Ishihara Yukie, the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Dungeons, whom I had brought as a guest, gave a toast. I had teleported to the spot in Kudanshita we had agreed upon ten minutes ago. Since we had rented out this space, she wouldn’t be seen by anyone else. I had booked an extra room without specifying any name as well, so she would sleep there tonight and return to Tokyo tomorrow evening.
“Shingo-dono, outdoor cooking is a man’s job,” Senyath explained. “If you cannot properly cook some meat, you will never become a respectable manservant.”
“I am not a servant!” Shingo yelled.
Senyath wore a—cat-sized?—casual blazer and gave Shingo directions as he tried to cook meat. It wasn’t wrong. Grilling meat on the barbecue was a man’s job. Men were busy cooking thick slices of meat on the other stoves. As for Mutsuo and his friends, they were busy catching it all on camera. I wanted to forget about the dungeons for the span of a holiday...or at least that was what I’d hoped to do when Ishihara approached me.
“Ezoe-san, could I talk to you for a second? There’s something I need to tell you before we get too drunk,” she said.
“I’m guessing you mean work?”
“Yes. It’s about that man you assume to be Joker.”
I had already reported spotting a man who could have been Joker on Shinanomachi’s main street on the day of the Tokyo Olympics Closing Ceremony. Since we had been over a hundred meters apart, I hadn’t been able to see his face in detail.
“He has dark brown hair, appears to be around thirty, and is accompanied by a blue-haired girl. However, that man did not do anything and simply put on a clown mask... It’s regrettable, but neither the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism nor the police will make a move based on this. We’re continuing to be wary of potential terrorist attacks, but nothing more can be done at this point.”
“I expected as much,” I said. “That was just my gut feeling. I’m thankful that you tried to discuss it with the Ministry and the police.”
“You seem so sure of yourself, though. Why is that?” Ishihara asked.
“The air around them was just that different,” I said after a while. “I’m not sure how to explain it. It felt the same as spotting a lion in a flock of sheep. And that blue-haired girl... She’s probably a Legend Rare character.”
I closed my eyes and recalled the events of that day. The crowd was a blurry mess in my memories. Only two figures stood out distinctly. They had put on their clown masks while looking right at me. It was only natural that I’d assume it was Joker, or at least, someone related to him.
“Do you think you could take him in a fight?” Ishihara asked.
I thought about it for a second and shook my head.
“I don’t know. Akira and Shifu Liu seem to be able to sense their opponent’s strength just by looking at them, but I don’t have that kind of ability. The only thing I can say for sure is that he’s not a crazy terrorist who acts without thinking. He wouldn’t have quietly watched if he were. I think he might have come to check on me. Perhaps he was even inviting me to head to Venisuela to pursue him...”
“When an adventurer wants to leave the country, they must first obtain the permission of the Ministry of Dungeon. It’s the law. I’m not letting you go to Venisuela,” said Ishihara.
The day would come when I would have no choice but to face Joker. I assumed the CIA, MI6, and other such agencies were planning to assassinate him quietly, but I would eventually have to settle this with my own two hands. That’s what my gut was telling me. I was certain of it.
✦ ✦ ✦
[Ishigaki-jima — Kinouchi Mari]
Shingo-kun had brought his parents and little sister along, but I only had my mom with me. He must have thought we’d get lonely because he immediately introduced us to his family. Since we attended the same school and worked together as members of Dungeon Busters, our mothers seemed to have a lot to talk about and were happily chatting. I was glad to see my mom enjoying herself.
“My son has changed a lot in the past few months. I think Ezoe-san and the others have had a positive influence on him, but you’re the main reason he made the effort to change. I’m really thankful, Mari. As his partner, please take good care of him from now on,” Shingo-kun’s dad told me, a serious look on his face.
My face turned bright red and I stuttered a bit as I assured him I would.
His parents approve of our relationship...
Shingo-kun was also congratulated by other members of the Busters. Most of them were like Senyath-chan, though, and encouraged him to get even stronger. Akira-san even wanted to teach him new moves.
“Ho ho ho! You have some potential, young lad. If you keep training diligently, you’ll become a great help, even inside Rank S dungeons. You’re much better than Ezoe, at the very least. That’s for sure,” Shifu Liu told him.
“You reached Rank D, so your body has become quite sturdy, but you’re still lacking when it comes to fighting skills. If you were to enter a Shinmyoukan worldwide tournament, you’d probably reach the top four. When we go back to Tokyo, I’ll make some time and teach you karate techniques,” Akira-san said.
“It’s good to seek strength, but always remember that it won’t be enough. You should practice Kusakabe-style waterfall meditation to discipline your heart as well,” Rinko-san added.
“Shingo-dono, you should be thankful,” Senyath-chan said. “Since they’ve been kind enough to provide you with the necessary environment for growth, the rest is up to you. I highly recommend you train so hard that you end up six feet under.”
“That’s a pretty good idea. How about going to heaven and begging the gods to give you a cheat ability?” Emily-chan teased him.
“I’d be dead then!”
Emily-chan and Senyath-chan seemed to enjoy Shingo-kun’s reactions and teased him all the time. Still, their words seemed to somehow motivate him, so it was a good thing. As for me, Shingo-kun’s place in my heart kept growing bigger and bigger.
“How nice. Are the two of you going on a date tomorrow?” my mom asked me, all smiles.
Now that we were here in Ishigaki-jima, enjoying a fun trip with everyone, it was hard to believe that we had still been struggling to support ourselves and buy food a year ago. The dungeons were a big issue, but I still couldn’t help but feel thankful for them bringing us closer to Kazu-san like this.
“You don’t have to hold back because of me, you know,” she added. “I’ll be enjoying the hotel’s spa with Yamaoka-san, so go have fun.”
Emily-chan will probably hang with us as well. It would be fun if the three of us went diving.