I must have been more mentally exhausted than I realized. I woke up to the sensation of skin-scorching sunlight streaming through the window. It was so hot that I couldn't bear to stay in bed any longer.
Feeling the unpleasant stickiness of night sweats against my back, I climbed out of bed.
"Phew... It's already past nine. I really slept in."
I stretched to loosen my stiff muscles while checking the clock on the wall. After grabbing a change of clothes from the wardrobe, I threw the window wide open. I let the humid, sweltering air circulate to ventilate the room, then headed out.
"Morning."
"Morning, Daiki. You're up quite late today."
When I reached the living room, I found Mother sitting on the sofa watching television. The air conditioning was on here; unlike my room, which had been a stagnant oven of humid heat, the air was cool and refreshing.
"Yeah, I think I overslept a bit."
"Don't let the fatigue build up too much. Keep your dungeon exploring in moderation, alright?"
"I will. I'll be careful."
I nodded solemnly at Mother, who voiced her concerns with a slight frown. There was no point in trying to argue with her.
More importantly...
"Anyway, I worked up a sweat while I was sleeping, so I'm going to take a shower. Is the bathroom free?"
"Yes, it's free. But Daiki, did you not have the air conditioner on last night?"
"No. It wasn't that hot when I went to bed, so I figured I’d be fine without it."
Mother let out a small, exasperated sigh. She looked me straight in the eye and spoke with a firmer tone.
"The news yesterday said it would be hot from early this morning. If you sleep in this kind of heat without the AC, you’ll get heatstroke. Be more careful."
"Right, I will."
"And make sure you hydrate before you shower. There’s some sports drink in the fridge."
Feeling a bit flustered, I nodded in agreement.
She was right—sleeping in a room that hot was a recipe for heatstroke. Accepting her advice, I grabbed the sports drink from the fridge and downed a full glass in one go.
"Phew, that’s good... Wait, this is bad."
I involuntarily grimaced, staring at the empty glass with a grim look. The fact that the sports drink tasted that delicious was proof that my body was screaming for hydration. Just like Mother said, that had been a close call. Maybe we should have used that Heat Resistance skill ourselves instead of selling it...
After drinking another glass just to be safe, I gave Mother a quick heads-up and headed to the bathroom.
Once I finished my shower and got dressed, I started on some instant ramen as a late breakfast while talking to Mother.
"By the way, did Mika go out? I don't see her around."
"Yes. While you were still asleep, she said she was going to hang out with Saori-chan and left."
"Oh, I see."
I gave a noncommittal reply as I washed down my food with some barley tea. Well, it was summer vacation, and since she’d already finished her assignments, there was no harm in her spending the morning with a friend.
Still, if Mika isn't here...
"That aside, Daiki, what are your plans for today? Are you staying home, or are you going out? If you’re staying, I’ll prepare some lunch..."
"Hmm."
I scratched the back of my head, pondering the question. Since I’d only just returned from the dungeon yesterday, today was meant to be a rest day. I didn't have any plans to meet Yuji or Hiiragi-san, so I didn't have anything particular to do.
If Mika had been home, I could have used the excuse of taking her shopping to get out of the house... but moping around inside all day felt like a waste. I might as well head out for a change of pace.
"I think I'll go out. I'll just grab something for lunch while I’m out, so you can take it easy today, Mother."
"Is that so? Then I'll do just that."
With that decided, I went back upstairs to get ready. Since it was summer, I kept it casual: a blue three-quarter-sleeve sweatshirt and denim pants.
Once I was ready, I decided to tend to my daily routine before leaving.
"Now then, let's see what we get today."
I sat at my desk and opened the bottom drawer.
"Oh, that's rare. A Gold Slime on the first try."
Inside the drawer, a slime sat quietly, shimmering golden in the light. It was a rare species that didn't appear very often. Looking closer, it looked less like a metallic lump and more like a high-density bouncy ball filled with gold glitter.
"These guys drop gold nuggets at a pretty high rate. Though, they're so large it's hard to exchange them for cash."
Recalling the size of the nugget dropped by a Gold Slime I'd defeated before, I let out a small sigh at my inability to put them to good use. A high schooler, even an explorer, couldn't easily liquidate a gold nugget weighing well over a kilogram. Currently, the largest gold nuggets dropping in dungeons were in the 100-gram range. Kilogram-scale nuggets hadn't been seen since the initial "bonus drops" when the dungeons were first discovered.
Of course, they would likely start dropping eventually as dungeon conquest progressed, but for now, they were impossible to cash in. They simply stood out too much.
"Well, let's just get it over with."
I pulled a bag of salt from my Spatial Storage and sprinkled a large measuring spoonful over the Gold Slime. Just like any other slime, the golden creature contracted and expanded violently before bursting into particles of light.
And in the spot where the Gold Slime had been, a massive gold nugget should have been rolling around... or so I thought.
"...Nothing. Are you serious?"
It seemed luck wasn't on my side today; nothing remained after the slime vanished. I thought I was off to a lucky start, but it seemed the universe had a different punchline in mind....Fine, let's try one more time.
In the end, I got a bit stubborn. I insisted on staying until a good drop item appeared, and as a result, I didn't end up leaving the house until nearly noon. Sometimes, it’s important to know when to quit before you get too deep.
