CH 108.1

METRO LABYRINTH CHAPTER 108.1: RETURN

A/N: 10/11 – It’s Loli Day.

I wanted to update it, but it seems that I didn’t make it in time. Because of the Giants-Hanshin game.

“—Hey, just from the point of existence, isn’t that shark old man absurd? I don’t know if he’s a Metro Beast or a Magic Beast, but even though he lives in a cave, he has studied more than I have! When I was forced to do calculus with you, I almost drowned my brain and all!” (Sou)

Utsuki, who had changed out of her tight-fitting wetsuit into a tattered hunter’s jersey, was complaining incessantly as she walked right in front of me. It’s been like this ever since we went up to the third floor.

We had only a rough map of the fourth floor, with no compass, so we were sure we were lost, but with Utuki’s lead, we found the stairs to the third floor rather easily. All we had to do was follow the map and go back the way we came, and if all went well, we would be on the ground in less than two hours.

“Um, Ms. Utsuki, do you have [Compass]?” (Shuu)

Inside the Metro, the compass was useless, as if it were the Sea of Trees on Mt. Fuji, you will lose your bearings, but even so, in the Metro with so many people coming and going, making a map is a must. This is where the Fungal Skill [Compass] comes in handy.

It is a major ability that has been acquired by several fungi professions, such as [Craftsman] and [Healer], allowing one to maintain a sense of direction even in the Metro, as if one were a migratory bird or a salmon returning to its home river. It is said to be more useful than other combat skills not only in map-making, but also in exploration, such as when you get lost or enter a Metro you have never been to before.

“No, I don’t have one. Master… That F*cking Shark taught me.” (Sou)

“So, you didn’t get lost at all.” (Shuu)

“Before I became a disciple to Ma-that F*cking Shark, I used to hang around here a lot.” (Sou)

“Even though it’s an unpopular metro?” (Shuu)

“Well, there’s a lot going on… It’s less crowded and the scenery is more romantic.” (Sou)

Are you with a man?

“So, they got into a bit of a fight, or rather, they got into a lot of trouble over me.” (Sou)

How many times had she been involved with someone else?

“At that time…I met my master here, and he told me that he was traveling here and there, so I decided to follow him.” (Sou)

In other words, she got into trouble with a guy and couldn’t stay at Komagome, so she became the disciple of the Traveling Shark. The story is even worse than I thought.

“But it was a good time for me to join him because the heat had probably cooled off by now. If I had stayed living as a migratory fish under that f*cking shark, I would have grown scales on my skin. If he were to ask me to do something reckless again, no matter how many lives I have, it wouldn’t be enough. So, I’m not… lonely…” (Sou)

I couldn’t see Utsuki’s expression, but I could still see her heavy shoulders.

Tamiko jumps over to Utsuki’s blonde head and gives her a comforting pat. Utsuki wipes her tears and snot with Tamiko’s tail and gets back her energy by getting into a fight with the pissed-off Tamiko.

Despite what she says, she seems to have admired and respected Satou in her own way. Satou did not dismiss his apprentice as incompetent, but rather trusted her and gave her tasks that only she could perform.

That is understandable. But—

(I don’t know what to do with her.) (Shuu)

While walking while keeping an eye on my surroundings with [Sensory Spores], my mind is spinning about how to deal with Utsuki.

I can’t leave the girl (in looks) who was left behind by her master like that, so for the time being, I am accompanying her without saying anything.

However, it was as if Satou had half-imposed her on me (looking back, he didn’t even say “please”), and I have no reason or merit to include her in his group. Furthermore, I had no obligation to actively cooperate with her in her mission.

And, more subtly, there is also the matter of Noa. I wondered if I should tell Utsuki, or Satou, that she might be suffering from the [Demonic Disease].

Satou’s hatred for demons is at such a level that it almost makes me terrified to my marrow. I would never want to make an enemy of him, and I would not want him to use Noa for his own purposes. On the other hand, I also have the dilemma that he might be able to give me some advice on what is lurking inside Noa and how to get rid of it.

Or, to put it another way—I suspect that Noa and Utsuki will not mix well. A serious, innocent, well-endowed girl and a fake loli, slut, washboard-chest hag. Like water and oil, they would be incompatible.

That’s right. If I brought this shady girl home without consulting her, she would definitely be angry with me. Not only that, but if I did a bad job, she might look at me suspiciously because of the slut. Thinking of that makes me want to release her into a pond somewhere, saying, “Shoo, go back to your master.”

“Wait a sec, hey, hey Abe.” (Sou)

Before I know it, she lost the honorifics and is starting to call me with familiarly. I don’t mind, though, since she is officially older than me.

“What do you mean by the thirteenth [Master Threadweaver]? All the [Master Threadweaver] are residents of the ancient world, aren’t they, and so Abe you’re the same right? Have you lived in hiding all this time? Or are you an irregular? Were you born in New Tokyo?” (Sou)

“It’s true that I’m from the ancient world, but I was sleeping in the depths of the Metro until five years ago.” (Shuu)

“Oh, you’ve been asleep all this time, really? No way. Deep in the Metro? What do you mean? Where are you from? I mean, what Metro?” (Sou)

She moves next to me, wraps her arm around my arm, and presses against my chest her plains. She was half-smiling, so it was probably on purpose, but I didn’t want to admit that I was a little startled. It must be the effect of [Charm] or something, absolutely.

