Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Octopus? Squid?
I took a break after returning from the dungeon attack.
I had to upload the video of the monster encounter, but it was getting quite troublesome.
I have money, so I don't have to do it myself.
I decided to outsource the editing.
After ordering the video editing, I went to the market with the Princess.
I exchanged the monsters and magic stones that had accumulated in my Item Box for cash.
Among them, it seems the red-skinned Lesser Demon doesn't fetch a price.
As expected — so I sent the images to the Sensei who researches monsters at the university, and she immediately said she wanted to see them.
We headed for the research facility in Haneda together.
The road where the two of us walked toward the pier was wrapped in the bustling noise of a lively town.
Under the clear blue sky, sunlight shone brightly, warmly illuminating the buildings and streets.
A briny wind blowing from the sea swept through.
Laughter from the people on the street mixed with music from the shops.
Various signs and displays lined the streets, and many people were happily shopping.
People walking back and forth moved in various directions; some carried loads on their backs, some looked busy while checking their smartphones, and others were having lively conversations with friends.
As we approached the pier, the scent of the sea's tide grew stronger bit by bit.
The sound of waves began to be faintly heard from afar, and the town's noise gradually softened.
Glancing at the Princess's profile, the sunlight made her hair shine, and a gentle smile floated on her face.
The time spent walking together seemed to flow with a special moment, different from the darkness inside the dungeon or the harsh battles.
We boarded a ship with the Princess.
After boarding with many people, the ship started moving, making a pon-pon sound.
"It's sunny today, but the waves are high."
As the Princess said, the ship was shaking quite a bit.
"Even though the weather is clear, the waves are high — that's exactly it."
"Huh?"
She made a puzzled face.
Did she not know... Well, it can't be helped.
The ship continued through the rough waves, reaching just about the middle point.
"Eek!" "Whoa!"
The ship shook so much we couldn't stand.
"What is it?! There's no wind, why is it shaking like this?!"
"Darling!"
The Princess tilted her head, listening intently.
I strained my ears too, and amidst the noisy wind and wave sounds, it seemed a high-pitched noise was mixed in...
"Eh?! Could it be a spawn again?!"
"It might be."
The Princess had a slightly exasperated look on her face.
I don't think it's coming for her, though.
As I was thinking that, the ship shook violently.
"Eek!" "Whoa!"
Screams rose from many passengers.
"What is that?!"
Holding onto the ship's railing with the Princess, one of the passengers shouted loudly.
In the direction he pointed — something long emerged from the sea surface.
It was whitish, with what looked like large suction cups.
"Octopus?!" "Squid?!"
"No, since it's whitish, it's probably not a squid?!"
The Princess shouted upon seeing it.
"Is it a Kraken or something like that?"
I agreed with her opinion.
This might turn into a battle, and the opponent is likely a rare monster.
I must record a video — I prepared the camera and started filming.
I think there was also something called Tentacles, but I don't know the difference.
While I was doing that, a huge arm wrapped around the ship's hull.
Old tires tied to the side of the hull as cushions for docking were there, but a suction cup of similar size stuck to them.
"It's being pulled into the sea!"
A shout came from the man who seemed to be the captain.
"Eek!" "Whoa!"
I have to do something about this.
If this continues, we'll be nothing but sea foam.
I took out a weapon from my Item Box.
"Princess!"
I handed her a longsword.
"Roger!"
The blade she raised was sharp, reflecting the light and emitting a cold gleam.
Before our eyes, a giant leg tightly wrapped around the ship hull writhed.
Its skin had a slimy luster, and the suction cups stuck tight, refusing to let go.
Her eyes shone sharply — aiming, she swung down the silver blade without hesitation.
The moment the blade touched the monster's leg, the skin split smoothly, revealing a white cross-section.
The severed leg remained stuck to the ship hull, twisting and squirming.
"Eek!"
Screams rose from the women who saw this.
I thought the enemy would flee after cutting off one leg, but the next leg wrapped around the ship hull.
"This is endless."
"Just cut them all!"
"That's true, but an octopus has eight legs, right?"
"If you cut them all, the enemy will flee, right?!"
As the Princess said, but something —.
I took out rubble and a slingshot from my Item Box.
"Hey! Is there a mage in here?!"
"Ah — ah, yes!"
A slightly chubby woman with striking long black hair raised her hand small.
Was she in casual clothes? She wasn't dressed as an adventurer.
Well, there's no need to dress like that in a place like this.
Both the Princess and I are in casual clothes too.
"How about magic here?!"
"I think it will weaken considerably..."
Once away from the dungeon, the effects of magic decay.
