Chapter 23: Another Hero Party
"âIt was like that, you know? Pretty fun, intense, and totally had that âheroâ vibe."
While training solo in the dungeon, Kazuya had encountered another hero party on the ninth floor.
Unlike someone like Dominic, this guy was a passionate hot-blooded type, an A-rank hero named Roy who wielded fire magic and radiated a red auraâhis ability was called Blazing Awakening.
That party also included a retired hero named Joseph, nearly fifty years old and formerly S-rank. He had taken Roy in as a disciple and, just like Kazuya, had him dive into the dungeon for the sake of training.
Joseph, also a fire-user and a former S-rank hero, was apparently still able to use Azure Awakening to some extent.
Blazing, Azure⌠What even is that, I thought, but apparently you can just name the first part of your "Awakening" however you like, so I guess thatâs how it works. Based on the names, Royâs flames are probably red and Josephâs are blue.
Royâs girlfriend Claudia, an A-rank ranger and Josephâs daughter, was also in the party. Then there was Wyndham, Royâs childhood friend and an A-rank warrior who served as the tank. The last members were Erin and Corin, twin sisters of B-rank whoâd joined the party along the way to the royal capitalâErin as a healer, and Corin handling support. That made it a six-person team.
Pretty well-balanced, Iâd say. Their relationships seemed interesting too.
Honestly, compared to our party, just about any group looks balanced. After all, itâs just Kazuya acting as both attacker and tank, and me handling healing, support, offense, and pretty much everything else.
Kazuya hit it off with Roy and temporarily joined their party. He spent about two days on the lower floors training against A-rank enemies. He even learned how to use Awakening from Joseph and picked up a few tricks for his Golden Awakening.
Good to see he hasnât lost sight of his goals.
"He said heâs going to keep training in the dungeon for a while, so we might run into him again. By the way, youâre coming into the dungeon with me starting tomorrow, right?"
Yeah, thatâs the plan. But thereâs just one thing thatâs bothering me.
"Thatâs the idea, but⌠isnât Dominic still around? I really donât wanna run into him in the same dungeon."
When I said that, Kazuya responded cheerfully.
"If thatâs what youâre worried about, relax. Dominicâs not in the capital or the dungeon anymore. After he took down that executive, he got summoned to the castle. Once that was over, he left the capital right away. So you wonât be seeing him in the dungeon."
Well, in that case, I guess thereâs no problem. Honestly, I really donât ever want to see him again.
"âŚI see. Then yeah, Iâll go into the dungeon with you."
When I said that, Kazuya smiled warmly, clearly happy.
The next morning, I was embraced like always. But this time, it wasnât just a one-sided hug from Kazuya. When I wrapped my arms around his back too, as if seeking his warmth, he murmured my name and held me a little tighter.
It wasnât overwhelming like beforeâjust the right kind of closeness.
Surrounded by Kazuyaâs scent, his warmth, and his strong body, I felt this burst of joy and excitement. I felt like dancing, or jumping for joy.
In that happy moment, Kazuya suddenly leaned in and nibbled on the tip of my ear.
"Hyah!?"
The unexpected action made me let out a squeak. But Kazuya didnât pull away. He gently nibbled and softly licked the tip of my ear, almost like he was savoring it.
The sensation was ticklish, almost teasing, and the sound of his tongue echoed deep in my mind, making me feel⌠strange.
At first, it was just uncomfortable. But as I got used to it, that discomfort shifted into something elseâsomething that felt⌠addictive.
In the end, I never got around to saying âstop,â and after a short while, Kazuya let go of both his mouth and his hold.
"Thanks for the meal!"
"âŚThatâs not something you say! What the hell was that for!? You scared me!"
I protested while covering my ear.
The tip was slightly damp, a clear sign that it had been in his mouth, licked.
"I mean, your long ears were twitching right in front of me! That never happened before. They were just so cute, I couldnât help myself."
Kazuya said it so casually.
