Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Flying in the Sky
Work from the government has arrived immediately.
Apparently, they want me to handle the aftermath of a past major nuclear power plant accident.
On the site, a massive amount of "something" treated water has been left abandoned, and huge tanks stretch endlessly.
They seem to want me to clean this up, but can I really do something like that?
I don't know until I try, but I demanded 50 billion yen as a success fee.
If the national budget is going to be spent, they say it will cost 500 billion, so if it can be done for 50 billion, it's a bargain.
It was once said that cleanup would cost over 20 trillion yen, yet 30 years have passed and nothing has been resolved.
Perhaps if the magic of dungeons is clarified, it might be cleaned up with that, but 30 years have already passed since the accident occurred――.
If something that couldn't be solved yet moves forward one step for 50 billion, it's a bargain.
That's what I think, but――since special interests will disappear, it seems there are politicians who dislike this.
The Prime Minister who conveyed the plan to me is currently in the middle of preliminary groundwork.
As for me, I have no intention of lowering the price, so I can only hope the plan doesn't stall.
Because it looks troublesome……
No matter how much adventurers are said to be strong against radiation……
Well, I don't know if I can actually do anything about it either.
A few days passed, and I was expecting the plan to fall through――.
While eating breakfast, a message came from the Prime Minister.
『Are you okay today?』
"I'm fine…… it's just diving into a dungeon."
『In that case, please accompany me for a bit.』
According to him, a helicopter is coming to the roof of the hotel where we stayed before.
Seriously?
Well, the Prime Minister must be busy, and time must be precious.
It seems the helicopter will arrive in about an hour.
I might be away for a while, so I'll tell everyone just in case.
Of course, I can't talk about the details of the work.
There's a duty of confidentiality for this kind of thing.
They didn't explain it like that, but they probably judged that since I'm an old man, I know that much.
"Everyone, sorry―― I might be away for a while."
"What? The government job you mentioned before?"
Kirara is gnawing on bread.
"Yes. I haven't decided if I'll accept it yet."
"What kind of work is it?"
Sana looks worried, but I can't tell her.
"Well, it's fine. More importantly, I won't be able to prepare meals for a while, so make sure you eat properly, okay?"
"……"
Everyone falls silent.
Sana and Ren are understandable, but Kirara can't cook either?
"Eh?! You can't eat Daisuke's cooking?!"
Mio shouted loudly.
"I have some work to do, so I might not be able to come back for a while."
"Ugh, I want to eat Daisuke's cooking……"
Since the pouting girl is cute, I picked her up and patted her head.
"Sorry~"
"Boo~"
Setting Mio aside, will the other girls be okay?
"I've already given you money, so you won't have trouble eating, right? Make sure you eat a balanced diet."
"……"
Kirara is silent too.
"Hey, hey, even Kirara? Don't you have something to do before playing rich?"
"What? You think since I'm a woman, housework is natural? That's sexism against women!"
"I never meant that―― but you don't plan to get married or have children, do you?"
"It's just that there's no man worthy of me!"
She, who has no eyebrows, puffs out her chest.
"Suppose there was a tall, handsome, highly educated, real rich man. If that man were to choose a woman, he could pick and choose. I can't imagine such a man choosing Kirara……"
"That's none of your business, right?!"
"Go to a matchmaking party and stand next to Sana, and all the men will go for Sana."
"This is why men are……"
Kirara, with a face like a Hannya mask, bit into her bread.
"Isn't the new channel popular? How about getting them from there?"
"That's a joke."
Apparently, those are just customers.
While talking about such silly things, a message came from the Prime Minister.
It seems the helicopter will arrive in about 30 minutes.
"Oh, oh no! We don't have time for such boring talk. We got word the helicopter is coming."
"Helicopter?!"
Kirara is surprised by my words.
"It's government work. We'll fly straight to the site, right? It means I've become someone who can enjoy luxury at taxpayer expense."
"Gnnn……"
"Daisuke, amazing!"
Kirara looks frustrated, and Ren looks envious.
"What exactly are we doing?"
"There's a duty of confidentiality for that kind of thing, so I can't talk about it. You might find out eventually."
"Daisuke-san, please be careful."
"Only Sana says that to me, hahaha."
"I think Daisuke will be fine, though……"
Ren pouted a little.
"Haha, thank you."
"While Daisuke-san is gone, I will level up properly!"
Sana is putting her heart into it.
"Don't overdo it. Also, men will come to Kirara's channel customers, so be careful."
"I'm fine."
"I'll blast those guys away!"
"I leave it to Kirara."
