Jiro Tanaka, 28, single, no girlfriend, occupation: Dungeon Tester (full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.
It’s been about a week since I first entered the dungeon. Since then, I’ve stayed away from that wide-open area and focused on improving my stats while meticulously expanding my map.
I’ve updated my stats multiple times since then, and it always feels good when my efforts are rewarded with concrete results.
I don’t know if the increase is large or small because I have no one to compare myself to, but I’m satisfied with my current situation.
Thanks to a week of effort, my stats have increased, and I’m starting to feel at ease fighting Wood Kids, small puppets, Wood Puppets, and mannequins.
As I feel more at ease, my expenses decrease, which leads to increased efficiency and profit.
While this is great, not everything is going smoothly.
I still haven’t found the crucial element: comrades, party members. The problem I keenly felt back when I fought the Wood Golem and Wood Puppet Blood hasn’t been resolved at all.
It seems that all the other members already have their fixed teams, and it’s hard for me to ask to join them. The generation gap, as they call it, might be more serious than I thought.
Putting that aside, it’s Monday, and I’ve come to see Suella-san to submit the weekly report I finished over the weekend. Whether it’s because it’s Monday after a holiday or for some other reason, I don’t know, but she doesn’t seem her usual energetic self.
“Haa.”
Still, I realize that even a beautiful woman looks stunning when she sighs. I approach Suella-san, who has a troubled expression, to greet her.
“Good morning, Suella-san.”
“Good morning, Jiro-san.”
With the report in hand, my reason for being there is quickly conveyed. Suella-san takes the document and quickly skims through it on the spot.
“No problems here. Thank you for your hard work. Please continue to do your best.”
Normally, once the report is submitted, I could leave without any issue. However, her demeanor from earlier is bothering me.
“Were you working yesterday too?”
Perhaps that’s why I don’t leave and try to strike up a conversation.
“Yes, well, that’s right.”
“Working on your day off must be tough.”
Her answer is so vague. Is it something she’s finds extremely difficult to talk about? Or perhaps the instructors did something reckless again? But I don’t sense the same sense of urgency and desperation I felt back then.
“Based on my experience, I know that working too hard can just lead to feeling overwhelmed and depressed, so please don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’m alright, though. I plan to finish early today.”
She’s smiling. I can’t see what’s behind it, but as long as she can smile, I suppose she’s okay for now. When people are pushed to their limits, they can no longer even manage a smile. But there’s a possibility it’s a forced smile, so I’ll try to probe a little deeper.
“Is that so? If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
“That would be a great help. I’ll be sure to ask you for something next time then.”
My words were a mix of social politeness and a slight desire to improve my standing with her. I feel a bit uneasy, wondering if I’ve poked a hornet’s nest, but for now, I’ll say goodbye to Suella-san and leave the office.
“So? Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
After giving her the general overview of Suella-san’s situation and her lack of energy due to working on her day off, I head to the tool shop to get my spoils from the past week appraised and purchased. I ask Memoria, the vampire shop employee, with whom I’ve become casual enough to chat with over the past week, but her answer is curt. I always stop by here to restock on consumables before entering a dungeon, so I know it’s unusually quiet. Memoria, meticulously appraising small, marble-sized jewels and magic stones behind the counter, glances at me without looking up, and continues to answer my questions flatly.
“That’s why I’m asking.”
“Considering the current state of this shop, the answer should be obvious.”
“Obvious? What am I supposed to infer from the fact that there are no customers besides me and the shop is deserted?”
“That’s exactly the answer.”
Gently, as if her appraisal were finished, Memoria approaches me, holding an estimate she quickly scribbled with a fountain pen.
“The total comes to five thousand and forty yen. Is that correct?”
“That’s barely more than minimum wage… So, is the answer the lack of customers other than me, or the deserted shop being the clue?”
She mentioned earlier that this amount is actually on the higher side for them. However, sixty percent of this amount will go towards consumables, so I don’t feel like I’m actually earning anything.
“Both.”
“Both… I don’t get it, I’m even more confused now.”
After receiving the money, I start shopping, putting items into my basket. Memoria follows behind me, tidying up the shelves. It strikes me now, but a vampire shop employee in a black work apron, a white dress shirt, and slacks is quite an unusual sight, isn’t it? Though that’s irrelevant right now.
“If you think about it simply, it’s logical. Deserted, no customers. This means there are fewer Testers.”
“…Fewer Testers?”
“Precisely.”
The primary customers of this shop are Testers. And right now, I’m the only one here. It might be the time of day, but I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve encountered other Testers at this shop.
I don’t think I met him even on the weekend.
