Is the leader of the four of them the oldest one, Ryoko, or is it a girl named Kaede, who has come right up to my doorstep? While I was thinking about it, Louisa came back, but she guessed that me and Kaede were just about to start talking, so she walked towards Elitia and the others behind me.

　She carried a taiji-like sword on her back, but the shape of the hilt was subtly different from the Murakumo, which is a very good old Japanese sword. I've seen this shape before - coupled with her sporting-girl-like appearance, with her black hair pulled back in one piece, I can think of one name for her profession.


You're really nervous.
"If the negotiations don't go well here, it's going to be quite difficult. Before, we were attacked by 'spiders' and 'mantises' on land after being monopolized by 'crabs' and 'fish' in the spring...
''The structure of that labyrinth is just unreasonable. Why is the beach so small when it's the 'Beach of the Falling Sun' and the rest of the place is filled with demons that are a lot stronger than the rest?

　If there were a lot of seafood demons in that 'Ochiyang's Beach' labyrinth, then they might be on the table sooner or later. There was no hazards in the eighth district, but it wasn't exactly seafood, so I'll be able to enjoy a different taste - and it's still too early to think about that.

''Nice to meet you, my name is Arihito Atobe. I've come up to the Seventh Ward today.
What, today?　We.........not, we worked hard for about half a year since we came to the seventh district and finally rose to the top......
'But they said it was still very fast, but there's an upside to that. Um, this one's a maple and my name is Ibuki.
Hey, you know, I'm trying to speak on your behalf. I'm not nervous. I just thought he seemed like a serious guy.

　I wonder if he uses the clothes available in the labyrinth country and dresses like a suit underneath his leather armor to give the impression of being stiff.

''I'm sorry, I didn't mean to appear unseemly. I've only just arrived and I've shown you the struggle.''
No, no ... there will always be competition among searchers.

　A woman named Ryoko comes in front of me - she's wearing a fur cloak that looks like a boa coat, but it's still bikini armor. It's not cold in town, so she must be fine, but even if that's the equipment she uses, it's hard to look directly at it.

'I'm sorry, I'm an old man wandering around in this equipment. But this equipment, the one I can use in my profession, is surprisingly high in performance and I can't let it go. Water resistance is quite high, and it also has an effect that accelerates your movements in the water and so on...''
Oh, really...
You're staring too hard just because some people have to be equipped like that.
''Huh........Igarashi-san, that's a misunderstanding. I'd rather not stare at it........

　As expected of a woman in a bikini, was I being too dogged? When I look back, everyone's gaze hurts - after all, for me, the rear guard is more suitable than standing at the front.

　The four of them look at Igarashi-san's appearance and look somewhat surprised. Eventually, the girl who was called Anna opened her mouth.

''You look very beautiful and powerfully equipped. The maple also said that it's time to get some armor, but is it of this kind of lineage?''
Hey. If we wore armor like your sister, we wouldn't be insulted by the charlatan from earlier.
'Ellie's right, it's a piece of equipment that would work in the Seventh Ward. It's called 'Lightsteel Lady Armor'.
'It's nice that it feels like proper armour. If I could find something like that, I could change into it too...

　In fact, one of the Lady Armor was found in the black box in The Puppet Master of Vine Grass. I'm keeping it as a spare in case of an emergency, so I can't offer it to you at the moment.

I heard that if you bring in a lot of crab materials to the equipment workshop, they'll make it for you. But for some reason those crabs aren't taken at all.
'Excuse me, I'm sorry, but I had to overhear you earlier. The group the man from earlier belongs to has a monopoly on the hunting grounds.
Yes, that's right. We're going to form a group with other explorers, and if you're new to the higher guilds, you can join us....

　Ibuki swooped forward. She, too, was relatively lightly armed, but she wore leather gloves that covered her hands up to her elbows and steel-reinforced equipment on her legs. I wonder if it's called leg armor - if she can release kicks with this, does that mean she's a fighting profession?

'We'd like to see a good hunting ground first, if there's a good hunting ground, too. Are the other labyrinths too tough to go to, having just arrived in the Seventh Ward?''
The demons in 'Beach of the Falling Sun' can be dangerous if you're not careful, but their movements are easy to read, so they're safer than the demons in the other labyrinths. I was told that the materials are lean and can be sold at a high price, so I got a recommendation from the guild officer in charge, but when I actually went into the labyrinth, the others had it all to themselves, and I had to go outside during the previous exploration... ...
'I think they need to get out there to resupply too. Maybe it's a large group of people, which means that some of the party is on the supply line?

