Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: Back to the Nuclear Power Plant Ruins
After being sent to the depths of the dungeon and disliked by the girls at the guild, various troubles arose, and the work of processing nuclear waste at the plant ruins, which had been left idle, was finally resumed.
The only difference from before is that the Princess and Kaorulko are coming along with me.
I suppose they heard my story about the unprepared dungeon and decided they wanted to go.
After consulting with Hareyama-san, the official in charge at the government office, it was decided that they could come along.
The three of us arrived at the nuclear power plant ruins and began work.
Following Hareyama-san to the site, we found six brand-new plastic tanks.
Inside, the treated water was already filled to the brim.
Ten tanks fit inside my Item Box, but I had discarded three into the dungeon, and the remaining one contained hot spring water from the dungeon.
Speaking of which, I have no use for hot spring water.
It would be bad if I tried to sell it and something went wrong.
There are six tanks left in my Item Box.
"Alright, I'll take out the remaining tanks from my storage."
With space made, I lined up six huge white tanks.
By the time I return, have these huge containers filled to the brim with treated water.
"Ooooh!"
"You're still amazing!"
"Hey, aren't you bringing a beautiful lady today?"
The workers at the site seem curious about the presence of the Princess and her group.
Well, it can't be helped.
There aren't many women around here anyway.
The Princesses have their hoods pulled deep over their heads to hide their bodies, but underneath, they are wearing bikini armor or Breast-Curtain Dress equipment.
If you saw that, you might be shocked and have nightmares about it.
"Storage!"
I put the tanks containing the treated water into my Item Box.
"Thank you very much."
"How many days are left?"
"Judging by this, it should be done in a few days."
"It really was just a little bit more, and we got caught up in trouble... I'm sorry."
"No, no, both the Prime Minister and we ourselves are aware that we were pushing too hard."
"Well, I was worried in that dark dungeon that you might be angry..."
"That's... when your life was in danger, there was no time for that..."
"Well, that is true, haha."
According to Hareyama-san, since it was an accident inside the dungeon, the plan was that I wouldn't be coming back.
That seemed to be the official story.
If I wasn't coming back, it would mean disposing of a huge amount of treated water first, and then transporting and discarding the rest into the dungeon on my own.
It seems such a plan had been drawn up.
Since about 80% to 90% is already complete, things might work out somehow with that.
"Alright, shall we go?"
"Yes... um, since we can't use a helicopter with only a tiny bit left, I will have to move in my car..."
"Oh, that's fine."
It's about 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back.
There isn't much left, so there's no need to rush.
"Thank you."
I head towards the car with her.
"They came all the way here because they wanted to dive into the unprepared dungeon where the treated water is being dumped."
"Oh, so that's what it was."
"We apologize for the trouble."
"There is no trouble at all."
It seems that with the Cherry Princess coming, various improvements were made.
"..."
The Princesses follow behind.
We arrived at the parking lot.
"Huh? The car is different today?"
Last time it was a regular wagon, but now it's a black one-box car.
Next to it, a white camper van is parked.
Well, calling it a camper van, it's more like a microbus size.
It's a model I've never seen before; is it custom-made?
"Aha ha... um, it seems that when the Cherry Princess and the others come, cars are provided..."
It seems this is the improvement.
"Wow, this is a top-notch car."
"This camper van is nice too."
"Eh? Amazing!"
With this, full overnight stays are okay, aren't they?
As expected, the level of the rich is different—seriously, it's insane.
"But, since the son of a high-ranking official is coming, they suddenly ordered us to clean up the site immediately, or tidy it up..."
Did she think I would report the state of the site?
"Haha, that's a matter of good and bad."
"Grrr!"
Behind us, the Princess has a complicated expression.
She thinks she left home, but with the plane and the car, she is firmly under the palm of the Group.
It's difficult to say she rose up solely on her own merit like this.
Well, she was born holding a diamond spoon, so the starting point is different anyway.
"Princess, if you don't want to ride in this car, you can stay behind."
"There's no way I'd do something like that!"
She opened the sliding door and, without asking, rode to the back with Kaorulko.
"Will we be attacked by strange people while driving on the ground?"
"Yes, there are escorts, so it's fine."
"There was one survivor from the unit that was attacked; did you find out anything?"
"No~ um... I haven't been told anything myself..."
"Then it would be faster to ask the Prime Minister."
"Yes, that's right."
I opened the door on the passenger side.
Ah, it's narrow—I felt that.
There is a wall with a window right behind the seat.
With this, I can't move the seat back or recline it.
It's a chauffeur-driven car through and through, but compared to my usual car, it's undoubtedly far superior.
"This is the first time I've driven such an expensive-looking car."