“I thought it would be more difficult than I imagined, or perhaps, in this case, more than I thought. Many people seem to be quitting because the work is too demanding and they can’t continue. That’s what I hear.”
Finally, the conversation connected.
Bad premonitions tend to be accurate.
As if to confirm my prediction, Memoria responded with words of affirmation.
In short, many testers quit because the work was difficult and not as interesting as they had expected.
This company is special.
Perhaps because its management cannot be disclosed to the public, information is managed very strictly.
This means that even basic information about their departure must not be leaked externally.
It was probably because they were overwhelmed with measures for this that Suella’s department had to work overtime on holidays.
“The same thing happens even when you’re in a Fantasy world.”
“In that world, it’s an act of abandoning one’s life, something unthinkable here.”
Quitting one’s job for selfish reasons, the ones who suffer the most are those left behind.
Even for personal reasons, there are acceptable and unacceptable justifications, which greatly affect the mental fatigue of those handling them.
Therefore, I couldn’t help but let out a torrent of complaints.
“If you’re going to complain, it’s more refreshing to say it more clearly.”
“Shouldn’t you be saying things like ‘don’t complain’ or ‘at least do it where no one can see you’?”
“Because I’m a Vampire.”
“That has nothing to do with being a Vampire.”
My unintended complaint was met not with a reprimand, but with a taunt from her. What’s more, her excuse was that it was a trait of her species, which made me want to laugh and my boiling anger felt a little more tempered.
The anger was still there, but not enough to be truly upset.
“Also, it seems that some of the testers who quit just disappeared without notice. Because of them, emergency response teams were dispatched, and the HR department worked all night.”
However, the vampire shop girl next to me added more fuel to that fire.
“In addition, they seem to be accelerating the plan to increase personnel due to the reduction in staff. Because of that, the HR department will probably be working overtime for a while.”
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Why does a mere shop employee know so much about internal affairs?”
“A drunk Dark Elf from the HR department mistook our shop for a bar as we were closing and came to complain.”
“Fantasyyyyyyyy!”
Let me say it again, because it’s important.
“Fantasy, do your job properly.”
My anger from before vanished, replaced by the image of Suella complaining about her boss and work at a bar counter.
Just like a salaryman who’s had too much to drink, slumped over the counter with a large beer mug.
I understood how she felt, but she shouldn’t have mistaken the establishment.
Memoria, with a questioning look, confirming my anxieties, as I stood there awkwardly, like someone with a headache from holding a shopping basket.
“Ah, sorry. My reality just broke a little. So, about that Dark Elf…”
“Haa, that sounds tough. Was it a Dark Elf? He was male, so I don’t think it was who you’re thinking of.”
It seems my imagined worries were unfounded.
After all, I would want to avoid that kind of image break.
“I see, then it’s fine.”
However, her work remained difficult.
“Maybe I should bring her something.”
“Before that, please settle your bill.”
I know.
So stop holding out your hand without looking at me.
I know the price, so I’ll hand over the four thousand yen honestly, but still!
The next day
I put on my casual clothes to go out early in the morning, not my combat gear or a suit.
They had been gathering dust in my closet, but I had no intention of wearing that cosplay-like attire outside the company, so I pulled them out.
After submitting my notice of absence to the Dark Elf dorm mother and handing over my room key, I left the company premises for the first time in a while, but…
“Huh, my body feels strangely heavy.”
I immediately felt something was off.
I didn’t feel sick or sluggish, but my limbs felt slow to respond.
Perhaps I was still tired from diving into the dungeon yesterday.
“I planned to return this afternoon and go into the dungeon, but maybe I should rest today?”
I might be more tired than I thought.
Moving my body, which felt no different other than being sluggish, I got into my **car** and turned the key to head to my destination quickly.
I was grateful that the engine started smoothly despite being left untouched for a month, and I considered using it more often from now on.
“Okay, where’s the destination?”
I looked up the destination on my smartphone and set it to navigation mode.
As I drove out of the parking lot and onto the road, which overlapped with a school route, I saw students, probably high school students, dressed in school uniforms on their way to school, as it was quite early.
“I wonder if those kinds of kids get summoned.”
If it were me six months ago, I would have scoffed, thinking such stories were only in novels, and would have focused on how to get my work done.
But after going through a lot, I learned the truth behind one of the mysteries of being lost.
During the wait at a red light, I wondered if these students, fooling around like that, might suddenly be whisked away to another world.
Perhaps the world is stranger than novels, I thought, as a horn blared from behind me.
“Oops, green light,” I muttered, noticing the signal change and starting to move again.
