<h1>Swaying Spring (1)</h1>
Harumachi sensei stood in front of the entrance of the dungeon with a shocking expression. Unfortunately, she hadn’t gone back home and I was left speechless and couldn’t come up with a proper excuse.
“Saino, be honest with me. What the hell is this?” Harumachi-Sensei started interrogating me about what she had discovered in the living room of my house. We decided it was best to have a long chat over it.
Her eyes seemed to be adamant about answers.
She had already put two and two together, that I was probably exploring the labyrinth beneath my house.
The dead give away was me dressed up in full adventuring gear in front of her.
But why was she standing at the Labyrinth’s entrance when she should have left my house not long ago was still a mystery to me.
When I asked Sensei about it, she replied that she was about to leave, but heard a voice call out to her. She followed that voice down the stairs toward the basement of my house. The mystery only darkened further.
Since air is drawn towards the dungeon in my basement, it’s possible that through a gap in the door, the sound of wind seemed typical of a voice.
Though there was still the question because from my point of view there’s no way someone from inside the dungeon could be heard on the outside, much less call for Sensei directly.
In any case, I messed up big time, I needed to fix this somehow. But is there a way to actually do this?
If I confessed everything, Harumachi sensei would most probably ask me to stop exploring an unknown place because of its danger.
Hence I just spoke my mind in a strong voice and be decisive with what I do.
“Sensei, this is a bit hard to explain…….”
I tried to say the things that were going through my head, but in the end, they would come out as common excuses. But I couldn’t think of a better way to describe what that place was.
The cat was out of the bag, I couldn’t hide the dungeon's existence, so it was better to try and disclose what I knew as best as I could. Realizing I had run out of options, I spilled everything I knew.
“I have no idea how it happened, or why there’s a dungeon that goes deep under my house. But before I realized it, my basement just changed into a labyrinth.”
“That sounds really hard to believe.” Harumachi sensei did not want to believe my words but she had already seen the undeniable proof with her very own eyes.
“I know, even I was stunned the first time I saw it. But in a way, I think it got me really excited.”
“So, you were exploring that place on your own?”
“Yes, Sensei,” I said with a straight confident face. I am an adventurer after all in body and spirit.
At this point, I couldn’t lie about the existence of the dungeon anymore. But I could withhold some truths from Sensei and explain just the general stuff.
The only thing I left out was the existence of the special drops within the treasure chests. And the detailed notes left behind within the chests themselves.
Placing a hand to her chin Sensei was deep in thought after listening to my explanation.
And after a while, she looked at me inquisitively.
“So what’s it like going into that place, what’s beyond that corridor?”
Harumachi sensei seemed curious to me this time.
“Well, the path extends in the underground area like a maze. The walls are built sturdily so there’s no risk of any sort of collapse.”
“Is that right?…. Hmmm…..”
Listening to my explanation Harumachi-Sensei considers my words. Her facial expression was that of someone seriously contemplating something, almost picturesque. But that wasn’t my concern right now. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to explore this place, so I patiently waited for Sensei’s answer.
And then after about a minute, Sensei who’d been deep in thought began nodding her head as if coming to a conclusion.
“I get it now, and I have decided. Saino. I’ll accompany you on this exploration.”
“If Saino is setting out to do something dangerous, it’s my duty as a teacher to make sure you are safe. And in a way, I’m also curious about this place and want to see it for myself.”
Flabbergast by Sensei’s conviction I couldn’t retort back having seen the burning sense of duty within her eyes.
Harumachi-Sensei is truly through and through an educator of the highest caliber. For those who take their job seriously, after all, it’s a teacher's duty to ensure the safety of the students in their charge.
But in that regard, that becomes more troublesome for me. The labyrinth beneath my house is filled with monsters, and it is highly likely Harumachi-Sensei is going to judge that my exploration is dangerous.
If it comes to that, she’ll likely prohibit me from exploring, in the worst case, she could notify the authorities, bringing light to the existence of a labyrinth beneath my house.
And by that time, it’ll be all over.
“……I’m not going to let you say no."
Sensei stared back at me with a strong resolve.
Leaving me no choice and I weakly reply back with a “yes”, while despairing inside.
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