“Huh, Nana-chan. You’re here today?”
Wanri, who had just shown her face in the management layer’s lounge space, discovered Nana being petted by Kousuke.
As if answering Wanri’s question, Nana let out a rather uninspired “Woon” while still being petted by Kousuke.
From her posture, completely showing her belly and relaxed, it was hard to believe she was a Divine Beast capable of defeating an A-Rank monster alone.
However, the people around were already accustomed to it, and nobody made any comments.
Of course, Wanri was one of them.
“Weren’t you going to the eighty-first floor today?” (Wanri)
“On.” (Nana)
“Ah, I see. It seems like nowhere is particularly dangerous right now, huh?” (Wanri)
“On on.” (Nana)
“Ah, really? Hmm. I’ve also received reports that it’s alright, but should I take a look?” (Wanri)
“Wafu!” (Nana)
“Agreed. I will.” (Wanri)
Wanri and Nana were clearly having a conversation, but there was no one in the management layer looking at them strangely.
When these two (?) meet, their conversations always proceed like this.
By the way, the reason Wanri’s speech is not polite is that her relationship with Nana predates her ability to shapeshift.
In that sense, Kousuke and the others are the same, but according to Wanri, they are treated as a separate category.
Kousuke, who had been listening to Wanri and Nana’s conversation indirectly, became slightly interested and decided to join in.
“From what I heard, it sounds like things are getting dangerous?”
“Ah, well, it’s not exactly like that. It’s just that sometimes, monsters that are difficult for unevolved species to handle appear.”
It was intriguing how she understood the content from such a short reply, but something else was more important right now.
“Difficult to defeat?”
“Umm… would it be what we call evolved species or leader species here?”
“Ah, I see.”
Kousuke nodded with a look of understanding at Wanri’s reply.
It has already been confirmed that evolved species appear not only in normal fields but also in the floors of the tower.
This means that they can also appear in floors where wolves and foxes inhabit.
While that is important, it should be fine since the familiars have been able to handle it on their own until now, without needing Kousuke and the others to step in.
However, it was a bit concerning that he hadn’t sensed much sacrifice despite the appearance of evolved species.
“Even though evolved species are appearing, there doesn’t seem to be much sacrifice?”
“Ah, that’s because when they appear, I, Nana-chan, or a high-rank evolved companion defeats them.”
When wild evolved species appear, the familiars generally don’t engage them, and Nana and Wanri are the ones who defeat them.
Of course, fighting evolved species is also important experience, so sometimes they are allowed to fight under the supervision of Nana or Wanri as needed.
Furthermore, some of the current familiars have evolved to a level close to Divine Beasts, so it’s not always necessary for Nana and Wanri to handle them alone.
Kousuke, who had learned about the wolves and foxes’ situation, was now convinced.
Kousuke currently only shows up to be welcomed by his familiars, and doesn’t get involved directly much anymore.
This is because his familiars are living so stably that Kousuke doesn’t need to intervene.
He basically gets information from Nana and Wanri about adjustments for the regular summoning of monsters as food.
For Kousuke, the familiars in the tower are like children who have left their parents, and he largely leaves them to their own devices.
“So that’s how it is. Well, I’m glad nothing serious happened.”
“That’s fine. We’ll report immediately if anything happens.”
When Wanri replied like that, Kousuke nodded back.
“Yes. But, well, if something were to happen to the current wolves and foxes, wouldn’t that put the tower itself in danger?”
Kousuke said this, not entirely as a joke.
Among the familiars, the wolves and foxes have been continuously summoned since the early days, so their numbers and combat strength are on a different level from other familiars.
Currently, summoning is rarely done, but even so, they are increasing due to the children that are naturally born.
If wolves and foxes in such a state were to face a situation that threatened their existence, it would likely only happen unless a great flood occurred.
Kousuke still doesn’t know what would happen if a great flood occurred within the tower and the monsters went on a rampage, as it has never been confirmed.
Well, it’s a tower managed by people, and he’s never heard of a case where management was lost due to a great flood, so perhaps the familiars would just get hurt and the tower itself would remain unchanged.
In any case, Kousuke considered it a gain just to know that evolved species and leader species were appearing even in the floors where his familiars resided, and that they were being subjugated.
However, he has no intention of taking any action himself for now.
Doing so would be negating the fact that Nana and Wanri are properly handling things themselves.
Kousuke’s only concern was that they weren’t overdoing it or being reckless. He decided to convey that directly.
“Well, if you encounter any problems, just tell me as usual.”
“Yes. Of course, we understand that well.”
As Wanri replied, Nana also responded with a “Woon.”
Even though she couldn’t speak, her reply indicated that she understood the content of the conversation perfectly.
After the serious talk, they returned to petting mode (also called fluffing mode) just like before.
At that moment, Wanri gave a slightly envious look, and Kousuke instinctively petted her head.
However, he couldn’t help but think that it was inappropriate to do so to a girl (?) who looked about high school age, but since Wanri didn’t say anything, he rationalized it as “safe.”
However, according to Silvia, who was watching nearby, it would be strange to say that given how happy she looked.
Unfortunately, it was a usual occurrence, so everyone quietly let it pass, and the regular event concluded with each of them holding their own thoughts.
Since the topic of Wanri’s story continued, this was a story involving Nana as well.
The ending is purely for stylistic effect, and complaints will not be accepted.
