Kiwamete Kenzen na Bishoujo level up [Volume 1] [Chapter 1]

"Welcome."

After heading home and lazing around for a bit, I realized I didn't have anything for dinner and trudged over to the convenience store. As I walked in, a half-hearted greeting washed over me. There was a single gal working the register. Well, "gal" might be putting it a bit strongly—she wasn't overly flashy or anything. I'd just personally labeled her as one because of her bright hair and completely bored attitude.

She had short, styled blonde hair with wispy ends, sharp eyes, and thin lips. Her uniform was worn loosely, a single gold bracelet jingling on her wrist, and small piercings in her ears. Plus, she had these striking, purplish eyes.

A cool, blonde gal. That was her vibe. Which, naturally, meant she was exactly the type of person I was worst at dealing with. Whenever I see people who confidently march to the beat of their own drum like that, I end up feeling hopelessly childish and just shrink into my shell.

Without giving me so much as a glance, she kept messing around on her phone. I carefully navigated around to stay out of her line of sight while browsing for tonight's dinner.

My personal favorite was the frozen dandanmen. Microwaving it took a little effort, but it had the perfect level of spice and tasted amazing.

But if I only ate dandanmen, my diet would be completely wrecked. Maybe I should grab a different bento today? No, wait, I really should just stick to the usual...

As I was trapped in this utterly pointless loop of indecision, a loud shout erupted from the register area.

"If you're a clerk, act like one and stand up straight! This is exactly what's wrong with kids these days!"

My shoulders flinched in surprise. I glanced toward the source of the noise and saw a middle-aged man screaming at the blonde gal.

The gal looked thoroughly annoyed, but there wasn't a hint of fear on her face.

"Can't find what you're looking for, sir?"

"I'm talking about your attitude! Don't you have any respect for your customers?!"

"Uh, if it's not on the shelf, then we're out."

"You little...! Stop making a fool out of your elders!"

Dungeons started appearing in the world about a decade or so ago. Before that, things weren't entirely patriarchal, but apparently, society leaned pretty heavily that way. That's probably why you still see a scattering of older men who treat women poorly. They just can't keep up with the times.

"And what's with those ears?! What were you thinking, putting holes in the precious body your parents gave you?!"

"Yeah, yeah. Though it looks like your own precious, parent-given body is looking a little bloated, sir. May I recommend the salad chicken over there?"

"Y-You piece of societal trash!!"

Since the gal kept trolling him, the middle-aged guy was reaching a boiling point. I didn't really feel any burning need to save her, but if someone didn't clear out the register, I'd never get to eat my dandanmen.

Left with no choice, I decided to use the only weapon I had.

I'm about 177 centimeters tall—pretty above average. And while it's completely useless in modern times where experience points are everything, I'm at least somewhat decent-looking. If I pushed back my bangs and stood up straight, I could look decently intimidating.

I grabbed a random ice cream bar from the freezer display and walked up to the two at the counter.

"Hey, excuse me for a second."

"Huh?! What?! I'm right in the middle of talking to—oh..."

The man whirled around to yell at me, but his voice sputtered out the moment he saw me. Guys like him were always weak against larger men.

"Sorry about that, mister. I just want to buy this ice cream. It's going to melt if I don't hurry."

I intentionally offered a soft smile and bowed slightly. Doing this made them feel good about themselves—thinking a young guy is bowing to me—which usually defused their anger.

"Hmph. Fine. Next time, make sure you show some proper respect to your customers."

Spitting out his final words, the middle-aged man stormed off.

"Sure thing. I'll make sure to restock our inventory of respect."

Fortunately, the chiming of the automatic sliding doors drowned out her parting shot before it could trigger him again.

"Phew. Oh, sorry about that. Could I get these, please?"

I placed the dandanmen and the ice cream I didn't even want onto the counter, and the gal stared at me with wide eyes.

"Wait, are you dandanmen-kun?"

Who exactly was this delicious-sounding person?

"My shift is actually just ending. Hold on a sec, okay?"

"Wait, what?"

Before I could even answer, she quickly rang up my items and vanished into the back room, probably to change out of her uniform.

With no other choice, I sat down on one of those silver metal车止め pipes outside the store to wait. Soon enough, she came jogging out, now dressed in a school uniform. I had to fight hard to keep my eyes from drifting to her loosely buttoned collar. It was a familiar uniform—looks like we went to the same high school.

"Man, thanks for back there. You really saved me."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal."

"I never would've guessed dandanmen-kun would come to my rescue. You're always so gloomy and looking down, so I totally thought you were a loner. But hey, you can actually be pretty cool when you want to be."

She laughed heartily, giving me a solid thud on the back. Gals are terrifying. And she was way too close.

"Seriously, you've got a decent face. You should really keep your bangs up."

"Well, in this day and age, a guy's worth is all about experience points. I just hate the idea of raising people's expectations only to disappoint them."

"Is your XP really that low, dandanmen-kun?"

"Something like that. But honestly, what's with the 'dandanmen-kun' thing?"

She said it so naturally that I almost just rolled with it.

"I mean, you only ever buy dandanmen."

"I don't think it's only dandanmen..."

"Every single time I'm at the register, that's all you get. Do you remember ever buying anything else?"

"……"

I searched my memory, but she was right. I only ever bought dandanmen. Even though I agonized over the decision every time, I always ended up picking the dandanmen.

"You always stand there looking so dead-serious while trying to decide, but you always end up with the same thing. So, dandanmen-kun."

What a terribly uninspired nickname.

"Do you live alone, by the way?"

"Ah, yeah. I wanted to get away from my hometown for personal reasons."

I wanted to go somewhere where nobody knew about Yura-chan, so I got my parents' permission to live alone and enrolled in our current school.

"Hmm. Well, I get wanting some distance from your parents, but make sure you appreciate them while you still can."

She was probably right, but it felt like a surprisingly mature piece of advice coming from a gal.

"You're thinking that didn't sound like me at all, aren't you?"

Apparently, it had been written all over my face.

"Uh, yeah. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised. I just didn't peg you for the type to say something like that."

"Ahaha! At least you're honest!"

She slapped my back again, laughing out loud.

"I'm just dressing the way I like, but people love putting labels on me. 'Gal,' 'delinquent,' 'yankee.' Like, there's no rule saying having blonde hair automatically makes you a delinquent."

"Um, sorry about that."

I had also instantly labeled her as a gal. The apology slipped out automatically.

"Don't worry about it. I totally pinned you as a total loner, too."

"Well, you weren't wrong about that part. I am a loner."

"Nobody would think that if you kept your bangs up and carried yourself with some confidence. Come on, straighten up!"

Without a moment's hesitation, she gave my back a firm smack. My posture automatically corrected itself.

We kept up that kind of idle chatter until I finished my ice cream. I couldn't quite find the right moment to end the conversation, and while part of me wished she'd let me go, another part of me secretly wanted to keep talking to her forever.

By the time the night had deepened and the streets grew quiet, she suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh, wait! You bought dandanmen today too, didn't you? Is it going to be okay?"

"Ah, well, it's pretty much thawed out by now. But it's not like I can't eat it."

Peeking into the plastic bag, the once-rock-solid frozen dandanmen was now lying there completely limp and mushy.

"Yikes. Sorry about that. I shouldn't have kept you so long..."

"No, it's fine. I have to heat it up anyway."

"But it probably won't taste as good after melting like that. Plus, eating nothing but dandanmen day in and day out is terrible for you. Oh, I know!"

Uh oh. I had a bad feeling about this.

"To thank you for helping me out, I'll cook dinner for you!"

Spot on.

"Um, could you at least give me a second to clean up...?"

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it! Pardon the intrusion~!"

Well, I worry about it!

After picking up some basic ingredients at the convenience store, the blonde gal came straight to my apartment. She hadn't been joking about cooking dinner at all. Before I could even try to stop her, she stepped right inside.

"Oh, you keep this place pretty clean!"

Her silky blonde hair swayed as she looked around the room with interest. It was making me incredibly nervous.

"Alright then, let's whip something up. Wait, you haven't even taken the plastic wrap off your cutting board?!"

When I first moved out on my own, I bought a bunch of kitchen utensils with grand ambitions of cooking for myself, but I hadn't used a single one. I survived entirely on convenience store food and shift meals from my part-time job.

"Well, just kill some time while you wait."

Humming a little tune, she started chopping up the ingredients, so I quietly pulled out my phone and waited.

Before long, a delicious aroma began to drift through the room.

"Order up! A custom meat and veggie stir-fry combo!"

"That was fast."

In less than twenty minutes, she had whipped up a stir-fry and a bowl of soup. We didn't have fresh rice, so we used a microwavable instant rice pack.

"It's just chopping, washing, and throwing it in a pan. Of course it's fast. Well, let's eat!"

"Thanks for the food... Wow, this is amazing!"

I had been a little worried since she was a gal, but it tasted genuinely good. Salt, pepper... and I couldn't quite tell what else, but it was delicious. It even had a nice kick to it.

"How did you season this?"

"Salt, pepper, chicken bouillon powder, soy sauce, and a little bit of doubanjiang. You're always eating dandanmen, so I figured you liked spicy food. That's why I gave it a little kick."

"Are you a professional chef...?"

"Don't underestimate the pros! But hey, I appreciate the compliment~"

Grinning widely, she stuffed a mouthful of stir-fry into her mouth. She didn't look cute so much as she looked cool.

"But is this really okay? Won't your family be waiting for you with dinner? Oh, are you living alone too, Gyal-ko-san?"

"Who the heck is Gyal-ko-san? I'm Naruse Suzuka. Sophomore. Just call me Suzuka."

"I'm Mura Tatsuya. So we're the same age. I'm a sophomore too."

"Nice to meet you, Tatsuya. Wait, you go to Sokoku too, right? We're at the same school!"

She dropped the honorifics and went straight to my first name. Her ability to skip boundaries was terrifying.

"I guess I live alone too. Well, something like that. I'm living by myself right now."

It was a rather roundabout way of putting it. She looked like she didn't really want to delve into it, so I changed the subject and we finished our dinner.

"Whew! I am stuffed!"

"Thanks for the meal. I'll clear the dishes."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it until the end. More importantly, now that we've got food in our systems..."