I drove for a while longer until I reached my destination.
“Seriously?”
When I saw the place, people were already lined up in front of the store.
This was the result of searching for recommended cake shops in Tokyo.
I had parked in a nearby coin-operated parking lot and walked here. It wasn’t even 8 AM, and it was a weekday.
Yet, seeing this many people lined up gave me an idea of how popular the shop was.
“Was my plan too optimistic?”
I lamented my own poor planning, cracking a terrible joke about cake.
Even though it’s another world, my opponent is a woman. I thought sweets would be good, so I searched for a delicious shop. Since it was popular, I assumed that if I left early enough, it would be fine because it was a weekday. I let my guard down.
“I guess I have no choice but to wait in line.”
I mentally rearranged my schedule, realizing I might not be able to enter the dungeon today, and joined the queue.
The conclusion:
I probably won’t be lining up at any cake shop for a while.
“Three-hour wait, is this normal?”
I don’t know about other shops, but this is probably the longest I’ve seen people line up, maybe similar to the food areas in amusement parks.
An hour of waiting until opening, and then another two hours inside, would take a toll on my body even with my recent training.
I felt a different kind of fatigue than from exercise, and I returned to the office just before noon. It might be just the right time to deliver the roll cake I bought, which was filled with plenty of fruit.
It felt a bit odd to enter the company in casual clothes, but I had my employee ID in my wallet, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Considering the number of people in my department, I’d bought five cakes, so two boxes were quite a bit for a cake run.
From the parking lot to the office, I took the elevator and pressed the button for the floor where my department was located.
As I stepped out of the elevator, I was greeted by:
“A battlefield?”
Dozens of Dark Elves and Demons were shouting, Goblins, clutching bundles of documents, scurried around erratically. Vampires peered into PCs, casually dealing with paperwork. Supervisor Evia stood at the center, giving commands both telepathically and verbally, as if leading a vanguard.
The scene unfolding before me was reminiscent of a chaotic battle nearing a deadline.
Everyone was busy, and I felt completely out of place in my casual clothes, holding a cake.
“Contact the cleanup crew!”
“We’re already on it! Is the route prediction for external areas ready?”
“Goblin hungry.”
“Goblin haven’t eaten anything.”
“Give Team A thirty minutes of rest, and move Team B instead. Summon a Lich for memory processing. The location is the third treatment room. That dungeon is practically dead right now anyway. Just drag out any stragglers roaming around!”
“This document goes there, prepare that document, get the seal of approval.”
“One document, two, three, four, five… One is missing?”
The Goblins seemed to be in the most peaceful situation, but calling out to him? Her? I wasn’t sure which it was as he/she ran around, seemed a bit much.
I glanced at Suella, who was also on the phone, making a call somewhere.
“Yes, please proceed.”
However, perhaps it was good timing, as she just finished her call.
“You seem to be having a tough time.”
“Jiro-san, what’s wrong? If it’s a report, it’s fine, but is there something else? Could it be!?”
If I had to express it with onomatopoeia, it would be “Wah!” My calm expression, which had maintained its composure, suddenly changed. Realizing something, she grabbed my upper arm, and I felt a fierce will, as if she wouldn’t let me go.
“J-Jiro-san, are you also thinking of quitting!?”
At Suella’s words, the chaotic scene inexplicably fell silent.
“Huh? No—”
“What was the problem?! Was it the benefits? Salary? Work environment? Huh! Was it interpersonal relationships!?”
This must be what they mean by piercing gazes. People of various fantasy races were looking at us, or rather, at Suella, who was clinging to me, making it look like she was trying to persuade me.
“N-no, it’s my only success.”
A sea of gazes, in short, I felt uncomfortable.
I didn’t know what to say, but perhaps my silence made things worse, and she collapsed as if sliding down.
Did my casual attire make them think I was quitting? And perhaps with the recent increase in resignations, it caused a misunderstanding?
If so, the timing was bad.
Feeling a little guilty, I decided to quickly deliver what I had planned to dispel the misunderstanding.
“Um, you all looked busy, so I brought you some refreshments.”
I wondered if I was the first human to offer a roll cake to a Dark Elf while feeling pressured by the atmosphere around me.
“Refres… hments?”
“Yes, I thought something sweet would be good when you’re tired, so I bought a cake for everyone to share… Is it enough?”
When I first saw it, there weren’t any Goblins, so I bought enough for about twenty people, with plenty to spare. But seeing the current situation, I wasn’t sure if it would be enough anymore.
Hesitantly, I held out my hand, and placed the box of cake on it.
“…By any chance, do you dislike sweets?”
