Chapter 10
The average maximum profit from a C-rank gate is around twenty-three million yen. Going off from that number, you can only imagine how much profit is to be made from B, A, and S rank gates. Due to the insane profit potential within the gates, brave hunters didn't hesitate to scramble into the gates to farm the materials inside.
To go alongside all that potential wealth comes steep competition between hunters to acquire rights to the newly opened gates. In the past, this resulted in massive fights and even deaths between hunters to determine who would own which gate. So, to circumvent that, the Hunters Association implemented a system where a guild or a group of hunters could buy the rights to the gate they wanted—securing the gate for themselves without worrying about having to fight for it.
To decide who can enter what gate, the association must first measure the level of difficulty the gate emanates by reading the mana radiating from it. Once the difficulty is measured, the association will post that gate online on the Hunter Association database or on the billboard at the Hunter Association headquarters. Once there, a team of hunters or guilds in that country or region can see the available gates and make bids for them. Securing the rights to enter them. But not every gate is available to all hunters.
Depending on your rank and guild affiliation, you may only acquire the rights to gates equal to or below your rank. This made logical sense. Why would the association allow a group of C-rank hunters to buy the rights to an A-rank gate? It would surely result in that raid team's death. But what if you're not affiliated with any guild?
How was the common hunter going to buy the right to enter the gate of their choosing? Buying the rights to a gate could easily cost you half or even three-quarters of the amount the gate could yield you in profits. Making it extremely expensive. So, how would a broke hunter go inside a gate without going into debt?
To answer that question, my fellow struggling hunter, you can look through the job quest board for lower-level hunters. More commonly, those who are C through E rank. There, you can find postings for available positions that independent teams of hunters or weaker guilds make when they need someone to fill in for a job or position. There are even job listings provided by the association to close dungeons that haven't been claimed.
However, for an E-rank hunter like myself, the job positions are very limited. Why would any same guild or team take on what many would consider a hindrance? They wouldn't. So you can expect that when there is an open position, it often means they just need someone to meet the required headcount to enter a gate. That number is a minimum of eight hunters. Besides the position of making the quota, an E-rank hunter can expect to find jobs such as gear transport, item collecting, and other demeaning jobs. But a job was a job.
"Master. Are we going to that gate thing you told me about?" Riko said in a hushed voice.
"Yeah. I'd rather go back to the other world, but that won't pay the bills. I need essence stones, and only the magic beasts beyond the gates seem to provide them." I said as I jogged through the streets of Ichikawa. Riko had changed her form to resemble a purple sling backpack. The imitation was flawless if you didn't know it was her. You wouldn't be remiss to think it was just a regular backpack. It was a bit awkward at first, carrying her around like this, but I quickly got used to it.
"How odd; now, why would these particular magic creatures have these stones inside them?"
"Who knows? There's still a lot we don't know about the gates, but those stones are a valuable resource to us." I said as I jogged around a few walking pedestrians. At the sight of my large bone sword on my back, they smiled and waved. I nodded back at them and continued on to where the gate was located.
I had signed on to join a large team of hunters to clear a D-rank gate. There were to be twenty hunters in total. Varying between mostly D-ranks and a few E-ranks, alongside four C-ranks. It was mainly a crockpot team made up of random hunters, which I was part of. Our main goal was to provide support and help mine the dungeon resources.
Basically, we were a glorified support squad to help the main group of hunters who posted the job request. From my experience, it looked like they were trying to work their way up to establish an official guild.
"I see. How odd. Too bad you can't use all that gold and silver you collected at the troll's nest."
"It would be too much of a pain to explain where I got the gold. At most, I could find someone who would pay for it without asking any questions, but I'm short on time. I have to pay my rent in three days. Not to mention Komachi's tuition payment is coming up." I said with annoyance and came to a stop outside a fenced-off area.
Showing off my license to the posted JSDF soldiers, I made my way into the track and field area of the Ichikawa Shiritsu Onitsuka Elementary School. Looking up, I saw that the windows were bare and lacking any students. Evacuating the immediate area was the protocol for any location where a gate opened up. The dangers they posed, while minimized by us, were still too great to risk any civilian deaths or injuries.
"That gate looks similar to your portal, Master. Just bigger and blue." Riko said as she shifted slightly on my back.