　I didn't see a party that would go that far in the eighth ward, so it's hard to imagine - but looking at the reactions of the four maple trees, it seems to be just as I've reasoned.

'The crabs are said to be in a 'den' about three times a day... but a group of people named Roland have been checking it out and keeping an eye on it. Each crab is worth about ten gold coins, but they monopolize the fifty crabs that spring up in a day, and most of their contributions are in Roland's party that is stabbing the demons in the back...
'Wait. Can you tell me more than that when you're ready to fight with us? We haven't done anything yet, and it's bad enough we're only getting useful information.
I'm sorry, I was in a hurry. I thought I could make a breakthrough if I teamed up with Arihito-san and the others, so I jumped at the chance.......selfishly, isn't it?

　The maple looks victorious, but the fact that Rolando and the others are preventing him from attacking seems to have depressed him considerably. He shrugs his shoulders and shrinks back.

''...Okay, I've made up my mind. It's not like I'm going to be hostile to Roland's group, but as far as entering the labyrinth, I guess I'm free to go. I'll try to fight the demons that appear outside of where those crabs come out.
It's difficult to predict because the spider spits out poison and moves very fast. Our swords can't get through because of their thick skin, and Ryoko's attack seemed to get through because she had an attribute.
'The praying mantis is so big now I can't live with the thought of being slashed by such a big scythe. We were chased and used the return scrolls. It was so much more powerful than the demons we were fighting up to the Middle Guild.

　From the look on Ryoko's face, there is no doubt that she is a pretty strong opponent.

'But the spider seems to have the material Anna has been looking for all along. I wondered if we could somehow pull one of the spiders away from the other demons and defeat it once we defeat the crab and raise its level.
"....a resilient, rigid yarn. That's what I'm looking for. The weapons used in my profession are special, but I was told in the workshop that they can be made if you have the right materials, so I want to do something about it... The "sheep" demon can get materials that can be used for the same purpose, but the rate of occurrence of that one is very low, and I haven't been able to see it for days, even after searching for it. I don't.
''I see. The people in the lower guilds say they need to wait their turn in the labyrinth, but how did the middle guilds fare?

　If possible, we could do a small check in the labyrinth that even a mid-tier guild could go to. After all, we've only just arrived in the seventh district.

''We were hiding in the 'Sheep God's Bed' where the 'sheep' come out of the second floor. There is no waiting list for the middle guilds, but everyone is afraid to go deep into the labyrinth, so they hang out on the first floor. We were also at the entrance on the second floor, and when it became dangerous, we would repeatedly turn back.
''Well, do you want me to help you dive there? 'Outside of the occupied part of the "Beach of the Falling Sun", there will be some pretty strong enemies. I'd like to get a feel for diving with two parties in a safer place than that. After that, we'll figure out how to counter the monopoly of Roland and the others.


　Kaede's eyes widen. I check Igarashi-san next to me and everyone else's intentions in turn.

''Louisa, you don't mean we have to dive into a difficult labyrinth if we skip a class, do you?''
''Yes, of course. 'The Beach of the Falling Sun is a three-star labyrinth, so Ellie-san and Lady Maple are qualified to dive it, but Lady Atobe hasn't yet been qualified to enter the three-star labyrinth, so we'll need you to add a little bit of contribution to the seventh district.'

　As I recall, Elitia said that the qualification to become a three star explorer was to earn a contribution of 10,000 in the seventh ward. The cumulative contribution is over 10,000, but I guess one of the requirements is to earn a contribution in the seventh ward.

''If that's the case, then we'll still need to dive once into the 'Sheep God's Bed' or an affordable-looking labyrinth.
If you team up with us, you might end up antagonizing the people who just came in. But you'll still work with us?
'I'm sure over time they'll move up to the Sixth Ward in turn. But we don't want to be limping around here either.

　He rescues Elitia's friend who is stranded in the labyrinth in the Fifth Ward - and also goes to the Great Temple in the Fourth Ward to restore Theresia from the subhuman.

　We don't want to get swept up in the alliance of Roland and his friends, and we don't want to be left stranded. The 'crab' with such a large number of explorers fighting for it will be an effective way to earn money in order to get promoted, but even if we don't have to worry about that alone, we will also look at capturing the other labyrinths.