Given his complete lack of reaction, I thought he might dislike sweets.
“Hmm, a roll cake fromJewelmu, you have surprisingly good taste.”
“Supervisor.”
Evia, the supervisor, took the cake box from me as if lifting it from the side and nodded, looking impressed as she saw the logo on the box.
“Putting aside Suella who handed it to you directly, this amount won’t be enough… Alright, everyone who has finished their work can eat! Nothing will be left for those who are slow with their work!”
The office became lively again, as if a stopped clock had started ticking.
As if ignoring the scene, Evia, the supervisor, wiped her hands with an antiseptic wipe, created a blade of magic power on her fingertips, and secured a slice for herself before eating.
Her way of eating was like that of a student eating on the go, but her movements appeared elegant.
“This is delicious. Next time you bring something, bring it a bit more quietly.”
“Y-yes.”
She skillfully changed the atmosphere of the room and left, a true ideal superior.
“Um, aren’t you going to quit?”
“There’s no reason to quit.”
“Haaaaaa…”
Suella finally managed to sit up, letting out a sigh that perfectly suited the word “dejected.”
“My lifespan has been reduced by about three years.”
Was that a joke in the Dark Elf style? I had heard that Elves are long-lived, and some even say they don’t have a lifespan.
“I’m sorry for causing such a commotion.”
“No, I’m sorry for my misunderstanding as well.”
“Um, are you alright with sweets?”
“Yes, far from disliking them, I love them. Besides, I don’t get many opportunities to eat sweets like these, so these kinds of treats are very welcome.”
Like the supervisor, she created a blade of magic power on her fingertips and cut the roll cake.
“Ah!! Suella, that’s unfair!”
“Then you should finish your work quickly.”
The Dark Elf woman at the opposite seat shouted when she saw that, but Suella, unfazed, brushed it off casually and used magic to pull over a small plate and coffee.
“Since we have some, would you like some?”
“I’ll accept your kind offer.”
She pulled over a nearby empty chair and took the coffee.
I decided to ignore the occasionally resentful gazes.
Another side
“Hoh,” he said, finishing his coffee along with some small talk. The office became a little noisy, but generally, nothing significant happened, and he left. I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Suella~”
“What is it, Keiri?”
“Are you in love?”
“Gulp!?”
I had expected her to complain about not getting to eat the cake, and I was ready to brush it off lightly, but Keiri, my colleague and fellow Dark Elf, took me completely by surprise with her question, causing me to choke and get coffee down my windpipe.
“Oh ho, judging by that reaction, is there a chance?”
“W-what are you saying all of a sudden!?”
“Well, you rejected Lois’s invitation so curtly the other day, saying you were ‘busy,’ so I figured you weren’t interested in men, but I see, it was because he was here.”
“Don’t blame me if I have to work overtime.”
I managed to brush off Keiri’s teasing words and got back to work.
“Regrettably, I’ve already made progress, so it’s alright.”
“But she laughs, saying she won’t let you get away,” I sighed at my long-time friend.
“Even if you don’t, I do.”
I meant to say “so don’t get in my way,” but.
“Hmm, even if you’re not interested, you don’t know about the other party.”
“Evia-sama.”
My supervisor, Evia-sama, appeared with a cup of coffee in hand. Contrary to her usual demeanor and appearance, she was devilishly fond of toying with people and had a nose for such gossip.
And she had a good nose for things.
“Looking at this report, they are also good at their job. From what I hear about the Machine King, their actions seem to be quite influential.”
It was no coincidence that she held his report in her hand.
She must have sensed the situation and prepared it to join the conversation.
“Is that so?”
If her words had no ulterior motive, I could have been happy, but it’s rare for this person’s words to be without ulterior motive.
Demons are that kind of race.
“Don’t be so cold. Recently, I’ve been fed up with humans complaining about work being tough, not being worth it, feeling unwell, and then running away without cleaning up their mess. Now, if not good news, at least a bright topic has emerged. It wouldn’t be bad to indulge your supervisor during a break, would it?”
I gave a short reply, trying to end the conversation with a smile, but I didn’t expect it to work.
A bright topic – that would be me, wouldn’t it.
There was absolutely no good outcome from defying this person who smiled and said she had no intention of letting me go.
In terms of skill, position, and especially in manipulating people, she was said to be unmatched.
Before I knew it, I might confess everything. In such a situation, it was wiser to talk about it to some extent and reduce the damage rather than resist stubbornly.
My friend at the opposite seat was beaming, as if she had gained a powerful ally.
I had to face this with resolve.
“Um, I have work to do.”
I tried to resist, clinging to a slim possibility.