Well, I can't chat too much anymore.
The helicopter seems to be coming soon.
I quickly prepared and ran out of the inn.
The destination―― naturally, the big hotel where we stayed before.
I wove through the crowd and headed for the building towering into the sky.
Passing through the huge revolving door, I walked on the marble floor toward the front desk.
"Um, I'm Niwa. I heard a helicopter is coming to the roof, so I came…… do you know?"
I feel like I'm asking something absurd myself.
"Yes, Niwa-sama? We received your contact. An attendant will be with you shortly, so please wait."
"Yes."
While waiting, a woman in a suit came.
"Please, this way."
"Yes."
Passing through a door that ordinary people don't enter, walking down a narrow corridor, an elevator was at the end.
I got on with the woman.
It seems to be a special elevator that only stops at a specific floor.
It's just to the roof.
"Do you know what kind of helicopter is coming?"
"No, only that it's from the government."
"I see."
The illuminated numbers on top moved further to the right, and with a shrill sound, we arrived at the destination floor.
The door opened.
This is still inside the building.
Stepping out the door while looking at the suit-clad woman's rear, a strong wind blew.
The woman's hair was wildly disheveled.
On the concrete floor of the roof surrounded by a high fence, a huge white circle and the letter H were painted.
It seems quite windy, but will it be okay?
I looked around the sky, but there was no sign of a helicopter.
It seems there is still time.
More than that, there aren't many chances to go up to the roof of such a building.
I headed to the edge of the building.
There's a fence so I can't see directly below, but I can overlook the entire Special District.
I took out my smartphone and recorded a video.
This will make good material.
Walking around the perimeter of the roof, I filmed the Special District in a circle.
While enjoying the nice view, a loud noise approached.
"Eh?!"
Since the aircraft flying over was different from what I imagined, I was surprised.
Ordinary helicopters have rotors spinning around above their heads, but what flew over was somewhat different.
It had large propellers at the tips of its wings, and the angle of those changed.
There was a vehicle called Osprey that was noisy in the past, and this is said to be its successor model.
A red rising sun mark is visible on the white-painted fuselage.
"A tiltrotor aircraft?!"
I couldn't help but point my smartphone and take a picture.
There aren't many chances to see this up close.
It's not a secret aircraft, so it should be fine to photograph it.
Raising the propellers upward while creating a loud noise and terrible wind, the aircraft landed on the hotel roof.
The hair of the woman who guided me is in a terrible state.
The door of the landing aircraft opened, and a ramp came out, so I ran toward it.
"Thank you very much~"
I'll thank the lady who guided me just in case.
I managed to reach the ramp despite the strong headwind.
"Are you Niwa-san!?"
A young woman with short hair wearing a suit stuck her head out.
At first glance, she looks like a sports type, tall, and seems like she might play volleyball.
The engine noise and wind made the surroundings noisy, so her voice was loud too.
"Yes!!"
"The Prime Minister is waiting for you!"
Did he come on this too?
When I entered the aircraft, the ramp went up.
The metal sound of the engine grew higher and changed to a high-frequency sound, and soon the aircraft lifted off, taking flight into the air.
Below, the cityscape of the Special District is visible.
"Oh~ amazing~"
I tried to take a photo with my smartphone, but since the Prime Minister is waiting, I followed the woman's instructions.
"This way!"
Inside the aircraft, there was nothing; a narrow space with a metal framework stretched out.
Usually, they probably load luggage or soldiers here.
Going to the front of the aircraft, there was a door, and opening it revealed about six chairs lined up.
"Good morning!"
The Prime Minister was sitting there, so I greeted him.
It's troublesome that he goes this far.
"Yo, sorry to make you rush."
"No, no, Prime Minister, you're so busy, isn't it tough for you?"
"Hahaha―― well, that's true, but we have to clean that up sooner or later."
"That" refers to the aftermath of the nuclear power plant accident.
"Dungeons that suddenly appeared in the world might disappear at any time."
"That's right. Those guys don't understand that."
"No, they surely understand? Everyone is from top-tier universities."
"Hahaha, that's true……"
The Prime Minister has a troubled look on his face.
Even though it's a national crisis, I think they shouldn't be talking about special interests……
"Does this mean the groundwork is finished since the Prime Minister came this far?"
"Well. It seems they can pay the amount you mentioned."
"It's cheaper than making useless big box structures."
"That's right!"
"But―― that's a story if it succeeds. Can it be done with my Item Box?"
"We're going to verify that now!"
Well, the work probably isn't just cleaning up the nuclear power plant, and they might be asking for other jobs too.
