Chapter 23: The Tattered Blazer

Original: Chapter 23: The Tattered Blazer

I returned to the plaza where Miss Rilril was.

“Welcome back, Miss Sayuki!”

“I’m back.”

“Huh? Did you change clothes?”

Miss Rilril looked puzzled.

“That’s right. I ended up fighting something called a Flare Lizard. My school uniform got burned up.”

“A Flare Lizard?!”

“It was strong.”

“The recommended conquest level for Flare Lizards is 30. Did you win, Miss Sayuki?”

“Yes, I won. So it really requires level 30… No wonder it was so tough…”

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have challenged it. My level is only 28.

“Winning at a level lower than the recommendation is impressive.”

“But it was a really close fight. If I’d made the wrong choice at the very end, I think I would have died.”

“Maybe you have a talent for battle, Miss Sayuki.”

“No, no, not at all.”

“Flare Lizards are like the first wall that stands in the way of beginners. Since you defeated one on your first encounter without any prior information, you should be proud. And—”

“And?”

“Truly strong people, even when pushed into a corner, manage to pull through and win decisively.”

Huh. Maybe I really am amazing then.

“Well, I don’t have any friends to proudly tell my heroic tales to… Hahaha…”

“Miss Sayuki… I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, but do you have any friends…?”

“I’m not good at making them.”

“Maybe try being a little braver?”

“Even if I try, the relationships don’t last.”

Sigh… The mood turned gloomy. I should change the subject.

“Can I deliver the Gunpowder Flower Buds?”

“Ah, yes, that would be a great help. I hope you can make some friends. Even if it’s just for conquering Dungeons.”

“Yes, thank you. I do yearn for it, though…”

Now that she mentions it, even if we’re distant at school, having a relationship where we could conquer Dungeons together might be wonderful.

We could share both hardships and joys, and talk about Dungeon-related current topics.

Even if we could only meet once a week, I’d like to have a friend.

I wonder if there’s someone out there who would enjoy Dungeons with me. I hope there is.

I delivered the Gunpowder Flower Buds and received my reward of 5000 Pon.

5000 Pon—, 5000 Pon… Converted to yen, that’s 5000 yen. The exchange rate doesn’t seem to fluctuate much; it’s usually 1 Pon to 1 yen.

Before taking on the quest, I thought 5000 Pon was good money…

“I’m completely in the red now…”

A gloomy feeling settled over me.

“Huh? Was the reward not enough?”

“No, I just had to face the reality that I need to buy a new school uniform.”

School uniforms are unnecessarily expensive. I wish I could buy one at a mass retailer. Actually, I’d be fine if uniforms were abolished and we could wear our own clothes.

“Ah, I see. In that case, it’s okay.”

“…Meaning?”

“Clothing damage in the Dungeon is an everyday occurrence, so there’s a business for that. Could you come with me for a moment?”

Miss Rilril asked the neighboring street stall owner, “Could you watch my stall for a bit?” and received a cheerful “Sure!”

Miss Rilril seemed to be guiding me somewhere. She was looking around at the stalls. “Ah, found her, found her,” she said, so she must have spotted someone.

We moved six stalls over from Miss Rilril’s.

The owner of that stall was a Dungeonfolk who looked about four heads tall, like Miss Rilril. Her gender was female. She had brown hair, styled into a long, thick braided ponytail.

“Hello! Are you free right now?”

“Sure! What’s up, Rilril?”

The stall had clothes hanging all over a clothing rack. Was it a clothing store?

“There’s someone I’d like to introduce.”

“This girl?”

“Yep. Her name is Sayuki. Her clothes got burned.”

“So she’s a customer.”

The Dungeonfolk woman looked at me.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Sayuki. I’m Marta, a Dungeonfolk. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Chiyusaki Sayuki.”

I gave a slight bow, saying “Pleased to meet you.”

“My, what a cute girl.”

“She is, isn’t she?”

“What kind of shop is this?”

Miss Marta raised her index finger.

“To put it simply, it’s a clothing mending shop.”

“Mending?”

“Yes, as long as even a single scrap of cloth remains, we can repair it overnight using a traditional technique passed down among Dungeonfolk.”

“Eh, you can repair it from just a single scrap?”

“We can. It’s a secret technique, so I can’t go into details. Would you like to try it? I’m sure the price will be much more reasonable than buying new.”

When I asked about the price, she said a blazer would be 3000 Pon, a blouse 1000 Pon, and a skirt 2000 Pon.

“It really is more reasonable than buying new.”

“Since it’s your first time, Miss Sayuki, and because Rilril introduced you, I’ll do it for 500 Pon.”

“Wow, that’s an amazing deal. Then, could I ask you to do it? It’s these clothes… Do you think they can be mended?”

I took out the blazer and blouse from my backpack. They were full of holes, and less than half the fabric remained.

I was just going to dispose of them if I took them home anyway, so for 500 Pon, I figured I’d give it a shot.

Miss Marta received them with careful hands.

“It’s fine. With this much left, mending them will be a piece of cake.”

“Really? Dungeonfolk traditional techniques are amazing.”

Miss Marta and Miss Rilril puffed out their chests proudly. It was really cute.

I learned that the clothes hanging on the rack were already mended items. They looked completely brand new. With that, I could entrust them with peace of mind.

“Then, please mend them.”

“Understood. I’ll fix them overnight, so could you come pick them up after school tomorrow?”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Apparently, they don’t open in the morning because there are fewer people coming to the Dungeon then.

It would have been ideal if I could pick up the blazer and blouse in the morning. If I could do that, I could go to school properly in my uniform.

Well, I’ll just attend classes in my tracksuit tomorrow. I’ll stand out a bit, but nobody really pays attention to me anyway.