21 20 Now, lets try to catch up with work delays.txt (1/2)

Tanaka Jiro, twenty-eight years old, single, girlfriend, Suella Handelberg.

Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time) + Recruiter

Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class)

Officer of the Year: Warrior

The day after my confession to Suela, or rather Suela .

Superintendent Evia, who came to greet me with a cold look, saying that she had enjoyed last night.

The only way to deal with her was to smile back at her with heated cheeks.

Perhaps dissatisfied with that response, the supervisor and I became even more displeased and were brought into a conference room.

We were supposed to meet up with Kaido and Minami, who had just been released from the hospital, for the first time in a few days.

It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's going on.

”...... Ah, you guys were worried about me, right?

Are they checking to see if Kaido is really alive and not just a dream vision?

It's too sticky, and if you're going to do it, you might as well do it to your own cheek, not the other person's, there's a lot of room for doubt, but for now, this is the only thing I could think of to say to them.

I raised my right hand so that I could take it easy and feel that it was safe to do so.

Leader!

The first to react was South .

With a bang, he let go of the skin of Kaido's face and tried to run his body towards us as fast as he could, but

Za?

Instead of teasing my legs and running up to me, he did a great headslide and got to my feet.

”Oh, come on, Minami, you don't have to stretch yourself that far, do you?

I was so worried that I tried to rush over to him, but he fell down, and I was so happy that he was so worried about me that I crouched down and looked at him.

”Uh~ The leader is alive, that he is.

Minami didn't get up, but instead just woke up and asked me with his glasses still off.

”Yeah,

You're not a zombie, that's for sure.

Do I look rotten?

You haven't become a vampire, that you haven't?

I'm afraid it runs through my veins.

”You haven't been converted into a golem, that you haven't?

Superintendent, you did a decent job on me, didn't you?　It's kind of unsettling to hear the south so much, but it's the opposite.

I'm sorry, but I did my best to fix you up. If it was a little too late, I would have poured some demon blood into it.

The devil himself was very clear.

You mean I was pretty far off the edge?

Anyway, I have to make sure that there really isn't something strange embedded in my body.

That's something I could do, that I could do.

Hey, South!　You, you weren't worried about me, you were expecting me to become a new entity!

”?　If you're close to death, you'll get new powers. As promised in the comics, that is.

The South was the South .

He didn't seem to have the slightest hint of an atmosphere of worry, and now he was standing up and pointing at the supervisor as if to say that was it.

Finally, he turned his face toward me like what the hell is this guy talking about?

d*mn! This guy is too slow on the uptake! Hey, guardian! I'm crying for a serious reason here!

Uh, Jiro. I'm so glad you're okay.

Senpai, I'm relieved. I was in that position until just now. By the way... I was scolded by Minami... why haven't you modified it?

That face-to-face contact was meant to be that way .

And it was clear now that he wasn't worried when he came running over as fast as he could, but was trying to run up to me, hoping that I, and not Kaido, would be altered.

'But Gus, that guy in the south was really worried too, right?　I had mistakenly put salt in my coffee about three times, I hadn't played any games for the past three days, I had looked at the clock many times, and I was unusually early to bed and early to rise. When they asked me to go to the shrine, I had a fever or a heart mug!

Winning?　What are you talking about, that you are?　There's no way I would do that.

No, South, you're stammering so much that it's deliberate?

But Katsu revealed it rather easily.

It seems that Minami's attitude was just a way of hiding her embarrassment.

Minami's aloofness earlier had gone, and she was in a hurry to clamp down on Katsu's mouth.

At first I was expecting an air of melancholy, but that was only the beginning, and then I noticed that the air was back to normal, mixed with a jumble of things.

''That's good, Jiro-san.

Yeah, I guess that was unfounded.

To be honest, I was expecting to be quite depressed or treated as an afterthought.

But instead of the two choices that fit into Schrodinger's cat box, another choice was made.

”Uh, Leader?

What?

Thank you for protecting me.

Thank you, Jiro-san.

Oh, well, you know. It seemed like the best thing to do at the time, you know?　I mean, it's not like my body has a mind of its own, you know?

Senpai, are you embarrassed?

Yuck!

There are consequences to the actions you take.

Actions then lead to now.

So it looks like the struggle was worth it.

Well, I'm glad you guys are okay.

I'm delirious, that I am!

Who's delirious?

Can't the south of the country move forward without making a joke out of everything?

Anyway, we just have to talk about the future.

That's right. Jiro-san's only temper tantrum is in front of me, right?

'Suela!　A.

I shouted back in a fit of flirtation, but I soon realized that I had failed.

