After school, we stopped by the library. Since it was a weekday right in the middle of Golden Week, the place was mostly deserted. Aside from us, there were only a few third-years presumably cramming for their entrance exams.
As for what we were doing in a library on a beautiful afternoon...
"Hey, Yuji? Is this actually going to help?"
I whispered to Yuji, who was sitting in the seat next to me, while staring down at the animal encyclopedia in my hands.
"Hmm? Well, I figure it’s better to know than not to know, right?"
"But this is... just bones."
"Knowing the skeletal structure lets you grasp their basic range of motion. Even if they’re monsters, as long as they have the form of a living creature, their mechanics shouldn't fundamentally change—except for rare cases. The movements of the monsters we’ve run into so far have basically been the same as regular animals."
When he put it that way, it made sense. Excluding outliers like slimes, monster movements generally mirrored the regular animals they resembled.
The level difference certainly played a part, but the fact that I’d been able to read monster attacks on the first try might have been thanks to all those wildlife documentaries I’d watched on TV. Having a clear mental image of how predators hunt probably allowed me to weather those strikes even during our first encounters.
I didn't know if monster skeletons were exactly the same as Earth's animals, but there was certainly no harm in knowing.
"The same logic applies to humanoid monsters like orcs and goblins. Their movements are fundamentally human, right?"
"Fundamental... you think?"
"Yeah. Maybe it's because they're bipedal, but even if there are slight differences between species, their basic motor functions are human-standard."
...He was right.
Now that he mentioned it, their basic movements did feel familiar. If I looked past their appearances and compared their actions... many commonalities emerged.
Our combat patterns when facing humanoid monsters were essentially the same as when we fought other humans.
"Of course, this is just based on what we've seen so far. If monsters start using combat support-type skills, they might move in ways that defy normal physics."
"Monsters using skills, huh..."
"We have a precedent, so we can't rule it out."
The precedent—he was talking about the ogre.
If a monster used an evasion-type skill, for example, it could theoretically move independently of its physical momentum. Like going from a full-speed charge to a horizontal sidestep in an instant.
"Both of you, keep your voices down."
Hiiragi-san, who was studying a human anatomy diagram, rebuked us in a sharp whisper.
I looked up and scanned the room. A male student at a nearby table was glaring at us with a look of pure annoyance. Yuji and I hurriedly bowed our heads in apology, and after narrowing his eyes at us, the student returned his gaze to his book.
We must have let our voices get too loud while we were talking.
"Let’s save the details for after we leave..."
"Good idea..."
Yuji and I let out quiet sighs and returned to our encyclopedias.
An hour later, we packed up the books and left the library.
After grabbing drinks from a vending machine near the deserted cafeteria, we sat on a nearby bench to vent our frustrations and reflect on our blunder.
"Man, that was a mistake."
"I really thought I was whispering..."
Yuji and I sighed in unison.
Hiiragi-san was quick to point out our flaw.
"You were at first. But as the conversation got deeper, your voices got louder and louder. Since there were so few people in there, your voices echoed even more than usual."
"..."
I scratched my head awkwardly. Well, what's done is done. I'd just have to be more careful next time.
I took a sip of my coffee and brought up the concern that had been cut short earlier.
"So, Yuji. About what we were saying... do you really think monsters will start using skills from here on out?"
"I'd bet on it. After all, that ogre used a summoning skill."
"I agree," Hiiragi-san added. "Unless that summoning skill was an exception granted only to an area boss, there's a high probability that other monsters will use skills as well."
"Just as I thought..."
Both Yuji and Hiiragi-san wore serious expressions.
Given the patterns we'd seen, we needed to be on guard for skill-using monsters once we reached the middle floors.
For reasons unknown, the dungeon was designed to increase in difficulty in clear stages. Since the ogre guarding the entrance to the middle floors used a skill, it was highly likely that the denizens of the floors beyond would do the same.
...Depending on the skill, we might not be able to breeze through battles like we used to.
"The monsters on the shallow floors basically just fought with their physical stats and natural traits."
"When you put it that way," Hiiragi-san said, "our policy of gaining experience on the shallow floors before facing skill-users on the middle floors seems like the right choice."
"Yeah. Looking back at the boss battle, our lack of coordination was glaringly obvious. We should use our time on the shallow floors to experiment and build up our experience as a team."
Even if it was a split-second reaction, the way we handled the boss fight was abysmal.
The fact that we acted the way we did meant that fighting individually was still our default setting. We weren't thinking like a party.
That needed to change, and fast.
"For the time being, we should focus on strengthening our coordination while we work on our individual combat skills."
"Teamwork, huh... Mastering that sounds like it'll take some time."
"But considering what's coming, it’s an essential skill. Even if it takes a while, we have to learn it. If we can't coordinate when we face monsters with special abilities or massive sizes, it could prove fatal."
I was thinking of things you often see in games—monsters with high regeneration that you have to kill by destroying multiple cores at once, or massive creatures that tower over you. Those kinds of special monsters would be a nightmare to handle alone. Every second a fight drags on is another second where someone could take a fatal hit.
"Daiki’s right. Until we've got a handle on proper coordination, we should stay away from the middle floors."
Yuji seemed to agree with me, nodding quietly with a look of conviction.
For now, neither of them seemed eager to rush into the middle floors. Besides, we wouldn't have enough time for that on a simple day-trip anyway.
With that topic settled, I brought up another point of concern.
"By the way... has anyone's Light grown at all?"
"...No. I practiced a bit at home, but it hasn't changed much."
