—Mayurin and the Warosu Friends.
They were a highly capable explorer party active as DungeonTubers, and I had heard that their highest reached floor was currently Floor 12.
In the dungeon, the number of explorers who can surpass Floor 10 tends to be extremely small; those who do are referred to as the "top tier" in a broad sense. They weren't "top explorers" in the true sense, like Headshot Yakuza and his crew who easily cleared Floor 20, but they were certainly "top tier" in terms of the overall explorer population.
The Mayurin-san who had greeted me with such over-familiarity was the party leader… if I recalled correctly.
She was a woman around twenty years old, probably the same age as Hinata-san, with long, psychedelic-colored hair tied into twin-tails. Her equipment—or rather, her outfit—consisted of a crop top that left her stomach completely exposed, a hoodie, a choker, and hot pants that left her thighs bare.
The only things that looked even remotely like explorer gear were her Western-style leather boots and the thick leather belt wrapped around her waist. It had a sword belt hanging from it, but instead of a sheath, a short wand was tucked into the loop.
How should I put it? It was a look that screamed she was completely underestimating the dungeon… but it was also a fact that many strong explorers ended up looking like this. Headshot Yakuza wore a suit, Mito-san wore a maid outfit, and one certain top explorer didn't even wear clothes, let alone equipment.
However, the party members standing behind Mayurin-san were wearing relatively proper equipment. Swords, armor, shields, bows, spears, and thick gambesons. This was exactly what an explorer was supposed to look like.
I was almost certain these people were the Special Crisis Case Explorers Urara-san had sent, but I should check just in case. With that in mind, I spoke up.
"Um, are you the Special Crisis Case Explorers who came to provide back—"
"Wow! It's the real Junkie-niki-kun! I'm such a fan of yours, Junkie-niki-kun!"
"—up?…Eh? A fan?"
Suddenly, Mayurin-san closed the distance with terrifying speed. Her face was so close our noses were almost touching, so I instinctively leaned back as I responded.
I mean, a fan? Seriously? People like that actually exist? (Not that it feels like she's talking about me).
More importantly, she was close. Way too close. What was wrong with this woman's sense of personal space?
"Yeah, yeah! A fan, a fan! A total fan-fan!"
"By the way, are you all—"
"I love people like you who are strong and totally out of their minds! I mean, all explorers who can make it to the top are a little crazy somewhere, right?"
"Excuse me."
"Even compared to the top-tier explorers I've seen, Junkie-niki-kun is by far the most insane!"
"Eh…"
"And if you're by far the most insane, that means you're likely to become by far the strongest, right? That's why I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time! Specifically, since around the time you appeared on Survivor Tachikawa's stream! So, as far as your fans go, I'm a total veteran! An OG! Ehehe!"
"…………"
Being told I was "out of my mind" by Mayurin-san… left me in shock.
It was true that I was occasionally told things like "Are you out of your mind?" or "He's insane" in the comment section. However, that was just typical internet hype. I assumed no one actually meant it from the bottom of their heart. Or so I thought.
That was why I could always brush it off when people said it in the comments. But being told "you're out of your mind" directly to my face… even though I knew it wasn't true, it still hurt.
Even Hinata-san hadn't said I was "out of my mind"… well, I couldn't exactly declare that with total confidence, but I was sure in her heart she thought of me as a serious, well-mannered young man.
Besides, I'd spent my whole life thinking my only redeeming quality was being a law-abiding Commoner F. Recently, I'd gained some pride in my success as an explorer, so I felt like I had maybe graduated to Explorer Nouveau Riche C at least.
"…………"
"Hey, hey, Junkie-niki-kun! Why don't you explore the dungeon with us next time? I want to see you fight up close! Ah! Or rather, why don't you just join my party—"
"Give it a rest, Mayuri!"
"—Oof!"
Then, the handsome swordsman among Mayurin-san’s companions delivered a sharp chop to her head.
"That hurts! What was that for!?"
"What do you mean 'what for'? You're clearly bothering Junkie-niki!"
"Eh!? Was I bothering Junkie-niki-kun!? Sorry, Junkie-niki-kun!"
"No, it's fine…"
It wasn't so much that I was bothered; it was more the shock.
"I know! To make it up to you, I'll treat you to a meal next time! What do you want to eat, Junkie-niki-kun—"
"Excuse me! Are you the reinforcement explorers requested by Urara-san?"
