Tanaka Jiro, twenty-eight years old, single, no girlfriend, occupation: Dungeon Tester (full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude 8 (General Class)
Officer of the Year: Warrior
It's been a week since the day I first entered the dungeon. I haven't been near the square since then, and I've been trying to improve my status by opening the map steadily.
I've updated my status many times since then, but it's always nice to see your efforts paying off.
I don't have anyone to compare it to, so I don't know if the amount of improvement is more or less, but as of now I'm satisfied with it.
After a week of hard work, my status has improved and I'm starting to have more time to deal with woodkids, small puppets, wood puppets and mannequins.
The more we can afford, the more we can control our expenses and the more efficient we can be, the more profit we can make.
It's nice to see, but not everything is working out for us.
We haven't found our friends and party members, which is the key issue.
The problem we felt so keenly when we dealt with the Wood Golem and Wood Puppet Blood back then has not been solved at all.
It seems that every member has already decided on a fixed member, and it's hard to ask them to join us.
The generation gap called age gap may be more serious than we expected.
I don't know if it's because of the Monday after the holidays or for some other reason, but you seem to have no energy.
'Huh.'
However, I realize that a beautiful woman can also look good with a sigh.
I approach Suela to greet her with a melancholy expression.
"Good morning, Miss Suera.
Good morning, Jiro-san.
Since I have a report in hand, my requirements were immediately communicated to him and he took the document, and Suera quickly looked it over on the spot.
"No problem, thank you for your help. Keep up the good work.
Normally, the paperwork is done, so there's no problem for me to just walk away, but the way she was acting earlier made me feel uneasy.
Did you have to work yesterday too?
That's probably why I didn't walk away, but I stayed where I was and made small talk.
Yeah, well, I guess so.
It's tough to work on your day off, isn't it?
What a terse response.
Is it really so hard to say, or did the instructors make a reckless decision?
But I don't feel that desperation, that sense of urgency.
As a rule of thumb, if you work too hard, you'll only get trapped and depressed, so please don't take it easy.
'Thank you for your concern, that's fine, I'll be out early today.
He's laughing.
I don't know what's behind it, but as long as you're laughing, you'll be okay.
People can't laugh when they're under pressure.
There's a possibility that she might have made up a laugh, so I'll look into it.
Well, I'll help you if I can.
Thank you, so I'll order something else.
The words came from social graces and the ulterior motive of wanting to increase the favorability of the situation a little, but I was a little worried that I was not poking around in the bushes, but for now, I said goodbye to Suera-san and left the office .
'So? Do you have any ideas?
Can't you see it?
A summary of the synopsis, Suela-san has been working on her day off to talk about her lack of energy by the tool shop to purchase her loot until last weekend.
I tried to talk to Memoria, the vampire shopkeeper, with whom I've become close enough to chat over the past week, but her response was blunt.
I know this place because I always come here to restock my supplies before entering a dungeon, but it's still deserted.
Memoria, who is carefully appraising jewels and magic stones the size of marbles inside the store's counter, does not look at you while peering through a loupe and tosses back the answer as calmly as ever.
''I'm asking because I don't know.
Considering the current state of this store, the answer is obvious.
What do you expect to find in a town that's all but deserted and empty except for me?
That's exactly the answer.
When the appraisal is done, Memoria comes over to me with a fountain pen in her hand and a written estimate in hand.
Are you satisfied with the total price, 5,400 yen?
"That's not even nine hundred dollars an hour. ...... And the answer to that question is that there's no one else in the house except me, or that it's deserted?
If the amount of money is this much at the beginning, it seems to be the one who is earning, but since 60% of this amount will disappear as the cost of supplies, I don't feel like I'm earning anything.
It's both.
Both: ...... No, that's even more confusing.
After receiving the money, Memoria follows behind me as I put the items in the store in a basket while I shop, organizing the shelves.
After all this time, isn't it unusual to be an orthodox, bespectacled vampire shopper in a black work apron, white shirt and slacks?
It's none of my business right now.
It's simple. It's a dead end, no customers. That means fewer testers.
...... fewer testers?
That's what I mean.
Testers are the only people who use this store.
Maybe it's the time of day, but I've only met other testers in this shop a few times a year.
Even on weekends I don't think I've seen them.