Hareyama-san is fiddling with various parts.
"Are you okay driving?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
The car started moving quietly.
As expected of a high-end car, the ride is comfortable.
"Is this only usable while the Princess is here?"
"I think so. I'll use it until it's collected."
She takes her hands off the steering wheel.
It seems to support AI automatic driving.
I feel like there are escort cars following both in front and behind.
Especially this time, since the daughters of the Yaegashi Group are also on board, if anything happened, the government's face would be ruined.
The Princesses might have come along carefree, but the site must be in a frenzy.
Maybe they are even being resented...
The car runs smoothly with AI driving.
Before the world stood still, automatic driving on highways had already been realized, but now, due to the shortage of materials, cost is prioritized, and high-end cars—especially those equipped with options—are rare.
"Phew, this is so easy."
"That's right."
Even though it's called automatic driving, she is looking forward and lightly resting her hand on the handle.
Because it's not 100% trustworthy.
"Mm!"
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, the Princess stuck her head out the back window.
A scene I saw in a movie long ago flashes back.
"Darling is my Darling!"
The Princess started saying incomprehensible things.
"Eh?! Niwa-san and the Cherry Princess are in that kind of relationship?"
"Well, of course. Otherwise, they wouldn't come together, right?"
"Eh~ I thought they were just adventurer companions... and there's a big age gap..."
"Get lost!"
This time, a hand came out of the window.
"Miss Sakurako! If you don't stop, Darling will get annoyed with Daisuke-san."
"Guu guu..."
"Excuse me, could you stop the car for a moment?"
"Y-yes."
She switched from automatic to manual driving and stopped temporarily in a space by the roadside.
She opens the door and moves to the back.
The Princess is noisy, so I have no choice.
"Darling!"
The Princess jumped onto my lap and hugged me tightly.
"Ouch, ouch, there's armor on, so don't hug so hard... Sorry, Hareyama-san."
"It's fine, but please wait a moment."
"Yes, yes."
"I'm checking the car's functions... Ah! Is this it? 'Can you hear me?'"
Hareyama-san's voice came from the car speakers.
"Oh, I see, so we can talk between the back and the front with this."
"Yes."
"Princess, if you talk like this, it's fine, right? There's work talk too."
"...Fine."
"Troublesome..."
Kaorulko looks exasperated.
"Don't say it's troublesome!"
"Then we're departing~"
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
The car started moving again.
"Niwa-san, what was it like in the depths of the dungeon?"
Hareyama-san wanted to ask about that too.
Maybe the Prime Minister wanted to know.
"The ceiling was high, and there were large monsters like Dragons."
"I saw it in Niwa-san's video! It was huge!"
If you watched the video, don't you know what kind of place it is?
"Also, since it was unprepared, the cliffs were tough. We had to use tanks to clear them, but..."
"Oh~ I see, that's how it was."
"Also, there was a hot spring."
"Eh?! A hot spring?!"
"Yes, Floor 7. If exploration reaches that far and railways are built, it might become a tourist spot or have inns."
"Impossible—monsters are too strong."
The Princess interjected.
"It felt like a safe zone there, so if we secure the passage, maybe it won't be bad~"
"Amazing! Sounds fun."
"It's not fun at all."
It seems the Princess doesn't like the fact that I and Hareyama-san are having a pleasant conversation.
Well, once we arrive at the dungeon, the Princess and Kaorulko will probably go inside, and I have to return to the ruins.
30 minutes back, 30 minutes there—that means one hour.
I can talk about various things then.
"Yes, yes, I get it. The Princess is jealous."
"She's not jealous of anything..."
"So cute~"
I pat her head.
While trying to keep the Princess in a good mood, we arrived at the dungeon.
We parked the car and everyone got out, passing through a gate where security guards were standing.
The scenery is different from before—the number of heavy machinery has increased, and the forest has been cleared.
Are they seriously preparing the dungeon, or are they building some other facility?
Walking down a single road with four people, we saw the concrete-hardened entrance of the dungeon in a valley.
Several workers wearing helmets seem to be working.
"Good work today~!"
"Yo!" "Yo!"
When Hareyama-san called out, the men replied.
A man who looked like the foreman in work clothes ran over and started discussing with her, so I headed towards the dungeon entrance.
"Item Box guy~ No fighting today, right~?"
A bearded worker spoke to me.
Is he the same person as before?
"Haha, I think it's fine."
"I hope so."
"Even after that commotion, you're working at the same workplace? You have guts."
"Ha ha, the pay is good here."
As I talked with the man, other workers gathered.
It seems there are new young ones too.
I took canned coffee out of my Item Box and distributed it.