Seeing as the conversation wasn't progressing at all, Hinata-san must have finally lost her patience. She addressed Mayurin-san and the others in a loud voice.
"—Tsk."
Mayurin-san? Did she just click her tongue?
For some reason, Mayurin-san clicked her tongue. Did she not like being interrupted? The handsome swordsman immediately scolded her with a "Mayuri, cut it out!", but she didn't seem particularly bothered.
"I apologize for our leader. It's true, we are indeed the explorers sent at the request of Officer Kongoji."
After apologizing with a regretful look, the handsome swordsman answered. Thank goodness. It seemed the rest of the party members were sensible people like me.
By the way, Officer Kongoji? Who? I wondered, but then I remembered that Urara-san's last name was Kongoji.
"I'm the Special Crisis Case Explorer Teruya Ikegami. This is our leader, Mayuri Kamiyashiki. And then, in order from this side, Kurodo Tamaki, Ren Ashitaba, and Motosuke Hondo."
The handsome swordsman—Teruya Ikegami—introduced the party members. After that, the men who had been introduced, excluding Mayurin-san, spoke up one by one.
"Sorry about our leader."
"She's an idiot, but she's not a bad person."
"…Please forgive her."
Tamaki-san was a large man who looked like a tank carrying a shield, Ashitaba-san was an androgynous-looking man with a bow, and Hondo-san was a quiet man with a spear. Since they had introduced themselves, I had to introduce myself in return. It seemed Hinata-san felt the same way.
"Ah, I'm Mashiro Hinata. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I followed suit.
"I'm the sensible Takeo Samejima."
The reason I dared to state the obvious—something that shouldn't normally need to be said—was to indirectly correct Mayurin-san's mistaken perception.
Mayurin-san laughed.
"Ahahahaha! Stop it, Junkie-niki-kun, that's a hilarious joke!"
"…………"
I… might not be good with this person.
『I mean, I can see why she'd think it's a joke lol』 『Junkie-niki is totally depressed www』 『He's legit bummed out lol』 『His face www』 『I've never seen Junkie-niki make a face like that before w』 『Hey, Mayuri! Don't bully our Junkie-niki!』
The comment section was unusually sympathetic toward me… hm? Wait, there was only one person actually defending me.
Hearing the voices coming from the drone, Ikegami-san and the others seemed to realize we were in the middle of a stream.
"Hm? Were you streaming?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm late in mentioning it…" Hinata-san apologized.
That was a blunder. I really should have ended the stream beforehand, or at least mentioned it the moment Ikegami-san and the others arrived. Though, there hadn't been much time to say anything.
"No, it's fine, don't worry about it."
Fortunately, they didn't seem to mind much. We had given our real names, but since our names were made public as Special Crisis Case Explorers anyway, there was no point in worrying about it.
"And so… are those the people?"
Ikegami-san looked toward the five fallen men.
"Yes. They were the ones in the monster room before we arrived."
"I heard they were killed by a special variant goblin? And the two of you defeated it?"
"Yes, we took it down."
"I see… Well then, shall we collect them?"
With that, everyone moved toward the bodies. Incidentally, Hinata-san was careful with her positioning, adjusting the camera angle so that the corpses wouldn't be shown on screen.
"This is… terrible. They were all cleaved through the torso, almost in a single blow."
"An opponent that could slaughter explorers capable of reaching Floor 8 this easily… Honestly, I wouldn't want to encounter it."
"Hmm, and Junkie-niki-kun defeated something like that! That's amazing!"
Ikegami-san and the others murmured their impressions as they looked at the men up close. Then, we all clasped our hands together for the deceased.
May they rest in peace-ers, amen.
"!?"
No, she said it in a really small voice, but Mayurin-san definitely said that. I think I was the only one who heard it since I was standing right next to her. I instinctively doubted my ears. In many ways.
Regardless, it wasn't something to go spreading around. I’d just pretend I didn't hear it.
"So, how are we going to carry them back?" I asked Ikegami-san. Since Urara-san had dispatched them, I assumed they had some means of transport.
"Ah, as for that—" Ikegami-san took off the backpack he was wearing and pulled something out. "Ah!" I exclaimed. "That's that thing, isn't it!? You know, the thing you see in movies or detective dramas for storing human remains!"
"Ahaha, yeah, that's the one. They're called body bags."
Ikegami-san told me with a smile. Huh, so that's what they were called. I’d become a bit wiser again.
"We'll put them in these bags, then store them in our expansion bags to carry them out."
"I see. Understood!"
