Whispers

The next segment of the labyrinth was, perhaps fittingly, a maze. The party looked

down at the winding paths that spread out before them. The corridor that had opened

up upon defeating the Frost Turtle had led the party to a terrace that overlooked the

magnificent maze below. They stopped in their tracks, their breath taken away by the

sight. That was how big and imposing the maze below was.

From what they could see, the maze was at least one kilometer in length. Past that,

everything was covered in a fog of snow, so there was no telling how far it actually

extended. Considering the maze was four kilometers wide, it seemed a safe bet to

guess it went that far in length too. This was clearly the second part of their trial.

"Hmm. It seems pointless to map out this maze when we cannot see what lies beyond

the snow."

"Besides, it'd take forever to memorize all the paths in a maze as twisted as this one."

"Indeed. Moreover, it seems foolish to rely on memory when we have the compass."

Hajime's compass was defeating the purpose of a lot of these trials. Tio smiled ruefully,

and Hajime returned her smile. "But still…" he muttered, "That Freid guy managed to

clear this maze even without the compass… I don't even want to think about how long

he spent wandering down there. I've gotta say, that guy's got guts."

Even Hajime was impressed by the tenacity of the demon general who'd cleared this

labyrinth before them, Freid Bagwa. Yue turned to him and said, "Hajime… Don't

praise him. You'll catch his ugly."

"She's right, Hajime-san. I bet he just had his army search for him while he sat back.

That bastard disgusts me!"

"Just how much do you two hate that guy? I'm honestly kinda impressed he managed

to piss you off that much."

Rage glimmered in Yue and Shea's eyes as they thought back to the many times Freid

had managed to give them the slip. Somehow or the other, he always came out alive.

Their hatred for him was almost palpable. There weren't many people that could bring

out this much rage in Yue or Shea. Kouki and the others backed away from the two

girls, terrified, and Hajime shooed them onward. At the end of the terrace was a spiral

staircase made of ice that wound down to the maze's entrance. Another arch adorned

the top of the staircase. As they started their descent, Ryutarou—who hated doing

things the roundabout way—grumbled, "Even if we know the right way, do we really

have to go through this stupid maze? It's gonna detour us a bunch, can't we just blast

through the fucking thing?"

"We can't, Ryutarou. This is part of the trial. Just be glad we won't get lost at least."

"Yeah, but Kouki…"

"Fufu, you always did hate puzzles and mazes, Ryutarou. Every time you tried one

you'd get fed up in a few minutes and throw it down."

"Oh, I remember that. That's why I stopped doing puzzles in front of you. Since you'd

get annoyed and break my puzzles too."

Ryutarou frowned, and both Shizuku and Kouki laughed at him. Ryutarou's expression

grew even sourer as his childhood friends teased him. Seeing him sulk, even Kaori and

Suzu started laughing. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Ryutarou glared

at the maze's entrance like it was his mortal enemy. A second later a lightbulb went on

in his head.

"I just thought of something! Look! There's nothing covering the top of the maze! We

can just fly right over it, can't we!? Hehe, Nagumo, looks like we won't need that

compass of yours!"

His plan was as good as his wit.

"Sakagami, you really don't get it…"

Ryutarou ignored Hajime's exasperated sigh and shouted, "I'm a genius!" He activated

his boots' Aerodynamic and shot into the air. The phrase "look before you leap" was

one he would have done well to study. Unfortunately, the only phrases Ryutarou knew

were "strike while the iron's hot," and "no time like the present."

"Ryutarou!?"

"M-Moron! Get back here!"

"R-Ryutarou-kun!"

Kouki, Shizuku, and Suzu all tried to stop him from acting on his hasty plan. The last

labyrinth had made it clear to them that such simple tricks would never work. Kouki

reached out to grab Ryutarou's shoulder, but unfortunately, the muscleheaded brawler

was too fast. Kouki's hand swiped only air. Ryutarou was easily distracted by carrots

dangled in front of him, which probably contributed to his lack of thinking this

through. His ability to remain optimistic about anything and everything was both a

strength and weakness, but because of how often he went overboard there were more

cons to it than pros. And in a labyrinth, such hastiness led to death.

"Now then, let's see what happens… Sakagami's willing to make an example of himself,

so it'd be a waste not to."

"Nagumo!?"

Kouki glared reproachfully at Hajime, who folded his arms and watched calmly.

However, Hajime hadn't brought Kouki and the others with him so he could babysit

them. They were Kaori's childhood friends so he wasn't going to just abandon them.

But he had no obligation to look out for someone too stupid to think about what he

was doing. Realizing that, Kouki turned to Suzu and shouted, "Suzu, block him off with

a barrier!" Suzu hurriedly raised her fans, but it was too late.

"Ooooooi! What're you guys waiting for? Hurry up and get over—"

Ryutarou looked over his shoulder just as he crossed the maze's invisible boundary.

There was a sharp keening noise, and the space above the maze warped.

"Whoa!?"

With a brief shout, Ryutarou disappeared.

"Ryutarou!?"

"Oh, jeez! That idiot!"

"What do we do, Nagumo-kun!? Ryutarou-kun disappeared!"

Kouki, Shizuku, and Suzu started to panic. Suzu turned to Hajime in tears and begged

him to help. But he was focused on parsing the information his Demon Eye was giving

him, and he didn't give any indication that he'd heard her. Basically, he ignored her.

The moment space had warped around Ryutarou, Hajime had sensed the movement

of mana. A second later he sensed another flash of mana out of the corner of his eye

and turned toward it. There he saw a hexagonal prism of ice jutting out from the

ceiling. The same space-warping phenomenon occurred again, and suddenly Ryutarou

appeared inside the prism of ice.

"There, huh?"

Kouki and the others followed Hajime's gaze, then gasped when they saw Ryutarou

frozen within the ice, serving as an example to others who attempted such folly.

"Normally it's cute girls who're trapped in ice, not burly dudes. No one asked for this."

"This isn't the time to be talking about anime tropes!"

Yeah, I guess not.

"— Ah!?"

"Ah, Ryutarou-kun's still conscious!"

He couldn't move, but it seemed he could still change his expression. From the looks

of it, he was desperately trying to tell his comrades something. His mouth twisted in

pain, and it looked as though he was being choked. At this rate, he'd die in another two

minutes.