"Can't you use Explosion magic or something?!"
"N-no, impossible! I can't use such a powerful magic."
The woman waved her hands vigorously.
"Then, support magic?"
"Ah, if it's that..."
"I'll pay for this with this, so cast it on me!"
I threw a magic stone the size of a fist, taken from my Item Box, to her.
Even if it's small, selling it would fetch tens of thousands of yen.
"A magic stone..."
"Quickly!"
"Umm! Physical Up!"
Physical Up — just in time.
It's bright around, so it's hard to see, but blue magical light seeped into my body as I spun the slingshot.
As expected, the effect is several levels lower compared to magic inside the dungeon.
Still, it's better than nothing.
"Darling!"
A giant white tentacle rose in the direction the Princess pointed.
"Here I come!"
The moment the rubble was released from the accelerated slingshot — a sound like an explosion rang out everywhere.
"Eek!" "Whoa!"
Simultaneously with the passengers' screams, the white arm protruding from the sea surface blew off halfway.
The sound of the explosion suggested the rubble had exceeded the speed of sound.
"Oops, that's bad. I should have held back a bit."
The shockwave might hurt the passengers.
I prepared for the next attack, keeping watch with the Princess and the surroundings.
I would attack from long range, and the Princess would cut what was wrapped around the ship hull.
"Whoa!"
It seems to be coming from the opposite side now.
A large plate-like suction cup was stuck to the ship hull.
The Princess flashed to the side, and a tentacle connected by only a thin layer of skin retracted into the sea.
If it's an arm in the sea, it's my turn — blow it away with the slingshot.
The torn white tentacle drifted in the waves, probably becoming fish food.
"Phew..."
After slaughtering a total of six arms, the pier of Haneda came into view.
Filming is also finished.
"The pier!" "Yay!"
We had a terrifying experience.
Out of ten arms, we lost six — I think it will flee now...
Besides, the water depth here is shallow.
It would be hard for a giant monster to move.
"Darling, the monster seems to have fled, but will it stay in the sea?"
"That's possible, but if it's the sea, there are plenty of other prey, so it might go there."
"I see."
"Well, as long as it's not near the dungeon, normal weapons can be used. It should be fine, right?"
"That's true."
If it's in the sea, dropping torpedoes or depth charges from an escort ship would surely destroy even a giant monster in one shot.
I put the white arm stuck to the ship hull into my Item Box.
"Ah! It disappeared!"
A child watching the monster's arm shouted.
"It's the Item Box."
"Amazing!"
"Item Box — it was in the official gazette..." "Ah, there it is."
I heard hushed whispers.
Well, my identity has been revealed, but it's valuable monster data.
"Hey, sir! Can't you put the other legs into the Item Box too?"
The captain looked troubled.
It seems the disposal is troublesome.
"Ah, understood."
Before putting them in, I smelled them a bit, and they smelled of ammonia.
It seems giant squids of this type store ammonia to add buoyancy, so this monster likely has a similar mechanism.
Giant squids seem to taste bad, and this one probably won't work either.
It's a monster that's a thankless job and a loss-making profit.
"I'll show this to the Sensei too."
She'll probably be happy.
It might be the same as existing giant squids, etc.
It didn't seem to use magic or anything like that.
Maybe it had resistance to magic, but the Princess and I used physical attacks.
The ship docked.
"Yay!" "We're saved." "Thank you." "You were adventurers, weren't you?"
Since the ship shook, some people bumped into each other, but there were no serious injuries.
It's a blessing in disguise.
If there were serious injuries here, the hospital would be needed.
Heal and potions have weak effects.
Or we'd have to go back to the dungeon to use magic or potions.
I went to the female mage who gave the buff.
"We're saved. Thank you."
"Ah, um — you're a top-ranked person, right?"
"Well, I'm off, so spare me."
"..."
She seems to have noticed the Princess's identity, but kept quiet.
With the Cherry Princess here, it would cause a commotion.
Well, the Special District is full of adventurers, so there might be others, but top-ranked ones are limited.
After getting off the ship, I started walking toward the research facility with the Princess.
"Ah, um — where are you going?"
The mage from before ran up to talk.
"To the monster research facility in Haneda."
"Eh?! There's such a facility?"
"Of course — you've heard the government is researching it, right?"
"I have heard..."
"That Special District has the largest dungeon, so there are plenty of monster types. It makes sense to build a research institute here."
"Ah, um! You're the Cherry Princess!"
The woman wasn't listening to my explanation at all and was attacking the Princess.
"W-well..."
"I'm, um, a fan! Please shake hands!"
