Kaede Akiyama, Kasuga Ibuki, Anna Winters, and Ryoko Natsume. I heard that the name of the party, The Four Seasons, came from their last names.

I wondered if they hadn't noticed when we first teamed up with Ibuki and worked together for a while. When I met up with Anna and Ryoko, it was such a coincidence!　And then...
'So Aricht and his party haven't been named yet. It's not on the license.

　Ibuki doesn't particularly care to show us their licenses. Their licenses also seem to show us as a party in a co-op as well. I wonder if that would make my profession display weird or something.

　But the girls didn't react particularly well. I don't think there is anyone other than me who wrote 'rear guard' and was accepted, but I wonder if they don't care too much about other people's professions.

'Are you perhaps unemployed, Arihito-kun?　No, you have to get a real job.
Well what does my profession look like?

　Party 1 in co-operation

　Party name: Unregistered
　1: Alihit Level 5: 0□-x

(Wrong indication again ... this one could be considered unprofessional.)

　Apparently the 'rear guard' doesn't show up properly when viewed under someone else's license. I don't know what the existence that selects the job of explorers in the labyrinth country is, but I guess that means I've put out a hope that's out of line with the assumption of that existence - is that too much to think about?

'Brother Arihito is a profession that watches over everyone from the back. He is a very reliable leader, so please don't call him unemployed. My sister Kyouka, if you bully your brother, she will stare at you with great force.
'I don't mean to glare at you, but I was originally glaring at you, or rather I was glaring at you, but that was a long time ago.
Oh ... uh ... well, maybe that's what you mean?
You are in a relationship, after all, aren't you two? It's like they're in a relationship, you know.
No, I mean, I used to work for the same company. I just happened to be involved in the same accident. For a lot of reasons, I got invited to Mr. Rear's party.

　Igarashi-san calmly explains - she crosses her arms and glances at me, but I can't help but remind her that there's nothing wrong with that. The fact that she was originally a strict boss is not something that needs to be talked about now.

　In order to be able to use the hunting grounds of the occupied 'Fallen Leaves Beach' or to secure other routes of attack, I'd like to get a sense of co-operation quickly first - and as I was thinking about it, Anna was staring at me. She's quite petite, so it's like she's peeking at me from below.

'Watching from behind, does that mean you're in a support position?'
'Yeah, you can think that. Tennis players are rearguard too, so they usually attack from behind with a serve or... no, you don't have a racket.
'No, I have a racket. But trying to get a good racket is very difficult because the material is so precious. I'm using the first wood racket I got, but the material I use for the gut isn't very good, so I can't hit it as hard as I can.
''Tennis serves and smashes are very powerful, so I think if we have good tools, it will improve our strength considerably. The other three of you also have a full range of sporting professions... but will the kendoka learn the skills to use a sword?

　When Elitia asked a question, the maple pulled the weapon on its back out of the bag and showed it to her.

''Is this ... a wooden sword?''
I'm sure you can equip a sword made of steel, too. You can equip a sword made of iron, but really a shinai is the easiest to swing, so it would be nice if you could make one.

　So if a skill can increase damage, it doesn't necessarily have to be a sword with a sharp cut. We have Misaki, who uses dice as a weapon, so I don't think it's useless at all if it doesn't have killing power.

　And Ryoko, a swimming instructor who doesn't even have a weapon - if it's a labyrinth country, magic exists, so I wonder if she can use her special ability related to water.

'I can't use my skills without water, so I always carry a water bottle with me. It would be best if the labyrinth had a watering hole...''
To tell the truth, 'Ochiyang Beach' should be the place where Ryoko's sister can make the most of her strength. She's a very fast swimmer, too. She swims so much faster than we run as fast as we can.

　The swimmers in the labyrinth country aren't just athletes - what an exciting story to tell about how much stronger they are in an underwater battle. No, daring to fight underwater against an aquatic demon is a situation I'd like to avoid as much as possible.

''Arihito-san, the Four Seasons have conquered a labyrinth with a watery place, haven't they?
'The water labyrinth is located in both the eighth and seventh districts, and the 'Bed of the Sheep God' is a grassy field, but there are also water spots dotted around. Since I got to know my sister Ryoko, I've been picking out places with water to conquer. I was able to earn my contribution by doing things that others couldn't, and that's why I've made it this far...
'Karate is pretty strong, isn't it? Well, I suppose there are many theories as to which martial art is stronger.
It's not just ordinary martial arts when you come to the Labyrinth, so surprising martial arts might be strong. I've heard that aikido's air thrower can throw a very large enemy using magic power, and boxers can use magic power to send a punch flying. I can do the same thing.
'Does it emit something like a beam?　Huh, that's nice and romantic. I wanted to shoot it, too, since I was reincarnated, beam.　

　There are often characters with flying tools in fighting games, and I'm sure many of us have imagined that if we mastered the martial arts, maybe we could produce them.

