Chapter 9, Please Conduct the Interview

Translator: Lizz

 

After school, Rekka and Rika, still in their uniforms, entered a cafe. Of course, it wasn’t the kind of date that brightened up high school life. They weren’t holding hands, and there was no conversation between them. Separated by a slight distance, their positions made it seem as if they were strangers.

 

It wasn’t that they disliked each other, but since they had never talked before and had never even thought of getting involved, they were troubled by the sense of distance.

 

After receiving their ordered drinks from the waiter, they headed toward the sofa seats in an awkward atmosphere.

 

“Over here, over here.”

 

Masato, who had arrived earlier, beckoned them. He was drinking iced coffee to cool down his body, which was warmed by the heat outside. The glass was almost empty. Saying ‘Hello’, Rekka sat to Masato’s right, and Rika sat across from him.

 

“She’s Rika, my classmate.”

 

Rekka introduced without any small talk.

 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tachibana Rika.”

 

Caught off guard by the sudden situation, Rika greeted him with a slightly high-pitched voice.

 

Sweat began to form on her palms. Even wiping them didn’t stop it. She was nervous because she had been told this was an interview to see if she was suitable as a companion for dungeon exploration.

 

For Rika, who had no other connections, this meeting with Masato was her last chance, one she absolutely could not afford to miss. She had come here determined to cling to it no matter what.

 

“Nice to meet you. You may have already heard from Rekka, but I’m his older brother, Kanamiya Masato. Since using the family name might be confusing, please call me by my first name.”

 

“Then please do the same for me, and call me Rika.”

 

Rekka, who knew both of them in their natural state, grinned at the overly formal exchange. He managed not to laugh out loud, but for Masato it was nothing but a disturbance. When Masato gave him a warning glance, Rekka immediately shrank back.

 

With the distraction quieted, Masato turned his attention back to Rika. Her hair was slightly short, giving off an energetic impression. From the legs visible beneath her skirt and the arms extending from her short-sleeved shirt, firm muscles could be seen. Her build wasn’t slender, and it was clear she had trained her body to a certain degree.

 

“First, let me talk about myself. About two months ago, I think? was when I first entered the Tokyo Dungeon and began exploring. I’ve always worked solo, and right now I’m capable of reaching the 3rd floor alone. My level is 1, and my weapon is large knife. I usually initiate combat with ambushes, though it’s not that I can’t fight head-on. Against goblins, I can handle five at once without getting a scratch. Oh, come to think of it, I’ve never been injured even once… maybe I should add that luck has been on my side.”

 

Rika carefully broke down each part of his explanation in her mind, slowly realizing how abnormal it was.

 

First of all, the fact that he had been working solo without ever being injured. He laughed awkwardly, as if to cover his embarrassment, but it was no laughing matter. It was absolutely not something to be taken lightly.

 

Among solo explorers, about half experienced a serious injury within a month. Especially from the 2nd floor onward, where the rate of injuries increased. For minor wounds like cuts, the rate was nearly 100%. Someone like Masato was less than 1%. And to achieve such results with a short-reach weapon like a knife was truly astonishing.

 

The reason Rika knew this kind of common knowledge was because the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications had published statistical data. From those numbers, Masato’s abnormality became clear.

 

Rika had only thought that having a classmate’s older brother was better than starting from scratch, but actually meeting him overturned her expectations in a good way. She couldn’t hide her surprise at how reliable an explorer he was.

 

Reaching the 3rd floor in just two months was also an attractive speed of progress. Faster than average. With fewer people, the rewards could be expected to be greater as well. Of course, being on the 3rd floor didn’t make him a top-class expert, but looking ahead six months or a year, his evaluation would rise significantly.

 

After finishing these calculations, Rika calmed her pounding heart and spoke.

 

“Calling it luck… that’s amazing skill. It’s strange that you’re working solo. Aren’t you in high demand?”

 

“Hmm. I wonder? Even if people say I’m amazing, I don’t really feel it. I’ve been working solo because I don’t know anyone. Recruiting online feels scary, so I thought it was easier to just stay solo, and I’ve kept at it that way.”

