“High-speed thinking…?”
It was on Yuki Abukuma’s memorable twentieth birthday, that morning. A button appeared in my head labeled “high-speed thinking.” Even during my job at the regional bank, which I barely managed to get into after high school, that button never disappeared. Unable to resist my curiosity, I pressed the button in my head, and suddenly, my work progressed as if my mind had cleared up.
“Yuki-chan, you seem to be in a good mood today.”
“Is that so? Maybe because it’s my birthday.”
“So, you’re twenty today, huh? Unlimited drinks now.”
“I won’t drink, I’m not good at it.”
“Oh, come on.”
After such conversation with my boss, I announced to my parents, who came late at night with a cake, about the birthday present bestowed upon me from the heavens. I said it. While munching on cake, I talked about how having this skill might make it easier to get qualifications. My father gently laughed and said, “I’m proud.” My mother smiled modestly as usual and gave me half of her cake.
With this skill, maybe I could attend the university in Tokyo that I had given up on. If I could go to university, maybe I could live a life like those models in fashion magazines that occasionally came from Tokyo. While dreaming like that, I spent a month filled with hope. And even in such a dreamlike life, the harsh reality had been coming to my door as a matter of course.
One day, my father suddenly came to my workplace, and I was taken to a beauty salon. My hair was cut by a cheerful-looking hairdresser, and makeup was carefully applied, then I was taken to a restaurant.
“This is Tabata.”
“Ah, I’m Abukuma.”
And there, I awkwardly chatted with a man much older than me, and my father and I went home. After several days passed without understanding what was going on, my father finally told me, “Yuki, you’re engaged to Mr. Tabata.” Now I could finally understand the situation. Mr. Tabata, by the way, had the skill [Weapon Enhancement].
I had thought it had nothing to do with me… no, to be honest, I thought I would never have anything to do with it, this job of being an adult that supports and protects this city. The reality I thought was a story from a distant world had, as a matter of course, come down on my shoulders as an adult.
The next day, when I went to work, I was called by the branch manager during the morning meeting.
“Ms. Abukuma will be leaving the company today due to her marriage. We hope for her success as a good mother, raising strong children from now on.”
While exposed to everyone’s congratulatory applause, I felt a chilling sensation run down my spine. My high-speed thinking in full gear was telling me that this was the watershed of my life.
“Sorry, Branch Manager, I have some procedures today… My father told me to come after saying hello if possible.”
“Oh, of course. It’s a sudden celebration, so you must be busy. You can return the uniform and equipment another day. Give my regards to your father.”
I lied to the branch manager and left immediately after arriving at work. I packed all my uniform and equipment into my locker and left the bank right away. Then I withdrew money up to the limit at the convenience store and jumped on the bus to the next town.
If I had gone home, I probably wouldn’t have been able to escape to the ceremony. Even if I refused the ceremony, I would just become the wife of another man with skills. But I had no right to refuse. The adults who made me an adult are the ones who have experienced such unfairness, just like me now…
But still, I couldn’t go along with it. I didn’t want to spend my life in that town, even though I knew it was selfish, a betrayal, and unreasonable.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The escape from home without any plan ended two weeks later when I finally reached the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. In the back alleys of the glamorous city I admired, I rented a small and cheap room just for sleeping and started going to the employment office to find a temporary job.
From afar, Tokyo seemed so glamorous, but when I arrived, it was full of newcomers like me and unemployed people. Job hunting in such an environment was tough. My previous job as a bank clerk and my skills didn’t count for anything. I couldn’t even find a part-time job.
In the end, I spent my savings on equipment, got a crossbow that I had trained with for self-defense in high school, and knocked on the door of the Dungeon Management Association. I never imagined my life would turn out like this, but I had no choice but to do it to survive. It was a job that someone had to do, and now it was my turn. I reassured myself with that thought as I ventured into the dungeon and killed monsters.
Whether it was because of my shooting talent or the compatibility of quick thinking and crossbows, I managed better than I thought in the world inside the dungeon, which I jumped into without any plan. With quick thinking, if I pulled the trigger while predicting the creature’s movements, the arrow never missed. I was praised by those around me, learned about market prices and disassembling, and within three months of starting this job, I even formed a party called “Ebisu Hedgehog”. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
But… before I knew it, I found myself unable to sleep well.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
I had escaped from becoming the wife of a vigilante and the parent of a future vigilante, but other than becoming an adventurer, I couldn’t choose anything else. I felt like I was going around in circles, and doubts crept into my mind every time I closed my eyes.
It’s not that I hated being an adventurer. I might have been suited for it. Perhaps there was a future where I chose this path in my hometown. Then I wouldn’t have caused trouble for my father and mother, and I wouldn’t have had to leave my hometown in disgrace.
Only “what ifs” filled my mind, and like a car stuck in the snow, I found myself unable to move forward or backward.
“Yuki, you look tired. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ve been really into foreign dramas lately, so it doesn’t affect my work…”
Whether I was feeling unwell or sick, there was no one to help me, as adventurers were responsible for themselves. I took medicine every night to somehow fall asleep… but still, dark circles appeared under my eyes. Dark circles under the eyes of Abukuma. It wasn’t funny, but all I could do was laugh.
“Did you buy another crossbow in a new color?”
“Well, you know, it’s good to have a variety to match with clothes.”
“Well, you have strong arms, so it’s fine for you…”
“Hey, A-chan, don’t you think you should wear different clothes in the dungeon? Apparently, camouflage doesn’t mean much against monsters.”
“You can’t afford to spend so much on clothes either. You should save some money.”
“That’s true…”
In the life of shuttling between dungeons and home, I indulged more and more in fashion. Looking back, the reason I wanted to come to Tokyo was to try on various fashionable clothes. In the uncertain life of an adventurer, I kept buying clothes as if to escape from something, and then I wore them and delved into the dungeon.
For adventurers who constantly risk their lives, clothes are not only important equipment but also their shroud. I didn’t want to die in plain clothes. Even if I died unluckily at the bottom of the earth, I wanted to at least proudly say that I fought and died here, blooming a beautiful death flower.
However, neither I nor my party members had the chance to bloom a death flower… Our precarious adventurer lifestyle continued, narrowly avoiding collapse. I didn’t suffer serious injuries like other adventurers, nor did I earn a lot and make a name for myself. As an adventurer always in the Tokyo Third Dungeon, I was half-buried but enjoying my time. It was one day.
As I sat on the ground of Base A of East 3th dungeon, tightening my boot laces, someone called out to me.
“Hey, fashionable lady over there.”
“Huh? Me?”
When I looked up, there was a catkin sitting there, oddly without any weapons or armor despite being in the dungeon.
“Yeah, you, lady. Actually, we’re procurements…carriers. Do you need anything?”
“Huh? No… I don’t.”
“Oh, okay. Well, if you need anything, let us know…”
The one who spoke from behind the cat was a suspicious-looking young man wrapped in a yellow cloth, which was also out of place in the dungeon.
“Okay…”
“See you later.”
“…………”
It was about three years after I came to Tokyo when this suspicious college student with the cat came to the Tokyo Third Dungeon.
At that time, I had never imagined that I would someday work for this college student’s company and be called a department section manager.
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.
