In Search of Ingredients, We Headed Into a Dungeon

"Wow, this place is huuuge…! Ah, there's a dragon!!!"

The Magic Shop Leon, Royal Capital Store staff had come on a supply run to a large supermarket set up in the suburbs.

Fino was crowing in delight, pointing at the warehouse-high ceiling and the little dragon hauling a stocking cart. Beside her, pushing a shopping cart, Raul grumbled.

"Still, why come all the way out here…? There are supermarkets nearby, and they're all the same…"

"… Don't underestimate supermarkets, Raul Chaser."

The honey-haired girl gave a sniff, as though she'd taken offense at Raul's words.

"You see, every supermarket has its own specialty. Speaking from the experience of having combed every supermarket in the royal capital, I judged this one to be the best for today's run."

"Heehee, thank you for finding us a store, Airi-san."

"As expected, Airi knows so much!"

"… Sure are a lot of free samples around, though."

While Manager Seara smiled her thanks and Fino murmured admiringly, Raul let that last bit slip as he gazed around the floor. Airi's face went bright red and her voice spiked.

"Th-that's not what I came here for…! Anyway, Fino-san, you understand, right? You're getting awfully excited, but we're not here to play around today, all right?"

"Yeah, of course!"

Fino nodded firmly at Airi and, walking ahead, threw her chest out with full confidence.

"For the event finally happening tomorrow, our mission today is to buy ingredients for omurice…"

Fino went abruptly quiet. Following her line of sight, Raul couldn't help going half-lidded.

"… Fino. I told you before, but the kids' cart is for kids only, you know?"

"I-I know that!!?"

Fino tore her eyes away from the dragon-shaped cart and shook her head in a hurry. Raul let out a sigh as he watched her.

"Just hurry up and finish this. We've got a lot to do today besides shopping."

"Yes. Today's our regular day off, but we still have a mountain of preparations for tomorrow."

"Ahhh… what time are we even gonna be done…"

Beside the smiling Manager, the slit-eyed Assistant Manager grumbled wearily… And then.

"Raul!!"

In one corner of the produce section, where colorful vegetables and fruits were lined up, Fino had been peering into a display of purple fruit. She leapt back in alarm.

"H-hey, this apple just moved!! It's, it's twitching!"

"… Well, of course. It's 'live produce.'"

Airi looked down at the rattled Fino with a deadpan expression. Beside her, Raul explained.

"It's a tobi-apple. Like that Wula that turned up at our store the other day, it's an in-between of animal and plant. An 'animal-plant.' 'Live produce' means it's still alive. Well, it's pretty rare to find one on sale alive…"

"See, didn't I tell you? The freshness here is incredible… Come on, Fino-san, let's go?"

"O-okay…"

Prodded by Airi's smug-sounding declaration, Fino, who had been staring at a kamitsuki-momo baring its teeth at her, gave a hesitant nod.

"Hey, only Airi keeps getting free sample sweets, no fair!"

"B-because this one uses chocolate! You know your constitution. One bite of chocolate and you go wobbly!"

"But Airi, you're not going to buy it, right? Is it okay to eat free samples when you've got no intention of buying?"

"Wha, y-you…!"

"… Could you two be a little quieter?"

"Collagen-packed! Sterile farm-raised slime hot pot for plump, smooth skin!" "Add one more dish to tonight's dinner! Dragon skewers (sauce or salt), 98 gold each!" "From 4 PM today, a live kraken-butchering sale on stock shipped direct from Everead Port!" Amidst the POP signs of all sizes jostling for attention in the supermarket, Raul pushed a cart loaded with buchi-onions, ama-carrots, Hane Beans, futago-tomato ketchup, bouillon cubes, snow rice, and other ingredients, watching the two girls bicker through half-lidded eyes.

… Then the Manager looked up and called gently to Fino.

"Fino-chan, Fino-chan, we're at the meat aisle. Your favorite, right?"

"Waaah!!!"

The moment Manager Seara said it, Fino, who had been puffing out her cheeks at Airi, dashed over with her eyes shining.

"Amazing, there's so much meat…!"

Chicken, pork, beef, dragon meat, and an assortment of other game meats. Fino practically nuzzled the prepackaged cuts lined up in the magic-lamp-lit refrigerated showcases and sighed dreamily.

"Ouroboros spare ribs, chimera gizzards, orthros filet, phoenix wingtips… waaah, amazing!!! They've even got fresh griffon liver!!! It's hellish if it hits you, but it's so soft and melty, it's so delicious…!"

"… Fino, you're drooling."

"… I'm not buying anything pricey like phoenix. Today we're sticking to the recipe. Just the Hexa Chicken thigh, 28 gold per gram."

"It's cheap meat, but soak it in milk-oil and chicken-herb and it turns out really good."

"Uuuugh…"

While Fino gazed longingly at meat labeled "Royal Capital Phoenix," Airi tossed a frozen Hexa Chicken thigh, the six-legged chicken's bulk-value pack, into the basket.

Pushing the heavier cart, Raul murmured.

"Uh, that just leaves the eggs…"

"… Yeah, about that."

At Raul's words, Airi made a puzzled face.

"I haven't been able to find the egg section anywhere. Past here is just frozen foods, drinks, and the bakery…"

… And then.