''Thank you, Aricht-san. The four of us, we hardly have any dexterity techniques or anything like that, we are all about attacks. If you're still willing, I'd like to cooperate with you, but.......
'Nice to meet you too. Before we head out to the labyrinth, may I have one meeting with you?
Yes, of course. We are maple trees (Acer mono) and Akiyama, you're welcome.

　The maple offers to shake my hand. When she squeezed his hand back, she smiled very happily.

　◆ ◆ ◆

　Louisa took us to the meeting room after she finished greeting us for our assignment.

　There were twelve people and one dog in total, and Sion was given a plate of water to lick and drink. Ibuki and Anna were relieved to see that he was a dog person.

'Um, are you guys about the same grade as us, Kaede?'
I've been talking with Ibuki about this for a while now. I'm in the kendo club and she's in the karate club. Ryoko's sister is a swimming instructor and Anna is a tennis player.
Mmm, I feel like I have many daughters.
'Oh, well I'm the same age as you, so it would be a relief if you could at least call me your sister and not your daughter...'
'Really?　I thought Kyouka-chan was just as good as the other kids. Huh, you're a fellow sister then.

　Ryoko is twenty-eight years old, but she's still one year younger than me. So this overwhelming s*xiness may be due to the difference in life experience.

　So far, we've been able to interact peacefully without any problems. However, the sub-human Theresa would take some time to get used to it - it was also a groundless fear.

''Mr. Atobe's party has a diverse group of members. It's wonderful to be able to get to know the Lizardmen. Because we could hardly communicate with the people we used to hire as mercenaries.
I feel bad about that. Theresa is somehow different from the people we hired. He's a man, but sometimes I've seen him looking at me like he was prey, so I thought that if sub-humans didn't have a 'servant's mark', they would be angry at the people they made to obey them.
'Well I decided to ask her to join the party because I worked well with Theresa from the beginning. She's a good girl.
..........

　I said, hoping to assuage any feelings of defensiveness towards the sub-human, but Theresa, sitting next to me, was visibly turning red. Everyone else noticed the change and smiled in embarrassment.

The fact that you say something embarrassing with a straight face, Arihito-san, surprises me. It's not something you can do very often.
I'm not embarrassed about it, I think it's great... Oh, I was just wondering. We're younger than you, and we're going to be cooperating with you, so you don't have to use honorific language. I think it's nice when a grown man uses honorific language, but it's too formal.
'If that's what you mean, I'll take you at your word. You seem to be particularly close to Kaede and Ibuki, but did you know them before your reincarnation?
"We were reincarnated around the same time, so when we first entered the labyrinth, I called out to them in the square. It was very difficult at first, because maples are shy, despite their appearance.
What are you talking about? Ibuki was more intimidated than me. He's got a mean streak, but he's as docile as a fawn.
'We met up with these girls in a labyrinth called The Noon Marshes. Until then, Anna and I were working together...
'I'm grateful for Ryoko. Without her, I wouldn't be alive like this.

　Each explorer has a background that led them to this point - that's natural, but there's something about listening to them like this that makes you feel, or rather, reminds you naturally of your own past.

We've been through a lot, haven't we? I can't thank you enough, Mr. Higuchi, for all that you've done so far...
'Yes, yes, yes, don't try to create a world for the two of you! If you make out in front of people you've only just met, your distrust will swell. Explode in the rear!　Like.
'Ummm, it's nice to be young. Just looking at it reminds me of when I was young too.
And that's why........you're twenty-nine years old, you know. He's older than Ryoko-san.
'What...?　Oh no, no, no.......I thought you were still old enough to be a freshman.

　It seems that Ryoko-san's defenses are older - and this is not the time to analyze that side.

''Then, although we are in the middle of meeting you all, let me start the procedure of entering the labyrinth. After you enter the 'Sheep God's Hill', your contributions will be calculated on a per-party basis. There will also be an addition for fighting together, but I'll explain that one to you after we return.

　I wonder if Louisa, who comes into the conversation at this time, is checking Ryoko out - slightly - but I wonder if that's overly self-conscious.

　The party I'm going to fight with appears on the license. While showing the screen to Theresia, who doesn't have a license, I was allowed to check the levels of the maple trees.

　　Party 1◆ in co-op.

　Party name: The Four Seasons.
　1: Maples Level 5 Kendoist
　2: Ibuki Level 5 Karate Artist
　3: Anna Level 4 Tennis Player
　4: Ryoko Level 5 Swimming Instructor