Twitching earsâŚ? What even is that? That makes it sound like I was happy⌠Like Iâm some dog wagging its tail⌠That canât be rightâno way!
âCould it be because Iâve started to realize my feelings? Started to become more conscious of them? Is that why those emotions are showing on the outside?
Still, my ears moving like that is way too obvious!
"By the way, I kind of just ended up licking your ear, but⌠you werenât disgusted, right? You didnât say you didnât like it."
Ugh, he really asked that?
"âŚWell, it felt weird at first, but⌠I guess I didnât really hate it. YeahâŚ"
âŚWhy did I answer honestly?
If Iâd just lied and said it was gross or that I hated it, he probably wouldnât do it again.
"Really? Thatâs good. But hey, if you ever do hate something, make sure you say so, okay? Iâm not trying to force anything on you, Miki."
"Yeah⌠I know."
I nodded, and instinctively reached up to touch the ear Kazuya had licked once more.
The two of us dove into the dungeon together.
Even though Kazuya said it had only been five days, he had grown so much stronger it was like looking at a different person. He advanced through the floors with ease.
This time, we had agreed not to use any body enhancement magic. Unless the situation became truly dangerous, we decided I wouldnât use support magic on Kazuya while we were inside the dungeon.
And yet, before I knew it, weâd already breezed through the fifth floor.
Starting from the sixth floor, we decided to take turns fighting the groups of monsters so I could gain some combat experience too.
Even so, we made it past the tenth floor in less than a day, and finally set up camp for the night in a small chamber on the eleventh floor.
From the eleventh floor onward, A-rank monsters would begin to appear. So as part of our training, we chose not to use mapping magic and instead take our time clearing the area.
When facing lone enemies, we fought in turns; against groups, we worked together. Progress was steady.
Then, on the thirteenth floor, we ran into another party.
It turned out to be the hero party Kazuya had told me about the other dayâRoy and his team.
âYo, Kazuya! So this is that girlfriend youâve been bragging about, Miki, right?â
âŚGirlfriend? Huh? Wait, what?
I tugged on Kazuyaâs hand and lowered my voice to a whisper.
âHey. Whatâs this all about?â
Kazuya gave me an awkward look, obviously flustered.
âUhh, well, you know⌠itâs justâlook! With Dominic and other guys, remember? Itâd be a pain if they started hitting on you again. But if I say youâre my girlfriend, then theyâll back off, right? So, itâs safer that way!â
âYou couldâve at least told me yesterdayâŚâ
Heâs always been like this, hasnât he?
Not that I mind if other men look at me anymoreânow, it only makes me uncomfortable. But if I let Kazuya know that, heâd just get cocky. So for now, Iâll just play along, acting like I had no choice.
âPlease! Just pretend to be my girlfriend for now, just for appearancesâplease!â
â...Ugh, fine. Iâll go along with it. But Iâm just pretending, alright? Pretending.â
âAhh, youâre the best!â
Kazuya turned back to Roy and the others and introduced me.
âLet me introduce youâthis is Miki, my girlfriend! Sheâs amazing. And Miki, these are the guys I told you about yesterdayâRoy and his team.â
âNice to meet you. Iâm Miki Claire, a mage. Pleased to make your acquaintance.â
I gave a simple, polite self-introduction.
âIâm Roy. Great to meet ya!â
He held out his hand for a handshake.
I hesitated just slightly, then took it.
There was nothing uncomfortable about itâthis much, at least, I could handle.
After that, I greeted the rest of the party as well, and we parted ways for the time being.
We agreed to share a meal together the following night.
After that, Kazuya and I cleared the fourteenth floor together. Beyond it, there was nothing left. With that, we had fully conquered all dungeon floors.
It was a bit disappointing that there wasnât some S-rank monster boss waiting for us at the deepest level, but that couldnât be helped.
In the end, we completed the whole run without me ever using any support magic like body enhancement on Kazuya.
Considering how the first time went, this showed just how much he had powered up.
Honestly, the growth rate of a Hero is astounding.
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