"Senior Mikoto…"
"Why did you head out so early?"
Her black short hair covered most of her cheeks, matching her personality—as Hitachi Chigusa stood timidly at the entrance of the empty dormitory.
This was the third time she had come to look for Mikoto, yet all three times had ended in disappointment.
After finishing a dungeon expedition, there was usually a short rest period in Orario, but they certainly did not spend that time idly.
They would all go help out at the Jagamarukun stall where Lord Takemikazuchi worked part-time.
However, over the past two days, Chigusa had not seen Mikoto at all. The armor used for dungeon exploration and the katana in the dorm room had already disappeared.
All signs pointed to one conclusion—
Senior Mikoto had most likely gone into the Dungeon to explore.
"Should I… keep helping Lord Takemikazuchi with part-time work, or go to the Dungeon to train and improve my status?"
The girl felt deeply conflicted.
She knew that Mikoto's choice to go explore the Dungeon was meant to strengthen herself, so that the familia team could have an easier time dealing with the complex environments of routine exploration.
And she herself… as a Lv1 adventurer...
Could she really accept the seniors' efforts with a clear conscience, and spend her time on part-time work instead?
As that thought crossed her mind, the image of Senior Kashima's imposing figure surfaced in Chigusa's thoughts. They had arrived in Orario at the same time, yet she had gradually been left behind by her companions.
"Seems like…"
"I really have to work harder!"
With that thought, the girl's mind instantly cleared. She jogged all the way back to her own room. She was also an all-round-type adventurer, but what she was best at was archery.
With her current strength, going back and forth through the shallow floors should not pose much of a problem.
As long as she did not go deeper than areas above the 12th Floor, Chigusa was confident that she could ensure her own safety and carry out Dungeon exploration on her own.
Perhaps it would bring a decent improvement to her ability values?
She did not hesitate at all. After explaining the situation to the War God Takemikazuchi and obtaining approval, she headed toward the direction of the Tower of Babel in the central plaza.
And then—
Chigusa saw two familiar figures, lining up to have their identities checked before entering the Dungeon.
Senior Mikoto went without saying. They had already known each other early on at the orphanage in the Far East, and no matter what, she would never forget her.
Rather, it was the boy standing beside Mikoto, occasionally talking with her, who made her feel familiar.
He was the one Lord Takemikazuchi had introduced that day, also a member of the Hestia Familia who lived in the communal dormitory—the Ron whom they were told to help each other.
"Why…"
"Why would Mr. Ron also be here?"
Their own patron god had indeed instructed them to help one another.
But the girl had not expected—that such help would extend into the Dungeon, or perhaps it was simply that they had a good relationship and had formed a party together.
At this moment, the best choice would actually be to join the team.
But then she thought of the admonition Lord Takemikazuchi had once given them: "Flowers grown in a greenhouse will never be able to withstand the violent storms of the outside world."
"Lord Takemikazuchi was indeed right."
"If an adventurer does not undergo real trials, it would probably be very difficult to grow, wouldn't it?"
Thus, Chigusa made her own choice.
Even if it meant slowing down the pace of Dungeon exploration, she would take ensuring her own safety as the foremost premise and carry out today's Dungeon exploration alone.
Immediately afterward, the girl encountered Ron and Mikoto again in the shallow floors of the Dungeon, where they were moving as a party.
Perhaps this was fate?
But as she reconsidered, she quickly realized that something was off. The 1st Floor was an area that the vast majority of adventurers passed through quickly.
Even for herself, factoring in the time spent lining up at the entrance of the Tower of Babel, with Senior Mikoto's strength, there was absolutely no reason for them to be lingering on the current floor for such a long time.
"Why… is it like this?"
The girl's head was filled with great confusion.
And then, the monster that entered her field of vision afterward completely overturned Chigusa's understanding of the Dungeon. From its dark green skin, she could recognize it—this should be the most basic monster, a Goblin.
For ordinary adventurers—even for herself when she had just arrived in Orario as a newcomer—killing this kind of monster did not require using any techniques at all.
But Chigusa always felt that this Goblin was somewhat different from the ones she had encountered before.
It had a robust build far exceeding that of its kind, and even the weapon in its hand was a strangely styled curved blade, making it look extremely dangerous.
"Could it be that abnormalities in the Dungeon have caused problems with the monsters?"
The girl decided to attribute the issue to this well-known phenomenon in Orario. Yet before she could move closer to observe, the battle had already ended.
Ron's movements were simply too clean and decisive.
Unlike the martial techniques of the Far East, his moves had no aesthetic appeal whatsoever—they were purely aimed at efficient killing and clearing monsters.
"So amazing…"
It was hard to associate this with the quite polite boy she had met a few times in the courtyard.
The battle was already over.
Continuing to spy would truly be impolite. Just as Chigusa prepared to switch to another cave passage and leave, the longbow on her back bumped into the cave wall.
As a result, fragments of already-loosened rubble fell to the ground.
Bang.
She probably wouldn't be discovered, right?
Just as she was holding onto a bit of wishful thinking, she saw the boy suddenly turn around. Those brown eyes—sharp like a soaring eagle's—locked precisely onto her position.
At this moment, Ron's gaze was exceedingly calm, yet it carried an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Her introverted and timid nature made Chigusa hastily step out from the shadowy corner and bow apologetically.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ron… Senior Mikoto. I didn't mean to follow you. I was just passing by, and then I saw you fighting."
"So I unconsciously stopped."
"…"
Hitachi Chigusa.
The bangs that shaded her face in black were highly distinctive. She was wearing a light-purple kimono, the hem of the skirt falling over the girl's long, slender, and well-proportioned legs.
The white bandages were not wrapped because of any injury—they served purely as decoration.
Ron could recognize her identity and did not harbor much suspicion. It was just that Chigusa's habit of immediately sliding into an apologetic kneel gave him a feeling he could not quite put into words.
It matched the original work.
"Miss Chigusa."
"You really make no sound when you walk."
He shook his head and joked lightly. During combat, it was difficult to pay attention to the surroundings. If not for the falling stones, it would have been hard to notice this girl with such a low sense of presence.
His relationship with the Takemikazuchi Familia was not bad.
His own martial skills and combat techniques had all been guided by their god, and even Mikoto, a Lv2 adventurer, had been his teammate during this period of time.
After a brief moment of thought, Ron smiled and asked, "Since you recognized it was us, why did you retreat—could it be that, in your eyes, Senior Yamato and I look like very frightening people?"
"N-no… that's not what I think."
The girl's voice was soft as she explained the whole sequence of events.
"I saw you at the central plaza earlier. It was just that we had to line up, and I never thought I would run into you again on the 1st Floor of the Dungeon."
"…"
It was rare for her to show such initiative toward Dungeon exploration.
After learning the full story, Mikoto naturally could not bring herself to blame Chigusa. She only thought about the Dungeon's complex environment—if Chigusa continued to explore alone, given Chigusa's personality, she would almost certainly run into trouble.
And just as she was hesitating over how to explain this to Ron, she heard the boy beside her speak up first, his tone slow and gentle, as he extended an invitation.
"Meeting like this means it's fate."
"The Dungeon environment is quite complex. Would you like to join our party and explore together?"
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