Hareyama-san had refused to accept things from civilians, saying it would be bribery, but the workers seemed fine with it.
"Oops, this one is a real Edo kid."
"O, you're an Edo kid?"
"Hahaha, you don't eat, you don't eat, you don't eat sushi."
"What's that?"
The young guys gave the old man's joke dirty looks.
"Didn't the young people hear that there was a gunfight here?"
"No, we heard... but honestly, the money is good. Besides, no one died at that time..."
"Well, that's true... What about that woman over there?"
"Those beauties are adventurers who came here for that dungeon."
I introduced the Princesses.
"Wow, they're amazing."
A young man among the workers raised his hand.
"Um... are those people... Cherry Princess and Empress?!"
"Haha, yes. They are famous too."
"Amazing!"
As I was talking with the men, Hareyama-san ran over.
"Niwa-san, it's OK!"
"Alright, let's start then!"
"Yes!" "Yo!"
"Princesses, please wait a moment."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to dump the water from the tanks."
I set up at the dungeon entrance and took out the tanks from my Item Box.
"Ooooh!"
Since it's been a while, the workers cheered again.
"I'll leave the rest to you."
"Alright!"
The workers swarmed around the tanks, and when they opened the valves underneath, water gushed out forcefully.
The sound gradually increased, eventually becoming a roar, like a giant waterfall.
The water plummeted into the dungeon, hitting the ground with a loud noise and bouncing back.
The force scattered water droplets around, and fine particles of water danced in the air.
The amount of water flowing out was overwhelming, with incredible power.
When I was a child, I once dammed a river to make a small dam, and releasing the accumulated water all at once was fun.
This is like an enlarged version of that; it makes me a little excited.
The flow of water continued without a single interruption, and the powerful current washed away the debris in the dungeon, carving out a path.
The surrounding soil and stones were washed away, and new paths formed by the flowing water became visible.
The flow widened like a river, covering the ground completely.
The sight made one feel the overwhelming energy of water.
That's what dynamism is.
It emptied quickly, so I stored the tank and took out the next one to release the water.
Repeating this.
It's easy work, but without the cheat of the Item Box, it would be quite difficult.
Transporting tanks with large trucks, lifting them with cranes...
Moreover, since normal heavy machinery can't be used at the dungeon entrance, maybe a steam crane or something... just thinking about it makes my head spin.
Just as I took out the last tank, I returned to where the Princesses were.
"Princess, I'll finish draining it soon, so you can go in after that."
"I understand."
"But, the monsters might have been washed away by the water."
"I have no use for grunts, so it doesn't matter."
"I only have one hour to go to the nuclear plant and come back...?"
"One hour—alright!"
"Are you okay?"
"If I'm not back, just pour it in as is, no problem."
I was dumbfounded by the Princess's words.
"Huh? Really? If you say things like that, I might actually do it?"
"Bring it on!"
Seriously—well, I feel like high-level adventurers shouldn't be affected just by being washed away by water.
"Well, the water coming out of the tanks has a strong initial force, but it will gradually diffuse, so in the depths, it might not be a big flow."
"I think so too."
When Kaorulko said that, she took out a clock from her own Item Box.
Since electricity can't be used inside the dungeon, it's a mechanical analog chronograph.
There is also a problem that the price of mechanical watches has skyrocketed because many adventurers want them.
New mechanical watches aren't being produced much while the world is in chaos.
Even the continent that was once the world's factory is in the midst of chaos.
For that reason, mechanical watches from a certain country that used to be sold cheaply have become popular.
These are copies of famous mechanical movements, and their performance is quite good.
Since they are copies of famous machines, there are advantages like many people being able to repair them.
Some people seem to be using pin-lever wristwatches from the Showa era.
Well, regarding the watches used by the two people in front of me—they shouldn't be cheap junk.
They seem to have some amazing chronographs.
Probably the kind that costs millions of yen each?
I left the dungeon to the Princesses, and I and Hareyama-san returned to the nuclear power plant ruins.
When we came, the Princess was angry that I and she were together, but now her consciousness is focused on the dungeon.
Without making unnecessary comments, we act quickly while she is in a good mood.
"Are those two okay? This place is completely unprepared..."
Hareyama-san is worried about the two of them.
"They are both top rankers, so they are fine, fine."
"If something happens, we will be in trouble..."
"In that case, just say there were no adventurers from the start—or that they sneaked into an unprepared dungeon. Adventurers are all responsible for themselves."
"Umm..."
She seems troubled too, but since the Prime Minister approved the adventurers' participation, it must be fine.
After seeing the Princesses enter the dungeon, I and Hareyama-san returned to the car.
"Phew..."
"Um..."
"What is it?"