"This is a pain, here too…"

A little past the meat aisle where Raul and the rest had paused, a middle-aged man stood gazing up at an empty refrigerated showcase, sighing.

"Mister, what's wrong?"

At Fino's words, spoken without a hint of hesitation, the man in the well-worn apron looked utterly drained as he gazed up at the shelf in front of him.

"Don't know what's going on, but seems like every egg in the royal capital's been bought up lately. Wherever you go, no eggs to be had. This makes ten stops for me. Asked a clerk just now and supposedly even the wholesalers aren't getting any… I'm telling you, it's a real headache."

The man, who looked to be in the food-service business, let out a sigh in front of them.

Looking again, Raul saw that the shelves he'd assumed were just being restocked still had little price tags labeled "Egg" sticking out across the empty space… wait!

Letting go of the cart on reflex, Raul rushed up to the shelf.

"We have an omurice showdown, and we can't get eggs. That's a disaster!"

"Oh dear…"

"… Yeah, no way to substitute for this…"

Manager Seara froze with an uncharacteristically grave expression. The Assistant Manager stared at the lone pack of thumbnail-sized clouzula eggs left in the corner of the shelf and muttered.

"If they've bought it up at the wholesale level, going around to other stores is gonna be wasted shoe leather…"

"Don't tell me, Amada again…!"

Looking up at the empty shelf, Raul clenched his fist. Damn it, those guys would absolutely pull a stunt like this!

"Wh-what do we do…!"

Fino, finally grasping the gravity of the situation, gripped Raul's sleeve tightly.

"If we can't make omurice, does that mean we'll lose without even trying?"

Looking up at Raul, on the verge of tears, the rattled Fino practically wailed.

"Do I… do I have to go to Amada's manager…!?"

"… It's too early to give up, Fino-san."

The honey-haired girl raised her voice, as if scolding Fino's defeatist attitude.

"If we can't buy them, we just have to procure them ourselves!"

… As she spoke, Airi pulled an item from her pocket.

The moment Raul laid eyes on it, he sucked in a breath as though witnessing something impossible.

"Wait, 'All-A,' you had a MagicPhone too?!!!"

"Yes. I signed the contract back in my Amada days."

"Wow, Airi, that's so cool!!"

"On top of that, it's a smart-type that can access MITNet, same as Assistant Manager's…"

Beside Fino, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement, Raul couldn't help giving her a sidelong look.

"… You're so broke you can't even afford decent meat. What're you doing pushing yourself for that?"

"It's a two-year lock-in, so I can't cancel for another year! The early-termination fee is bigger than the base monthly fee! … A-and if I hadn't quit being a full-time Amada employee, I could've afforded the MagicPhone bill just fine!"

"… Besides, the only incoming calls in this thing are from Amada…"

"Hey, wh-what are you looking at!!"

When Raul peered into the Magic Display, the girl hurriedly hid the screen and shouted.

"Not that, look at this!"

Voice still raised, the girl thrust the website at him.

"'D-DunLog'!?" the staff chorused, eyes going wide.

"What…"

After a beat, Raul asked, somewhat sheepishly.

"… What's this?"

"Wait, don't tell me a former hero-aspirant like you doesn't know?"

"I mean, my hometown didn't have any magic items…"

While the girl narrowed her eyes in surprise, Raul muttered self-consciously. Airi sighed and opened her mouth.

"'Dungeon Log'… it's a word-of-mouth review site for dungeon information. As the Assistant Manager said the other day, MITNet started from hero info-sharing, and this is one of those grand-old veteran sites from the dawn period. You can search and look up dungeon info by popularity rankings and reviews."

"Oh my, I'd heard there were sites like that, but it's my first time seeing one."

"… Wait, what the hell is a dungeon popularity ranking…"

Manager Seara murmured admiringly, while Raul couldn't help griping.

"Look, right now Albatross Dragons are in spawning season, right? Their eggs are about five hundred times the size of a regular one, taste great, and they'd be perfect for our omurice."

While she talked, Airi tapped away at her MagicPhone with practiced ease.

"Let's see, region 'royal capital vicinity,' time of day 'noon,' purpose 'ingredient hunting,' and for advanced search check 'same-day trip from nearest city' and 'year-round operation,' keyword field 'Albatross Dragon,' sort by recommended…"

"'Year-round operation,' huh…"

"Wow, that's convenient. There are lots of dungeons you can only enter during specific seasons. New-moon nights, festival periods, or when the shadows of the two statues at the entrance overlap once a year…"

"Speaking of which, the Demon King's castle (my old home) used to get its gates shut on Pops' whim too…"

"Right? It'd be a wasted trip if you went all the way there and couldn't even get in."

Catching Fino's nod of understanding, Airi declared smugly.

Gazing at the advanced-search checkboxes, Raul muttered on.

"…'Legendary treasure present,' 'rare monsters appear,' 'rest area available,' those make some sense, but 'beautiful scenery,' 'hidden-spot dungeon,' 'featured in media,' 'bring your own lunch OK,' 'shop on-site,' 'dragon parking,' 'restrooms,' 'family-friendly,' 'couples-friendly,' 'solo-friendly'…"

"The low-danger dungeons around the royal capital are basically tourist spots."

