Chapter 38
Illegal drugs? Me? Doping?
What—were there really that many problems with the results of this exam?
Trying to understand what was going on, I looked toward the teacher.
“Higashiyama… for now, just undergo the test. Even being suspected at this time can be a negative. Please clear your name as quickly as possible.”
“…Did I produce too good a result? I understand. I’ll take the test. Is it a urine test? Or a blood test?”
It was possible that they had grown suspicious of the results I’d been putting out continuously since summer.
The results of exams at this school don’t stay within the school. Of course, they’re recorded at Meiou Exploration Academy as well, and also sent to the government department that promotes dungeon exploration.
Considering that a student who should normally be only level 1 was operating with level-25 stats, I could understand why they’d question such abnormal results.
Well, if they tested me here, they should be able to tell whether there was any doping.
I obediently followed the person in the white coat to the restroom and, under observation to make sure I didn’t do anything suspicious, provided a urine sample.
“Aren’t you doing a blood test?”
“No, it isn’t necessary. Depending on the results, we may do one later.”
Listening to them as we talked, I returned from the restroom to the infirmary.
And then—astonishingly—the police officers were laying out everything from my bag.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
“A belongings inspection. Since there’s suspicion of drugs, this is a necessary investigation.”
“…So that’s why you told me to bring my bag, sensei.”
“…I’m sorry.”
The teacher looked awkward. He was probably informed that there would be a surprise inspection from outside authorities.
Well, fine. There was nothing in my bag that would cause trouble, and I had nothing to hide.
“May we take this tablet and water bottle into custody?”
“Go ahead. They’re just over-the-counter glucose tablets and a sports drink made by dissolving them.”
“Understood. We expect to return them in about three days. Thank you for your cooperation with the inspection and investigation.”
And with that, the sudden doping check came to an end.
High schoolers are normally level 1, after all… I guess if your practical exam results suddenly change this much, people start watching you…
As I was about to head back to the classroom, I ran into Nanjou on the stair landing.
He looked unusually cheerful—had something good happened to him?
“Looks like your temporary reign is over, Higashiyama.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“No need to hide it. Well, now everything will come to light. Exciting, isn’t it?”
I watched Nanjou leave after dropping those cryptic words.
What was that about? Did he do that well on the practical exam?
Sure, he’d come out second in our group after Kasumi, so his results were good—but still.
When I returned to the classroom, most of the students had already gone home.
I’d come back to retrieve the bag where I’d put my coat and jersey, but for some reason Kasumi, who was still there, rushed toward me looking like she was about to cry.
“Hey, Akira—come here!”
“What, what? At least let me grab my stuff.”
I snatched my coat and bag, and while being dragged along by Kasumi, headed for the stairs to the rooftop at the far end of the third floor—an area rarely used.
The rooftop was closed, so there shouldn’t have been any reason to come here.
“What’s wrong, Kasumi?”
“…Earlier, Nanjou came to the classroom. He said a bunch of completely outrageous things. I’m so angry I don’t even know what I’m feeling. I want to scream and cry. What was that?! What is wrong with him?!”
“Nanjou? Yeah, he talked to me on the stairs too. He was saying some nonsense I couldn’t make sense of.”
“Me too. He said things like ‘You’re going to get expelled,’ ‘Don’t associate with him anymore,’ and ‘People will question your dignity.’”
“Huh? What on earth is he talking about? Did he go crazy from exam stress?”
“Right? He seriously makes no sense… I’m so irritated!”
“Alright then—want to go to a super sento today too, Kasumi? Bring a change of clothes and we’ll meet there.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s go home, Akira. The exams finally ended and I was feeling refreshed, and now this—today’s the worst.”
…So that’s how it is. Looks like this surprise inspection of mine probably has something to do with him.
Seems like he’s due for an appropriate dose of payback.
I’d contacted home in advance, so when I got back—
“Welcome home, Akira! Going to an outdoor bath in this cold season is certainly eccentric! But your big sister is extremely curious about her first super sento. Come on, hurry up and change—let’s go!”
She was already ready to head out, standing right beyond the front door.
She was wearing her daily maid outfit, topped with a warm-looking coat.
Even my sister apparently needed a coat in winter temperatures.
“Okay, okay. I’ll change right away. Oh, Kasumi’s going to meet us there too, so if you don’t understand something about the baths, you can ask her.”
“Oh, Kasumi-girl’s coming too? Then your sister’s going to have some naked bonding time with her! We’ll even do the promised ‘boob comparison.’ But I’m not telling you the results, Akira!”
“I’m not interested, thanks. I’m going to change.”
Well, if I had to guess… I’d put my money on Kasumi.
My sister has a model-like figure—anything would probably look good on her.
Alright, let’s head out quickly! In cold seasons, super sentos tend to get pretty crowded.
I’m not exactly sure what defines a “super sento,” but personally I think of it as “big, with lots of facilities.” By that definition, the place we were heading to definitely qualified.
“This is my first time coming here by train. Before, it was nothing but dungeons, so I couldn’t really go out with you like this, Akira. From now on, I want to go to lots of places and have fun together with you.”
Looking at the domed stadium passing by outside the train window, my sister spoke excitedly about the future.
…She’s right. The “previous me” was too focused on dungeons, and I don’t think I really enjoyed the life I had with the family and partner I’d gained.
How to make use of [Experience Gained ×10], how to get stronger—that’s all the two of us thought about, day after day, and put into practice.
But this time… let’s spend a little more time together as a family.
I have no intention of holding back my strength or achievements—but that doesn’t mean I have to restrain myself from enjoying my days with my sister either.
“Ah, Akira! Big sis! Over here, over here!”
“Oh, you’re early, Kasumi.”
“Kasumi-girl, you’re fast. Do you live nearby by any chance?”
“Yeah. My dad loves baseball, so our place is in an apartment building close by.”
“Seriously? I didn’t know that… come to think of it, I’ve never been to Kasumi’s place.”
We met up with Kasumi at the entrance of the facility that housed the super sento and headed inside right away.
After paying the fee and entering, we had to split up by gender at the changing room entrance.
I felt a bit uneasy about what lay ahead, but with Kasumi there, it should be fine.
“Phew… today wore me out in more ways than one. Let’s take it easy.”
Jealousy can sometimes drive people to strange behavior.
Nanjou… so even after losing to me, he still hadn’t accepted it.
He seemed to suspect doping and all that… but could it be that such cases really do exist? Like in the sports world, is doping also happening among explorers…?
Could it be that drugs related to dungeons—illegal items—are actually circulating…?
“…It’s not related to the cause of my ‘previous self’s’ death, is it…?”
Meanwhile, Arnie and Kasumi had already taken off all their clothes and were checking the guide board in the bathing area.
“Alright? You should rinse yourself properly with the poured water or take a shower before entering the bath.”
Seeing that Arnie looked foreign and was thought to have “come to Japan recently,” Kasumi explained the rules of the bathhouse to her.
“I’ll be fine. Your big sister knows quite a bit about Japan, you know. I’ve only heard about it, but I really want to try that thing called an electric bath.”
“I’ve never tried that either…”
“Alright! Then it’ll be our first time together!”
And so, they happily enjoyed their first super sento experience.