[Magic Can Opener: Can open any D-can, but only once.]
The golden knife resembled a large Swiss Army knife, but the appraisal clearly identified it as the Magic Can Opener.
This was the key to opening any D-can, and he had three of them, meaning we could open three ultra rare cans.
「But are you sure this was the best choice? I could’ve arranged for a different item. Though I’ve seen this go for over ten million yen at auction a few times, that was mostly due to me and another guy bidding against each other. Honestly, I don’t think it’s really worth that much.」
「Wait, Saijo-san, you were the one who bid on it?」
「I was hoping for another shot… If I could get another dragon egg, and this time a male hatched, I thought they could mate, and maybe I’d get a dragon brood with White. Of course, it didn’t work out.」
Well, of course, it’s not that easy.
「I lost 90% of my fortune because of those D-cans… It’s embarrassing, really. My wife was furious, and I ended up getting rid of all the cans, but I just couldn’t part with this Magic Can Opener… I suppose there was still some regret lingering.」
「That’s unfortunate.」
「Yes, it is. Maybe my Luck Stat just wasn’t high enough… But I wonder, would someone like you, with that sharp abnormal of luck, have a different result?」
「―――(Shudder)!」
A cold chill shot through my spine.
For a brief moment, Saijo-san’s presence changed.
In that instant, I couldn’t move—not because of any skill, but due to the sheer terror of standing before someone vastly stronger than me.
I thought I had grown stronger.
I was even starting to believe that beating Gyuuzou-san wasn’t far off.
But this… this was the power of a top-tier explorer.
「I apologize if I scared you. I got a little jealous there. I’m Level 300, but my Luck Stat stopped increasing after it reached 102 at Level 200. It seems that’s not the case for you, though.」
He said with a smile, and the oppressive pressure vanished as if it had never been there.
Though my Luck Stat is officially recorded as being under 100, did he somehow see through that?
Hopefully, he didn’t realize it’s in the four digits.
「Oh, and by the way, please keep it a secret that I’m a dragon tamer. In return, I won’t say anything about you being part of Team Messiah.」
「Y-Yeah, of course.」
I felt a drop of sweat trickle down from my temple and run down my cheek.
After that, we finalized the details of Saijo-san’s trade for the Capture Balls and signed the necessary contracts.
Hime invited him to stay for dinner, but he politely declined, saying he had plans to visit Nintend〇 W〇rld and the P〇kémon Center.
Such a free-spirited person.
-0-
When he left, I collapsed onto the couch.
Immediately, Hime positioned herself underneath me, and I ended up resting my head on her lap. Since the meeting room wasn’t visible from the outside, I figured it was fine.
「How was it?」
「Ah, I was getting ahead of myself. That’s what a top-tier explorer looks like.」
「It’s a path we’ll walk ourselves soon enough.」
Like Hime said, that level wasn’t our goal but a mere path.
I guess that’s what she really meant when she said she wanted to be the very best in the world.
「Three Magic Can Openers—the exact number of rare cans we have.」
「What should we do? Want to open them right away?」
「Nah, let’s wait until everyone’s here…」
Milk and Ayame are looking forward to it too.
「You’re incredible, Hime. You talk to people like him all the time?」
I gazed up at her face from her lap, realizing just how much I’ve been leaning on her.
「Have I made you fall for me all over again?」
「I’ve been in love with you this whole time.」
「Fufu, thanks. But, people like him are rare. Most of the officials and corporate bigwigs start by underestimating me, so it’s easier to get the upper hand with them.」
That sounds much harder to me.
「By the way, Hime… you’re the one who asked White to use that intimidation skill, right?」
He just suddenly lost temper out of nowhere which made everything obvious.
I’m sure she did it to let me safely experience the power of a top-ranked explorer.
You don’t get opportunities like that often—there’s no other way to feel it firsthand.
When I shared my theory, she responded with a smile and the classic line:
「Interesting deduction, Detective-kun. Maybe you should try becoming a novelist? 」
I laughed back with the standard line a criminal would say.
※ ※ ※
Saturday.
We all gathered in Hime’s room at the hotel in Tennoji.
It had been a while since we’d all been here.
Before diving into the Tenshiba Dungeon, we were going to open the ultra rare cans.
Three ultra rare cans.
Three magic can openers.
But there were four of us.
Someone wasn’t going to get a chance to open one, and I thought there’d be a fight over it, but…
「I think Taira should open them all.」
「Yes, I agree. I think Ichino-san should do it.」
「Exactly. Taira, you should open all three.」
What?
I was sure everyone would want a turn, but somehow, I was the only one expected to open them.
「Since Ichino-san’s luck stat might affect what’s inside.」
Ayame added.
Alright then, I guess I’ll do it.
「…Should we stop by a shrine and pray first?」
I recalled there was a small shrine in front of Abeno Harukas.
Pretty sure it was dedicated to Inari, and we could probably get some of Mikoto’s blessings…
「No need for that.」
Milk urged me impatiently.
Fine, here goes nothing.
I grabbed the golden knife.
「Taira! Focus!」
「Yeah, I know! Time to put this ten million-yen opener to use!」
With that, I stabbed the magic can opener into the rare can and began cutting around the top.
Once the can was open, the magic opener vanished.
We all peered inside.
「Paper? Another magic tool recipe?」
「There’s a key in there too.」
「Taira, could you appraise it?」
I couldn’t tell if it was a win or a loss, so I used appraisal.
[Map of the Treasure Dungeon – A map showing the location of the Treasure Dungeon]
[Key to the Treasure Dungeon – A key required to enter the Treasure Dungeon]
…A Treasure Dungeon?
Further appraisal revealed that only those who possess the map can see the dungeon’s entrance, and the key allows the entire party to enter.
Also, the dungeon’s location is within 100 kilometers of where the map was found by land.
「Ever heard of a Treasure Dungeon?」
「No, never… How far does that 100-kilometer radius cover from here?」
「Ehto…」
Ayame checked her smartphone.
「If we opened it here, the southernmost point is Tanabe in Wakayama Prefecture, the northernmost is Maizuru in Kyoto, the east covers Matsuzaka and Tsu in Mie Prefecture, and to the west, it reaches Awaji Island.」
「So, that pretty much includes all of Kansai.」
「Though Mie Prefecture is part of the Kinki region, not technically Kansai.」
Milk corrected me.
Wait, Kinki and Kansai are different? I didn’t know that.
Still, a 100-kilometer range was a relief.
If we’d opened the map and it pointed to the top of Mount Everest, we’d be in trouble.
「What if the entrance is inside someone’s house? Since it only appears on land, we should’ve opened the map on a deserted island surrounded by water.」
「Hindsight, huh? Well, let’s go ahead and open the map now.」
I unfolded the map.
The issue would be whether we could recognize the location. If it showed a mountain range with no landmarks, identifying the spot would be tough.
Please, let it be somewhere easy to find.
It wasn’t a mountain range.
It was along Route 31. Which prefecture is this?
The only clue was a place called Taga no Hama Beach.
Thank goodness for smartphones—one quick search, and I found it. It’s a beach on Awaji Island.
A beautiful, shallow beach, with a famous sunset over the Harima Sea.
「Shall we go check it out tomorrow?」
It was close enough for a day trip.
「Wait! Can we go in August? I’ve been eating too much lately…」
「I’ll need to get a new swimsuit.」
Hey, this isn’t a vacation!
Come on, Hime, back me up— I looked at her, but…
「……..」
For some reason, Hime was gazing out the window, lost in thought.
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