I nodded while looking over to where the gate was located, which was smack dab in the center of the dirt field. Off to the side were two large trucks with long flatbeds. On said beds were a few mine carts that were currently being offloaded onto the ground. Standing near or far from the portal were all the gathered hunters. You could immediately see who the extras were and who belonged to the up-and-coming guild. There were hunters ranging from your standard fighters to mages, tanks, and assassins. There were even two healers as well.
Not bad, these guys are well organized. Maybe they'll make a decent guild in the end.
I walked closer to the gate and stopped while slipping my hands into my pockets. It wouldn't be much longer before it was time to go into the gate. Ordinary people would take this time to talk and get to know their fellow hunters for the upcoming raid. Maybe even make new friends or comrades. Not me, though. I had no need for superficial stuff like that. I was just here to grab some essence stones to pay my rent and bills.
"Hey, is that him? That E-rank?"
"Is it? He doesn't look like his association picture."
"It's got to be him. Look at his eyes."
"Ah, you're right."
And so it begins.
Doing my best to ignore the gossiping hunters. I looked over to the coffee vendor and scanned it for a particular yellow can. Sadly, I found no sign of my precious Max coffee. How tragic. I should talk to them about why they should stock up on the greatest brand of coffee ever. Max coffee.
"Look at him. He should have retired after leaving his team to die."
"Dude, shut up. He'll hear you."
"So what? He's just an E-rank. What's he gonna do?"
Introduce you to righty and lefty, that's what.
"Such disrespect." Riko said sharply. I felt her body shake in anger as the whispers continued.
Riko now had a basic understanding of the Japanese language. It had only been three days since I'd brought her over from the other world. During that time, I began to teach her Japanese at the kindergarten level. But to my surprise, Riko was capable of learning and understanding what I was teaching her. I even gave her a few of my old books and novels to help her learn the language even faster.
I couldn't help but be impressed at her rate of learning. When I brought this up to her, she told me that slimes were capable of adapting and learning at incredible speeds. It was thanks to their high intelligence that they managed to survive for so long despite being so weak. I wouldn't put it past her to become fully fluent in another week or two.
"Master, allow me to-" I grabbed the single strap over my chest and squeezed lightly. The strap felt precisely like the velcro material your average book bag strap would be made of. But if you pay closer attention, you can feel the barely noticeable warmth it emanated.
"Easy. Don't worry about them."
"But Master–!"
"Riko." I said with a no-nonsense tone. Riko sighed and forced herself to settle down.
After another ten minutes of waiting, a woman with auburn hair walked up in front of the gate. Her silver and black armor rattled as she came to a stop.
"Alright, everyone!" The woman bellowed, causing everyone to walk closer. "As you all know, I am Osaki Naoko, and I will be heading this raid. Now then, I will explain our goals and your responsibilities."
Osaki began to explain what each of our duties were. The D-rank hunters in our crockpot team would be offering the main assault team support when needed. The six E-rank hunters, counting myself, would be focusing on resource collection and transporting the gear required to collect said resources.
Usually, that responsibility would be allocated to companies composed of ordinary citizens who worked as minors. But those companies were expensive to hire. So, as an up-and-coming guild, they lacked the necessary funding to hire official minors for the job. Thus, it gives us E-ranks the honor of breaking our backs to collect the mana crystals and such.
"Nothing like cheap labor." I muttered while effortlessly slipping on a bag full of mining gear on my back. Before that, I had flipped Riko onto my chest so she wouldn't get crushed by the heavy bag. My bone sword was now strapped to my left hip.
"You said it."
I looked behind me and saw another E-rank hunter. He had dyed orange hair and a pair of bronze gauntlets over his hands. Besides the gauntlets, he was dressed in regular everyday clothing. His age seemed to be around my own. The orange-haired young man adjusted the backpack full of mining gear, his face scrunching up in effort as he did.
"The names Miyashiro Takehiko, E-rank! Pleasure to meet ya!" Miyashiro said with a large grin.
"…Hikigaya Hachiman. E-rank as well."
"Hikigaya? As in the Hikigaya that survived the double dungeon!" Miyashiro said with a surprised face. His expression turned severe, and he leveled a slight, unsure frown at me. "I, uh…"
"Get a move on, E-ranks!" A large man in a blue suit of armor yelled. His name was Sumida Hisao. A member of the main assault team. "We don't have all day."
I walked away from Miyashiro and began to follow the rest of the hunters into the gate.
