"First, I want to talk about the current Transferees."
"Did something happen?"
"Yes, and no. It's just that the group who arrived was a bit unusual."
"Specifically?"
"They were all girls. It was an all-girls school. Furthermore, it was a prestigious religious-affiliated school—what you might call a young lady's academy (Ojou-sama Gakko)."
Until now, the Transferees had almost always been equal in gender. This was simply because the majority of classes were co-ed and gender-mixed. Similarly, students from a prestigious school had never come before.
"Then, Shion-chan is a young lady? ...Ah, we didn't ask how old you are, did we?" Furi asked.
"I am fifteen. I am a first-year student, so I believe I am younger than all of you," Shion replied.
"Furi and I were also summoned last year when we were first-years. So we're a year apart," Ren said.
Their shared, simple conversation about school years was heartwarming. Like how people from the same region bond over their hometown, for Ren and the others, "Earth" and "Japan" were now their shared hometown.
Furi, intrigued by the mention of a young lady's academy, leaned forward. "So? What was the name of the school?"
"Yes. Our school was called…"
Ren unfortunately didn't recognize the name that was announced. This made sense, as it wouldn't have been a potential school for him, considering both academic level and gender. Furi, on the other hand, had at least heard the name and commented, "Their uniforms are cute, right?"
At that, a voice came from the hallway. "That is a nostalgic name."
Maribelle was standing there, wearing a cover-up over her nightclothes. She, who was usually very proper, looked something like this right after waking up. Since only women lived in the house, it wasn't a problem, but—
"Old man, don't stare too much."
"What do you take me for?" the Sage countered.
"Hehe. I trust the Sage, so it's fine," Maribelle said, smiling as she took a seat.
In truth, even her nightclothes were elegantly modest and didn't show much skin, so they weren't particularly provocative. It would be a different story for the type of person who felt romance just seeing a woman in a state normally hidden from others. Fortunately, the Sage didn't send any sneaky glances and focused on the conversation.
Shion, in her small form, turned toward Maribelle.
"Pleased to meet you, I am Shion. ...Um, regarding what you just said, were you perhaps a student at our school?"
"Yes, I transferred to a different high school, but I was enrolled in the junior high section. Is that large ginkgo tree still in the inner courtyard?"
"It is blooming vigorously. Teaching the external entrants not to step on the fallen nuts is still a tradition, too."
"That is nostalgic. It hasn't changed since my time."
A conversation unique to alumnae of the same school took place for a while.
"It's Maribelle-san's alma mater. Now that you mention it, both of you are very refined."
"Maribelle-san, that's not fair. School in-jokes and all that... Ren, should we talk about our entrance ceremony memories?"
"We were in the same class, so that's a different story."
The conversation had strayed.
Maribelle, bringing her pre-plated portion of lunch to her mouth, prompted them to continue with an "I apologize for the interruption."
The Sage nodded and reopened the discussion.
"It's quicker now that we have someone who knows the school. As expected of a prestigious academy, it seems there are many well-bred students. And they are all girls. The situation is different from previous groups."
"Ah, so they haven't seen much in the way of games or manga?"
"It's rare for anyone to be completely unfamiliar in this day and age, of course."
A smartphone is necessary for contacting home, and if they wished, they could play games and read on apps. Classic fantasy novels are sometimes treated as "must-reads," so the girls seemed to possess a minimum amount of knowledge. However, the Sage continued:
"The issue is whether young ladies, raised in a peaceful world, will readily comply when suddenly told, 'Take up a sword and fight.'"
"I see. Were you refused?" Maribelle asked.
"An aversion to violence. Resistance to taking a life. Fear of death. The reasons and degrees vary, but yes."
A look of bitterness crossed the middle-aged man's face.
As a man without a wife or children, he found young women somewhat difficult to deal with. It was imaginable how tough it was for him to have to force unpleasant things on people he already struggled to talk to.
He, too, couldn't just tell the young girls, "Just fight."
"Some cried, pleading, 'Just send us home.' ...Honestly, all I could do was persuade them to accept life in this land, even if they didn't want to think about the dungeon."
"That must have been difficult, Sage…" Ren said, feeling sympathy.
"So? Were you able to guide them to their homes?"
