Episode 79: Negotiation Due to Lack of Funds
There’s a saying, “Even a dog will bump into a stick if it walks around enough.”
So then, picking up a beautiful girl in the dungeon shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Dungeons are full of mysteries, and stuff like this happens sometimes, right?
“It doesn’t.”
Say it exists!
“It exists.”
Alright!
“――And so, I picked up Miuye from the void.”
In the student council room, Mizuki Senpai said this as she presented Miuye to Miroku Senpai and the others.
She says it like she’s presenting a stray cat…
“Uh, so in other words… We received a rescue request from a girl who was expelled from her party during a dungeon raid and helped her. Since there seemed to be some circumstances, I brought her here…”
“Ah.”
“Mizuki, please explain more clearly next time…”
“Why? It was clear enough!”
Mizuki tilts her head.
I tilt my head beside her.
It’s fine if we just know that a beautiful girl is coming, isn’t it, Miroku Senpai?
Look, it’s a new type of beautiful girl not seen before at Factom General Academy!
When you check out the first-year group, there’s the mysterious beautiful girl, the shy beautiful girl, and the energetic beautiful girl — they blend together wonderfully!
“One of them seems fake, though.”
Who could it be?
“Ah, um, thank you very much. As explained, I’m Miuye from the maintenance department at Jilnias Academy.”
“Yes, hello. Please relax without too much tension. Well, unless you mind this somewhat dilapidated academy.”
“No! Not at all… Compared to my lab, this place is super clean! Having space on the floor where I can lie down feels like paradise!”
What’s wrong with your lab?
“Anyway, it’s quite convenient. In a few days, it looks like we’ll be going to Jilnias Academy. Linka told me just now.”
“Ah, today was about handling procedures with the sister school, wasn’t it?”
I went along for the rescue mission carefully avoiding any contact with the original characters!
Looks like the Mikage Academy students have already gone back.
Phew, safe!
If the protagonist of the spin-off and the original character were to meet, it’s uncertain what would happen.
We need to be extra cautious this time.
“If Miyme doesn’t mind, why don’t you stay here for a few days? Returning now might stir up unnecessary trouble, and it would be better to go directly to Jilnias Student Council.”
“I agree. How about it, Miyme? It may not be luxurious, but at least no monsters will appear. There are walls and a ceiling, and we even offer bean sprout dishes. Would you like to rest here?”
The two eldest propose this to Miyme.
Fantastic… Look at you, Star Reader’s Staff.
This is the unconditional love possessed by beautiful girls.
Beautiful girls’ interactions always shine brilliantly, no matter when you see them.
“Hey, aren’t you trying to somehow get her enrolled at Factom General Academy? It feels like you’re attempting to transfer her in whenever there’s an opportunity.”
Hey, you shouldn’t say such things carelessly.
They’re just being kind!
“By the way, Factom General Academy is always recruiting students.”
“The dormitories are free to use anytime now. Besides, there’s no tuition fee either!”
“Huh? Oh, really?”
Miyme tilts her head, clearly unaware of their intentions.
…These wonderful seniors who always think about Factom General Academy, good job!
“You tend to approve immediately when it comes to beautiful girls’ actions, don’t you?”
Of course.
“…I just wondered, but what if a beautiful girl commits a crime? What would you do if the beautiful girl you mentioned has unavoidable reasons for committing a crime? Would you approve or stop her?”
Huh?
“If the beautiful girl you speak of commits a crime due to unavoidable circumstances, what would you do? Would you approve or stop her?”
…How should I know!
We can think about it when the time comes!
In the first place, the correct approach would be to eliminate the cause that makes the beautiful girl commit crimes!
“That’s true.”
But if it’s against a beautiful girl, I probably wouldn’t be able to fight seriously.
In such cases, inducing hallucinations and retreating with full force might be options to consider.
As Star Reader’s Staff and I excitedly discuss, it seems they’ve come to an agreement, and Miyme will stay here for a while.
“…Hey, is that person okay?”
“Eh? Ah, yeah. They’re not a bad person, Toa-chan.”
Relieved by my words, Toa sighs in relief.
You were worried because an unfamiliar person came in, weren’t you?
But please stop clinging to me so closely.
Every time, I’m forced to choose between bearing sins or becoming Super Mysterious Beautiful Girl (male attire).
Right now, I’m in Emergency Super Mysterious Beautiful Girl (Male Attire) mode.
“I’m working super hard on calculations!”
Thank you always, Star Reader’s Staff…
So, there are only beautiful girls in this room right now.
Ideal country?
“Um, by the way… Who’s the person standing behind Kei?”
“Ah, um, I’m Tsukimiya Toa… Yo, nice to meet ya?”
Toa’s words make Miyme bow vigorously.
“Miyme from the Void! First year!”
“Wow, I’m also a first-year!”
“Oh—! We’re the same!”
“U-um, yes.”
Still a little scared, Toa shakes hands with Miyme.
Miyme happily swings their joined hands back and forth.
“So let’s start over! Nice to meet you for a short while!”
Got it!