I didn't care what Miyashiro or anyone else had to think about me or what they heard on the grapevine.
After all, People love rumors. They're always saying things that aren't true.
I wouldn't let their misguided opinions of me distract me from why I was here. I wasn't here to make friends or to impress anyone. I was here for the essence stones and to do my job so I could get paid.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
x x x
Hikigaya Komachi could not focus.
Kawasaki Taishi looked on with worry as his dear friend was called out for her unusual behavior by their current teacher. Komachi flushed at the reprimand but quickly apologized while promising to do better.
The teacher simply nodded in approval and walked away with a sigh.
This wasn't the first time this happened today, but Taishi knew the teachers would let this slide because Komachi was a hardworking student and just chalked it up to her having an off day.
The bell rang, signifying lunchtime. Taishi collected his bento from his bag and followed Komachi out to their usual spot.
Taishi felt the breeze of the open air as they sat outside on the first floor of the special-use building. This was the place Komachi's brother usually sat. She told him that her brother oh so generously told her about this spot so she could enjoy some peace and quiet like he used to. Being her oldest and closest friend, Komachi had invited him to her secret spot for lunch. He couldn't help but accept.
It had a wonderful view of the Tennis court, and Komachi usually liked to see the members of the tennis club playing or practicing as she ate.
Reaching their lunch spot, Komachi sat down on the stairs and began to eat. However, she seemed to lack any real hunger. If her slowly picking away at her food was any indication. Taishi frowned as he opened his bento, looking on in worry.
Something was wrong with Komachi today. Taishi hoped that maybe some food would make her feel better, getting her back on track. He knew just how much getting good grades meant to her.
"Wow. Your lunch looks delicious as always, Taishi-kun." Komachi suddenly said in between bites of her meal, looking over his bento with admiration. She seemed to have noticed his staring and plastered a smile on her face.
Taishi beamed at Komachi and turned to his delectable mid-day meal on his lap. The contents of his bento box were grilled fish, fried rice with chopped vegetable bits, and miso soup. They were all arranged in a careful and deliberate manner that reflected the cook's affection.
"Thank you. Even though I tell my Neechan not to make lunch for me every day, she always takes the time to do so." He admitted fondly while placing a piece of grilled fish into his mouth.
Komachi swallowed her food and nodded. Her own lunch consisted of white rice, grilled salmon, egg, and a few slices of tomato. "Saki-san always pulls out all the stops for you, huh?"
"I guess she does." He responds with a small smile, turning to her. His smile disappeared once he saw the gloomy look on her face. "Hey, Komachi-chan. Is… everything okay? You seem distracted. It's unlike you."
"Oh, I'm fine…" She started off noncommittally before her head drooped down dejectedly. "Hah, I'm not fine. It's just that I'm worried about Onii-chan." Komachi admitted softly. Her chopsticks picked away at her egg.
"Onii-san?" He said in alarm. "What's wrong with Onii-san? I thought he was all better. Wait! Did he get into another accident?!" He fretted, his arms moving around frantically as he spoke. Taishi didn't know about the accident until Yuigahama-san revealed it when she came to them in a panic.
"Okay, stop!" Her order came with a chop to his head. Taishi winced but nevertheless calmed down, feeling sheepish because of her stern look. "It's nothing like that. It's just that, well… you know my Onii-chan is a hunter. So after his last accident, I'm… scared of him going back into those dungeons again."
Dungeons.
"Oh." A familiar dread welled up his chest.
"I don't want to lose him, Taishi-kun. I don't think I can bear it if that happens." Komachi confessed in a small, weak voice. Her eyes shined with building tears. Taishi watched as his friend's usually bright and happy face struggled to keep her miserable emotions back.
Her eyes reflected the feeling of overwhelming helplessness when someone you loved went to do something so dangerous that you couldn't help but dread every minute until their return.
Taishi knew this feeling quite well.
Slowly, he placed a hand over hers. Komachi looked up in mild surprise but thankfully didn't pull her hand away. Taishi remained silent for a moment, staring into her shining eyes. He squeezed her hand lightly as he spoke.
"My sister is a hunter, too. So I understand where you're coming from." Taishi admitted softly. He felt Komachi's surprise from the twitch in her hand. "She became one around late last year—an A-rank. I didn't tell you because it happened around, well, that time. You had so much on your plate that I didn't want to worry you with that as well." He explained with a slight shrug.