“Hmm, it’s true that I can’t force my subordinates to work overtime… I suppose.”
I had expected her to dismiss it with a simple “No problem,” but her surprisingly favorable reaction gave me a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps, seeing my momentary hesitation, things might proceed easier than I expected.
“There’s someone free over there. Make them do half of your current work. Then you’ll have enough time to talk to me.”
“Eh?”
However, it seems that was just a fleeting thought.
My friend was sacrificed to make time, and as I predicted initially, there’s no escape.
The papers on my desk, which my friend had declared nearing completion, were moved, half of them to Keiri’s desk, by Evia’s magic.
I can tell her expression without even looking. She’s probably just frozen in the smile she was trying to maintain to enjoy this.
“While this gives us some breathing room, the current situation is undeniably busy. Therefore, no roundabout methods.”
Well, I suppose that applies to me too.
A bead of cold sweat trickling down my temple reflects my inner turmoil.
“Now, entertain me.”
From there, I was forced to spill everything that had happened during the month I had been here. I confessed everything, from my first impression of his slightly twisted yet earnest personality during the interview, to his dedicated efforts during training, his brave challenges against the Demon Lord and Undead King, how many times I was captivated, and how warm my heart felt when he thanked me with a smile after each treatment.
“Kukuku, indeed, there’s nothing that pairs better with coffee than a Dark Elf’s love story.”
Thanks to that, I managed to entertain Evia as she wished, but my feelings were so flustered I wished I could disappear into a hole in the ground. Keiri, who had been listening while working at the next desk, commented that I was like a demon, as if saying, “What’s new?” My feeble resistance was dismissed as childish, and I was subjected to relentless questioning, as if my attempts were utterly futile.
“It’s not quite love yet, but you’re interested, aren’t you? A green fruit… no, quite, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Suella, you surprisingly have a good eye for men, for a Dark Elf.”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Evia this pleased, but ideally, I would have preferred to observe from a distance, as a third party, rather than being the subject. Dark Elves, by nature of their race, are typically indifferent to romance, yet they can be equally devoted and passionate. They are always distant towards those they are not interested in, never developing feelings beyond friendship. However, if someone worthy of their interest appears within their close circle, they can become so engrossed, like falling into a bottomless swamp, that they can’t shift their focus. Consequently, stories of Dark Elves falling for the wrong men and meeting tragic ends are endless. Evia’s comment about my good judgment likely refers to this.
“That was a good break. Thank you.”
“Yes.”
I replied calmly to Evia as she stood to leave, but on the contrary, I pressed my hot palms to my cheeks, feeling the heat radiating from them. My face was probably flushed an unnatural red, even for my tanned skin. Moreover, this is an office, and my desk is relatively central, close to Evia’s. This means I can’t avoid the constant flow of colleagues passing by. Of course, this also means there were plenty of colleagues who could overhear our conversation. Some colleagues kindly moved away, but for those who were starved for entertainment, and for Dark Elves in late-marrying clans, there was no possibility of them averting their ears. It was public execution. My thoughts spun in a frantic loop, and eventually, I realized I was too embarrassed to even be here. At this point, it was impossible to get any work done. For a moment, as if understanding something, the heat subsided, and I regained my composure. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly gathered the papers on my desk and stood up.
“S-Suella?”
“Please handle it?”
“Huh, but this…”
“Plea-se?”
I probably had a killer smile on my face right now. But it didn’t matter. No, it couldn’t matter.
“Yes, I will.”
After shoving the stack of documents at Keiri and calmly leaving the office,
“！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！”
“Yo, Sue- you’re gone!?”
My previous composure was likely just the calm before the storm. I unleashed a silent scream, trying to release some of the shame I had been holding back, and ran at full magical power.
“Royce has been hit!”
“Hey!! Someone get a stretcher!! He’s embedded in the wall!! Hey!! Someone from the Giants, anyone!! Help me pull him out!!”
“Oh no, this is bad!! He’s having some kind of seizure!!”
I think I bumped into someone on the way, but I didn’t have the luxury to care. If possible, I wanted to barricade myself in my room until this rumor faded away.
Another side END
Suella Henderberg, 210 years old, single, no boyfriend.
Occupation: MAOcorporation (Demon Lord’s Army), Human Resources Department Tester Division Chief.
Magic Aptitude: 6 (Vice-Commander Class)
Role: Spirit Mage.
Today’s Word: After 210 years, I have come to know love. However, I wish I hadn’t realized it in this way.
This is all for today. Please point out any typos or omissions, and I would appreciate any feedback! Thank you for continuing to support this work.
