I woke up in bed before the alarm on my phone could even sound. I had sensed a presence outside my door—someone whose energy was clearly through the roof.
I already had a pretty good idea who it was.
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
As I suspected, it was Mika. I peered at her through bleary eyes. There wasn't a trace of sleepiness in her smile, and she’d already swapped her pajamas for outdoor clothes.
Whoa... she’s really fired up for this.
"Mika... let me sleep a little longer. We’ve still got plenty of time before we have to leave, right?"
I glanced at the clock; it was 5:30 AM, a full thirty minutes before my scheduled wake-up time. I yanked the duvet back over my head, silently pleading for an extension on my sleep.
Unfortunately, my appeal was denied.
"Get up, Onii-chan!"
With those words, Mika aggressively stripped the duvet right off me.
Are you serious? Give me a break...
"...Mika?"
"Are you awake now?"
"...Yeah."
I shot her a disgruntled look, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest.
With my covers gone, I sat up on the edge of the bed with a sigh and rubbed my eyes. It didn't look like I was getting any more sleep today.
"...Good morning."
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
Mika beamed at me, clearly thrilled that I was finally upright.
This girl...
"I told you what time to get up before we went to bed last night, didn't I? If you were already awake, you should have just stayed quiet in your room until it was time..."
"I was quiet! For a whole hour!"
"Huh?"
Wait, then what time did she actually wake up? It was 5:30 now, so... 4:30? Just how early did she get out of bed?
I stared at her, utterly exasperated.
"I went to bed early last night, and then when I realized we were finally going to the dungeon today, my eyes just snapped open. I couldn't get back to sleep after that."
"...I see."
She was like a grade-schooler heading off on a field trip. Good grief, what a handful...
I stood up and walked over to the closet.
"Mika, I’m getting changed, so out you go."
"Oh, right! Okay, I’ll be waiting in the living room."
"Yeah. I’ll be down once I’m dressed."
"See you there!"
As she turned to leave, I called out to her one last time.
"Mom and Dad are probably still asleep, so be quiet, okay?"
"I know!"
Giving me a quick nod, Mika headed out and skipped down to the living room.
Once I was sure she was gone, I let out a massive yawn.
"Well, might as well get ready..."
I opened the closet and reached for the clothes I’d laid out the night before.
After changing and washing my face, I made my way to the living room where I expected to find Mika.
However, I found someone else there as well.
"Good morning, Daiki."
"Oh? Mom, you’re already up?"
Mom was sitting there with Mika, the two of them sharing a cup of tea.
"Yes. Mika told me she was heading to the dungeon with you today, so I thought I’d get up a little early to have a chat with her."
"I see."
So they’d been having a mother-daughter tea party since the crack of dawn.
"So, what were you two talking about?"
I figured I’d join them for a drink, so I headed into the kitchen to prep some fuel for my brain—a cup of strong, instant black coffee.
"Oh, all sorts of things. Mostly me telling her to come back without a single scratch."
"Hm."
I took a sidelong glance at Mika as she sipped her tea. She looked perfectly relaxed, so it didn't seem like Mom had been giving her too hard of a time.
If she’d been discouraged before even setting foot in the dungeon, my job as party leader would have been a lot harder.
"Daiki. I told Mika this too, but make sure you both come home safe, all right?"
Mom looked at me with a worried expression.
"Of course. Mika and the others are with me today. Our priority is just getting them used to the environment, so we’re going to be as safe as possible. I don't plan on anyone getting hurt."
"I hope so... Just please, be careful."
"I will."
My answer seemed to put her at ease, and her expression softened.
"Ugh!?"
I sat down on the sofa and took a sip of my coffee, grimacing as the heat and bitterness hit me. I’d used extra powder, making it thick and incredibly harsh.
Well, it was certainly doing the job of waking me up.
"By the way, what were you planning for breakfast?"
"Eh? I was just going to make some cup noodles or something."
Considering the lack of bathroom facilities inside a dungeon, my plan was to stick to plain cup yakisoba.
I’d been managing my intake since last night’s dinner, because too much fiber or excessive hydration is a recipe for disaster when you’re miles away from a toilet... In my opinion, plain cup yakisoba is the most efficient, logical breakfast for an explorer.
"Goodness. You can't expect to have any energy in a dungeon if you eat like that."
"Maybe so, but when you consider the bathroom situation, it’s actually a pretty solid choice..."
"Haa. Just wait a moment. I’ll make something for you."
Mom grimaced at my proposed menu, stood up, and marched into the kitchen. I wasn't sure how to feel.
A "well-balanced" meal is the last thing you want right before a dive. Then again, we weren't going very deep today, and as long as I took care of business before we entered, it should be fine.
"Is this okay, Onii-chan? Letting Mom cook?"
"Well... it should be fine."
I was a little nervous about what she’d serve, though.
As long as it wasn't something like porridge that digests too quickly, we’d be okay. I’d heard that a standard meal takes about half a day to fully digest, anyway.
Mika and I sat at the table and waited until Mom finally brought out the food.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here, eat up."
In front of us sat buttered toast, boiled eggs, salad, and milk. A perfectly standard, orthodox breakfast.
Mika and I stared at the food in silence.
"What’s wrong? Come on, eat it while it’s hot."
"Ah, right....Thanks for the food."
"Thanks for the food!"
We put our hands together and dug into the toast.
When it was finally time to leave, Mika and I shouldered our gear and headed to the entrance to put on our shoes.
Mom and Dad were there to see us off. Dad had finally crawled out of bed just as we were finishing breakfast.
