It was a story that made sense upon reflection.
The stories of mass disappearances were in the news every year. Friends and acquaintances would naturally notice, as names and photos were publicized when missing person reports were filed, and they would immediately catch on when they heard the Sage's explanation that "one class is summoned from Japan every year." They would realize that their missing acquaintances were also in this world.
Well, in the case of these two, they clearly weren't just acquaintances. After seeing each other's faces, they rushed towards each other, hugged, and cried. Even the dense Ren could figure out the situation: "So that's it."
It was the story Ren had heard from Mariabelle before. That she had a female lover. That they were separated, first by different high schools, and then by the barrier of worlds.
"...I'm so ashamed that you had to see that."
"No, not at all."
As the two rejoiced at their reunion, Ren's group managed to send away the Sage, who looked like he didn't know what to do, and invited Aisha into the house when the timing was right. Ren temporarily sealed the mouth of Mei, who was likely to say something unnecessary.
"Aisha-san… are you the person Mariabelle-san mentioned before…?"
"Yes. She's the person I was dating before I came here. I never thought I would meet her again like this."
For the past thirty—no, thirty-one years—it was always one high school class that was summoned. The possibility of the partner also being summoned usually existed only within two years of Mariabelle's transfer. The fact that Aisha was caught in the summoning as a teacher was nothing short of a miracle. A long time had passed. Even if they were forced to live an inconvenient life in another world, meeting the person you longed for was a wonderful thing.
As Ren was savoring this miracle,
"Wait, Maria. What do you mean by 'was dating'?"
Aisha, who was sitting next to Mariabelle, suddenly raised a voice of protest. Furi realized the implication and gasped "Ah," but the inexperienced Ren and the others could do nothing. Mariabelle blinked, as if saying, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Because that was so long ago, wasn't it? I don't have the right to say that we are 'still dating' when I left you behind—"
"That doesn't matter! I waited for you all this time! I even became a teacher because I thought I might be able to meet you again…!"
Ren truly had no idea what to do. The most he could do was hurriedly step between the tearfully glaring adults and forcefully stop them, saying, "W-wait, please calm down!"
But thanks to his efforts, the argument between the former (?) lovers stopped for the time being. Aisha composed herself and bowed her head, saying, "I'm sorry."
"I didn't intend to say that. …It's not like I was alone the whole time either. I even made other lovers out of loneliness."
"Yes. I did the same. …No, I was worse, wasn't I? I even had one-night stands with both men and women."
Mariabelle responded with self-deprecation. Since it was right after waking up, as yesterday, her preparations weren't complete, and she hadn't had time to change, so she looked a little uncomfortable. She probably wanted Aisha to see her at her best.
"I'm helping to run a brothel now. …Did the Sage already tell you?"
"Yes. …It must have been hard, right? I was surprised, but I couldn't bring myself to blame you."
"…Thank you."
It seemed they had somehow made up. The years they spent apart could not be recovered. Still, they could start over. Furi sniffled, looked at Ren, and said,
"This is nice, isn't it?"
"Yeah. …But if we were in that situation, I'd want you to be happy."
"Huh? Are you telling me to date another man?"
"I mean, being single for over ten years would be too lonely."
Ahem.
A collective cough from the two adult women brought Ren and Furi back to their senses. The conversation was just getting resolved, and they couldn't start arguing now.
"I'm truly glad for you, Sensei. Congratulations."
"Thank you. …I feel guilty when all of you are going through so much."
"I think it's fine! My parents also said that age doesn't matter in love."
"Mei, you actually said something nice for once."
"Master? I always try to engage in thoughtful conversation."
Furi and Iris burst into laughter at this, easing the atmosphere.
"Um, since the moment is right, could you please listen to our proposal? About how everyone can adjust to this world."
Ren's group briefly recounted the story they had heard from the Sage to Aisha. She seemed to have heard most of it already. She listened intently, including the suggestion for Sion to enter the dungeon and serve as a starting point, and then nodded.
"I also think it's necessary since there's no way to return to Japan. If Sion-san cooperates, convincing the others will be much easier."
"Aisha—were you planning to convince them too?"
"Of course. I was planning to accompany them into the dungeon myself if necessary, and I even considered going alone if no one cooperated."
"T-that's utterly reckless!"
If she had decided to go alone, the Sage would have sent someone to accompany her, but it would still be very tough.
"What was your class, Aisha-san?"
"Teacher."
It was a class that allowed her to "educate" and impart the skills she possessed to others. It sounded amazing, but it was useless at low levels and completely unsuitable for combat. Mariabelle, looking unusually stern, told Aisha, "Absolutely do not act recklessly."
"...I apologize, everyone. I am considering living with her from now on. I simply cannot leave her alone."
Ren and the others could only say, "Of course." They could discuss whether Mariabelle would leave the party later, after moving in.
Setting aside the lovers' cohabitation for the moment, Aisha returned to her "teacher" face.
"My concern is still the sense of distance with men. Many of the students aren't used to it, so it would be great if we could arrange a living environment where they can have some distance."
"That might be difficult with the existing houses."
It would make a big difference if they could provide dorm-like accommodations and accept only those who wished to stay there. However, existing houses were generally built to be as close to the city center as possible. Since many women got married and started living with men, there currently was no "district where men don't live nearby."
"It might be possible if we create land further away and have new houses built there."
"Create land…"
"Is that the method using the 'Fragments of the World' that the Sage explained?"
"Yes. The suburbs are still covered in darkness, so we can secure space there, and there will be no one else around."