"Somehow. The female homeroom teacher kept pressing, 'Couldn't you at least avoid separating them?' but we simply don't have housing for twenty or thirty people to live together."
They had no choice but to have them split up into groups of a few close friends and move into separate houses.
One could argue that apartment-style housing should have been prepared, but there are pros and cons to keeping Transferees from the same batch clumped together. There was the existence of people who didn't get along even, or precisely because, they were in the same class. There was also the possibility that they would only stick with their own group and fail to integrate with the town residents. Considering concerns like potential conflict between those keen on dungeon exploration and those who weren't, preparing multiple ordinary houses was the safer and easier option.
"...In such a situation, I couldn't bring myself to say, 'Please let me join you,' and so I had to rely on this gentleman," Shion said.
"That must have been so hard for you…" Maribelle murmured, her eyes softening.
"Oh, I forgot. Maribelle-san. We've decided to have Shion live with us. Is that okay with you?" Ren asked.
"Yes, of course. We look forward to having you, Shion-san."
"Yes. I look forward to your guidance, Maribelle-sama."
"Just 'Maribelle' is fine."
After a warm exchange between the upper and lowerclassmen, the conversation resumed.
"But if they've at least moved in, isn't that good enough? Did some problem arise from that?" Ren asked.
"I should say, a problem may arise in the future. ...If truly no one decides to go into the dungeon, who will pay for their living expenses?"
"Ah."
For people to live, they need food, clothing, and shelter. Housing is provided for free, and enough food for the time being was provided for Ren's group as well.
However, they can't just be supported indefinitely.
While some people in Ren's generation also don't delve into the dungeon, they all earn money by assisting craftsmen or working as porters.
So, can the young ladies do the same? Ren had to say it was questionable. At the very least, hardly any of them would have part-time job experience.
"Money problems are serious…"
"Indeed. If they dive into the dungeon, the party is all-for-one. It might be possible to share living expenses, as you do, but can they truly allocate limited funds among people who are neither family nor lovers?"
It seemed difficult unless everyone was provided with some means of earning. It would be a headache just to find and assign positions for all of them—in crafts, shops, or places that could accept them.
"Were there no one who got craft- or agriculture-related classes?" Maribelle asked.
"Not zero, but rare. By the way, the majority of them this time got clergy-related classes."
Considering they were people who prayed to God regularly, it was predictable, but—
"They'd be incredibly useful if they dove into the dungeon," Ren lamented.
It was a sad tale when what they wanted to do didn't align with what they were able to do.
"Hmm… There wouldn't be a huge demand for doctors here, right?"
"We have enough doctors who treat only with magic. At best, we could assign one or two as assistants."
This was because their bodies were more robust (as Ren and the others hadn't had any real illnesses), and most parties already had someone capable of healing injuries in some form. It would be different if someone had genuine medical or pharmaceutical knowledge, but Transferees, excluding teachers, are high school students.
"This is getting serious… Hey, Shion. How would you feel if we asked you to dive into the dungeon with us?" Ren asked.
"Since I will be imposing on you, I feel I must do something in return. I cannot even manage housework in this body, so if my 'Skills' would be of use, I would be delighted to help."
"Amazing! Thank you, Shion-chan. Don't worry, we won't push you to do anything you can't handle. We'll protect you, Shion-chan," Furi promised.
"Thank you very much, Furi-sama."
Now then.
From the conversation so far, the situation was: "The other students are reluctant to explore the dungeon and have no money," and "Shion has battle-capable companions and the motivation herself."
"Hey, old man. Isn't Shion going to be leeched off by her classmates?" Ren asked.
"That is what I am worried about, too."
Of course, well-bred young ladies wouldn't resort to mugging. The discussion would likely start peacefully, but the phrase "We help each other when times are tough," spoken by someone who knows they are in a weaker position, is incredibly tricky. In an extreme case, it could become a situation where they say, "If you don't help us, we'll die. Are you going to abandon us? Hmm?"
"Wait. We can't support an entire class just with our income, you know?" Ren protested.
"I certainly don't intend to rely on you that much. If it comes down to having to support them, we will have to collect a little from everyone."
Like a neighborhood association fee.
"...But, well, um. I was hoping you might have a good idea," the Sage said.
"You're just dumping it on us!"