"Alright, all set. Mika, how about you?"
"Ready!"
Mika stood up with her bags just as I finished tying my laces.
"Okay, Dad, Mom. We’re heading out."
"Yeah. Stay safe."
"Daiki, look after Mika for me, okay? If it looks like she’s about to do something reckless, you drag her out of there, even if you have to do it by force."
"Got it. I will."
"Oh, Mom! Stop it! I’m not going to do anything reckless!"
Mika protested, looking genuinely offended, but given her track record, Mom’s concern was entirely justified. I’d tried to drill the reality of the dungeon and the dangers of being an explorer into her head to curb her excitement, but maybe it hadn't been enough.
I stepped in between them before the argument could escalate.
"Mika, it’s just light banter. Don't get so worked up. Calm down and focus."
"But, Onii-chan..."
"We’re leaving, aren't we? Let's hear it."
"...Fine."
Mika still looked a bit huffy, but she backed down. She wasn't actually angry; she just needed a moment to reset her composure.
I turned back to my parents.
"Okay, we’re really going now. See you later."
"Yeah, see you later."
"Be careful out there."
Mika followed my lead.
"I’m leaving!"
"Take care, Mika."
"I will!"
"See you later, sweetie. And really, don't overdo it."
"I know~!"
I gripped the doorknob, pushed the heavy door open, and stepped out into the morning air. Mika came bursting out right behind me.
"Alright. Ready?"
"Yeah! Let's go!"
Mika’s voice was full of energy. It was a quiet residential area and still quite early, so her shout echoed down the street. I wished she’d keep it down a bit so we wouldn't annoy the neighbors.
We started walking side-by-side toward the station, our designated meeting spot with Yuji and the others.
"Hey... Onii-chan?"
"What?"
"We’re actually going to the dungeon... do you think we’ll be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
About halfway to the station, Mika’s expression turned anxious.
"I mean, we’ve been training with Juzo-san, but will that really work against actual monsters?"
"Hm? You're worried about that?"
"...Yeah. A little."
Mika looked down, finally voicing the source of her nerves.
"I mean, we couldn't even land a single hit on Juzo-san. We couldn't even graze him. I just feel so pathetic... I wonder if we’re actually ready to face monsters."
Ah, I see.
Since we’d been doing visiting training, Mika and Saori had spent their time sparring with Juzo-san. Because she had no other point of comparison, she didn't feel like she’d actually grown stronger. She was worried they’d just be dead weight.
But the thing was...
"Mika, don't worry about that."
"B-But..."
"Even we haven't been able to land a clean hit on Juzo-san, and we can barely even graze him on a good day. He’s not the kind of person someone who just started training—and hasn't even leveled up in a dungeon yet—is supposed to be able to handle."
"...Even you guys can't touch him?"
Mika’s anxiety vanished instantly, replaced by a look of pure shock.
"Yeah. Honestly, I think taking a point off Juzo-san is harder than diving into the deepest reaches of a dungeon..."
"That much...?"
"If you ask Yuji or Hiiragi-san, they’ll tell you the exact same thing. So don't feel pathetic just because you couldn't keep up with him."
"Okay."
Mika looked visibly relieved.
"And as for whether you can fight monsters... I don't think you’ll have any problems at all."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Underestimating an opponent is a death sentence, but overestimating them too much is its own kind of problem. From what I saw of your practice the other day, as long as you use your strength like you normally do, you should be able to handle anything on the surface floors without a hitch."
At my words, Mika finally let the tension drain out of her shoulders.
By the time we finished talking, we’d reached the station.
Since it was early on a holiday morning, there weren't many people around. That made it easy to spot Yuji, who was already sitting on a bench inside the station, reading a book.
I called out to him.
"Morning, Yuji."
"Oh, morning."
"You’re here early."
"I thought Mika-chan or Saori-chan might show up before the meeting time, so I figured I’d get here ahead of schedule."
Yuji was being quite the gentleman, showing a thoughtful side.
Mika aside, if Saori-chan had arrived way too early, she would have been waiting here all by herself. In this day and age, that’s not exactly ideal.
"I see... Thanks for that."
"Don't worry about it. I did it because I wanted to."
Yuji waved off my thanks, looking a little embarrassed.
"Good morning, Yuji-san."
"Morning, Mika-chan."
Once Yuji and I were done talking, Mika stepped up to give her greetings.
And then...
"Good morning!"
"Morning."
A few minutes later, Saori-chan arrived. She was carrying a long bag for her weapons and a massive backpack that looked like it was bursting at the seams. It looked incredibly heavy.
She must have packed everything but the kitchen sink...
"Saori-chan, that looks heavy. You okay?"
"Oh, yes! I’m fine! It’s actually way lighter than it looks."
"It is?"
"Yes!"
She seemed to be telling the truth. After bowing to me, Saori-chan immediately started chatting excitedly with Mika about the dungeon.
Finally, the last member of our group appeared.
"Good morning, everyone. Oh... it looks like I’m the last one."
"Ah, morning, Hiiragi-san. Don't worry about it, you’re still early."
Hiiragi-san looked a bit awkward, as if she were the one who had kept everyone waiting. I tried to reassure her, since she was still well ahead of the meeting time. There was really no need for her to apologize.
I gave a light clap to get everyone’s attention.
"Alright, everyone. It’s a little early, but shall we head to the platform?"
"...Yeah. Let's move."
"Good idea."
"Agreed!"
"Then let's go."
With everyone in agreement, we picked up our gear and began making our way toward the train.