The black dungeon that appeared at Ikomasanjo Amusement Park had vanished, and the threat of a catastrophe with monsters flooding Osaka and Nara was averted.
However, it wasn’t a peaceful end for everyone.
In total, only twelve countries, including Japan, managed to conquer their black dungeons.
Other attempts ended in failure and 13 countries confirmed the appearance of monsters outside the dungeon.
These nations were now scrambling to handle the situation.
As for Hime, she had lost fifteen of her niisans and neesans.
Fortunately, her younger siblings, all under eighteen and too young to enter the dungeon, were safe.
-0-
Monday, back to school.
Alright, first period is Math III… Wait, what was the last lesson about?
「Morning, Ichino!」
「Oh, Aoki. Long time no see.」
「Long time no see? We just met the day before yesterday!」
Eh? The day before yesterday?
Oh, right. We ran into each other in the Kyoto dungeon on Saturday.
「Are you okay, man? Sure, there was a lot going on with evacuations yesterday, but still.」
「Evacuations? Oh yeah, that’s right. I was evacuating. Of course.」
「You sure you’re alright?」
My head was foggy, mainly from lack of sleep.
When I called my parents to let them know I was safe, I got a thorough scolding.
I had explained everything before diving into the PD, and they’d reluctantly agreed, but when I didn’t answer my phone afterward, they’d started worrying. It couldn’t be helped—smartphones don’t work inside the PD.
When I finally checked, I had over a hundred missed calls, emails, and messages.
They chewed me out when I got back, but the milk tea Mom made afterward tasted amazing.
Ayame probably got an earful too.
As for the Saint’s Elixir, Ayame insisted that we use this one on Gyuuzou-san.
Her curse was currently under control, thanks to Mikoto’s magic, so she wasn’t in urgent need of the potion.
I decided to take her up on that.
By now, Milk’s mother had probably already been informed.
-0-
「Ichino-kun! Come here for a second!」
「Oh, good morning, Mizuno-san.」
「Don’t ‘good morning’ me! Things have been a mess these past two days!」
Mizuno-san pulled me into a quiet spot, venting her frustrations.
Hmm? I understood why she was upset about the day before yesterday—she had brought Kuro to us, after all.
But why was yesterday a problem?
「Mizuno-san, your house is outside the evacuation zone, isn’t it?」
「It wasn’t about evacuation—it was inquiries! Turns out the gun Milk-chan uses was traced back to our factory. Someone from the Oshino Group found out, and then Hime-chan’s mother showed up at our place.」
Well, it made sense. If someone from the Oshino Group knew that Alpha was Hime, it wouldn’t take much to connect the dots and realize that Delta was Milk.
And from there, it wouldn’t be hard to discover that the weapons she used were manufactured by Mizuno-san, who was hired as a personal blacksmith.
Moreover, anyone digging deeper would figure out that Mizuno-san’s father ran the factory that produced dungeon equipment.
Still, for someone to watch the broadcast and show up at her factory the very next day to negotiate—that was some intense work speed.
「How did it go?」
「Our factory is now a full subcontractor for the Oshino Group. We won’t be able to make whatever we want, but at least we avoided going bankrupt… Although we were already losing clients, and now we won’t be able to work with any of our existing partners anymore….. My dad sighed a bit about that.」
「I see…」
「Sorry, no, we’re grateful the factory won’t shut down. Both my dad and mom are thankful to Hime-chan. And they’re grateful to you, too, Ichino-kun, for introducing us. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about! Are you okay? I heard you pushed yourself too hard yesterday. My dad showed me the video on his phone—Beta was you, right? It looked like you got slashed in the stomach. Is your wound okay?」
「I’m fine. Milk healed it for me.」
「Jeez… I was really worried about you.」
Mizuno-san complained with a look of relief on her face.
I probably should’ve called her yesterday.
She’d probably held back from calling me because she didn’t want to be a bother.
「Oh, right. We’re planning to have a small victory celebration today with the four of us. Would you like to join us, Mizuno-san?」
「Sorry, I’ve got a shift at the convenience store today.」
「Eh? You haven’t quit that yet?」
Honestly, I thought she’d be making enough money just from her blacksmithing job.
「I can’t just quit suddenly. I need to hand things over properly, and even though it’s just a student job, I don’t want to be irresponsible. I plan to keep it at least until summer break.」
「I see. Well, I’ll stop by for some shopping while I’m out walking Kuro and Shiro next time.」
「Haha, that’s a no-go for me. You’d only be adding more work, and besides, Kuro and Shiro can’t come inside the store.」
Mizuno-san laughed as she said that.
