"Sorry to keep you waiting! I hope I didn't make you wait too long."
"No... I wasn't really waiting, anyway."
It kind of feels... like we're a couple on a date. If I keep thinking like this, I'll probably get punched by that handso guy. I need to restrain myself.
"You know, you can just talk normally?"
"P-Please, spare , Asakawa-san."
"You can call Nanami if you want."
"Eek."
I made the sa sound as when I was threatened by that handso guy. It seems like the fear of getting too close to Asakawa-san and the fear of being attacked by that handso guy are on the sa level for . Well, getting too close to Asakawa-san will probably lead to getting beaten up by that handso guy, so I guess it's the sa thing.
"Well, whatever. Shall we go?"
"Y-Yes."
It looks like she gave up on that idea. If it were the staff at the Shibuya Dungeon, I could talk normally because I'm familiar with them... but I can't talk face-to-face with people at school. I know it's usually the opposite, but as a dungeon recluse, this makes sense for .
Since we t in front of Shibuya Station, I thought she might take to so trendy place where popular people hang out, but we ended up going to a café right in front of the station's underground dungeon.
This café is one I often use, where many dungeon explorers hang out. Regular custors hardly ever co here. It's practically an explorer-only place, so the prices are quite high. Well, considering they use high-quality beans for the coffee, it's no surprise, but they also have private rooms. Even though it's a café.
"It's my first ti coming to this café."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah? I an, the money I earn goes toward tuition, food, living expenses... all sorts of things."
"S-So you live alone, huh?"
"Yeah."
That's kind of surprising. I always thought that soone as polite as her would definitely be living at ho sowhere near Tokyo, but it turns out Asakawa-san lives alone.
"My dad insisted on choosing a place with top-notch security since I'm a high school girl living alone... but it's still expensive, you know?"
"Well... yeah, that makes sense."
I own a few condos myself, so I kind of get it, but not really. I an, I only buy high-security, expensive condos. But I do know the general market rate for rent and such, so I understand how much a secure place costs. Lately, land prices are higher for places near dungeons than for those near stations.
"Phew... It was hot outside."
"...Yeah."
"Hehe... Haha! You're nervous, aren't you?"
"Sorry."
Well, it is July, but I didn't say that out loud. And I ended up apologizing reflexively. My lack of communication skills is really making want to cry.
Asakawa-san is laughing it off, but a normal person would probably not want to talk to soone who just keeps apologizing. Well... if she said that after inviting out, I'd be so shocked I'd probably skip school.
"There aren't many people our age who are seriously doing dungeon exploration, so I guess I got a bit excited."
"...What about that handso guy?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Um... the guy in our class with brown hair."
"Oh, Kurihara-kun?"
Yeah, that's right, Kurihara-kun.
He's a C-rank explorer like Asakawa-san, so I figured he'd be soone she could talk to. Has he been erased from her mind or sothing?
"Well... Kurihara-kun is, how do I put it... complicated?"
"C-Complicated..."
"Sorry. I was trying to be polite... I'm not really comfortable around him."
Poor handso guy.
"Being an explorer is dangerous, so not many people want to do it."
"But there are a lot of people with the qualification, right?"
"They only have it for the sake of having it, or they just stick to the upper floors. There aren't many people who go as deep as the middle floors, like you and ."
Well... that's true. It's a qualification you can put on your resu, so a lot of people get it even if they've never actually gone into a dungeon. Still, the governnt is probably just happy to have more qualified explorers. They keep track of how many people are actively exploring since the qualification needs to be renewed annually.
About half the people in our class have the explorer qualification, but most only go into dungeons as a side job. The only ones seriously doing it are probably just , Asakawa-san, and that handso guy who's supposedly C-rank.
"That's why classmates who are active explorers are really valuable. Can we exchange contact information?"
"...Sure."
"What's with the hesitation?"
She laughed at again. But, wow, her smile is really cute.
No, it's just that as an introverted loner, I get all awkward when soone asks to exchange contact information. And she's way too close to , psychologically speaking, just because we're both explorers. If she keeps this up, it's easy for soone like to fall for her, so she really should stop.
"You seem a bit awkward in conversation, but you can respond normally. So why are you always alone in the classroom?"
"...That's a no-go topic for introverted loners."
"Huh? Really?"
"It is."
"Got it."
Wait, she actually understood that? I said it, but I couldn't even convince myself with that explanation, so why does it make sense to her?
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Just as I was struggling with my conversation with Asakawa-san, our drinks arrived. It seems she ordered tea, but I'm still a coffee person, no matter what. I do like tea, but if I had to choose, it'd be coffee.
Whether or not I add sugar and milk depends on the beans, but I generally prefer it black. That's my favorite.
"..."
"Is sothing wrong?"
"No, it's just... you ordered sothing pretty expensive."
Well, coffee can be so expensive that you can't afford to think about the price. But it's not like I drink it just because it's expensive.
"I'll... pay for it."
"Huh? But I'm making pretty good money too, you know?"
"You ntioned tuition and stuff earlier."
"But we go to the sa school, right?"
She's got a point... But I can't exactly tell her that I've been sighing at the growing numbers in my bank account, so what should I do?
"Well... if you answer my questions, I'll let you pay for it."
"...I don't really see how that benefits ."
"You're right! S-Sorry."
"No, it's fine... I'll pay. And I'll answer your questions."
I an, the whole reason we're here at this café is for to answer her questions. Paying for the drinks and answering questions are separate issues.
"T-Thank you... So, here's my first question."
"Go ahead."
"It was you, Kisaragi-kun, who saved yesterday and the day before, right?"
So that's what she wanted to talk about. But didn't she already have a pretty good idea? She seed confident when we talked in class.
Well, there's nothing to hide, so I'll just tell her everything.
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