Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"Well... because I heard that my older sister wasn't very good at sports... so I started studying combat techniques. It was simply because I wanted to protect my place, and it had nothing to do with 'dreams' or 'interests'."

This is probably the "guilt" that has affected Nina the most.

She didn't have the same "goals" as Miss Eina, nor the same "dreams" as Iglin and others. She only entered the "Combat Technology Department" to "escape," and therefore she felt very ashamed of herself.

Nina did all this in order to preserve her own value.

That's probably why she feels abandoned whenever she hears us discussing "ways out."

"My sister wrote to me about the 'school district,' and I replied at first... but after a lot of things happened, I became unable to reply to her."

“…………”

"Because I feel useless for always imitating my older sister, and I absolutely loathe my behavior of desperately trying to learn things my sister can't do in order to maintain my own identity (Nina)!"

“…………”

"After reading my sister's caring letters, I... can no longer write to her...!"

Nina couldn't hold back her grief and choked up.

Clear water droplets slid down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes, landing one by one on her slender, beautiful legs.

Then she buried her face between her thighs, her shoulders trembling, her fingers gripping her arms so tightly they dug into her flesh.

An ordinary girl who was not a top student at all, she poured out all the words that had been buried deep in her heart, and cried incessantly.

I couldn't say a word for a long time.

I couldn't do anything, whether it was to let her lean on me, put my arm around her shoulder, or wipe away her tears.

I have no siblings; my only family member is my grandfather.

Let alone empathizing with her or sharing her sorrow, I'm afraid I know nothing about her troubles and pain.

But—

"what……"

I took off my shirt and draped my slightly loose combat suit over Nina's shoulders.

The lake surface rippled as if a breeze had blown across it, making me feel inexplicably that the temperature was a bit cool.

To prevent her from continuing to suffer from the cold—

I shifted my body slightly, just a tiny bit, to sit a little closer to her.

"Nina... even if you... don't like yourself..."

I began to reflect on my life in the "school district" up to this point.

Then, express your "sincere thoughts" without reservation.

"But thanks to you, I'm very happy."

"!!"

"Thanks to Nina, I finally understand what the 'joy of learning' truly means. Thanks to you... I have a whole new 'goal'."

I sat cross-legged, not looking to the side at all, just gazing at the lake, continuing to convey my innermost thoughts.

"Iglin and his team also received a lot of help from you during their internship."

"...!!"

"Therefore, I think you are like your older sister... You are always gentle and kind, and you must have saved many people."

Suddenly, a point of light fell like a shooting star.

Crystal shards falling from the ceiling created ripples on the lake's surface.

The small ripples continued to spread outwards.

Like those touching tears.

Nina, her voice slightly choked with emotion, lowered her head again... then slowly looked up at me.

A faint, yet genuine smile appeared on her face.

"Rabi...you actually made a girl cry."

"……Feel sorry."

"Don't say that... I'm just a little surprised."

"……Feel sorry."

"Heh, why are you apologizing?"

"...I'm not really sure either, but I'm really sorry."

"You don't need to apologize... because I'm really happy."

Thank you, Rabbi.

Seeing Nina's smile bloom on her face, her tears still wet, I couldn't help but keep my lips tightly shut.

I kept looking straight ahead, but my cheeks were burning hot.

Nina seemed to notice my expression as well, and her shoulders trembled slightly as she laughed.

Then she moved slightly closer to me.

I also adjusted my position, trying to keep my distance from her.

But I was caught by her outstretched fingers, forcing me to accept my fate.

Embarrassed, my cheeks flushed red. I gave my top to Nina, and even though I was only wearing a sleeveless top, I inexplicably felt hot all over.

"I wonder if the goddess Eden can help me"—this silly thought popped into my head as I gazed at the shimmering blue lake with Nina.

"I've always believed..."

Nina slowly wove together words in a voice different from her previous one.

People who have goals are happy.

“Eh…?”

"I believe that you will encounter many setbacks while pursuing your goals, and sometimes you may even feel aversion to things you like, but I think this is the same for everyone."

I turned around and looked at Nina's profile.

She shifted her gaze from the lake upwards, looking at the crystal sea that replaced the starry sky.

"Compared to walking aimlessly forward, being forced to make decisions carelessly, or making choices carelessly... walking aimlessly on the road of life like this, I think people who stride straight ahead are much cooler. Compared to me, you guys are much better."

"..."

"However, it might seem unconvincing for a half-baked (half-elf) without 'dreams' to say such a thing."

Unable to become a dreamer, the girl looked up at this illusory sky and chuckled softly.

