Lucy's point of view.

　--Aya and I have come to the Great Maze (Labyrinth) Upper Level.

It's been a long time, Aya.
　As I walked through the upper levels of the Great Labyrinth (Labyrinthus), I spoke to my best friend next to me.
　But Aya scanned the labyrinth and tilted her head.

'I haven't been to the upper levels much, so I might not recognize this area.　
'I see. Aya knows a lot about the middle class, right?
　Aya was reincarnated in this world and was born in the Great Labyrinth (Labyrinthus), a Lamia tribe.
　But I didn't know much about the upper levels because there are a lot of human adventurers and it's dangerous for demons.

But if it's the demons around here, Aya and I can afford it, right?
Yeah, that's right, let's do it.
　Oh!　I called out to them and proceeded through the labyrinth.

　The map and the magic tools (items) for the search were prepared by Nina at Fujiwara Trading Company.
　Of course, I paid for them.
　But they give me a pretty good discount.

　She still takes care of me, even though she's become a nobleman.
　I'm thankful for that.
　We took a leisurely stroll around the upper levels.

''Hey, you two. Are you two girls having an adventure?　Don't go too far back. There are a lot of demons today.
There's a minotaur up ahead. You're gonna have to go around them, okay?
　There are many other adventurers in the upper levels.
　It seems that two female adventurers are rare, and they are often approached, perhaps out of interest.

''Thanks for the advice!
I'll be careful.
　Aya and I thank you for your honesty.
　I wish everyone was such a friendly adventurer........

''Oh come on, you're licking your lips about adventures and labyrinths (dungeons) with just two women, right?
Hey, guys. We'll go with you.
I don't demand a gratuity.　If you're a skilled (and experienced) adventurer, it's only natural to take care of your juniors.
　A group of adventurers (all men), all of whom were rather uncharacteristic, approached us.
　Aya and I looked at each other.

(Huh....)
　I got involved with similar people in the Adventurer's Guild earlier.
　They said me and Aya looked like novice adventurers.
　One of the guys tried to grab Aya's hand while grinning...



　--Brother?　Could you not touch me, please?



　Aya's 'Intimidation' skill was activated.
　The guys who were involved in the Adventurer's Guild were cowed by this alone, but it seems that the guys this time are somewhat ballsy.
　They have managed to stay on their feet.
　Although my body is trembling.

''Te Te Te Te Te!　What the hell!
Oh, we're a bunch of good guys!
I'm just trying to help a bunch of weak adventurers like you...
　You're lying.
　You definitely have an ulterior motive.
　I sighed and filled my staff with magic (mana).



　--Fire magic phoenix.



　A huge flaming bird appeared above me.
　The roaring and burning phoenix (Phoenix) was as big as a dragon (Dragon).
　Seeing it, the faces of the people involved pulled back.

''I'm a wizard with a king grade skill, what about you guys?''
What?
"Oh, a royal grade...
'Hey, what, you can't wait to tell me that's the case!
Goodbye!
　The men ran off, tangling their legs.　
　I interrupted the phoenix's magic.

'The adventurers in the Great Labyrinth (Labyrinthus) haven't changed at all...'
　It reminded me of the time when Makoto and I came here a long time ago.
　There are so many adventurers here, so many different guys.
　Did we get tangled up with people like that before?

Luu-chan, Luu-chan, they're all looking at you.
What?
　Some of the adventurers were looking at us, as if they wanted to save us from getting tangled up with the out-of-control adventurers, and they were pouting with their mouths wide open at what happened afterwards.

''Let's get to the back of the room...''
Yeah, well...
　Aya and I hurriedly made our way to the middle level of the great labyrinth.



　◇



We'll camp here for the night, okay?
Yeah, sure!
　We reached the middle level of the Great Labyrinth (Labyrinthos).
　By the way, we didn't pass the underground lake, Aya's old haunt, on this course.
　Aya didn't want to go through the subterranean lake because it reminded her of her family and made her sad.
　I think that's a good idea too.
　The painful memories it's best not to force them back.

　We are now in a labyrinth covered with plants, commonly known as the 'Green Cave'.
　After carefully advancing through it, we found an area where there were no demons, so we decided to stay here for the night today.

''I'm going to cook, Roo-chan.
'Thanks, Aya. I'll use warding magic to keep the demons away after I set up my tent.
Didn't the tents have demon repellent magic on them too?
Just in case. We have to be careful.
Okay. You're just like Takatsuki to be cautious. Roo-chan.
'He's going to pretend to put safety first, but he's going to run into any place that looks interesting without a plan, okay?
Well that's certainly true.

　We looked at each other and chuckled.
　While chatting, we prepared for the encampment (camp).
　By the way, the tents are covered with protective magic, recognition blocking magic and demon repellent magic.
　It's also a first-class item arranged by Fujiwara Company.

　Aya's home-cooked meal was completed when the preparations for the camp were complete.
　It was a stew with rabbit meat and root vegetables.
　We dipped bread in it and ate it.
　It was delicious.　
　How can it taste so good when it's so quick to make?
　Thanks to the warding magic, we were able to eat our food without worrying about the demons attacking us.　

''Roo-chan, do you want to drink this?''
'No, I'm not going to be on an adventure indeed...'
　I refrained from taking out the wine (wine) to Aya, who took out a bottle of wine.
　Is Aya not nervous or is she a big shot........
　As expected of a nationally certified brave man of the Fire Nation (Great Keith).