I’ll also learn about being a beautiful girl from Miyme!
“Then, right away—”
Miyme hesitantly points at Mizuki Senpai while looking restless.
“Um, could I possibly maintain your dive gear? Saying it like ‘repayment for hospitality’ might sound strange, but…?”
“It’s fine, you don’t have to worry about it.”
“No, I do! Actually, I want to pay to fix it—it’s in such a mess, and it’s clearly neglected maintenance-wise…?”
Everyone’s gaze shifts to Mizuki Senpai’s dive gear upon hearing Miyme’s words.
Realizing this, Mizuki Senpai subtly hides the arm wearing the dive gear.
“…Mizuki, who maintained it while I was away?”
“……………………Kei, there might be someone who needs rescue. Let’s head to the Special Zone immediately.”
Miroku Senpai firmly grabs Mizuki Senpai’s shoulder as she tries to leave.
“Could it be that it hasn’t been maintained even once?”
“Ah, well, that’s… ”
“…Because of what I did, there wasn’t time for maintenance… or something?”
Lowering her eyes, Miroku Senpai whispers sadly.
At Miroku Senpai’s words, Mizuki Senpai abruptly raises her face.
Facing her, she strongly denies it.
“It’s not that! I was just lazy!”
“Guess so.”
“Aah…”
That’s right.
After all, Mizuki Senpai was happily rescuing people because the debt of Factom General Academy was decreasing.
She was lively while ignoring the piles of documents and maintenance tasks.
Basically, I should have been the one maintaining it, right?
So this is also my fault. Let me take responsibility for it—thanks!
“Stealing responsibility like this is like some unseen type of troublemaker.”
With practiced ease, Miroku Senpai removes Mizuki Senpai’s dive gear and hands it to Miyme.
Miyme accepts it with a bright smile, as if receiving a treasure.
“Thanks! I’ve been wanting to fix this for a while! Then, I’ll finish quickly!”
Saying that, Miyme pulls out several tools from the extended area of her own dive gear and starts tinkering with Mizuki Senpai’s dive gear.
Nice, maybe I should get her to work on mine too?
“Yours is practically maintained by me 24 hours a day. Rest assured.”
Wow, convenient.
■
Whether it’s Miyme’s skill or this is the default, the maintenance was done within five minutes.
Miyme nods contentedly and gives the dive gear back to Mizuki Senpai with a thumbs-up.
“Here you go, all done!”
“That was fast. Watching was a pleasant experience.”
“Not at all, thank you so much! The upgrades hadn’t been properly applied, internal parts were worn out, and some parts had even melted. This was the most worthwhile maintenance I’ve ever done! You must be amazing to have fought using such a messed-up dive gear!”
“…………Ah, that’s right!”
You barely got praised, Mizuki Senpai.
“Mizuki, from now on, I’ll regularly check the maintenance. If it’s troublesome, I’ll do it for you again.”
“No, I’ll do it from now on… No, really. Don’t doubt me. Hey, why isn’t everyone looking at me?”
I’d like you to maintain it.
Otherwise, it’s dangerous.
“Ah, there’s one thing I noticed though.”
What’s up, Miyme?
Whatever you notice, this omniscient Mysterious Beautiful Girl will enlighten you.
“Omniscient… Are you omniscient?”
Do you have a problem with that?
“Does this dive gear actually belong to Mizuki-san? It doesn’t seem to fit her body properly.”
“Mu, is that so? But I haven’t felt any discomfort using it so far.”
Saying that, Mizuki Senpai emits flames from her hand and creates a small vortex on her palm.
Amazing.
Hey, I want to do that too!
I want to perform a mysterious beautiful girl act with purple flames!
“Eh, no choice. I’ll make one for you.”
Thank you!
“See, it’s moving fine, right—ah.”
A short warning sound comes from the newly maintained dive gear.
Upon seeing it, Miyme opens her mouth wide in surprise.
“It’s broken.”
“Eh!? …Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“No, it’s not Mizuki-san’s fault. Can I borrow it again?”
Miyme takes the dive gear and, after dismantling it again, floats several windows while tilting her head.
“Hmm, the calculations aren’t keeping up. Given the abilities, it provides almost no support. Even if armed combat is impossible, can you still produce flames as usual?”
“Yeah.”
Mizuki Senpai lights a flame on her fingertip.
Wow! Lighting a flame on fingertips is cool!
“……Yeah, the negation function against the deep subdimensional layers is working. That means the dive gear really can’t keep up with Mizuki-san’s abilities. Trying to fix it repeatedly won’t change anything.”
“Looks like you don’t need maintenance after all!”
“Mizuki”
“Yes, sorry.”
Quick apology after the smug face.
But indeed, saying you don’t need maintenance is an exaggeration.
Safety first!
“I recommend buying new dive gear. Not a cheap one, but one that matches your rank properly.”
“「「「Rank…」」」”
Our voices overlap.
Looking at each other, everyone thought exactly the same thing.
―Isn’t S-Rank dive gear ridiculously expensive?
Even cheap ones easily cost millions. What about S-Rank dive gear?
