The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~ - 161. Matsunaga Koutarou Exploration Team

161. 161. 161. 161. Matsunaga Koutarou Exploration Team

――Entering the mine, it must have been about thirty minutes by now. Isezaki-san has not been found yet.

The tunnel we’re currently traversing seems to have been the site of extensive mining operations in the past, with side passages scattered about, creating a maze-like layout.

We’re relying solely on our instincts as we move forward in this place, but so far, there haven’t been any dead ends that require us to turn back.

As we move deeper, there’s a mysterious sensation that we’re getting closer to Isezaki-san, but I want to believe that it’s not just my imagination—

Regina suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Stop. They’re back.”

Regina’s brief words caused Colin and me to hold our breaths.

Soon, from the depths of the passage, men clad in tattered clothes approached with unsteady steps.

They were obviously not miners at work. They appeared to be living dead created by Maristel.

“In that case, here we go. Dimensional Web.”

I unleashed the Dimensional Web towards the living dead.

The Dimensional Web entangled the living dead, who were coming straight at us, and crushed them tightly. It’s a task we’ve repeated several times since entering the mine.

After disposing of the crushed living dead at the edge of the passage, we resumed walking—

――”This place is muddy and dangerous… Shall we jump ahead with ‘Leap Warp’?”

“I’ll stash away this big rock blocking the way.”

“Let’s slowly descend to the bottom of this vertical hole with ‘Floating Levitation.'”

“It’s a bit chilly. I brought something to put on top just in case, do you need it?”

“I’ll block this side passage with the big rock from earlier. Shall we bypass that creature and move forward?”

“I’ll take out some drinking water from the ‘Storage Storage’ now, shall we replenish our fluids?”

――With such precautions, we continued to venture deeper and deeper into the mine.

During a brief rest, Regina, after drinking the water I handed her, muttered with a distant look in her eyes.

“You know… once this mission is over, I think I’ll take a break and relax for a while. I haven’t talked to anyone about it yet, but I think my other comrades probably feel the same way…”

While it’s best to avoid discussing what happens after the mission as a flag, there was something off about the conversation.

“Huh? Didn’t the ‘Stinger’ folks say they were going to hunt higher-level dragons after upgrading their equipment with the reward?”

Even though they had defeated a Sand Dragon, they should have been feeling competitive against the self-proclaimed Dragon Slayer (me). It’s absolutely crucial that they don’t find out it was me who defeated it.

“That was the plan, but… seeing Matsunaga-san, I don’t know, it just seems silly to be competitive with a stranger Dragon Slayer. I don’t know why, but seeing Matsunaga-san… He easily defeated the Orc King Zombie that we couldn’t handle, and he’s been doing great since we entered the mine, you know?”

“Munch munch… Matsunaga-sama is amazing! Munch munch munch!”

While munching on chocolate for energy, Colin chimed in. Her mouth was completely covered in chocolate, by the way.

“No, no, it’s thanks to the reconnaissance work by Regina-san and the escort by Colin-chan that I can move with peace of mind. It’s not just my achievement.”

“While I’m grateful for your words, and I understand that you genuinely feel that way, I’m also intrigued by Matsunaga-san’s humble and unassertive nature.”

“Huh… What do you mean?”

“Maybe… the Dragon Slayer we’ve been considering enemies might be someone like Matsunaga-san. Perhaps he’s not interested in fame, so he doesn’t declare himself, and maybe he doesn’t intend to belittle the others from the start… Um, wait? So, does that mean…?”

Regina tilted her head in thought, a feeling of unease washing over her. After a while, she raised her face.

“…Hey, so, Matsunaga-san is a traveling merchant, right? He goes around to different places, I suppose? I wanted to ask… have you been to the capital recently?”

Regina directed a suspicious look at me. Oh no, this is bad.

“W-Well, of course I have. I mean, I am a traveling merchant after all. W-What’s the matter…?”

I replied, sweating profusely in response to her sudden question, while Regina looked at me with a puzzled expression.

After peering into my eyes for a while, Regina suddenly relaxed her shoulders and let out a long sigh.

“Ah… okay, got it, I won’t ask anymore. …Anyway, I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to take some time to reflect on ourselves and relax for a while.”

“I-I see. That sounds like a very good idea…”

I nodded in agreement while hiding my inner turmoil. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been found out, but I could tell from Regina’s calm expression that she had no intention of pressing me further. For now, I decided not to poke the hornet’s nest.

As I wiped the sweat from my forehead, Regina, who was next to me, lightly shrugged her shoulders and spoke up.

“Alright, shall we wrap up the break soon? So, what do you think, Matsunaga-san? We’ve come quite far into the tunnel, but do you think Miss Isezaki might be nearby?”

“Y-Yes… Um, it’s a bit confusing around here since the paths are intertwined, but I feel like she’s definitely getting closer…”

However, I didn’t feel her presence as strongly as when we first entered the tunnel. In fact, if anything, it seemed to be fading… almost as if she didn’t want me to come? That’s the kind of vibe I was getting.

“I see. Then let’s go—huh?”

Regina, who had started walking immediately, suddenly stopped after a short distance.

I managed to avoid bumping into her and looked at her back. She raised her index finger as a gesture to “be quiet” and cupped her hands around her ears to listen more carefully to the surrounding sounds.

“…I can hear something. Hmm… it’s coming from this side passage.”

Regina pointed to one of the several side passages. Following her lead, we proceeded deeper into the side passage.

After a while, I could hear some kind of sound too.

――Thud… thud…

Thud, thud… thud… *laughter*

Strange cries and a woman’s laughter, perhaps? The sound echoed through the tunnel, making it difficult to discern clearly.

“I can definitely hear it…”

“Shall we continue this way, or does it bother you?”

“Of course not.”

Since it had become increasingly difficult to sense Isezaki-san’s presence, it seemed prudent to follow whatever we could hear.

And so, guided by the sounds, we continued through the tunnel—

Eventually, at the end of the tunnel, a large cavern came into view.

As we moved closer, the sounds that had been constantly heard became clearer.

What we heard were the grotesque cries of monsters and a woman’s laughter. The woman’s voice was probably Maristel’s. But I couldn’t hear Isezaki-san’s voice.

Could it be that Isezaki-san is already—?

I shook my head, dispelling the chilling thought. And then, quietly, I peeked into the cavern to avoid being discovered.

Original Author’s Comment:

—Afterword—

The book version of “The Neighborhood High School Girl, Miss Isezaki, Is the Great Saintess Returned from Another World~ And I, Suddenly Awakened as Her Exclusive Mana Supply Uncle, Travel Between Earth and Another World with Time-Space Magic~” is finally scheduled for release next month on February 16th! Pre-orders are now being enthusiastically accepted!

Please check out the latest updates, including information on store bonuses, in the following status note: https://kakuyomu.jp/users/fukami040/news/16818023212450832909