Airi answered Raul's still-uneasy expression as though it were the most natural thing.

"It doesn't matter for us with weekday days off, but apparently they get pretty crowded during big holidays."

"Huh…"

"Totally satisfied! Five stars!" "Eh, average. Three stars." "Conscientious dungeon. Three stars." "Big letdown. Five stars." Gazing at the row of review titles and overall ratings stacked down the screen, Raul went half-lidded in spite of himself. … What the hell does "conscientious dungeon" even mean… actually, what criteria are you even using to give a dungeon a five-star rating…

… And then.

"Found one!"

Airi, who'd been wrestling with her MagicPhone, suddenly raised her voice.

"Look, how about here? The danger rating's on the high side, but from the reviews there don't seem to be any troublesome monsters, and with you, me, and the Manager, I think we can handle it."

Danger rating four stars… noting the listing of "[Hero]-license-holder level," Raul shivered a little but nodded.

"… Well, doesn't seem like we have any other options."

"Right. Raul-kun, Airi-san, I'll come with you too…"

… And then.

The Manager's voice abruptly cut off.

At the same time, her abundant chestnut hair rippled in one great wave!?

"Manager!!?" the staff all cried out as Manager Seara wobbled where she stood.

The Assistant Manager Visor, who'd caught her shoulder on reflex, raised a flustered voice.

"Manager, what's wrong?"

"… Sorry, I just felt a little dizzy."

The Manager smiled faintly, but her face had gone pale. The Assistant Manager narrowed his eyes at the obvious wrongness of it.

"… Manager. Go home and rest for a bit…"

"But we still have to get the eggs, and it's too dangerous for Raul-kun and the others to go alone…"

"Don't push yourself. By the look of it, you haven't been sleeping properly lately, have you…?"

"That's right!"

Raul and the others nodded in chorus.

"Leave this to us, Manager! Please go home and rest!"

"As for the eggs, we'll figure something out!"

"Manager… it's all my fault, but I keep making you do all this stuff for me, I'm sorry…"

"Everyone… I'm sorry. Thank you so much…"

After her staff's words, Manager Seara hesitantly nodded.

Then, leaving the Assistant Manager's side, the Manager crouched down and untied the laces of her shoes.

"Right. Raul-kun, if you don't mind, please take these."

"Huh…?"

A worn pair of shoes, handed over by Manager Seara.

But the moment Raul saw the logo, his eyes flew wide.

"Wait, aren't these 'Flying Shoes'?!"

"'Flying Shoes'?"

"Yes."

Manager Seara nodded gently at Fino's parroted echo.

"Boots that use magic to cancel your weight so you can jump high or run fast, just like Fino-chan. They're anti-demonkin gear, one of the basic equipment loadouts for heroes."

"I practiced with these a few times at hero-prep academy, and they're a huge advantage in combat, but the price is insane, so it's basically the kind of thing you can't buy unless you actually become a [Hero]…"

"Manager, you've been wearing these?"

In front of the longed-for item, Raul and Airi murmured in awe.

"They're one-size-fits-all, so they should fit Raul-kun too. Since you've practiced with them, you know. When you push off, be careful not to hit the switch by mistake and lose your balance. Also, canceling your weight burns a lot of magic, so watch your mana reserves, okay?"

"Ahh… anyway, leave the Manager and the ingredient run to me."

Saying so, the Assistant Manager took over the shopping cart Raul had set aside.

The Manager spoke up, looking worried.

"… Please be very, very careful out there, all right?"

 

*

 

"?!!!!"

Crushed underfoot as he stumbled back, an imi-grass released a deep, pungent blue scent.

Recovering his stance in a heartbeat and bringing up his sword, Raul couldn't help shouting.

"Hey, didn't you say there weren't any troublesome monsters, 'All-A'?!"

"It said so right at the bottom of the site, didn't it?!"

The honey-haired girl shouted back even as she pointed her sword tip at the several monsters hissing in front of them.

"'*The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate, as it is user-submitted. Use at your own risk'…"

"Yeah, but even so!"

Glittering gold beaks and dazzling feathers.

Raul cut down a monster that came lunging at him and raised his voice.

"A gold basilisk is a danger-class-S monster that carries paralysis venom!"

To get the eggs needed for omurice, they'd come at Airi's suggestion to the "Monster-Dense Zone," the dungeon on the outskirts of the royal capital.

Inside a forest dotted with ruins built of massive stones, the imi-grass commonly called monster-herbs grew thick, and the monsters that gathered to feed on it had built their own ecosystem there.

"There wasn't anything this dangerous even at the dungeons we visited for hero-prep field training! For a monster this high-level to be this close to the royal capital…"

Raul cried out, swinging his sword with care.

Wary of its sharp beak, Airi drove her sword full-force into the basilisk's neck.

"Well, normally these are the type that don't leave the dungeon. Or maybe they only started living here recently. Look, the last review post on this dungeon's page was from a pretty old date, right? Since the [Hero System] was abolished, it seems info on high-danger places hasn't been updated much…"

"Then you should've told me that sooner!!"

"Raul!!!"

… And then.

Hearing the voice behind him, Raul whirled around and, activating the "Flying Shoes," kicked off the ground.

