I looked over to find a group of older Divers leering at Scrael. There was a distinct look in their eyes that seemed common among people who got arrested for a certain type of crime. I had a feeling they wouldn’t have hesitated to get grabby if they’d been on a train with a high school girl. There was a distinct ickiness to their gaze, and they made no effort to hide it.
As always, Scrael attracted all sorts of attention. Teams often tried to recruit her for her skills as a Diver, but I’d also heard people often tried to approach her for her good looks.
“Those guys are awful,” I said.
“Humans are always like that,” said Scrael. “Fools. They really are irredeemable.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to collectively judge all humans,” I said. “I mean, I’m human too.”
“You’re not like them. You’re kind, and you have a sense of justice.”
“Huh? Y-You think so?” I asked, flattered.
“I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t. I would’ve kicked your ass instead,” she said.
“I guess that means you trust me to an extent, huh?”
“Of course. I trust you,” said Scrael, then she pressed up close to me.
“Whaaat?! Scrael?!”
“You saved me that one time. You didn’t make any weird demands either.”
“Well...right,” I said, suddenly self-conscious with her body against mine.
Scrael suddenly gave me a displeased look and said, “You’re a fool in a different way though.”
“Huh? Did I do something messed up to you?” I asked, confused.
“No. You didn’t do anything. That’s why you’re a fool.”
“What? Huh?”
Scrael moved her face closer to mine, but I just returned a confused stare. She puffed out her cheeks.
“Yep, you’re a fool. So dense,” she sighed, seemingly super discontent.
Why? What did I do wrong?
And so, Scrael and I were off to explore the dungeon. We walked through the familiar Great Forest Ruins at depth level 5 and arrived at an area near the Misty Border leading to route two.
“The rabbits are calm today,” noted Scrael, patting a Walker Rabbit on the head.
Walker Rabbits usually unleashed their Rabbit Kenpo on sight, but this one seemed to be in the mood for some head pats and was making satisfied squeals. It was curled up in front of Scrael for her to more easily reach its head and was rubbing its head against her hand. The juxtaposition of its big body and its actions made it all the cuter.
“There, there,” said Scrael as she stroked the friendly rabbit’s head. This went on for a while longer, then the rabbit stood up and hugged her as if to show thanks.
Aw, I’m envious.
To be hugged by what was basically a giant stuffed animal sounded like pure bliss. It was like earning a reward without even clearing the scenario. Scrael did end up getting a bunch of fur on her, but it was a small price to pay to fully recover your sanity and then some.
Eldrid had mentioned the rabbits were friendly and had given her hugs, but I hadn’t actually thought it was true until now. Just recently, I’d beaten one up for attacking me with Rabbit Kenpo, so this behavior was a complete one-eighty. These creatures sure were strange.
The two were eventually satisfied, and the rabbit waved goodbye before leaving. Scrael waved back and walked to where I was waiting. There was fur all over her, so I took a brush out of my Dimension Bag and brushed the fur off.
“I’m so envious that you got a hug from that rabbit,” I said.
“They don’t give you hugs?” asked Scrael.
“Nope, never.”
“Really? I would’ve thought you’re more likely to get hugged than I am.”
“I dunno, but they never seem to be in the mood for hugs with me,” I said. “They always want to attack me with Rabbit Kenpo or race me.”
“Mew.” Carbuncle rubbed its head against me as if to console me. I appreciated that.
“Let’s start heading for the next floor,” I said.
“Yeah,” agreed Scrael.
As I was about to step into the Misty Border, I noticed Scrael wasn’t following me. Confused, I turned around to find her standing still.
“Scrae?” I asked.
“Don’t worry... It’s nothing,” she said.
“Yeah? Okay, then.”
I wondered if something had happened, but she wasn’t injured and didn’t seem to be sick or anything. We’d only run into a Monoceros Deer and a Wooden Soldier, a rare monster; both hadn’t given us any trouble at all. The Monoceros Deer had run away when I’d shot lightning at it, and Scrael had made short work of the Wooden Soldier with her martial arts.
“Weak,” she’d said. “No wonder its rank is lower than a Wooden General’s.”
According to her, all sorts of dangerous monsters appeared around her Long-Ears village. I couldn’t help but wonder about the roly-polies she often mentioned. I really didn’t want to encounter any roly-poly-type monsters or bug types in general, like that monster that had appeared in ——, the floor I’d gone to with Lion-Maru. I couldn’t remember the name of that place for some reason.
Anyway, it was time to head to the next floor. Our destination was the Infinite Gray Castle at depth level 10, which was where I’d run into Miguel’s group a while back. We warped into the Castle, and the transition from the lush greenery of the forest to the monotone of the castle was quite jarring.
“I really can’t get used to this place,” said Scrael, wincing at our new surroundings.
“Yeah, it makes my eyes water,” I agreed.
This place really felt bad for the eyes. It was all white, black, and gray, and these monotone colors were quite a pain. It also messed with my sense of distance. I’d heard old TVs used to look like this, and it made me wonder how people had dealt with it back then.
“The rubble here can be dangerous too,” I said.
“And we need to look out for the parts that are about to crumble,” added Scrael.
“Yeah, that too.”
“This is ruining all of that happiness from earlier,” she complained.
“Are you doing okay, Carbuncle?” I asked.
“Mew,” it replied.
There was energy in its voice, so I probably didn’t need to worry.
Scrael patted Carbuncle on the head and said, “That’s good, Carlburg the First.”
She seemed to be pretty set on that name. I wasn’t going to argue.
We made our way down the long corridor, and I occasionally used eye drops to hydrate my eyes. The design of this floor was quite complex, but I’d already mapped out the optimal route to the next Misty Border. I was glad this place wasn’t like certain Mystery Dungeons, because that would’ve been awful to navigate.
“Have you been here a lot, Scrae?” I asked.
“Not really. The area deeper north is annoying, so I avoid exploring this area,” she replied.
“North? I haven’t been up there before. What’s over there?”
“Doors installed sideways; stairs leading into walls. It’s all a mess,” she said.
“Wow. So it’s like the Winchester Mystery House over there.”
I’d always wanted to visit that place if I ever had the chance to go to America, but I’d never expected a similar place to exist in this world. A part of me was curious, but on the other hand, I wanted to proceed on my usual route without taking any unnecessary risks.