As I stood up to clean up, Suzuka-san gave my shoulder a sudden shove. I tumbled straight backward onto my bed. Before I could process what was happening, Suzuka-san leaned over, pinning me down beneath her. My entire vision was filled with her, and a sweet scent washed over me. Her fine blonde hair tickled my cheek.

"I'll be taking your experience points now, okay?"

"Uh..."

"You really shouldn't just let girls into your room so easily. You can't complain if you get attacked, you know?"

"No, I mean... I don't have any experience points."

"You say you don't have any, but it can't be literally zero, right?"

"I'm deeply sorry to break this to you, but..."

Careful not to touch Suzuka-san, I showed her the lettering on my arm. The characters read [Void].

"It really is zero..."

"……For real?"

She blinked blankly, staring intently at the word [Void].

"Are you serious?!"

Suzuka-san faceplanted straight into the mattress with a soft thud.

"Since you always avoid letting anyone touch your hands at the convenience store, I totally thought you were someone with an insane amount of experience points. I got my hopes up for nothing."

"Um, I'm sorry..."

"No, it's not your fault, Tatsuya. This is entirely on me."

In this world, a man's worth really was all about experience points. Seeing how disappointed Suzuka-san looked, I couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty.

"Look, I'm really sorry."

"I told you, you didn't do anything wrong. Ah, but man... no experience points, huh?"

A man with no experience points wasn't popular. If he had even a tiny fraction, there might be some hope, but a guy at a flat zero held absolutely no appeal.

Suzuka-san pushed herself up, looked down at me, and spoke.

"Well, putting the whole experience points thing aside for now... let's just do it anyway."

Seemingly throwing off her disappointment, Suzuka-san closed the distance between us once again.

"Whoa, how did you reach that conclusion?!"

"I mean, we already went through the trouble of setting the mood, and I actually like you quite a bit, Tatsuya."

"Yeah, but..."

"Come on, it's fine! Is it your first time, by any chance?"

"Well, yeah, it is..."

"It'll be my first time with a guy who has zero experience points, too. I'm kind of curious to see what it's like."

Suzuka-san straddled my waist with a smirk. As she reached down to pull up my shirt... I grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her.

"No, wait, we can't. We literally just met today."

"Come on, we've known about each other for like six months now."

"No, no, no. We only learned each other's names today. A guy and a girl who aren't even dating shouldn't be doing this..."

"What are you, a puritan grandpa?"

As I resisted while trying to avoid direct skin-to-skin contact, her lips pouted in a sulk.

"What's the deal? Do you really hate the idea of sleeping with me that much?"

"I don't hate it at all—honestly, mentally I'm more than down—but I have a situation that makes it impossible."

"What kind of situation?"

There was absolutely no way I could tell her, If we do it, you'll literally die of pleasure.

"Well, I guess if you have your reasons, it can't be helped. It's not something I should force on you anyway."

Without complaining any further, Suzuka-san smoothly slid off of me. She stood up and stretched, offering a brief glimpse of her slender waist and cute belly button.

"Alright, I'll go wash the dishes then."

"Ah, okay. Thanks."

"Drop the polite speech already."

Grinning widely, Suzuka-san began cleaning up the dishes as if nothing had happened. She started humming a beautiful song I didn't recognize in a lovely voice.

A beautiful profile, small piercings. Her far-from-small chest pushed against her blouse. Her short skirt swayed, generously putting her healthy thighs on display.

To put it mildly, she was incredibly cute and cool. How happy would I be if I could actually sleep with a girl like her?

"Alright, all done! Tatsuya, I should probably head out soon... Tatsuya?"

Ugh... If my experience points were actually just [Void], I could have lost my virginity today... Am I going to die a virgin...?

"Wait, Tatsuya, why are you crying?! Did I do something you hated?!"

"Ugggh... I wanted to do it so bad..."

"Huh?! Then you should've just slept with me earlier! You make absolutely no sense!"

As the tears streamed down my face, a thoroughly bewildered Suzuka-san tried her best to soothe me. Man, she really was a great person.

"Calmed down yet? You good?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I showed you a pathetic side of myself."

"Don't worry about it."

"It's getting late, too..."

I glanced at the clock; it was already past ten. It was definitely time for a decent high schooler to be heading home.

"Seriously, it's fine. There's nobody waiting for me at home anyway."

Right, she did mention she was living alone.

"Um, can I ask you something a bit personal?"

"Depending on what it is, I might punch you, but go ahead."

"You're looking for someone with a lot of experience points, right? Do you have a reason for needing to level up quickly?"

"Ah... well, yeah. It's not a fun story, though. You sure you want to hear it?"

"If it's okay with you, yeah."

Suzuka-san hesitated for a brief moment, then straightened her posture before speaking.

"My mom has Petrification Disease."

Petrification Disease. It was a condition where the human body hardened into solid stone. The stiffening would start at the fingertips and toes, gradually spreading outward. If it reached the lungs or throat, it caused suffocation; if it hit the heart, it led to cardiac arrest; and sometimes, it would claim the brain first. It was a truly terrifying disease.

"There's a plant inside the dungeons that can cure it. I think it's called Nankinto. It only works on Petrification Disease, and because it's so rare, the supply is incredibly low. The price is completely out of reach for someone like me."

"So you want to get stronger and go harvest it yourself?"

"Exactly. My level is nowhere near high enough yet, though. That's why I'm working at the convenience store—to scout out promising guys. Plus, I need money to buy gear."

"Is your mom... doing alright for now?"

"Yeah. She can't walk anymore, but it doesn't look like she's in immediate danger."

"Well, I don't know how much longer she's got," Suzuka-san added in a quiet murmur.

I didn't know what to say to something so heavy. As I stared down, searching for the right words, Suzuka-san looked up at me, peering into my eyes as if trying to gauge my reaction.

"Are you... freaked out?"

"Huh?"

Her question caught me completely off guard, and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Freaked out by what?"

"By the fact that my mom has Petrification Disease. I'm sorry for keeping it from you."

"I mean, it's not really the kind of thing you just bring up in casual conversation, is it?"

"I guess that's true, but..." Suzuka-san's eyes darted around, looking visibly uncomfortable. "There are rumors that Petrification Disease is contagious, you know? It’s a total lie, obviously. But a lot of people still worry about it. Honestly, most people around me have been giving me a pretty wide berth..."

"Ah..."

Hearing her put it into words, I finally understood what she was getting at. Petrification Disease wasn't contagious, nor was it hereditary. But because the symptoms were so terrifying, people shunned it. It made sense that some people simply wouldn't want to be anywhere near someone connected to a patient.

"But didn't we learn about this in middle school health class? That it’s not an infectious disease?"

When I pointed this out, Suzuka-san gave a faint, bittersweet smile.

"If everyone were as straightforward as you, Tatsuya, things would be a lot easier. But yeah, people still avoid me. Maybe it’s just human nature."

Though she was smiling, Suzuka-san looked down and pressed a hand to her eyes. She had clearly been through painful experiences that I couldn't even begin to fathom.

"I don't mean this just to comfort you, but it doesn't bother me at all."

"Really? You don't mind hanging out with me? You're not worried you'll somehow catch it?"

"Nope, not even a little. In fact, despite turning down your invitation earlier, if the opportunity ever knocked, I’d absolutely love to fool around with you, Suzuka-san."

"Pfft! What kind of line is that?!" Suzuka-san burst out laughing, wiping away a stray tear. "Oh my god, here I am trying to have a serious conversation. But thanks. Hearing you say that makes me incredibly happy."

As if shaking off the dark clouds, she flashed a bright smile.

"So, is it cool if I keep dropping by to hang out every now and then?"

"Yeah, of course."

"You're too sweet, Tatsuya. Tell you what—once whatever 'issue' keeping you from fooling around gets sorted out, let me know. I'll let you have your way then."

"Are you serious?! Yes, please!"

When I bowed my head and answered without a second thought, Suzuka-san let out a loud, rolling laugh.

"Wow, zero pride whatsoever. Well, it's getting late, so I should probably head out. I had fun today. Don't just eat dandan noodles all the time!"

"Got it. I'll try to actually cook a bit."

Suzuka-san offered a casual wave over her shoulder and walked away without looking back. Seriously, how could she be so effortlessly cool until the very end?

"Man... I really wanted to fool around."

I wondered when the day would finally come when I could actually get some action.

"Mura! Mura, wake up! Look over there, it's Oku-senpai!"

Right after fifth period, I was taking a nap, completely lured in by the warm spring weather, when Sakakibara poked me hard in the back.

"Just when I was having a great sleep... What do you want?"

"I told you, Oku-senpai! Must be nice, man. Just by inheriting a massive pool of XP at birth, his future is practically set in stone."

Leaning my head out of the waist-high window facing the hallway, I saw a handsome guy with a troubled expression, surrounded by a tight pack of female students. The handsome guy was, naturally, Oku-senpai. The crowd around him was likely the girls from the Dungeon Exploration course.

"Man, I wish I was Oku. If I had that kind of status, I’d have a harem of girls surrounding me and do whatever I wanted."

"But Oku-senpai doesn't exactly look like he's having fun."

"It's an act, dude, totally an act. You just know he's playing the field like crazy behind the scenes. Well, not like guys like us have any chance with girls like that anyway."

Listening to Sakakibara drone on, I unconsciously rubbed my arm. Beneath my sleeve lay an amount of XP that made Oku-senpai look like an absolute amateur. If it weren't for this absurd, astronomical number—Muryoudaisuu—I could have been enjoying a youth surrounded by beautiful girls, too...

"Whoa, look at that gyaru over there! She is drop-dead gorgeous!"

Following Sakakibara’s voice, I looked up and saw a cool-looking gyaru walking a little apart from the main crowd. She had a neatly trimmed blonde bob and wore small piercings.

Perhaps noticing Sakakibara’s loud voice, she turned our way, and her eyes locked onto mine. Of course, it was Suzuka-san. The moment she spotted me, a smile graced her lips and she started walking over.

"Crap, she's coming this way!"

Sakakibara instantly panicked and looked away. The guy was such a coward it was almost impressive.

"Hey there. First time seeing you at school."