That area would be inconvenient, but it wasn't much different from living in the countryside in Japan. Convenience and tranquility were things where choosing one often meant losing the other.
However, even if they were prepared for the inconvenience, they needed fragments and money. Aisha looked thoughtful and scratched her head.
"...It's difficult. We want a safe place for everyone to feel positive, but we need to earn money to build the houses. It's a catch-22."
"Are there really no students willing to fight?"
"It's not that there are none at all, but there are about two students who are willing to fight and two others who would be willing to join if others did."
"So, maybe enough for one party? Considering the balance, it's tough."
Conquering the dungeon from scratch with only novices would take time, and in the beginning, they would struggle just to cover their own living expenses. Ren's group, who advanced quite smoothly, were only at a point where they wondered if they could "build a new house." If the newcomers wanted to build a large house, the whole class would have to band together and look at a timeline of six months to a year.
Furi folded her arms and murmured, "Hmm, a house. You're thinking of something similar to us, Ren."
"The size is different, though. We could manage the land alone…"
After saying that, Ren realized, "The land can be managed."
"Furi. Are you perhaps thinking of combining it with our house project?"
"I hadn't thought that far, but that might work? Like a residential area exclusively for girls."
"If I live there, will that defeat the purpose?"
"If Ren is considered a problem, wouldn't Mariabelle-san, or even Aisha-san, be a problem too?"
Indeed, Ren and Mariabelle were the same in the sense that they were women who were attracted to women.
"It would be a great help just to be provided with the land, but are you sure? It's property you all worked hard to save up."
"Well, I'm kind of just thinking out loud, so it's hard to say for sure. And we don't have that much money in the first place."
It was probably the kind of plan that would become overwhelming once all the necessary details were listed. Still, it sounded a bit interesting.
"A residential area, huh. That means we'd be renting houses, right? Would we get rental income?"
"Depending on the price, that should certainly be paid. We would have to build them ourselves otherwise."
"Rental income. I read about that in a book. It's called unearned income, isn't it?"
Being a landlord at this age was a dream come true. Even though it started as a joke, Ren wanted to try it.
"It would be great if we could, but it'll be a hassle. Being far from town means being far from the forest and the bookstore."
When Ren brought up the inconvenience to Iris and Mei, Iris tilted her head cutely.
"Why not build it near the forest? Then people who have no business there won't come."
"Since we have connections with the forest's administrator, we should definitely take advantage of that. That's a great idea, Iris-san."
"Seriously? Aren't you afraid of living in a place with few people?"
"No? I'm good at hunting beasts, and we'll only be living with good people, right? Besides, if it's a problem I can't handle alone, Ren-san and the others will help me."
"…Iris."
She was trusted. Ren was so moved that he almost cried. At this point, Mariabelle, who had been listening, spoke up.
"As for the money, should we lend it from the brothel? We can provide the loan to Ren's group, and you can recover the costs as rent from the residents, paying it back little by little."
"What? Are you sure about that?"
"No problem. It was funds we were saving for a future contingency—for example, to support the courtesans currently working here when they retire. It would be wonderful if we could provide a comfortable home for them."
"Wait, what? The problem is solved?"
And everyone seemed to be in agreement. As for the inconvenience of shopping, they could always stock up if they wanted, given that they had Storage. The only minor inconvenience would be the commute to the dungeon. If they could borrow money from the brothel, they could consult with Iris's parents about the land, decide on the layout and design of the houses, and commission a carpenter to start construction. It looked like they could build a fine house without waiting a year.
They could also build their own house at the same time and even make it luxurious while they were at it. Building a house for Mariabelle and Aisha, too, would kill two birds with one stone. The plan had so few downsides that it was almost worrying.
Ren thought for a while, then looked at everyone and asked,
"For now, should we at least consult with the Sage about this?"
"I agree!"
To Ren's surprise, no one raised any objections. After this, Aisha offered, "If so, I will handle the discussion." Since Ren's group should also send someone, they decided to ask Mariabelle to go. The remaining members would proceed with their dungeon exploration as planned. The assistance of Mariabelle was no longer necessary for clearing the first floor for a group that had conquered the twentieth floor.
"Sion, are you okay?"
"Yes. Um… so many things have been decided so quickly that my mind can't keep up. Is it always like this here?"
"It's not usually this crazy. …It's not crazy, right? Wait, I'm losing confidence."
Thinking back over the past year, saying "it's always like this" might not be a complete lie. Ren narrowed his eyes and quietly looked back at the fox-girl.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually."
"...It would be a great help if you could continue to guide me on what I should do."
It felt more like resignation than conviction, but the matter was settled for the time being.
After a brief preparation, Ren, Furi, Iris, Mei, and Sion (five people total) set out. Mariabelle, who had been at the brothel last night, was told to stay home and rest. There was no way a group who had conquered the twentieth floor would be caught off guard on the first floor.
They walked slowly, introducing the familiar road to Sion, and went up the stairs to the temple. The fox-girl was perched on Ren's shoulder. Since she only had to cling on, it wasn't too difficult, and she stayed quiet in her designated spot.
"Climbing up and then going down is a bit of a pain."
"We wouldn't have to climb if Ren could fly all of us."
"I'd need magic for that."
"If Iris-san could fly, perhaps you could carry one person each?"
"I'm still practicing the flight magic..."
While exchanging light jokes, Sion still gasped when they stepped onto the cool, damp stairs. Ren smiled to reassure her as much as possible, descended the stairs, and entered the dungeon.
"...This is it."
"Yeah. This is the place we're going to conquer from now on."
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