“Senpai, senpai!”
“What is it, Kaido?”
“Min-chan, did something happen? You and Kitamiya-chan have been unusually close lately.”
“Well, a lot has happened.”
“No, what do you mean by ‘a lot has happened’? We’ve known each other for quite some time, and seeing Min-chan holding a fashion magazine just feels so out of place…”
“I’ll commend you for speaking in such a quiet voice, but don’t come crying to me if you get beaten up later.”
Our everyday lives had, once again, returned to a state of peace. Katsu’s emotional instability still required attention, but he seemed to have stabilized for the time being, gaining confidence from experiencing a variety of professions. Minami and Kitamiya’s increased concern for Katsu had also played a significant role. However…
“Ah, Minami-san, I think this would be nice!”
“Hmm, it is certainly cute, but three万円 for one outfit… It’s not that I can’t afford it, but… there’s an event this month, yet is this a necessary expense?”
“You earn quite a bit yourself, don’t you? But yes, that’s on the higher end; if you bought everything, it would cost around that much. Besides, what did you do about clothes until now?”
“I’d buy inexpensive ones based on mannequins. That way, there are absolutely no missteps.”
“You’re not wrong, but as a woman, how does that work for you?”
“I don’t buy many clothes either, but that’s a little much.”
Instead, we had recently started seeing a new scene: Minami reading fashion magazines, and Kitamiya offering fashion advice. Normally, Kitamiya and Minami would clash more, escalating into arguments. But lately, that scene had become rare. With Minami at the center, sandwiched by Amelia and Kitamiya, their conversations had shifted from unladylike dungeon discussions to discussions about current trends, fitting for their age. Kitamiya, who had probably brought the fashion magazine, watched a grumbling Minami with a look of exasperation. Seeing this, Amelia pointed to a page, likely for a dress she found cute, and Minami grumbled again. Katsu watched this scene from the kitchen. After the day she declared she’d lose weight, Minami had finally started paying attention to her appearance. Her figure was already toned from daily dungeon assaults, so there was no problem there, but she had been completely indifferent to makeup and clothing. As I’d told her many times in the past, Minami had good raw material. She would change if she dressed up. This was proven during the dance practice for the previous training. She had been too sloppy, only taking care of the bare minimum of her appearance. It seemed she was trying to change that now. The results were steadily showing; I heard from Kitamiya that when she took Minami shopping, Minami was hit on. It was likely the right decision to only check on her safety without dwelling on Minami’s smug expression in the background. Katsu was reacting to these changes as well, but with Kitamiya and Minami interacting more, I often witnessed him looking flustered.
“Well, since it seems to be okay… what are you doing, Senpai?”
“This? I’m preparing for the second-year students’ orientation. There’s a lot to do, one way or another.”
While it was good to see them looking at them with peace of mind, I couldn’t just watch them all the time. I’m a working adult, and besides holidays, I have work to do. After hearing about the changes in their behavior, Kaido became interested in what I was making on my PC. And I told Kaido about the second-year students. This meant that we Dungeon Testers would have new kouhai. Time truly flies. Like the ashes of the cigarette I just lit, it flew by in an instant. It was almost time for Dungeon Testers to have been active for a year. Come to think of it, the days were so turbulent that they passed by in a flash. The number of people has decreased significantly from the beginning. Everyone here now is someone I’m familiar with. The efficiency of dungeon攻略 was quite poor. To break through the situation, the recruitment of second-year Dungeon Testers was decided. The matter seemed to have been in motion for a while, but their plans were significantly delayed due to rebellions and overseas expansion. Still, we had finally reached this point.
“Huh, Senpai is doing it?”
“It’s better to hear from someone who has experienced it firsthand, right? You’ll be participating too.”
This time, the company was making a huge effort to avoid the rapid employee turnover we saw with the first-year students. They also seemed to be reviewing their support system. I only heard the basics from Suella, but it seemed they were making some improvements to the underground facility’s armament shop. However, Suella told me that there were opinions that excessive support might lower the accuracy of dungeon tests, so they were in a state of trial and error regarding how much to support. In addition, they were planning to bridge the gap between imagination and reality, similar to how we first-year students did, by adding the experiences of us Dungeon Testers who survived. From our side, we had no complaints as long as the dreamers decreased. I had no complaints about creating these documents or being a lecturer on the day.
“Understood! Well, other parties also seem to be eagerly awaiting personnel replenishment, don’t they?”
Fortunately, we could secure manpower. Kaido himself seemed eager, which was a great help.
“The parties without frontliners have been significantly held up in dungeon攻略. Even Himusumi, a frontliner, is at a dead end recently. We need to secure our fighting strength here.”
And this talk of second-year students was quite the topic within the company. Rumors said they had succeeded in securing testers with very high magic aptitude. While it was still just a rumor, Suella didn’t deny it, so it was highly credible.
“There are rumors of people with magic aptitude of ten coming, Senpai. Your record might be broken too.”
“I don’t intend to lose that easily, but if they can bring in talent of that caliber, I’ll just work harder. But you should probably get motivated. It would be embarrassing to lose to someone who came later.”
With my mother as a real-life example, I couldn’t just laugh off Kaido’s rumors. If there was even a slim possibility, and they were looking for it, they might find it. It would be good to return to basics and get motivated. While the burden of work would decrease, I had pride that I had built up over a short period. I couldn’t show a pathetic side.
“Do you have any data on the people joining? You know, they’ll be our colleagues.”