-0-
After changing at home, we all met in front of a karaoke box about twenty minutes away by bike.
We made sure to order a mountain of French fries first—those were essential.
「Alright, let’s have a toast to a job well done!」
Hime grabbed the microphone, energetically leading the toast.
「Are you sure it’s okay to toast? With your niisans and neesans gone, shouldn’t we be drinking in their memory?」
「It’s fine. I barely even knew most of them. Oh, speaking of neesan, Hi contacted me. She was visibly upset about not being chosen by Danpol.」
Hime said happily, but deep down, Hi was probably really worried about her.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reached out.
「So, how were things at home for Taira and Ayame? Did you get in trouble when you got back?」
「Yeah, I got quite the earful…」
「Me too. I got a thorough scolding.」
「But when you told them you’ll be getting 3 billion yen, they must’ve calmed down, right?」
Not quite.
Neither my mom nor dad really said much about the money.
As long as I didn’t waste it foolishly, is what they told me.
They didn’t ask for anything beyond what I’d already contributed to household expenses.
「It was the same for me—I was told to save it properly.」
「Is that so? I thought you’d all be moving into a bigger house with your whole family.」
We’re all attached to our current homes, so it wouldn’t be that simple.
「How about the four of us buy a shared house together? We could each put in about twenty million yen. Meeting at Hime’s hotel room every time is a bit weird, and if we’re going to keep using Taira’s PD, having a place where we can all live together might be more convenient.」
「A house worth eighty million yen? Isn’t that too small?」
Hime looked puzzled.
That’s plenty big!
In Osaka, you could get a house with a garden for that price, though if you’re talking about a penthouse in a high-rise, then you’d be looking at billions instead.
「Ano… can we even continue using the PD? Doesn’t it only work as long as you’re married? If Minister Uematsu officially reviews that marriage certificate and decides it’s inappropriate, then—」
「The marriage will be nullified…」
I muttered quietly to myself.
If the marriage is validated, I’d end up getting punished for bigamy.
「It’s sad that our marriage might end before I even get to become Ichino Ayame.」
「Yeah, after all the trouble we went through to get married…」
「…Me too.」
Hime murmured, lowering the hand holding the microphone.
「I wanted to be with Tair—」
Just then, a ringtone cut through the room.
It was Hime’s phone.
She pulled it out of her bag, looking annoyed.
「It’s Minister Uematsu.」
She answered the call.
「This is Oshino Hime—yes. Yes. Hold on, everyone’s here. Okay. I’ll put you on speaker.」
It seemed like the call wasn’t just for Hime, but for all four of us.
「I’ve put you on speaker.」
『It’s Uematsu. Can you all hear me? 』
It was Minister Uematsu. Was there some kind of emergency again?
「We can hear you.」
「Yes, Uncle.」
「Loud and clear.」
「Yes, we can hear you. Please go ahead.」
『I’m calling about your marriage registration. 』
「「「「――!?」」」」
Of course.
It had to be this.
There’s no way the minister would let such a bizarre marriage go unchecked.
『In light of recent events, the government is currently drafting a special law concerning explorers to secure talented individuals like yourselves. 』
A special law?
It looks like explorers are getting all kinds of benefits, just like the EPO organization.
With this level of favoritism, we’re bound to stir up some jealousy.
But why is he telling us this?
『Additionally, during the worldwide broadcast, it was revealed that nearly all of King Campbell’s children are talented explorers, leading to the conclusion that the aptitude for exploring is hereditary. The fact that Milk-chan is Gyuuzou’s daughter further supports this. 』
I was starting to see where this was going.
Could it be—
『As a result, the government is planning to pass a law allowing exceptional explorers, as recognized by the state, to engage in polygamy. Therefore, I will be holding onto your marriage certificate until this law is either passed or rejected. While you won’t be able to officially register your marriage for now, I recognize the four of you as being married. However, I must ask you not to speak of this to anyone. Having a minister hold a marriage certificate that could lead to bigamy, even before any legal backing, could cause some issues. 』
Minister Uematsu asked us to keep quiet about it.
I could barely process anything else he said after that.
The only thing I fully understood was that having three beautiful girls as my wives would bring its fair share of challenges, but more than anything, it made me the happiest high schooler in the world.
「Here’s your large order of French fries!」
The karaoke staff barged in without a hint of awareness, carrying the fries. The four of us each grabbed a fry, raised our hands, and shouted together.
「Cheers!」
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