Komachi nodded in understanding while rubbing the tears away with her free hand. He licked his suddenly dry lips and thought about what to say next.
Maybe it wasn't quite the same because of how strong his sister was and how this recent accident with her brother had shaken her, but he could at least try to make Komachi feel better by knowing that she wasn't alone in what she felt about her brother going into danger.
"Neechan is already a member of a big-time guild." A hint of pride colored his voice as he continued. "The money she makes from it is incredible. She always makes sure our family gets everything we need and all our tuition fees are fully paid for already."
And wasn't that amazing? He could still remember when she went through all those part-time jobs to pay for her own tuition and not be a burden to their parents, but now she was the one carrying their family on her back and giving them this comfortable new life.
It felt like a dream.
"But…" He trailed off, hesitating. He didn't know if he could say the following words without feeling like a scum.
"You don't want her to be a Hunter, right?" Komachi softly voices out what he felt deep in his heart.
"I don't." He couldn't control how hoarsely the words came out. He didn't want to seem ungrateful for everything she's done for them, but…
Eighty-five percent.
They were just numbers. But they filled his gut with such terror each time he remembered.
Those numbers represent the mortality rate for Hunters, especially for those that enter the higher-level dungeons.
His big sister was so strong. Stronger than he could ever be and braver than he could ever imagine himself to be.
Keika thought of their big sister as invincible, but she was just too young to know that every time their sister went into those gates, she might never come back.
Taishi would rather give up all of their luxuries if it meant his sister would never enter those damnable gates ever again.
Komachi thankfully said nothing, accepting his words with a nod.
Slowly, she opened her hand and moved her fingers through his, interlocking them together. Taishi closed his eyes, silently appreciating her gesture with a light squeeze.
"Being the sibling of a hunter is hard, isn't it Komachi-chan?" Taishi opened his eyes again, turning back to Komachi with a brittle smile.
"It is." Komachi nodded once firmly, a dramatic pout on her face. "How inconsiderate of them. Having us worry all the time."
Taishi laughed, and she grinned at him in response. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, feeling each other's warmth through their joined hands. A pleasant breeze blew by, cooling the warm afternoon air.
Oniisan really picked a nice spot, huh?
Taishi should really thank him for telling Komachi about this place when they meet again.
The bell rang, signifying the end of lunchtime. Silently, Komachi lets go of his hand. Taishi felt just a twinge of regret at the missing warmth but packed up his lunch nonetheless.
Together, they stood and made their way back to class.
"Nee, Taishi-kun." Komachi suddenly said in the hallway just before they reached the classroom. Taishi turned to her curiously. "That was my first time, you know?"
He froze.
"W-what?" He sputtered once his brain caught up to what she said.
"I've never done that before." She wiggled her fingers at him, eyes sparkling with mischief. "I think you went a little bit too hard. I can barely feel 'em now."
"K-Komachi-chan!" Does she not realize what she's saying?! Face heating up, he looked around and hoped no one heard her. "Stop saying it like that!" He hissed at her in embarrassment.
"Like what?" She put up an innocent face like she didn't know what he was talking about.
"Komachi-chan!"
"Teehee~!" She winked at him before entering their classroom with a grin.
Well, he thought, still red in the face. At least she feels better now.
Despite feeling like he was about to die from embarrassment, seeing her smile was entirely worth it.
x x x
It had been over three hours since we began the dungeon raid. We had made it around halfway through the dungeon so far. The reason for our slow progress was due to the way this raid team was structured.
The main assault team is composed of the independent wannabe-be-guild and a few spare D-rank hunters. Their job was to clear the path of any magical beast that got in our way. Once the general area was clear of beasts and danger, the mining team composed of the E-ranks and myself began our meticulous work of excavating any mana crystals or valuable resources that were in the area.
While I would have preferred collecting essence stones like the main assault team, I knew that I signed up to be part of the mining team. No matter how frustrating it was to not fight.
I'm not becoming a battle maniac, am I?
"Game over, but they gave him all the cheat codes~ Little kiddy in the gutter with the bloody nose~ On the cover, but he doesn't even read those~ The headlines~ The headlines~."
I felt my eye twitch as Mayashiro sang as he worked away at mining a mana crystal. Loud clangs filled the extensive cave system as we worked away at collecting the glowing blue crystals. I brought down my pickaxe and dug out a mana crystal that was as large as my leg. Placing my pickaxe down, I picked up the crystal and placed it on my shoulder.
