"Huh, so we're on Koganei duty this week...

　I had come to hear such a sigh often. As expected of Koganei, if he heard such a sigh, he could tell that he was being left out of the loop. Considering his own circumstances only a short time ago, his decline was unbelievable.
　Of course, the fact that he had fallen to the ground did not mean that his abilities had deteriorated. Koganei's spirit magic, which manipulated a wide variety of attributes, was an effective strike against all kinds of monsters. In addition, she also has plenty of support tools such as the Wind Protection Shield (Wind Barrier) and Aqua Heal (Life Water). Once incorporated into the party, they can make use of those magics, albeit sparingly, and are useful in their own right.

　However, the giggles that can be heard during chanting.
　I'm not sure I'll ever be able to find a solution to this problem.

　Koganei even thinks it's as if he's back in junior high school.
　How did this happen? I know that. I'm not going to be able to get it right. Rust from my own body. Still, Koganei resented this situation. I'm strong. And you're useful. You guys are not eyes.
　He even thought about burning them all to death with the Fireball, the most powerful fireball. What I couldn't bring myself to carry out was not a good-hearted deterrent or a sense of guilt. It's simply that I was afraid of losing my place of residence any more.

　The division of the group by Ryuzaki was hell. The labyrinth search that follows is also hell.
　It's like a physical education class. Which is really better than that gym teacher's airheaded 'make a pair'?　I'd rather dive into a dungeon by myself than this.

　Today, the hell is over again.

　Without saying a word to his party members, Koganei returned to his base. The squad leader wrote a light report and headed to the operations room where Ryuzaki was.

''Ah, welcome back everyone!''

　When they returned to their base, a blonde girl with a mop greeted them with a bright face. Koganei was puzzled. Was there a girl like this in the class?
　The other boys, one after the other, said, 'I'm home, Serena-san,' 'Is it cleaning duty today? And so on. Serena, the name Serena was familiar to me. Well, this is the otherworldly "transfer student" who recently came to the base.

　While wiping the floor with a mop full of moisture and wiping it "sticky", Serena suddenly turns her gaze to Koganei.

"Huh......... You're an elf, aren't you?
"Eh, hmm......... Ah, ah........

　One of the team members, Matango, stands in front of Koganei, scratching the crust on his head.
　He doesn't want Koganei and Serena to get too involved. Although the treatment of Kumizaki (Arakune) is not exposed, it is being shared by almost all of his classmates. Ever since then, Koganei has been regarded as a "seductress" by the class. There was also the s*xual harassment-like behavior she committed against Sakuma.

I've gotten used to the sight of you all, but after all, when you have someone in human form like this...
Hey, Miss Serena!

　From behind Serena, who speaks with a smiling face, a scolding schoolgirl's voice can be heard behind her.

'Hallway, you're not soaking wet!　People are going to slip on this thing!　I'm thrilled!
Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
Totally....

　A small fairy-shaped monster. Kikino (Kikimora). Kikino was about to shower Serena with complaints as it was, but soon noticed Koganei's presence. He only let out a ''Ah.......'' but quickly glared at her and pulled Serena's arm and pulled her to the back of the hallway. Serena waved her hand as she was dragged along.

''Hey, Koganei.''

　After Kikino and Serena pulled back to the back of the corridor, Mushikasa started to speak to Koganei.

''Wha, what...?''
Stay away from Miss Serena in the future.

　There is a note of caution in his voice. It exudes a similar attitude from the other party members.

''Uh, yeah...''

　Koganei couldn't help but nod in agreement.

''Koganei,''

　At that moment, the squad leader, Uozumi (Gilman), comes back. He called out to Koganei as such, and he freaked out and shook his shoulders.

''Wha, what?''
The chairman wants to see you.
'Ryuzaki is.....

　Another boring sermon or something. It would be much easier if they kicked me out with a notice that I was no longer a force to be reckoned with. Koganei tottered to the operations room.




　The next morning, the new group assignments were posted in the cafeteria. The students first checked Koganei's whereabouts, but that day Koganei wasn't assigned to any group, but rather his name was placed in the same operations room as Ryuzaki and Harao, with the words 'office work' written on it. Voices of both relief and dissatisfaction leaked out in the class. This is because, although it was a blatant left-handed personnel move, the content of the move seemed to be easy to see.
　It was a self-serving argument, but they only muttered complaints to each other and did not develop into a fruitful discussion.