"Ah, yes. Hello."

"What’s with the sudden formality? That's hilarious."

Finding it incredibly amusing, Suzuka-san let out a cheerful giggle. She then lightly perched herself on the window frame separating the classroom from the hallway where Sakakibara and I were leaning out.

"A friend of yours?"

"Oh, yeah. This is my friend, Sakakibara."

"Sup, Kakky. I'm Naruse Suzuka. Nice to meet ya~"

"U-Uh, yeah. I'm Sakakibara..."

While he was loud and energetic when it was just the guys, Sakakibara turned into an absolute puppy the second a girl was involved. It was almost cute.

"Man, his guard is totally iron-clad."

Following the direction of Suzuka-san’s sigh, I watched as Oku-senpai and his entourage of girls disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

"Oku-senpai?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe I’d have a shot if I got close, but those third-year girls have completely locked him down. Looks like a lost cause."

Suzuka-san had mentioned before that she wanted to level up quickly and dive into dungeons to cure her mother's Petrification Disease. If she could get some XP from Oku-senpai, it might bring her one step closer to that dream, but it seemed like a steep hill to climb.

I touched my arm once more. If only this number were smaller, I might have been able to save Suzuka-san's mother myself.

"Well, guess I'll give up for today and head back to class. See ya, Tatsuya, Kakky!"

Suzuka-san waved over her shoulder as she walked away. The moment she was out of sight, I took a heavy, silent punch to the back.

"Dude! Hey, Mura! Who the hell was that gorgeous gyaru?! Since when are you guys on a first-name basis?!"

"It's no big deal. Suzuka-san works a part-time job near my place, so we just became acquaintances."

"Liar! She called you by your first name like it was nothing!"

"That's just because her communication skills are off the charts. She called you Kakky, didn't she?"

"...I mean, true. Wow, gyaru communication skills are terrifying."

"Besides, Suzuka-san is in the Dungeon Exploration course. There's no way a guy like me stands a chance."

"Sad, but true. Hehehe, does this mean my dream school life with a hot gyaru is finally starting?"

Sakakibara let out a creepy laugh as he lost himself in his delusions. Must be nice to have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Ever since the day we talked about fooling around, Suzuka-san and I began talking regularly. We’d chat whenever we passed each other at school, eat ice cream outside the convenience store after her shifts, and sometimes she’d even come over to my place to cook dinner.

Watching Suzuka-san stand in my kitchen wearing an apron, I couldn't help but think to myself, So this is what it feels like to have a girlfriend.

"Here you go, thanks for waiting!"

"Whoa, this looks incredible!"

Today’s menu was mapo tofu. I didn't even know what kind of spices went into making it. People who could cook were practically wizards to me.

For the record, I paid for the ingredients. I got a delicious home-cooked meal, and Suzuka-san got to save on her grocery bill—a perfect win-win.

"How have things been lately? Keeping up with your XP?"

"Mm, honestly, not great. I haven't run into anyone promising... Diving into a dungeon might be faster to get stronger, but diving deep without proper gear is way too dangerous."

"I see..."

"Well, my mom’s condition is stable for now, so I guess I'll just have to keep searching the old-fashioned way."

It sounded like things weren't going entirely smoothly for her.

To break the heavy atmosphere, Suzuka-san switched on the TV.

“And now, please welcome Trinity Spark performing their hit song, ‘Comet’!”

"Oh, it's Tri-Spark." Suzuka-san paused her chopsticks, her eyes glued to the idols on screen.

"Tri-Spark?"

"Wait, you don't know them? They're an Idol Diver group that's been exploding in popularity lately."

"An Idol Diver?"

"Yep. Idols who also work as Dungeon Divers. Seriously, Tatsuya, you are so out of the loop. But if you don't know them, you should watch. They completely redefine what it means to be an idol."

Looking at the television, three girls appeared on screen—one with white hair, one with pink, and one with blue. The stage lights were dimmed low as the trio stood with bowed heads. As the short intro transitioned into a soaring melody, they lifted their faces in perfect unison.

"Whoa, that’s insane!"

Suddenly, the three idols began to glow. And I don't mean that metaphorically—they were physically radiating light. White, pink, and blue trails of light followed the synchronized movements of their hands as they danced.

"When your level goes up, your aura capacity increases too. If you release that aura, your body literally glows. Marrying that concept with an idol performance is honestly a genius idea."

While they were idols first and foremost, the three girls effectively became their own stage effects as they sang and danced. They captivated the audience with jumps that would be physically impossible for normal humans, occasionally weaving in magic and skills.

The one who caught my eye the most was the white-haired girl with a bob cut standing in the center. She possessed a relatively quiet, gentle face, but her eyes burned with fierce determination. Even the sweat dripping down her face looked beautiful.

"Yurarin is so cute, right?"

"Yurarin?"

"The white-haired girl in the center. Apparently, that's her natural hair color."

"Huh. Sounds like she was born to be an idol. It feels like a completely different world to me."

Averting my eyes from the screen, I took another bite of the mapo tofu. A delicious meal right in front of me was far more important than some distant, glamorous world.

"Seriously, Suzuka-san, your cooking is amazing! I can't stop eating!"

Watching me scarf down the food with a slightly exasperated yet secretly pleased expression, Suzuka-san spoke up.

"Here I am telling you about how the idol industry is changing, and you care more about mapo tofu."

"Because it's delicious."

"If you say so. Well, thanks anyway."

Suzuka-san flashed a wide, mischievous grin. Looking at that smile, the words 'You're way cuter than any idol, Suzuka-san' crossed my mind, but I swallowed them right down along with my food.

The situation changed drastically around the time the blooming cherry blossoms began to scatter. When I walked into the convenience store like usual, I spotted Suzuka-san standing behind the register with a completely drained expression.

"Ah, Tatsuya..."

"What's wrong? You look exhausted."

"Yeah, well... Hey, can I come over to your place today?"

"Sure. What do you want to do about dinner?"

"I don't really have an appetite. My shift is almost over, so just wait for me."

It was incredibly rare for the usually cheerful Suzuka-san to look this downcast. Nursing a bad premonition, I waited outside the store until she emerged, her head hanging low.

We walked back to my apartment in total silence. A stray cherry blossom petal fluttered down and stuck to her bangs. Suzuka-san merely glanced at it and let out a heavy sigh, lacking even the energy to brush it away.

Once inside the room, I brewed some coffee. Suzuka-san drank hers black, while I added milk. It felt like a small defeat.

Taking a sip to steady her nerves, Suzuka-san finally parted her dry lips.

"Remember what I told you about my mom?"

"Yeah."

"The disease... it's progressing..."

"...Right."

"It looks like it... metastasized... near her heart..."

"..."

One by one, heavy drops began to fall from her beautiful eyes. They splashed onto her cross-legged lap, soaking into the fabric and leaving dark, perfect circles on the carpet.

"They said... they don't know if she'll last... another year... sniff..."

She hung her head, weeping bitterly. Even as my chest tightened painfully at the sight of her raw grief, a detached thought crossed my mind—Ah, she's losing so much fluid through her tears, no wonder her lips are so dry.

"Tatsuya... what am I supposed to do? I didn't make it in time... I wasn't fast enough... I'm not strong at all, I can't even dive into a real dungeon..."

"Suzuka-san..."

"I was so stupid to rely on finding someone else with high XP. If I hadn't wasted time working a part-time job and had just thrown myself into the dungeons to get stronger on my own, maybe I could have found a Softening Peach by now... I'm an idiot. I made the wrong choice, and because of me, my mom is going to die! ...Waaaaah!"

Suzuka-san grabbed the fabric of my school uniform and wept uncontrollably. All I could do was gently stroke her back as she cried.

How long did she cry? Probably a solid ten minutes.

Eventually, Suzuka-san rubbed her eyes raw and looked up at me. Her light makeup was ruined, and the skin beneath her eyes was flushed red, but she still looked striking and resilient.

"Sorry, Tatsuya. I'm okay now."

"Don't worry about it."

"Man, one year, huh? Maybe I should just take a gamble and throw myself into a dungeon. Who knows, maybe I'll get incredibly lucky and stumble across a Softening Peach."

Though her tone was jesting, her eyes were dead serious. She looked like someone who had resolved herself to die trying.

But there was no way I was going to let her die.

"Hey, Suzuka-san. Can I make a suggestion? I don't think your choice was wrong. Because the person you've been looking for is standing right in front of you."

I shed my school jacket and pulled off the arm cover on my sleeve, revealing the true metric of my XP that I had never shown a living soul—the characters spelling out Muryoudaisuu.

"Mu-Muryoudaisuu...? What... what even is that...?"

Staring at my arm, Suzuka-san whispered in absolute bewilderment.

"It's a unit of measurement. Simply put, it means a stupidly massive amount."

"Then... then why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

As she stepped forward in a surge of pure fury, I gently held her back, making sure not to make direct skin contact.

"Because it could literally kill you."

"Huh?! You think my mom is gonna die from this?!"

"No, not her. You, Suzuka-san."

"I... I don't get what you're saying..."

Pulling out my phone, I pulled up an educational website commonly used in high school health and physical education classes.

"The amount of XP transferred between people scales exponentially based on the intensity of physical intimacy. You know that, right?"

"Of course, that's common knowledge..."

"Right. Which is why just holding hands or hugging only transfers a negligible amount of XP. For most people, it barely moves the needle."

"Okay, so what?!"

"But that's only when we're talking about numbers in the thousands, millions, or billions."

Next, I pulled up a basic math resource page listing the traditional Japanese naming conventions for large numbers.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred million, trillion...

"Quadrillion, quintillion... sextillion, septillion... octillion... nonillion... What is this? How far does it go...?"

Suzuka-san read aloud the unfamiliar sequence of massive numbers, her voice trembling with confusion.

"Asankheya, Nayuta, Arava..."

And at the absolute end of the list: Muryoudaisuu.

"It's not just a matter of a few extra digits. Even if the transfer rate is minimal, the base pool of XP is so astronomical that simply holding hands would transfer an apocalyptic amount of data."

"Oh... is that why you always made sure not to touch my hand whenever I handed you change?"

"I actually tried to calculate it once. To see what kind of transfer would happen if I held someone's hand with this much XP. But..."

