The new adventurers pointed to where I was.
Clutching the suspicious cat Mars in front of me, wearing a suspiciously glowing backpack on my back, and wearing a suspicious circlet on my forehead, all while riding in a bewilderingly dull exoskeleton, I looked nothing like your typical adventurer. The rookies were in awe of my alien presence, and as I walked through the crowded dungeon plaza, a path naturally cleared in my wake.
With every step, making funny clinking noises, I wandered around, my face turning beet red.
“To be honest, I was a little …… No, I’m quite embarrassed.”
“I’m drawing a lot of attention…”
“That’s the point, right? We need to attract the Self-Defense Forces.”
While Mars blushed and said this in front of my stomach, she pretended not to know anything and played tower defense on her phone.
“Was this powered suit really necessary?”
“It’s an enhanced exoskeleton. Hime made it because Tonbo said he wanted something. You seemed delighted when you first saw it, Tonbo.”
“Thinking about it now, it’s embarrassing to be seen in public… I could have just used a bicycle or something…”
“If you ran over someone in a bicycle with primitive brakes while in barrier mode, you wouldn’t be able to eat meat for a while.”
“Ew…”
“The enhanced exoskeleton comes with collision prevention posture control systems, so it’s safe. It can also be used as a negotiating tool with the Self-Defense Forces.”
Now that you mention it, maybe this is better than a bicycle. In a way, the design is every boy’s dream. But it’s still embarrassing to actually ride it.
“Boys, you can come in now. The target has taken the bait.”
Upon receiving a message from Hime on my smartphone, I stopped wandering around. Then, I pulled out a length of gold crowbar from my backpack, which is too long to fit inside, and headed towards the entrance of the Fourth Dungeon.
“Let’s go.”
“I hope we meet someone familiar down there.”
“Tonbo, even if you don’t know anyone, just talk to someone and make small talk.”
“That might be even harder than wandering around in an enhanced exoskeleton.”
I gripped the gold crowbar, my weapon, and pretended to be an adventurer, leading the Self-Defense Forces’ investigation team behind me as we began our dive into the dungeon.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The day after strolling through the dungeon in a powered suit, we were summoned to the Tokyo Dungeon Management Association headquarters by the Self-Defense Forces.
According to Hime’s information, after the Self-Defense Forces investigated nearly a hundred kilometers into the Third Dungeon and we demonstrated our mysterious technology, it was almost certain within the Self-Defense Forces that we were dragon slayers. There were opinions about capturing us as dangerous individuals, but thanks to the fictitious backup organization and story that Hime had created, we ended up being treated as voluntary interrogations.
I couldn’t be more grateful to Hime for resolving the situation like this, and I also wanted to express my gratitude to the Self-Defense Forces for their rationality. However…
“It doesn’t matter whether you use your special technology or not, whether you’re guilty or not guilty, that’s not what I’m asking! I just want to know one thing! Is Dallas No. 14 still alive!? Is he not alive!?”
Even so, being interrogated loudly by a stern, high-ranking official across a desk in a splendid reception room can be a bit tough for a normal student like me. But unlike me, Mars, the not-so-normal space cat, remained unfazed and skillfully dodged the interrogation.
“Whether he’s alive or not, huh? Well, I think you would know better than we do.”
Following the instructions given to me beforehand, I remained silent and focused on maintaining a composed demeanor.
“That’s enough of that! Just tell me in plain terms! If he’s alive! The capital functions of Tokyo will have to be abandoned! Even if he’s not, the alert won’t be lifted, but we can minimize the confusion now!”
“Calm down, now.”
The important person getting heated up was calmed by the bespectacled man sitting next to him.
“Takahara-san, please calm down a bit. I’m going to handle it from here, sorry.”
Ah, I’ve read about this kind of thing in manga. It’s the setup where a tough guy and a gentle guy have a synergistic effect.
“To be honest, we have quite a bit of confidence in certain aspects. Even looking at the radiation measurements, it’s almost certain that the Dallas No. 14 disappeared near point A Base. And the forensic team from the Metropolitan Police who dived with us has collected Mr. Mars’s hair and crushed dragon scales from that point.”
What!? That dragon had radiation!? I instinctively glanced at Mars, but he didn’t even look in our direction, instead poking my thigh with his claw. Ouch…
“We have no intention of confronting your home country, Popte. We won’t pry into suddenly released company information and resumes. But, we just want one thing from you, the real truth about the life or death of that Dallas No. 14.”
As Mr. Uchiki said that, the previous two leaned slightly towards us.
“Even though you say that, it’s just as I’ve answered many times before.”
“Mr. Mars, we don’t want to hear that. Currently, there are over 20 million residents in Tokyo. Personally, my parents’ house and Mr. Takehara’s new house that he spent his life to build are also there. The lives of many people depend on your answer!”
“Don’t say unnecessary things!”
Mars, still unfazed by the increasing pressure from the two, scratched his chin with a troubled expression.
“We’ve answered exactly as we’ve said before. But it seems that won’t satisfy you… so just one word.”
When he said that quietly, I felt the previous two lean slightly towards us.
“The president and I are still in Tokyo, facing that dragon. Can’t that be the answer?”
Mr. Uchiki glanced at the desk for a moment and then stood up.
“Fine. Mr. Takehara, shall we?”
“Sure! I’m leaving right away!”
Saying that, Mr. Takehara left the room without even looking in our direction.
“Mr. Kawashima, Mr. Mars, thank you very much for your cooperation today. I’m sorry, but we’re done here. I apologize for bothering you while you’re busy, but Mr. Sawara also wants to talk to you…”
“Oh, sure…”
Mr. Uchiki also left the room after Mr. Takehara, and in his place, a man in a gray suit who had been standing against the wall sat on the sofa.
“I’m Sawara from the Ministry of Defense. I’m sorry to bother you when you’re tired, but could I have a little more conversation? Hey, bring another cup of coffee.”
When Mr. Sawara said that, another cup of coffee was brought in from the next room and exchanged for the cold coffee in front of us.
“I heard rumors about the powered suit Mr. Kawashima was wearing yesterday, and it seems to have excellent performance. I’d like to hear about it.”
“Of course. President, your business card.”
As Mars tapped my arm, I took out one business card each from the backpack on the sofa.
“I am Mars, serving as the executive director of Kawashima Trading Co., Ltd.”
“I’m President Kawashima.”
It may be different for the Self-Defense Forces, but for us, confirming the facts about the dragon slaying was just a prelude.
The main event was the sale of a super machine that could replace skills to divert attention away from my ridiculously powerful abilities. And this was also a great opportunity to establish the company’s track record.
With the scent of the freshly brewed coffee that had been brought in, the discussion with Mr. Sawara, who seemed much more troublesome than the two before, began.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