　A short distance away from there, Serena greeted Kyousuke and the others with an upright and unmoving voice.

''We've been assigned to your team starting today!　Unworthy Serena!　Prepare to be crushed to a pulp!　I'll do my best!

　Attendance number 41. The new student, Serena, was being assigned to the team uselessness in the clear.
　Kyousuke remembered the conversation he had with Ryuzaki in the operations room yesterday.

''Utsurogi.... Serena-san is in trouble........''

　Ryuzaki, who covered his face with both hands, showed him the reports issued by the base personnel as it was.
　''The corridor is b*tc*y and the dirt is just spreading, Kigino,'' ''I don't think your sewing skills are adequate since it takes five hours just to thread a needle hole, Spiderzaki,'' ''Serena-san's presence doubles your workload, Sugiura,'' ''Please come visit Gordon II's grave, Hanazono. That's how it goes. All of them were said to be related to Serena's mistake.
　Incidentally, as you can see from this report, Kikino and Kumizaki were assigned to clean up the base and clothing-related tasks and were dropped from the search staff. As an old Koganei group, it's somewhat better than shrugging your shoulders in the search party.

　Serena's incompetence is becoming clearer and clearer by the day, and she's currently a disgrace to the entire base. Well, her popularity among the searchers is not bad as usual. However, if you ask them if they will take her away, they will show their disapproval. Frontline personnel who can be carried into a base with a single tackle of a horned rabbit are a burden.
　Ryuuzaki's languid attitude reminded me of the manager of a convenience store who was worried about his part-time shift. Of course, the right people are in the right place. Ryuuzaki properly understood that and initially thought of assigning her to a position in her field of expertise. He interviewed her and asked her what she was good at. She did so.

"I can do everything equally well!

　He replied, confidently.

''To be able to do everything at that level, that's already hopeless...''

　Why was such a Serena chosen to be a member of the investigation team? The mystery only deepened.

　Well, in that case, we'll just take it on ourselves as a "team of useless". That is what was decided. Since the appearance of the Wildness Worm, there was no more excuse for Kyousuke to head out of the dungeon. I'd rather follow up with Serena and help out with the base personnel than do stingy item gathering in a shallow area of the dungeon. That's about it.
　Ryuzaki expressed difficulty with the increased burden on Kyousuke and the others, but he finally agreed. It's clear that Serena has joined the ranks of the useless, both in name and reality.

　Incidentally, Koganei's assignment, which was currently the subject of debate among the students, was also at Kyousuke's suggestion. He was consulted by Ryuzaki regarding a certain job and recommended Koganei as the best candidate for the job. As a result, he should be able to devote himself to his job without being neglected by anyone.

''Well, I'm Rin!　Rin Himemizu. And this is Kyosuke Soraki-kun and Ei Hino-kun!

　Serena greeted Serena cheerfully, and Rin introduced Kyousuke and the others with a voice that was as cheerful as it could be. Serena tilted her head with a pouting face.

''Kyousuke...?''
Oh, that's a pretty unique name, huh?
'Oh, no........ It's rare to find one, but it was the same as my brother's name...
'Heh!　With your brother!　It's funny how things can be funny.

　Same name?　With yourself?
　Hearing those words, Kyousuke glanced at Ei. Ei didn't show any reaction or anything.

　Serena's brother is Kyousuke. It was strange, but I wonder if both of these names are universal in this world. But he did say it was unusual.
　Come to think of it, Kyousuke and his friends don't know anything about this world after all, and they've barely been able to get any information out of her. To many of their classmates, it seems that she is not a "clue to this world", but rather a "transfer student, Serena-san". Sakuma, who had initially asked Serena a question, had dismissed the question early because he didn't want to put any more pressure on her than necessary.

''Yes, well then, Minna. Today, I'm going to have you do some shrimp shelling.

　After breakfast, as many of our classmates start exploring the dungeon as we are divided into groups, Sugiura (Scylla) brings in a bowl full of shrimp. I can see Rin suddenly get excited. Is she trying to pick up and eat the shells again?

I'm not sure if it's just Serena-san, but, well, this time, Utsurogi-kun and the others are with us. Nice to meet you!

　Saying that, Sugiura returned to the kitchen with a flutter of his hand.

''I see. It's Amiriibi, isn't it?''

　Serena nodded, picking up one of the shrimp. Kyousuke asks.

