Three days later, around noon, Inari received a phone call from Yasuno.
“Ah, good day! This is Yasuno!”
“Ohh, dost that mean the matter hath finally been resolved?”
“Yes, all taken care of. You can consider the whole incident officially over.”
“Umu, umu. Then at last I may resume mine ventures into the dungeon.”
“Go all out! If anything happens, just contact me, alright?”
After ending the call, Inari gave a thoughtful hum. Yasuno had said it was handled, but gave no specifics. Whether it was because she didn’t want to say or wasn’t allowed to, it smelt strongly of behind-the-scenes pressure being applied. Given the history surrounding Awakeners, it wasn’t a far-fetched assumption.
“Well, matters not. I have little fondness for folks who treat others as mere spectacle.”
Inari tapped through her Awakener Phone and reserved a spot at Tokyo Dungeon #4. The portal site even included directions, so there was no room to get lost.
“Let’s see… I may reach it by bus, it seemeth. Most convenient.”
She was already familiar with buses. She knew there were plenty of bus stops around Tokyo and that there were even dedicated shuttle routes to dungeons.
“Very well then, off I go.”
The only things she needed were her Awakener Phone and her house key. As she stepped outside and looked for the bus stop, a man emerged from a car parked near her house.
“Takai from the VIP Protection Division. Heading out today?”
“Umu. So thou art still keeping watch, I see.”
“Yes. The end of a situation is usually the most dangerous part. If I may ask, where are you headed?”
“The dungeon. I was going to take the bus there, thou see?”
“Then allow me to drive you.”
“Denied. Just show me the bus stop, if thou wouldst.”
Smiling, Inari made her stance clear. Takai gave a nod while speaking into his earpiece, then pulled out a map.
“Heading to Tokyo Dungeon #4, right? In that case, head straight down this road and take a right. You’ll find a bus stop for the #4 route there.”
“Ahh… I see. Thou lot art with the organization hosting the reservations, after all. My thanks.”
Since the reservation was made through the Association’s portal site, of course they’d have access to that information. For Inari, it just made everything more efficient.
Soon enough, she boarded the dungeon shuttle bus—but found that she was the only passenger.
“My, my?”
“Thank you for riding. This bus is bound for Tokyo Dungeon #4…”
“Thou hast my gratitude for thy service. Wouldst this suffice?”
“Yes, I’ve confirmed your Awakener Card.”
With the driver’s confirmation, Inari took her seat. The bus began to move.
Indeed, Dungeon #4 had plenty of reservation openings, but she hadn’t expected the bus to be completely empty. She was sure Dungeon #3 had at least a few more people. Perhaps others just weren’t using the bus?
“Hm. Art they all so picky, then?”
“Well, it’s orcs. Can’t really blame them.”
The driver’s unexpected comment made Inari let out a surprised “Hyoh?” She hadn’t expected him to chime in, and the word “can’t help it” caught her attention.
“Can’t help it, thou say? I know it lacketh popularity, but…”
“Ah, right. You’re a White Card holder. You might not know… but there aren’t many things more terrifying than orcs.”
Orcs. A humanoid monster type, they were well-known for their large size.
Like goblins, they were capable of wielding a variety of weapons—but their most distinctive trait was their nature.
They had a unique body odor known as “orc musk,” which they used to mark territory. Worse yet, they would tag prey with that scent and pursue them relentlessly.
They were also cunning enough to set traps. In a village-type dungeon like Tokyo Dungeon #4, such traits were at their most effective. One always had to stay alert, and being marked by orc scent was a death sentence.
They also required a wide array of countermeasures—and to make matters worse, they were carnivores. It didn’t take much imagination to know how they saw humans. The fact that they were humanoid themselves made them even more viscerally disturbing to many.
“Big-name clans clear it regularly, but otherwise no one goes there unless they have to.”
“Fumu… soundeth like the usual band of fiends and monsters to me.”
Beasts like gaki or other youkai were often similarly nasty. Finding ones that weren’t twisted in some way was the real challenge. So to Inari, it didn’t seem worth worrying over.
“Well, ‘tis of no concern. All I must do is conduct myself skillfully, no?”
“That’s good to hear… but now I’m more worried than before.”
“Eh? Why so?”
The way she said that with such confidence sounded exactly like someone setting up a disaster flag—but of course the driver couldn’t say that out loud.
After all, here was a White Card rookie in fox ears, shrine maiden garb, and a fluffy tail, with not a visible weapon in sight, confidently claiming orcs weren’t scary.
As a bus driver, it was only natural for him to be extremely concerned.