Leaving the house without any particular destination, I made my way to the shopping center district near the station. Since it was summer break, the area was teeming with students and other young people.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying their vacation.
"Now then. It's all well and good that I came out here... but what now?"
I bought a drink from a nearby vending machine and leaned against a wall to consider my options. As I looked around, I saw groups of girls enjoying window shopping, groups of boys laughing and horsing around, and young couples holding hands shyly but happily.
Wait... I'm starting to feel like this is a pretty high-threshold place to visit alone.
"Seriously, what am I doing..."
Staring off into the distance as I sipped my juice, I fought back the sudden, surging urge to just go home. Just as I was about to finish my drink, someone called out to me.
"Hmm? Oh, is that you, Kokonoe?"
...Who?
Startled, I looked around to identify the voice. I recognized him immediately.
"...Shigemori?"
"Yeah, long time no see. How have you been?"
The person calling out was my classmate, Shigemori. He was dressed even more casually than I was: a white T-shirt, navy blue shorts, sandals, and a backpack. He also looked somewhat out of place in this trendy area.
"Oh, yeah. You seem to be doing well too."
"I am. So, what are you doing here? And all by your lonesome, too..."
"Nothing really... I didn't have any specific plans, so I was just wandering around."
"I see."
Shigemori scanned me from head to toe, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Well, if you're free, why don't you come with me? You haven't had lunch yet, right?"
"Wait, come where?"
While I was a little glad for the invitation, I couldn't help but ask about the destination with some trepidation.
"I've got a regular spot near here."
"Okay, but what kind of place is it?"
"Hmm, let's call it a surprise for when we get there."
Shigemori gave a vague smile, dodging the details. Seriously, where was he planning to take me?
"Don't worry, it's not a weird place."
"..."
"Besides, you're bored, right? Think of it as a chance to broaden your horizons and just follow me."
"...I guess. I don't really have anything else to do, so fine."
"Alright, it's settled!"
When I agreed, Shigemori happily slapped a hand onto my shoulder. The fact that he was wearing such a massive, beaming smile only made me feel more uneasy.
Wait, did I just make a huge mistake?
"Let's get going. This way!"
With Shigemori pushing me from behind, we began walking through the shopping district. Seriously, where am I being taken?
After walking down the main street for a while, Shigemori led me down a narrow side street and into a dim, labyrinthine back alley. He had said it wasn't a weird place, but I couldn't imagine a reputable restaurant being located at the end of an alley like this.
My anxiety reached its limit, and I couldn't hide my agitation.
"H-Hey, Shigemori! Is there really a restaurant down here?! This isn't some shady underground place, is it?!"
"Don't worry, it's here. The owner is just a stubborn eccentric, so he purposely set up shop in a place like this."
"Are you sure?! If this turns out to be something sketchy, I'm leaving immediately!"
"It's fine, we're almost... Ah, there it is."
Soothed by his reassurances, I looked where he was pointing. Tucked away quietly was a weathered building that looked like a small eatery. The sign out front read: Creative Cuisine Rare Meat.
"See? It's not shady at all. It's a bit old, but it's a normal restaurant."
"Ah, yeah. I guess it looks normal... enough."
"Come on, let's go in."
It seemed his claim of being a regular was true. Shigemori opened the door and stepped inside without a hint of hesitation. I watched his back for a moment in surprise, then hurried after him. The interior wasn't very large, featuring a counter facing the kitchen and a few tables. It had the standard layout of a neighborhood diner.
As I observed the interior with interest...
"Welcome."
A low male voice came from behind the counter, followed by the man himself. He wasn't particularly tall but had a solid, muscular build, and he was wearing a black apron with the shop's logo.
"Long time no see, Shopkeeper. I brought a friend along today."
"Oh, it's the Shigemori kid. Brought another one, have you?"
"Yeah. I ran into him nearby, so I dragged him along."
"Hey now, is that look on your face another 'surprise'? Don't go starting a fight like last time, alright?"
The man was indeed the Shopkeeper, and he and Shigemori exchanged friendly greetings like old friends. However, "surprise"? "Fight"? Ominous words were flying around, and my anxiety began to flare up again.
After talking to Shigemori for a bit, the Shopkeeper's gaze turned to me, and he offered a faint smile.
"Welcome. Our lineup is a bit unusual, but I'm proud of every dish we serve. I hope you enjoy yourself today."
"Ah, yes. Thank you... for having me?"
"Haha, no need to be so formal. Well, just let me know when you've decided on your order."
At the Shopkeeper's suggestion, Shigemori and I sat down at a table toward the back. I watched Shigemori happily open the menu, and with a sinking feeling, I finally asked the question.
"Hey, Shigemori, just tell me already. What kind of restaurant is this?"
"Hmm, this place? It's a 'rare meat' specialty shop that serves unusual meats you wouldn't normally find elsewhere."
"...Rare meat?"
"What people call 'bizarre foods,' basically. Like snake, or frog."
Hearing Shigemori's blunt, cheerful answer, I involuntarily looked up at the ceiling.
I'm sorry, Mika. I'm finally getting what I deserve. This kind of surprise is definitely something nobody wants. Having my own prank reflected back at me like this, I finally realized just how annoying my stunt with the lizard meat had been. I felt a deep wave of regret and reflection.
Invited to "broaden my horizons" only to end up having a rare meat lunch with Shigemori-kun... is this also karma?