“Paato-naa…”
“...Uh, yes. As in comrade, companion, that sort of thing.”
“Oho, aye, aye. I understand well enough.”
Yasuno thought, “as usual,” while guiding the conversation back on track. After all, she’d come here to get details from Inari—and with a report to write afterward, she had to at least ask a few things about the block golem, Atsuage, who was still shadowboxing at her for some reason.
Also… why Atsuage, anyway? Was it because of its triangular head? Like a slice of deep-fried tofu?
“…Despite being so colorful.”
“Mm?”
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, I’d like to ask a bit more about Atsuage.”
“Even if thou sayest so… we’ve been at home these past few days.”
She already knew it had considerable strength from it moving heavy things with ease. It was also fairly intelligent, operating the TV remote to watch anime on its own. As for enlarging itself… that hadn’t happened yet, and Inari wasn’t sure if it could.
“Well, ‘tis about like that.”
“I see… so it retains the strength of a 1x Block Golem, is intelligent, and whether it can grow in size is unknown… hmm. How about beams?”
“Bee—”
“Eek!”
“Wait now!”
Without hesitation, Atsuage had begun charging a beam toward Yasuno, but Inari stopped it with a single word.
“If thou must shoot, then shoot this way. This way.”
Inari cast a barrier in front of herself, but Atsuage shook its head with an exaggerated no, pointing at Yasuno again.
“Thou mustn’t shoot Yasuno. She hath no barrier to protect her.”
“Even if I could cast one, I still don’t want to be shot…”
Yasuno made it very clear with her entire body that she did not want to be hit with a block golem beam.
Atsuage looked visibly dissatisfied. It didn’t even have a face, but the mood said it all.
Was it just hostile to anyone not named Inari? Or was Yasuno disliked in particular?
But then again, Atsuage had struck poses in front of the camera during the viral video. So maybe it really was just Yasuno personally being disliked. Why though?
“Anyway… so it really can shoot beams. It's practically the block golem itself. This really is going to be a big deal.”
“And why is that, hmm?”
“Well, think about it. The possibility that boss monsters can become partners—that’s massive. Sure, goblins and orcs are one thing, but imagine getting a Greywolf, a Lizardman Chieftain, or a Living Knight Leader. There’d be loads of people who’d want that.”
If boss monsters could become companions, many Awakeners' lives would change dramatically. Healers or ranged dealers might be able to operate solo by bringing one along. That kind of system would open up far more flexible paths for Awakeners.
It was, without question, something the Japan branch of the Awakener Association should welcome.
Should. But…
“That said, this is going to skew dungeon reservations again… I bet the Saitama Dungeon No. 3 will be booked solid for a while.”
“Ahh, because I brought Atsuage back with me, aye?”
“Yes. Everyone’s out looking for their own ‘second Atsuage.’ There’s already precedent now.”
People would obviously prefer to go where success had already been confirmed, even if their chances were slim. Though Yasuno privately thought, “If they have to beat a 36x block golem first, isn’t that way too unreasonable…?”
“Oh, and speaking of which—your 36x Present Box? The price is skyrocketing right now.”
“May it find its way to one who truly desireth it.”
“Well, it definitely will… Though maybe not in the heartwarming way you’re imagining.”
She swallowed her words. It wasn’t going to be some touching story of a passionate fan buying it with hope in their heart.
It’d be a vicious bidding war—cold, hard cash flying between grown adults.
Still, Inari was selling. Someone would buy. Everyone would be happy.
“Also… I recommend being careful when walking around outside for a while.”
“And why is that?”
“Miss Kogami, you’re… trending. When someone gets famous, all sorts of weird types start showing up.”
“...Doth the modern age suffer from kappas and oni issuing challenges?”
“I wish it were just that. At least those you can beat up. No, just be careful not to get lured into any shady invitations.”
After all, it wasn’t only clans looking to forge ties with famous Awakeners. Plenty of strange offers would come flooding in. That’s why the Association had positioned itself between Inari and FoxPhone in the first place, but that wouldn’t stop everyone.
“I’m sure you’re already getting offers to sell Atsuage. Probably more than just one or two.”
“I shall not part with him. For he is… a companion, is he not?”
At those words, Atsuage turned and leapt up onto Inari’s shoulder.
There was no mistaking it—it understood every word. Yasuno could see something like a bond between them. They hadn’t even known each other that long, but perhaps time didn’t matter.
Thanks to Inari and Atsuage, Yasuno felt like she finally understood what a partner could be.
Now all that was left was to go home and file her report.
As she stood up, she reminded Inari.
“If anything happens, please contact me.”
“I want one too… I really want one... something like that. A Greywolf would be nice. Wonder if I could take some time off and go dungeon diving…”
Even as she thought that, Yasuno knew full well that kind of time-off wouldn’t be coming anytime soon.
Between foreign Awakener Associations and various official agencies, Japan HQ would be buried in work from here on out.
And as Inari’s point of contact… she was now at the very center of it all.
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Atsuage (厚揚げ) is a Japanese food item—it's a type of deep-fried tofu.