After returning home from the dungeon, eating a slightly late dinner, and taking a bath, I went back to my room and found a message from Hinata-san waiting on LUINE.
『Regarding my withdrawal from the university, I managed to persuade my parents.』
『I’m moving forward with the paperwork right now.』
『It won’t be official until the notice of withdrawal permission arrives, but my end of the procedure should be finished by the 8th, so I can return to dungeon exploration starting on the 9th.』
『Takeo-kun, is meeting at the Shinjuku Dungeon at the usual time on the 9th okay with you?』
So Hinata-san can resume exploring on the 9th.
That was quite fast. She must have rushed through the various procedures for me.
“Hmm... I’ll likely hit Level 29 by the 9th as well, so the timing is perfect.”
However, if that’s the case, the experience points from the Floor 4 Monster Room won't be enough anymore. After all, it takes six million experience points to go from Level 29 to Level 30.
It was about time to head to the lower floors in search of a new hunting ground.
But exploring the lower floors any further would be a bit difficult for a day trip. The travel time alone would consume a significant portion of the day.
Therefore, we had to move on to the next stage.
I sent a reply to Hinata-san.
『Understood!』
『By the way, Hinata-san.』
『There’s something important I want to talk about... Can I call you now?』
For a moment—well, the "read" receipt appeared instantly, but it took a few minutes before a reply came back.
Ping!
『Um... something important?』
『What is it!?』
『I have time... so it's okay.』
Hmm... It seemed she was a bit on guard after being told it was something important.
I could have explained the situation over LUINE, but talking over the phone would be much faster.
I called Hinata-san.
After the ringing tone lasted for a few seconds, Hinata-san answered.
『Yes, hello... Takeo-kun?』
“Hey, it’s Takeo! Sorry for calling so late.”
『No, it’s fine, but... what did you want to talk about?』
“Right. Regarding that...”
I took a deep breath. Uncharacteristically, I felt nervous.
What if Hinata-san refused? That anxiety welled up inside me.
『...!? (The sound of a deep breath...? Takeo-kun, could it be... he's nervous!?)』
“—Hinata-san.”
『H-H-Hyes!?』
“Next time, for the two of us... how would you feel about an overnight stay together...?”
『St—!? St-St-Staying overnight!?』
“Yes, exactly. I think it’s about time for us to move on to the next stage.”
『E-Eeh!? E-That’s, um, well... the two of us, staying overnight... together!?』
“Yes, of course.”
『Oh!?...I-I see, huh...!?』
“...Do you dislike the idea?”
『Well, you see!? It’s like this!?...I-It’s not that I, well, dislike it... but, how should I put it... isn’t it a bit fast? Or rather... um, not much time has passed since we first met...!!』
A bit fast?
—Oh, I see! Hinata-san doesn’t know what level I’ve reached yet. It’s only natural for her to feel uneasy about proceeding to the lower floors.
“True, I understand why you’d feel uneasy, Hinata-san.”
『Y-Yeah. See? It’s not that I dislike it, okay? I-It’s just, I, well... I don’t have experience with that sort of thing... it’s a little scary, or rather...』
“I see...”
『Y-Yeah. Sorry, okay? I-If you give me just a little more time, I think I’ll be able to prepare myself... or rather... um... Takeo-kun, are you really okay with... me?』
“? What do you mean by that?”
『I-I mean... I’ve never heard you say you felt that way about me... or anything...』
“???...I don’t really get it, but there’s no one else but you....No, I can’t imagine anyone but Hinata-san!”
『F-Fueeeeeeeee!?』
As a healer, Hinata-san is highly compatible with me. To loop through more efficient hunting grounds, I’ll need Hinata-san’s strength. And as far as party members go, considering experience point efficiency, I have no plans to add anyone other than her.
“It might be odd for me to say it, but I think we’re a great match.”
『R-Really!? Is that so...!?』
“Yes! I’m certain of it!”
『Y-You’re certain...』
“Besides, I need you, Hinata-san!!”
『!!? ~~~~~~!』
Still, this was a problem.
Personally, I was dying to open up a new hunting ground immediately.
But since Hinata-san had turned me down... She said she’d be able to prepare herself if she had a little time, but I wondered how long I should wait.
It would be great if she could just snap into it in about a day...
............