”Senpai, call me by my name now,

Hmm.

Kaido was surprised at the change in terminology and the supervisor's mood took a further downward turn.

'Nuh-uh, that is.'

Is that even worth it?　Um, congratulations.

Minami looked at me and laughed, and Katsura kind of figured it out and celebrated normally.

''Oh, well, that's how it is.

Yes, sir.

I'll just have to reopen it now that I've come this far .

I didn't think I'd ever get a dark elf girlfriend, but Suela was happy to lean into me as I held her by the shoulders.

Not bad.

No, I'm just happy to be here.

''Senpai!　What happened yesterday?

You know that's what you're asking me, right?

I'm interested in it too, that I am!

You need to learn to weigh yourself down for now!

There are minors in here.

Please use those words.

For now, I'm just going to swing a chop on Minami's forehead to shut her up and regroup.

Aside from your personal business, there's something else I need to talk to you about.

What is it?　Is it Suella and your senior's wedding?

I told you it wasn't private, a**h*le.

Minami, who is about to take on Kaido, continues to speak before he joins the conversation.

'Guys, seriously answer the question.

If I'm being serious, and I'm not, these guys are gonna listen to me.

I'll flip the switch and they'll focus on me.

This almost killed me and Kaido. Minami and Masaru saw that.

It's not long enough to forget.

How could I forget what that iron sword felt like when it went through my stomach?

When you go into a dungeon, you won't die, but you'll experience something close to it. I haven't died in a dungeon yet, but I've nearly died many times. And some of the guys who have actually tried dungeons have quit because they were so traumatized by death and returning.

That's how dangerous this job is, and that's how risky it is.

What you're describing is an explanation of the danger.

I'm talking about the inevitable.

I'm telling you that now is the time to quit.

”Well, but still, let's just formally ask, are you guys okay to 'keep going'?

The sentence may be meaningless.

”I hate losing all the time. And with a beautiful woman from another world, there's no reason for me to leave my job!

I don't want to quit while I'm losing, that I do. And I don't think I can work anywhere else, that I don't think I can work anywhere else.

'I feel like I'd lose if the South said they were going to do it and I just quit, so the other goal for me right now is to see the South return to society.

What?　Winning!

Kaido, who should have been almost dead, answered with an air of inevitability, but he still showed his will to continue with his honest reason.

It could be traumatic, but Minami, who passed through the line of death, shows his will with his eyes and his words.

The only thing that is different from the other people around you is that Katsu is the only one with a different look on his face, but his expression is as good as the previous two.

This confirmation might not have been necessary for those guys.

''OK, we understand each of their intentions. I'll let you know the schedule later. For now, let's go grab a bite to celebrate our release from the hospital. On me, naturally.

So let's change today's plans and eat first to nourish our spirits for a fresh start.

”Oh!

Otherworldly food, that is.

Are you sure?

Oh, eat up, eat up, don't worry about your wallet. Anyone left out is my full-swinging a**h*le.

It's fine to take the edge off, but I'll keep it on point.

Kaido and Minami are still jubilant, and my guess is that one of them is going to get the ass-butt, but we'll see.

”How about you and Suela and Supervisor?

I appreciate the invitation, but I had to leave early yesterday.

As expected, it was impossible for me to rest after leaving early yesterday.

I do the math in my head to see if I can make it to dinner, and I look at the supervisor.

”I'm going if you're willing to take over my workload?

I am very sorry to hear your words, but I'll abandon it this time.

All right, guys, get ready, and get moving if you don't want your mountain of food to turn into a mountain of paperwork.

I invited them to join me, but it didn't seem to be a good time.

Unfortunately, we can't just turn a pile of rice into a pile of paper.

Jiro-san.

Hmm?

Just a gentle touch before you move.

I'll see you at dinner.

She seemed to know what I was thinking.

That's the only thing she said with a smile, and then she went to work.

I said deal with it, but what are you going to do?

I'll have a last resort ready for you.

”Huh?

Since this morning, the grumpy supervisor has been holding me accountable for my actions as Suela continues to improve.

I'm a human and she's a dark elf, we're both from other worlds, and through a sequence of events stranger and more miraculous than winning the first prize in a lottery, we ended up where we are.

Then men are surprisingly well prepared.

Come on up. You'll get a chair for you.

I'm going to take my time.

I'm sure the supervisor knows what he's going to do.

Finally, she put on a satisfied face and went to work.

”Sir!　Aren't you going to go?

'Sheng, does dragon meat taste good, that it does?

I'm interested in .......