"It's more difficult than I thought, or in this case, it's more difficult than I thought, it seems that there are a lot of people who can't continue to work and leave the company. I've heard that's the case with a lot of people who can't carry on and leave their jobs.
Finally, we have some closure.
They say bad premonitions are often right.
As if to confirm my prediction, Memoria replied in the affirmative.
The point is that many of them quit as testers because the work was too hard and wasn't as interesting as they thought it would be.
This company is special.
Maybe it's because the company is run in a way that cannot be disclosed to the public, but the information is well managed.
In other words, even the most basic information must not be divulged to the outside world when leaving the company.
Ms. Suera's department must have been working on the weekends because they were so busy taking care of this.
The same thing happens in a fantasy world, doesn't it?
Over there it would be like throwing away your life, which is unthinkable here.
When a person quits a job for selfish reasons, it is almost always the remaining people who are inconvenienced by it.
Even if it is for personal reasons, the reasons that are acceptable or unacceptable will have a great impact on the mental fatigue of the person handling the situation.
That's why you're swearing so much at the hassle.
If you're going to swear, you might as well speak up.
Don't swear in there, or at least put it on out of sight.
He's a vampire.
It has nothing to do with vampires.
The swearing that came out unexpectedly, she said it was not flattering, but rather agitated, and even more so because the excuse was unique to her race, she burst into laughter, and the pot-like anger that had been simmering felt a little warmer.
The anger itself is still there, but not enough to make you angry.
''Also, it seems that some of the testers who quit were absent without permission, and we lost touch with them. Thanks to that, our emergency response team has been dispatched and HR has been up all night.
However, the vampire shopkeeper next to him threw another stone into the pot .
''In addition, it looks like they're going to bring forward the plan to increase the number of employees due to the decrease in staffing, so thanks to that, the HR department will be working overtime for a while .
Hey.
Yes?
How does one clerk know so much about what goes on behind the scenes?
A drunken dark elf from HR mistakenly took our house as a tavern as he was about to finish up shop and went on to complain?
Fantasyyyyyyy.
Let's try again, but it's important.
Fantasy, get your asses in gear.
The anger I felt earlier was gone, but I could imagine Suela sitting at the counter of the pub complaining about her boss and her work.
A businessman completely drunk and crushed at the counter with a medium beer mug in his hand.
I don't know how you feel, but don't go to the wrong store.
The shopping cart in one hand and posture as if to stifle a headache, Memoria confirms the uneasiness factor with a question mark on me who is suddenly saying strange things.
Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that my reality is a little bit shattered. So, this dark elf.
Oh, it's tough. Are you the dark elf? It was a man, so I don't think he was the one you're thinking of.
Well, I guess I didn't have to worry about that.
You're right, you don't want that kind of image breaker.
Yeah, there's hope.
But her job is hard enough as it is.
Can I get you some food?
But first, I'm going to need the bill.
I know.
So don't give me your hand without looking at me.
I'm just going to give you 4,000 yen because I know what I'm charging you!
the next day
I was wearing neither equipment nor a suit for an early morning outing, but plain clothes with sleeves.
It had been in my dresser, but I didn't want to wear a suit to go out of the office, but I didn't want to wear something that could only be seen as cosplay, so I pulled it out.
As it was, I filed a notice to the dark elf matron to go out, left my room key with her, and went out of the office for a long time.
I mean, he's weirdly heavy.
I started to feel discomfort right away.
I didn't feel uncomfortable or lazy at all, but I could feel a dull sensation in my body.
Maybe you were still tired from diving in the dungeon yesterday.
I was going to be back this afternoon and go into the dungeon, but maybe I should take the day off?
Maybe I'm more tired than I think I am.
I moved my body without any discomfort other than dullness, got into the car, and quickly turned the key in the car to get to my destination.
You are thankful that the engine has been left unattended for a month, and you will consider using it often in the future.
"Well, what's your destination?
You look up your destination with your smartphone and switch to the navigation mode.
As you are driving out of the parking lot, you see a group of high school students wearing school uniforms going to school.
Will such people be summoned?
Six months ago, I would have snickered that such a story would only be in a novel and thought of ways to get the job done rather than that.
That was the twist and turn, and I had learned the identity of one of the gods.
It was while waiting for a red light, but the sight of students making a fool of themselves like that was suddenly transported to another world .
While you're thinking that the world might be stranger than a novel, you're hit by a horn from behind.
"Oops, it's blue.