　There are actually martial artists who can actually use aura, or rather magic power as a flying tool - I naturally look at Ibuki with respect.

''Oh, um... well... it's not that great.
What are you talking about? Ibuki's 'wave tsuki' is a great move that can be used as a deadly weapon. It has saved our lives many times.
So that's why it's just a technique you can rely on because it can ignore the enemy's defenses to some extent.

　The more I listen to them, the more I understand that these girls have fought so far with their personalities.

''Brother, I was just wondering, if I could get Four Seasons-san to let me in for a little while, would you guys be able to explore together?''
'Misaki, I thought you were taking a break?　You don't need to push yourself if you're tired.
After all, my skills are so important to have in a pinch, aren't they?
'Well, that's true. Without my support, you won't be able to do any damage with your attacks, will you?
''Ha ... that's true too. I'm sorry, I'm just going to follow you and won't bother you, so can you let me in?

　Misaki corrected her usual languid tone and straightened up to ask for help. Then the four of the maple trees readily agreed to the request with two replies.

''If we explore with two parties, it won't be so easy for the demons to get behind us, and I think we'll be fine as long as they stay in the rear guard.
We'll make sure that Ibuki and I won't let the enemy pass, so just back me up when you think it's safe to do so.
'Yes, I'll be careful!　Big brother, cover me when you can afford it!
Well, it's not impossible to do. You have to try to get ahead of me.

　I'll also take into account using 'Other Assist' to support the maples. My skills can only be activated if I stand behind them anyway, so I have to be careful where I stand myself.

　　　◆ ◇◆

　I asked Louisa to write a letter of introduction to the Middle Guild and we headed to the labyrinth called 'The Sheep God's Bed'.

　The square in front of the entrance of the labyrinth is located down south from the center of the Seventh Ward. The plaza is popular among the labyrinths that are guided in from the mid-tier guilds, and the plaza is filled with food stalls and the fragrant smell of roasting bread and meat.

　We lightly finished our stomachs at the stalls and bought some portable food and water.

　Madoka had 'Inventory 1', which is an essential skill for a merchant to have, and she could store 'up to fifty tools', regardless of weight or size, in the leather backpack she carried on her back. Even heavy water would not be a burden to carry if Madoka carried it with her.


''Yes, with my 'Inventory 1' skill, I can use the merchant's special bag. With that, I can transfer it to the warehouse I use as a merchant, and I can retrieve it at any time. It's limited to non-living things, though.
''........The demons you defeat can be carried by the 'Demolition Shop' skill. The dismantler also has the skills of a 'storehouse' and can do the same thing as a merchant. They can't send live ones, apparently because there's a chance that they might be misused. If you want to send a demon to the farm, use special tools.

　Both of these skills are very useful, but there's a drawback: it fills up one of their skills. However, Madoka and Melissa don't hesitate to take them - it's an essential skill for their profession.

　This has dramatically increased their convenience in searching. Up until now, you had to leave the things you couldn't carry with you in the labyrinth, but those cases will almost certainly disappear.

''Arihito-san, can I explain to you about the demons on one level beforehand?''
Are you sure?　Isn't information the lifeblood of the seeker?
We've been offered to join forces with them, so I don't feel comfortable doing this. Don't hesitate to ask.

　Kaede said, and took out a notebook from the bag he was holding. And when he opened it, there was a picture of what looked like a demon and a note of what kind of enemy it was.

(Is this........a mole?　(You look like you're wearing a helmet...)

Don't worry about the drawings, they're not very good, they're embarrassing.
'No, it's great. I can actually feel you looking like this.
Oh, I don't know...

　The maple looks triumphant, but the gesture of embarrassment is innocent when she compliments me on my painting.

　--And as I'm having this exchange, Suzuna is staring at me and smiling cheerfully. It's the same bright smile as always, but why do I feel a sense of power?

'Can I see it too?'
Of course you can. We're all in the loop.
Thank you. Rear, come over here a bit more... 'Grand Mall' is that your name?　Is this something you're wearing on your head?
The hair on your head seems to have evolved so hard that it looks like a helmet. The hair on its head seems to have evolved into a very hard helmet-like shape. It thrusts up from underneath you, so if you hit it properly, you'll be seriously injured, so just be careful of your feet. If you hit it a few times after it jumps out, it won't be able to get back into the hole. It's a bit pathetic, but if you hit anything other than its head, you can take it down.
''But it took us about fifteen minutes to take them down but they don't come out easily. But if you try to leave them alone, they will attack you firmly. Be careful, because they can also throw dirt muck at you. If you hit your helmet, it will 'reflect' on you.

　Ryoko-san has a calm tone, so she doesn't seem to be in much trouble, but fifteen minutes is not easy.

　However, I did come up with one strategy that I wanted to try. When you get the information in advance, it's not bad to have a plan to make this move - it's not a problem if everyone is safe and wins the battle at the last minute, but I also think we should stand around as safely as possible.