Chapter 32: Whatever Future You Choose

With the scent of grass and mud clinging to our clothes, we returned to the log house. I was drenched in sweat and eager to shower, but since we’d reek of smoke after the barbecue anyway, it was better to clean up once everything was over.

The items necessary for the barbecue were neatly organized on the wood deck. Using the charcoal and fire starters we’d bought at the management building, we struggled to get the fire going. If only we could use [Dwelling Fire], it would have been easier. Such is the dungeon mindset.

Gathering around the wooden table, we all toasted with paper cups filled with juice. Under Kirishima-san’s guidance, Mitsuru and Nina took the lead in grilling the meat, while Sena and Seika watched nearby and Mutsuki kept Shiraishi-san entertained.

As the heat built up, the cooking speed increased. Pouring sauce over the meat and vegetables on our paper plates, we ate. Delicious. Thanks to the charcoal grill, the food had a pleasant flavor that couldn’t be matched by a frying pan.

“Yuko-san, I want to get stronger.”
“Then you need to eat a lot.”

“Osu!”

With Kirishima-san’s signature phrase, “Eat lots of food,” Mitsuru was driven to be serious about the meal. Though I had mentioned it to him before, I couldn’t compete with the power of the original source.

Nina, sitting next to me, tilted her head as she watched me.

“Itsuki-nii, are you eating properly?”
“I’m eating. Nina, make sure you eat a lot too.”

“Okay.”

With her eyes sparkling, Nina piled her paper plate high with meat.

“We had curry during the school camp. This is my first barbecue, and it’s really delicious.”
“Isn’t it? I never imagined it would be this good.”

I can understand why humanity is so obsessed with barbecues. Eating grilled meat outdoors in pleasant weather—what could be more exhilarating?

“Hey, Big bro. Eat more.”
“I am eating. Here, give me your plate, Mitsuru. Here, eat, eat.”

“Ugh… I’m full already.”
“But you want to get stronger, right?”

“Grrr… Here, Big bro, you eat too!”
“You little!”

While I was loading up Mitsuru’s plate with meat and vegetables, he took the opportunity to load up mine as well.
Once it was on the plate, not eating wasn’t an option. We faced our meals side by side.

As Shiraishi-san had said, there was a lot of food. Even with eight people, there was plenty, so it was a challenge not to have any leftovers.

By the time we finished the closing dish of yakisoba, Mitsuru and I were thoroughly defeated. Inside the log house, we lay side by side.

“Haa… haa… We ate. We ate, Yuko-san.”
“Good muscles come from good nutrition. Keep it up.”

“Osu…!”

Although Kirishima-san aims to become an instructor, she’s already got one foot in the door. Her whip of love will soon start hitting the newcomers.

I tried to get up and join in the cleanup.

“Itsuki-nii, you should rest.”
“I’m… fine…”

“You don’t say you’re fine when you’re actually okay. Come on, sit in the chair.”

Nina pulled over a chair from the living room and made me sit down.

“We’ll finish cleaning up in no time, so just stay there, okay?”
“Alright.”

An older brother who can’t stand up to his little sister. Thanks to Nina, everything in the Isshiki household runs smoothly.

As Nina had promised, the cleanup was over in no time. Once we gathered the disposable items into a bag, there wasn’t much left to wash. We’d just take the trash bag to the management building in the morning and that would be it.

Shiraishi-san approached carrying Mutsuki.

“Mutsuki-kun seems sleepy, so it might be better to put him in the bath first.”

“Right, then we’ll go ahead and bathe. Mitsuru—”
“Yeah.”

We drew a bath and prepared a change of clothes, then the three of us guys went to bathe. With Mutsuki nearly asleep, it took both of us to wash him and get him into the bathtub. We took turns washing ourselves and, once warmed up, got out. We dried off with towels and changed into pajamas.

When we returned to the living room, Sena and Seika were working on their picture diary. Watching them surrounded by serenity, I finished brushing Mutsuki’s teeth. I let him do it himself at first, then followed up with a thorough final brush. Recently, I’ve been able to leave this part to Mitsuru.

As the women finished their baths and prepared for bed, we all shifted to sleep mode. Having run around so much, even Kirishima-san seemed drowsy. We divided ourselves into two rooms by gender and settled into our futons.