"Fino!!!"

A thin sweatshirt, a soft-material skirt, and a big khaki rucksack.

Fino had been falling back, sheltered by the two of them as they fought the basilisks. A faintly blue-tinted gel-like mass was wrapped around her foot.

The color and texture were just like the slimes you'd see on roadsides or in kitchens, but the size was on a completely different scale… damn it!

"R-Raul! M-my, my foot, it's not moving…!"

The semi-transparent monster was steadily engulfing the body of the rattled girl pleading for help.

Touching the magic already running through his sword, Raul roared with everything he had.

"'Output Raise'!!"

Throwing the sword's magic output up in one shot, he slashed at the slime's pseudopod trying to swallow Fino.

… And yet.

"Tch, just as I thought, can't cut through…!"

After a sizzling sound, the dent in the slime's body immediately filled back in. Raul clicked his tongue… And then.

"Hey, no way?!"

Glancing over while still squared off against a basilisk, Airi caught sight of the meters-wide mass, like a pond risen up onto land, and sucked in her breath.

"D-don't tell me, that's an omega slime?!"

Just as Airi let her attention slip, the remaining basilisks pounced.

Dodging an attack that grazed her skin and falling back, Airi swung her sword without flinching, the blade flashing.

The bisected bodies of the basilisks toppled to the ground one after another in front of her.

"H-hey, 'All-A,' your feet!!"

"Eh… ?!!!"

Almost at the same instant as Raul's flustered shout, a pale color was creeping up Airi's ankle.

Apparently, when she'd stepped back to dodge the basilisks, she'd put her foot down in the wrong place.

The omega slime's pseudopod had swallowed Airi's calf.

"Hey, 'All-A,' Fino!!!"

Raul flung out a hand, trying to grab Airi's arm.

But his fingertips didn't reach, and the girl, helpless, was dragged into the slime's body.

"Wha… this!!!"

Airi grabbed the slime clinging to both her legs with both hands and tried to pry it off, but the gel, easily losing shape under her palms, now swallowed both of her arms as well.

"Wha…!!!"

Beside Airi, Fino, already engulfed up to the navel, writhed as though tickled.

"… N-no, ugh, my body, it's all tingly… mm…"

"Tch…!"

Inside the slime, Airi's body gave off a faint glow.

The girl, a former hero-aspirant like Raul, was apparently trying to assemble a "Magic Circuit" directly on the slime's body skin-to-skin and somehow restrain its movement, but…

"N-no, I can't see the circuit… no, no good, I can't concentr… mm…"

The faint glow flickered weakly, then died.

Inside the slime, the girls' bodies were dimly visible.

The pale-blue gel was slick yet rough in places. It crept slowly along their skin, and as it slowly swallowed them, Fino and Airi cried out.

"Damn it…!"

Raul looked up at the omega slime and frantically thought.

There was only one way to take down a giant slime. Same as a normal one, you destroy the "Core" somewhere inside its body. Break the "Core," which physical attacks do work on, and once life activity ceases, the slime's body loses cohesion and falls apart.

But no matter how hard he narrowed his eyes, the giant slime's "Core" was nowhere visible. Translucent or not, in an individual this big, the thickest part of its body barely let any light through. A fist-sized "Core" at most. Visually locating one was simply…!

And of course, the odds of stabbing his sword in blindly and hitting the "Core" were essentially zero, and in that same instant the gel would harden and rip the sword right out of his hand. But…

The girls had already sunk up to their necks. Raul tightened his grip on his sword… If their faces went under, it was over!

All or nothing. He had to try!

Grinding his back teeth, he stepped lightly back.

Activating the "Flying Shoes," the boy leapt with all his might into the central mass of the slime, the very moment it was about to swallow the girls whole.

"!!!!!"

The giant slime engulfed Raul's body in an instant. The unpleasant sensation of being licked all over by a pointed liquid spread across his bare skin.

The girls already trapped inside went wide-eyed at the sight of Raul plunging in after them.

"R-Raul!!?"

"Raul Chaser!!?"

"You two! Shut your eyes and mouths!"

Shouting that at the girls, Raul drove his sword, gripped in both hands, into the slime, plunging his arms in after it.

"This might get a little hot, so hang in there…!"

His arms were swallowed up in moments. Drawing the circuit in his head, Raul took a deep breath.

… One shot. He couldn't afford to fail!

"'Boot,' 'Output Raise'!!"

In that instant, a three-dimensional "Magic Circuit" unfolded from the tip of his sword and spread out through the slime's body.

The moment Raul poured every drop of his mana into it, huge bubbles ballooned inside the slime, and with a tremendous noise the omega slime that had enveloped them all burst apart.

Liberated by the explosion, Raul tumbled to the ground.

Spitting out the fragments that had flown into his mouth, he pushed himself half-upright and called out.

"You guys okay, Fino, 'All-A'?"

"H-hhhuh… thanks…"

"You… saved us, Raul Chaser…"

The girls, likewise spat out onto the ground, answered weakly.

It seemed the "Core" had been destroyed cleanly. The pale-blue fragments scattered across the ground stopped writhing almost immediately.

"… What on earth did you do?"