From there, I walked over to the large mine cart and deposited the crystal with the rest. As I did, another E-rank hunter placed down her own as well.
From our introductions, this girl's name was Nishimoto Ko. She had light brown hair and gray eyes with large round glasses. She was young and had a dagger strapped to her thigh. Nishimoto was covered in sweat and grime from the hours of mining we'd done. Causing her pale skin to shine.
Seeing my presence, Nishimoto looked at me with suspicion but quickly walked off once her crystal was in the cart. Once she got back to her working area, she picked up her pickaxe and continued mining away. Her face scrunched up in effort with each swing of her axe.
Aren't you chatty? I looked around the cave and saw the other three E-rank hunters working hard to mine their own group of mana crystals. They were all men ranging in age. Their faces were also covered in sweat, and their clothes soaked.
Looking down, I saw my still clean clothes and pristine skin, which had been as clean and dry of any sweat and grime since we began. Having sixty-five strength points makes stuff like this a breeze.
I took a deep breath and inhaled stale air thick with musk. My nose crinkled in disgust as the cave's closed-off system contained the putrid smells of the magical beasts and the built-up sweat from everyone. I felt a slight sense of claustrophobia swell inside me. I had grown so used to the other world's open environment and clean air that being in my world's dungeons seemed like a prison. The hard manual labor didn't help that feeling.
Thankfully, cave systems like these always lit up with natural glow stones that illuminated the area. Otherwise, we'd all have to travel with torches. Making fighting the magic beasts even harder.
"Hey, you. Hurry up! We can't move on if the area isn't clear." Sumida said loudly with an annoyed look. "Damn, E-ranks." He said in a whisper. A whisper I heard thanks to my heightened senses.
"…right."
After the area was clear of crystals and resources, we began moving forward again. Repeating this process from area to area while occasionally taking the fully loaded mine cart back to the gate entrance to unload. Each time the E-ranks and I waited for the assault team to clear the path of magical beasts so we could do our jobs, I made sure to watch how they moved and fought. Safe to say that this group held good potential.
For a group comprising mainly D-ranks and a few C-ranks, they moved fairly well with good teamwork. While their skills were nothing to write home about, they made up for it with their seamless group tactics.
"Kobayashi, to your left!"
"Bash that bastard!"
"Nice one, Tashiro!"
The assault team moved in and out between the small legion of armored ogres. The cave system was working against my fellow hunters due to the large number of enemies. The ogres, on the other hand, used the cave to their advantage. They used the scattered boulders and stalagmites as cover.
Despite using the environment to their advantage, the C-rank hunters used their greater speed and strength to cut them down. The ogres did their best to fight back with their meager clubs and silver swords. But their attacks were slow and telegraphed.
Why are they so slow?
It was then that I realized that these ogres weren't slow. My eyes and mind were capable of tracking them to the point it seemed they were moving through jello.
Feeling experimental, I began to focus my senses. And just as I thought, the ogres and hunters began to move as if in slow motion. I suppose all that time I spent level grinding has sharpened my perception to this point.
Satisfied, I relaxed my senses, and the world returned to normal. Just in time to see Osaki finish off the last ogre by slicing off its head in a bloody show of violence. I felt my hand twitch to my weapon.
"Okay! Well done, everyone!" Osaki said with a grin as she sheathed her sword. "Let's take a quick break before moving on. According to Sawada, the boss's lair should be just up ahead. So if you're injured, have a healer look at you right away!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" The assault team chorused.
"Alright, E-ranks. Get to it." Sumida said while wiping the sweat off his face. As one of the three tankers of the assault team, he had worked hard to cover for the mages and retreating fighters. Despite his rude attitude towards us, he was a hard worker. I could admit that much.
"Right away!" Miyashiro said with an excited grin.
He pulled out his pickaxe from his bag and began to work. The rest of the E-ranks groaned silently and followed suit. I paused with my pickaxe held over my shoulder. I watched as the rest of the hunters began to extract the essence stones from the ogres.
"Um, Hi-Hikigaya-san? Everything alright?" Miyashiro said while looking at me in slight concern. His eyes, however, darted around to the other hunters as if to see if he was being watched. Fortunately for him, the D and C-rank hunters were too busy collecting loot or drinking water while the E-ranks were hard at work.