Mitsuru and Mutsuki quickly began to breathe softly in sleep.
In the dark room, I was the only one who couldn’t sleep. Despite my tired body, my mind was overly alert.

Wanting to feel the night breeze, I stepped out onto the wood deck. I put on the provided sandals. The barbecue smoke scent still lingered. We were just grilling moments ago. Running around on the lawn felt as though it happened mere minutes ago.

It had been a fun day. I wished days like this could last forever.
I truly felt that way, yet—

A sound at the sliding window made me turn around. Shiraishi-san stood there. In an oversized T-shirt and shorts, her slender limbs appeared so pale, and her expression seemed softer than usual.

“Can’t sleep either, Isshiki-kun?”
“Yes.”

“Me neither. Ever since I was a kid, I couldn’t sleep well on days I had fun.”
“For me… it’s thoughts.”

Leaning against the railing of the deck, I looked up at the night sky. The clear air here made the stars seem so visible.

“What were you thinking about?”

Shiraishi-san joined me and gazed up at the same sky.

“If I can consistently make Area 4 my hunting ground, an adventurer’s annual income exceeds 10 million yen. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah. Without the uncertainty of the Undead King’s curse and with enemies being consistently strong, for most adventurers, reaching Area 4 is the goal.”

Shiraishi-san shifted her gaze from the stars to me.

“Beyond Area 5, almost no one advances just for money.”
“…..…”

I became an adventurer to support my family. Everything has been going smoothly, almost too smoothly. We don’t struggle for a place to live, food to eat, or clothes to wear. I can help others chase their dreams. We can even play together.

Yet, why does my heart feel uneasy?

I vowed to live for my family. It’s what I wished for and what I believed would make me happy. I still believe that.

Yet, I am…

“When you have a steady income, there’s no reason to keep your family waiting or to leap into danger, right?”
“….Yes.”

Then, my adventure ends at Area 4.

Closing my eyes, I surrendered to the gentle wind. This is fine, I kept telling myself. Stable life. Peaceful everyday life. Everything I wanted is here right before me.

“Hey, Isshiki-kun.”
“Yes?”

“What do you want to become?”
“……..”

I was at a loss for words.

After all the talk about making Nina think about which high school she wants to attend or what club Mitsuru wants to join, I realized I hadn’t considered my own future at all.

“I… until recently, I didn’t think I could become anything. So, I honestly don’t know.”

Venturing into dungeons allowed me to discover a talent I didn’t know I had, something entrusted to me, something I could inherit—I began to think there might be something I could become.

For the money.
But it wasn’t just that; a fire had ignited within me.

Resting my arms on the railing, I hid my face within them, sighing. An unspeakable heaviness compressed my chest, making it unbearable.

“I don’t believe people are truly free. Each person carries responsibilities, goals they want to reach, and living selfishly doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness. Living with limitations allows others to maintain their smiles. —But ,”

I hear the chirping of insects. I think that’s the sound of autumn.

I don’t know the names of the stars illuminating Shiraishi-san, but their light enveloped us with an even brilliance.

“Whatever future you choose, I’ll be cheering for you, Itsuki-kun.”

Her smile was radiant beyond measure for me.
Eyes averted, I bit down on my lip. Faking a smile was my only act of bravado.

◇

September.
Once school resumed and life settled into a routine, I headed back to the dungeons.

To warm up, I dashed through the Sacrificial Forest and delved into the Polar Night Spirit Path for the first time in a month.

With the curse lifted, it seems more adventurers have chosen this as their hunting ground lately. Even if I target the skeletons, I doubt I’ll earn as much as before.

Heading directly for the next area, I chose paths that seemed to descend, following Kirishima-san’s advice.

Before the gate, I found myself surrounded by the undead. There were seven.

Drawing my right hand from beneath my cloak, I began to weave magic.

“I will borrow your power—Haruto-san.”

The magic entrusted to me by him, [Law of the Blade], enhances the sharpness of anything I imbue with it. Combining it with the incomplete [Frostbite]—

The shattered ice crystals each became lethal blades.

“Ice Blade Dance.”

Swiftly spinning, the icy blades slashed through the undead, leaking mana until they perished.
The remains, worth only 300 yen, were left behind. I pressed on forward.

I have no hand to grasp, yet still, I push beyond the gate.

A crossroads of a grounded reality and a pursued dream lies ahead. Onward to the Area 4, the [Fallen Holy City].