While various discussions were proceeding behind the scenes regarding Kouhi’s next match, Kousuke and his party returned after finishing the tower’s conquest. Their expedition this time covered the 41st to the 46th floors and lasted for about a week. The slight acceleration in their progress was due to Kousuke’s eagerness to confirm the status of Cecil and Arisa’s cards.
“Welcome back.”
Upon entering their base, Kousuke was greeted by Kouhi at the entrance.
“Yeah. I’m back.”
Kousuke replied without the slightest doubt that Kouhi was waiting for him. If anyone else were present and questioned this, he would have dismissed it with a simple, “It’s because it’s Kouhi (Corry).” That’s how much Kouhi’s presence is accepted. By the way, Mitsuki is exactly the same.
After that small exchange, Kousuke confirmed the current situation with Kouhi. The three parties, including Roman and his group, seemed to be completing their requests smoothly, with no party having failed so far. Arisa and Cecil were assisting them while also undertaking their own requests. However, no situation had yet arisen that required Arisa and Cecil to go out of their way. This indicated that each party was accepting requests after properly assessing their own capabilities. Finally, Kousuke inquired about Kouhi’s performance in the arena. Kouhi’s swift defeat of rankers was something Kousuke had already factored in, so he wasn’t surprised by the report. Instead, he asked about her future plans.
“So, are your future plans decided?”
“No, that’s… . I’ve submitted my schedule as being available at any time, but I still haven’t received a response.”
Entering the top twenty means engaging in battles against other rankers. Sometimes, the combatants arrange a date for their battles themselves, while other times, the Arena Guild sets the schedule. In Kouhi’s case, since she has no prior acquaintance with other rankers, she generally has to wait for the Guild to set her matches. That report from the Guild has not yet arrived.
“Now, what are they doing behind the scenes?”
Kousuke surmised that the reason Kouhi’s next match wasn’t scheduled was precisely because various adjustments were being made. Of course, Kouhi understood this as well, so she wasn’t attempting to go to the Guild to check.
“I can only speculate, but I don’t think it’s a matter of not having an opponent.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yes. From what I’ve heard from others, it seems there are quite a lot of battle-hungry individuals.”
Kouhi’s source of information is Exu, who gathers intelligence from Guild members and various other places. Kouhi, already famous, can no longer move around town carelessly. Once, when she went out to pick out clothes for Kousuke, she was surrounded by individuals who seemed to be her female fans. However, even if Kouhi could move around town freely, it wouldn’t necessarily mean she could gather reliable information. Anyway, Kousuke nodded, seemingly convinced by Kouhi’s explanation.
“Well, they are people who aim to be at the top of the arena…”
“Yes. Therefore, I believe they are having trouble choosing who Kouhi’s next opponent will be.”
“I see.”
While this was merely Kouhi’s speculation, it was surprisingly accurate. In reality, the Guild had received more match applications than anticipated, and heated discussions were ongoing about who Kouhi’s next opponent should be.
“What about the Guild-hosted tournament?”
“There isn’t a tournament where top ranks can participate immediately. There will be one in about a month.”
“Ah, well, that can’t be helped then.”
While Kousuke’s party was advancing through the tower, Kouhi might participate in a tournament, but unfortunately, he couldn’t witness her success right away. As if sensing Kousuke’s thoughts, Kouhi tilted her head.
“? Is participating in the tournament better?”
“Oh? No, I just thought it would be nice to see you win, since it’s an opportunity.”
“!!!? I-is that so.”
Kouhi had casually nodded and said that, so Kousuke didn’t notice, but Mitsuki, who was listening to their conversation nearby, involuntarily looked up at the ceiling. Hearing Kousuke say that, Kouhi couldn’t help but get fired up. If she were in the same position, she would react the same way. Since Mitsuki could foresee such a situation, she felt some sympathy for the tournament participants. However, since it was Kousuke’s wish to see Kouhi win, Mitsuki had no intention of stopping Kouhi’s half-rampage (?).
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While Kousuke was discussing these matters with Kouhi, Cecil and Arisa returned after finishing their request. Seeing Kousuke, Cecil gave a slight bow.
“You’re back.”
“What happened to Ririka-sama?”
Arisa, noticing Ririka’s absence, asked Kousuke.
“She said she needed to rest and went back to her room.”
Although there was little combat during the conquest, staying still in the wagon for extended periods was also tiring. Therefore, Ririka, experiencing the confined space of the wagon for the first time, went straight to her room to enter rest mode upon their return.
Cecil and Arisa, having briefly experienced traveling by Kousuke’s wagon, nodded in understanding. They could see how tiring it would be to continue at that pace for a whole week.
“I see.”
Cecil nodded and said so, and Kousuke tilted his head as he asked.
“Should we slow down the pace a bit?”
Up until now, there had only been Kouhi and Mitsuki, along with Nana, so he was unsure about pacing. It was pointless to push too hard and have someone collapse. That was his thought, but Cecil shook her head.
“If it’s too much, I believe she would tell us. That’s what a party is for.”
“That’s true. Ririka-sama also understands that.”
Adding to Cecil’s words, Arisa also chimed in. Although Ririka was currently retired, she was once a member of an adventurer party. She would surely understand those unwritten rules. Collapsing during an adventure, as opposed to during combat, would be the worst possible thing for an adventurer. It was considered the minimum etiquette to simply say it was impossible from the start. Even with Kousuke, Ririka should have understood that much.
Putting Ririka’s condition aside, Arisa, concerned about future plans, asked Kousuke.
“Since you’re back, you’ve reached the 46th floor, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, we’ll be going next, but when are we heading out?”
In response to Arisa’s question, Kousuke tilted his head slightly.
“Hmm. Originally, we planned to go after a break of about two days.”
As Kousuke tilted his head, wondering what to do, Cecil replied with a smile.
“I think you should just ask honestly. It’s three days from now, but is that alright?”
“Somehow, if I ask, I feel like they’ll definitely say it’s alright.”
To Kousuke’s wry smile, Cecil and Arisa also returned wry smiles.
“Well, seeing Ririka normally, you might think that, but as I said earlier, it’s fine.”
“If the two of you say so, then it must be true. I’ll ask tomorrow. Are you two alright?”
When Kousuke asked, Cecil and Arisa nodded simultaneously.
” “We’re alright.” ”
“Then, I’ll confirm with Ririka and decide properly.”
” “Yes.” ”
Seeing them nod again, Kousuke also nodded.
Ultimately, the next day, when Kousuke confirmed with Ririka, he received a response that there were no particular problems, so they decided to resume the tower conquest after the planned two-day break. Ririka is down. It’s not that she’s in a terrible condition. She simply enjoyed being able to sleep in a place other than the confined space of a wagon lol. For regular expeditions, sleeping in a small tent is normal.
