Dungeon Start Heroine Tamer and Training Mission! ~Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about strong, cute, and beautiful female adventurers… All of them are my followers!
They returned from the dungeon and stopped by a nearby guild branch.
After parting ways with Saionji, who headed to the reception desk, I relaxed in the waiting area.
There were only a few people around, with plenty of empty seats available. Feeling carefree, I chose to sit in the front right corner based on my intuition.
“…………”
It was still too early for the sun to have fully set, and the building was quite peaceful.
The only sounds were those of the staff flipping through papers and typing steadily on their keyboards.
Feeling pleasantly drowsy, I let my mind go blank. Suddenly startled when I almost nodded off, I raised my eyes.
Right in front of me was a large whiteboard covered with many flyers and posters. It seemed just right to perk me up a bit, so I lazily scanned through them to pass the time.
“Get your adventurer certification quickly at ○○ Training Institute!!”
The image showed a group photo taken inside a harmless dungeon. Young adventurers dressed in trendy gear stood shoulder to shoulder, as if enjoying their youth. The gender ratio was about 1:1, suggesting that becoming an adventurer would lead to such encounters.
…but unfortunately, of course, there was no such reality.
A.H., who still suffered from an unhealed emotional wound, shared his real-life experience.
According to him, there were no encounters at the training institute. Being approached by a cute college girl who says, ‘Before you become an adventurer, how about we go on a naughty adventure together?’ only happens in fictional worlds.
Even after obtaining his adventurer qualification, he remained a loner at school. Naturally, he didn’t suddenly become popular or get invited by a friendly classmate saying, ‘Oh, Rain-saki is an adventurer too!? Let’s go on a dungeon date sometime!’
Young people, don’t be deceived by sweet words and fantasies!!
“Stop! This could be a ‘magic stone scam’!”
A cute girl thrusts out her right hand, with a big red cross over it—a public awareness poster. The guild provided answers to several cases, aiming to inform people about magic stone scams.
“Q1: I met someone who said, ‘We provide an outreach service for buying magic stones from adventurers inside dungeons to help keep your dungeon exploration light!'”
“A1: Guild staff do not go into dungeons to buy magic stones. This person might be a scammer pretending to be a guild employee to obtain magic stones at unfairly low prices.”
Huh.
Some people actually try to deceive others like that. So far, neither I nor Saionji have encountered such individuals.
“Q2: ‘Just between us… this magic stone is actually a rare one that grants skills when used. I don’t want young people to suffer… alright, I’ll sell it to you specially for 50,000 each!'”
“A2: There are currently no confirmed reports of magic stones having properties that allow skill acquisition. Magic stones are used to extract stored magical energy as an energy source or to make equipment and potions.”
What? A “rare magic stone” that lets you acquire skills?
If something like that existed, people wouldn’t think of selling it; they’d use it themselves.
In every era, scammers work desperately hard to come up with cunning schemes…
“Collaboration Campaign with Popular Adventurer Gear Chain Store [Seeker]!! All adventurers who register as healers will receive a full set of [Seeker]-branded adventurer gear!”
I recalled a web article I skimmed before entering the dungeon. The adventurer industry was reportedly suffering from a chronic healer shortage.
Upon checking the poster details, it seemed the campaign was still ongoing. Moreover, there were no complicated procedures—just a simple application and job verification were required.
“Alright—”
I stood up and headed to the reception area, quietly approaching the counter where Saionji was seated.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
“Wow, really. —Thank you, Amasaki-kun. I had no idea about this campaign.”
Accompanying Saionji, I returned to our seats in the waiting area. Saionji also looked at the same poster with interest.
“No, I just noticed it myself. …But it’s impressive. They give it to you on the same day.”
“Yeah. Just fill out the paper with your name, job, desired size, and color, and verify your job with the ‘job sheet.'”
“Status sheets,” which transfer one’s status onto special paper to make it readable, and “job sheets,” used specifically to prove one’s job, were part of various applications tailored to different needs and situations.
“…I can’t even use Heal yet, but the receptionist looked so happy.”
“That just shows how serious the healer shortage is.”
The campaign was open to anyone whose job had the potential to become a healer. This indicated that the guild was genuinely trying to address the healer shortage.
“…Besides, Saionji, you’ll be able to use it soon.”
After all, she only needed 50 more training points to reach the 150 points required to unlock [Heal] in the [Training Tree].
“Yeah, that’s right… Starting tomorrow, I have to work hard again!”
Saionji made a small fist in front of her chest and renewed her determination cutely.