Suzuka-san swallowed hard, holding her breath.

"It was impossible. No calculator on earth can process it. The digits just break the system."

"No way..."

"I've accidentally made physical contact with two women in my life before. One was a former Dungeon Diver, meaning she was physically and mentally tempered. Yet, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and instantly blacked out."

"..."

"The other was a regular girl around our age who didn't train and had no experience. The moment she brushed against me, she collapsed and had to be taken away in an ambulance. I still don't know what happened to her. Whether she woke up in the hospital, or if..."

Or if she never opened her eyes again.

The unspoken conclusion hung heavily in the air. Suzuka-san instinctively wrapped her arms around her own body, shivering violently.

"The person you need is right here. It's me. But I could easily break you. In the worst-case scenario, I might kill you. If you're still willing to take that risk..."

I extended my hand toward her—a hand representing heaven, hell, ultimate hope, and total despair.

"I'll give you my XP."

Shuddering from head to toe, Suzuka-san took a massive, deep breath.

"Like hell I'm backing down now."

"...You won't regret it?"

"Never. I'm going to devour every single drop of your XP, Tatsuya."

Suzuka-san's gaze locked onto mine with piercing intensity. This wasn't the reckless desperation from moments before; this was the gaze of someone who had resolved to take a terrifying step forward.

"Alright. Just touch the very tip of my finger."

"..."

Taking one final deep breath, Suzuka-san slowly brought her hand closer. Every single nerve in my body focused entirely on my fingertip. Finally, her pale, soft skin brushed against mine in the faintest, most microscopic contact imaginable.

"---Ah... wait... no way... ah, ah..."

Because the surface area of contact was so minuscule, Suzuka-san didn't lose consciousness immediately. However, her eyes instantly glazed over, a deep flush crept up her cheeks, and her entire body began to quiver violently.

"Nngh...! This is... this is insane... Oh my god... Ah..."

Gritting her teeth with everything she had, she fought desperately against the overwhelming wave of raw sensation crashing over her consciousness. She forced her eyes to focus through sheer willpower.

"I've never... I've never felt anything like this... Hyaaaaah!"

Just how much XP was flooding through that tiny point of contact? What kind of sensory overload was she experiencing right now? I couldn't possibly comprehend it. All I could do was pray that she would hold on.

"D-Damn it...! I won't lose... I won't give in... For my mom's sake... Ah, ah, ah...!"

Suzuka-san fought back the tide. Tears welled in her eyes, and a thin strand of saliva escaped her slightly parted lips. Her unbuttoned uniform collar was slick with sweat, looking incredibly provocative, and her skirt had ridden up to expose the smooth expanse of her thighs.

It was impossibly hot.

Even though she was enduring literal torture for the sake of her dying mother, looking at her like this made me feel an uncontrollable surge of arousal. The rate of XP transfer scales with excitement, and with it, the intensity of the pleasure. Sure enough, Suzuka-san’s face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson as she writhed in agony.

"Huh?! Wait, what?! Why is it suddenly... Nngh! It’s getting stronger... Ah, ah... AAAAAAAHHHHH! NNGH, AAAAHHH! ♡♡♡♡♡"

(Note: They are literally just touching fingertips.)

Unable to withstand the absolute tsunami of pure ecstasy flooding her brain, Suzuka-san arched her back sharply, and the sudden movement finally severed the contact between our fingers.

"What the hell... seriously, what the hell was that...?"

Suzuka-san stared up at me with wide, terrified eyes that held a strange, lingering sense of desperate attachment.

"A-Are you okay?"

"How the hell do I look okay?!"

With her knees knocking together violently, she somehow managed to drag herself to her feet and glared at me with absolute fury.

"I-I'm going home for today!!"

"Ah, Suzuka-sa—"

Stumbling awkwardly on trembling legs, she bolted out of the apartment in a panicked, pigeon-toed rush.

The next day, I stopped by my usual convenience store, but Suzuka-san wasn't there. Feeling a mix of anxiety and loneliness, I headed back to my apartment, only to find a blonde high school girl sitting cross-legged right in front of my door. A Boston bag sat on her lap. She was resting her elbows on it, chin in her hands, looking up at me with a blatant pout.

"You're late," she muttered.

"Uh... welcome?"

"Just hurry up and open the door."

"Ah, right. Got it."

She seemed in a terrible mood, but at least she looked healthy enough. I unlocked the door, and she marched right in like she owned the place, flopping onto my bed with a heavy thud.

"Hey, were you okay yesterday?" I asked.

"...Shut up!"

Suzuka-san's face turned beet red as she hurled her bag at me with all her might. It was mostly filled with clothes, so it was light and didn't hurt at all.

"What's all this?"

"A change of clothes. A toothbrush. Skincare stuff, makeup, and whatever else."

"Uh, why exactly did you bring all that?"

"................Because I'm moving in."

"Huh?"

"I said I'm staying here for a while! Read the room, you idiot! Idiot Tatsuya!"

"That's completely reckless..."

Suzuka-san crawled into my futon on her own, burying herself until only her flushed face peered out, still glaring grumpily.

"What? Is that a problem?"

"It's not about it being a problem. I just want to know why."

"............Like I could go home looking like that without even taking a bath," she mumbled under her breath.

"Wait, what did you say?"

"Shut up! Don't make me say it twice!" Suzuka-san grabbed my pillow and chucked it at me.

"I mean, I don't mind letting you use the bath."

"So you did hear me!"

She looked around frantically for something else to throw, grabbing the desk clock by my pillow and winding up. But maybe out of concern for breaking it, she set it back down. Good girl.

Shaking her head like a dog to fix her fine blonde hair, which had gotten messy from the futon, she sat up straight in a proper seiza posture.

"Yesterday, my level shot up like crazy. But I almost passed out back then. I need to level up way faster... and, well..." Suzuka-san stammered, her face turning red. She wasn't making much sense.

"So, basically?"

"Give me your experience points, Tatsuya. Please. I know it's a huge favor, but let me stay here for a while." She bowed her head slightly.

"...Are you sure about this? What if I pull something funny while you're unconscious, Suzuka-san?"

"I don't care. Honestly, I was already planning on getting intimate anyway. Getting experience points matters way more. I want to save my mom as soon as possible. Before it's too late."

Suzuka-san's resolve was rock solid. For my part, I wanted her mother to live too, and I wanted to see Suzuka-san smile again.

"Alright. Let's do this together."

And just like that, my life under the same roof with Suzuka-san began.

"Since I'm a guy, I don't really get how the whole leveling system works," I said. "How much higher do you need to go?"

"Ngh... T-The dungeon floors, and... ah... the levels... are... mmgh... basically the same... ah... if you think of them as equal values... eek! It's fine... ah, ah, ah..."

"I see. So, that Soft Gold Peach you're looking for, right? What floor is it on?"

"Seventy-... ah, phew...! Floor seventy-two! There have been... ngh... documented sightings there...!"

"Got it. So we need to get you to at least level seventy-two."

Suzuka-san and I were lying on the bed, conversing while barely letting our fingertips touch. We kept the conversation as un-romantic as possible to keep from drowning in pure pleasure.

"But... ah! That's... tsu... only if you have a well-balanced party... talking about... ngh..."

"Right. Since you're solo, you need an even higher level."

"I... I'm a speed and evasion build, so... ah, ah, ah... even solo, my stats make it... ooh... easier to explore... ah... so I don't have to raise it... ngh... that much... ah... maybe all the way to a hundred... ahhh!"

"A hundred, huh? So a hundred isn't the level cap?"

"The... highest level person... ah... in the world... is... ngh... over five hundred... ah, ah, ah..."

"Five hundred! Man, they must be insanely strong. What level are you at right now, Suzuka-san?"

"Twenty-two... ah, ah... wait, right now... it just went up to twenty-three...! Ah... Tatsuya, Tatsuya...!"

*Note: Their fingertips are only lightly touching.*

"I see. When it happened with Sagara-sensei, it felt like you leveled up way faster. It makes sense that the amount of transferred experience is proportional to the surface area of skin contact. Back then, Sensei collapsed onto me, so our bodies collided. Considering the surface area, what we're doing now is probably only a hundredth of that."

"A hundredth?! Ah... a hundred times this... I'd die! Seriously, I'd totally die!"

Suzuka-san, who had been gritting her teeth, looked up at me with teary, pleading eyes. Her gaze was intensely passionate.

"Tatsuya... ah... Tatsuya... please... ah! No, I can't take it anymore! Let go, let go!"

"If you can't handle it, you should be the one to pull away, Suzuka-san. I can't really judge for you."

"No! Ah... I don't want to! I don't want to let go! Ahhh!"

"What do you want me to do then...? Oh, and make sure to tell me whenever your level goes up. I want to know how much experience is flowing."

"Twenty-eight... ngh... twenty-eight right now...! Ah, ah, ah! Twenty-nine! It's twenty-nine!"

*Note: She is merely reporting her level-ups while touching fingertips.*

Suzuka-san's eyes were starting to lose focus. She was probably reaching her limit. Just once, I squeezed her hand tightly and immediately let go. It felt soft, warm, and slightly damp.

"?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Thirtyyyyy!"

*Note: They only held hands.*

Suzuka-san gave a particularly violent shudder, collapsed onto the bed, and buried her face into the pillow, panting heavily.

"Well, you made it to thirty for now. Congrats!"

"T-Tatsuya... you... just you wait..."

For some reason, she glared at me with feverish eyes. Silently, I gently moved my hand closer to her face.

"Ahhh! Wait, wait, wait! I was kidding! It was a joke! Thank you! Thank you, Tatsuya! I'm super grateful! Argh, honestly!"

She vigorously scratched her head as if trying to shake off a mess of conflicting emotions, then staggered to her feet.

"Where are you going?"

"...To the bath! Stop asking me everything, you virgin!" Suzuka-san spat out the words, leaning against the wall for support as she managed to hobble away and disappear into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Suzuka-san flopped face down onto the bed without even drying her hair. She must have been exhausted; she started vigorously rubbing her wet hair with a bath towel, but her hand quickly dropped limply.

I knew she was tired, but she really needed to dry her hair properly.

