The alarm I’d set the night before chirped from my bedside. I reached out, blinking away the sleep as I fumbled to shut it off.
"Phew... It's morning already?"
I sat up and let out a long yawn, squinting at the faint light filtering through the lace curtains. The sky was just beginning to glow. I felt incredibly groggy.
"...Morning, Yuji."
"...Morning."
I rolled my head from side to side to work out the kinks in my neck and called out to Yuji. He was currently face-down, his voice muffled as he groaned into his pillow. He sounded more than a little grumpy. I wondered if he was just one of those people with naturally low blood pressure in the morning.
I watched him for a moment with bleary eyes before dragging myself out of bed and heading to the bathroom to splash some water on my face.
"...Phew."
That did the trick. I wiped my face with a hand towel and stepped out to find Yuji sitting on the edge of his bed, looking like a zombie.
"Your turn."
"...Right."
Yuji stood up and shuffled toward the bathroom with shaky, uncertain steps. A minute later, he emerged looking like his usual self. For a guy who seemed to hate mornings, he certainly snapped out of it quickly once he actually got moving.
"Good morning, for real this time."
"Yeah. Morning, Yuji."
With the formal greetings out of the way, we quickly changed out of our pajamas. By the time we were dressed and I checked the clock, it was already past 6:00 AM.
"What time did breakfast start?"
"They said six, but I wonder if Mika and the others are even awake yet?"
"Hiiragi-san probably is, but I'm not so sure about Mika-chan and Saori-chan."
Both of them had looked like they were about to collapse from exhaustion last night.
"..."
"..."
"Should I try the phone?" I asked.
"Probably a good idea."
I used the hotel phone to dial the extension for the girls' room. It rang three times before Hiiragi-san picked up.
"...Hello?"
"Ah, Hiiragi-san? Are you guys up?"
"Yes, everyone’s awake."
"Good. We were thinking about heading down for breakfast. Can you guys leave now?"
"Ah, hold on. Let me ask the other two."
I could hear Hiiragi-san’s faint voice in the background calling out to Mika and Saori-chan. As expected, girls always seemed to need a bit more time for morning preparations.
"Hello? Could you give us a little longer?"
"Sure, but how long?"
"Ten minutes should be enough."
"Got it. We'll head over to your door in ten minutes, then."
"Thank you."
I hung up and relayed the news to Yuji.
"They need about ten more minutes."
"Okay. Let's kill time by tidying up our stuff so it’s ready to go."
"Good call."
Yuji and I organized the gear we’d spread across the room, and exactly ten minutes later, we were standing in front of the girls' door.
"Hiiragi-san, Mika, Saori-chan. You ready?"
"Coming! Just a second!"
I’d barely finished knocking when a cheerful voice replied, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. The door swung open with a bang, and Mika popped her head out.
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
"Morning. You look energetic enough. Did you sleep okay?"
"Yup!"
"Glad to hear it."
Mika looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, showing no signs of trauma from yesterday’s events. If she’d looked even slightly shaken, I would have had to reconsider today's dungeon exploration, but for now, she seemed fine. I’d try to probe a little deeper during breakfast, just to be safe.
"Morning, you two."
"Good morning. Sorry to keep you waiting."
As I was talking to Mika, Hiiragi-san and Saori-chan stepped out into the hall.
"Morning. Don't worry, we only just got here. You've got your meal tickets, right?"
"Yes, right here," Hiiragi-san said, holding them up.
"Well then, shall we go?"
"Yeah!"
"Let’s!"
Mika and Saori-chan chirped their agreement, and we all headed for the dining hall. It was supposed to be a buffet, and I found myself wondering what kind of spread an upscale place like this would offer.
When we arrived at the grand hall, we were greeted by rows of steaming dishes. The aromas were incredible, and the variety was impressive. Despite having only been awake for half an hour, I was suddenly starving.
As we stood there, mesmerized by the food, a Staff-san near the entrance approached us.
"Good morning. May I collect your breakfast tickets?"
"Ah, yes."
Hiiragi-san and I handed them over. The Staff-san gave them a quick glance, confirmed the count, and bowed politely.
"Thank you very much. I will show you to your table. Right this way, please."
He led us to a six-person table by the window. Since it had been pitch black when we arrived the night before, I hadn't realized just how good the view was. Outside was a perfectly manicured Japanese garden, with mountains in the background that looked like something out of a painting.
"Our breakfast is served buffet-style. Plates and trays are located over there. Please enjoy yourselves."
"Thank you."
"Please, take your time."
The Staff-san bowed and retreated. Right, time to eat.
Actually, wait. Before the girls ran off...
"Just a heads-up: we're heading back into the dungeon today, so don't eat until you're stuffed."
"!!??"
Mika and Saori-chan, who had been about to bolt for the food, froze mid-stride. They turned to give me looks of pure betrayal. I guess the "grudge over food" thing was real.
Sigh. They really don't get it yet.
"Listen. If you're bloated and you take a hit, it’s much more dangerous. Plus, if you overeat, you’re going to have... 'internal issues' while we're in the middle of a floor. You don't want that, do you? Keep it to eighty percent... actually, sixty percent."
"..."
"..."
"Also, stay away from anything with too much caffeine or high fiber."
As I explained the logic behind the restrictions, the looks on their faces shifted toward reluctant understanding. However, they immediately looked away from me and turned pleading, puppy-dog eyes toward Yuji and Hiiragi-san.
"...Daiki's right," Yuji said with a shrug. "It’s better to keep it light."