"Ryutarou, your gauntlets! Use the shockwaves from your gauntlets!"

Kouki gestured wildly, but Ryutarou was too far away and panicking far too much to

understand what Kouki was trying to tell him. It was understandable. Before he knew

it his vision had gone dark, then he'd found himself trapped in ice. Unfortunately,

panicking only caused him to run out of air faster. Then, because all labyrinths loved

overkill, dozens of razor-sharp pillars of ice appeared from the ceiling.

"O-Oh shit…"

"This is definitely…"

"Awawawah, I'll put up a barrier!"

Naturally, the pillars were all aimed toward Ryutarou. Kouki, Shizuku, and Suzu turned

pale. Suzu hurriedly tried to erect a barrier, but the ceiling was a good five hundred

meters up. Even with all her training, she would have a hard time putting it in the right

spot.

"Hmm, even if you left the victim alone they'd suffocate anyway… so why's the

labyrinth going to the extra effort of stabbing them with spears?"

"Mmm… To punish people who break the rules? You know, to show how scary your

death is or something?"

"Can you stop analyzing for a minute and save him!?"

On the verge of tears, Shizuku begged Hajime and Yue to save Ryutarou. Unable to

watch Shizuku suffer any longer, Kaori gently patted her shoulder and said, "Shizukuchan. Those ice spears are probably a failsafe in case whoever gets captured breaks

out. As long as Ryutarou-kun's inside, they won't attack him."

"That's just a guess, you don't know that for—"

"Besides, everything'll be fine, Shizuku-chan!"

"Kaori?"

Kaori sounded surprisingly confident. However, Shizuku was still worried Ryutarou

was about to be turned into a pincushion. She looked from him to Kaori, then back at

him. Kaori brought her hands to her chest and said cutely, "Even if he dies, as long as

we get to him fast enough, we can just bring him back, like we did me!"

"That's not the problem here!"

The old Kaori would have done everything in her power to save Ryutarou. Has love really

changed you this much? Is the old, kind Kaori I knew gone forever? Shizuku lamented to

herself. Kaori was right. As long as one could use spirit magic and restoration magic,

they could bring back anyone who'd died within the past few minutes. However, doing

so was a long and arduous process. When Kaori had died, it had taken Yue and Tio five

whole days to revive her. Now that they had some experience, they could probably

revive people faster, but it would still take an ungodly amount of mana. Spending

several days and depleting a large amount of the mana stored in their jewelry just to

revive Ryutarou would be a waste of time and resources. And so, after a brief glance

over at Shizuku and the others, who looked stunned by Kaori's statement, Hajime

pulled Kaori back and turned to Yue. Both Yue and Kaori understood what he was after,

and they nodded in tandem. Yue sighed, shrugged her shoulders, then extended a hand

toward the hexagon encasing Ryutarou.

"Cosmic Rift."

Yue opened a portal in front of Kaori. Its corresponding exit was shimmering a few

meters away from the hexagon.

"We really have to do something about this bad habit of Ryutarou-kun's."

Frowning, Kaori flapped her wings, sending a barrage of silver feathers through the

portal. They flew out the other end and stuck to the hexagon's outer layer of ice. From

there, Kaori's disintegration did its work. In less than a second, the hexagon had been

melted away. But the labyrinth wasn't going to let its prey escape that easily. The

countless ice spears shot forward, intent on skewering Ryutarou.

"Oh no you don't!"

Kaori turned her palm upside-down and made a fist as if grabbing the remains of

Ryutarou's hexagon prison. A second later, the remaining feathers started whirling

around, creating a protective cocoon around Ryutarou. Anything that touched the

cocoon was disintegrated, making it the perfect shield. In the past, Hajime had needed

his railgun-accelerated pile bunker to break through such a barrier. So it stood to

reason that a measly array of ice pillars stood no chance. As Hajime watched the

spears of ice shoot toward their own oblivion, he casually turned to Kaori and

suggested, "Kaori. While you're disintegrating all those pillars, disintegrate that

moron's balls while you're at it."

This was a new form of ball-crushing that only Kaori could do. It seemed Hajime was

quite miffed that Ryutarou had wasted their time.

"Nagumo, how can you even say that!?"

Kouki cut in before Kaori could respond. He covered his own crotch protectively and

shivered in terror. "You're a man too, don't you have any pity!?" he screamed. Even

Shizuku and Suzu, who'd breathed sighs of relief when Kaori had saved Ryutarou,

winced sympathetically. Everyone waited with bated breath to see whether or not

today would mark the birth of a new eunuch. Blushing, Kaori replied, "H-His balls? I-I

can't do that! Hajime-kun, you pervert!"

For some reason Kaori wasn't terrified by the prospect of crushing Ryutarou's balls,

but rather embarrassed. While she was hesitating for the wrong reasons, Yue said

coldly, "How would disintegrating his balls be perverted? Kaori, you try and make

everything more sexual than it is. You're the real pervert."

"N-No I'm not, Yue! If I wanted to disintegrate his balls I'd have to touch them with my

feathers, right? That's the same as me indirectly touching them! That's totally perverted!"

"Say what you want, it doesn't change the fact that you're too excitable over a pair of

balls. Pervert."

"You just want to frame me as a pervert, Yue! I don't have any interest in balls!"

"Oh? Not even in Hajime's?"

"Ah!? W-Well, how do I put this… Uh, m-maybe a little…"

"Mmm… So you really are a pervert obsessed with balls. Grandmaster of ball smashing."

"Hey, that's mean! You take that back! Hajime-kun! I swear I'm not a pervert who's

obsessed with balls! Please believe me!"

"Uh sure. I believe you, so can we just drop this? I feel bad for even bringing it up now.

Also, stop saying balls over and over, both of you. Just look, Kaori. Your friends are all

feeling awkward because of your guys' weird argument."

Chastised, Kaori looked over at Kouki and the others. As Hajime had said, they all

looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I can't believe the pure and innocent Kaori would…" Kouki muttered, pointedly not

meeting Kaori's gaze.

Meanwhile, Suzu was blushing bright red. "Kaorin, I never knew you were so

perverted…" she whispered to herself. On the other hand, Shizuku's expression was

hard to decipher. It was a mixture of sadness and happiness, the kind of gentle

expression a mother has when she sees her daughter's all grown up.