"Did you do the same with other people who have Item Boxes?"
"Yes. Other adventurers were completely useless."
It seems things like they couldn't fit big items or the capacity wasn't enough?
After all, I've never seen anyone else with an Item Box.
"The people who opposed this case probably think it should fail, right?"
"Well, that's probably it, but we can't say that."
As mentioned earlier, if we don't finish it while the dungeon exists, we might lose the opportunity.
It's a rare chance after all.
I interrupted the conversation for a moment to photograph the scenery outside.
Such chances rarely come.
"Is it true that adventurers are strong against radiation?"
"Yes, that has been confirmed."
Flying along the coast for about 30 minutes, the destination came into view.
A graveyard of giant cylindrical tombstones spread below.
It seems there are about 1,000 metal tanks.
They are processing it bit by bit and flowing it into the sea, but it never decreases.
"Wow, the tanks are bigger than I thought……"
"One tank holds 1,000 tons of water."
The woman sitting with the Prime Minister answered.
"1,000 tons?! I don't think it will fit in an Item Box. Besides, those are fixed to the ground, right?"
"Yes."
About 1,000 tanks holding 1,000 tons each.
"Prime Minister―― how do you expect me to do something with this?"
"That's right! We have to do something!"
"That's crazy……"
"If you force your way through, logic retreats."
"No, no……"
While I was dumbfounded, the aircraft entered landing mode.
While hovering, it slowly descended.
About a few dozen seconds later, a strong impact was transmitted to the aircraft―― it seems it touched down.
From the window, the ground and a mountain of huge tanks are visible.
The engine doesn't seem to stop, so it will take off soon.
"This way."
I was led behind by the woman.
The Prime Minister remained on board, so it seems we are heading somewhere like this.
It feels like I'm just hitching a ride.
The ramp in the middle of the aircraft is lowered, so I went out from there.
I separated from the aircraft, almost blown away by the terrible wind from the rotating wings above.
After confirming safety, the aircraft's engine sound grew even higher.
It seems to take off as is.
Floating up lightly, it began to ascend diagonally upward.
Watching the big white bird fly away, I was urged by the woman.
"This is it."
"Yes, yes."
Walking through a valley lined with mountains of white metal tanks.
Following her, there were a few workers wearing helmets and work clothes around.
It seems this place is not uninhabited.
Is the radiation here okay?
After walking for a few minutes, there was a place where smaller tanks were lined up compared to the huge tanks around.
These don't seem to be fixed to the ground.
There are three of them―― large, medium, and small.
Basically, they probably want to check if these fit into my Item Box.
"These are a 10-ton tank, a 50-ton tank, and a 100-ton tank."
"Heh~"
The 10-ton tank is about 3 meters high―― it's a circular tank.
Anyway, I think this will fit?
"Can I try with the 10-ton tank first?"
"Yes, please."
"What's this? What are you doing?"
The workers around gathered.
Are you guys okay with your work?
"Store!"
The white tank in front of my eyes disappeared.
"Ooh~?!"
"Disappeared?!"
"What is this?"
"Here."
I took it out again from the Item Box.
"Oh~?!"
"This is―― the Item Box, right?!"
"Now that I think about it, I saw it on the news……"
Even these old men at the construction site know about it?
National news?
My local grandparents and the farmers next door might know this too.
I'll be teased when I get home……
"For now, it seems the 10-ton tank is no problem."
The woman is taking notes on her smartphone.
"Yes, I've put cars in before, so this size should be fine."
"Then, please do the next one."
"Yes."
Next is the 50-ton tank.
This one is a square plastic, or FRP? It feels like it was made urgently.
Well, it's probably disposable anyway, but where will they throw it in a dungeon?
I can't go back and forth to Tokyo every time.
That place is crowded with people.
No, before that, the problem is whether the huge tanks can be stored in my Item Box.
This tank seems to be 5m x 5m x 2m in size.
"Store!"
"Ooh~!!"
"Amazing!"
"Amazing! This fits too?!"
Even the government woman who guided me is surprised.
"Hasn't anyone been able to store this before?"
"Yes."
Next is the 100-ton tank.
This one feels like the previous tank doubled in size.
――That means, 10m x 5m x 2m…….
I tried this one too, and it was successfully stored.
Cheers rose again.
"H-how big can it go?"
"Well. This one is about 10m wide, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"For now, if it's 10m, it should fit……"
If 10m x 5m x 2m is 100 tons, then a 10m square would be 200 tons, and if the height is 4m, it would be 400 tons.