"Yeah. I was… just impressed by the main assault team, is all." I said slowly. I brought down the pickaxe and began picking away at one of the mana crystals. As I worked, I discreetly eyed Miyashiro as I worked. That was a bold-faced lie. Did he buy it? Surely he didn't-
"Right! Those guys were awesome! Man, I can't wait for the chance to fight myself!"
He did.
Miyashiro grinned as he began to recall the events that had just happened to me. Completely forgetting that I was here when it happened. As he spoke, his eyes shined in awe and excitement. This guy truly enjoyed being a hunter. It made sense. He was the only one of us E-ranks who seemed to enjoy mining away. Not even this aspect of the job got him down.
"-and when Osaki-san finished the last ogre. You can see just how fast and strong her skills are! That beast's head came off in a single strike! How awesome was that?!" Miyashiro said with a fist pump.
"Yup. Totally awesome." I said dryly. I dropped the last remaining mana crystal into the mine cart and watched as Tabata Rokuro, a D-rank, pushed the full cart over towards the gate entrance as he'd done all day.
"You know what, Hikigaya-san? You're alright."
"And you're all left."
"Pff!"
I clapped a hand over Riko to stifle her laugh. Even going so far as to make some fake coughing sounds to cover for her. Miyashiro looked confused but quickly reached into his own personal bag. His eyes lit up in glee as he seemingly found whatever it was he was searching for. Pulling his hand out, he walked over to me and handed me a water bottle.
"Here. I'm sure this will help." Miyashiro said with a smile.
I froze in place. My eyes locked into the same brand of water that Furutani would always get whenever he went out on dungeon raids. I knew this because he would always offer me a bottle or two.
"Hikigaya-san?"
Snapping out of my thoughts, I grabbed the bottle with shaking fingers.
"T-Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
x x x
"Yahallo, Yuigahama-senpai!"
"Oh, yahallo!" I said to one of my passing juniors. She beamed at my greeting and began whispering excitedly to her friend.
My smile slowly left my face as I continued walking through the halls of the primary school building. Thanks to being part of the "popular" crowd, as they called it, I was seen as one of the school's most popular students. Due to that title, I was often greeted by my female juniors with excited hellos and had to regularly turn down several confessions from my male juniors. It was flattering at first, but as I received more confessions, the more I grew annoyed.
I had more important things to do.
Where are you, Yukinon? I sighed as I continued making my way through the school.
Despite the fruitless days of searching for Yukinon, I refused to give up. The halls echoed with my footsteps as I tirelessly scoured every corner, my worry growing with each passing day.
I tried to call and text her, but her number wasn't in service anymore. With no other option, I went into the staff room and asked Yukinon's homeroom teacher about her whereabouts.
Unfortunately, I struck out there. There were strict rules on teachers giving out student information to those who weren't close family. I used the excuse that we were in the same club to see if he could offer me at least a hint. Sadly, it didn't work. After all…
The Service club had been disbanded.
And I could blame no one else but myself for that.
After Hikki left, we did try to keep it going. Iroha-chan's request was still ongoing, and in the pursuit of proving that our club could still work, we were relentless in our efforts to help her out with the Christmas Event.
Iroha-chan seemed to think we did great. She kept thanking us for saving her from the troublesome affair.
Yukinon just politely accepted her gratitude. This event proved we could still be of service and that our club could still run as it was.
But what happened with Hikki affected us too much. And soon, the cracks begin to show.
I felt my throat begin to dry, remembering the things I did quite clearly.
We were in the club room, sitting in silence. Yukinon was reading her book while I tapped away at my phone.
This has been our pattern for a while. It was our desperate attempt to return to a semblance of normality. But the empty seat by the other end of the table remained a painful reminder that what we had was lost.
On that day, I had taken a glance at Yukinon, hoping for something to say.
I immediately noticed how the book in her hands had yet to turn a single page since we entered the clubroom. That was because her eyes weren't focused. They were visibly clouded with a particular emotion.
Guilt.
I knew that what happened with Hikki was our fault: Yukinon for running away and mine for ignoring his feelings to pursue her. That day haunts us both, and the shame of what we'd done was surely something we felt every day.
But on that day, I finally saw that guilt in her eyes, and I…turned back to my phone, ignoring it.
I had refused to reach out to carry the guilt with her because… I didn't want to.
Because she deserved it.
That was the ugly thought I kept deep inside me all along.
