Ch.6 "Ruru-chan" & "Haru-chan" Search Party

[Fukaya Ruru-chan is dead!?]

[That's a hoax, it hasn't been confirmed yet]

[I was watching the live stream, and just when I thought she was saved, she went back in trouble, Ruru-chan had a hallucination, an explosion happened and the camera cut off]

[It's normal for Ruru-chan to say strange things, but I'm worried]

[lol]

[I just got here and have no idea what's going on]

[Don't worry, we who were watching didn't understand anything either]

[lol]

[Even at a time like this, Ruru-chan has such a quirky personality lol]

[I mean, it's Ruru-chan...]

[Ruru-chan was solo that time, right? None of the usual members were with her.]

[She kinda messed up.]

[Messed up]

[If she didn't mess up, she wouldn't be Ruru-chan]

A little while after Fukaya Ruru's stream ended with a loss of signal due to an explosion that occurred after the dragon was about to collapse.

Among those who rushed to her aid was Mikazuki Emi, who is from the same agency and is well-known as her watchdog, and who descended to the 60th floor, the closest to her.

Refugees from Fukaya Ruru's streams had moved there...and the number of concurrent viewers for Mikazuki Emi's streams reached an all-time high.

'There's no way I can be happy about something like this.'

While clenching her teeth, trying not to let the viewers know, Mikazuki Emi narrowed her long, narrow eyes.

This dungeon is medium sized.

Although it's in the suburbs, there's a station nearby so it's a place that people from the surrounding area frequently visit.

Moreover, monsters are replenished regularly - there's still more than half a year until the magical power increase.

Therefore, even after checking the association's website, there were very few active monsters, so it was decided that there wouldn't be any problems with just Fukaya Ruru, and permission was granted.

'... Who would've that every time she fell into the pitfall trap, she would grab hold of the rocks around the hole, and her emergency escape device ー a wristband-shaped device ー would break little by little, and then come off the third time she fell through tried to hang on. How unlucky.

...That girl, even if she goes to an exorcist, she gets turned down...'

[I knew Ruru-chan had a tendency to be unlucky, but... You just can't let her go solo.]

[I hope she's safe though]

[After all that preparation, everyone was like, "Isn't this too much?" but apparently it still wasn't enough.]

[But you know, someone who was diving deeper than that girl managed to hit the summoned monster, right?]

[It's a Boss monster]

[Seriously?]

[Otherwise, she wouldn't be crushed you know, considering its size.]

[Ruru-chan started having hallucinations halfway through so I don't know for sure though]

[I mean, it's Ruru-chan]

[lol]

[This is a serious matter of life and death, what is this treatment?]

[Even though the news of her death might be on the front page tomorrow lol]

[Well, it's Ruru-chan after all...]

[It's Ruru-chan after all...]

[I'm worried about her, you know? I really do, but...]

[We, who have been trained, can't help but feel that everything is turning into a joke...]

'...Listeners, even though they're worried, it seems they can still joke around, so maybe it's still okay.'

―The manager said, "Let Ruru dive solo."

'After hearing about the state of the dungeon, I agreed, "That seems fine," and now I want to go back to yesterday and slap myself.'

Although feeling anxious and filled with regret, Mikazuki Emi hurries carefully due to the risk of a secondary disaster.

'Now to prevent further damage.

That's all I need to think about right now'

[Emi-chan... Of course you're worried...]

[She's usually so ladylike]

[Her boobs are shaking now...]

[This is no time for jokes! it's shaking though!!]

[Even at times like these, we men are still guilty...]

[Emi Okaa-san will surely accept it]

The rescue team is following close behind her.

'As long as you're alive, we'll definitely save you.

Yes, definitely.'

One of the top-ranking agencies has Fukaya Ruru, who is particularly well-known for her strong character... Upon hearing of her disappearance, the number of viewers began to grow larger and larger every few seconds.

[I wonder if Haru-chan is okay?]

[I checked the vods, and the stream cut out at almost the same time as Ruru-chan]

[Yeah. And in the first place, Haru-chan, she's being reckless by doing a suicide attack...]

...A child named Haru tried to help Ruru.

Among the comments on the stream were refugees from "her" stream -- and also a few people who had been on "her" stream from the beginning, and from this Mikazuki Emi was able to get the general idea of the situation.

