I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

"Alright, Rico, let's get ready to move out."

"Huh!? Yes!"

Riko came up behind Yuhaka and wrapped her arms around Yuhaka's neck. Then Yuhaka reached out and grabbed Riko's little bottom and crawled towards the cave entrance, while using her tail to curl up Nanachi, who had just realized what was happening.

"Huh?!"

Chapter 36 [In fact, Yuhaka is making cat food]

On the cliffs of the shore of the town of Os, a giant cave, Yuhaka arrived with a bewildered Riko and a slightly frightened Nanachi.

Rico looked at the endless horizon and the town of Os with a bewildered expression. She was also very puzzled. Just now, they had only taken less than 5 minutes to get from the fourth level to this position. Even if they ran, it would take several hours to travel 12000 meters on a straight road. But Yuhaka only took a few minutes to climb from 12000 meters deep to Os Town.

Most importantly, Riko didn't feel the effects of the ascent at all, even though she had been vomiting non-stop when she returned to Os Town from a depth of 100 meters in the Abyss.

"What happened?! Hey! Youyou! How did you do that?!"

With an excited expression, Riko hugged Yuhaka's neck, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?" Yuhaka thought for a second before replying to Riko:

"do not know!"

"Eh?!"

Meanwhile, Nanachi, rubbing her brow, looked at Riko and Ehaka, who were playfully bickering, with a serious expression. From the moment Ehaka carried her away with his tail, she clearly sensed that there was no [field] within the tunnel Ehaka had dug. This made Nanachi wonder if it was because the crooked tunnel Ehaka had dug was very far from the center of the Abyss? Most importantly, 12000 meters seemed like too short a distance, didn't it?

Just then, a loud and heavy bell rang out from the town of Os. Riko jumped off Yuhaka's back, looking like she was about to be killed, and said:

"We're doomed! It's already this late! If we don't go back soon, the captain is going to yell at us!"

Riko quickly ran towards the direction of Os Town, then, as if remembering something, she stopped and turned to Nanachi and Yuhaka, saying:

"Nanagi, Youyou, thank you for today! See you next time~"

After saying that, Rico ran towards the orphanage at a speed as if she were being chased by some swift wild beast. She even tripped and fell on flat ground halfway there, but fortunately, Rico got up again as if nothing had happened and continued running towards the orphanage.

Nana wiped the sweat from her brow with a speechless expression and said:

"Yeah, he's hopeless..."

Nanachi looked up at the sky and horizon that had turned to dusk, wondering how long it had been since she had seen the outside world.

After watching for a while, Nanachi turned around, patted Yuhaka, and said to her:

"Let's go, Youyou, there's no place for us here."

Yuhaka glanced at Nanachi, then nodded at Riko's stumbling back, and then pulled Nanachi onto his back. With Nanachi looking completely bewildered, Yuhaka carried Nanachi into the cave.

—————Rico is running—————

"Hey! Sitch, did you find Rico at Aunt Raffi's place?"

"No, Nado, how's things going on your end?"

With his hands on his hips and a frustrated expression, Nado scratched his hair and said to Sitch, who was wiping his glasses:

"I went to all the places Rico might go, but I didn't even find a trace of her."

Sicchi put his clean glasses back on, pushed them up, and said to Nado:

"I went to Aunt Raffi's to ask, but Aunt Raffi didn't see Lico today. Could Lico have gone somewhere else?"

"Where did that idiot Riko go?! Could she have gone to the Abyss?!"

Although Nado gave the correct answer, Sitch, standing to the side, waved his hand awkwardly and said to Nado:

"No, that's impossible. Red Flute apprentices are not allowed to enter the Abyss without the guidance of a higher-level cave explorer."

Just as Sitch said, Red Flute's cave explorer apprentices cannot enter the Abyss. The entrance from the town of Os, the Great Cave, to the Abyss is guarded by high-level cave explorers and guards. If Lyco wanted to go to the Abyss alone, she would be stopped without hesitation, given a lecture, and then told to take her back to the orphanage.

"Ahhh—if that's the case, what if Riko...?"

Before Nado could finish speaking, Riko, looking puzzled, said from behind him:

"What do I know?"

“Wow!?”

Startled by Riko's sudden appearance, Nado quickly jumped to Sitch's side. Turning around and seeing Riko's puzzled expression, Nado angrily grabbed Riko's cheek and said:

"Riko! You idiot! Do you know how worried we were about you?!"

Riko, whose cheek was being pulled by Nado, cried out in pain, pushed Nado's hand away, and said to Nado and the others:

"Okay, that hurts! Nado, you idiot, how could you pull a girl's cheek like that!"

"You dare call others idiots? Do you even know how long you've been gone all this time?!"

Sitch, who was standing nearby, quickly comforted the two, saying:

"Well, you two calm down first. By the way, Rico, where have you been today? You didn't even come back for dinner..."

Upon hearing Sitch's words, Riko's body trembled. Then, with a slightly unfocused look in her eyes, she tapped her fingers together, tilted her head, and said:

"I...I'm definitely going to find Miss Youyou who's wearing a cat headpiece!"

