Madness of the Blue Blood Labyrinth - Chapter 7
“Damn.”
I realized I hadn’t asked Yoshida for any details about the Explorer. Not even their name or gender. I got ahead of myself. I should reflect on that.
I pulled out my phone to contact him.
It was neatly split in half.
Oh right, it got smashed by a creature in the dungeon. Something like a rhino, or maybe a bull, a big one. It was an ancient, dirt-cheap model anyway, and I was thinking of replacing it, so I don’t really care.
But it’s still a hassle. Going all the way to Yoshida, who’s probably at the library writing his report right now, is a huge pain.
…Then again, there aren’t many facilities the liberal arts students use, and there aren’t that many of them to begin with. If this Explorer is on campus, they should be wearing the same wristband device as me. Asking around might be faster.
“Hey, you. I heard there’s an Explorer in the history department. Do you know anything about that?”
“That’s me.”
Finding the senior Explorer went about seventeen times smoother than I expected.
You wouldn’t think the first person you talk to would be the one you’re looking for. It feels like I wasted some luck on this.
“So, what do you want? If you’re trying to hit on me, I’ve still got lectures, so save it for later.”
The girl in front of me waved her hand lazily, looking nothing like the vague mental image I had of her. I pictured someone quiet, scholarly—your typical history department student. But here she was, giving off major downer vibes, like someone who sighs every five minutes.
“I’m not hitting on you. It’s about this.”
I flicked the wristband device with my finger.
Wait, she’s not even wearing hers. Weren’t we told to have it on at all times?
“I’m a new Explorer, just started recently. I came to ask for some guidance from a senior.”
“…I see.”
Trying to be a little cheeky, I gave a formal introduction. The senior Explorer looked up at me for a moment before pulling her wristband out of the pocket of her long, all-black hoodie and tapping it against mine.
“Huh? What was that? And why keep it stuffed in your pocket?”
“I just sent you my contact info. I keep mine off when I’m not working. It’s bulky and annoying.”
The core of the device lit up, and a small holographic display appeared, projecting into the air.
*[You’ve been invited to a private chat room by ‘Rize Sakakibara.’]*
Wait, this thing has a chat feature?
I haven’t even read the manual yet. Actually, I don’t even remember where I put it.
“I’ll message you after my lecture. If you’ve got a favor to ask, at least buy me dinner.”
She was completely unfazed.
But, well, that’s fair.
“Okay. What do you want?”
“Meat.”
Simple enough.
I was kind of bracing myself, half expecting some ridiculously fancy dish with a long, foreign name, based on some weird idea that the longer the name, the higher the ‘girl power.’