Today, everyone did not go to the dungeon, instead they gathered at the Coliseum.
It was already mentioned sometime ago, that today is the yearly awards.
The various cityās Dungeon Association would hold a ceremony to bring their honoured adventurers who had a high contribution in the year, and to also give motivation to the other adventurers who strive to be someone like them in the future.
The awarded participants are ranked from ā1 till ā7, and since all the members of the Ryouta Family are nominated, they had to attend it.
At the back of the coliseum, the waiting room.
As we went in fully dressed, I saw a familiar face inside the room.
The main pillar of the Neptune Family, an incredibly famous adventurer.
[Oh man, itās been a long time Ryouta-kun.] (Neptune)
[NeptuneāāHey donāt suddenly put your arms around my shoulder.]Ā (Ryouta)
[Donāt say things like that okay. Arenāt we friends?] (Neptune)
[What kind of friends!]Ā (Ryouta)
[Hmmm, I wonder.] (Neptune)
While Neptune was holding onto my shoulder, he rubbed his chin and started thinking.
Even though heās gentle, but the face he makes as a good looking man while having a thinking posture near me is just someone I canāt hate.
[Something like a nemesis?] (Neptune)
[Was our relationship really like that!?]Ā (Ryouta)
[Then a friend that can communicate through the heart. Of course we are connected through and through.] (Neptune)
[This is the first time Iāve heard of that!]Ā (Ryouta)
[To me, youāre someone that can compete with a woman. But if I were to lose, then I will obviously give my blessings to you.] (Neptune)
[Even though your face says that you will give your blessings, but your words doesnāt match up!]Ā (Ryouta)
I can hardly believe that heād like to lose.
[Ahaha, your retort never changes. Thatās why I like it.] (Neptune)
[Yes yes alright.]Ā (Ryouta)
I sighed with some amusement mixed in.
The word [like] that Neptune said is 99% not true.
As behind him, there is his favourites.
The magical onee-sama character, Riru.
The little sister that you just want to protect, Ran.
Even with such a huge household, Neptune only brings the two of them with him and never changed his battle style since before.
[But still, Ryouta-kun is seriously amazing.] (Neptune)
[I know that Ryouta-kun himself is plenty amazing, but I didnāt expect his whole family to be nominated.] (Neptune)
[Aah you meant that.]Ā (Ryouta)
Behind me was my friends.
They were all dressed up (except for Eve as for some reason she was still wearing her bunny suits).
All of them are my proud and important friends.
[Iāve investigated it, but for an entire family to received an award has never happened since 67 years ago.] (Neptune)
[Why would you even investigate something like that?]Ā (Ryouta)
[Since itās that rare.] (Neptune)
[ā¦..Well thank you.]Ā (Ryouta)
Iām happy that he praised my friends.
When looking behind, all of them were happily smiling as well.
[Margaret. So youāve came as well.]Ā (Ryouta)
Leaving Neptune aside, I greeted Margaret who I just hang out with a few days ago.
Seeing various people gathered in this room to receive the award, all of them were dress formally.
Everyone was in a dazeāāincluding me.
Margaret was wearing her princess dress which Iāve previously seen.
She looks like some kind of Princessāāno she is one.
Even the atmosphere she gives, is completely like one.
Royal, elegant, and even beautiful.
Obviously everyone in the room was in a daze when they saw Margaret.
[Because of Ryouta-san, Iām awarded as a ā4.]Ā (Margaret)
[Wow thatās amazing, Iām sure not many can be at a ā4.]Ā (Ryouta)
[Well, itās all thanks to Ryouta-san that I can reach this far.]Ā (Margaret)
[Well itās also due to Margaret working hard to reach her level cap.]Ā (Ryouta)
[Still, I want to thank you. Uhmm, Ryouta-san.]Ā (Margaret)
Margaret kept staring at me while fidgeting, and with her face dyed red as well.
[N, next year, please take care of me as well.]Ā (Margaret)
[Hmm? Ah likewise.]Ā (Ryouta)
Pah, as if a flower was bloom, as Margaret smiled sweetly at me.