"Same here," Hiiragi-san said. "Mine went from looking like a mini bulb to maybe a nightlight."
"I see. I'm about the same."
Yeah, just as I thought.
I’d used Light quite a few times to raise my proficiency, but the only change was that the "mini bulb" had become a "nightlight." It was going to take a long time before the skill became practically useful. I couldn't help but let out a small sigh.
"Well, should we head home?"
I finished my coffee, stood up from the bench, and addressed the other two.
The sun was starting to dip, and we'd finished our research. It was a good time to call it a day.
"Yeah... let's go."
"I agree."
The two of them stood up as well.
Then, as if remembering something, Yuji turned to us.
"Oh, right. If you guys have time during Golden Week, you should look up videos of animals online. It’ll give you a better idea of how monsters move."
"You mean wildlife documentaries?"
"Exactly. Look for ones with fighting or predation scenes. If you watch them while keeping today's skeletal structures in mind, you’ll notice a lot more than if you're just watching casually."
"Got it. I'll have some free time over the break... I'll check some out."
"Me too."
Maybe I'd stop by the rental store on the way back.
Still, wildlife documentaries... that was a genre I’d never touched before.
I made it home before the sun had completely vanished, carrying a bag from the rental store.
I’d stopped by as planned and picked up the DVDs Yuji suggested. Since it wasn't a genre I usually browsed, it had taken me a while to find them.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back!"
I heard the living room door fly open and Mika appeared. It was rare for her to come out and greet me.
"This is a surprise, you greeting me at the door..."
"I was waiting for you, Onii-chan!"
"...Waiting for me?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, a flash of irritation crossed Mika's eyes.
Wait, did I... do something to set her off?
"...Why did you invite Saori-chan this morning?"
"Invite... Oh, for the shopping trip?"
"Yes! Honestly, and here I thought I'd finally get some time with just you, Onii-chan..."
Apparently, she was still brooding over the morning's events.
"Look, I'm sorry. She mentioned she didn't have any plans for the break, so I just sort of... invited her."
"Muuu..."
Mika's cheeks puffed out in a pout. She didn't look happy, but she seemed to at least accept the explanation.
"Don't be like that. I'll make it up to you when we go shopping."
"Fwa!"
When I lightly patted her head while apologizing, she let out a weird little squeak. I’d done it out of habit, but maybe I shouldn't have? Reflecting on my choices, I stepped up into the hallway and headed to my room.
After changing, I grabbed the DVDs and went down to the living room. Mika was buried in the sofa, and Mom was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Since Dad was nowhere to be seen, he was likely working overtime.
Mika sat there with a vacant expression and a creepy giggle, looking entirely too happy for someone who had just been pouting. Feeling a bit put off by her eerie behavior, I sat down next to her and brought up the shopping trip.
"So, Mika, what's the plan for the trip? You and Saori worked it out, right?"
"..."
"Mika?"
"...! Ah, O-Onii-chan!"
She didn't respond at first, so I had to tap her shoulder. She finally snapped her head toward me and reacted.
"Sigh. So, what's the plan?"
"Oh, right! The shopping plan! Yeah! Saori-chan and I talked it over and it's all decided!"
"Good. And?"
"Well..."
According to Mika, the trip was set for the 3rd. They planned to hit the department stores and the shopping district before heading to karaoke.
It sounded like a pretty standard outing.
"Saori-chan and I decided we wanted to look at what's trending at school."
"Heeh. What's the big thing right now?"
"Right now... cosmetics, I think?"
"Cosmetics?"
"Yeah. Everyone's really fired up about their high school debut. We're looking for natural makeup that we can wear to school without getting in trouble—you know, things like sunscreen and lip balm."
Now that she mentioned it, I looked closer at Mika and realized she was indeed wearing a faint touch of makeup.
"The stuff I'm using now is just from the drugstore. Saori-chan too. So we figured we'd go to a specialty store and get something better."
"Heeh, is that how it works?"
"It's not that the drugstore stuff is bad, but we wanted to go to a real shop and have an expert help us find something that actually suits us."
Cosmetics, huh... Mika had really grown up since starting high school.
She was probably right that it was better to have an expert help with that kind of thing... though I wouldn't know, since I've never touched the stuff.
"There's this specialty store in the shopping district that's really popular with high school girls. That's where I promised Saori-chan we'd go."
"Popular with girls... I assume only girls?"
"Yeah."
My cheek twitched involuntarily. You've got to be kidding me... I really don't want to set foot in a place like that.
Sensing my internal crisis, Mika offered a lifeline.
"Ah, don't worry, Onii-chan. I heard there's a cafe right nearby, so you can just wait there while we're in the shop."
"O-Oh. Right. Got it."
I breathed a literal sigh of relief.
I’d been prepared to just stand outside the shop, but standing in front of a girls' cosmetics store for a long time was a great way to get reported as a suspicious person. If there was a cafe, I could just kill time with a coffee.
As we were finalizing the holiday plans, Mom called out from the kitchen.
"Dinner's almost ready, you two. Come to the table."
"Coming!"
Mika hopped off the sofa and headed to the table with a skip in her step. The grumpy girl from the entryway was long gone. I followed her, feeling relieved.
As it turned out, Dad was indeed working late. Since it was the middle of Golden Week, a lot of people had taken time off, leaving the remaining staff to pick up the slack.
After the three of us finished dinner, I put on one of the DVDs in the living room. However, given the graphic nature of nature's "reality," I was met with a chorus of boos from Mom and Mika. From that point on, I was strictly ordered to watch those kinds of videos on my own PC in my room.