'That child named Haru.

They're presumably a ripe loli or shota... ahem, a small child, i mean small child.

Apparently she had been diving deeper than the 78th floor, and that she usually travels solo.

I'm sure she's high enough level to get permission from their parents and the Dungeon Association, so I'd be happy if the two of them could at least hide in a gap somewhere.'

[Who is Haru?]

[The child who rushed to the scene in response to Ruru-chan's rescue request. Her age and gender were kept secret during the live stream, but the tilted camera shown that she appeared to be younger than Ruru-chan.]

[Those squishy hands are definitely from a young girl]

[There is still a possibility for Shota!]

[Newcomer...]

[Well, if it's long blonde hair, it's fine either way]

[Reported]

[Who's the cliff, Ruru-chan or Ruru-chan?]

[It's Ruru-chan... She never shook even when she ran really hard]

[If Ruru-chan is flatter, the possibility of being a shotais gone lol]

[In a chat stream, she said "Mine's at least an A!" so it's probably AA.]

'...Ruru, you seemed to enjoy the sekuhara comments quite a bit. But.'

"Sorry. I'll find someone to partner with Ruru."

[Mom! Give me your daughter! After I exorcise her!]

"No. I'll take her as my wife instead. After I exorcise her."

[Yuri Declaration! ]

[But in reality, Ruru-chan seems a bit dangerous...]

[Even Ruru-chan's fans are like, "I hope she finds a good partner in the future."]

[No, with that constitution, unless you're extremely lucky, you'll end up poor...]

[lol]

'ーPlease stay safe.'

Mikazuki Emi shook her long straight hair and dived towards a gaping hole in the ground where she assumed Fukaya Ruru had fallen into.

◇

"………………………………"

"...This is terrible. This may be the first time in all our rescue operations that we've seen a dungeon collapsed to this extent..."

Mikazuki Emi, the medical team that caught up with her as she froze, and the people who rushed to her aid were all speechless.

Dungeons are created when magical power goes out of control.

Although it is an underground cavity, the walls, ceiling, and ground can't be easily damaged by minor attacks.

It is said that it is unprecedented to see such a large-scale disaster - with only a small area of ground not littered with rubble.

[Ruru-chan...]

[Haru-chan...]

[Poor Haru-chan who got caught up in Ruru-chan...]

[Haru-chan, how unfortunate...]

[lol]

[Well, we know that Ruru-chan is unlucky, but that girl doesn't know, right?]

[I shouldn't laugh but I can't help it... Is this Ruru-chan...?]

"Anyway, we analyzed the stream and know her approximate location. Let's search for her."

"Yes, that's right."

[But is it okay to stream something like this? What if they're dead...?]

[There's no way they won't stream it. This topic is all over the news and social media.]

[Ruru-chan was on TV yesterday too. And the fact that the emergency escape device came off and didn't work is a big problem.]

[It seems that many people come here just to get concurrent views and to get famous.]

[Collateral damage leaves a bad taste in your mouth]

[But even so, I'm sure our Haru-chan would have helped.]

[Who is Haru-chan?]

[The one who helped Ruru-chan]

[Is that Haru-chan strong?]

[Yes]

As they carefully removed the rubble, calling out Ruru's name, Mikazuki Emi skimmed over the comments.

Her hand stops for a moment when she hears the explanation about that child named Haru.

[She's been diving into dungeons for several hours per day every day for the past three years]

[That was three and a half years ago.]

[Sorry, I made a mistake]

[It's fine]

[So, at first it wasn't that bad... but since she dived in silence almost every day, for almost a year, and most monsters were die in one-shot, her level and skill must be quite high.]

'ー She's going to go solo from the start, into a dark dungeon where you have to fear when a monster might attack you?

And a loli that I want to lick all over... ahem, a small child?

I wonder if there's some reason for it... No, people who choose to play solo usually have their own quirks...'

[She started with a gun]

[Then there's the slingshot, the bow and arrows, etc.]

[It's shifted in a more cost-effective direction.]

[At that time, we often discussed it through comments]

[Even though the stream was still in progress, for some reason even the streamer was typing comments]

'Seems like her policy is to never even make a sound.