"Suzuka-san, Suzuka-san. Aren't you going to dry your hair?"

"...Mmm, can't. Tatsuya, do it for me."

Suzuka-san slowly sat up and crossed her legs on the bed. Her eyes were practically closed, and her small head was lolling side to side.

Left with no choice, I grabbed the hairdryer from the bathroom. That was when it finally hit me: a girl—and an incredibly beautiful one at that—was sitting in my room wearing loungewear.

The collar of the oversized T-shirt Suzuka-san wore had slipped slightly to the side, revealing a black strap that looked like a bra strap against her prominent collarbone. Her crossed legs exposed her thighs all the way up, barely hidden by the hem of her shirt. Wait, she is wearing shorts underneath, right?

As I found myself staring at her, her heavily drooping eyes opened just a fraction. Our gazes met, hers completely unfocused and drowsy.

"Tatsuyaaa? Hurry up."

"O-Oh. Yeah. On it."

The sight was far too stimulating for a virgin guy, and I immediately started acting awkward. Swallowing hard, I sat down behind Suzuka-san. The scent of her shampoo tickled my nose.

"H-Here I go."

For some reason, I announced it formally, carefully drying her fine strands of hair while making sure not to touch her scalp.

While I was nervously and meticulously drying her hair, Suzuka-san's head kept bobbing sleepily. Every now and then her neck would slump, and she even started letting out soft, quiet snores.

"..."

She was cute. Way too cute. Drying a girl's hair while sitting on the same bed... that's practically what couples do. Inhaling Suzuka-san's scent was making me more and more aroused.

Come to think of it, she did say I could pull something funny...

That's right. I had her explicit permission. Anything should be fair game. Yes, anything!

"...Well, I don't actually have the heart to mess with someone who's sleeping so peacefully."

Suzuka-san was letting her guard down because she trusted me. It felt wrong to break that trust. But at the very least, I could indulge a tiny desire.

The moment I finished drying her hair, Suzuka-san collapsed sideways onto the bed. I turned off the lights and lay down next to her.

Careful not to make direct skin contact, I gently wrapped my arms around her slender waist from behind. Her delicate frame felt like it could snap at any moment. She was trying to tackle a dungeon with a body this fragile. If there was anything I could do to help, I wanted to support her.

"Hang in there, Suzuka-san. For now, get some rest. Good night."

Whispering the words, I closed my eyes.

"Mmh..."

Right then, Suzuka-san rolled over, turning her body toward me. Before I could move away, something soft brushed against my lips.

"Ah."

"Mmmmmmmmmmmph!"

After a sharp shudder, Suzuka-san's body went completely limp.

"Wait, no way... Y-You're okay, right...?"

"Mmh, nnn... snore... snore..."

"Thank goodness..."

Seeing Suzuka-san breathing evenly again after a moment, it seemed there wasn't any real issue.

"G-Good night, Suzuka-san."

To prevent any more irreversible freak accidents, I decided to sleep on the floor. And I'm supposed to be the landlord here...

"Hey, wake up already."

"...Is that how a freeloader treats their host?"

When I opened my eyes, Suzuka-san was sitting on the bed, nudging my waist with her foot. Her foot actually felt kind of nice against my back, which had grown stiff from sleeping on the hard floor.

Instead of answering my question, Suzuka-san averted her gaze, her face flushing red.

"...What did you do while I was asleep?"

"Huh? Uh, nothing special? I just dried your hair. Make sure you dry it before sleeping from now on. I don't want mold growing on my pillow."

"D-Don't lie to me! It went up! My level!"

It seemed last night's accident had boosted Suzuka-san's level. I guess there was no hiding it.

"I really didn't do anything. Though I might have touched your head a bit while drying your hair."

"Like that alone would make it go up this much!"

"How much did it go up?"

"Seven! Seven whole levels! You definitely did something weird!"

Seven levels from just that one moment? That was on a whole different scale compared to touching fingertips.

"Well, if it went up, isn't that a good thing? Besides, you're the one who told me I could do whatever I wanted while you were asleep, Suzuka-san."

"Th-That... well, yeah, but..."

Suzuka-san began fidgeting, her knees pressing together bashfully.

"............If you're gonna do it anyway, do it while I'm awake... you idiot Tatsuya," she murmured in an incredibly faint voice.

"Wait, what did you say?"

"N-Nothing! Idiot! Idiot Tatsuya!"

"If I do it while you're awake, you'll just pass out."

"ーー! You did hear me! Stop pretending you didn't!"

Suzuka-san hurled a pillow at me, her face crimson. She was surprisingly fun to tease. Checking the clock, it was just before eight in the morning. I had slept pretty deeply.

"Suzuka-san, what are your plans for today? I'm going to be out until pretty late."

"Today's Saturday, what do you have going on? Remedial classes?"

Do I really look that dumb?

"A part-time job. A job."

"Huh, you work? Doing what?"

"Floor staff at a somewhat upscale French restaurant. Just serving food and pouring wine."

"You're tall, Tatsuya, so you'd probably look the part."

"The customers are all couples or important VIPs, so nobody's looking at a staff member like me. Here, I'll give you a spare key."

"Thanks."

Setting the received key on the desk, Suzuka-san reached for a manga on the bookshelf. Apparently, she was planning to use my room as a manga cafe today. I waved back at her as she gave me a distracted wave without looking up, and headed off to work.

"Tatsuya-kun, once you're done busting that table, you can head out."

"Thank you. Man, today was exhausting."

Matsumoto Honoka-san, my senior at work, tapped my shoulder as she spoke. Honoka-san wiped the sweat from her brow, sporting a radiant smile.

"Today's reception was a huge success too! The look on the guests' faces when they ate the Tournedos Rossini main dish! And the smug look on the bride and groom's faces! It was awesome!"

Honoka-san couldn't stop smiling, clearly overjoyed that the wedding reception had gone off without a hitch. Seeing her like that, the rest of the staff cracked smiles too.

An upscale French restaurant that also doubled as a wedding reception venue—that was my workplace. And when a reception was booked, the sheer busyness was on another level. Honestly, a fifteen-hundred-yen hourly wage felt cheap for that kind of work. However, my goal wasn't just the paycheck.

The food made by the chef—who happened to be Honoka-san's dad—was unbelievably delicious. He used ingredients sourced from the dungeons, and the flavor was nothing short of absolute perfection. By the way, dungeon ingredients were generally expensive across the board. They couldn't be mass-produced, harvesting them was life-threatening, and they tasted phenomenal, so a high price tag was only natural.

But when you worked at this restaurant, you actually got to eat those otherworldly dishes as staff meals.

"My mom and I gathered a ton of ingredients this time, so my dad said there's plenty for the staff meal too. Look forward to it!"

"Seriously?! Does that mean...?"

"Of course, the Rossini main dish too!"

"Yes!"

I instinctively pumped my fist. Beef Filet Tournedos Rossini. It was the epitome of luxury: a thick cut of beef filet topped with foie gras and garnished with black truffles. It looked so mouthwatering that I had to desperately fight back my drool just carrying it to the tables. And now I got to eat it. Honestly, the staff meal was becoming more of a motivator than the actual pay. A high schooler could rarely afford something like Rossini.

Since Honoka-san and her mother sourced the ingredients themselves and her father cooked them, they could offer the food at a bargain.

"We also have Dungeon Tiger Pufferfish, so you're in for a treat."

"Pufferfish! Is it really okay for a high schooler to be eating luxury food like this...?"

"Ahaha, you might develop a gourmet palate and have a tough time in the future."

"I'm genuinely worried about my future... Ah, right. This might be a bit brazen, but is it possible to take some home? A friend is coming over today, and I'd love to let them try it."

"Sure, I'll ask my dad. Make sure to hook them on our cooking too!"

Honoka-san didn't show a hint of annoyance at my request, heading off to the pantry with a smile. She was probably going to ask her father. After changing out of my uniform into my regular clothes, I received the packed food containers and headed home with a satisfied grin.

"I'm homeー"

Unlocking the apartment door, a pleasant aroma gently tickled my nose. It was a slightly sweet scent, maybe shampoo or fabric softener. Definitely not the kind of smell that usually came out of a guy living alone.

Since there was no reply, I thought she might have gone out, but the futon on the bed was bulging, exposing a tuft of blonde hair. On the desk sat a half-drunk Cola and a partially eaten bag of snacks.

It looked like Suzuka-san had spent the entire day lounging around. Meanwhile, I'd been working hard since morning. I guess this is how a husband feels when he has a lazy housewife.

Since I had sweated and worked all day, surely it wouldn't hurt to tease my lazy housewife a little bit. I slid my hand under the futon Suzuka-san was sleeping in. I couldn't tell what position she was sleeping in, so I had no idea what I was touching, but I groped her soft flesh and let my hand make direct skin contact.

"............! ......................!"

The futon jolted violently a few times before I pulled my hand away. I could hear her breathing heavily underneath, but I ignored it and started preparing dinner.

Following the instructions of Honoka-san's dad, who had begrudgingly allowed the takeout, I lightly warmed the beef filet in a frying pan and plated it. He didn't want the flavor to change, but honestly, neither Suzuka-san nor I had a refined palate, so I doubted we'd notice such a delicate difference.

Just as I finished setting out the Rossini, the pufferfish carpaccio, and some bread on the desk, Suzuka-san suddenly bolted upright.

"!"

"Whoa, you scared me! What's wrong, Suzuka-san?"

With messy hair and sleepy eyes, Suzuka-san looked around frantically before speaking.

"I just had an incredibly lewd dream."

What are you, a middle school boy?

"Whoa, there's something that smells amazing here."

"You're certainly busy balancing your libido and your appetite. They gave us staff meals at my job today, so I got special permission to bring some home. Yours included, of course."

"Seriously?! You're a god! I've only eaten snacks all day, so I'm starving!"

Despite having just woken up, she clearly had an appetite. She hopped off the bed and perched at the desk.

"..."

Seeing her act so straightforwardly made her look like a golden retriever, and I unconsciously patted her head.

"...What?"

"Nothing, just thought you were kind of cute."

"Huh? ...Shut up."

