286 283. Date.txt (1/2)

I run through.

The mud underfoot makes it difficult to run, and the sound of the repelling mud is deafening.

I'm running through a corridor that is as dark and damp as a sewer and emits a strong odor.

It's a special area away from the labyrinthine ”main road”. There, while passing by a centipede that looks more than two meters long, you swing your sword out to the side.

The centipede-shaped monster let out a scream of despair and died.

The monster that was cut in two by the side turns into a magical stone, scattering particles of light. I see it off with the Dimension and continue to run without picking up its drop items either.

I don't even pay attention to the small fry.

I have one objective. Only the boss of this swamp area, the Phobia Fly.

I know with Dimension that a fly-shaped monster as big as a man is waiting for me a few hundred meters ahead. Towards it, I run as fast as I can, out of breath.

''Haha, haha, haha--!

But not fast enough.

Not enough time.

Beating the boss would be easy.

It's still shallow in the teens, so no matter what kind of monster it is, it can win by itself.

What's missing is the distance to Lastiara running ahead.

The purpose of this date is to chase and catch Rastiara and get ahead of him. Very unconvincing, but somehow it's happening.

Rustyala, running ahead of me, was running as fast as I was, laughing under his breath.

''Haha, haha, haha, hahahahahaha--!　Is this the standard lovers' chase?　We can chase this one, right!

Not good.

That's not good at all.

Give me back my excitement that I was expecting a mess when I heard we were going to date.

But with no time to complain like that, Rastiara ran through the remaining few hundred meters and slashed at the area boss's flyphobia before me.

The battle was instantaneous.

By the time Flyphobia noticed Rustyala approaching rapidly, his body had been cut in two vertically. The momentum of that all-out sprint, combined with the muscle power and the sharpness of 'Heavenly Sword Noah', is a tremendous attack. No matter how much of a boss monster it was, it was impossible to withstand that blow.

Just like the centipede type monster that was slashed down earlier, the boss monster also disappeared.

Within the particles of light, Rastiara stops and boasts to me a chase outfit.

''Yes!　I win!

A few seconds late, I catch up with him, and he complains bitterly, breathing on his shoulder.

'No, this isn't a chase, ....... I mean, this isn't even a date .......

I'm still not convinced that the labyrinth was chosen as a date destination.

When Rastiara arrived at the labyrinth, she said she wanted to play chase, and for some reason she started reading ”Hmmm, let's catch them” or something like that, and I'm also not convinced that there was a time-limited quest to defeat the boss, which is typical for adventurers in games.

When I heard that it was a date, I thought that we would be chatting on the deck of the ship or going out into the nighttime city with the Connection. But the reality was not so sweet.

Whether she knows about my dissatisfaction or not - no, she knows for sure - Rustyala, with a big smile on her face, expresses her impressions of the current chase.

''Ah, dating fun ......!　After all, this is the kind of thing lovers promise to do.

If this was a sunshine shimmering sandy beach or something, I wouldn't be complaining either: ......

'Well, isn't this more romantic than a sandy beach?　Aren't you thrilled?

That's what makes me nervous, because you never know when a monster is going to attack you.

My heart was pounding and pulsing in time with my shortness of breath.

In addition, the air is thinner in the labyrinth compared to the ground, so the pulse rate will undoubtedly have increased than usual.

However, no matter how much you can pound, this labyrinth is so uninspiring that it's unworthy of being compared to the sandy beach.

The environment is also inferior and inferior. I was exposed to a strange smell that made my nose go funny, and the bottoms of my shoes and trousers were covered in dirty water. It's full of the muddy smell that is characteristic of a labyrinth explorer.

Rastiara is the only person who can call this romantic.

Her sensibilities will never change - and I don't want them to - so I give up with a sigh and respond to her impressions of this romantic-like chase.

'Huh ....... But I was rather serious about it, and it wasn't good. You can win in the blink of an eye, but you'll lose in sustainability.

I'm confident in my physical abilities, you know. That's one thing I will never lose. And thanks to your mother, I was in good shape today.

Rastiara picks up the boss monster's magic stone and throws it at me.