“It’s not finalized yet. Due to privacy concerns, such important documents wouldn’t be shared with us. Some information will be disclosed during training, but detailed information will only be available after they officially join.”
“I see.”
“That’s unusual.”
“What is?”
The information about the second-year students that Kaido requested was information that other testers desperately wanted. After all, Himusumi, who worked in pairs, and Kanzaki, who led a party of only women, had also asked me, as the only person with a position. My answer was the same as Kaido’s, but I found Kaido’s easy acceptance unusual.
“No, I thought you’d say something like ‘as if any cute girls will do’…”
At my previous company too, when I found out the new hires were women, Kaido would often get excited about whether they were cute. At the time, I was too busy with work to really pay attention, but I remember him getting worked up over rumors about the women joining the company.
“Senpai.”
“What is it?”
“I was thinking, Senpai.”
“Thinking what?”
“If they’re good people, isn’t that enough?”
“What happened to you?”
Kaido, who normally wouldn’t care, said to me with a gentle smile, as if he had achieved enlightenment.
“Recently, like Amili-chan, it makes me happy when Shiik-chan and Miik-chan greet me with a smile when I return. I haven’t found the answer yet, but I’ve decided to keep my romantic relationships clean until I resolve things with those girls.”
It seemed that spending more time with Amili-san and Himik’s younger sisters had brought about a change in Kaido’s mindset. What he was saying was a bit dangerous, but I couldn’t say much as I was in a similar situation, so I just told him to do his best and ended the conversation.
“And also,”
“?”
“I never thought I’d see a year where I could welcome Valentine’s Day with such peace of mind!”
“…Seeing that reaction, I feel relieved.”
I was impressed that Kaido was thinking about things, but he immediately reverted to his old self, and I let out a wry smile and put a cigarette in my mouth.
“It’s not Christmas or New Year’s. For corporate slaves at black companies, it’s just another weekday, Valentine’s Day!! This year, I can spend it as a winner!!”
Kaido, ecstatic about his great victory, danced with genuine joy. The female group, wondering what all the fuss was about, looked at Kaido but quickly returned to their fashion magazine talk, assuming it was business as usual. Looking at the calendar nearby, I realized Valentine’s Day was fast approaching.
“That’s if those girls know about Valentine’s Day.”
Although I didn’t think so, I said it to Kaido as a precaution, and he froze.
“…You…”
“I-it’ll be fine!! They must know! They watch TV a lot lately!”
Men can’t initiate these sorts of conversations, so I can’t teach him. That’s why I say it’s fine, but it’s as if I’m trying to reassure myself.
“Well, at the very least, you’ll probably get something from the women in our party.”
“That’s right!!”
“…If they don’t forget.”
“Did you say something, Senpai?”
“No, it’s nothing. Speaking of which, Kaido, what about the revisions to the report I gave you before?”
“Ah.”
“It’s fine to get excited, but do your work properly.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
We are currently enjoying this peace, but this peace will likely be temporary. I remembered what Suella told me during dinner yesterday.
“I want to live in peace.”
Although we are recovering from internal strife, it is not as solid as last year. And then there were the incidents that occurred even when we thought things were solid. Suella and Evia-san tried their best, but they couldn’t predict every trouble. One of the Seven Generals is missing, and we are starting from a different situation than last year. With the addition of the second-year students in such a situation, there will definitely be one or two upheavals.
“No, for me, becoming a father was a major event.”
“Hm? Did you say something, Senpai?”
“I said, ‘This year looks like it’s going to be tough too.'”
“That’s right!”
Kaido, with a momentarily blank expression, then smiled broadly and agreed, as if dispelling his anxiety. I thought the year was about to get hectic again, but well, it would probably work out somehow.
Another Side
A sandstorm. That was the scene I had witnessed since childhood. The sun was strong, and we cherished every drop of water. We fought daily against hunger. I ran with all my might to give my younger siblings even a little bit of food. As a child, I’d ask strangers for money. As I grew, I’d try to find work diligently and take care of my siblings with my meager wages. But reality was cruel and harsh. The money I earned wasn’t enough to take care of my siblings. While I was anxious that my siblings would be in danger if I continued like this, I, who could do nothing, could only desperately cling to the little money I had. But the day I feared finally came. One of my younger brothers fell ill. He had a very high fever, indicating a serious illness. I couldn’t afford a hospital. All I could do was make sure he drank plenty of fluids and ate even a little. There was nothing more I could do for my brother who was growing weaker day by day. “Oh, God, please save my brother. I don’t care what happens to me. So please, save my brother.” All I could do was pray. I could do nothing but pray. Except for work and taking care of my brother, I prayed constantly. “God, please help us.” I continued to pray.
“Very well, I shall grant your wish. I have heard it.”
Was that voice a hallucination, or had I gone mad? The voice that echoed clearly in my head lingered, and then my brother, enveloped in light, was no longer feverish after a few seconds, his breathing calm. The moment he was saved, the moment I knew it was a miracle, I offered my thanks to God again. “Child loved by the sun. You are blessed.” This was the encounter between myself and God.
Another Side End
Words of the Day
One must be careful when people are replaced.
This concludes this installment. Thank you for pointing out any typos and for your feedback. If you found this interesting, please consider leaving reviews, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
*The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19 of the same year. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content has been revised and expanded from the original submission to Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished interchapters. Please also check out the new releases!
The comic adaptation in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third” was featured in issue 9. We hope you enjoy that as well.
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