"I have connections for simple job introductions and mediation. What I'm asking from you is a breakthrough—an answer that breaks common sense. For example, you could try to persuade two or three of them to join the dungeon team."
"Am I a host or a marriage fraudster?" Ren scoffed.
Surely, even with the combined power of his 'Charm' skill, he shouldn't have the power to easily woo girls like that. Even if he did, he wouldn't want to use such a method.
Maribelle pondered, "That's true…"
"If it's a small number, I could take them on at the brothel, but they would likely refuse," Maribelle suggested.
"Eh, um, Maribelle-sama, do you run a brothel…?" Shion asked.
"Ah, yes. As a place for women who don't have the strength to fight. I'm friends with the women who work there, and they're all doing well and happily," Ren explained.
"Eh, Ren-sama uses the brothel as well…?" Shion asked, shocked.
"N-No, no. I just became friends with the employees!" Ren quickly corrected.
He had narrowly avoided a dangerous misunderstanding.
"But yeah, you're right. If there are many healers, we need to somehow get them to cooperate with the exploration. I bet there are several parties that want healers," Ren said.
"Then shouldn't we first confirm that everyone really doesn't want to go to the dungeon? Maybe there are others like Shion-chan who would say, 'I'll go if necessary,'" Furi suggested.
"That's right. Some of them might not have been able to speak up in that situation," Maribelle added.
If even two or three people besides Shion came forward for exploration, the situation would change drastically. It might inspire others to change their minds, and even if not, the momentum to earn money through other means would increase.
The Sage mused, "Hmm…"
"Would you mind trying to persuade, or rather, incite them? I will talk to them as well, but the conversation will likely go more smoothly coming from you, as you are the same gender and close in age."
"Got it. It's not like we're completely uninvolved," Ren agreed.
One could say they became involved by taking Shion into their party, but even without that, it was Maribelle's alma mater. It was highly likely they wanted to help somehow.
"I apologize, Ren-sama. I am causing you trouble," Shion said.
"Don't worry about it. As they say, 'We help each other when times are tough.' ...But, you know what? In that case, it might be a good idea for Shion to go to the dungeon with us early on."
It's more convincing to say, I've been there, than to just say, I plan to go. By sharing her experience and saying, "There's no mortal danger if you're careful," they could reduce the aversion to the dungeon to some extent.
The small, fluffy fox-girl in Ren's arms nodded solemnly (and cutely).
"Understood. I will prepare myself."
"You don't have to be so tense. We'll take it slow and easy," Iris said gently, and Mei nodded with a blank expression.
"Shion-san is clearly not a front-liner. I will firmly guard against all enemy attacks, so please rest assured."
"Guard… The woman will be standing in front?" Shion asked.
"Ah, Mei is a golem, despite how she looks. She has much more strength and defense than any mediocre man," Ren explained.
"A Golem…"
Three out of five members of the party were non-human species.
In truth, there was no better choice for Shion to join.
"By the way, what kind of abilities does Shion-chan's 'Youko' have? Could I see your skill list?" Furi asked.
"Yes, of course."
"I've seen it, and it's quite interesting," the Sage added.
Shion said, "It is impolite, but…" and slipped out of Ren's arms onto the table. She skillfully used her front paws to operate the skill window. Her clumsy movements were likely due not only to the difficulty of moving in that form but also to her unfamiliarity with the operation. Eventually, the skill list was displayed.
They all gathered to look at it.
"Huh? It looks kind of similar to Ren-san's, doesn't it?" Iris commented.
"It does," Ren agreed.
In the sense that she uses basic magic in a wide variety of ways through other skills, it was broadly the same. Of course, the detailed skill composition was different—for example, there were no skills with names typical for a Succubus, but instead, skills with Fox Spirit-like names lined up.
One skill, in particular, caught their eye, displayed as unacquired: "Two Tails."
With everyone's permission, Ren tapped it, and the details appeared. It read: "Increases the number of simultaneously usable spells by +1."
"She'll be able to use up to two spells at once…?" Ren muttered.
"Wait, if it's 'Two Tails,' there are probably up to nine, right?" Furi asked excitedly.
Even considering only the effect visible now, it was stronger than his Double Cast skill. Ren felt a simultaneous urge to worship the small, fluffy girl (who was cute) and a feeling of, Do they even need me anymore?
============
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