"Is it true that you two are in a relationship?"
"Again, out of the blue."
"I'm sorry."
"It's true."
Hareyama-san started the car.
"Under what circumstances... is it still just an adventurer relationship?"
"I told you I was sent to the depths of the dungeon, right?"
"Yes."
She switched the car to automatic driving.
"Those two were sent there too. While cooperating to return to the surface, I guess they clicked."
"S-so, when you were working here, the two of you weren't dating?"
"Well, yes."
"Haaaaaah."
Hearing my story, she let out a huge sigh.
"What is that sigh for?"
"It means if I had attacked at the site, I would have had a chance, right?"
"Haaaaaaah?"
I let out a foolish voice at her sudden words.
"Um, if I had acted at that time..."
"Really to an old man like me? I'm just an ordinary old man with no merits."
"Eh?! But you have the Item Box! And you seem to be earning a huge amount of money too!"
"Well, if you say so, that's true..."
Does being an old man not count as a disadvantage?
"Haaaaaaah."
She buried her face in the steering wheel.
Is it that shocking?
Even if I pursued her here, I have no intention of switching targets.
The car continued running in an awkward atmosphere and returned to the nuclear power plant ruins.
The tanks I left behind were already filled to the brim with treated water.
I took out the empty ones and stored the full tanks back into my Item Box.
Getting into the car, we returned to the dungeon.
We repeated this for a while.
Normally, it should be a somewhat enjoyable drive with a beauty, but it's a bit awkward.
When we were silent for a while, she spoke up.
"Local wife, or mistress, is that okay?"
"Huh? In an era without this job, becoming a Class 1 civil servant would be a waste."
"T-that's true, but..."
What, does she not want to work?
No matter how much money I have, I don't want to be bullied...
If she said she had a goal and asked for support, I could understand, but...
"For now, I'm not troubled by women, so please don't worry."
"Eh? Niwa-san, are you that popular?"
"I'm just an old man, but for some reason, I'm popular lately. Maybe it's because I became an adventurer, haha."
Becoming high-level was truly a coincidence, but...
"Uuuu... I completely missed the boat."
"Is it really a matter of missing the boat?"
"This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, you know?"
"Well, I never expected things to turn out like that either."
"Still, I should have gone for it with a 'Gaa!' when the time was right."
She seemed to be just doing normal civil servant work, but I never thought she was thinking like this...
While I was dumbfounded, she started unbuttoning her blouse.
"Look! I actually have breasts too!"
She showed me her cleavage.
A high school boy in the prime of his life might be happy, but showing it to an old man...
"Oh?"
"Want me to rub them?"
"Hareyama-san... you were actually a tease..."
"N-no, I'm not a tease! What is this! I'm doing something so embarrassing!"
"Go catch a male colleague instead of this old man. Everyone in government agencies is a high earner, right?"
"Mou..."
She seems dissatisfied, but I don't care.
While talking about trivial things, we returned to the dungeon, but the Princesses hadn't returned yet.
"Ah, well, no choice. As promised, let's proceed as is~"
"Eh?! Is that okay?"
The workers also seem worried.
"Yes, it's fine. High-level adventurers don't die easily, and they have plenty of potions."
The potions I gave Kaorulko are in her Item Box.
Since there are quite a lot, it should be no problem.
A huge amount of water flows from the giant tank I took out of my Item Box into the dungeon.
I emptied all six tanks, but there is no sign of the Princesses returning.
After the drainage was finished, I got back into the car with Hareyama-san and headed towards the nuclear power plant ruins.
After repeating this several times, the Princesses returned from inside the dungeon.
See, as expected, no problem.
We repeated such things for several days.
At night, we stayed in the camper van at the ruins, and everything necessary for living was inside.
The equipment was luxurious, without a flaw.
It didn't budge even against the unlimited one-on-one battle with the Princesses.
Repeating such things, one day when the treated water was running low...
By the time we emptied the last tank, an orange gradient had begun to cover the sky above.
"Today, that's it."
"Yes... but the women haven't returned."
"Since they have a clock, they should know it's almost evening..."
There is a slight time difference inside the dungeon, but it shouldn't be that different at this point.
As we all waited for the Princesses, a rumbling sound echoed.
"W-what?! Is it an earthquake?!"
The workers looked around.
It was a bit strange for an earthquake.
It felt like it was coming from the dungeon...
"Da——r——l——i——n!"
The Princess's voice could be heard from the darkness of the dungeon.
"What's wrong?!"
I had a feeling something was seriously wrong, so I took out a missile from my Item Box.
"Niwa-san!"
"Hareyama-san, evacuate the workers!"
"Yes!"
I hugged the missile and rushed into the dungeon.