“So~, how many Fungal Skills does Abe have? [Master Threadweaver] are masters of Fungi, right? Come on, tell this sister.” (Sou)

If it’s this blatant, it’s getting annoying. Excessive body touching is bad for for a repressed virgin—I’m not a virgin.

“Ms. Utsuki.” (Shuu)

“Utsuki.” (Sou)

“What are you going to do when you get out of here, Ms. Utsuki?” (Shuu)

“What are you going to do? I’m going to go where Abe and Tamiko are going.” (Sou)

“What about the mission? Aren’t you going after them?” (Shuu)

“No, no, it’s not like I can do it alone. I don’t know where they are, and I don’t know how to find them. You know, Master said that I should go with Abe and see how the world is going. Since my beloved master asked me to do this, as his disciple, I have to do it with all my heart and soul.” (Sou)

“You were calling him “F*cking” Shark earlier, you know?” (Shuu)

I knew she was going to follow me. What should I do?

“Even if we do, I can’t help you find them, though, because we have other things to do, like work. We’ll stop by Rikugi Village for a bit and then go straight back to Sugamo.” (Shuu)

Even I, have a lot on my plate. The first priority at the moment is to find clues to remove Noa’s possession. The next priority is to complete Aomoto’s quests before Sugamo’s celebration. I also want to level up at some point and visit Nakano, Tamiko’s hometown.

Furthermore, making weapons using hihiirokane—this is also a priority in this case. An enemy that can seal Fungal Skills appears again, and in the future there is no guarantee that the same kind of damage will be done, so it would be very reassuring to carry an actual powerful weapon with you. As a result, I can say that my great adventure in Ouji turned out to be a great decision.

In other words, I still don’t have the luxury of time to bring Utsuki. Even if we were together, it would be difficult to meet her objectives.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Even if we can’t find them directly, if we work as hunters, we’ll hear rumors before long. Hurry up and go around.” (Sou)

“Hmm…” (Shuu)

“I’m going to help you and Abe and Tamiko with their work, too. I’m a pretty good worker when I have to be. I’m not just the Beast King’s number one disciple in name.” (Sou)

“No, we have enough manpower… Hm, what did you say?” (Shuu)

“Eh, ah… You didn’t notice it. I’m now convinced that you’ve been sleeping all the time because you’re so ignorant but strong.” (Sou)

“What?” (Shuu)

“The Beast Kings. The five great beast kings, you must have heard of them at least once, right? The official title of master is ‘Absolute Zero Dragon Shark Satou’, one of the five beast kings.” (Sou)

My legs stopped and all thoughts froze.

“………are you kidding?” (Shuu)

“It can’t be a joke. Do you think there are two sharks in New Tokyo that call themselves Satou?” (Sou)

An old-fashioned hourglass icon spins around in my brain. A ding, like the completion of a microwave oven, rings in my head.

“……fuu……” (Shuu)

And so, my consciousness traveled to an ocean of ultramarine blue where kangaroos holding autumn eggplants and rainbow-colored caterpillars swayed.

The Five Great Beast Kings.

All of them are estimated to be over 200 years old and boast a level of power that surpasses even demons and [Master Threadweavers], all of them are in another dimension. They are said to be “incarnations of the ‘Threadweaver God'” or “manifestations of the coming apocalypse,” and various conclusions have been made by various groups and organizations, but the Hunters’ Guild recognizes them as the “five living disasters” and forbids any undue interference.

In the training course for registered guild members, we learned about the “Omnipotent Elephant Watanabe,” who occupies and controls the former Shinjuku Tribe territory, and the “Dark Purple Dragon Yamamoto,” who sits atop the “Dragon’s Mushroom Den” in Ichigaya. The guild considers these two “serious threats” that could spark the destruction of the world,” and we were warned to avoid setting foot in these places (the Dragon’s Mushroom Den is open to those above a certain level on the condition that they do not climb the mountain, but Shinjuku is a completely off-limits area).

Of the remaining three bodies, one seems to be in no immediate danger because it has signed a mutual non-aggression pact with humanity, while the remaining two bodies have an undetermined address, unknown whereabouts, and unknown motives. As such, there was no further explanation, and the name ended up just being read aloud.

That’s right. So, I didn’t remember. I couldn’t remember. Among them was the surname “Satou”, which was common in (old) Japan.

Even if I had been told “it’s inevitable” it would not have been familiar to me at all, and moreover, I had never imagined that I would encounter one of them in reality. Such an event was not in the future prospects of my life as a hunter.

So, it’s no wonder I didn’t notice. It was an accident. It was force majeure.

—Even if I told myself that, the waterfall of sweat that soaked my back would not go away.

I had no idea that the shark with whom I had a chat until late at night over grilled fish was one of the top VIPs in the country.

(Seriously… a real Beast King…) (Shuu)

(That’s right, I thought he was just some special shark, and he’s not just any shark…) (Shuu)