Kaori shivered. At this rate, even my friends will think I'm a pervert who's obsessed with

balls! Panicking, she attempted to clear her name.

"Listen, everyone! I'm not—"

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!? Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!"

Unfortunately, she was interrupted by a scream from above. More specifically,

Ryutarou's scream. Looking up, the party saw that the spears of ice had been

destroyed, and only Kaori's shimmering silver cocoon remained. Hajime and the

others instantly realized why Ryutarou was screaming. Coming back to her senses,

Kaori looked up and said, "Huh? Ah! R-Ryutarou-kun, I'm sorryyyyyyyyyyyy!"

She quickly dispersed her cocoon. As expected, Ryutarou's clothes had been shredded,

and he looked half-dead. Kaori had been so busy trying to convince people she wasn't

a pervert that she'd forgotten to cancel her ability after the hexagon had completely

melted, and a few stray feathers had hit Ryutarou. As he fell limply to the floor Suzu

shouted, "Wawawah, oh no! Luminous Mesh!" A net of light appeared underneath

Ryutarou to catch him. The net swiftly brought him down to the others, but when they

saw what he looked like, they shrieked.

"N-Nooo, Ryutarou-kun you pervert!"

Suzu hadn't intended to say that, but she blurted it out when she saw what he looked

like. She was so shocked that she lost the concentration to maintain her Luminous

Mesh, and Ryutarou fell unceremoniously to the floor.

"Ryutarou… Poor guy."

The words "poor guy" did not do justice to the shape Ryutarou was in. His clothes had

been shredded so badly that he was practically nude. The area around his crotch had

suffered the most. Though his balls were fortunately intact, the clothes covering them

were anything but. His nether region was on full display for all to see. No one wanted

to see a musclehead in the nude, and so they all averted their gaze. In fact, they averted

more than that and turned around entirely. The last thing anyone wanted was to see

Ryutarou's dick. Or experience it with any of their other senses, for that matter.

"Amanogawa, you're his friend aren't you?" Hajime asked. The unsaid implication was

of course that Kouki should be the one to do something about this. However, not even

Kouki wanted any part of this. He looked pointedly in the other direction and replied,

"I'm busy guarding Ryutarou, so someone else will have to help him!"

Kaori kept as far a distance from Ryutarou as she could while she reached out to cast

a healing spell on him. Her eyes were shut tight, and she was looking in the opposite

direction as if to prove just how little interest she had in Ryutarou's balls.

"Kaori, you're horrible… You're the one who made him like this."

"I only got distracted because you kept insulting me, Yue!"

"Mmm… Don't blame this on me. Now take responsibility for your mistake, Kaori. Face

the patient properly when you're healing him!"

"N-No! I don't want to see it! I don't want to see anyone's but Hajime-kun's!"

"You're a disgrace to healers everywhere. Now, look. Look at who you're healing!

Imprint the balls of a man other than Hajime's into your brain forever!"

"Nooooooooo! Stop it! I hate you, Yue! Stop pushing me! Aaah!? Is that gravity magic!?

Stop! Don't force my eyes opeeeeeen!"

Yue pushed Kaori toward Ryutarou while using extremely precise gravity magic to

slowly force Kaori's eyelids open. The fact that she was able to avoid harming Kaori

while still achieving what she wanted over such a small area proved just how much of

a genius Yue was with magic. Unfortunately, Yue tended to use her skills for the most

inane things.

"Yue-san and Kaori-san really get along."

"It seems more to me as though Yue simply enjoys one-sidedly teasing Kaori… but I

must admit there is some truth in what you say."

"That's just their way of showing affection. You know what they say, good friends fight

all the time and all that."

Tio, Shea, and Hajime commented on the nature of Yue and Kaori's relationship as

they watched the two bicker. Hajime's expression was surprisingly gentle. Yue

normally tried to act mature, but whenever she was around Kaori, she let her childish

side out. Even now, there was a playful, innocent smile on Yue's lips. In a way, Yue's

bond with Kaori was even deeper than it was with Shea, who she considered her best

friend. Of course, Hajime loved the mature, doting side of Yue too, but this childish side

of Yue had its own allure for him. Granted, when it came to Yue, any side of her was

perfect as far as Hajime was concerned. Meanwhile, Ryutarou was still lying

unconscious on the floor, his privates still completely uncovered. He'd been

completely forgotten. Not only had he been unilaterally rejected by his childhood

friend, but the girl he'd fallen for at first sight was also treating his existence like some

kind of punishment game. This was undoubtedly the saddest moment of his seventeen

years of life.

"I guess this is punishment enough, huh…?"

"How horrible…"

"Ryutarou… I'm sorry. I couldn't save you."

Shizuku, Suzu, and Kouki all offered Ryutarou words of sympathy. But even so, they

refused to look at him as well.

Five minutes later, Ryutarou was awake and clothed. Kouki had generously donated

some of his spare clothes to Ryutarou before he regained consciousness, so at the very

least, he'd been spared the ignominy of waking up to find his balls exposed. He

apologized profusely for his recklessness, but instead of the lecture he'd been

expecting, all he got were pitying looks.

"Hey, Kouki. What the hell happened while I was out?"

"Oh, nothing! Nothing you need to worry about, Ryutarou!"

Kouki was determined to spare his best friend any further pain. In a beautiful display

of friendship, he lied to Ryutarou's face. Sadly his efforts were in vain. Hajime was

merciless.

"Until like a minute ago you were lying unconscious on the ground with your balls

exposed."

"!?"

"Nagumooooooo!? Why'd you have to go and tell him that!?" Kouki advanced

threateningly toward Hajime while Ryutarou absorbed this bombshell. Looking

around, he noticed the girls were all avoiding his gaze. Realizing this was no joke, he

fell to all fours, defeated. Clouds darker than the one Yue called forth to summon her

Draconic Thunder gathered around him. This was the first time the cheerful Ryutarou

had ever been this depressed. He'd been utterly crushed, more crushed than someone

flattened with gravity magic. Hajime pushed Kouki aside and replied, "Idiots like

Sakagami learn from lessons if those lessons are accompanied with pain."

"But this is too much! You could at least punish him more tactfully next time, couldn't

you!?"

