmly.

With fewer explorers nationwide since the irregular incident, clearing a B-rank dungeon must be even harder…… They probably plan B7 strategies with the irregular in mind too, so it’s easy to imagine fewer people joining.

“Pretty……”

“Hina. Do you want this?”

“Eh……? Y-yeah…… Wearing a ring made from this someday is my dream…… I guess.”

I-I see…… So Hina wants something like this.

Hina’s got talent to rival Akari-san. Someday, when she gets stronger, she might go defeat it herself.

When that time comes…… will I be able to stand by her side?

No—I decided to do what I can to make sure I can stand there. If I keep being weak-willed, it really might turn out that way.

Even today…… against regular people, sure, but I beat opponents I couldn’t have before, thanks to the martial arts Master taught me and my skills.

Even in C3…… I believe I’ve been somewhat useful to everyone, so I’ll aim to keep getting stronger.

“Hinata-kun?”

Hina peeked up at my face with a slightly worried look.

“S-sorry. I was just thinking.”

“Um…… I hope you’re not thinking of going alone or anything……?”

“Eh!? N-no way…… Someone like me could never manage that…… I was thinking it’d be great if we could all go together someday.”

“Yup! Let’s get stronger together and aim for it together?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey~ Hey~ Are you two forgetting about me and Hiroto-kun~?”

“Wah!? Shino. No way I’d forget.”

“Then all’s good!”

Hiroto was grinning at us too.

“Hina-chan and I are gonna stay here a bit longer, so Hinata-kun, go look at whatever you want!”

“Oh, okay.”

Chatting while staring at the same thing for a long time is a girl thing—I don’t want to interrupt that, so I decided to check out other areas with Hiroto.

If we’re indoors, they’re within the range of Absolute Ice Dissolution and Telepathy, so I don’t have to worry.

“Hiroto. Wanna check out that way?”

“Sure~”

I walked around the showcases with Hiroto.

Materials from other countries’ B-rank dungeons were displayed, but there were no purchase prices—just “Not for Sale.”

Even just the materials here seem incredibly expensive.

This deeper area had more security guards and surveillance cameras everywhere, and I could feel their gazes with my skill.

After wandering around looking at various exhibits, one display space really stood out.

A large stone slab was set up, designed like a small park-sized ruin.

“Hinata-kun. First time seeing this?”

“Yeah. Have you seen it before, Hiroto?”

“……Yup. This is………… a replica of what’s called the ‘Ranking Stele’ on Goddess Island.”

“‘Ranking Stele’……”

“Lots of strong explorers aim for this. They risk their lives to get their names carved on this stone slab……”

Hiroto continued, gazing at the ‘Ranking Stele’ as if looking far away.

“The goddess is cruel, huh…… She has incredible power but treats people like toys…… So many promising explorers die in dungeons…… And the materials born from dungeons change so many lives……”

“Hiroto……?”

“……S-sorry. Not a very interesting topic, huh.”

“No, it’s not that. It was really interesting. Just…… if the goddess made something like the Ranking Stele, I think there’s a reason. Shouldn’t we…… face it?”

“A reason for making it……?”

“Yeah. If it was just for fun, she wouldn’t make a system like this or give people special materials, right? Well, no matter how much I think, I won’t figure it out.”

“……No, you might be right, Hinata-kun. I…… might’ve just hated the goddess…… Maybe I should’ve tried facing it more. Gotta reflect a bit. Thanks, Hinata-kun.”

“I don’t think it’s that big a deal…… Um, Hiroto, do you………… have something you want to wish for from the goddess?”

Hiroto once told me there’s a secret about the rankings not publicly announced—that getting on it grants a wish. Surely, Hiroto has……

“Yup. I do.”

He answered calmly—but with a voice carrying absolute determination.

I could tell it’s something more important to Hiroto than anything.

I want to be a leader who can support not just Hina and Shino, but Hiroto’s back too.

If I join the study session on Goddess Island that the principal invited me to, would I get to see the real ‘Ranking Stele’?

We met up with Hina and Shino, had lunch, and toured nearby sights, spending a fun day together.

♠♠♠

A weekday at the Kamui house after the weekend.

In the garden where time flowed leisurely, Kamui Jizou was reading the newspaper.

“Hmm, hmm…… The economy’s not doing well lately…… huh. Hmm, hmm.”

He read through each page carefully.

Then, Jizou’s gaze stopped on a certain article.

The headline read: ‘Two Idols and B-Rank Explorers from Yulian Production Beaten Instantly by a Passing High School Boy!’

“Let’s see…… Yulian Production Idol explorers…… That’s a long name~ Couldn’t they shorten it!? Ahem. A rare incident occurred where two idols tried to scout some beautiful girls, only to be instantly defeated by a high school boy assumed to be their boyfriend. These two are top-class explorers, yet a single high school boy took them down in the blink of an eye. Witnesses say it ended so fast they couldn’t even record it, and the two losers were apparently knocked out in one hit. If true, this boy has a promising future, but rumors about him can’t be confirmed, and some experts suggest it might’ve been a mass hallucination—Gahaha! Mass hallucination, what a convenient phrase~”

Jizou took a sip of the tea beside him and looked up at the sky beyond the garden.

“What’s this? I thought today’s youth were all weaklings…… but to think there’s someone like my idiot disciple out there…… Hmm………… Gotta train that idiot disciple harder!”

That day.

Hinata struggled to keep up with a stricter-than-usual Master, desperately trying his best.

Neither he nor Master had any idea that the reason—lay with Hinata himself.