'Amikiriebi?'
A crustacean that lives near water sources. It's a crustacean that lives near a water source. These are the juveniles. When they grow to adulthood, they grow thin feathers and are able to fly, and then they migrate to other water sources where they can lay eggs. They cut fishermen's nets, so they're quite a nuisance for fishermen.
In our hometown, there is a folklore of a yokai called Amikiri. They say it's a pun on a web and a saucepan. A crustacean with a pair of scissors.
"Wow....

　Ei provided additional commentary, and Rin was impressed. But Kyousuke knows. That more than half of these trivia of Ei's came from tokusatsu. The fact that he knows the name of a minor youkai like Amikiri must be the result of researching the original source of the youkai from the tokusatsu show anyway.

'You were also detailed about the Wildness Worm, but are such monsters' abilities pretty common knowledge?

　Kyousuke asks while peeling off the shell of the shrimp.

''Eh, ah, no. I'm, well......... The only thing I can take advantage of is classroom learning...''

　Serena's face fell a little embarrassed. She's clumsy at peeling, and the first shrimp she tried the first time she tried was a soggy mess of meat. Now Rin is helping her moderately.

''I'm going to be sixteen this year. However, your father was the best mage in the country by the time he was this age, and your mother was also a knight who could tear down a large army with a single swing of her sword.
A single swing of the sword is enough to send a great army...?
"A knight of valor deserves to be able to do that. But I could not...

　Perhaps what they are hearing out now is quite important information.

　Kyousuke and the others still only know this reddish-brown wilderness. But there is magic in this world, and there are knights. There is a strong possibility that this is a typical fantasy world. Certainly in games and manga, there are depictions of "excessive" combat abilities, such as blowing away hundreds of soldiers with a single swing of a sword.
　Kyousuke and his friends have been transferred and reincarnated in the form of monsters. Thanks to this, they manage to continue to survive in this wilderness where they don't know what's left or right. Many of the students had an unconscious awareness that they had gained physical abilities far superior to those of the human era. But or that the humans of this world could surpass even that?

I see.

　Ei nodded in place of the silent Kyousuke.

'So you're ashamed of it, and you worked hard at your studies, hoping to at least make up for it in the classroom.
''Yes. I was thinking of volunteering for the west survey team.... But it's no good. I'm just like this, just one way to peel a shrimp........

　At Serena's hand, who is slumped and nodded off, is the figure of Amikirievi, who was still cruelly ripped apart. It's extremely clumsy.

''That's not true, Serena-san.
'But, Mr. Utsuroghi!　Oh, my God!　All you have to do is peel the shell off and this is it!　I mean, it's not flayed!　I just tore it up and down!
'If you say that, look at Ei. I'm trying to turn the heat down as low as I can, but the shrimp are turning into a grill.
'It's true!　It looks delicious with all that extra fat off!
.........

　As a wisp, Ei can only lift objects up to within five centimeters of himself. If he tries to imitate the dexterity of shelling a shrimp on top of it, the heat will quickly turn the shrimp into an open flame roast. Even Rin muttered, ''Oh...'' at the unusual failure of Ei, who usually pretends to be cool and confident, ''Oh.......

''Hm. It was wrong to let me, a wisp, do this kind of thing in the first place. It's an error of judgment on the part of Ryuzaki and Sugiura.''

　Ei tossed the grill of shrimp with a flop, as if spitting out a sore loser. With a crisp, Rin caught it and digested it with a sizzle as it was. Serena observed with interest.

''Can I ask you one question too?''
'Hmm?　What?
''As far as I know, it's unthinkable that there are so many, or even so many different monsters living together in the same living area. And to have them speak human language...

　Ah, I guess that's true after all, Kyousuke thought.
　As far as heavy goblins and dungeon skeletons are concerned, usually monsters either form cliques with their own species or, depending on the species, act alone instead of in groups. The group life of Kyousuke and the others should be too strange to be called a symbiosis between monsters.

'And it's not just monsters. There were also those who seemed to be elves.''
'Oh, it's...'
"Kyousuke.

　When Kyosuke was about to speak, Ei stopped him. Don't speak of our situation lightly. That's probably what it's all about. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

''I can't tell you all the details, but we don't know anything about the world,''
You don't know anything?

　Rin spoke up instead, and Serena tilted her head.

'Yeah. I suddenly realized that we were all conscious and we were all here because we could speak the same language. So we live our lives together in force. But we don't know anything about the world, so Serena's coming over and trying to ask us things.
I see...