I had refused to free her from her guilt because I thought she deserved it for pushing him away.
From us.
From me.
These putrid thoughts had rooted themselves within me. And so, I carried on with my silence.
I let her keep the heavy weight of guilt to herself. Despite knowing I shared the blame as well.
I let my rotten feelings hold me back from helping her with her burden despite having called her my friend.
My actions began to reflect all the ugliness I felt inside of me.
Whatever conversation we could start would die the second it would start. A tense atmosphere surrounded us, choking the air of the room.
She and I would pass by each other in the hallways and never say a single word to each other, like we were simply strangers.
The tension became so obvious that Iroha-chan came to us for help less and less, visibly uncomfortable with what was happening between us. She eventually stopped requesting our help, refusing even to step foot into the clubroom.
Hikki had told me that he figured out that Hiratsuka-sensei was the one that sent students with problems to the club for us to solve. And with her leaving two months after Hikki, the club's meager number of requests began to dwindle to nothing. So we began to end it earlier, each and every day, having no reason to keep it up, widening the distance between us even further.
Finally, we stopped going to the clubroom altogether.
And so, the Service Club was no more.
And with it, so did my last connection to Yukinoshita Yukino.
The memories of my terrible actions caused me to bite my lips, wallowing in the regret welling up inside.
I'm horrible.
Yet here I was, searching for her. Because in the end, seeing Hikki again made me realize…
…just how greedy and selfish I really was.
Everything that's happened between us, between all three of us, I wanted to fix all of it.
Even though I knew how hard it would be, I wanted everything to be okay again. I wanted Yukinon to be my friend again, and I wanted Hikki to let us in his life again.
It's greedy to want everything to be fixed because surely not everything that's broken can be put back together again.
But I was selfish. And I've come to accept that part of me.
I've begun to see the genuine me.
I am a selfish girl who wants everything.
And I will do whatever it takes to make this right because that's the only way I can get everything I want.
I gazed around the familiar hall, a bittersweet smile tugging at my lips. I visited the clubroom daily ever since our fall out, fearing that the memories we had built would fade. I was determined not to let that happen.
The hall was still empty, like always. The only sounds reverberating through the hallway were my footsteps as I traveled further to my destination.
Turning the corner, I saw the sticker-filled classroom sign of the club with a soft smile. My eyes trailed down to the sliding door of the clubroom and caught the sight of someone I've been searching for all this time.
"Y-Yukinon."
Yukinon jumped in fright. She spun to me with her hand over her chest; her mouth hung open as she stared at me in shock.
"Yuigahama-san."
x x x
The boss' lair was wide with tall ceilings. Boulders were strewn around in several different directions with weapons caches set up beside them. In those caches were swords, clubs, and shields. There were several ogres and kobolds with armor scattered about around the lair. Towards the back of the room was a large stone throne.
Sitting on the throne was a large armored ogre. This ogre was three times the size of the average ogre. Its muscles were large and powerful. An oversized spiked maze sat beside the ogre's stone throne as it leaned on its fist. Watching as its minions went back and forth.
Standing off to the side of the large ogre was a mysterious cloaked beast. It was small in size, and its slouched posture did not help. Something within the cloaked beast's hand caught my eye; it was the small black book hidden within its black cloak. Despite its seemingly unimportant aura, I couldn't help but eye it with more caution than the ogre beside it.
"There's something going on with that one." Riko whispered. I nodded and continued watching the mysterious beast. Best I keep an eye on it.
Despite all the apparent dangers in front of us, what caught the attention of my fellow hunters were the large and numerous mana stones that lined the walls of the lair.
"Look at the boss. It's the size of a bus!"
"We have to fight through this small army to get to the boss?"
"We have to. Just look at all that loot!"
"Osaki. What do we do?" Kobayashi said in a hushed voice as he looked at Osaki with nervous anticipation. Kobayashi was a D-rank hunter in his early to mid-thirties. He was dressed in light green armor with an orange scarf around his neck. On his hip was a katana that he gripped tightly. "Osaki."
"I'm thinking." Osaki whispered back and leaned her head over the rows of boulders and rocks we were all using as cover. Our large group kneeled low so as not to get discovered. "I think… we're outnumbered. There are too many of them. Not to mention that when we do finish the army off, we have to deal with that behemoth of a beast. We'll be exhausted and low on mana. It'll be a tough fight."