"Ugh."
The Princess looked troubled, but she helped us earlier, so shouldn't she at least shake hands?
— I advised the Princess.
"Yay!"
The mage who shook hands with the Princess waved her hand and returned toward the port.
"As expected, the Princess is popular."
"That's gratifying, but — I have no interest at all..."
That's right.
She herself has absolutely no interest in popularity.
Testing her own power, challenging her limits — or simply diving into the dungeon to find a Darling stronger than herself.
Well, that's how I got caught.
We arrived at a research facility I had visited before.
I spoke to the security guard at the window and asked them to call the Sensei.
She soon came running down the corridor, her white coat fluttering.
She rushed in wearing sandals, nearly tripping.
Well, she doesn't seem to have good athletic ability.
"Haa, haa! Niwa-san!"
She leaned on her knees, breathing heavily from behind.
"Sensei, you shouldn't run in the hallway."
"Never mind that, let's go!"
She grabbed my arm.
"Sensei, the Princess's part too —"
We should need entry permits.
"You can go back if you want..."
My words made her expression slightly pouty.
"There's no way that's happening!"
"Sensei, please."
"Really, Niwa-san, you could have just come alone..."
"Stare."
The Princess was looking at me with suspicious eyes.
No, no, we weren't that close, were we?
Could it be just because we fought once?
I pleaded, and the Sensei issued permits for two people.
We hung them around our necks and headed deeper inside.
If I send the Princess back now, I don't know what she'll say later.
Well, if she insists I can't come, I'll go back too.
The Sensei probably doesn't intend to say that much.
Maybe it's just because I'm always with the Princess, so it's a bit boring.
Entering the research building, I passed through a secure iron door, walked down a long room, and arrived at the room I had visited before.
A room for dismantling and disposing of targets, a stainless steel table in the center.
And the research department connected to it.
It was the same as when I came before.
"Sensei, besides the monster whose images I sent, a spawn occurred at the sea just now — shall we see that too?"
"Eh?! Yes, yes, show it!"
Her eyes sparkled, and soon other people in white coats gathered.
The men's target seemed to be the Princess who came with me.
It was the same as before.
"Come on! It's not the time for that!"
A girl with twin tails clapped her hands.
"It's rare for a beauty to come here!" "And she's the Cherry Princess, a top-ranked adventurer!"
"Are you and Hashidate-san not beauties?!"
A female researcher kicked the men.
I felt like there had been such exchanges before, but both were sufficiently beautiful.
Unfortunately, the Sensei doesn't seem to consider grooming very important.
She's almost bare-faced right now too.
Anyway, I must get to work.
I placed the Tentacles' leg on the stainless steel table in the center of the room.
"Eek!" "Squid?!" "Octopus?!"
"Since it's white, it's a squid, right?"
The Sensei told me in response to my words.
"See, there are jagged things in the center, right?"
"Ah, that's true."
"This is a squid. Besides, squids stick even when dead."
Now that I think about it, the leg the Princess cut off was still stuck to the ship hull.
"Is that true?"
One of the students turned the leg upside down, and it stuck to the stainless steel table and wouldn't come off.
"What are you doing?!"
"No, I couldn't resist my academic curiosity."
The boy was retorting to the girl with twin tails.
"Well, it's interesting. I was curious too, so I'm glad you did it."
"Indeed, it smells of ammonia..."
The Sensei sniffed the cut surface.
"Darling, why does it smell of ammonia?"
"Ah — giant squids similar to that one need buoyancy when their bodies are huge, so they store ammonia lighter than seawater inside their bodies."
"As Niwa-san says, it's likely a monster similar to a giant squid? How big was it?"
"I don't know~? The whole body didn't come out — judging from this arm, maybe 50 meters?"
"Mm-hmm..."
The Princess crossed her arms and nodded along.
"This is an amazing sample. I've never seen one. I can't wait to compare its DNA with giant squids on Earth!"
"Cephalopods are extremely smart, so maybe it could use magic?"
"There's a possibility! And they can change their body color too!"
"Will that one use magic...? It's unbearable..."
"If it exists, it would be a final boss class."
"Ah."
While talking with the Princess, the girl with twin tails raised her voice.
"In an old book my father had, there was a story that after Earth was destroyed — cephalopods would succeed humanity."
"Ah! I've read that too!" "Yes, yes!"
The students got excited about the old book.
There really was such a book.
"Niwa-san! Next one, please!"
The Sensei, with sparkling eyes, approached.
"Okay, okay."
The white monster's leg was cleared away, so I placed the red-skinned monster on the table.