The day will come when they will make a decision, but for now, we'll just let their bellies grow.

It's been two weeks since then.

I took advantage of the training in the time-space dimension special training room to build up my strength as soon as possible.

Kaido and I have regained our lowered status, but just to be on the lookout for anything like that doesn't mean it won't happen again.

Whether man-made or accidental, trouble can happen.

So we had to hasten the training so that we could take measures.

Well, I was worried about how the three of you would react when I told you that you were getting mentally old.

”...... not much has changed, that it hasn't.

Why do you look at me and say that?

In a good way, it was judged that there was no problem with the idea that a mature Katsura would not age any more, and the go-ahead was easily given and shrugged off as to its use.

Rather.

”It's finally here, that it is. A fantasy facility, that it's the beginning of my greatest legend.

”You will practice elementary granting magic repeatedly and peruse the medical books.

”...... I knew it was coming, that I knew it!　I knew there was a punchline, that I knew it!'

''The South's granting magic affects your body, it's only natural. I'm sure it's not a surprise. Don't give it to Katsumi either, the medical book, it may be difficult, but good luck, I'll be ransacking the place with Kaidou thoroughly afterwards, so we should be able to have a good number of actual battles.

”Yes.

”I thought I just heard a very disturbing word.

Don't worry, your ears are fine.

”I wish I'd listened to you.

To be honest, I thought I wouldn't get a decent, heroic response, but it's even more refreshing to hear words this far off.

This is where the training begins.

”Strength Muscle!

”At first, I've heard it's only going to change enough to hold a spoon, Sheng, but we'll start by healing the cut. It's not the image of cells dividing and plugging up, but rather the image of cells coming back to life like a reverse regeneration video.''

Difficult to do, but I'll do it.

This has evolved over time.

”Mighty Body!

'Oh!　My abdominal muscles are nicely split into six pieces!

”I don't want to lick the imagination of gamers, that I do.

But it's kind of gross, isn't it?

”The reference material is a BL book for my brother's specifications, that it is.

”Hey!　It's rotten!'

You're getting better at stopping the bleeding.

''It's because of what Jiro-san and Kaido-san put me through. Well, it's also because of the scrapes Minami has made here and there.''

I think I've reached a decent level of status in two weeks.

Once you've acquired a minimum level of skill, it's a waste of time to train endlessly.

Then it's time to move on to the real thing, the dungeon.

So I've come to do the preparatory work I promised you.

”Whoa!

Victory, take the south end of the line.

Yes, sir.

'Senpai is amazing!　I wouldn't be a man if I didn't get off on this!

Sorry, captain, they're real loud.

Ha-ha-ha, that's all right. It's been a long time since we dealt with a big ticket item. We can make a little noise, I won't complain.

As usual, there were no customers in the deserted arms and armor shopping district, which would have required closing down the shop if it wasn't protected by the MAO corporation.

If you make noise in such a space, you'll naturally stand out.

The South, with a sniffle, staring at the glass case.

In the background, Katsu Katsu is always available and ready to respond, but glances at his or her interesting weapons.

Kaido moving here and there like a child brought to the toy department .

Me, Suela and Cainz laughed over the counter as they watched the three of us like guardians.

'We do have a budget, though.

''Don't worry. Due to the recent incident, we've used this month's salaries of all the employees in the development department, more than half of which was used to cover the cost of this equipment, so we have quite a bit of leeway.

But still, we can't afford to over-equip them.

Yes.

Superintendent Evier's plan to cover the costs was decided about three days ago.

When Suera told me that about 60% of my department's employees' salaries will be used to pay for our party's equipment, I almost refused to accept the amount because it was too much.

There's no need to spend all of it, but even so, if I'm told it's part of the apology, I can't not accept it.

Then I decided not to accept the cash itself, but to purchase it through Suera.

Then Kaylee told me about Suera who was mercilessly going to gouge out the wounds, but I let it slide as I deserved.

''As a rough guide, I'd say Kaido's twin swords here, Katsu and South's staff .

That's true. Mr. Masaru and Ms. Minami will have to choose between metal and wood, but I think the light and strong wooden one would be better for the first time.

Well, a wooden cane with a carving on it would be just fine for that young lady and her boy.

Where are Kaido's twin swords?

She's a wizard, isn't she?　I know a guy who took a steel base and reinforced it with magic silver (mithril). If we can match that guy's hilt to it, there shouldn't be a problem.

That's a professional.

They've been very considerate of my needs.

You know, you don't need that magic sword, okay?

Hey, it's our new release.　If you've got the money, how about a bottle for a souvenir?