"Um! Can you come over here?!"
"Yes, yes."
Following her, I went to a slightly distant place.
There was an even bigger square tank there.
"This is a 400-ton tank!"
"There really is a 400-ton tank."
"Due to material strength issues, this seems to be the largest tank."
"Well, since it's FRP……"
I tried putting this one in the Item Box too―― it fit.
"It fits!"
She is excited.
"It fits."
I feel like it would be okay even bigger, but with iron tanks, cost and production time would be problems.
Anyway, they'll probably throw it away after the work is done.
"If we make a cubic tank with length, width, and height of 10m, it would be 1,000 tons……"
"It's unclear if making that size will actually fit. For now."
"Then, since tanks up to 400 tons are usable at the current situation, we will proceed with the plan using 400 tons!"
If we can transport 10 tanks a day, that's 4,000 tons in total―― four treated water tanks.
There are said to be over 1,000 in total, so even that would take more than 250 days…….
I want to speed up more.
"Yes, understood―― so, is that it for today?"
"No, there is a place where I'd like you to accompany me a bit more, is that okay?"
"Yes, I came prepared to waste the whole day."
"Thank you."
She started contacting people here and there.
She's probably ordering new tanks.
Is she doing this alone?
If so, it's quite tough.
I took out a canned coffee from the Item Box and took a break.
After relaxing for about 30 minutes, it seems the task is done.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Would you like to drink?"
I tried to give her a canned coffee too.
"Eh?! Um―― I am terribly sorry, but accepting things from civilians during work could be considered bribery……"
"Oh, I see~ That's troublesome, hahaha."
She said there is a place she wants to take me.
"I understand. I'll accompany you."
"Thank you."
I went to a place lined with office buildings and such with her.
The woman entered the building, so I waited for a while.
"I borrowed it!"
She showed me a key, but it was probably a car key.
She seems to take me somewhere in it.
Following her, I got into a white wagon car.
The kind often seen at construction sites.
"Is the place far?"
"Um, about 20km."
"Is it in the mountains?"
"Yes."
"Then about 30 minutes."
In the northern land of my hometown, a 50km car ride is normal, so I don't think much of it.
Even the home center I often went to is easily 50km round trip.
The wagon car carrying two people started running toward the mountains.
At first, it ran on the national highway, weaving through mountain valleys.
"Sorry, I didn't ask your name――"
"I apologize. My name is Hareyama."
"Hareyama-san? I'm Niwa. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, nice to meet you."
"Hareyama-san, are you doing this work alone?"
"Yes―― um, since no one else would do it."
"Well, it's a troublesome job related to nuclear power plants that are no longer used, and you have to deal with adventurers you don't understand."
"Ahaha……"
She seems to be a government official from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy.
"Entering the ministry as an elite, only to clean up trash. No one would want to do that, I guess."
"Uranium and plutonium are gone, but radiation sources remain―― indeed, no one raised their hand."
"Then, why you?"
"It seemed interesting…… and if the Item Box really exists, I wanted to see it."
"So, what was your impression after seeing it?"
"It's amazing! With that, it seems you can do anything, right?!"
"Well, there's no doubt you can do various things. That's why you're being talked about and might be targeted."
Hearing my words, she made a difficult face.
"Do you really think people targeting Niwa-san will actually appear?"
"Well, as I said earlier, there's a possibility that anything goes, so many organizations and countries might want it."
"The Prime Minister said the same, but is that really possible?"
"I don't know…… Isn't part of why this job is disliked because of that?"
"Oh, I see~!"
This woman seems to have completely ignored the danger that someone might attack to target the Item Box.
I want to believe I don't have it either―― but once I use this, I think to myself that it can be abused freely.
She smiles bitterly at the seriousness of the situation.
She seems surprisingly thick-skinned, and this personality seems to suit adventurers.
Well, since she worked hard to get on the career track, she doesn't need to do a business like adventurer, which is 8○3.
We entered a forest road partway, but it seemed maintained, and dump trucks were running.
Are they doing construction?
About 30 minutes by car, we arrived in the mountains.
Many heavy machines were entering, and it seems they were cutting open the mountain and leveling the ground.
Getting off the parked wagon car and heading toward the forest, a locked fence came into view.
Two security men were standing in front of it.
She showed some kind of card, and the security guard scanned it and let us pass.
Walking through the dense forest.
What could be in such a remote forest?
Maybe a secret base? A secret research facility?
After walking for a while, a concrete wall appeared in the valley.
"What is this?"
Well, security in such a mountain―― it's not a proper facility, is it?