His dry laughter faded, and Baba-san cleared his throat to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Ah, right. May I move on to my second question?"
"Oh, yes... go ahead."
I wiped the lingering awkwardness from my face—the result of my joke landing with a thud—and turned back to face Baba-san. He looked deadly serious now. Judging by the shift in the air, this was the real reason he and his group had approached us.
I could pretty much guess what he was going to ask, though.
"I am well aware that prying into another party’s internal affairs is a breach of etiquette, but I simply have to ask."
"...Ask what?"
"It’s about the combat prowess you displayed in that last kobold fight. I understand that any small group capable of reaching this floor must possess a certain degree of strength, but even so..."
Baba-san and his companions narrowed their eyes with a hint of tension. They were clearly rattled by what they had seen. It seemed that even from their perspective, our combat capability wasn't just a step above the norm—it was in an entirely different league.
...And that was with us holding back quite a bit.
"Was there something strange about how we fought?"
I played dumb for a moment, adopting a confused expression that suggested I had no idea what the problem was. I knew I wouldn't fool them entirely, but I needed to gauge their reaction first. My "excuses" would have to be tailored to how they handled this.
Perhaps because he hadn't expected me to be so completely oblivious, Baba-san’s cheek twitched with a hint of agitation. I suppose most people wouldn't have the gall to feign total ignorance in this situation.
"Ah, well... I wouldn't say 'strange,' exactly. More like 'incredible'..."
"Incredible, you say?"
"Yes. From where we were standing, your performance was on another level. None of us could have wiped out that many kobolds as fast as you did."
"..."
Hearing Baba-san's appraisal, I turned to Yuji and Hiiragi-san with a look of feigned shock. Beneath the surface, however, my gaze was screaming: Crap, did we overdo it?
From our perspective, we had simply taken the monsters out quickly to ensure we didn't get hurt. To an observer, however, it had apparently looked like overkill.
"Forgive the intrusion, but how exactly did you achieve that level of power? Are you using some kind of extraordinary skill, or...?"
"Oh, uh... well..."
I trailed off, rubbing the back of my head with a troubled expression.
Baba-san’s face suddenly cleared, and he waved his hands in front of his chest in a minor panic.
"Ah, of course, I'm not trying to force the information out of you. Think of it more as the idle grumbling of a man who’d like to know the secret of your success..."
He said the right words, but his eyes were sharp with a hunger for information. They say the eyes tell the story, and his were practically begging for a lead.
I closed my eyes as if lost in thought, then scratched my head again before speaking.
"We didn't use any particular skills during that fight. We just closed the distance and cut them down."
"...What?"
"Like I said. We just ran up to them and hit them."
At my reply, the air seemed to leak out of Baba-san and his men. They looked absolutely dumbfounded. I suppose when you witness a feat of strength you can't fathom, you want a profound reason for it.
When told to your face that there isn't one... well.
"Th-That's a lie! You have to be using a skill! Otherwise, there's no way people like you could—!"
One of the members of the University Student Party, who had been listening silently until now, suddenly exploded in a loud, agitated voice. He was clearly convinced that some secret skill was the only possible explanation.
"H-Hey! Calm down, Ekizawa! What’s gotten into you?!"
"How am I supposed to be calm, Hamatani?! After showing off like that, they have the nerve to say they just 'ran up and hit them'?! They're mocking us! They're rubbing it in because we struggled against those kobolds! Don't look down on us!"
"..."
I hadn't intended to insult Hamatani-san’s group, but it seemed my choice of words had wounded Ekizawa’s pride. He was shouting accusations now, his face a mask of frustration at his own weakness, jealousy toward our nonchalant attitude, and—above all—the burning rage of feeling belittled. Hamatani-san desperately tried to restrain him, but the dam had broken. If anything, being held back only made Ekizawa heat up more.
The three of us could do nothing but watch the spectacle in stunned silence.
"I've hated these kids from the start! We were desperate for water, and they had the balls to charge us an extortionate price! They're nothing but scammers!"
"What are you saying, Ekizawa?! Even if we had to pay, we should be grateful they were willing to share water in a place like this!"
"That's what pisses me off! That water was made with magic, wasn't it?! They can make as much as they want just by resting for a few minutes! They shouldn't be charging for it at all!"
"You...!"
It seemed Ekizawa’s resentment had been building since the water trade, and my comment about the kobolds had finally acted as the spark.
It really is true that you never know what might set someone off.
"Ahem!"
"!"
"You two, if you're going to have an internal spat, please take it back to your own tent."
"..."
