Ordinary Person × Modern Dungeon × Summer Vacation Life = Rise to Success!? 〜A Private Dungeon Was Made at the Remains of a Secret Base From Childhood〜 - Episode 17: Playing Tag with My Childhood Friend ①

Episode 17: Playing Tag with My Childhood Friend ①

“Yahhoo, Kou-chan.”

When I opened the front door, Otama-chan was waving with a T-shirt under her coat.

“Yo. Are you going to dinner dressed like that?”

“Nuh-uh. I’ll go home and change once. I’m wearing a swimsuit underneath this.”

Seems like she plans to play by the river again today.

—Yesterday.

After I requested the emerald magic stone to be bought at the Explorer Association, I tried inviting Otama-chan to go eat together.

“I wanna go! Definitely going! But I also wanna go to the private dungeon!!”

That’s what she said.

So, we decided to go to the private dungeon together during the day, and then dinner together after that.

And today—

“Honestly, I wanted to be with you since the morning. But I had a bunch of stuff to do. Okay, let’s play to the fullest while we can!!”

Saying that, Otama-chan raised her clenched fist.

☆★☆

Otama-chan and I are walking the mountain path toward the private dungeon.

“By the way, you’re taking the general explorer exam, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You decided pretty quickly to switch from a [Green] license to general.”

“…To be honest, I’ve always admired explorers. The results of my national aptitude test were bad, so I kept those feelings buried.”

“Huh… In my case, I just didn’t think I could survive in a normal company. So I became an explorer… So, when you found out I was one, what did you think?”

Otama-chan asked teasingly.

…Well, whatever.

Now that I’ve leveled up as an explorer, I can say it honestly.

“Honestly, I thought you were amazing. Rather than feeling frustrated, I mostly felt respect, like, ‘Otama-chan was working hard in places I didn’t know about.’ It gave me the courage to push myself, too.”

Then Otama-chan looked away from me and said,

“I-Idiot. Don’t answer so seriously… Just say it’s not a big deal or something…”

“Being an explorer means putting your life on the line. I know painfully well you can’t do it without some kind of talent. I can’t say it’s not a big deal.”

“A… thanks.”

Otama-chan mumbled shyly.

Back in middle school, if I could’ve thought being an explorer wasn’t a big deal, how much happier I would’ve been.

It was because I admired them that my own incompetence hurt so badly.

And time passed.

I finally got the ability stats to be eligible to take the general explorer exam.

“…It’s a strange thing.”

“Huh, what is?”

“If I hadn’t been fired from my job in Tokyo, maybe I would never have met Otama-chan again like this, and lived a dull life instead.”

“Y-yeah…”

“When I lost that job, I was in despair… But now I think maybe it was necessary for my life to turn around.”

Then Otama-chan, after fidgeting a bit, said,

“T-Then… I’ll guide you so you don’t get lost in life again.”

And she tightly held my hand.

“H-Hey.”

It was just like lovers holding hands.

The warmth of her hand made my heart pound.

“Back then, we used to hold hands like this, right? At festivals and stuff, so we wouldn’t get lost… Do you remember?”

“Y-Yeah…”

So that’s what she meant, like a continuation of our past.

She probably held my hand without any deep meaning.

Thinking that, I looked at Otama-chan.

“…………”

She was blushing, head down, lips pressed shut.

…Seriously, what’s with that expression…

…In the end, we walked the rest of the way to the private dungeon in silence.

☆★☆

We passed through the gate of the private dungeon and moved into the world of summer.

“Yahhoo, summer vacation!”

As soon as we entered the dungeon, Otama-chan returned to her usual self.

“Let’s play! Come on, let’s go to the river!”

………..She switches modes so fast, it’s hard to keep up.

“You look like you’re having fun, which is good. By the way, what does the general explorer exam involve?”

Maybe I should prepare for it.

Thinking that, I asked her. And Otama-chan replied:

“Basically, they check if you can handle monsters.”

“Handle?”

“Yeah. On the first floor of the Ōta Dungeon at the test site, you actually fight a Goblin and see if you can defeat it. You do it twice—once with skills, once without. Simple, right?”

“Well, sounds straightforward enough.”

My first real combat, huh…

I’m a little nervous.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine, Kou-chan. You were level 16 recently, right? Maybe you’re already 17? If it’s Goblins, level 3 is enough.”

“…I’m level 21 now.”

“T-Twenty-one?”

“Yeah. Same as you, right? Even Yamada-san, who handled my application yesterday, was surprised.”

“I-I leveled up recently too, so I’m 22 now. I’m still stronger!”

Otama-chan insisted while waving both hands.

“…Well, you’ve got more experience. So I probably can’t beat you in real combat. But in speed alone, I think I’ve got the edge. My speed stat was always high.”

“Muu… I’m not that slow, you know. I’m not losing to someone with a [Green] license!”

Otama-chan pouted.

“Haha, my bad. I’ll only challenge you once I get my official license.”

I tried to soothe her, but…

“…Let’s have a match.”

“Huh…?”

“A tag match.”

“Here?”

“Yup. I’ll be ‘it’. You run. If I catch you, you lose. If I give up, you win.”

“H-Hey—”

“Ready? Ten, nine, eight…”

She’s really doing this.

Geez.

She hasn’t changed since we were kids.

Well, maybe this is a good way to test my strength before the exam.

“Alright.”

I went all out with my level 21 speed and sprinted down the path between the rice fields.

First, I’ll run into the forest.

“Three, two, one, zero!!”

From behind, I heard Otama-chan finish her countdown.

She sped it up a lot near the end, but… fine, I’ll let it slide.

Feeling the summer wind and the chorus of cicadas on my skin, I ran toward the forest.