Even so, I still believe that people who hold onto their "dreams" are all happy...and cool.

She looked somewhat sad... no, rather, she gave off a feeling of emptiness.

"..."

Like her, I looked up at this crystal sky, and even though it was illusory, it was still so dazzling that I couldn't help but squint my eyes.

the next morning.

The blue crystals clinging to the ceiling gradually emitted a glow, illuminating the surroundings like the dawn breaking on the earth. After Nina dozed off and fell into a deep sleep with her face resting on my lap, I continued to keep watch alone.

To keep Nina from getting cold, I kept adding firewood to the campfire.

"...The innocent spring~★"

"...The innocent spring~☆"

Rachel stepped out of the tent and walked toward us, saying Eden's catchphrase with a blank expression.

Feeling somewhat exhausted, I made a response anyway.

"...Hey, Rachel, if you had some free time to go on a little 'adventure' later on, would you like to participate?"

Although Leiqi didn't understand the purpose of my question and tilted her little head in confusion, she quickly adjusted her mask and nodded in response:

"It's a rare opportunity to visit... a maze park... it's so novel... I want to... explore it with everyone."

I smiled and thanked them softly.

Then, carefully avoiding waking Nina, I handed her over to Rachel to take care of, and headed towards "Rivera Town".

"You little rascal, you really love looking for trouble!"

Mr. Perth looked slightly dumbfounded after hearing my "request" and said this.

"Is it inconvenient...?"

With a wry smile on my face, I looked up innocently at the Rivera town leader, only to see him immediately smile.

"Since the connecting passage between the floors can't be dug out today anyway, and I have nothing else to do all day, I might as well keep you company! Although I've said this several times, I owe you a favor that I can hardly repay!"

After he finished speaking, Mr. Perth put his thick arm on my shoulder and made a circle with two fingers.

"The reward will certainly be substantial! I'll accept this adventurer's request and serve as your 'guard'!"

I patted the thick arm lightly to express my gratitude.

Once I return to the surface, I'll have to work hard to earn money so I can pay for this reward myself.

"School field trips!?"

When I returned from the inn town (Rivera) and made the suggestion, Nina and the others looked surprised.

"Hmm, since we've come all the way to the 18th floor, why not head down to the lower floors and broaden our horizons?"

"It's not that I can't understand how you feel... but the following floors are very dangerous, unlike the ones upstairs, right?!"

"Although teams have reached the 18th floor in the past due to accidents, I've never heard of students venturing into deeper floors! Hmm!? In other words, this is a golden opportunity for me to achieve an unprecedented feat!?"

"I said...I wanted...adventure...but...it's dangerous, isn't it?"

"That's right, Rabbi, we've already given it our all just to get here..."

Everyone was opposed in principle.

However, Chris and Rachel were willing to try it as long as their safety could be guaranteed, so...

"I just went to Rivera Town and learned that a group of high-level adventurers are preparing to go to the lower levels. They said they wouldn't mind taking us along if we were willing to help..."

“…!”

"And if we can bring back the spoils, we might even get some 'credits'..."

“…!”

Nina, Chris, Iglin, and Rachel all widened their eyes in surprise at my explanation.

Even though I said all of these things, I still find them far-fetched.

If Miss Eina finds out, she'll definitely give me a good scolding.

At the same time, I also believe that this trip is safe and secure.

Even at higher levels, it is extremely dangerous to visit floors for the first time. However, with Mr. Perth and other Level 2 adventurers who are already quite familiar with exploration by my side, I believe we will be able to reach deeper floors.

With a Level 1 adventurer (me) providing focused cover, Nina and the others should be able to witness "unknown scenery".

"Hey! We're here!"

"Those adventurers are getting ready to set off... What do you think?"

No fewer than twenty high-level adventurers waved and walked toward the camp.

After witnessing this scene and looking at each other in bewilderment, the "Third Squad" finally decided to go together after much deliberation.

"Those weapons... they're amazing! They were completely battered and bruised from start to finish... yet they didn't suffer even the slightest damage!"

Watching the residents of Rivera Town manage to kill the large-scale "Mammoth Yu Gong" without any real danger, Iglin, who was holding a large hammer in one hand, couldn't help but admire them. However, he was mainly focused on the weapons used by the adventurers.

"Don't underestimate Orario's weapons! They're all far more durable than the fancy weapons your 'school district' developed!"

"Prioritizing durability over destructive power? No, even so, it's still incredibly powerful...!"

Iglin, who had been scrutinizing the weapons in the orc's hands, immediately focused all his attention on "learning".