Waiting for the perfect opening in their argument, Baba-san delivered a sharp cough and fixed Hamatani-san and Ekizawa with a piercing glare. His look wordlessly informed them that he wouldn't tolerate any more of this unsightly bickering.
Both students looked sheepish under that gaze. Hamatani-san turned to us and bowed his head in apology.
"I am so sorry. Even though you were kind enough to share your water, we've caused you nothing but trouble..."
"Oh, no, it's fine..."
"..."
Despite the apology, the atmosphere remained heavy and awkward. To make matters worse, Ekizawa—the source of the tension—didn't even try to hide his sour mood, staring off into the distance and refusing to apologize.
"Ekizawa! Say something. This is your fault."
"...My bad."
"Ekizawa!"
"H-Haha, really, don't worry about it," I cut in. It was clear this wasn't getting resolved here.
"I am truly sorry."
Leaving us with one final, deep bow, Hamatani-san grabbed Ekizawa by the arm and practically dragged him away. Ekizawa complained that it hurt, but Hamatani-san ignored him, walking at a brisk pace.
I could have sworn I saw a visible aura of rage radiating from Hamatani-san’s back as they left... but maybe it was just my imagination.
"..."
Once they were gone, an uncomfortable silence settled over the remaining group. We and Baba-san’s party just looked at each other, no one quite knowing how to restart the conversation.
In the end, it was Baba-san who bit the bullet.
"Well, uh... that happened. I apologize for causing such an unpleasant scene by asking a thoughtless question."
"No, really, it wasn't your fault, Baba-san."
Baba-san bowed his head slightly. It wasn't his fault, truly. It was just a case of spectacularly bad timing.
"He probably didn't mean to go that far, but his nerves were likely frayed by the supply shortage and the monster attacks. To be in that state and then watch people younger than himself effortlessly slaughter the monsters his group was struggling with... it's bound to stir up some resentment. They've done well as explorers, but they're still young. So, if you could... well, I know it's a lot to ask, but please try to find it in your hearts to forgive him."
"We understand. And, well, I shouldn't have said something that wounded their pride, even if I didn't mean any harm."
Baba-san offered a defense for the students with a look that was part apology and part gentle correction. Thinking about it, it made sense. Outside of corporate explorers with massive support networks, very few private parties ever made it to the 20th floor. Hamatani-san’s group must have felt a great deal of pride in their accomplishment. They knew there was always someone stronger out there, of course, but having to pay juniors for supplies and then seeing those same juniors treat their "deadly struggle" like a walk in the park... it was a recipe for a bruised ego.
In that context, my explanation that we "didn't use skills and just ran up to them" was undeniably a blunder. Even if I didn't mean it that way, it was essentially the same as telling them they were beneath us.
"I know you didn't mean any harm," Baba-san said, his expression turning solemn as he gave us a final bit of advice. "But here in the dungeon, where everyone is under extreme stress for long periods, words that wouldn't matter on the surface can become major incidents. You have to be extremely careful with every word when dealing with other parties. Not everyone is tackling the dungeon under the same conditions as you—whether it's supplies or raw strength."
"Understood."
Baba-san clearly had his own reservations about my "no skills" claim, but he swallowed them to give us that warning. I was truly grateful for it.
He had spoken quite loudly, and I realized he was doing us a favor. By framing his advice as a lesson for "inexperienced juniors," he was signaling to the other parties that our blunder was just due to a lack of etiquette. It gave everyone an out. If we were just "clueless kids," then Ekizawa’s outburst could be excused as a reaction to a misunderstanding. It prevented a permanent grudge from forming.
He was looking out for us, using his authority to smooth things over.
"Regardless... the mood for questions is well and truly gone."
"Yeah... I guess so."
"Indeed. It's a shame, but we'll be heading back to our camp now."
Baba-san signaled to his team.
"Sorry about all this. I took up your time and only managed to make things awkward."
"No, thank you for the advice. And for the help just now..."
"I was just taking responsibility for the fire I started. I don't know if I fixed it, but..."
"I think you helped quite a bit."
"I'm glad to hear it. Well then, stay safe until you reach the surface."
"You too, Baba-san."
With a wave, Baba-san and his group departed.
That left...
"..."
"..."
We stood in silence with the Masai Foods representatives for a moment. Finally, Sakuoka-san spoke up with an awkward look.
"W-Well, we should probably get going too."
"Oh, right. Of course."
"Um, if you have time, please do come to our event."
"S-Sure. If I have time, I'll definitely be there."
Having been completely sidelined by Baba-san, Sakuoka-san and his group slumped their shoulders and trudged back to their camp with heavy steps.
I kind of felt bad for them.
It’s scary how a few careless words can hurt people without you ever even noticing.