“Haa~…”
Right after that, a cute sound of stifled yawning came from Saionji beside me.
Glancing sideways, I saw Saionji already blushing and shrinking in embarrassment.
“…Hey, if you’re called, I’ll wake you up. You can sleep until then, okay?”
I remembered receiving a bento from Saionji. She must have woken up early to make it.
Even I, who hadn’t done anything, had dozed off earlier. It was understandable for Saionji to feel sleepy.
“Really? Thank you. …Then, I’ll take you up on your kind offer, Amasaki-kun.”
Soon, regular breathing sounds could be heard. Softly, quietly. Only someone sitting next to her would notice the very faint sound.
She must have been tired and sleepy. Leaving early was the right call… huh?
…I felt something gently hit my left shoulder. Cautiously, I turned my head to look.
—To my surprise, Saionji’s head was leaning on my arm.
Oi!
I did say she could sleep, but I didn’t give permission for that much!
Good thing it was me. Any ordinary guy would have fallen for her instantly. Such an unintentionally destructive act…
Saionji, you scary girl!!
About 15 minutes later, our number was called.
Saionji jolted awake, immediately standing up.
“I need to go—oh no! S-Sorry, Amasaki-kun, did I touch something weird!?”
…But she must have been disoriented and in a hurry. When getting up, she pressed her hand against my left thigh near my groin as support while standing.
Kyaa!
S-E-C-K-I-Y-A-N !!!
“Lucky Pervert!”
“The ‘weird place’ was a bit more to the right!”
Later, Saionji returned carrying a large paper bag, deeply blushing and apologizing profusely.
But seeing Saionji bowing repeatedly was adorable too, so naturally, I let it slide.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
The next day.
Thursday, my second favorite day of the week, had arrived.
By the way, my favorite is Friday. And the worst, of course, is the common enemy created by humanity—Monday.
Never forgive Monday!
“Amasaki-kun, thank you again for yesterday. And about what happened at the guild hall, I’m really sorry once again!”
An email from Saionji sent before I left home. I only noticed it now as I was nearing the school gate.
As usual, cute emoticons were used. Seeing the emoji of someone sweating and apologizing with clasped hands made me smile unconsciously.
“And so, I fell asleep immediately as you suggested last night. Therefore, I tried on the adventurer gear I received this morning… How does it look?”
Attached below the text was a selfie.
In front of a large mirror, Saionji stood holding her smartphone. She wore a robe-like outfit designed for rear support roles, primarily white. Gold and blue lines adorned it here and there, creating a simple yet clean design.
Her hands peeking out from the loose sleeves were encased in pure white gloves. The long boots covering her knees were an immaculate white, giving a sense of uniformity.
“Wow, all of this is free?”
Of course, it suited Saionji, who was elegant and lovely. Moreover, it didn’t feel cheap, as mass-produced items often do. In fact, it seemed rather expensive.
Saionji, good for you. Obtaining the [Priest] job already has visible benefits.
“………”
Entering the classroom, I saw that groups of close friends had already formed circles.
Moreover, Saionji had already arrived. Realizing this, I was struck.
Oh no, I haven’t replied yet.
“Sorry, I just noticed the email.”
Sitting at my seat, I quickly typed a response between my desk and body.
“Isn’t it nice? I think it suits you, Saionji.”
Just as I hit send, Saionji excused herself from her classmates and left the circle. She exited the classroom, and immediately afterward, I received a reply.
“I’m glad! I was worried that you might be upset about yesterday!”
No way.
Why would I be angry about that?
On the contrary, even though it was accidental, most guys would be thrilled to have such intimate physical contact with Saionji.
“‘Good’ means ‘it suits you,’ and I’m happy to hear that. Thank you, Amasaki-kun!”
Emoticons showing joy with eyes shaped like symmetrical “く” accompanied the message.
Shortly after, Saionji returned to the classroom and walked down the aisle that passed by my seat unnecessarily.
“……….”
Saionji lightly touched the corner of my desk with her slender, beautiful fingertips, as if sharing a secret signal only we understood.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to her circle of female friends.
…Stop doing things that can cause misunderstandings!
However, I couldn’t help but be flustered by Saionji’s unconscious attacks.
At that moment, I noticed something different about Saionji’s training mission displayed above her left side.
―[Training Mission]―
●5th Challenge Mission!!
Choose one of the following two options and succeed:
① Defeat one monster while your hands are bound. ② Defeat one monster while blindfolded.
Reward: Add a branch of [Training Tree] <Training>
― ― ― ― ―