Even though it was just a few words, it seems that she was extremely happy about it.
[Ryouta-kun, even though I say that weāre friends connected through our hearts, but youāre still hopeless when it comes to that.] (Neptune)
Neptune and his friends both bad mouthed me.
Wait, whatās hopeless about it?
Not knowing whatās going on, the ceremony has began.
In the coliseumāāThe new representative of the Dungeon Association Chief, Cell, was giving his speech.
Cell, whoās word choice were tremendous, awed the crowd with his speech.
Then, finally starting the award, the ā1 would come up first.
There were only a few people at ā1.
All of them went out of the ring together, then the moderator calls out each of their names and introduces their achievements.
Then, the audiences that was filled in the coliseum applauded.
Next was ā2, about half of the adventurers who was here came out.
Then introducing them as well, they received applauses.
Same with ā3, ā4, and ā5.
Even when the adventurers were getting fewer in number, the procedures were the same.
Even the ā6 Neptune who was almost similar rank as me, was the same.
Hearing his award made me a little nervous as Iāve never done any of this before in my previous life.
I donāt know what I should be doing, but Iāve heard of the saying that graduation ceremonies are treated as [the same as above].
So I slightly calmed down.
After the award was given, Neptune returned.
[Next is Ryouta-kun.] (Neptune)
[Yeah, Iām off.]Ā (Ryouta)
After calming down for the most part, I high fived all of my friends and slowly walked out of the ring.
{Kyaaaaaaa, Ryouta-sama-aaaaaa!}
[Ryouta ! Ryouta ! Ryouta ! Ryouta !}
Out of nowhere, cheers for me suddenly appeared.
Screams of my name were all I could hear from the audiences.
Even the ground was shaking from the crowd.
[Wh, what the? What is even going on.]Ā (Ryouta)
[Itās a given nanodesu.]Ā (Emily)
Looking behind, Emily who was dressed up, placed her hands on her waist and puffed her chest. (cute)
[Everyone was waiting for Yoda-san nodesu.]Ā (Emily)
[Waiting for me?]Ā (Ryouta)
[Yes nanodesu. Because of what Yoda-san did this year, everyone was cheering for what youāve accomplished nanodesu.]Ā (Emily)
Shocked, I looked back at the crowds.
[Yes, I thought so as well.]Ā (Celeste)
This time it was Celeste, then my friends gathered.
[Even though youāre a low level, such conceitedness. But, itās a given.]Ā (Eve)
[I know right~ Itās not just people who are earning that is cheering.]Ā (Alice)
[Celeste, Eve, Aliceā¦.]Ā (Ryouta)
[Yoda-san has helped so many other people nanodesu, and you will continue to help out people in need nanodesu. Thatās whyā-nanodesu.]Ā (Emily)
The cheered still continued to flood the area, making my chest beat quickly.
So this is the result, the fruits of my deed after coming to this world.
When I first came here, I didnāt think that a day like this would come, as I was previously only thinking of surviving.
Theyāre calling for me.
Previously I was being rewarded by bits, but this time all of the rewards are being given to me at once.
I took a deep breath, and faced towards the ring.
I canāt leave the crowds hangingā
There was a guy running in here covered in blood.
He broke the door, and desperately pleaded with a muddy face.
[Selen! Thereās a Dungeon Master in Selen!]
The waiting room started to make noise.
[Oi oi, are you just making some false report?]
[Most of the strong adventurers are at this ceremony now you know, this is bad.]
[Did the ecosystem of Selen changed?]
The air around turned into one that was disturbing.
The crowd doesnāt know yetāāas the audiences were still cheering.
I looked at both sidesāāthereās no time to even compare.
[Iām sorry but could you take my award in place of me, and also explain the situation to them.]Ā (Ryouta)
[Leave it to me nanodesu!]Ā (Emily)
Emily hit her chest and had a huge smile on her face.
I loosen my formal dress, then ran the opposite direction of the ring.
Itās unfortunate that I canāt receive the award.
Even from behind, I can hear the crowds. And also Emily explaining.
TLN Note: A colourful chapter indeed~