"Ah, yeah…"

Wiping a fragment off his cheek with his fingertip, Raul looked around at the gooey liquid spreading everywhere and spoke.

"These guys' bodies are like 99.9 percent water, right? So I just brought the middle of its body to a rapid boil. A so-called steam explosion…"

"A-a steam explosion?!"

"Yeah. I deliberately introduced a defective section in the 'Magic Circuit' to leak mana, ran it through the sword since touching it directly would burn me, dumped a ton of mana in at once, vaporized it… last time I tried this on a small slime, it failed, but lucky for me, since this one was so big, the internal flow was slow."

"… Well, it worked, so it worked, but you really do come up with the most insane things."

Past surprise and into something like exasperation, Airi made a face.

Beside her, Fino, looking down at her slime-coated body, pinched the front of her sopping shirt and gave a pathetic little cry.

"… Uuugh, my body's all sticky…"

"Well, glad it didn't come to anything worse, but that wasn't exactly pleasant either…"

"… Yeah, that's pretty gross…"

Mostly water or not, the gel had to contain plenty of slime cells too, and the indescribable feel of it soaking into his clothes had Raul frowning.

… Sheesh, even if it was for the sake of getting eggs, what a disaster.

"Hey…"

… And then. Fino suddenly looked up and pointed.

"There's a smell of water from over there…!"

"!"

At Fino's words, gesturing into the depths of the forest, Airi pushed herself up.

"As expected of a demonkin…"

Just as the demonkin girl's nose (far keener than any human's) had said, a lake spread out beyond the trees.

Airi dipped her hand into the mirror-still surface and let out a relieved breath.

"… Good. It's clear, there's grass growing here, and there are rainbow-trout fry swimming around. Doesn't look like poisoned water. Let's wash up a bit."

"M-me too…!"

"Hey, h-hold on, Fino!!?"

… Declaring she was at her limit, Fino started yanking off her sweatshirt right then and there.

Raul averted his eyes in a panic and made for the trees, doing his best to look like he hadn't seen a thing.

"Sheesh. I'll keep watch on the shore, so you two hurry up and switch off, all right?"

"… D-don't peek, Raul Chaser?"

"O-of course not!!!"

At Airi's wary tone, Raul raised his voice in protest in spite of himself.

"More importantly, no idea what kind of monsters might be around, so don't let your guard down!"

"… I-I know!"

At Raul's voice, the girl pursed her lips in embarrassment.

After a beat, the sound of wet clothing sliding off the girl's skin reached Raul's ears.

… Sh-she's stripping in a place like this, and bathing…

The image of those well-known girls' unguarded, bare skin shimmering in the sunlit water, the scene unfolding behind him, had Raul's heart pounding.

"Wow, it's warm, this feels good…"

There was a small splash and Fino's delighted voice.

A little later, another splash, and Airi's voice, sounding surprised.

"Yeah… the water temperature's pretty high for this time of year…"

"Ah, Airi, you've still got slime bits stuck on you!"

"Ah!!? W-wait! D-don't touch me there!"

"But it's all stuck even over there…"

"Mm… wait! S-stop it already! I-I can get it off myself!!!"

… Wait, where…!

Despite himself, the exchange behind him stirred up unwholesome fantasies.

Trying to pull his attention away from the girls, Raul began some idle practice swings with his sword.

"Airi, your skin's so pretty…"

"… Coming from you, that almost sounds like sarcasm."

Fino's admiring voice, and Airi's slightly cross one.

Soon enough, Airi sounded puzzled.

"But really, my skin does feel better than usual…"

"Come to think of it, mine feels super smooth too…"

"… Maybe the omega slime ate up the old keratin on the surface of our skin. There are slime packs, after all. So-called monster peeling…"

"Heehee, smooth!"

"Wha!!? S-stop just clinging to me like that! No, no nuzzling there!"

… In their own way, those two really do get along, I guess… damn it.

Idly swinging his sword, Raul glanced casually at the blade, and went stock-still.

Reflected on the mirror-bright steel: the lake's gleaming color, and floating on it, the color of skin…

He swallowed reflexively. Raul's eyes were drawn irresistibly to the blade… no, wait! I shouldn't, dammit!!!

He looked away in a hurry and shook his head violently.

… Heedless of the boy's tearful internal struggle, Airi suddenly raised her voice.

"Hey, that…!"

"What is it, 'All-A'?!"

"!!!!!"

The moment Raul whirled around and met her eye, Fino hurriedly ducked down into the water.

Beside her, Airi did the same, her voice tight with panic.

"H-how could you, Raul Chaser! Y-you promised you wouldn't peek!"

"N-no, you made a weird noise, I thought a monster was…!"

"No, there is a monster! … Shh!"

The girl pressed a finger to her lips and lowered her voice.

"Quiet… look, over there…!"

On the shore the girl was pointing toward.

A medium-sized dragon about three meters long, a creature known as an Albatross Dragon, sat with its eggs, folding its black-scale-rimmed wings, eyes closed.

"It seems… to be asleep."

Putting on their clothes after rinsing and wringing them dry, the three crept around behind the dragon, hidden in the cover of the trees.

Beside Airi, who murmured this in a whisper, Fino stretched up to peek over the brush, eyes going wide.