''By the way, Roo-chan,''
What?
'Isn't Roo-chan's outfit too open in the chest?　That's why we get weird people coming up to us, like today.
Is that so?
'That's right. You don't have to dress like that since Takatsuki-kun isn't around.
'Wait a minute, Aya. I was dressed like this before I met Makoto.
　I wasn't dressed to attract Mako's attention.
　No, well I was aiming for that a bit too.

The only thing that matters is that Aya is the adventurer, so why are you wearing such fluttery clothes? You should wear proper adventurer's equipment.
Yeah, adventurer's clothes aren't that cute.
I don't want to be pretty. It's hard to move around.
It's not that hard to move around, you know?
Mmm.　
　That's right.
　Aya wears a fluttery outfit like a café clerk, but when she fights a demon, she moves like a martial arts expert.
　It's not fair!

'Aren't Roo-chan's skirts too mini?　This is not the adventurer in me.
Hey, Aya?　Stop flipping your skirt.
It's not a problem - no one's watching.
It's not that kind of problem. Well, I'm going to have to put on Aya's skirt and those tights are so unfair.
You can't see your underwear when you do a kick.
That said, I'm not sure about the skirt and the kicking.
　We spent the rest of the day mingling after dinner, wisecracking.
　It wasn't a rushed adventure.
　It was decided that we would just rest for the day.

　We finished chatting and went to sleep in the tent.
　I turn down the light from the lamp in the tent.

'Lu-chan, come sleep with me.'
Okay.
　Aya hugs me.　
　It's been like this for a while now.　

'Fufu, Lu-chan, you're warm~'
Hey, boy.
　I stroked Aya's head, like I was nudging my sister.
　I did so for a while........

'Aya.......what are you doing?'
　I noticed a funny feeling.

'Roo-chan, are you getting big again?'
　Aya is touching my chest.

'You know what...'
　This s*xual harassment is daily.

"If you're getting big, it's probably because Aya rubs you every day. Come on, I'll make Aya's bigger.
Hey, Ruchan. Stop. Stop.
'What?　Where are Aya's breasts?　Is this it?
.........Roo-chan~, what do you think it means?
'Aya, your eyes are scary, scary.'
　They flirted with each other for a while, but eventually fell asleep.



　--a few hours later.


　I snap awake.
　I hear Aya's sleep from next to me.
　I slowly get up, so as not to wake Aya.
　And when I was about to get out of the tent.

"....Roo-chan, are you training again?
　I heard a voice behind me.

'Sorry, Aya. Did I wake you up?
Hmmm, okay. But you shouldn't push yourself too hard, you know?
Yeah, I know.
Don't you think you should take a break from your adventures?
...Yeah. But I'm sure Mako, who went there a thousand years ago, is doing even better.
I see.

　Aya chuckled at me with a look that said, "I can't help it.
　I smiled back at her.
　I walked out of the tent so as not to make any noise.
　Then, I hold my staff within the range of the wards.

　I gathered a small amount of magic power (mana) on the staff.
　If I collected too much "mana", the demons might notice me, so I only collected a little bit.
　I collect the "mana" of the fire attribute on my staff.

''Hmm........''
　Letting out a small breath, I looked around.
　A small red light drifted out of the air with a pop.

''Fire Spirit........''
　I could see.
　Finally, I could see it too.
　Just like Makoto taught me, I kept improving my fire magic proficiency every day.
　The results were finally paying off.

　But the fire spirits were flying around as they pleased and wouldn't come to me.

''XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (Hey, lend me your power...)''　
　Even though I spoke to him in spirit language, he wouldn't look at me.

(I guess I haven't trained enough yet...)
　I'm not even close to being like Makoto.

(I need to try harder...)

　I've always relied on Mako for help.
　Mako is working hard in the dark ages of a thousand years ago.
　I'm just waiting.

　So more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more.


Luu-chan, trying too hard is bad for you.
What?
　A pop, a slight weight was placed on my back.
　Aya was hugging me from behind.

'Aya,'
Hot milk with honey. Want to take a break?
But....
　I need to learn more.
　I'm sure Makoto would never take a break.

Come on! You're not like you, Takatsuki. You're not like Takatsuki. You need to take a break.
　I was forced to rest.
　Two mugs and a steaming hot milk were poured on a small table.
　I took a sip of it.
　Slightly sweet.
　It was soothing.　

Ah, Lu-chan. Your shoulders are stiff. No, you need to work on your body.
Hey, Aya... oh.
　Aya massaged my body.
　Ugh, you're so good at it........

'Did you do that to Mako too?'
　I asked, and Aya gave me a subtle look.

'Massage?　I wanted to do it for you, but it didn't make sense.
Why?
　Even though he's so good at it.

I heard that no matter how many hours you practice, Takatsuki-kun's shoulders never get stiff and he never gets tired.
What do you mean by...?
'The training is fun, you never get tired of it, do you?　So my shoulders aren't stiff and I don't need a massage.
　Aya said, imitating Mako.

'What the hell is that guy...'
　That logic is ridiculous.
　They say that practicing is fun, so you won't get tired of it....
　I can't do that.

Lu-chan.
　Aya hugged me.
　Hey, she said the hot milk in the cup spilled!

Aya....what?
Get some rest!　Nice!
Uh, yeah...
　I nodded meekly.
　Somehow, Aya is more like my sister.
　Aya forced me to take a day off that day.
　It's a good thing that I'm able to focus on the next day's adventure more than usual, because of that.