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 2: Secret Base

Episode 2: Secret Base

(Note: Special for this chapter, dialogues from TV and comic books are written in this bracket:『…..』)

Two days after getting fired from the company.

I had returned to my countryside hometown in Tochigi Prefecture, where my parents’ house is.

Since I had lived in a furnished apartment in Tokyo, moving out wasn’t too much trouble.

For a while, I planned to stay here and carefully think about my future… but…

While I was having breakfast, Mom started nagging me.

“Koichi, what are you going to do from now on?”

“Even if you ask me what I’ll do…”

“Like, you could go out to Utsunomiya, or find work around here.”

…Ah, this feeling. It brings back the unpleasant memories of being constantly rushed to do my homework.

“Umm, I don’t think I can decide right away. I want to think over what I really want to do.”

When I said that, Mom responded,

“I understand the situation, but hurry up and find a job. For now, go to Hello Work. You’re going to work here, not in Tokyo, right? Both your father and I don’t want to deal with a jobless freeloader…”

“Okay, okay. That’s why I said I’m thinking about it. Thanks for the meal!”

I moved to my childhood bedroom as if escaping.

“Haa…”

I really don’t want to work.

Honestly, after this whole ordeal, I was completely fed up with working.

If tricking kind old ladies into buying products counts as justice, then I never want to do such a thing again in my life.

If I looked hard enough, maybe I could find a more decent job, but would anyone even hire someone like me?

“Ahhh, living is so hard.”

Even I thought my thought process was on a straight path to becoming a NEET, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“…Maybe I’ll read some manga. Something that doesn’t make me think too much…”

I picked up Drone Fighter TAKUMA, which I had bought when I was in elementary school.

It was a hobby manga serialized in Gorogoro Comic. The protagonists in the series, for some reason, battled with toys to decide the fate of the town.

*flip…*

『Kuhahaha, if your toy breaks, you just buy another one!! Go, my 100 sacrificial drones!!』

『You’re wrong!! Aero Copters aren’t just toys!! They’re friends!!』

『Takuma!! Please, win!!』

『Leave it to me!! Rio-chan!! Uooooooo!! Professor Kazama, watch this!! Eagle Hurricane!!!』

『W-What!? Suddenly the Aero Copter has this much power!? Uwaaaaaa!!!』

“Heh…”

Yeah, this feeling.

I don’t know why, but when the pilot shouted with passion, the drone’s power would suddenly increase.

Of course, in the real world, even if I shouted, an unmodified Aero Copter wouldn’t get stronger. And the ones loaded with fancy parts that rich kids used were ridiculously strong.

But back then, I didn’t know about such realities.

And playing was simply just fun.

“I wonder if I could make a living as a drone fighter.”

Of course, I know such a job doesn’t exist in this world.

It doesn’t have to be a drone fighter.

A life where playing is work, and I can live without stress.

Wouldn’t it be nice if something like that could come true…?

As I was indulging in such fantasies,

“Koichi! Mom’s going to Eayon, you coming!? Or staying home!?”

(Note: Probably an offset of a shopping mall’s name in Japan “Aeon”.)

A loud voice echoed from the first floor.

…Hmm.

I didn’t want to go to Eayon with my mom at this age. But it would be annoying if neighbors came to visit while I was home.

“…Maybe I’ll just go for a walk for a while.”

I threw on a coat and went down the stairs.

☆★☆

The air at the end of February was still cold.

I walked along the road I used to take to school.

The smell of the wind was nostalgic.

“Brings back a lot of memories…”

The school route where I used to mess around with friends.

The memories of being scolded by teachers.

And the afterschool times when we played until sunset.

“…Hmm?”

Something popped into my mind.

“Come to think of it… what ever happened to the secret base?”

My family didn’t have much money, but we owned a mountain.

Until my grandfather’s generation, we ran a small forestry business. We were cutting down trees from the mountain and shipping them.

Using a part of that mountain, we built a secret base just for kids. And I used to play there with my friends.

The structure of the secret base itself was built quite solidly because Grandpa used scrap timber—something called “thinning wood”—to build it.

Thinking about it now, it was basically an illegal structure. And since no one maintained it for years, it must be completely falling apart……

I changed direction and headed toward the mountain.

☆★☆

I walked up the nostalgic mountain path that I had climbed many times with my friends.

I wonder what those girls are doing now.

There was Otama-chan, real name Omoigawa Tamaki. She was a girl but used to catch bugs with me.

There was Manamin, real name Miyano Manami. She always carried around a Prettya compact.

There was Shi-chan, real name Sasarabashi Shiho. She loved reading books.

And me, Natsume Koichi, who they called “Kou-chan”—the four of us used to play together.

Even though there were no boys nearby, it’s surprising how much time I spent playing with three girls.

I can’t believe it now, seeing how I have no female company these days.

“Who would’ve thought those days were the peak of my life…”

As I trudged through the rough mountain path, I arrived at the remains of the secret base in no time.

When I was a kid, I thought it was a place deep up the mountain. But it actually wasn’t that far.

Maybe that’s just how childhood memories work.

“Hmm…?”

Something felt off.

The main structure of the secret base had collapsed from exposure to the elements. It was just as I expected.

But at the entrance, there was a steel door that looked almost brand-new.

“What the heck is that…?”

Did some homeless person modify the place to live there…?

But the main secret base wasn’t in a livable condition at all.

If someone was going to live here, fixing the roof would come before installing a door.

Moreover, the door was elaborately designed. There was a sun that had a face crafted onto it.

Only this door was standing upright like magic. It looked completely out of place in the middle of the forest.

…………..Magic?

…No way.

It hit me.

This was a Dungeon Gate.

Looking closer, there was a faint purple mist rising above the door like a mirage.

It had the same characteristics as the Dungeon Gates I had seen on the news.

To think a gate would appear inside my family’s private property.

Now that I think about it, I had heard something before.

All the big dungeons in places like Utsunomiya, Shinjuku, and Akihabara are designated by the government.

But in reality, there are many other smaller dungeons that exist.

The government investigates the dungeon’s depth and monster strength. And if they recognize it as publicly beneficial, it gets designated and opened to the public.

If not, the property owner is responsible for managing it.

Apparently, there are even landowners who open small private dungeons as magical “driving ranges” and make an income from them…

“Maybe it’s safe to just take a peek…”

Maybe our dungeon could be used for something too. I wanted to check.

If there were monsters, I could just turn back right away.

I reached out and grabbed the steel door’s knob.