"Wow, that egg is huge…"

"Yeah. If we have that, we can make omurice… we won't have to forfeit tomorrow's event…!"

… Albatross dragons only laid a single egg per breeding season. Honestly, he felt a little sorry for it, but for Fino's sake, for protecting her from Amada, beggars couldn't be choosers.

"… Okay, let's get closer."

Letting out a small breath and steeling himself, Raul looked at the two beside him.

"'All-A,' I'll use 'Flying Shoes' to draw its attention. In that window you grab the egg… wait!?"

In the briefest instant his eyes had been off it, the dragon vanished from the shore.

A prickling jolt of fear ran across Raul's skin.

As he hurriedly scanned his surroundings, the head of the dragon, jaws bared, the egg still clutched to its chest, dropped into the center of his field of view.

"!!?"

The dragon's massive jaws yawned open to crush all three of their heads!

"!!"

"Look out!!"

Raul dove forward on reflex to shield the two girls.

With an ear-splitting hiss, the dragon let out a fearsome breath attack.

A breath hot enough to scorch their skin washed over them.

After a beat, Airi opened her eyes timidly and let out a confused noise.

"Eh…?"

"Huh… we're… we're fine…?"

The dragon's presence was suddenly gone from the area.

The two girls looked at themselves in puzzlement. Right in front of them, Raul hurriedly stripped off his hoodie and shouted.

"Hey! Check the tags on your clothes!"

"Eh!?"

"I just remembered, the Albatross Dragon's breath corrodes crystal-resin fiber! Cotton or wool is fine, but if you're wearing crystal resin, you're in trouble!"

Crystal-resin fiber: a tough, cheap fiber used in budget clothing, made by resin-worms (pet-worms). The intimidation breath of the Albatross Dragon, which preys on resin-worms as its main food, isn't toxic, but it's loaded with components that shred crystal resin to pieces.

Checking the tags sewn into the inside of his clothes, Raul let out a breath of relief. Luckily, his hoodie, T-shirt, and pants were all 100 percent cotton and wool… And then.

"R-Raul! How do you read the tag?"

"H-here, let me see!"

Spinning Fino, who was clinging to him in fright, around, Raul leaned in to peek at the tag on the back of her collar…

"Kyaaaa!!!"

"'All-A'!!?"

Whirling around at the scream from behind him, Raul froze on the spot.

"S-st-stop, don't look!!!"

… On the body of the frantically yelling Airi, her clothes were crumbling away in tatters. Beneath the now-useless fabric, the girl's tender skin was being laid bare moment by moment.

R-ribbons and lace…

Underwear with a sweetly girlish design, surprisingly cute for prickly Airi's taste, barely covered her well-proportioned body. Raul swallowed reflexively and hurriedly looked away.

"… Y-your clothes, all of them…"

"Ugh…"

In front of Raul, whose voice cracked despite himself, the girl crouched down, covering herself with both arms, eyes brimming with tears.

"R-Rauuul, somehow, mine's so breezy…"

"Can't be helped. Your clothes were 30 percent crystal resin…"

Fino's sweatshirt, thinned by the dragon's breath, now clearly showed the lines of her girlish body. The fabric especially lifted at the tips of her ample chest… struggling for somewhere to put his eyes, T-shirted Raul let out a sigh.

"… Anyway, count yourself luckier than 'All-A.' Her clothes were head-to-toe crystal resin (read: cheap)…"

"H-how rude! At least my underwear is the proper, real thing!!!"

Hugging the front of the hoodie Raul had lent her closed, Airi shot back resentfully. Since Raul wasn't much taller than her, the thighs poking out from the hoodie were dangerously exposed. She seemed to know it too, tugging at the hem over and over to try to stretch it, though it didn't really help.

Trying not to focus on Airi's enticing legs, Raul looked around and spoke up.

"A-anyway, lucky Fino's rucksack was hemp…"

"But the dragon got away after we finally found one…"

Carrying the empty rucksack, Fino murmured in obvious dejection.

"What if we can't find any more eggs…"

"… Hey, what's with the defeatism?"

Beside her, Airi shrugged in mild exasperation.

"Listen, Fino-san? When you spot one of those, there are at least thirty more around."

"Th-thirty!?"

Fino's eyes went wide as Airi nodded firmly.

"Yes… So, no more long faces. Let's hurry and find the next one, okay?"

"'All-A'…"

… Lie, Raul muttered to himself. With their low reproductive rate, there was no way a dungeon of this size held that many Albatross Dragons.

But she was lying to lift Fino's spirits…

"… She's right, Fino. There are still plenty of chances."

Picking up on Airi's intent, Raul gave Fino's shoulder a pat.

He glanced at Airi in her hoodie and grinned mischievously.

"… Besides, there's nothing left for that thing's breath to dissolve anyway."

"O-oh, shut up!!"

"Come on, Fino. Let's find that egg."

"Yeah!!"

As though pumped up by what Raul and the others said, Fino nodded brightly and bounded forward.

"Then it's a race to see who finds the next one first! Airi found the first one, so the next one's my turn!!?"

"Hey, hold on, Fino! There are still monsters around, so don't get too carried away!"

"Fuhaha, it's fine, it's fine… kyaaaa!!?"

… And then.