Her words were blunt, but her cheeks were slightly pink. She was definitely blushing. Shifting gears, I picked up a pair of chopsticks. My room didn't have anything fancy like knives and forks.

"Alright, let's eat."

"Let's eat!"

When I pressed the chopsticks down, the foie gras and filet meat parted smoothly, like warm butter. Swallowing hard, I popped a piece into my mouth.

"...Oh man, this is illegal. A high schooler shouldn't be allowed to eat this."

The moment I chewed, a juicy yet delicate burst of umami exploded in my mouth. Then came the rich, creamy texture of the foie gras on my tongue. Finally, the deep, aromatic scent of the black truffles pulled everything together with an exquisite red wine sauce. It was violently delicious despite its refinement.

"...Insane. This is insane, insane, insane."

Suzuka-san was muttering "insane" repeatedly as well. Her vocabulary had completely vanished, but her appreciation came through loud and clear.

It seems truly incredible food robs humans of their words. In the end, Suzuka-san and I finished our dinner without having anything resembling an actual conversation. After devouring the unbelievably tasty Beef Filet Rossini and the tiger pufferfish carpaccio, we used the bread to wipe up every last drop of sauce from the plates, leaving nothing behind. Once we finished, both of us sat there in a daze for a while. Surprisingly, there was no sense of loss from finishing the food; we were simply brimming with absolute satisfaction and euphoria.

"...We just ate that normally, but that was definitely dungeon food, wasn't it?" After about five minutes of zoning out, Suzuka-san asked while opening and closing her fists.

"Yeah. Good catch. I guess anyone would notice with food that delicious."

"The taste is one thing, but I can literally feel power surging through me."

"Power surging? What do you mean?"

I tried tensing my muscles, but nothing felt different.

"Ah, guys probably wouldn't get it. Dungeon ingredients carry special status effects. To put it simply, it's like food in a video game. Like 'Attack Power Up for 3 minutes.' Maybe it only affects women since they're the ones with levels."

"Huh, I didn't know that. By the way, what kind of stats did what we ate today have? They told me the Black Minotaur filet and the King Duck foie gras, along with the Dungeon Tiger Pufferfish, were harvested from the 70th floor."

"That's a lineup commoners could never afford..." Suzuka-san started looking something up on her phone. There was probably a wiki listing ingredients and their special effects.

"Black Minotaur meat gives an Attack and Defense buff, foie gras boosts Stamina, and tiger pufferfish grants Poison Immunity. Looks like the effects last about two hours. Since they're luxury ingredients, the buffs are insane."

"It feels like a waste not to go dive into a dungeon right now."

"It totally is... In that case, we have to put them to good use."

"Good use? Are we going to a dungeon now?"

"Not that."

Thud. A sudden impact hit my shoulders. Before I knew it, I was pinned flat on my back with Suzuka-san pinning me down.

"Since my Defense and Stamina are buffed, I should have a higher tolerance for the pleasure when I get experience points. Probably."

Suzuka-san looked down at me with a somewhat feverish gaze. She looked like a predator who had found its prey.

"...Is there by any chance a libido-boosting effect too?"

"Heh, look at you figuring it out. Yeah, the foie gras has a libido boost."

Of course it does.

"Tatsuya... brace yourself, okay?"

"P-Please go easy on me..."

There was no way I could beat her in raw strength anyway. Giving up, I let my body relax.

"Phew... ngh... Phew...!"

Straddling me, Suzuka-san gritted her teeth as she endured the sensation. Her eyes were watery with tears, and her focus wavered every now and then. She was desperately fighting back the overwhelming pleasure.

Thanks to the effects of the dungeon food, we were finally having... a proper session? Not at all. What we were doing right now was interlocking our fingers in a lover's hands-hold. Suzuka-san was straddling my stomach, holding both of my hands with our fingers tightly intertwined. Compared to last time, she was enduring it reasonably well, but it was a far cry from actual intimacy.

"Suzuka-san. What's the count right now?"

"Phew... ah... Phew... f-fifty... two...! Ngh... Phew...!"

*Note: They are literally just holding hands with fingers locked.*

"Slow and steady wins the race."

"Phew... Tatsuya...! Don't you... under... estimate me...!"

"I mean, you say that while looking like that... What happened to all that confidence from earlier?"

"S-Shut up...! You idiot Tatsuya...!"

"Instead of underestimating you, how about I lick you? That'll probably make you level up way faster."

"Ahhh! No, no, no, no! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I got cocky!"

That day, Suzuka-san endured until she hit level seventy before completely blacking out.

After passing level seventy, Suzuka-san's leveling speed began to stall. As the level goes up, the amount of experience required to level up naturally increases. Simply letting our fingertips touch couldn't even net her a single level in a day.

Well, even so, Suzuka-san's mother still had nearly a year left. As long as we took our time and leveled up steadily without pushing too hard, we would make it in time. However, as if mocking our optimism, a cruel reality struck.

One day, Suzuka-san came over after my shift ended, just like usual. But her expression was completely different.

"Welcome back, Suzuka-san. ...Suzuka-san?"

Standing at the entrance, Suzuka-san stared directly into my eyes with a dead serious expression. Her gaze was intense.

"My mom went into a coma."

"...That's sudden."

"It looks like the petrification disease spread near her brain. The doctor said she doesn't even have a month left."

"That's too short."

"So... so tonight, I want to level up. As much as we can in one night. Then, starting tomorrow, I'm going into the dungeon."

"Can you handle it? Worst-case scenario, you could die."

"I don't care. If I don't do this, my mom is going to die anyway."

Suzuka-san spoke with fierce determination in her eyes. No matter what I said, she wouldn't change her mind.

"If I die, I'm sorry. I'll be causing you a ton of trouble, Tatsuya. I know it's a selfish request. But this is the only way. There are no other options. So, please."

Breaking her usual character, Suzuka-san bowed her head with a deeply solemn look.

"Don't worry about it. I want your mom to live too, Suzuka-san. Let's give it everything we've got."

"Yeah. Thank you, Tatsuya."

I invited Suzuka-san into my room, and we sat facing each other on the bed.

"Experience points transfer faster the more skin-to-skin contact we have," I explained, slipping off my jacket. "So, let's just hold each other until morning."

Suzuka-san pouted slightly. "We're not going all the way?"

"You'd definitely die if we did. I mean, if you think you can handle it, I don't mind giving it a shot."

"You're on," she said with a provocative smirk.

She stripped out of her school uniform, leaving her in just her underwear. Her slender, shapely limbs were fully on display. Catching me staring blankly at her, Suzuka-san grinned.

"You're really checking me out, huh?"

"I mean... it's my first time seeing something like this. Of course I am," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "By the way, the transfer rate fluctuates based on how excited I am, so you probably shouldn't tease me too much."

"That's exactly what I'm counting on."

Suzuka-san leaned in close, pressing her chest forward. Her soft breasts squeezed tight against the fabric of her bra.

"Brace yourself," I whispered.

I gently rested my right hand on her shoulder. Her skin felt smooth, delicate, and incredibly soft, as if my hand were glued to it. I traced up to her neck, then her cheek.

Almost instantly, Suzuka-san's body flushed a deep crimson. Sitting on her knees, she began to squirm, though she forced herself to keep quiet. Only a hot, silent gasp escaped her lips.

"Wow, you're amazing."

"I-I'm fine..." she wheezed, trying desperately not to let the intense pleasure overwhelm her. "This is... nothing... ah...! Ugh...!"

To push her a bit further, I placed my left hand on her thigh.

"Ahhh...! ❤️"

Suzuka-san swayed for a split second, nearly losing her balance, but she managed to steady herself.

"Look at you hangin' in there."

"I... told you, I'm... totally fine...! ❤️ This is... piece of cake...!"

She clearly wasn't fine, but her stubborn refusal to back down was honestly a little admirable.

"How's your level looking? Is it going up?"

"Eigh... ty... three...! ❤️ Urgh... ah...!"

"It's definitely climbing."

It was going up, but at this rate, she wouldn't hit level one hundred by morning. Her mother's condition was critical, meaning Suzuka-san would push herself to the absolute limit inside the dungeon. If that was the case, I wanted her to have a safety cushion—ideally around level one hundred and fifty. Since she didn't seem to have any decent gear, she needed to be strong enough to survive the hundredth floor stark naked.

"Suzuka-san, hang on tight."

"Wait... what...?"

Pulling her sweating body toward me, I wrapped my arms around her in a firm embrace. Her warm, soft frame fit perfectly against mine. The sweet scent of her hair mingled with the milky aroma of her bare skin.

"~~~~~~~~~~っ! ❤️"

Her hot body convulsed wildly in my arms.

"Suzuka-san, how are you holding up?"

"Ah... hngh... ninety... two...! ❤️"

"Nice, it's working."

The pace was excellent. Now she just had to endure it. I had no way of knowing whether this felt like pure heaven or absolute hell for her, but I knew she'd fight through it for her mother's sake.

After a while, Suzuka-san shifted uncomfortably, so I loosened my grip slightly to look at her face.

"You okay?"

"Haaah... haaah..."

She wrapped her arms around my neck, slid onto my lap, and stared up at me with completely dazed, melting eyes. This was Suzuka-san—the cool, unflappable gyaru.

"Suzuka-san, should we take a break?"

"N-No stopping... ❤️ Mmmh..."

Instead of pulling away, she leaned in close and pressed her lips firmly against mine.

"ーーーっ! ❤️"

"Mmph—?!"

My mind went completely blank. Just the simple contact of our lips made my entire body flare with heat. I tried to pull back, but Suzuka-san's arms locked me in place. There was no way a regular guy could overpower a woman who had just leveled up that much.

We had accidentally bumped lips once before, but this was my first real, proper kiss. The pillowy, moist sensation made my heart hammer against my ribs. A sudden surge of desire welled up inside me, making me want to completely lose control.

Then, Suzuka-san began to nibble on my lips with an agonizing softness.

"Mmh... ah... ❤️ Nnn... hah... ❤️"

I never imagined a kiss could feel this insanely good. Overflowing with pure euphoria, my head spun. If this was what a kiss felt like, I couldn't even fathom what Suzuka-san was experiencing with a massive torrent of experience points flooding into her body at the same time. I knew I wouldn't last a second in her shoes.