"Fufu, he's right," Hiiragi-san added with a wry smile. "It’s a shame, but you're the ones who will suffer for it if you eat too much. You should probably hold back for today."
Denied by their last hope for support, Mika and Saori-chan looked like dejected puppies. They glanced longingly at the buffet one last time, their shoulders slumping. I knew they’d been looking forward to this, but safety came first.
"...Tell you what," I said, feeling a bit bad for them. I glanced at Yuji and Hiiragi-san before throwing the girls a lifeline. "I'll treat you to a big meal another time. You can eat as much as you want then." I just hoped it wouldn't be as expensive as last night. I'd have to find an all-you-can-eat place later.
"Really!?" Mika’s head snapped up.
"Yeah. So just bear with it for today."
"Okay! Let's go, Saori-chan!"
"Yeah!"
Their depression vanished instantly. They skipped off toward the food as if they hadn't been sulking a second ago. Phew...
"Are you sure about that, Daiki?" Yuji asked. "That's a pretty big promise to make so casually."
"Well, I can't have them going into the dungeon feeling miserable. A little extra spending is a small price to pay if it keeps them focused and safe."
"You really are soft on those two, Kokonoe-kun."
"I promised to bring them back in one piece. If a meal lowers the risk of them getting hurt... well, it's worth it."
Recovery potions could fix most physical wounds, but they couldn't heal mental trauma. Since they were under our wing, I had to do everything in my power to minimize the risks.
As I sat there, Yuji and Hiiragi-san stood up to get their own food. But before they left, they dropped a bombshell.
"Good to hear. I'll be looking forward to that dinner party then," Yuji said.
"I’ll be happy to accept the treat as well, Kokonoe-kun," Hiiragi-san added.
"...Eh?"
I stared at their retreating backs, my brain slowly processing what they’d just said.
"Wait, what!? Why am I paying for you two as well!?"
"We're looking forward to it!" they called back in unison.
"Hey! Hold on!"
Neither of them looked back, acting as if they couldn't hear my protests at all.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
I slumped onto the table, mourning my future bank account. Just how much was this going to cost me?
The food at the buffet was, unfortunately for my wallet, exceptionally good. Rice cooked in an iron pot, perfectly grilled salted salmon, miso soup rich with dashi, silky homemade tofu, and crisp pickles... I went for a traditional Japanese spread, and it was deeply satisfying.
While I sat there brooding over my unexpected expenses, the others were enjoying their own choices. A buffet really highlights personal tastes. Yuji was like me, sticking to Japanese staples. Hiiragi-san went for Western style with freshly baked bread. Mika and Saori-chan were taking tiny portions of about twenty different things.
During the meal, I tried to subtly gauge the girls' mental states again. They seemed fine, showing no signs of being overwhelmed. Hiiragi-san must have done a great job supporting them last night.
"Man, that was good. This place doesn't miss."
"Yeah. You can tell they put effort into every dish."
"I'd love to see what they serve for dinner sometime."
Having finished our "light" meal, we headed back to our rooms to brush our teeth and handle final preparations for checkout. Since we’d only been there to sleep, there wasn't much to do.
However...
"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing," Yuji said, wearing a very specific expression.
"I said I'd pay for the meal, but I'm not paying for the stay! If we stayed here for dinner, the bill for everyone would be over a hundred thousand yen!"
I gave him a sharp warning before flopping onto the bed and flicking on the TV for a few minutes.
"I know, I know. Anyway, Daiki, are you all set? If you are, I'd like to head down to the lobby a bit early."
"It's not time yet, is it?"
"The bill is per room, so I want to get the checkout settled quickly. Plus, if we need to get our gear out of the secure storage, we need to make sure a staff member is available. If we head down now and let them know, we can grab everything the second Hiiragi-san and the girls show up. Better than just sitting here."
"...Fair point."
Staring at the TV wasn't doing much for me anyway. We did one last check of the room and headed out.
"Excuse me, we'd like to check out."
"Certainly. May I have your room key?"
"Here you go. Also, we have items in the secure storage that we need to retrieve."
"Understood. I will call a staff member for the storage immediately. One moment, please..."
The receptionist took the card key and stepped into the back, presumably to process the final invoice. A few minutes later, he returned with the bill.
"Thank you for waiting. Your total comes to 38,880 yen."
"Got it. Can we have separate receipts, please? Also, could you call a taxi for us?"
"A taxi? Of course, I'll arrange that right away."
The price was exactly what I’d expected from my research. Yuji and I both pulled out 20,000 yen. As the Treasurer for our circle, I needed those receipts to track our business expenses.
"I have received 40,000 yen. I will prepare your change and receipts. The staff member for the storage room should be with you shortly."
As the receptionist stepped away, the elevator dinked, and Hiiragi-san and the girls stepped out.
"You're early, you two."
"We finished packing faster than expected and got bored," I replied.
"I see."
"Yeah. We’ve already started the checkout process for our room."
"Then we should probably get ours settled as well."
Hiiragi-san went to another staff member to hand over their key and pay their bill. Once everyone had settled their accounts, we headed to the secure storage room to retrieve our weapons and gear. It took a little longer than expected to get through the security protocols, but by the time we were done and moved back to the entrance, the taxi was just pulling up. The timing was perfect.
"Alright. Let's give it our all today."
"You bet."
"Let's."
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
We loaded our gear into the trunk, gave each other a quick nod of encouragement, and piled into the taxi.
Time to head back to the dungeon.