The Japanese-style maid outfit, lovingly crafted by the Servant Uniform Workshop, was carefully tucked away in a dresser—though whether Inari would ever wear it again remained uncertain. It was far too nice for casual wear, and when it came to actual battle, her usual outfit was simply the best. So for now, it was something to be worn if and when the right occasion presented itself.
And so, while Inari wanted to head into a dungeon, all the inland dungeons were fully booked, and the rest weren’t much better. Apparently, the Arakawa Port incident had lit a fire under even the most laid-back of Awakeners.
Which made sense, really. Over the past few days, various media outlets had been running features on Inari and Eri. Although Inari herself rarely appeared on video, Eri was all over the place. As a result, the Servant Uniform Workshop had become extremely busy. Offers for Eri to appear in commercials were pouring in, and many Awakeners were clearly envious of her situation.
"If only I had been there. If only I’d had the power to shine..." That sort of thing. Of course, the bigger clans weren’t thrilled about being overshadowed by the Workshop crew either, and they were now putting more effort into dungeon raids than ever. Eri’s rise had really stirred the pot—and even now, the TV was showing one of her ads.
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“Umu. She’s doing well.”
Inari smiled as Eri beamed on the screen. Technically, Inari had also received tons of commercial offers via FoxPhone, but none had made it past that stage. Inari simply wasn’t interested. She wasn’t doing this to be on TV. Honestly, she’d prefer those offers go to someone else who needed them more.
So, what was Inari doing now? She was preparing for the baseball broadcast about to begin. Today’s match: Sapporo Niflheim vs Kagoshima Muspelheim—rival teams whose games were always intense, high-scoring spectacles. The pitchers were excellent, but somehow, when these two teams clashed, it always turned into a slugfest—as if they refused to lose to just each other.
As the final commercial ended and the broadcast was about to begin, Inari leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.
“Atsuage! It’s starting! It’s BASEBALL TIME!!”
With tea and rice crackers prepared, Inari was raring to go. Atsuage, however, wasn’t so into baseball. Instead, it was casually breaking Inari’s crackers into bite-sized chunks, making original little snacks to pass the time.
But Inari was far too entranced by the screen to notice.
—Good evening. The scheduled baseball game has been preempted by an emergency broadcast. We apologize for the inconvenience.—
“HYO!?”
—We now go live to the Awakener Association’s Japan Headquarters, where they are about to hold a press conference. Mr. Shirazaki?—
—Yes, I’m here at the main hall of the Association’s Japan HQ. The press conference will begin shortly. Reporters from various outlets have already gathered…—
The sparkle vanished from Inari’s eyes. She collapsed sideways with a “thud”.
“Why… Why must this happen… My baseball…”
The broadcast was suddenly canceled. Of course, if it was a real emergency, she had no choice but to accept it. Still, the sense of loss weighed heavily. Atsuage, meanwhile, climbed onto Inari’s chest and sat comfortably. Unlike Inari, it seemed to enjoy news broadcasts—a fact Inari knew well. So, with a sigh of resignation, she gave in and watched the emergency press conference.
It was… about Tokyo Bay.
“…As explained, we have confirmed the emergence of a dungeon gate within Tokyo Bay. The area is currently in a highly dangerous state, and we have submitted an official request to the government to suspend operations at the Tokyo Port.”
“Are the recent monster incidents in Tokyo Bay connected to this dungeon gate?”
“Who is responsible for the delayed discovery of this gate?”
“We are using equipment that meets global standards. In short, this is a limitation of current human technology. We are now assembling a rapid response team to handle the matter as swiftly as possible.”
So that time Inari and Hikaru had gone to Tokyo Port… the dungeon break had already happened. That explained a lot. It had been several days since then. The situation must be dire.
Whoever ended up on this so-called "rapid response team" would likely face real danger.
“…Hmm. It seems the strength of humankind still leaves much to be desired. In that case… perhaps it is I who must act.”
With that muttered thought, Inari sat up—sending an unsuspecting Atsuage tumbling to the corner of the room—and pulled out her Awakener Phone, dialing Yasuno’s number.