Even as her slender frame trembled violently, she refused to let me go. If anything, her grip tightened, as if she were declaring she would drain every last drop of energy from me.

"Mmmgh... nnnaahh...! ❤️"

Suzuka-san suddenly arched her back, breaking the kiss.

"Haaah... haaah... hundred... and two...! ❤️ Man, kissing is seriously a cheat code... ❤️"

She had already broken past level one hundred. Yet, I couldn't tear my eyes away from her lips. It was the first real kiss of my life, and my heart refused to slow down.

"Ahaha... ❤️ Don't look at me with such a starved face... ❤️"

Our bodies were still pressed flush against each other. Even though she had to be experiencing a mind-breaking amount of sensory overload, Suzuka-san managed to flash a wicked smirk.

"If you want it that bad, I'll give you the real deal... ❤️ Mmmph..."

Her soft lips locked onto mine again. But this time, something slick and warm forced its way into my mouth.

"Mmh?!"

The sheer intensity made my vision spark. I instinctively tried to pull back, but she grabbed the back of my head, holding me tight.

"Nnn... ngh... ❤️ I'm not letting go, Tatsuya...! ❤️"

I was forced to swallow the overwhelming wave of pleasure. Despite bearing the brunt of the sensation, Suzuka-san kept a vice grip on my head. At this point, levels and experience points were the last things on our minds.

Ah, so this is what it feels like to be completely devoured, I thought hazily.

My brain felt like it was liquefying as our tongues tangled together. I wanted to escape the sheer intensity, yet her powerful embrace kept me anchored, pumping pure ecstasy directly into my lips. For a brief moment, I felt like I finally understood what she was going through.

"Feels good, right? ❤️ You love it, don't you, Tatsuya? ❤️ Ah... nn... I want to do this forever... ❤️ Haha... wow... this is crazy... I'm gonna... I'm gonna go crazy...! ❤️ Give me more... Tatsuya... pour even more into me...! ❤️ Look at you, you're so hard... are you really that excited? ❤️ Fine by me... you can dump everything you've got into me until I pass out... ❤️ Ah... my head is spinning... I'm gonna eat you all up... ❤️ We're gonna stay like this forever, okay? For the rest of our lives... ❤️ Oh god, here it comes... a huge one...! Ahhhh...! ❤️"

That hellish paradise of pure bliss continued until we both, drenched in sweat, finally lost consciousness.

The sun hadn't even risen over Shibuya yet, but a massive crater spanning a hundred meters in diameter sat directly in the center of the district. That gaping hole was the entrance to the Shibuya Dungeon. Apparently, it used to be a bustling pedestrian scramble.

Among the dungeons scattered across the globe, this one was highly cleared, with the current deepest reached floor being the 312th. The status of checkpoint floors up to the 30th could be monitored on giant electronic displays mounted on the walls of nearby skyscrapers.

Amidst the crowd of heavily armed divers carrying massive amounts of gear, Suzuka-san stood out like a sore thumb. She wore a loosely styled school uniform and carried nothing but a simple drawstring bag.

She looked completely out of place, yet she was probably stronger than almost anyone else standing here.

By yesterday, Suzuka-san had reached level 170. Reaching the floor where the Nankinto peaches grew shouldn't pose a threat to her. Probably.

Suzuka-san flashed her Diver Card to the Dungeon Management Bureau official at the gate, took a step inside, and then turned back to face me.

"Tatsuya. I'm heading out."

"Yeah. I know telling you not to do anything reckless is pointless, so..." I paused, extending my fist toward her. "Just make sure you find it. For your mom!"

Suzuka-san blinked in surprise, then let out a wide grin and tapped her fist against mine.

"You bet your ass I will! Oh, whoops... ❤️ Hehe, level 171! Catch ya later!"

With a single, effortless leap, Suzuka-san vanished down the staircase leading into the first floor.

I stayed near the entrance for a while, watching her progress on the massive skyscraper displays. Even though the sun wasn't up, the area was brightly illuminated by the neon signs and monitors. Night never truly came to this place.

Suzuka-san sprinted through the checkpoint floors without stopping even once. After she cleared the 30th floor, her name vanished from the monitors. Past that point, public tracking wasn't available. She would likely be running through the depths of the dungeon for at least a week.

She might pop up on some popular stream channels dedicated to dungeon diving, but I didn't feel the need to go out of my way to look for them. I had done everything I could. All I could do now was pray that luck would be on her side.

As I idly watched the glowing displays, a broadcast featuring an idol diver caught my attention.

"Makes sense they'd play her stuff. She's blowing up right now."

It was a three-girl group called Trinity Spark, whom I had watched once before with Suzuka-san. The center girl, Yurarin, was the real eye-catcher. Her theme color was white, matching her striking white hair. As she danced, she radiated a faint, bluish-white aura that made her look like a breathtaking fairy.

When the song ended, the girls transitioned into a casual talk segment.

"Actually, there's someone I've been looking for," Yurarin said into her mic. "I figured if I became a famous idol and stood out, they might notice me and reach out someday."

"Oh wow! Don't tell me it's your first love?!" the host teased.

"No, it's nothing like that, but..."

Watching the beautiful girl banter with the host, I sighed. "Man, talk about a different world."

On one hand, you had a gorgeous idol who doubled as a powerful dungeon diver. On the other, a mediocre guy who couldn't even manage a proper experience point transfer without passing out. We lived in entirely different realities.

Turning away from the glamorous world on the screen, I turned around and headed home.

A week had passed since Suzuka-san entered the dungeon, and I still hadn't received any word of her return.

"I hope Suzuka-san is okay..." I muttered to myself in the quiet, empty room.

It was 4:00 AM—the exact time she had stepped into the dungeon a week ago. Unable to sleep, I stared at the ticking clock hands, wondering what the dungeon was actually like.

It contained plants capable of curing diseases that modern medicine deemed untreatable, and creatures that supposedly tasted unimaginably delicious. It was also a massive source of rare minerals and energy resources. A dream-like treasure trove, exclusively accessible to women.

A while back, a wealthy corporate CEO had ventured into the lower levels backed by a massive squad of bodyguards, only for his corpse to be the only thing that returned.

"Yeah, definitely not a place I ever want to go."

In this world, a guy's only real role was to act as an experience point battery for women.

As I wallowed in my gloomy thoughts, someone began violently rattling and pounding on my front door.

"Tatsuya! Tatsuya! Are you in there?!"

"Whoa, holy crap!"

Startled awake, I scrambled out of bed and threw the door open. Standing there was a battered, exhausted Suzuka-san. Her uniform was torn to shreds around her shoulders and midriff, revealing deep scratches, and one of her bra straps was completely snapped. Her skirt was barely hanging on, torn open with a high slit that exposed her pale thigh. Her shoes were entirely gone, likely worn down to nothing. Scratches covered her cheeks, forehead, arms, and legs, looking incredibly painful—yet her eyes burned with an intense, triumphant light.

Suzuka-san reached into her drawstring bag, pulled something out, and shoved it right in front of my face.

"Look! Look at this!"

"Is that...?"

Clutched in her hand was a soft, glowing golden peach. It perfectly matched the description of the legendary Nankinto.

"Yep! A Nankinto peach! I finally found it! Come on, we're going to the hospital!"

"Right now?!"

"Duh! What's the point of finding it if we're too late?! Move it!"

Swept up by her frantic energy, I threw on my shoes while still in my loungewear before she grabbed me by the arm and hauled me forward.

"Hurry up! Run!"

"Wait, the hospital is pretty far from here!"

"It's fine, I'll just pull you along!"

"Even if you pull me—"

"Oh, forget it! You're too slow!"

Clicking her tongue in frustration, Suzuka-san grabbed me and swept me off my feet, lifting me up in a bridal carry.

"Whoa! What are you doing?!"

"Hold your tongue so you don't bite it!"

"Wait, you're not seriously going to—whoaaaa!"

With me cradled in her arms, Suzuka-san bolted forward at a terrifying velocity.

We tore through the sleeping city like a hurricane, arriving at the hospital's night emergency entrance in the blink of an eye. When she finally set me down, I practically rejoiced at the feeling of solid ground beneath my feet.

Leaving me to stumble around darily, Suzuka-san sprinted over to the night reception desk where an elderly security guard was stifling a yawn. The moment his eyes landed on her battered appearance, his jaw dropped.

"M-My goodness, what happened to you?! Emergency care isn't through this door! Hold on, I'll call someone right away!"

Seeing her uniform torn to pieces, it was an easy misunderstanding to make.

"No, I'm here to see a patient! Kanako Naruse in room 507! She's in critical condition and I need to get in right now! Open the door!"

"Oh dear, that's terrible! I'll open it right up!"

The guard slammed a button, and the automatic doors slid open. Suzuka-san darted inside like a flash, and I rushed in right behind her.

"What about the boy?!" the guard shouted after us.

"He's my brother!"

Since when was I her brother? I thought, but the guard didn't question it and gave a firm nod.

"Go keep your mother company!"

With the kind guard's words echoing behind us, we sprinted through the hospital corridors. Deciding that waiting for the elevator would take too long, Suzuka-san bounded up the stairs like a wild animal. I pushed my legs to the limit just to keep her in sight, barely managing to follow her all the way to the room.

Inside the dimly lit hospital room, a woman lay under a thin blanket with an oxygen mask strapped to her face. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes cracked open just a sliver. She looked incredibly weak, as if her breath might fade away at any moment. But she was still breathing.

This was Suzuka-san's mother, Kanako-san.

"..."

Suzuka-san stared at her mother for a silent moment before pulling out the Nankinto peach. She slipped the oxygen mask off Kanako-san's face, squeezed the golden fruit, and let the rich juice drip directly into her mouth.

Though she seemed unconscious, Kanako-san's throat instinctively convulsed as she swallowed the liquid.

"Mom... please..."

For the next five minutes, the room was enveloped in heavy silence, broken only by the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor and her weak, ragged breathing.

Suddenly, the heart monitor's beeping accelerated. The machine let out a sharp, frantic chime as the vital readings began to spike. The numbers, which had been hovering dangerously in the forties, shot up to fifty, seventy, ninety...

"I-Is this supposed to happen?!"