"Are you saying we should retreat and wait for help?" Tashsiro, a C-rank mage, said annoyed. "We'll end up having to share the loot if that happens. This raid was supposed to fund our guild application fee!"
"I say we go for it." Kobayashi said confidently and without fear. However, his shaking hands showed otherwise. "High risk, high reward. Am I right, everyone?"
"That's right!"
"We can do this boss!"
"C'mon, Osaki!"
Osaki watched as her assembled team continued to urge her to agree to their demands. Her eyes looked around nervously as they darted over to the intimidating army.
The rest of the E-ranks and I were crouched all the way at the back of the main team. I scanned their expressions and found scared and nervous looks. Even the aloof Nishimoto and positive Miyashiro were intimidated by the situation.
While this group of hunters has done well so far, I could tell from watching today's battles that they weren't ready for such a large-scale fight. It would have been much more feasible if this group had more C-ranks than D-ranks. But sadly, the C-ranks only made up for a quarter of the group's numbers. So the wisest move at this point would be to retreat and gather more hunters to-
"Alright. Let's do it." Osaki said with a shaky grin.
Or not.
Quiet cheers were shared between the assault team as they began to map out a strategy on how to clear the minions to get to the boss. I shook my head in disappointment and sat against one of the boulders.
"You don't agree with the raid leader's judgment?" Nishimoto said to me in her dull tone of voice as she crawled closer to my position.
"I don't."
"Why is that? She's a higher rank than us. She should know what she's doing." Nishimoto asked while watching Osaki give her team their personal objectives.
"Being stronger doesn't make you smarter." I said, shrugging. "Regardless if I agree with her or not, I have my job. I'll see it through until this raid is over."
"How commendable."
"I know, right?"
"Never mind. I take that back."
"Sorry, no returns available. Just in-store credit."
Before Nishimoto could reply, we saw Osaki crouch-walk over to us. Seeing her, the rest of my fellow E-ranks gathered around.
"I know what I'm about to ask you all goes beyond the job you agreed to do. But I'm asking that you join us in fighting the boss's foot troops. You will, of course, keep the essence stones from any beast you defeat alongside a ten percent increase in pay for your mining work." Osaki said with a smile. "But if you feel like you're not up for this. You're more than welcome to stay here where it's safe. What do you think?"
"I'm in!" Miyashiro said quickly and without hesitation. A large, excited grin stretched his face as he trembled. "I'll stand and fight as well!"
"… I'll join too." Nishimoto said with a sigh. Her eyes trailed over the many ogres and kobolds ahead. Despite their seemingly uninterested look, Nishimoto's eyes reflected slight reluctance at the prospect of fighting such large numbers.
The rest of the E-ranks seem to have gained a boost of confidence, seeing both Miyashiro and Nishimoto willing to fight alongside everyone else. Soon enough, they all began to voice their agreement to join the battle. Seeing that everyone else was on board, I nodded and agreed to join as well.
"Excellent." Osaki said. "Your role is to remain on the rearguard alongside Sumida and Tashiro. Stay on the outside and follow after us as we push in towards the boss. If you feel like you're being overwhelmed, fall back and retreat. No matter how tempting it is to kill the beasts for their essence stones, they're not worth your life. Remember that."
We all nodded and began to prepare ourselves. All our mining gear was placed off to the side as we unsheathed our weapons. Besides Nishimoto being an assassin, the rest of the E-ranks were all fighters. In their hands were cheap and old swords and even some spears. Miyashiro himself had a glaive in his grasp.
I moved Riko to my back and held my bone sword loosely. Despite the seemingly overwhelming numbers the minions had and the size of the boss, I didn't have an ounce of fear or nervousness within me. After my last trip to the other world, I had leveled up to the levels of a C-rank hunter. Taking into account that this was a D-rank dungeon, I was fully confident in my ability to fight through the minions and the boss alone.
Unfortunately, I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. If I did, I would expose my true strength to everyone here. The rumors of a seemingly E-ranked hunter soloing a D-rank boss all on his own would certainly cause waves. Waves I had no intention of catching. So, I had to play the role of a weak E-rank well.
Well, farming some essence stones when no one is looking won't hurt.
"Is everyone ready?" Osaki said while giving everyone a sweeping glance. Everyone nodded and raised their weapons, spell books, and shields at the ready. Osaki nodded and stood to her full height, gaining the attention of several of the minions.
"Charge!"
____
A/N:
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