Fino, who had been bounding cheerfully ahead, suddenly floated up into the air.

"Fino!?" "Fino-san!?"

"Hh, hheee…"

Tangled in the vines of a tsuru-wana-grass, nicknamed the wild guerrilla trap, and dangling upside-down from a branch, Fino flailed, desperately holding down her flipping skirt.

"R-Raul, get me dooown!"

"… Sheesh. Hey, I'll get you down, so don't thrash around too much!"

Saying so, Raul hit the switch on his "Flying Shoes" and leapt up to the branch Fino was dangling from in one jump.

Landing lightly on the narrow foothold, Raul pulled the vine over and grabbed Fino's ankle.

"Fino, you okay?"

"Rauuul!!"

Cutting the vine wrapped around the girl's leg, he hauled her petite body up onto the branch, and almost immediately Fino flung herself at him hard enough to knock him over… Hey!?

"I-it was so scary… I-I thought I was gonna die…"

The soft pair of mounds beneath Fino's thin sweatshirt pressed and ground against Raul's chest. At the indescribable sensation, Raul's voice cracked.

"F-Fino! I get it! I get it, so calm down…"

"… Raul."

… And then.

Fino abruptly looked up and pointed at the branch in front of them.

"Hey, that…"

"Huh?"

Following her gaze… Raul's eyes flew wide.

He hadn't noticed at all earlier in his desperate climb, but on the high branches of the trees around them, light-brown nut-like clusters hung in bunches.

Egg-shaped fruits in a rough, calcium-like shell. Stems with small caps sat on top, and the shape was somehow, very familiar…

He sucked in a breath and pulled the nearest branch closer. Tearing off a leaf-tip, Raul muttered, stunned.

"The leaves tear off in circles… this, this is an 'Egg-Tree'!"

"A-an Egg-Tree?"

"Yeah."

He nodded at Fino's puzzled face and looked again at the branch.

"It's an incredibly rare animal-plant that propagates through eggs… its 'fruit-eggs' are so precious they're called 'Phantom Eggs,' and they taste so good Albatross Dragon eggs aren't even worth comparing!"

"!?"

"Nice work, Fino!"

At Raul's excited insistence, he patted her head, and Fino, who'd been blinking up at him in surprise, eventually giggled "hehe."

 

*

 

"Hey, Karen, what's the meaning of this?!"

The man came striding into the Assistant Manager's office, footsteps pounding, no hint of restraint.

Standing in front of the woman, whose Noh-mask expression carried the faintest tinge of displeasure, the hazel-haired man sounded utterly fed up.

"Why has it been boiled eggs for ten o'clock snacks and noon lunch and three o'clock snacks and dinner and midnight snacks, every single one of them, for the past few days?! I want to eat something else for a change!"

"… Manager Cloud. I'm currently busy preparing for tomorrow's event, so this isn't really the time…"

"No, I'm going to have my say!"

Cutting off the woman, who answered coolly without looking up from her desk, Cloud jabbed a finger at her.

"In the first place! Eggs apparently contain something called cholesterol, which sounds like it must be bad for you, so you shouldn't eat too many of them, as the MHK 'Macho Test' special the other day was sa…"

"Oh, my apologies. My elbow joint slipped."

"Uwaaaaan, Karen's bullying meeee!!!"

Spinning her swivel chair around, she drove an elbow into the man's flank as she turned. Watching him clutch his side and wail, Karen declared without changing her expression.

"Please don't make me sound so awful. It was simply an accident, wasn't it? Although, if you don't quiet down at once, there's a chance of a second or third accident occurring in the near future."

"Ugh, ugh…"

At Karen's words, the man reluctantly turned on his heel and left the room.

… With a perfectly straight face, she let out a breath as though finally freed from a burden.

Karen flipped through papers and pulled the MagicPhone from her pocket, about to press a button.

… And then.

"… … … …"

The instant her eyes caught the briefly blinking incoming-message light, Karen's expression, which until then had not so much as twitched, shifted unmistakably.

 

*

 

"Hey, can I eat all of these sweets?!"

"Yeah, eat as many as you like!"

"Waaah, thank you!!!"

A silver-haired girl, innocent and guileless, thanked him with sparkling blue eyes.

The hazel-haired man, looking down at her, abruptly reached out his hand.

"…!?"

Pinned helplessly to the bed, the girl looked up in fear.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what… we're married, aren't we?"

"N-no…"

Bewilderment and terror mingled in her eyes.

The girl's lips, looking as though she might burst into tears at any moment, trembled as they shaped words.

"Help me, Raul!"

"Fino!!"

Screaming loud enough to tear his throat, Raul jolted upright and looked around, then sighed.

"… It was a dream…"

… The break room of Magic Shop Leon, Royal Capital Store, hushed in the dead of night.

Shaking off the lingering dregs of a dream he didn't want to remember, Raul thought to himself.

Right, we'd been working on tomorrow's preparations together until just now…

"Raul, hold this for a second!"

"Wait, Raul Chaser! Not like that, like this!"

"Oh my, that's right, we need to bring out the entrance mat from the warehouse…"

"Raul-kun, once you're done with that, lend a hand over here with the heavy stuff…"

Signs and flyers, glued-up menu sheets, all kinds of fiddly little decorations strewn across the table…

Raul, who'd dozed off slumped across the table, stretched stiffly, joints creaking as he unfolded his cramped body.

