It really did seem like we weren’t going to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine at all.
Instead, we set up the entrance to the dungeon right near the parking lot, and I descended the stairs next to the toilets, leading down underground.
At the entrance to the first floor, there were about 500 people gathered.
Lately, I’d been diving mostly in the dungeons managed by the Oshino Group, so I hadn’t experienced this normal dungeon crowds at all.
In fact, I remembered that it used to be even more crowded.
After the incident at the Stone Stage Dungeon, visitors had decreased for a while, but they’d apparently started coming back in recent times.
Aoki was lucky to have been leveling up when things were quieter.
In any case, we made our way to the reception area for those at level 10 and above.
It was relatively empty but still busier than it had been in the past.
I figured we’d be waiting for hours, but it turned out that EPO members get priority access. We’d only have to wait about fifteen minutes.
The perks of being in an EPO-certified organization are really something.
It almost felt unfair—people might start resenting us for it. I headed to the waiting room for level 10 and up participants, feeling a bit self-conscious.
That’s when—
「Ichino!」
To my surprise, I heard Aoki’s voice.
「Aoki!? And… Hibiki-san.」
Standing there were Aoki and his boss, Hibiki-san.
「Ichino-kun, right? I remember you. You and Aoki-kun know each other?」
「Yes, we’re friends.」
「What are the chances? So you’re here too? And—whoa, three cute girls with you? Ah, she’s the one with you earlier—」
「It’s been a while, Aoki.」
「No way, is that you Makino!? Long time no see! Oh, Hibiki-san, let me introduce you. This is Makino Milk, childhood friend of mine and Ichino’s. Milk, this is my boss, Hibiki Sho.」
「I’m Makino Milk.」
「Hibiki Sho desu. Makino-san, I’ve heard about you—aren’t you Gyuuzou-san’s daughter? Aoki’s mentioned it before. And all three of you have the distinct hair color of an Awakened.」
「I’m Azuma Ayame. I’m an Awakened, but—」
「I’m Oshino Hime. I’m half American, so I’m not exactly an Awakened.」
Hime added.
「What’s this, Ichino? You always act like you’re not interested in girls, but here you are, living the dream with three of them in a dungeon. How’s that for life, huh?」
Aoki says so as he makes fun of me.
I mean, from an outsider’s perspective, it did probably look that way.
But dealing with this kind of situation was harder than it looked.
「In any case, Ichino and Makino huh. Makino, that promise—」
「Ah, ah! Aoki, can I talk to you for a sec?」
Milk quickly interrupted and dragged Aoki away before he could finish his sentence.
What’s going on?
As I wondered about that, I noticed Hibiki-san watching me intently.
「Ichino-kun, can I have a word?」
It seemed like he didn’t want anyone else to hear what he had to say, so I excused myself from the group and walked over to the corner of the room with Hibiki-san.
He looked hesitant, as if unsure how to broach the subject.
「Ano, about that whole thing with you becoming a streamer…」
「Oh, no, don’t worry about that. Aoki joined the team, so I don’t need anyone else now. Actually, I wanted to ask you something—about Aoki.」
「Aoki?」
「Yes… Is he really *he*?」
Huh? What was he getting at?
I had no idea what he meant, and as I struggled to grasp it, Hibiki-san asked again, this time more seriously.
「Is Aoki-kun really a boy?」
「What? Of course he is.」
「But… his voice is quite cute. And… every time he uses the bathroom, the toilet seat is always down when he comes out.」
「Yeah, he always sits when he goes. His dad’s a police officer, so he was raised with strict habits.」
「Have you ever seen *that* first hand?」
I won’t ask what.
I could guess it was *that*.
If *that* exists, then it would be easy proof that he’s a guy.
「Well… uh, no, I don’t remember seeing it.」
I answered honestly.
I’ve never gone to a bathhouse with him, and in the pool or locker room, I never bothered to look.
Most high schoolers use a towel to cover themselves anyway.
「See? Could it be that—」
「No, there’s nothing like that. He doesn’t even have a chest, right?」
「If we’re talking about that, even Hime-san over there is the same, isn’t she?」
「Please don’t say that to her face. I’ll get yelled at too.」
Hibiki-san was clearly confused, saying something pretty rude.
