Chapter 6, Haru’s High School Life

Translator: Lizz

 

Unlike Rekka, Haru was living a relatively fulfilling high school life. His social standing was closer to Seiji’s – he belonged to the upper caste, and was admired by his classmates. At the very least, he was not someone avoided by the girls or ordinary boys in class like Rekka was. Teachers also held him in high regard, and he blended smoothly into the class, naturally securing a good standing. He excelled in that kind of communication ability.

 

“Want to eat lunch together today too?”

 

No one ever refused Haru’s invitation. Two boys and two girls – he spent lunch break with his usual well-balanced group. After school, they would go to karaoke or hang out together. However, they rarely had deeper conversations like talking about romance. Their relationship was limited to hanging out as classmates, and they considered it best to keep things at a surface level.

 

Naturally, their conversations stayed away from private matters. Today’s topic was the news about the 15th floor of the Tokyo Dungeon being cleared. The large party Masato had passed by defeated the last boss of the floor, the Killer Mantis. Though there were several casualties, they successfully reached the 16th floor.

 

The reported drop items were a fist-sized magic stone, two scythes, and a skill card. That was all the publicly available information; further details had not been revealed. The magic stone was scheduled to be put up for auction, drawing attention from collectors worldwide. High-purity boss magic stones were often collected not as energy sources but as prized items.

 

Their value was judged by color, shape, and transparency, and this boss magic stone was expected to fetch over twenty million yen. A precious tone, with practical use as well. That was how the market evaluated it.

 

“Defeating the boss with only three losses is amazing, isn’t it?”

 

Compared to his other siblings, Haru wasn’t particularly interested in explorers. Still, since it often became a topic in class, he naturally kept up with the latest information.

 

When he provided conversation material, the two girls reacted eagerly.

 

“Totally! Especially Hayato-sama, he’s so cool! I’d love to see him fighting in that dignified way!”

 

“Why don’t cameras work inside the dungeon? It’s such a shame… Maybe the only way to get close is to become an explorer ourselves.”

 

“No, no. He said in an interview recently that teammates aren’t romantic prospects! The real targets are probably dungeon staff or announcers.”

 

“Both of those sound super competitive… Maybe all we can do is admire from afar.”

 

Though three people had died in the boss battle, no one seemed to care. A long time has passed since explorers became a mainstream profession, and people’s perceptions have changed. Death was no longer unusual. Especially in cases like this, where it wasn’t a senseless death from war or crime, but a choice to risk one’s life in battle, no one dwelled on it. It was treated as a number. Of course, family members were an exception, but for society at large, it had become part of everyday life. Over twenty-five years, the common sense of young people had shifted.

 

Death had become much more familiar than it had been before the dungeons appeared.

 

“But hey, don’t people say love can blossom in the middle of battle?”

 

The boy sitting next to Haru—Mishima Daisuke, a classmate he often hung out with—cut into the conversation. Like Masato, he admired Miyazawa Ai. Though he studied daily to earn an explorer’s license, deep down he unconsciously believed it was a dream he could never achieve, so his voice lacked conviction.

 

“If someone’s reliable, sure. But with a slim build like yours, Daisuke-kun, it just makes me nervous!”

 

“Exactly! It’d make my heart race in the wrong way!”

 

“Hey, come on, that’s harsh…”

 

Daisuke exaggeratedly slumped his shoulders in disappointment. Being rejected by the two girls he was close with nearly broke his spirit.

 

“Then what about Haru? He’s just as slim as me.”

 

“Eh? Me?”

 

If he was going down, he wouldn’t go alone—he’d drag someone with him.

 

That was the feeling behind his words.

 

“”Haru-kun seems like he’d manage somehow!””

 

“What do you mean, ‘manage somehow’?”

 

“He’s more capable than you, Daisuke-kun.”

 

“Well.”

 

“He would prepare properly and never do anything reckless. Even if something dangerous happened, he seems like the type who’d say, ‘I’ll hold them off here, so you run ahead!’ But Daisuke-kun, you’d probably get scared and run off first, leaving me behind. Maybe you’d even use me as bait to escape.”

 

“N-no way, I’d never do that!”

 

“Remember when the four of us were walking home and those delinquents harassed us? You got scared and backed off to the very rear. If Haru-kun hadn’t handled it, would you have stepped in to help?”

 

Daisuke’s credibility was zero. It wasn’t just imagination; it was based on actual events, which left him unable to argue back.

 

Incidentally, the delinquent Haru faced was a friend of Rekka’s, someone he knew. They did get harassed, but it ended as little more than a casual exchange of greetings. From Haru’s perspective, being praised as brave and protective felt like an exaggeration. Still, since the misunderstanding worked in his favor, he chose not to correct it.

 

“Alright, alright, let’s stop there. Personally, I think it’s best to just admire from a distance. The closer you get, the more flaws you start to see.”

 

Setting down his half-eaten lunch, Haru stepped in between Daisuke and the girls.

 

“That’s true. Hayato-sama is so popular, he probably flirts with all kinds of women…”

 

“And if you got close to him, the jealousy from others would be intense. If you actually dated him, you might even get bullied. And inside the dungeon, he wouldn’t be able to protect you…”

 

When they looked at reality instead of mere admiration, they understood that even if things went well, there would be many difficulties, and lasting long would require serious resolve. The heat of romance cooled quickly. They accepted that cherishing him as an idol was best.

 

“Ahh, I want a boyfriend… Daisuke-kun, can’t you introduce me to a good guy?”

 

“Wouldn’t I do?”

 

“Not even as a joke.”

 

Daisuke gave a strained smile, his eyes faintly wet with tears. He always played the role of the comic relief, but being rejected so bluntly still hurt. Later, when he got home, he would surely hold a solo reflection session, wondering what made him different from Haru.

 

“Lunch break is almost over. We’ve got P.E. this afternoon, right? If we don’t hurry back, we’ll be late.”

 

Haru found it strange that Daisuke, having just redirected the conversation, recklessly threw himself back into the line of fire, but since it was typical of him, Haru decided not to dwell on it.

 

At Haru’s words, everyone quickly finished the rest of their meals. Rising in a rush, they sprinted back to the classroom. From afar, a voice called out, “No running in the halls!”