"You just didn't have the guts to tell him the truth, so I did. Why do I have to sugarcoat

shit for him?"

While Hajime was arguing with Kouki, Tio benevolently cast spirit magic on Ryutarou.

Pale light descended on him, soothing his soul and inviting it to paradise. Hajime

watched out of the corner of his eye, then brushed Kouki off and turned to Yue.

"Yue, just in case we need to use the sky, do you think you could counter that forced

teleportation?"

"Probably not… It activates faster than I can cast. Also, I don't know how much space

it covers, or how quickly it can recast if blocked. If I tried to counter the activation of

spatial magic across the entire maze, it would take too much mana."

"Yeah, I figured as much. In that case…"

Hajime took Schlagen out of his Treasure Trove. Kouki and the others watched blankly

as he started charging it. Sparks ran down its length as Hajime pointed it at one of the

walls and fired. From up above, he'd estimated that the maze's walls were about ten

meters tall, and two meters thick. Easily thin enough for Schlagen or Orkan to blast

through them. As expected, Hajime's anti-material rifle was able to punch right

through the wall, and a few others behind it too. However, the labyrinth never made

things easy. Less than a second after Hajime's bullet passed through, ice reformed

around the hole, repairing the wall. It recovered much faster than any of the ice

monsters they'd fought.

"Well, figures they'd prepare countermeasures for obvious strategies like blasting

through all the walls."

"Hajime-kun, I'm not sure that counts as an obvious strategy. At least on Earth, no one

would try to beat a maze like that. They'd get arrested."

Kaori had recently started leaving behind the common sense she'd learned on Earth,

but it looked like it hadn't vanished completely. Somehow or the other, it was still

hanging on by a thread. In a sense, Hajime was no different from Ryutarou in the sense

that he'd tried to invalidate the point of the maze. Kouki and the others all glared at

him. Wary of a counterattack, Hajime ignored both Kaori's helpful advice and Kouki

and the others' glares. After making sure none was coming, he put Schlagen back.

"Looks like we only get hit with the penalty if we actually try and move through the

maze illegally. Meaning we can exploit the grey area of the rules."

You have the compass, can't we just proceed normally!? Kouki thought, his glare

growing sharper. Ignoring him, Hajime casually strolled through the arch marking the

beginning of the maze. Kouki and the others tensed nervously. Even though they knew

it was probably fine, what had happened to Ryutarou had them all wary. They

prepared for something to happen the moment the maze was breached.

"How is it, Nagumo-kun? Are we safe?"

Hajime held out a hand to silence Shizuku and took out the compass. There were three

paths branching out from the entrance. One to the right, one to the left, and one that

went straight forward. After spinning for a little bit, the compass pointed to the right.

"Hmm, it appears we can proceed safely. I was worried this maze was equipped with

magic that rendered the compass ineffective, but it seems not."

"Yeah I was worried about that too, but… Well, this is made with concept magic which

is supposed to be stronger than ancient magic. Even the Liberators could only create

three kinds of concept magic, so I figured the chances of that were slim."

Tio breathed a sigh of relief as she ducked under the arch and found that nothing tried

to attack her. She and Hajime nodded to each other. Man, if we'd gotten this thing earlier

we wouldn't have had such a hard time with the Reisen Gorge. Hajime thought bitterly

to himself. Yue and Shea, who'd suffered through that labyrinth with him, seemed to

be thinking the same thing.

"Aww, if we'd had this earlier Miledi-san's traps wouldn't have been a big deal."

"Mmm… I think she gave it to Haltina on purpose. Curse you, Miledi."

Yue's hypothesis was likely correct. With the compass, the labyrinths stopped being

as much of a challenge. The maze part of them was entirely invalidated. Which was

why Miledi and the others had hidden it inside the labyrinth that required challengers

to have cleared at least four others first. But even if that logic made sense, it didn't

make Hajime, Yue, or Shea feel any better about the suffering they'd endured in

Miledi's labyrinth. Yue puffed her cheeks out unhappily while Shea pouted, her lips

pursed. Only those who'd experienced that labyrinth's… No, Miledi's unbelievably

annoyingness could understand this pain.

"You guys always bring up the Reisen Gorge. What happened there?"

"It's a shame we cannot reminisce together with them… but those three look utterly

defeated whenever they recall that trial. I think it would be best not to dredge up those

memories."

Kaori and Tio watched as Hajime sympathetically rubbed Yue and Shea's backs. Just

how horrible a person was Miledi the Liberator that all three of them resent her this

much?

After Kouki and the others also crossed under the arch, the party was finally ready to

explore this maze. While the compass at least pointed them in the right direction, it

would still take them a few hours to cover four kilometers and change while

backtracking multiple times thanks to the maze's layout. And like the rest of the

labyrinth, this maze was also freezing. While it was no longer so cold water magic

would freeze upon contact with the air, it was still a good bit below zero. Were it not

for the party's Airzones, the cold would pose quite a threat.

"It feels oppressive in here."

"Yeah. And these walls are strange. Even though they're completely clear, we can't see

what's on the other side."

As Shizuku examined the wall next to her, Suzu shivered and took a few worried steps

away from it. These walls, like every other ice wall the party had seen so far, were not

natural. They were completely transparent, with no air bubbles or other impurities

trapped inside. And like all the other walls, they reflected the party's silhouettes. Yet

it was impossible to see through them. Considering they were only around two meters

thick, that made no sense. And Hajime doubted the only reason they were like this was

to avoid trivializing the maze part of the maze. There had to be something else.

Frowning, Kaori said, "We won't see more zombies like the ones we fought before, will

we?"

"Hmm, it is possible we will face something similar. The monsters of this labyrinth

have the ability to completely mask their presence. We should be prepared to face a

surprise attack at any time."

"Don't worry, Kaori-san! My ears can catch anything! There's no need to be scared. I'll

know if anything's coming way before it reaches us! My super bunny ear ears will

catch them!"