In the meantime, I check each other's status.

[Status]

Name: Aikawa Uzumi HP369/369 MP1312/1312 Class: explorer

Level 29.

Strength 15.97 Strength 17.78 Skill 23.67 Speed 30.00 Wisdom 23.59 Magic 53.78 Element 6.21

[Status]

Name: Rustyala Hoozeyers HP923/923 MP521/521 Class: Knight

Level 24.

Strength 22.12 Strength 21.89 Skill 12.56 Speed 15.78 Wisdom 19.23 Magic 16.25 Elemental 6.50

After gaining Tiara's power, Rath Tiara had increased her overall numbers compared to before.

However, she wasn't proud of the power she had obtained and tried to find her next challenge.

''But physical ability isn't enough. It's a good idea to have a good magic to keep up with the guardians. ...... It's what I call a decisive move. I need a finishing blow.

Rustyala, who has experience fighting two people, ”The One Who Steals the Reason of Wood (Id)” and ”The One Who Steals the Reason of Water (Hitaki)”, seems to think that he lacks a decisive hand.

No matter how much he excels in physical ability, there is a limit to how far he can go with physical attacks alone.

With Dia and Maria's maximum firepower, they can clear the city in seconds, but the all-rounder Rustiala is unable to do so.

The 'Stealers of Reason' are basically high in magic power.

Most importantly, they are magic professionals of the attribute that bears their name. Even that magic-averse Rowen possessed a decisive technique of magic properly.

I agree that ordinary magic is meaningless against their real 'magic (...)'.

...... I agree with you, but I also think it's the right place to be.

Maybe it's because I'm a game-like thinker, but it feels unbalanced to have everyone have high-powered magic.

''No, it's a mistake to try to fight Rastiara alone in the first place. It's better for Rastiara to focus on play-acting and distraction, and leave it to his friends to keep him--

That's not fair, you're only taking the best part!　I want to scream for my signature move to finish!　I want to scream as hard as I can for the last time!

'Oh, oh ....... So that's how it works: .......

It's very understandable.

I have the desire to do cool 'chanting' to my heart's content and shout out the name of great magic. To be honest, I have as much as Rastiara does.

My greatest firepower right now is probably Dearest Flash (Di a Wraith). This magic itself isn't bad.

It's not bad, but ...... this was originally Rowen's, and if you ask me if it's my decisive move, I'm a bit tilted.

And this ”Dearest Flash (Di a Wraith)”.

Surprisingly, it looks plain.

To tell the truth, that was just a sword swing. As Rowen said, that was just a serious swinging of the foundation of the Alais style.

It would be a different story if the reapers assisted behind him, but if there was just one person, it would be a performance for the geniuses.

I specialize in swordsmanship and assistance, and I'm not flashy enough to do anything.

Perhaps Lastiara is thinking something similar.

I'm seriously jealous of Maria and Dia's game-like effects and unmistakable magic, and I've been eager to imitate them since my boat trip a year ago.

The exhilaration of cleaving off a large number of monsters in one go is a privilege only magic can provide. It cannot be accomplished by body and sword alone.

''--Yes. You certainly need your own magic.

'How do I learn to do this? ...... Hmmm... I guess we'll just have to steadily raise the bar first?

''Well, ....... I've tried it before and found out that imitating and using papier-mâché magic doesn't work ....... This time, I need to make sure that I can create a magic that plays to my strengths.

My strengths: ....... Hmmm, I'm poorly handy, my body is 'Jewelcrus', I have all my magic memorized, and the rest--

Me and Rustyara find the same goal and walk through the labyrinth, checking in with each other.

I was complaining earlier about not being on a date, but it's a little fun to walk around while we both think about special moves.

It's fun - and calming.

These are the only places where we really talk to each other.

Unlike Titi, we have a similar sense of style, so we don't clash over technique names. Because we can share in the same hobbies, we can relax just talking to each other for a moment.

I'm sure Rastiara feels the same way.

He wouldn't be able to talk like this with Sera or Ragne.

They would be stunned at what an extravagance you are talking about, having that much talent and a decisive move. I'm sure there have been many times when I bragged about a technique I worked so hard to come up with, I was met with an indescribable look on my face.