　As expected, a situation like coming from a different world and being formerly human was hard to explain and shouldn't be easily mentioned. It could be said that Rin's explanation was relatively better.
　I still want to ask more details. How and where do the humans live, and how much power do they have? Is there enough soil to accept beings like Kyousuke and the others? And, if possible, there were things he wanted to ask about his brother, Kyousuke, as well.

　But I have a hesitation that it would be unnatural for Kyousuke and the others, who are monsters, to pursue it in depth.
　Serena is a human. Kyousuke and the others are monsters. Even though they're confiding in her now, asking her that much at once will probably fuel unnecessary suspicion.

　Well, looking at her personality, I feel like such thoughts are unfounded.

''Oh, ouch. Oi, Utsurugi, Hino-oh.

　Kyousuke and the others turn around as a student calls out to them from the entrance of the cafeteria.
　It's the older brother of the half-fishman (Gilman) and mermaid (Mermaid) twins, the Uozumi siblings.

'Kurumori wants you to help him carry supplies.
Okay, let's go. Let's go, Ei.
Goodness. It's all a chore...

　Ei sighed and sat up with Kyousuke.

'Himemizu, I asked you to take care of Serena-san.
I'm on to you.
Oh, Mr. Utsurogi!

　As Kyousuke is about to leave the cafeteria, Serena stops him.

"Utsurogi-san's 'Kyousuke' sounds like, does it mean 'helping'?
No, I'm just trying to help you out, but...
'Oh, I see!　That's the only difference!

　A big smile on Serena's face. However, Kyousuke, Rin and Ei all sensed another meaning to the word.
　Someone had applied the character "Kyousuke" to Kyousuke. Serena's brother's godmother was Japanese.

　She could be a clue to the original world following the heavy cruiser.
　Kyousuke and Ei nodded to each other and left the dining room as it was.




"Ei, what do you think of 'Kyousuke'?

　Kyousuke asks, feeling an odd tug at the very mention of the word.

"Perhaps I agree with you. "There is or has been a Japanese in 'her' hometown.
The crew of that heavy cruiser?
'That's a possibility. Whatever it is, we can't let them kick her out more and more.

　The two of them are carrying a huge iron scrap that was brought in from the basement of the dungeon. It seems to be the corpse of the metal golem that appeared on the 14th floor underground. The story goes that they are going to process it and use it to refurbish their machine guns and other equipment. As for the reuse of ammunition, they already have an idea of how to reuse it, which is quite impressive.
　Kyousuke and Ei push a huge cart. I think it would be faster if they combined.

''Speaking of which, Ei, about merging...''
Yeah, what?
'If it doesn't turn into a full cross, wouldn't it be fine to combine with Himemizu?
..........

　Ei fell silent.

''Ei, I didn't think you noticed.
''That's not true. You certainly have a point, though.
Maybe that's because you didn't know you were doing it.

　I think the tokusatsu heroes were poisoned by the promise that even if they transformed into their basic form, they would always be in their strongest form at the time afterwards. Ei is basically thoughtful, but there is a part of him that is rather contaminated by Bandai's thinking, so he occasionally makes a fatal disappointment.

'Well, Washio and the others were among those who were watching the Full Cross battle at that time. I'm sure they heard Himemizu's voice as well, so if they find out that me and Himemizu can combine, they might just go ahead and make an unnecessary imagination.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's what I was saying.
Really?

　Kyosuke and Ei carry a huge piece of scrap iron into Kurumori's (Gremlin) workroom.
　The room smells awfully oily. Kyosuke tries to pick his nose, but ends up sticking his finger tips in his nostrils. That's right, he doesn't have a nose. The eyes have gotten used to it, but I'm still not used to it.

　In the middle of a not so spacious room, Kurumori was inspecting his rifle while surrounded by junk. He glanced back at Kyousuke and the others and indicated the corner of the room with his fingertips. It's probably a signal to leave it there.

''Utterly, what an attitude you have after I brought it to you.

　Ei complains musingly.

'Oh well, Ei,'

　Some drawings were pasted on the walls of the room. It wasn't just for rifles and machine guns. There are also larger ones. Apparently, what Ryuzaki had called Kyousuke yesterday and told him was true. Just before he left the room with Ei, Kyousuke called out to him.

''Good luck, Kurumori. I heard you're putting a lot of effort into things.
.........