"Y-Yeah! Thanks, Shea. But what does super bunny ear ears even mean…"

It was likely just a silly name for one of Shea's perception skills, but Kaori couldn't help

but be less reassured upon hearing her say that. Shea ignored Kaori's question and

puffed her chest out proudly. She then pounded her fist against it to show how

supremely confident she was. Naturally, that caused her two melons to jiggle a little,

reminding everyone just how stacked she was. Though Shea's aim was to reassure

Kaori, Suzu, and Shizuku, who all seemed a little worried, all she succeeded in doing

was make everyone think she should cover up more. Kouki and Ryutarou's gazes were

glued to Shea's boobs, and Hajime sent them a glare so cold it made the surrounding

temperature seem balmy. The two of them gulped and hurriedly looked away. In a way,

Shea had contributed to making everyone more nervous, not less.

"Sheesh. Shea, you really need to…"

Despite his words, Hajime couldn't help but stare at Shea's bouncing breasts as well.

It was as if gravity magic was forcing his gaze toward them. Ever since Hajime had

accepted Shea as a lover, he'd been unable to resist those unintentionally erotic

gestures of hers.

"Hajime-kun, where exactly are you looking? Hmmm?"

"Ahem! Uh, take a left here."

Hajime turned around to see Kaori glaring at him. Her demonic stand was tapping its

sword menacingly behind her. Hajime hurriedly turned back to his compass and

pretended to check it. Yue gave him a warm smile, Tio tried to press her own boobs

against him, and Shizuku glared reproachfully at him, but Hajime ignored them all and

strode forward. Realizing what she'd just done, Shea blushed. She then hugged herself

and looked down bashfully.

"O-Oh Hajime-san, you pervert. You really like my boobs, huh? But we can't do that

here! We've gotta focus on beating this labyrinth. If you start doing that to my boobs

here, I'll be too tired to do anything else! We're in the middle of enemy territory, you

know!"

"Shea, please shut up."

Kouki and the others' eyes glazed over, while Tio hung on to every word with a mixture

of interest and jealousy. On the other hand, Kaori's glare grew even sharper. Lips

twitching, Hajime kept his gaze pointed firmly forward and said nothing more. He'd

decided to plead the fifth. Unfortunately, Yue wasn't going to let him off the hook so

easily.

"Hajime… You did that to Shea? It was her first time… you monster!"

"I tried to hold back. But in the end, I just ended up doing it the same way I do it with

you…"

What the heck doesthat refer to!? Kouki and the others screamed internally. It was easy

to forget after all the fantastical experiences they'd had, but the kids here were all in

the midst of puberty. Especially the boys. They couldn't help but be curious about the

unknown world of sex. Doubly so because these events concerned people they knew.

"Wh-What should we do, Shizushizu!? Should we ask Sheashea what happened, just

for future reference!? What do you think!?"

"C-Calm down Suzu! You're starting to sound like Kaori!"

"Kouki… You're the hero, right? Do the heroic thing and ask Nagumo! I gotta know

what that is!"

"Like hell I can ask that! And how is that heroic at all!?"

While everyone was debating whether or not to ask Hajime and Shea what that

referred to, Hajime suddenly came to a halt. A second later, there was an earsplitting

boom. A streak of light flashed right over Suzu's head, grazing a few strands of hair as

it passed. Suzu looked over and saw Hajime pointing Donner at her. He'd moved so

fast she hadn't even noticed it happen.

"Eeek…"

Trembling, tears in her eyes, Suzu patted the top of her head. Thanks to her short

stature, the bullet had only shaved off a few hairs. Unlike the time with Yue, where

Hajime had ended up scraping her scalp too. For a moment, Kouki and the others

thought Hajime had shot at Suzu because he was annoyed at them. But then—

"Graaaah."

"Ah!?"

They heard a low growl from behind them. Hurriedly turning around, they saw a

monster half-jutting out of the ice wall, its claws inches from Suzu's neck. There was a

hole in its chest, and as they watched it slumped all the way out of the wall and hit the

ground with a thud.

"We've got more coming from the left and right walls."

Hajime's serious tone drove all unnecessary thoughts out of the others' heads and they

readied themselves for battle. The joking atmosphere from earlier was gone. A

moment later, statues of ice started coming through the walls. They had sharp claws

and a single horn on their foreheads. That, combined with their muscular builds, made

them look just like the ogres that showed up in Japanese folklore.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

There were five on each side. Hajime decided to dub these creatures Frost Ogres.

Without any discussion, Hajime and the others naturally turned to the left while Kouki's

party turned right.

"Shizuku, let's blitz them! Radiant Slash!"

"Got it! Flash Blitz!"

Ignoring the ogres' threatening roars, Kouki and Shizuku used their Flash Step to dash

forward and unleash their fastest attacks. Two Frost Ogres fell in an instant. While the

remaining ogres were reeling, Ryutarou charged forward and drove his fist into the

chest of another one, pulverizing it. In the meantime, Suzu used her barriers to trap

the final two. Unlike the monsters they'd fought earlier, these ogres didn't regenerate.

After destroying them, red mana crystals fell out of their lifeless bodies. Just in case

though, Kouki and the others decided to overkill their targets.

"Kouki-kun, Ryutarou-kun! Now's your chance!"

"Okay!"

"You got it!"

Suzu used her barrier burst to send the last two ogres flying. They sailed through the

air, defenseless. Kouki and Ryutarou finished them off before they could do a thing. It

was a perfectly executed battle plan. Kouki and the others grinned at each other, but

didn't drop their guard. Just then, they heard a cute yet intimidating yell come from

behind them.

"Uryaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Turning around, Kouki and the others saw Shea somersaulting through the air, her

slender legs pointed toward the roof. Looking further up, they saw all five Frost Ogres

lined up vertically above her. They had no idea how things ended up like this, but it

was obvious Shea had just kicked them into the air. Not haphazardly either, but in such

a way that they all lined up. Why's she doing that? A moment later, Kouki's unspoken

question was answered.

"Graaaaaaaah!?"

Gravity once again exerted its hold over the Frost Ogres, and they tumbled to the

ground. Shea righted herself in midair and readied Drucken. Her graceful movements

were captivating. But the barrage of blows that followed was too merciless to be

considered graceful.

"One!"

"Bwah!?"

"Two!"

"Gah!?"

"Three!"

"Blagh!?"