“How expensive is it?”
Expensive!
For example, Rokuhara’s S-Rank dive gear from the board of directors costs 800 million yen.
“Eh?”
Dive gears use dungeon cores.
The higher the user’s rank, the higher the required dungeon core rank.
Meaning, in Mizuki Senpai’s case, at least A-Rank.
Maybe even suitable for S-Rank dungeons.
“…Don’t we lack money?”
Isn’t it supposed to be distributed by the board?
Could it be that S-Rank individuals provide their own dive gear funds?
…No, they’d probably manage it easily.
“Eh, what’s wrong?”
Confused by our reaction, Mizuki Senpai apologizes awkwardly.
“S-Rank.”
“Eh?”
“I’m S-Rank.”
“…Eh!? U-Um, is that true!?”
“Really. By the way, this is my official profile announced by the board.”
Miyme checks the information, comparing Mizuki Senpai multiple times.
Eventually, she mutters, “It’s true…”
“While I was holed up in the lab or getting expelled from dungeons, another S-Rank must have been added.”
“……Ah. So, that’s why… Right now, I can’t afford S-Rank dive gear. Money…”
An indescribable atmosphere fills the room.
Hmm, this is uncomfortable.
“…Couldn’t she make it? She’s from Jilnias Maintenance Department, and she seems quite competent.”
No way.
Do you know what S-Rank means?
It’s the pinnacle of this academy city.
Even for a spin-off protagonist, creating such dive gear is beyond reach.
“Jilnias Academy used to undertake dive gear production, didn’t it?”
Miroku Senpai says this.
Ah, this person intends to negotiate with the Jilnias Student Council.
“Yes, that’s true. Speaking of S-Rank dive gear… Wasn’t Watatori Ryuko’s dive gear made by Jilnias Academy? Apparently, it was created by all the upperclassmen.”
“Ah, I see.”
Given the massive scale, Miroku Senpai quietly gave up.
“…Probably, you’re lacking funds, right?”
“Yes… Until recently, the academy was on the verge of bankruptcy. Though, you could say it still is.”
What should we do?
In this situation, how about launching the “Congratulations to Mizuki Teruue for Capturing Sorcierra” operation?
Capturing a beautiful girl is bearable, right?
“To perform high-level acts against Mizuki Teruue and then lose and get captured afterward is quite a misinterpretation. I won’t approve of it.”
What’s with this guy.
But I understand…
Then how do we earn money?
Through dungeon rescues? Or by conquering dungeons?
“Ah, um…”
Miyme timidly raises her hand.
Then, checking Mizuki Senpai’s expression, she says,
“If you’d allow me… Could I try making it?”
“Can you really!?”
“I can’t guarantee it without responsibility. However, when I saw the design of Watatori Ryuko’s dive gear, I thought… I could do it better, faster, and at a lower cost.”
Hmm, this girl is definitely a protagonist from a web novel.
What she says is completely absurd.
She must possess brain cheat powers. Isn’t that scary?
“…Incidentally, how much would you charge?”
“Eh? Do I need money? This is more like an experiment for me, so it’s fine. Honestly, it might not even complete.”
Shaking her head, Miyme replies.
It seems more like modesty rather than low self-esteem.
The gap between her intellect and self-assurance feels somewhat mismatched.
“In that case, I’d like you to give it a try. If you can create dive gear, it would be truly ideal.”
“This will also serve as sufficient material for my promotion, so I’d be delighted to accept the task.”
Mizuki Senpai and Miyme firmly shake hands.
It settled so smoothly, but if this works out, it means a multimillion-dollar item for free?
“That’s how it is. Look, it turned out exactly as I proposed, didn’t it?”
That’s true…but…
Is this okay with the board?
What if they also made it?
Wouldn’t it feel like eating out when you already have dinner waiting at home?
“Example is too common.”
It’s a joyful thing.
Though…
I’d like to express gratitude later somehow.
“Then, could you lend me a dungeon core? An A-Rank one will do.”
Not happening!
“Sorry, I hardly have any dungeon cores.”
“Ah, I see. Um… Could we go fetch some now? If it’s not urgent, it’s fine to do it later. I’ll start programming now.”
“It’s fine, I’ll fetch them. I’ll even snatch them through duels if necessary.”
“…Mizuki-chan, we don’t have a duel dungeon.”
Factom General Academy, upon reevaluation, has nothing!
On the contrary, what does it have?
Beautiful girls! That’s enough! Alright!
Miyme then hands us a small tablet terminal as if remembering something.
“Then, use this ‘Nakayoshi! Dungeon-kun 6th Generation’…”
“What is this?”
What a ridiculous name.
“It can detect the slight tremors caused when the deep subdimensional layers invade this world.”
“Huh? So what does that mean?”
Miyme thinks for a moment, then grinning confidently, places her hands on her hips and says,
“We can predict where dungeons will appear beforehand!”
“「Huh?」”
My voice overlaps with Mizuki Senpai’s.
…Hey, haven’t we just been handed something absurdly powerful?
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