As I thought, even though I felt bad for her, I decided to push the issue.
It’s fine, it’s fine. Hinata-san is weak to pressure; I can pull this off!
“Hinata-san, why don’t we just give the overnight stay a try after all?”
『E-Eeh!? I-I mean, even if you say 'try it'...!?』
“I understand your anxiety. But I think this is the kind of thing you should just dive in and experience! Everyone has a first time, and it’s scary because it’s the first time. But once you actually do it, it’s often the case that it wasn’t actually that scary... right?”
『That’s... well, that might be true, but...!! I-I can’t do something like that with such a casual 'trial' attitude!?』
Hm? Certainly, if things go wrong, there’s a possibility of death. Calling it a 'trial' was a slip of the tongue.
“I’m sorry, Hinata-san. Using a light word like 'trial' was indeed a mistake on my part.”
『U-Um...』
“But! Please believe this much!! I didn’t say it with a light heart!! You might not believe me, but to me, this is something worth putting my life on the line for!!”
『Fueh!? Y-Your life!?』
“Yes!!! I’ll stake my life on it!!!”
『I-I see... H-Huh...!!』
!? It’s working!? For some reason I didn’t quite understand, I felt like my persuasion was reaching her!
I had a gut feeling.
Just a little more... and I can push through!!
“Hinata-san, you might be anxious, but won’t you believe in me and leave yourself in my hands? From here on out, I will definitely protect you!! Even if people like Kanzaki and his group show up again, I’ll protect you!! This time, I won’t lose my sanity either!! I promise!!!”
『!!?』
The sound of a sharp intake of breath.
Hinata-san’s response was...
『S-So... that means... you mean that, right...?』
???
『That you'll... protect me forever...』
Ah, so that’s what she means.
“Of course!!”
I’m going to be in a party with Hinata-san forever, so of course I’ll protect her that whole time!! That’s a given!!
『N-Nnn............ Um, you might have noticed already, but... I’m a pretty heavy woman, you know? Even so, is that okay...?』
???
Is she suddenly worried about her weight?
Could it be that when we explored together before, she didn't like it when I said she was "light as a feather"? She did pinch my cheek for some reason; maybe she misunderstood and thought I was giving her a hollow compliment.
“I don’t think you're like that at all... but even if you are heavy, it’s fine. Please, let me shoulder it!!”
No matter how fat Hinata-san gets, if we’re in a hurry, I’ll just carry her on my back!
『!! (S-So that means... 'Please let me shoulder the burden of your life'... is what he meant, right!?)』
“? Hinata-san...?”
What’s wrong? She suddenly went silent.
I felt a sense of extreme agitation through the phone, but...
『...Yes, I understand. If you’re thinking about it that seriously, Takeo-kun... then, i-it’s okay...?』
“Oh...!!”
As expected, Hinata-san really is weak to pressure...!!
I love how easy she is!!
Now that I’ve gotten her approval, I can focus on leveling up during an overnight stay without any reservations!!
Before Hinata-san could change her mind, I quickly thanked her.
“Thank you, Hinata-san!! In that case, let’s meet at the East Exit of Shinjuku Station on the 9th! Let’s say around 10:00!”
『U-Um, okay...!!』
“There’s a shop called 'Dungeon Life' just a little way from the East Exit, so let’s buy the various things we’ll need there!”
『Yeah, I understand...!!...Wait, huh?』
“Well, actually, I happened to get to know some people who work at that shop’s headquarters today. I’ll tell you the details another time, but I helped them out a bit in the dungeon, you see? And as thanks, they’re going to give me several pieces of camping gear for the dungeon!”
『............Huh?』
“Well, even so, we’ll need to buy various small items, so let’s go shopping together on the 9th! Then we’ll rest that day and start the dungeon exploration the following morning!”
『............』
“I’m really relieved that you gave me the okay for an overnight dungeon exploration, Hinata-san! Oh, I’ll absolutely protect you inside the dungeon, so please rest easy too! Well then, I’ll contact you again later!!”
『................What?』
“?”
Right before hanging up, I thought I heard Hinata-san say something, but it was probably just my imagination.
Even if it wasn't, if it was something important, I’m sure she’ll call me back or send a message.
So, deciding not to worry about it—I fell asleep that night, feeling excited as I thought about the upcoming overnight dungeon exploration. Zzz!