Each one of Shea's shouts was accompanied by an ogre's dying scream. With each

blow, Shea did a single revolution, twirling like a ballerina. That caused each

successive blow to have even more power, and Shea made sure to complete each

revolution just as the next ogre fell into Drucken's reach. The third Frost Ogre was hit

so hard even its mana crystal shattered into a thousand pieces as Drucken slammed

into it. And Shea managed it all without using any body strengthening magic. Shards

of ice shot out like cannonballs, blowing through the nearby ice wall. Even with its

speedy regeneration, it was possible to see through it now.

"Four!"

"Hrrrghh!?"

Shea wasn't done yet. She sped up her rotation, adding even more centrifugal force to

her hammer. It honestly seemed more like she was toying with the Frost Ogres than

taking them seriously as opponents.

"And finally, fiiiiiive!"

There was a loud boom as Shea's hammer slammed into the last ogre. After five

rotations, Drucken had broken the sound barrier. A visible layer of air covered

Drucken as it moved faster than the surrounding air could move out of the way. The

Frost Ogre shattered from the force of the impact, then was blown backward so hard

that its shards pierced through three layers of ice walls.

"You're too slow, too weak, and too spineless! Pathetic!"

Shea swung Drucken over her shoulder. The girl who'd started out as a gentle bunny

of the forest had turned into a real demon. Kouki and the others paled as they watched

the massacre unfold in front of them. When the final ogre was killed, their eyes glazed

over.

"That's right. We're too slow, too weak, and too spineless… We shouldn't be satisfied

with easy victories like these. Hahaha…"

"Kouki… You don't have to put yourself down like that. It's better just to not think too

hard about the stuff she says."

"I love bunnies… but I'm not sure I'll want to hold them anymore after we go back to

Earth…"

"It's fine, Shizushizu. That thing isn't a bunny. It just looks like one, but it's definitely

not."

There was no need for Shizuku to be scared of the innocent, garden-variety rabbits

back on Earth. Ignoring the peanut gallery, Hajime turned to Shea and asked with a

grimace, "Shea, were your super bunny ear ears or whatever able to sense those

monsters coming?"

"You know, Hajime-san. I kind of just picked that name on a whim so I'd prefer it if you

not use it. It's kinda embarrassing…"

Fidgeting a little, Shea then replied to Hajime's question.

"I was able to sense them, but only just before they came. I've memorized their sound

now though, so I should be able to sense them sooner next time."

"I see… I could only sense them right before they came too. And only because there

was a slight flow of mana that my Demon Eye caught. Tio was right, these guys have

some way to erase their presence."

"So it would seem. I doubt those are the only monsters waiting for us. It would be wise

to assume all enemies within this maze excel in ambushes."

"Mmm… But they're not that tough. Shea was right, they're weak."

"They don't regenerate either. So the only real problem is how long the path is…"

Indeed, Shea's earlier insults to the Frost Ogres were more or less on the mark. They

were slow, weak, and far too spineless to be threatening. Meaning there was only a

single concern. Whether or not the party would be able to maintain a status of high

alert throughout their entire winding trek in the maze.

Kaori looked pensive for a moment, then turned to everyone. She implored them to

speak up if they felt even the slightest bit exhausted, either physically or mentally. She

looked nothing like the comic relief character that had panicked at the sight of zombies

or nearly killed Ryutarou on accident while arguing with Yue. Instead, her serious

expression looked just like that of a concerned healer. Naturally, everyone, including

Yue, nodded solemnly in response.

Twenty minutes after Kaori's transformation into cool Kaori. The party had continued

fending off surprise attacks from Frost Ogres while also avoiding all manner of traps

and pitfalls. Thanks to Kaori's stellar support, no one had grown tired yet. However,

Kouki and the others were growing mentally exhausted from the constant surprise

attacks and lack of change in scenery. Kaori and Tio had both been continually casting

restoration magic on them, but there was only so much they could do. Suzu, who was

the most exhausted of the lot, turned to Hajime and tried to distract herself by asking

him "Nagumo-kun, you don't look like this is bothering you at all. How do you train

your focus to be like that?"

By this point, even Shea, who was nearly unflappable, was starting to look a little

haggard. Only Hajime seemed unaffected by the constant mental strain.

"Dunno, really. I guess it's cause I had to be constantly alert until I met Yue. So I kind

of instinctively learned how to stay focused."

"Ah… I see."

Suzu fell silent as she imagined what Hajime must have gone through. All alone in the

dark, he'd had to constantly watch out for monsters trying to eat him. No matter how

badly his body screamed at him to rest, no matter how sluggish his thoughts became,

he had no choice but to remain alert or he'd die. He hadn't trained his powers of

concentration, he'd had no choice but to reach that level or die.

The rest of the party stiffened their resolve as they felt the weight of those casual

words. "This isn't the time to be complaining!" Ryutarou yelled, the light returning to

his eyes. Kouki, too, shook his head and refocused his attention. Seeing that both guys

were about to get themselves overly pumped up, Shizuku lightly said, "Nagumo-kun.

How much further is it? We've been walking for a while now… so you'd think we'd be

close. I'm getting pretty tired here."

"You've gotta be kidding. We haven't even gotten to the part covered in snow yet and

you're already complaining?"

"I… wouldn't say I'm complaining. Just giving you an objective assessment of my

condition."

Shizuku pouted, and Hajime smiled faintly. He could tell that even Shea and Kaori were

beginning to get exhausted, and this was Shizuku's way of trying to help. Nodding, he

replied, "Well, I guess it might not be a bad idea to take a short break. As soon as we

can find a safe spot, let's rest."

"That sounds good… Thanks, Nagumo-kun."

Shizuku's expression softened. Hajime just shrugged his shoulders and set his

compass to search for a suitable spot to rest. Yue, Shea, Kaori, and Tio all stared

intently at Shizuku, who was still smiling at Hajime's back. They then started

whispering quietly to each other. For better or worse, Shizuku was too tired to notice.

After a few more minutes of walking, the party found themselves at a dead end. The

corridor widened a little at the far end, and embedded into the wall at the end was a

set of double doors. The door sat right at the border of where the snow mists started

covering the maze. It appeared this was the resting spot the compass had found for

them. Incidentally, they still happened to also be following the right path to reach the

end of the maze.

"What a magnificent set of doors."

"Mmm… They're pretty."

Tio and Yue both sighed in admiration. Everyone else nodded in agreement. The doors

looked so ostentatious that it was hard to believe they were carved out of nothing but

ice. Complex patterns of thorns and roses were carved into the doors' entire length.

