Ch.148 Into a Dungeon with a Little Girl's Body I've Come Accustomed to

There are a lot of people wearing suits near the train station.

If it were a little earlier, there'd be school uniforms instead.

When I think about it that way, students do have it tougher huh.

But... wow, everyone looks tired.

I no longer need to ride that train.

Look at me, aren't you jealous?

...Thinking about that made me sad.

It's okay to think like this... I'm unemployed, after all.

I wonder if it would have been easier if I had just worked a regular job.

Ah, but I've been feeling really stressed since teleworking was abolished, and I was thinking of eventually switching to a company that's fully remote, so maybe this is a good opportunity...?

That's what I thought, but the other thought of what my parents will say when they eventually find out, and the realization that I've lost the wonderful status of "working for a company" and become a despicable "unemployed" person, makes me feel like a water flea.

Oh, but isn't it fine?

I no longer have to worry so much about the time, and I don't have to rush to work in a cramped space in the morning.

Plus, I don't have to process emails after arriving in the morning, or deal with tasks that come through the chat app, and I don't have to be nervous about being approached by my scary boss, and besides...

"................................................"

The more I try to think about the sadness of being unemployed, the more I somehow end up thinking about the good things about it.

...No, the more I think about it, the better this situation seems... Hey, I haven't been subjected to mental contamination or thought manipulation because I turned into this body, right...?

If that had happened, I wouldn't be myself anymore, would I...?

...Normally I'm incredibly positive, or rather, I don't really care about anything, so why does my mental state suddenly fluctuate so wildly?

What?

Is this how a girl's mind works?

Oh, yeah, I do remember this kind of thing happening a lot with my friends when we were little.

They're laughing one moment and then suddenly get angry.

They get angry for reasons I don't really understand, so in the end, I just don't get it.

...It's sad that the sample size was only up to the lower grades of elementary school, which was my prime.

Back then, I didn't think about anything, and I had tons of friends, not just girls... I wonder why I ended up like that in high school.

Well, if you get so engrossed in books that you turn down invitations from friends, and that continues for over a decade, then of course this would be the outcome.

I knew that.

Back then, I was doing things like that, so now that something like this has happened, I don't have any close friends I can rely on, and there aren't any girls to help me out when I'm having a hard time as a girl either.

If I could go back in time, I'd like to say that.

No, before that, I should first go back to the day I went to that spring.

Well, there's no way I can go back in time though.

◇◆◇

Well, I'm starting to feel kind of weird, like everything just doesn't matter anymore after walking around, so I'd better get down to business and make some money.

And that's how I ended up in this dungeon.

"................................................"

...I guess coming at 8:30 am was a bit too early.

I don't have to going to work, so maybe I should come later next time...

The bus on the way here is crowded too around this time... yeah.

Well, I don't know if it's fortunate or not, but if I make good use of my stealth skills, I can get away with this to some extent.

For now, I'll go with the image of "a plain-looking boy with black hair, around middle school age," which is my image from my middle school days.

If I always maintain that kind of vibe, it'll work out somehow.

The world is irrational and unfair; girls are doted on more than boys, and girls are more memorable.

For better or worse, you know.

So, i'll be like just that stone over there that's not that important, and I'll just vaguely and casually gather some consumables...

Because of my short stature, even with all the styling I could do, I probably wouldn't be able to look like a middle or high school student.

A high school boy who's too short is more likely to be memorable and troublesome.

Ah, really.

I realize now how easy it was to be a "normal guy" until recently.

"Alright..."

The reflection in the mirror shows me, now wearing brand new gear that fits my physique.

Well, I don't have much money so it's a cheap one, but it's better than wearing something too heavy to move around in.

Something like that.

Maybe it depends on what my body is suited for, but if it's lighter than my previous gears, I feel like I can actually get more out of this body's specs...yeah, switching gears is important.

Humans can somehow manage to overcome any obstacle when they're pushed to their limits.

Even someone like me can work hard if I think, "If I don't earn a living with what I have, I'll starve to death."

Alright, let's go hunting again today.

There's nobody around on a weekday morning like this, and even if I were to use stealth in the dungeon anyway, it's still more relaxing when there's no one around.

Continuing from yesterday, I'm trying to get used to this body and tackle the challenge within the limits of what this body can do.

[Oh, you're up early again this morning.]

[Good morning, Haru-chan]

[Haru: "Good morning."]

[A reply from Haru-chan...]

[That's a good thing]

[Umu]

[Indeed]

Wow, everyone's so fast!

Well, I do stream at least once every two days, so I guess there are a lot of people with a lot of free time.

[You seemed really unwell last week, are you okay?]

[She was able to move around quite a bit yesterday, so she should be fine.]

[Don't overdo it!]

Everyone's surprisingly kind... Well, I guess that's to be expected.

Those who follow these kinds of hobby streams are probably just eccentric people with nothing better to do.

Something about me and something about these people just clicked perfectly.

Well, it's more relaxing when this kind of flow.

Okay, first I need to save up some money and get a lightweight, long-range gun.

Then I'll start using the usual things like bows and slingshots.

It's kind of nice when lots of small quests pop up right in front of you, isn't it?

The joy of clearing each and every one of them, little by little, is what keeps me going.

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