 

As they talked, Masato’s tension eased and his tone became more casual. With Rika listening with genuine interest, his shyness began to fade. The atmosphere relaxed, and his speech naturally lightened. Influenced by that mood, Rika’s smile gradually grew.

 

“It’s the kind of result you should brag about!”

 

“Eh? Really?”

 

“Yes, really. I looked it up online, so I know I’m not mistaken.”

 

She had obtained her explorer’s license immediately after turning sixteen, but instead of rushing into dungeon exploration, she focused on actively gathering information. Of course, what a high school girl could do was limited. She made full use of social media, following accounts of explorers both famous and unknown, and checked company-provided information and news every day without fail. So, she naturally began to notice certain things.

 

One of them was that it wasn’t uncommon for people to suffer serious injuries during exploration and then change careers without ever returning. Many posted things like ‘I’m heading into the dungeon!’ only to follow up a few days later with ‘I’m quitting as an explorer.’ The causes varied—lack of training in combat, not preparing weapons, neglecting vigilance of their surroundings…, but the result was the same: they gave up being explorers.

 

Knowing about such careless explorers, Rika saw Masato as someone who shone brightly.

 

“May I ask the next question?”

 

Rika nodded, waiting for his words.

 

“I’ve heard a little from Rekka. You got your explorer’s license, but you’ve never actually entered a dungeon. You’ve been studying swordsmanship… is that right?”

 

“Yes, I use a one-handed sword. I can put up a good fight against active explorers, so I do have confidence…”

 

“I see. Having a license at your age means your parents gave permission, right?”

 

“I grew up in a facility, so technically it’s my guardian, but yes, I have permission.”

 

“Ah, I see. That explains it.”

 

Masato’s long-held doubt was suddenly resolved.

 

Japan today had become such an extremely aged society that one could hardly count how many times the word ‘super’ in ‘super aged’ should be repeated. Young people under twenty were overwhelmingly few, and the decline in the labor force was seen as a serious problem. As a desperate measure, the government had begun encouraging high school students to work.

 

Dangerous jobs that parents connected by blood would normally oppose were easily permitted for those protected in city-run facilities. No one could go against national policy.

 

“That’s how it is. Even if I die, there’s no one who would complain.”

 

“You’ve prepared yourself for death. Why are you so determined to enter the dungeon?”

 

“…Because I’m set to leave in two months. The budget has been reduced, and the policy has changed so that those who can be independent must go.”

 

Here lay the essence of Rika’s problem. Another issue of the super-aged society was budget allocation. Funds were directed almost entirely toward policies for the elderly, while the budget for the young, who would support the country’s future, was continually cut. Combined with the push for high school students to work, many were forced out of facilities.

 

To become independent and to learn how to live alone early. Such unreasonable logic had become accepted.

 

“If that’s already decided, wouldn’t it be better to take a part-time job instead of being an explorer, which is unstable?”

 

“That senior-citizen preferential policy that just came out…”

 

“Ah!”

 

With the passage of yet another bill, Rika was pushed even further into a corner.

 

Part-time jobs and other simple tasks were now prioritized for the elderly. It was infamous as the greatest bad law of the century. Because of it, all part-time work except physical labor was legally required to prioritize hiring seniors. It was a preferential policy designed by politicians desperate to win more votes, and it spread across Japan along with the despair of its youth.

 

Expelled from the facility, Rika had to earn money to survive on her own. But the nearby part-time jobs were monopolized by the elderly. The only option left was physical labor, and among those, she chose to become an explorer—because if she succeeded, the rewards would be far greater.

 

Knowing her situation, Masato didn’t have the heart to refuse her request.

 

Having more companions in battle might slow progress through trials, but it would also make things safer. Since Rika had studied swordsmanship, she wasn’t a complete amateur, and Masato judged it worth trying.

 

“Alright! Then let’s try entering the dungeon together a few times. If we’re compatible, we’ll continue. If not, we’ll disband, okay?”

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

Rika’s eyes brimmed with tears. She had cast aside her pride, revealed circumstances she had kept secret even from classmates, and finally secured a chance to earn income.

 

She understood this was only the starting point, but she couldn’t stop the relief spreading through her heart.

 

“Rekka, don’t tell anyone about this.”

 

“O-okay.”

 

With that final warning from Masato, the interview came to an end.