You realize that the light has changed and you start running again.
Just keep going for a while and you'll reach your destination.
d*mn it.
There were already people lined up in front of the shop.
I searched for recommended cake shops in Tokyo, and here's the result.
I parked my car at a nearby coin-operated parking lot and walked down the street, but it was just before eight o'clock and it was a weekday.
The fact that there's a line of people waiting to get in line is a sign of how popular the shop is.
Was I wrong?
Just for the cake? And while thinking of a gag, I lament my lack of a good plan.
I thought it was a popular restaurant, so I searched for a good restaurant to get some sweet food and thought it would be okay if I left early because it was a weekday.
Well, I guess I'll just have to wait in line.
I rearranged my plans in my head and stood in line, thinking I might not be able to get into the dungeon today.
Conclusion .
I won't be waiting in line for a popular cake shop for a while.
Is this normal for a three-hour wait?
I don't know other restaurants, so I can't say for sure, but at least the only place I can think of where you can stand in line for more than this is a food area at an amusement park or something.
You have to wait in line for an hour until the restaurant opens, and then two hours after that, it's going to take a toll on your body no matter how much you've been working out lately.
It was just before noon when I came back to the office, feeling different from exercise, and it might be just right to give them a roll full of fruit.
Although it's uncomfortable to enter the company in civilian clothes, since the employee ID card is in your wallet, there will be no problem.
Considering the number of people in your department, you may have bought five cakes in two boxes, which is quite a lot for a cake shop.
From the parking lot to the office, you take the elevator and press the switch for the department you want to visit.
You get off the elevator and you're in.
Battlefield?
Dark elves and demons shouted angrily, goblins with bundles of papers were running around left and right, a vampire looking into a computer was single-handedly judging papers, and Supervisor Evier was in the center giving telephonic and vocal instructions to take command of the formation .
The scene was reminiscent of the near-deadline chaos that was unfolding before my eyes.
Everyone was busy, and I felt very out of place, dressed in plain clothes with a piece of cake in my hand.
"Call the treatment team!
'I'm already doing it! Do you have a route prediction for out-of-towners?!
"Harakhetagob.
"Moumikkananani mota-betenai gob.
Give Squadron A a 30-minute break and get Squadron B moving in their place and get Rich down here for memory work. The third level is on the third floor. It's deserted in that dungeon anyway. Go pull out the prowlers at random!
Get this one over here and that one over there and get your settlement stamp.
One, two, three, four, five ...... one document short?
The most goblin part looks peaceful, but he? She? I don't know which one, but I don't think it's a good idea to stop her from running around.
In the meantime, I looked at Suela and saw that she was answering the phone and getting in touch with someone else.
Yeah, okay, then.
But the call ended just in time.
"You must be busy.
Jiro-san, what's going on? The report is fine, but what is it?
Onomatopoeia, eagle! I guess.
The expression on his face, which had been hard to keep calm, changed, and what he had come up with was a grabbing of his arms, and he felt a strong will to let him go.
''Jiro-san, could it be that you are quitting too?
For some reason, Suela's voice caused the shura to quieten down with a thump .
''Huh? No--
'Where was the problem! Was it a benefit package! On the payroll! The work environment! Ha! If it's a relationship!
I wonder if this is what it means to have a piercing gaze, when people of all sorts of fantasy species, rather than our own, are hanging on, and from the side, it looks like Suela is trying to convince me.
"Oh no, that's the only thing that worked.
A needle in a haystack; to put it simply, it was uncomfortable.
I didn't know what to say, and so I kept quiet, but my attitude was bad, or maybe it was just that I fell down.
The fact that people thought he was quitting because of his plain clothes, and the number of retirees has been increasing recently, may have led to a misunderstanding.
If that's the case, it was probably the wrong time.
Feeling a little guilty, let's just hand it over quickly as planned to clear up the misunderstanding.
Well, it looked like you were having a hard time, so I'll bring you some food.
I'm probably the first person to offer a roll to a dark elf while being squeezed by the air around me, right?
Insert?
'Yes, I thought it would be nice to have something sweet to eat when I'm tired, so I bought a cake for all of you to eat. ...... Is that enough?'
When I first saw it, at least there weren't any goblins, so I bought an extra amount for about twenty people to eat, but looking at the current situation, I'm not sure if it's enough.
I'm not sure if it's enough, but I'm going to put the box of cakes on top of it as she timidly holds out her hand.