Then, with everyone's cooperation, we placed the men into the body bags along with their belongings and stored them in the expansion bags. Facing corpses that looked quite gruesome, the fact that no one flinched showed that they were truly explorers. Even though monsters disappear when defeated, depending on how you kill them, you end up seeing grotesque sights often enough that your tolerance for gore naturally improves.
"Whew… that's all of them."
"Thank you very much, you've been a great help." I thanked Ikegami-san and the others.
"You're welcome. Although, we were just fulfilling a request. Oh, and I have a message from Officer Kongoji." Ikegami-san replied with a wry smile.
"A message?"
"Yeah. She wants the two of you to return to the Association with us. Apparently, she wants to conduct an interview and some other things."
"I see. Understood."
Well, that was only natural. Since I had expected it, I nodded immediately.
"Well then, Hinata-san, Junkie… Takeo-kun. Let's head back together."
"Yes."
"Got it."
This exploration was supposed to be a two-day trip, but it was being cut short on the first day without even being able to farm the Floor 8 monster room. At this rate, I wouldn't meet the daily experience points intake that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare would (potentially) announce (in the future). It’s bad for my health, so I’d at least make sure to earn some experience on the way back.
Well, I did level up in the Floor 7 monster room before starting the stream. But that was a separate matter. At any rate, after deciding to end the stream there for now, we all left the monster room and began our return journey.
On the way back.
While we were walking through the Floor 8 corridor of the dungeon, it suddenly began.
"Junkie-niki-kun, if you're going to date someone, you shouldn't choose a partner with breasts that are too big, okay? If they're too big, they'll sag quickly. I think someone about my size is just right, don't you?"
"Eh?"
It was so sudden. Mayurin-san, who was walking to my left, had abruptly blurted that out. I was at a loss for how to respond. However, before I could say anything, Hinata-san, who was walking to my right, spoke up.
"Takeo-kun, if your bust is around 89, it’s going to sag eventually anyway. Besides, I have healing magic. With healing magic, I can regenerate Cooper's ligaments and maintain my youth, so there’s no chance of my breasts sagging in the future. I don't know about some people, though."
Hinata-san?
Cooper's… eh? What?
I was immensely bewildered. Between the two of them, with me caught in the middle, a tense atmosphere had developed as if a war were about to break out.
"Ah—Healers always try to pull that kind of status move with their youth and stuff, don't they? Once you get to Floor 18, you can just get healing magic from a skill orb, so it's not special or anything. Junkie-niki-kun, Healers have bad personalities, so you'd better be careful, okay?"
Mayurin-san?
"I hope you'll have enough skill points to spare for healing magic when you actually make it to Floor 18."
Hinata-san?
"Don't you realize that problem is solved just by leveling up? Has all the nutrition gone to your chest and left your head empty?"
Mayurin-san?
"You’d think it would be obvious that the higher your level, the harder it is to level up. Besides, is it really okay to spend points on skills that don't fit your role? I can see a future where you can't level up anymore and they end up sagging after all."
Hinata-san!?
"Argh, seriously, it’s amazing. The bad personality of Healers is truly something else. You can't hide your lack of refinement in the words you use, can you? How do I put it? It's like you look down on others by default. No one who has such a rich vocabulary for insulting people is ever any good."
Mayurin-san!?
"Isn't that a description of yourself? In the first place, who was the one who started bad-mouthing others?"
H-Hinata-san……!?
"I don't remember saying anything bad. There are always people like that, aren't there? The ones who twist everything to blame you or pick on every little thing you say."
"Why don't you reflect on your own remarks? Or are you just being self-deprecating?"
"I didn't even say someone was picking on me. People with impoverished hearts must find it so hard to live, always misunderstanding that they're being attacked."
"People who can only belittle others are truly pitiful. I wonder if it’s because they lack confidence in themselves."
Please don't have a verbal spat over my head……!
I thought their eyes hadn't met since we were in the monster room, but could it be that they were just incompatible? What on earth caused this? I didn't know the reason, but I wanted someone to help me.
"————"
"————"
I looked toward Ikegami-san, seeking help. Our eyes met. Ikegami-san immediately looked away.
Ikegami-san!?
Ikegami-sannnnnnn!
It was no use…! Forget Ikegami-san; even Tamaki-san, Ashitaba-san, and Hondo-san wouldn't look this way.
This was the first time I had ever wanted to leave a dungeon so quickly. To return even one second sooner, I quickened my pace.