"I don't know! Mom! Mom, are you okay?!"

Panic taking over, Suzuka-san grabbed her mother's shoulders and began to shake her. Neither of us possessed even a shred of medical knowledge, so the numbers on the monitor meant absolutely nothing to us. Realizing the danger, I slammed my hand onto the nurse call button.

The nurses must have been monitoring the sudden shift from their station. A crisp voice blurted, "We're on our way!" before the line cut out.

"Mom! Mom! Stay with me! Open your eyes!"

Kanako-san let out a low, pained groan as Suzuka-san kept frantically rocking her.

Within a minute, a female doctor and a nurse burst through the door.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Doctor, my mom! Look at my mom!" Suzuka-san shrieked, grabbing the doctor's lab coat in desperation. "She looks like she's hurting! Please save her! Help her!"

"Hey! Let go of me!"

The doctor tried to pry her off, but she was no match for Suzuka-san's newly heightened strength.

The doctor's gaze shifted to the bed—the discarded oxygen mask, the wet lips, and the crushed golden fruit.

"You... don't tell me you..."

"My mom's gonna die! Mom! No, please...!"

As Suzuka-san completely broke down, the doctor wrapped her arms around her in a firm, grounding hug, gently stroking her hair to calm her down.

"You're her daughter, Suzuka-san, right? Take a deep breath. She's going to be fine. Just calm down."

Pulling back, the doctor looked at Suzuka-san's tattered clothes and bruises, a warm, proud smile gracing her lips.

"You did an incredible job. You really went all out for her, didn't you? It's okay now. Take a deep breath and look at your mother."

The doctor gently guided Suzuka-san around to face the bed. There, sitting upright against the pillows, was Kanako-san.

"...Mom?"

"Morning, Suzuka..."

"Mom... Mom! Mom!"

Suzuka-san stumbled forward, collapsing against her mother's lap, weeping hysterically.

"You're alive! Oh my god, you're alive! Thank goodness! Thank goodness...!"

Kanako-san smiled gently, running a hand through her daughter's hair as she cried into her lap.

It looked like the Nankinto peach had made it just in time.

After Kanako-san fully regained her senses, Suzuka-san and I received a massive scolding from the doctor. Apparently, taking off the oxygen mask and feeding her a mythical dungeon fruit based purely on amateur judgment was an incredibly reckless move. Honestly, we totally deserved it.

While we were getting reamed out, Kanako-san just sat back in her bed, watching us with a warm, amused smile.

Once the lecture finally ended, the medical staff filed out, leaving the three of us alone. Though, considering I was the one who got dragged along, I felt like Suzuka-san should've taken 100% of the blame.

In the quiet room, Kanako-san gestured for Suzuka-san to come closer. Looking a bit embarrassed, Suzuka-san trudged over and sat on the edge of the mattress. Her mother lovingly stroked her head, rubbing her scratched cheek and touching the tears in her uniform.

"Thank you, Suzuka. You went into the dungeon to get that Nankinto peach for me, didn't you? Look at how much you pushed yourself..."

"It's fine. This much is nothing."

"Oh, always putting up a tough front. That had to hurt so much." Kanako-san looked at her daughter with pure affection.

"I'm totally fine. As long as you're healthy, M—cough. As long as Mother is doing better, that's all that matters."

"Thank you so much, Suzuka."

"Yeah... thanks for pulling through, Mom."

"Hehe, you can just call me 'Mom' like you usually do."

It was a beautiful, tear-jerking reunion between a mother and daughter. I felt completely out of place. Just as I reached for the doorknob to give them some privacy, Kanako-san called out to me.

"And you must be... Tatsuya-san, right? Suzuka has told me a bit about you. She said you've been taking wonderful care of her. Thank you so much."

"Oh, no, I didn't really do anything major."

"So, how far along are you two?" Kanako-san asked, throwing out a total curveball with the exact same gentle smile.

"M-Mom?! What kind of question is that?!" Suzuka-san barked, her face turning bright red.

"Well, I didn't get all the details, but the only reason Suzuka got strong enough to dive into the dungeon was thanks to Tatsuya-san, right? You gave her a ton of experience points, didn't you?"

"I mean, yeah, but..."

"Did you guys already do the deed?"

"No way in hell! We just! We just held hands!"

"Oh, really? How boring. And here I was getting excited about becoming a grandmother in my thirties."

"That's way down the road!"

"Oh? 'Down the road' means you do plan on having Tatsuya-san's babies eventually?"

"That's not what I meant! Idiot! Mom, you're an idiot!"

Suzuka-san threw a massive tantrum while Kanako-san just kept teasing her without a care in the world. After a few minutes of this, a nurse marched into the room with a terrifyingly stiff smile and a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"This wing is for patients in critical condition. Making this much noise is a major disturbance~"

""W-We're sorry...""

"For today, you two need to head home. Since she took the Nankinto peach, Naruse-san's condition is perfectly stable. We'll monitor her for about a week, and then she should be discharged. Now, visiting hours are long over, so please leave. Right now."

With the nurse practically shooing us out like stray cats and Kanako-san waving goodbye with a grin, we had no choice but to leave the hospital room behind.

We grabbed a taxi back to the apartment. The moment we walked through the door, Suzuka-san dragged her exhausted body straight into the shower. The past week of non-stop dungeon crawling had clearly pushed her past her absolute limit. When she finally stumbled out, she had thrown one of my button-down shirts over her underwear, completely unbuttoned.

"Suzuka-san, what is that outfit supposed to be?"

"Done. Out. Going to sleep."

She collapsed face-first onto the bed and was snoring within seconds.

"Man, I wish you'd let me dry your hair first," I sighed.

Realizing this was a repeat of before, I grabbed the hairdryer and took care of her wet hair while she slept. By the time I finished, a wave of heavy exhaustion washed over me. I hadn't slept a wink all night either.

"Well, you're gonna have to share the bed today."

Careful not to accidentally touch her skin, I slipped under the covers and immediately drifted off into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the sound of rustling woke me up. I blinked open my eyes to see Suzuka-san packing up her things.

"Morning, Suzuka-san. You're up early."

"Dude, it's literally noon. How did you sleep longer than me?"

Letting out an amused sigh, she went back to packing. That said, she didn't have much to begin with—just some clothes, a toothbrush, and cosmetics. She neatly zipped them into her duffel bag.

"Oh... so you're heading back today?"

"Yeah. My mom won't be discharged for another week, but I need to clean up the apartment before she gets back. It got a little messy while she was sick."

Stopping what she was doing, Suzuka-san turned around to face me, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Gonna miss me?"

"I mean, yeah, obviously. We've been living together for a month, after all."

"O-Oh... I see..."

My straightforward answer caught her off guard. She rubbed her cheek, a faint blush creeping across her face, before murmuring in a tiny voice, "...I'm gonna miss you too."

"Huh?"

"Ah, nothing! I said I'm not gonna miss you at all! It's not like we're never gonna see each other again anyway!"

"You don't have to play tough. If you're gonna miss me—"

"I told you, if you can hear me, pretend you didn't! You seriously have a terrible personality!"

A bright red Suzuka-san hurled her duffel bag straight at me. The corner, which probably housed her bottle of lotion, smacked me right in the forehead. Ow.

Since she traveled light, her packing was finished in no time.

"Oh, right. Tatsuya, take this."

Suzuka-san reached into her drawstring bag and pulled out a pale, whitish fruit.

"What's this?"

"A Hakuginto peach. It's a rare dungeon fruit that basically acts as a high-grade healing item. I found it before the Nankinto, so I figured I'd grab it. See? All my cuts are completely gone. I ate a piece when I woke up this morning."

To prove her point, she casually yanked up her T-Shirt, flashing her completely unblemished, pale stomach and a glimpse of her bra. She pulled it up way too high.

"Apparently, if you keep it somewhere relatively cool, it won't rot and will last forever, so just throw it in the fridge. Keep it for emergencies. In exchange, give me a pair of your sneakers. Mine are totally trashed."

"...Isn't the value trade completely skewed here? This peach has to be worth an insane amount of money. Are you sure?"

"Well, yeah, if I sold it normally. But you gave me something way more valuable than a stupid fruit, Tatsuya. Just take it."

"Alright. Thanks."

I accepted the Hakuginto peach and placed it safely inside the refrigerator.

"Well, then. I guess I'm taking off," Suzuka-san said casually as she slipped on my sneakers at the entryway. Slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder, she turned back to face me. She looked incredibly cool. "See ya, Tatsuya. We'll hang out again soon."

"Yeah, definitely."

Looking at her dazzling figure, a sudden pang of loneliness hit me, and I looked down at the floor.

Suzuka-san was a stunning, popular gyaru. If we had been in the same high school classroom, our social circles would have never crossed. We belonged to two completely different worlds. From here on out, our connection would probably start to fade. The thought made my chest tighten.

"You're thinking about something stupid again, aren't you?"

As if reading my mind, Suzuka-san frowned.

"Tatsuya, look up."

"Suzuka-sa—mmph."

The moment I raised my eyes, her face filled my vision. Her soft lips pressed firmly against mine as she locked me in a tight embrace.

"Mmh... hah... ❤️ Hey, Tatsuya. You remember our deal, right?"

"Deal...?"

"I told you, once your little problem with not being able to do stuff with girls gets cleared up, I'll let you have your way with me."

Come to think of it, we did talk about that when we first met.

"I'm gonna become a professional dungeon diver. I'm gonna get super strong, and I'm gonna gather all kinds of rare items. Eventually, we'll find a way so we can do it normally. So until then... consider this a teaser... ❤️"

She pressed her lips to mine one last time, parting with a lingering sweetness.

"So wipe that pathetic look off your face, okay?"

"Yeah... thanks, Suzuka-san."

Under the brilliant afternoon sun, Suzuka-san flashed a blinding, triumphant grin.

"Later, Tatsuya! Don't just eat instant dan dan noodles all day!"

With that, she turned around and sprinted down the street without looking back. She was going home to live a happy life with her recovered mother. Just knowing I had a hand in making that happen was enough for me.

"Man, I really want to get laid! Guess it's time to go solo!"

It looked like the day I'd finally get to be with a girl was still a long, long way off.