I guess it can't be helped if you're a weak girl who's afraid of men.

Giving a child like that a gentle embrace... ahem.'

[Even so, it's amazing how many long-distance attack skills she's managed to improve.]

[If you hunt alone every day, it's inevitable that you'll get that far... and get all the experience points too]

[It was really hard at first because of all the costs. So she started using stones that cost zero.]

[Was it last year? For a while she only used guns, and it seemed like she was in a bad mood because she kept missing her target... but then she started using magic and went to the lowest floor quite often.]

[Hmm, I wonder why is that?]

[Even when traveling she had to take frequent breaks... it seems like she was out of shape.]

[But, solo on the lowest floor? Even Emi-chan would have a hard time doing that, right?]

[It depends on the compatibility, but... since this is a dragon, it's probably impossible for close-combat Emi-chan or long-distance Ruru-chan]

[If it's long distance, you can just hide and shoot little by little... but if they fly towards you... and usually it's scary so no one go solo.]

'... She's soloing, boss monsters?

Multiple times?

Why had no one know about this kid until now?

Based on the comments, it seems that Haru-san only had 10 subscribers until just a few hours ago.

But, because of Ruru-chan, that child is also...'

Then, while her attention was directed towards the comments.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from there.

"Ah"

"Eh?"

"Yahho."

'ー This voice.'

"...Ruru?"

"Hi Emi-chan."

[Eh? Ruru-chan?]

[Ruru-chan was there!?]

[Ruru-chan waiting quietly in a cross-legged position is so cute]

[Lol, she looks healthy]

*Bang*

Directly below Mikazuki Emi, who was clearing away rubble while reading the comments.

Fukaya Ruru was surrounded and protected by flat rocks that perfectly formed a roof... She was sitting with her legs crossed, looking up at her with her usual silly expression on her face.

"Emi-chan, you're covered in dust."

"...Ruru is also..."

[It's a completely unimpressive reunion that's ruined everything!]

[This is Ruru quality]

[As expected of Ruru]

[Is this really as expected?]

[That's good... I can finally relax...]

[But what about Haru-chan...?]

The search continues for several more hours.

Thanks to a few people spreading the "Haru-chan information," the comments on the stream reach almost all listeners, and even spread to news sites and social media.

She is so skilled that she can kill most monsters with a single headshot.

Solo.

A loner.

A solitary existence.

A hero who keeps her distance from even her listeners and remains a loner.

'ーAnd the back of the child's hand and her long hair ー that's blonde.'

[The search has been called off]

[Haru-chan...]

[Well, well, it's likely that she was blown out by the emergency escape device and lost consciousness.]

[The rest is for the medical team to explore the surrounding area...]

[Maybe, like usual, she just went home and went to sleep without even looking at the comments.]

[It's possible... It's possible if it's Haru-chan...]

[That girl doesn't really read comments, and she seems to live like a hermit anyway, so she probably doesn't watch the news...]

[Haru-chan is a wild person who, when asked what she does while waiting for prey, said, "I'm reading the book I brought with me"...]

[lol]

[What?! Reading in a dungeon where you don't know when you'll be attacked?!]

[Well, it seems she's refraining from reading stories that are too engrossing]

[That's not what I meant]

[Totally off topic lol]

[Eh……]

"I wonder what kind of girl this Haru-chan is. I hope she's okay."

"...First you have to apologize and thank her, and then you have to atone for your sins."

"Emi-chan?!"

[The usual mother and daughter lol]

[First of all, Ruru-chan should apologize to Haru-chan]

[While naked?]

[If it's a loli, of course, but if it's a shota, it depends on the face]

[Everyone already assumed that Haru-chan has returned safely lol]

And with that, they left the dungeon.

"Umm, Mikazuki...san? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

ーOne of the medical team members approached them.

Carrying a "lost item" that may belong to someone named "Haru."

◇

"~~~~♪"

Ahh.

After all, hot water and alcohol are what you need for a tired body.

"Hic."

As soon as I got home, I took off my clothes and jumped into the hot bath that I had prepared as usual.

I gulped down the alcohol that had been prepared and enjoyed a drink after work.

Wow, today was tough.

Let's forget about all the losses and have a drink.

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