"This is…"

Hajime narrowed his eyes warily as he walked up to the doors. Right at head height

was a carved circle of thorns, inside which sat three round holes. Hajime stepped

forward and pushed on the doors with all his might. But as expected, they didn't

budge.

"Figured as much. I guess you've gotta put something into these three holes to unlock

these doors."

"Mmm… Taking the fastest route backfired."

"Yeah."

Hajime smiled ruefully and scratched his head.

"What do you think, Hajime-san? Should we look for the keys?"

Shea didn't sound too enthusiastic about the prospect. She wouldn't have minded

normally, but right now the whole party was exhausted. Kouki and the others weren't

saying anything, but their expressions made it clear they were at their limits.

"Hajime… If it's safe here, then…"

"Yeah. Let's just take a break here."

The moment Hajime said that, Kouki and the others relaxed. They slumped to the

ground, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

"Guys, don't lean against the walls. It's possible we might still get hit by a surprise

attack. Stick to the center of the corridor."

While the others moved toward the center, Hajime took a few steps away from the

door, then accessed his Treasure Trove. A second later, a huge tent appeared out of

nowhere. The sides had been removed so that he could see any ambushes coming

ahead of time, but seeing as there were metal struts on all sides, it was clear there was

still some invisible barrier protecting them from the elements. Originally there had

been no covering atop the roof either, but he'd added it to help keep the tent warm.

Even just the psychological effect of being covered by warm colors helped people

retain heat. And in truth, the gentle orange color of the ceiling did help everyone relax

a bit more. Furthermore, the fabric was actually metal fibers, so it added to the tent's

defense. Kouki and the others gaped at its size; the tent could comfortably fit fifteen

people inside.

"Whoa!? The floor's even heated!"

"Th-The carpet's as fluffy as the one in the royal palace…"

Shizuku and Suzu exclaimed in surprise. Their faces melted into satisfied smiles as

they enjoyed their unexpected reward.

"H-Hey, Nagumo. Is that a kotatsu!?"

"Damn this place is fancy as hell…"

Kouki and Ryutarou shivered, simultaneously awed and scared.

"Hey, Taniguchi. Stop crawling on the carpet and get inside. You can keep your shoes

on, since we don't know when we'll be attacked."

"N-Nagumo-kuuun! I could never defile this paradise with my dirty shoes!"

"Hah, who the hell do you think I am!? Both the carpet and the kotatsu have been

coated in a layer of ultra-fine ore. And that ore is enchanted with restoration magic."

"Y-You mean…"

"That's right, it's self-cleaning. The whole tent goes back to its original state at regular

intervals. Also just touching the carpet or kotatsu will restore your clothes and

stamina."

"Unbelievable! This is a revolution of home comfort!"

Suzu grew even more excited.

"I should have known you thought everything through, Nagumo," Ryutarou muttered,

impressed. Even Yue and the others were amazed. They hadn't been aware of all the

extra upgrades to the tent. Suzu's endless litany of praise seemed to have put Hajime

in a good mood, and he smiled in an unusual display of pride. Suzu crawled across the

carpet like a worm, headed slowly toward the kotatsu. Kouki and the others all

huddled inside it as well.

"Ahhh… I'm in heaven."

Shizuku smiled, her tone completely relaxed. She thrust her feet inside the blanket and

rest her head on the table, an expression of pure bliss spreading across her face. Her

usual stern expression was nowhere to be found. She was fully indulging in this break.

The rest of the party was doing the same. Though the Airzones had kept people from

freezing, the fact that they'd been surrounded by nothing but ice since entering the

caverns had made it seem psychologically cold. So the inviting warmth of the tent

sucked everyone in. For a moment they forgot they were in a labyrinth and let out

satisfied moans, sounding like a group of Frost Zombies. Yue and Shea took up

positions on either side of Hajime as usual, and he brought out four of his Cross Bits.

Kouki and the others hurriedly got to their feet, thinking they were about to be in a

fight, but then returned to lazing about the moment they saw the Cross Bits leave the

tent and start scouting all of the branching paths of the maze. They figured he'd just

sent them out to secure the safety of the area. Once they opened themselves up to

relaxing, the exhaustion that had been piling up hit them all at once. Kouki figured this

must be what it felt like to be a corporate slave working overtime. Yue scooted closer

to Hajime, then looked up at him and stroked his cheek, the gesture filled with

kindness.

"You okay? Tired?"

"Remember what I said? The tent's covered in restoration magic. Sending a few Cross

Bits out won't tire me out in here."

Hajime covered Yue's hand with his own and smiled gently at her. Their eyes turned

into heart pupils. A second later, a fluffy pair of bunny ears came to rest on the nape

of his neck. Turning around, Hajime saw that Shea was resting her head on his

shoulder.

"What's wrong, Shea?"

"I'm resting in your arms to heal faster—"

Shea didn't bother mincing her words. She nuzzled against Hajime's neck, making it

clear that she had no intention of holding back because other people were around.

Hajime found her boldness cute, and he wrapped his free arm around her and hugged

her close. Seeing that, Yue decided to plop her head on Hajime's shoulder as well. Now

Shea had heart pupils as well. Of course, the scene caused Kaori to burn with jealousy,

and her stand appeared once more. Meanwhile, the party's resident perverted dragon

crawled at Hajime's feet, panting. Suzu watched the familiar scene with a weary sigh.

"Those guys don't understand the pain of being single."

Kouki and the others nodded vigorously. After a while, Shea started cooking a meal for

the group, and the delicious smell of hotpot wafted through the air. The ingredients

had, of course, come from Hajime's Treasure Trove. It was all fresh seafood from

Erisen.

"Hajime… Say aaaaaah."

"Ahhh… Yeah, that's good."

"I'm next, Hajime-san. Say aaaaaah."

Once it was ready, both Yue and Shea started feeding Hajime. He could, of course, feed

himself, but they wouldn't miss an opportunity to spoil him for anything. Sitting across

from them, Ryutarou closed his eyes to their flirting, his expression that of a monk in

the midst of ascetic training. On the other hand, Kouki was staring pointedly at the

hotpot and shutting the rest of the world out. Shizuku and Suzu had gotten so used to

Hajime, Yue, and Shea's flirting that they just ignored it and enjoyed their food. Or so

it seemed. But while Shizuku was smiling, Suzu was grimacing, as if nursing a

stomachache. Hajime gave Shea a troubled smile, then swallowed the spoonful she

brought up to his mouth. After chewing for a few seconds he said, "By the way Shea.