...... Do you dislike sweets?
He was so unresponsive that I thought he might have a sweet tooth.
"Hmm, Jewelum rolls, you have surprisingly good taste.
"Supervisor.
Superintendent Evvia took the cake box I was holding and nodded admiringly at the logo on the box as she lifted it from the side.
You're going to have to be able to have a lot more than that. ...... Okay, you can eat from the one you've finished with. I won't leave anything behind that's slow to work!
The office became noisy again, as if the clock had stopped ticking .
As if to ignore the scene, Superintendent Evvia wiped her hands with a sanitizing tissue, made a magic blade on her fingertips, secured a slice and ate it.
You eat like a student eating, but the gesture looks elegant.
''Good, next time you bring it to me, bring it more quietly.
Yes, sir.
A boss who could do the right thing, turning on the heat and walking away with aplomb.
Um, are you going to quit?
There's no reason for me to quit, sir.
Huh.
Letting out a sigh that suited the word 'weakness', Suela finally got up .
'My life expectancy has been reduced by about three years .
Is that a dark elf style joke? I've heard it said that the race of elves are long-lived, and some say they have no life span.
I'm sorry to have caused such a stir.
'No, I'm sorry I misunderstood you too,'
You know, is the sweet stuff okay?
Yes, I love it, not that I don't like it, but I love it, and since we don't have many opportunities to eat sweetness, this is a very welcome gift.
Like the Superintendent, he formed a magical blade in his fingertips and cut the rolls into pieces.
''Ah! Suela, it's not fair!
Then you need to finish the job quickly.
The dark elf woman sitting across from her shouted out, but Suela brushed it off and magically pulled the plate and coffee over to her.
''Since you're here, would you like some?
I'll take you up on your offer.
You pull up an empty chair nearby and accept your coffee.
I try to ignore the occasional resentful glances I feel.
Another side
He finishes his coffee with some chatter and it gets a little noisy, but he generally walks away uneventfully and lets out a sigh.
"S'éla~
Yes, Kaylee?
Do you love her?
Oh, gosh!
I was prepared to pass it off lightly, thinking that a grudge or two for not being able to eat the cake would come out, but the words of my colleague and fellow dark elf, Kaylee, who had gone beyond my expectations, made me cringe, and the coffee went into my trachea .
''Hoho, judging from your reaction, do you have a pulse?
What the hell are you doing?
'No, I thought for sure you weren't interested in guys since you busted Lois's advances the other day with one word, 'busy', but I see, because he was there.
I don't even know if you have to work overtime anymore.
You manage to let Kaylee's teasing words sink in and get to work.
'Unfortunately, we're on the verge of a breakthrough, so I guess it's all good, huh?
I let out a sigh to my long-time friend who laughs and says he won't let me go.
"If you don't have it, I have it.
I was gonna tell you to get out of my way, but...
Well, if you're not interested, I'm not sure they are.
Master Evvia.
Contrary to his usual demeanor and appearance, his boss (Master Evvia), who shows up with a cup of coffee in one hand, is a devil, likes to play with people and has a soft spot for this kind of talk.
And a good nose.
From what I see in these reports, you're good at your job. From what I've heard of the Kirou, his behavior has been quite helpful.
It's definitely not a coincidence that I have his report in my hand.
He must have been getting a feel for us, and he was trying to keep us in the loop.
"Yeah?
This would be a story that would make me happy if it wasn't true, but this man's story is rarely true.
Demons are like that.
Don't be so gloomy. Lately I've been fed up with the inertia of people who work hard, don't make ends meet, are unwell and then run off and don't clean up afterwards. I don't have to say good news, but I have something to cheer about, and I don't think it would be bad to take a break and join my boss for a chat.
I tried to break the conversation off somehow with a smile, but I didn't think it would go through.
On a brighter note, that would be me.
I would never cross a man who smiles and says he's not going to let me go.
No one is better than this man, both in ability and position, and most of all, no one is better than him when it comes to rolling people.
When you find yourself in a situation where you could have confessed everything, it's better to talk to some extent to reduce the damage than to resist poorly.
Your friend across from you has a big smile on his face, as if he has a reassuring ally.
I have to take this as a challenge.
"Hey, I've got some business to take care of.
At the very least, I'll put up a resistance to the slightest possibility.