We proceeded through the labyrinth, talking to each other as much as we could, which was something only the two of us could do.

Along the way, Rustyala stops to take on a monster.

''Ah, I found the Minotaur.''

A huge humanoid monster with a head like a cow stands in the way.

I 'display' it and confirm it.

[Monster] Carmine Minotaur: Rank 20

I've seen this information before.

And the moment I finished looking at that information, Rastiara had sliced the Minotaur's head off.

'Come to think of it, I fought this guy when I first explored the labyrinth with Kanami, didn't I? I guess I miss it a bit.''

'You were a bit of a danger to me then, but I think I can afford it now.

It's no longer even a battle.

Picking up the minotaur's magic stone that was defeated in an instant, Rustyala reminisced about the old days.

''Maria was with you back then, wasn't she?

And then he looks a little darker.

When he was fighting this minotaur, Rustyala had treated Maria as a liability. He was worried for his life, but he was pointing out his lack of 'qualities' from a superior point of view.

However, he seemed to feel a bit ironic that he was now weaker than Maria, and that he was being held back in his fight against the Guardians.

I watch it next to him.

Rastiara seems to have sensed my concern and quickly dispels the gloomy look on her face.

''It's okay. Mother Tiara is already with me. I'll find my own way to fight quickly, don't worry about Kanami.

He shows a face full of wariness and declares, remembering something.

'I'll catch up with you. I will catch up with you. Because I want to stand next to Maria--'

I'm sure Rastiara regrets not being able to be of use to Maria when she fought against 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Wood', 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Water' and the three 'Apostle Sith' before.

'Let's not talk about the gloomy stuff. We're on a fun, fun date right now.

Once Rastiara has her sights firmly set on her goal, she pulls herself together and starts walking in front of me. I'm going to talk to her back.

I'm going to have to ask you, ”Hey, about that date: ...... is this really a date?　Do you really enjoy walking around these places ......?

Fun?　It's nothing compared to being holed up in a cathedral. The air is stale, dark and dank, and your life is in danger. Doesn't it feel like you're alive?

Rustyala, who turned around after being called out, showed a smile full of life as he said.

''I see. Then it's fine.''

I don't particularly argue that I can't let that interfere with my enjoyment of the experience.

But the truth is, the desire to go somewhere else never went away.

Honestly, I've always had a longing for a date with a girl.

When it's a first date, special is special too. It would be a memory to last a lifetime, so I wanted to plan it well enough. There were plenty of options, like making reservations at a reasonably expensive restaurant and enjoying the night view together.

I remember being really jealous of the dates I'd heard about from my male friends in my former world.

Of course, in this other world, a date at a tourist attraction or movie theater would be practically impossible. But I'm sure I could have gone somewhere to do some shopping or go to the theater.

At the very least, if it weren't for the labyrinth, we could enjoy these trivial conversations more--

'Nah, I see. Kanami is trying to tell me that the enemy is too weak and warm, isn't he? I know what you mean. There's not enough thrills and happenings. At this level,

You know that's not what I want, don't you? You.

Seeing me walking with a delicate look on my face, Rustyala talks nasty.

''Hmph. Of course, I know. We've had a similar conversation before, haven't we?''

Rastiara confessed to me that she knew how I felt, but she didn't relax her footing.

'Yeah, it's happened before: ......'

I'm starting to miss it as much as Rustyala does.

When we were walking around the twenty layers before, we had the same disagreement.

I had asked Rustyala, who was trying to go deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, to work as if he were reaping rice.

At that time, I took the space between the two of them, and I was able to capture the labyrinth smoothly. Imitating that trend, I selfishly slap my request on them.

I'm sorry to say that I'm having fun with you, but ...... I want to do something more date like. I want to feel more like a lover, more like a lover. If possible, I want something sweet and sour, not thrilling or anything like that.

”Mmm-hmm--

Rustyala put a hand to his chin and thought about it - and in a great deal of time, he gave his answer. Maybe it was something she had decided all along.

'So, to be date-y, I guess this is how it should be done?