You've been getting better at cooking by the day. You'll make a good wife someday."

"O-Oh you, Hajime-san… you're flattering me. But I'm glad you think I'm so cute and

precious that you don't want to let me out of your sight for even a second!"

I never said any of that. But Hajime had grown more tolerant of Shea, and he didn't

even bother saying that out loud. Yue suddenly popped in between Hajime and Shea

and asked, "Hajime… What about me?"

"Hm? Isn't it obvious? You're the number one wife in the world."

"Mmm… I'll try to get better at cooking."

"Fufufu, Yue-san, how about we practice cooking Hajime-san's favorite foods together?"

With the addition of Shea, the couple's, or rather trio's, flirting had reached new

heights. They were eating a salty hotpot, but it looked as though they were feeding

each other dessert or something. Ryutarou grabbed his head and groaned. Finally,

Kaori could bear to watch no more. As was her specialty, she brazenly charged

forward.

"H-Hey, Hajime-kun? What about me? I'm good at chores and cooking. I can make you

delicious food every day."

A mixture of impatience and hope twinkled in her eyes as she pushed her way toward

Hajime's side. "What do you think you're doing?" Yue asked coldly and tried to push

her away, but Kaori didn't budge.

"Well, back in school you were the number one girl everyone wanted as their

girlfriend. Or rather as their wife. So of course you'd make a good wife too."

"Jeez, that's not what I'm asking. I want to know if you think I'd be a good wife for you,

Hajime-kun!"

Hajime awkwardly averted his gaze, but Kaori wasn't about to let him escape. She

leaned forward, demanding an answer. Fortunately, Yue came to his rescue.

"Kaori… Why do you insist on hurting yourself?"

"Y-Yue!? What's that supposed to mean!?"

Yue's words of feigned pity pierced through Kaori like a lance. Tears sprung to her

eyes, and Yue smiled victoriously. Naturally, the two started fighting seconds later.

Hajime was about to yell at them to stop fighting at the dinner table when something

crawled out from under the kotatsu.

"Master. Surely you realize I would make for a wonderful spouse as well. As you are

well aware, I live to serve. I guarantee you I would be able to satisfy you every single

day! So please, bestow me your compliments!"

"If you want compliments, stop suddenly poking your head up through my crotch."

Naturally, Hajime's harsh words made Tio writhe with pleasure. Right on top of his

crotch.

"If you don't restrain yourself, I'm gonna leave you behind when I go home."

"Nfufufu. So that means you are planning on taking me to your world with you. Oh,

Master, your love for me is so great it's suffocating…"

Tio started writhing even faster. She's beyond saving now. Sighing, Hajime patted Tio's

head to calm her down. He then turned to Kaori, who was currently being pinned

down and tickled by Yue and patted her head too. That casual gesture was enough to

show everyone watching that he cared about them too. And that he wanted them by

his side just as much as he wanted Yue and Shea. Just as things were starting to calm

down, a sharp voice cut through the happy atmosphere.

"We're eating right now, so could you keep it down?"

Shizuku's tone was harsh and utterly devoid of warmth.

"Sh-Shizuku-chan?"

Terrified, Kaori poked her head above the kotatsu. Shizuku was smiling. Smiling quite

brightly, in fact. But that smile didn't reach her eyes. Even Yue stopped tickling Kaori

and stiffened up. Tio turned serious, and Kouki, who had nothing to do with the

ruckus, dropped his spoon. Ryutarou spit out his mouthful of stew and goggled at

Shizuku.

"Sh-Shizushizu? Don't you think… Actually, nevermind."

Feeling as though Shizuku was a bit too angry at Hajime and the others for fooling

around, Suzu tried to calm her down. But the moment Shizuku turned that smile onto

Suzu she withered and averted her gaze. Besides, it was true that Hajime and the

others had gotten a little too rowdy during mealtime. Yue, Kaori, and Tio all crawled

out of the kotatsu and sat with their backs upright.

"Sh-Shizuku… Is scary."

Yue muttered quietly. Just as quietly, Kaori responded, "Y-Yep. Shizuku-chan doesn't

get mad often, but when she does she's really scary." Shizuku swiveled around,

bringing her smile to bear on Yue and Kaori. The two of them looked away. Suzu felt

her stomachache worsening at the prospect of resuming her meal in this awkward

silence, but it turned out they wouldn't be.

"Hm? They made it," Hajime muttered quietly. He put down his chopsticks and started

glancing around, which gave everyone else a good opportunity to resume eating

without it being awkward.

"Hey, Nagumo. What is it?"

"Hmm, hold on a second."

Kouki went back to stuffing himself full of fish dumplings and Hajime continued

looking at what seemed to be nothing. The others gave him curious looks as they ate

as well. After a few seconds, Hajime nodded to himself and muttered, "Perfect." He

turned around and opened his Treasure Trove. A shiny gray metal plate fell into his

hands. It was a new artifact known as a Gate Key. He thrust it out into empty air, and

it activated. Space around the plate began to warp, and the key connected to the Gate

Keyholes located inside his Cross Bits. Beyond the oval portal that he opened was a

hexagonal pedestal of ice. Sitting atop it was a jewel. The jewel emitted a yellow aura,

and if this were an RPG it would obviously be a key item. That wasn't the only thing

there, though.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Behind the pedestal was a huge Frost Ogre. It was easily three times the size of the

ones they'd seen so far and was charging right at the portal.

"Bwah!?"

Kouki and the others spit out their food, wasting Shea's lovingly cooked ingredients.

Yue instantly deployed a barrier, protecting herself and her plate from the half-chewed

food. Such bad manners. But Yue didn't admonish them. After all, she realized that for

them, suddenly seeing a Frost Ogre many times bigger than the ones they'd fought so

far would be a surprising occurrence. Asking them to remain calm was an impossible

request.

"N-Nagu— Ack! Cough!"

"That's gross. Swallow your food before you talk."