Hm, I can't force my men to work overtime as expected ......
I thought that you would be able to dismiss me with a simple "no problem", but the surprisingly positive reaction makes me think of you.
Moreover, you'll have a moment to think about it, so it may be easier than you think.
"There's a guy out there with a lot of spare time. Let me do half of what I'm doing. That should give you enough time to talk to me.
Yeah.
But it seems that it was a faint thought .
It seems that my friend was only sacrificed to make time, and there is no way out, as I first expected .
When my friend announced that his work was finished, Evvia-sama's magic moved half of the papers on my desk to Kaylee's. I can see his face without looking at it.
You don't have to see her face to know.
I'm sure the smile you were trying to have fun with just froze.
While this gives us some breathing room, it does mean we're busy right now. So, let's cut the bullshit.
Well, that goes for me, too.
A cold sweat drips down my spine and expresses my feelings.
Come on, entertain me.
From there, I was washed out and let out everything that had happened in the month and a bit since we met .
From the surface memories I saw during the interview, I was exposed to his somewhat twisted but serious personality, seeing his earnestness as he worked hard during the training, seeing his bravery as he challenged the Demon King and the Immortal King, how many times I had fallen in love with him, and how my heart was warmed when he smiled and thanked me every time I treated him... everything. I've told you.
"Kukku kukku, after all, nothing goes better with coffee than a dark elf love story.
Thanks to that, I was able to entertain them as Evvia-sama wished, but my heart was on fire to the point where I wanted to hide and hide if there was a hole.
Kaylie and others, who were sitting across from me listening to me as I worked, were saying that I was a demon and that I had no idea what I was talking about.
She laughed that it was all just a joke, and then she said it was a waste of time to resist.
Are you still not in love with her, but do you care? The blue fruit, or rather, I enjoyed it to the fullest. Suela, you seem to have a pretty good eye for men, even for a dark elf.
It's been a long time since I've seen Evvia-sama in such a good mood, but if possible, I wanted to be in a position to see her as someone else's person.
Dark elves are notoriously insensitive to love, but they are also single-minded and passionate.
They are always curt to those they do not care about and never more than friendship.
But if a person of the opposite s*x appears who is worthy of your attention, you can't shift your attention to the bottomless pit, no matter how fast you are going.
That's why there is no shortage of stories of dark elves who have fallen for the wrong man and met a disastrous end.
Perhaps that's how Master Evia sees men.
This was a good break. I thank you.
Yes, sir.
I replied calmly to Master Evia who said that and walked away, but contrary to that, my hands were placed on both cheeks as if to release the heat, and firmly my palms were transferring the heat.
My face is probably too red to be hidden by my brown skin.
In addition, this is an office, and my seat is in the center, probably because I'm close to Master Evvia.
So there's no shortage of coworkers glancing past.
And of course, there is no shortage of coworkers who will overhear what you just said.
Some of them were kind enough to step aside, but the dark elves of our amusement-hungry, late-married clan will not listen.
A public execution .
His thoughts were also spinning in circles, and eventually he found that his face was too hot to be here .
You can't get the job done any longer.
For a moment, the fever subsided, as if you realized something, and you were able to calm down.
Without missing a beat, I quickly gather up my work at my desk.
Suela?
Please?
Yeah, but here.
O-ne-ga-yi?
Maybe I'll have a murderous smile on my face right now.
But it's no concern of mine.
No, it's got nothing to do with me.
"Yes, I'll do it.
When I shoved a stack of papers at Kaylee and calmly left the office
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, Sue, Bella!
Surely the calmness just now was the calm before the storm.
As if to relieve some of the shame I had been holding back, I let out an inaudible cry and ran with all my magic power.
'Lois has been run over!
'Hey! Somebody get me a stretcher. The wall's in there! Hey! Whoever is a Titan! Help me pull it out!
Oh, shit! You're having some kind of weird cramp!
I thought I bumped into someone on the way, but I couldn't afford to worry about that.
If it was possible, I wanted to lock myself in my room until the day this rumor died down.
Another side END
Suella Handelberg, 210 years old, single, no boyfriend.
Occupation MAOcorporation (Demon King's Army) Head of Tester Section, Human Resources Department
Magical Aptitude 6 (Deputy Officer Class)
Title: Spirit Wizard
Word of the Day.
After 200 years, I learned about love.
But I didn't want to realize it this way if possible.