The shopping trip that had turned into an outright adventure was over. Once they'd returned to the store, they'd joined up with the Assistant Manager who had gotten back ahead of them, and when Manager Seara turned up in the evening, the whole crew had set to preparing for tomorrow.

But even though the event was finally tomorrow, every time they finished one task another popped up, and there was no end in sight. Worn out from the day's earlier ordeal, Raul had eventually nodded off in spite of himself.

Glancing over, he saw the Assistant Manager Visor sprawled across four folded pipe chairs, snoring obliviously through Raul's own scream. Airi had said something about going to sleep in the next room. They'd meant to wrap up early to be ready for tomorrow, but it seemed they'd all ended up bunking down here.

… Speaking of which, had anyone gotten the change ready for tomorrow yet?

Yawning hugely, Raul tottered to his feet and headed downstairs.

While he was at it, he'd start loading the items they'd need to bring to the venue into the containers… and then.

The moment he opened the door to the back area, a faint sound reached his ears.

… He stopped in his tracks.

Spotting a girl standing motionless at the register counter in the dimmed shop, Raul murmured.

"… Fino?"

"!!?"

At his voice, the girl looked up sharply.

Trembling lips and wet, white cheeks. Her tear-glossed blue eyes caught Raul… was she crying?

The moment he saw her tears, Raul's heart gave a hard thud.

The girl looked away in a hurry, and Raul walked over to her hesitantly.

After a beat, Raul asked tentatively.

"Fino… you…"

"… Hey, Raul."

… And then. Fino, who had been looking down, suddenly spoke.

"Do you remember the first time I came to the store?"

"Huh?"

At the abrupt question, Raul couldn't help blinking.

In front of him, Fino looked at the front door right next to the register counter.

"The first time I stood in front of the store, I had no idea how I was supposed to even get inside, so I just kept watching other customers go in. I stood out there for, I dunno, maybe an hour… Then I finally worked up the nerve and opened the door, scared to death… And then."

She paused.

Brushing her fingertips over the register counter as though it were precious, Fino murmured.

"Right here… at this register counter, Raul was here."

"Fino…"

"I'll never forget it, you know?"

Looking up at Raul, Fino smiled in a vaguely proud way.

Soon she dropped her gaze again and slowly spoke.

"… You know, Raul. Back then I didn't really get it, but… I think when I was at the Demon King's castle, I'd been lonely the whole time."

Eyes narrowing painfully, Fino began to speak haltingly, as though mocking herself.

"I always wanted to talk to someone, you know? But no matter how hard I thought things through and tried to say them, nobody would deal with me. In that place, nobody acknowledged me, nobody would listen to a thing I said."

In a thin voice that sounded like it might break any moment, the girl forced out the words welling up in her chest.

"That's why, when I first came here, the reason I stood in front of the store so long was that I was really scared. I'd finally gotten this far, but what if it was the same here? What if no one would deal with me, what if I just got ignored… and then I went inside, and called out to Raul at the register, and when Raul actually answered me, properly… I was really, really happy."

"…"

… At Fino's words, Raul's chest squeezed tight.

As though looking at her own past self, the wary little ball of suspicion who used to stand here dressed like a boy, Fino's gaze cast past the register counter, and she smiled.

"… This shop wasn't anything like the places I knew. From the very first job interview, the Manager listened to what I had to say and took me in. Raul taught me lots of things, scolded me when I did something wrong, praised me when I did something good, and helped me out so much. The Assistant Manager tells me all kinds of amazing things, Airi is always looking out for me, Myuli became my friend… and then."

She lifted her gaze and looked around the cozy interior of the shop, eyes softening.

"It's not just everyone at the store. The customers who come in here, when I say 'welcome,' they tell me 'thank you,' or they say 'good energy today,' or they smile at me, and it makes me so happy. So… I really love this store."

She gripped a fold of Raul's sleeve tight.

The demonkin girl looked straight up at Raul, eyes brimming with tears, and smiled.

"In the morning, when I come to the store and say 'good morning' to everyone, everyone says 'good morning' back to me, everyone listens to me, everyone talks to me and deals with me, and I… I'm so happy about that, that…"

Her voice caught.

Hugging tight to Raul, the girl forced out the next words.

"That's why… I want to stay here forever… I don't want to be apart from everyone…"

"Fino…"

"I don't want anywhere but here… I want to stay here with everyone, just like this…"

Soon the girl's voice dissolved entirely into sobs.

Hiccuping painfully, Fino just let the tears spill.

Held in her small body, all of Fino's earnest feeling.

How much this place mattered to her. How wonderful being here was to her. Forced to feel it sharply enough to hurt, Raul couldn't help narrowing his eyes.

"… It's gonna be okay."

Wrapping his arms around the trembling girl's back, Raul spoke.

"I love you. Everyone does. And we're gonna protect your place here, properly. So…"

With genuine, heart-deep resolve:

"… Let's win this. No matter what."

Patting the girl's back gently in his arms, Raul declared.

… And at his words.

Pressing her face hard against Raul's chest, the girl gave a small nod.