There’s no way Aoki could be a girl.
Sure, if you made him dress up, he’d probably turn into a breathtakingly beautiful girl, but normally, he’s just a boy with a baby face who loves dirty jokes.
No, definitely not—though I keep insisting.
「But the possibility that Aoki-kun is a girl—」
That was the conclusion Hibiki-san arrived at.
I was starting to think maybe he was just exhausted.
I sincerely hoped he would take a proper rest.
I was getting a little worried.
-0-
After that, we left Aoki and the others behind and entered the dungeon first.
No one around us objected.
Some people in the waiting area were still there, but others had gone off sightseeing while they waited.
It seemed like we’d gotten here earlier and finished checking in ahead of time.
Since the lower floors were crowded, we moved up to the seventh floor, where Hime had some business.
「What kind of monster are you looking for?」
「A cat doll.」
「A cat doll? What does it look like?」
「It looks like a maneki-neko (beckoning cat). It doesn’t physically attack, but its skill is quite fearsome.」
「A skill?」
「It’s called *Youzan Shugo*—a skill that seals the power of beast-type monsters. The boss on the 20th floor of the Tenshiba Dungeon where we’re based is a monkey-type monster, so I want to learn it.」
Beast-type, huh… I mean, if it works against animals, it could work on us too, right?
「Once your abilities are sealed, they’ll return once you defeat the monster or move to a different floor, so there’s no need to worry.」
「Then we’re safe—alright, let’s head toward the monster’s presence.」
We moved toward where we could sense monsters.
What we found was… a gigantic rat.
It was the size of a nutria, and its teeth and fangs looked much sharper than any wild rat.
Just imagining what kind of diseases I could get from being bitten or scratched by that thing sent a chill down my spine.
I was about to pull out Futsu-no-mitama from my inventory and take it down—
「Wait, Taira! Let me handle this one!」
Milk pulled something out from her golf bag.
No way—that’s—
「Is that… a gun!?」
It looked like an old matchlock rifle, though without the fuse.
You’re not supposed to bring guns into dungeons, right?
And modern weapons don’t usually work well against monsters, either—
「Release: Gunpowder Creation.」
The inside of the gun gleamed for a moment. Milk took aim and—
「Release: Hot Stone Bullet!」
The next moment, the gunshot echoed through the dungeon. The giant rat had a small hole blown straight through its belly.
「Got it!」
「No, you didn’t just ‘get it’—what the heck was that—」
「This might look like a gun, but it’s actually a magical tool. The magic strengthens the speed of Hot Stone Bullet using the power of gunpowder. Normally, gunpowder can’t be brought into dungeons, but with this, it’s possible. The range is also greatly increased, so I can take down enemies from far away with a single shot.」
Even if she says it cutely, what she’s describing is straight out of a sniper’s playbook.
「You got government approval for that?」
「Well, I heard it from Mizuno-san’s dad. Back when dungeons first appeared, companies were experimenting with making guns that would work inside dungeons. The idea was to develop guns that didn’t use gunpowder, but instead used wind magic to compress air and increase the speed of stone-based magic.」
「I’ve heard about that. In the end, they only managed to make something like a toy cork gun, and the project was abandoned.」
「Yeah, that’s what happened. But during that time, laws were created for the development, production, and transport of dungeon-compatible guns. So, I used that loophole to get permission from the Osaka Dungeon Bureau. It was a close call, though. Papa pulled some strings for me, too.」
Milk said this with a smile.
Even overseas, Gyuuzou-san’s influence is strong.
And Mizuno-san, who managed to make it happen in just a few days, is pretty impressive, too.
Come to think of it, she used to make toy guns.
So, she already had the know-how when it came to guns.
「Milk-chan’s magic is amazing, but Mizuno-san’s skill is just as incredible.」
「We’ll have to give Mai a special reward.」
「Yeah—Milk’s combat power just got a serious upgrade.」
Still… a high school girl using holy water and guns.
What kind of new fighting style is she trying to create here?
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