Upon hearing Riko's words, Nado, who was standing to the side, looked at Riko with a very suspicious gaze and said:

"Really...? It feels really suspicious..."

After saying that, Nado leaned forward and sniffed Riko's cheek, then, without noticing that Riko's cheeks immediately turned red, said:

"But... Sniff, what did you eat? It tastes surprisingly good! Pfft—!"

Before Nado could finish speaking, a flirtatious-looking Rico punched him in the chin, sending him flying. Rico yelled:

"Don't come near me and smell the lady's scent! Nado, you pervert!"

Sic, who was standing to the side, pushed up his glasses and looked at Nado, who had been sent flying, with a somewhat surprised expression, and said:

"Wow, they actually managed to send Nado flying..."

Riko looked at Nado, whose eyes were spinning in circles after she had knocked him into a pile of hay, and exclaimed in confusion, "Huh?" Then, looking at her fist, Riko clenched it and said in a somewhat incredulous voice:

"Huh? Was I really that strong just now?"

Rico's current status bar:

[Attack Power Up (Small)] Increases attack power by 20%.

[Natural Recovery Up (Small)] Increases health regeneration speed by 50%.

There is one week left until the effect ends.

Chapter 37 [Riko's Inner Fantasy (Third Update!)]

In Rico's room, Rico was kneeling on the floor, sweating profusely, head bowed and silent. In front of Rico was Gileo, the Moon Flute Cave Explorer whom the children of the Belchero Orphanage called Captain. He was also Rico's mother's apprentice and, in a sense, Rico's guardian.

Gilluo stood in front of Riko with a serious expression and said to her:

"Rico, can you tell me where you went after you delivered the mail this afternoon?"

Hearing Giluo's serious tone made Riko tremble. Although Giluo had often used a serious tone to educate her, this time Riko could sense a hint of anger in Giluo's serious tone.

A slightly timid Rico looked away at the floor and said:

"Um... I'm going to find the 'Miss Youyou who wears a cat headgear' that's rumored in town..."

Upon hearing Riko's answer, Giluo nodded. It seemed that Riko was not lying. After all, he had heard of the rumor in that small town about "Miss Youyou wearing a cat headgear" and had also seen the so-called "Miss Youyou" at the market today.

My impression of him was...

Gilluo asked Riko:

"So, did you see that so-called Miss Youyou who was wearing a cat headgear?"

Rico nodded quickly and said:

"Yes, yes! Of course I saw her! Miss Youyou was wearing a white and brown cat headgear with a funny expression, and a cloak that looked like it was made of various animal furs. She was also quite small, about my size!"

And she cooks really well... Of course, Riko didn't say that out loud.

Hearing Rico's words, Giluo was certain that Rico wasn't lying, but there were still some other things he needed to clarify.

"So, after meeting Miss Youyou, why did you come to the orphanage so late?"

"Well..."

After hearing Captain Gilluo's question, Riko hesitated for a moment, looking at Nado, who was secretly watching from behind the door with a look of confusion on his face, Sitch, who was curious, and Kiyui, who looked puzzled.

"Rico!"

"Yes! I secretly followed Miss Youyou when I saw her..."

Startled by Gilluo's shout, Riko quickly confessed to secretly following Yuhaka. Gilluo waved his hand and looked at Riko, saying:

"and then?"

Rico intertwined her fingers and looked at the floor, saying:

"While following Miss Youyou, I accidentally lost her in a small alley..."

Gilluo raised his eyebrows, waiting for Riko to say her next words. Knowing Riko well, Gilluo was well aware that some of what Riko was saying was a lie, but that did not affect his analysis. He told Riko to continue.

"Then, with a whoosh, five thugs jumped out of the alley, shouting about robbery and sexual assault!"

Hearing Riko's words, both Gilluo and his friends outside the door felt a chill run down their spines. Then, Riko adopted a defiant expression and posture, saying to Gilluo:

"Just as I fell into the clutches of those lolicon thugs, a figure like a knight appeared in the alley and shouted at the lolicon thugs, 'Let go of that cute girl!'"

When Gilluo heard Riko's words, he felt his eyes and mouth twitch. Although it sounded ridiculous, Gilluo was still shocked by Riko's honesty, her somewhat exaggerated acting skills, and her shamelessness.

Riko looked up as if she had seen a glimmer of hope and said:

"The figure that appeared in the alley was none other than Miss Youyou, wearing a cat headgear!"

——————Riko's Fantasy Divider——————

"Hey you five vile thugs, get your wicked hands off that lovely girl right now!"

A figure wearing a cat-head mask, with an art style reminiscent of a shonen hero, appeared before Riko. The five thugs beside Riko, their clothes disheveled, looked dejected and turned to look at the figure who had interrupted their interest, saying:

"Huh? Who do you think you are?! Meddling in our business!"

"Exactly! That shorty actually dared to meddle in other people's business!"

However, after the two thugs finished their lines, dozens of black feather-like darts hit them, and the two thugs immediately let out an "awsl" and fell to the ground, motionless.

"Third brother! Second brother!"