"Ooh!" "Red?!" "What is this?!" "First time seeing it!"
"According to the consensus of adventurers, it's probably a Lesser Demon."
"Demon?!" "Devil?!"
The students reacted to my words.
"No, I don't know if it's really a devil. It's just that it resembles monsters appearing in fiction, so we thought it might be one — that's the discussion."
"Okay, everyone! Change clothes, change clothes!"
"Yes."
It seems they will change into equipment that can get dirty and seriously start dissection.
Everyone entered the room with the equipment.
I could go back here, but I want to know what's inside.
I want to hear the opinion of an expert on this, so I decided to stay a little longer.
Anyway, even if I go back to the hotel, there's not much to do.
Even if I attack the dungeon, I can't do anything without finding a way to clear Floor 7.
The Sensei returned wearing a green hat, an apron, and long gloves.
I stared at that figure.
She really does resemble that Doctor.
Well, since they are mother and daughter, it's natural.
"What is it?"
Since I was staring, the Sensei seemed curious.
"No, nothing."
"It's not nothing, is it?"
"Well, um..."
"I'm curious."
"It's a small matter — besides, I'd be in trouble if you didn't want to hear it."
"I decide that, so just give me a starting point?"
"Then — I met someone named Dr. Yajima."
The Sensei, who was excited until just now, stopped abruptly.
"That is my mother."
The suddenly quiet Sensei answered with an expressionless face.
"I heard that from the Doctor too."
"It was quite unexpected that you and my mother are connected... No, since she is at the Yaegashi Group's research institute, it's probably through that connection."
She pointed at the Princess.
She's really smart, isn't she?
She deduced the Princess connection instantly from limited information.
"Well, yes."
I can't say the content of the work.
It's an invasion of privacy, and what the Doctor was doing is also confidential.
It's not information that can be leaked outside.
It would cause a huge commotion.
"I understand — since I understand, please never mention that name in front of me again."
"Yes."
I thought she probably didn't want to hear it — and indeed she didn't.
The Sensei uses her father's surname, so it's probably like that.
The dissection of the Lesser Demon started as is.
According to the Sensei, although it's a bipedal creature, its internal structure is quite different.
"Then, does that mean the DNA structure is also different from Earth's creatures?"
"I don't know. We have to investigate that now."
If it's really a devil, then it wouldn't be a creature of Earth...
After the dissection was finished, I went to the Sensei taking off her gloves.
"Actually, I have something I want to consult with you."
"Eh?! What is it?"
We asked everyone to leave and talked as three people.
It's that thing where I'm fighting non-stop with the Princess, but I can't do various things — that sort of thing.
"...That is strange."
"It's not just the Princess; it's the same with other women too."
"Eh?!"
The Sensei froze at my words.
The cold gaze that followed pierced me.
"If it's the same no matter which woman, then there's a problem with me..."
"..."
The Sensei silently left her seat — and brought a small beaker.
"Ah, um..."
"Let's go!"
She pulled my hand.
"Eh?! Where are we going?"
"We can't investigate without something to investigate!"
The Sensei smiled and shook the beaker left and right.
"Eh?! Wait, wait!"
I'm not at an age to be flustered by a woman, but this really startled me.
"I'll make you do it!"
The Princess stood between me and the Sensei.
"What are you doing! It's necessary to examine Niwa-san's stuff!"
"Give it!"
The Princess snatched the beaker.
"You just need to put it in here, right?"
The blushing Princess muttered.
— Fifteen minutes later.
"Here."
The Princess handed the beaker containing the white substance to the Sensei.
There is a shower room here, so we did various things there.
"I wanted to do it..."
"He's my Darling!"
"Aaaan."
Ignoring the Princess's words, she tried to lick what was in the beaker.
"Stop doing that kind of thing in front of my eyes!"
The Princess has a point in getting angry.
"What is it now... I'm curious how it's different from the normal one."
If she knows the difference, does that mean she has tasted the normal one?
"That's why, don't do it in front of me!"
I was also a bit stunned by the Sensei's perverted behavior.
That Dr. Yajima was quite a strange person too, but she really is her daughter...
"W-well then, please take care of it."
Regardless of the perverted behavior, I'm in trouble if she doesn't examine mine properly.
"Yes! I will inform you after conducting various tests."
"Hmph!"
The Princess's mood was completely ruined.
She even suspects the relationship with the Sensei.
Well, we only fought once... It says "eating without serving is..."
Even once, it's a no-go? That's natural.
Ah, maybe — since I brought various strange monsters, she might have thought it was a gift out of affection.
Could that happen?