　Kurumori glanced back at me and waved his right hand as he did as a reply. I felt like I was a good match for Ei in terms of bluntness.

''Kyousuke, I can usually tell what you're thinking, but I'm not that rootless.''
No, about the same.

　They leave the room with a light smack and walk straight down the hallway.
　He leaves Rin in charge of Serena. It's unlikely that the extent of shelling shrimp will cause that much trouble, but it's probably just in case. Serena is starting to be marginalized by some of the students by now. Now that she's found out that she can lead to new information, we must avoid the flow that leads to that exclusion. It will also be necessary to report to Ryuzaki.

　With that in mind, Kyousuke and others are advancing.

''Hey, don't be silly!

　Such a cry came from the cafeteria.

''Is that voice, Harui?''

　It belonged to one of Queen Beni's cronies, Harui Yuka (Harpy). When Kyousuke mouthed it, Ei nodded.

''It might be a little bad. Let's hurry.''

　When they slipped into the cafeteria, a good number of students had gathered there. Some of them seemed to have already gone out to explore, but even so, they were probably onlookers students who had heard the commotion and came over. If you look at it, Harui was still standing in front of Serena and threatening her, just as I had originally assumed.
　Behind Harui were Kikino (Kikimora) and Kumizaki (Arachne). And beside Serena is Rin, sheltering her. Spiderzaki was holding what looked like a torn sailor suit in his hand. She had been assigned to the sewing department and was trying to make a "uniform" for each of her students, according to their sizes. But it's torn up.

It's a good thing, Yuka-chan. It's not that Serena-chan had any ill intentions....
'If you don't take offence, you can do whatever you want!　This guy has only caused you trouble since you came here!

　Harui's anger is like a fierce fire. Well, it wasn't surprising that some students would get mad by now. Girls, in particular, are not as tolerant of Serena as boys are.
　This cafeteria doubles as Spider Saki's workshop. When Serena, who was going to help Spider-zaki, ripped up her school uniform in the process of making it, Harui, who was going to receive it, lost his temper, or something like that. But, well, it could have been anything to get a kick out of it.

'Oh, hey Harui........ Forgive her, Serena-san, it hasn't been long since you've been here.......

　When one of the boys, Mushroom Monster (Matango) Mushroom Kasa, started to cut him off, Harui turned around with a snap.

''You guys are taking advantage of me because you're acting like that!　What good has this guy ever done for you!

　Harui's words caused a murmur in the class. This is not a good sign. But while defending Serena, Rin said firmly.

'If it's useless, so are we, Yuka-chan.
'Huh!　You are.....

　And then Harui said, "I'm not going to be able to do that. Yes, she knows that Rin is not "useless".
　I know that, but I shouldn't say it. I'm sure Beni has told me so. It's a good idea to take advantage of that and go on the offensive. It was a clever move. Harui must not be so good at organizing his feelings that he can knowingly still lump Rin in with Serena because she is useless.

'That's right, Harui. The useless ones are useless to us too.''

　Kyousuke also stepped forward to scratch through the students.

''You guys aren't as useless as, well, Serena (this guy), are you...?
'It doesn't change the fact that I'm dragging everyone in the class down,'

　I don't know how you can say you're so sloppy. Kyousuke thought.

　The thing that dominates this class right now is "air". It's not Ryuzaki or Koganei. It's probably because the people around them are doing so, and that's why they're doing it. If someone pushes them back, even slightly, the consensus will flow like a dam. It is a difficult opponent to fight, but it must be confronted.
　This situation. Everyone in the class has their eyes on Harui, Serena, and Kyousuke and the others. Probably, this is to predict the "atmosphere" of the class that will change after this. That's why Kyousuke can't lose here. Although I am at the bottom of the class caste, I am confident that I can get an advantage over Harui, who is in the upper caste right now.

''I only heard about it halfway through, Harui, but you wanted to wear that uniform, didn't you?''
Oh, come on!　And this guy.....
So you're not ready for high school, huh?

　Kyousuke believes that this situation, where no one is serious about returning to their former world, is one of the reasons for the stagnant atmosphere in the class.
　However, everyone in the class still feels unfulfilled by high school life or "being human".

　That's why they gave Serena, a human, her attendance number as a "transfer student".

'Utsurogi, what are you saying...'
There may be "Japanese" in the Eastern Kingdom, Serena's homeland.

　Kyousuke's words propagated through the class as a buzz.