NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57 - A World of Silver - 01
What Kenya and the others saw was a world of silver.
The 20th floor was covered in snow.
Though there was no blizzard, it resembled a ski slope on a clear day.
The entire area was so covered in snow that it was almost refreshing.
A world of silver, where only white existed.
Such an untouched and beautiful snowy landscape would be rare to see in reality.
The snow was as soft as a fluffy carpet.
And Misuzu’s first words upon seeing this beautiful scene were…
“It’s too cold!”
Misuzu, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, felt entirely out of place in this silver world.
“Senior, hurry! Let’s go back! We’ll catch a cold. Is this Hokkaido?”
“Yeah, next time we come here, let’s dress warmly.”
Kenya also tried to warm himself by rubbing his arms.
Outside the tower, it was July—early summer.
Misuzu, Kenya, and Reina were all in short sleeves.
Misuzu, as usual, was showing off her bare legs, which made her look even colder.
Even Reina, dressed in a monochrome outfit that seemed easy to move in, looked chilly.
Then, the group passed through the gate to the first floor, leaving this floor behind.
“Welcome back, Kenya! Clearing from the 10th to the 20th floor on your first try in half a day is amazing!”
In the central lobby of the first floor, Ai welcomed them as they reported the end of their exploration.
Reina, Misuzu, and I sat across from her.
“The equipment was good, and Reina was strong (though I feel like I didn’t do much).”
“Next time, will you aim for the 30th floor? It’s supposed to be quite cold from the 20th floor, so dress warmly, or you’ll freeze to death. A few people get lost every month.”
“Understood. It was just a little bit, but I thought it was midwinter in Hokkaido… Oh, and there’s something I wanted to ask.”
Then Kenya asked about the mysterious voice he had heard, the one that mentioned a seal.
“Hmm, I haven’t heard anything like that. Are you sure it wasn’t just your imagination?”
But Ai didn’t seem to know either.
Kenya himself had never heard of such a thing.
“Got it! Thank you! I’ll come back to the dungeon after school tomorrow!”
“Okay, then. Take care.”
Since Ai didn’t know, it was probably something no one else knew either.
Kenya decided not to dwell on things that wouldn’t make sense.
Ping!
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Dinner is ready, so come straight home from the dungeon.
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A message from Nana popped up.
It was 7 p.m., dinner time.
“Nana’s got dinner ready, so let’s head home.”
“I’m starving. I want to take a bath.”
“I’m hungry too.”
…
“Welcome home, Mikado.”
“I’m home…”
(This place has really become my home.)
As they returned, the receptionist at the apartment, who looked like she worked in a hotel lobby, greeted them.
They passed through the still-shining hallway, where even the floor reflected their faces, and took the elevator to the 32nd floor.
“Well then! That’s everything! Excuse us!”
As they arrived at home, people who looked like delivery workers were leaving in droves.
Nodding to them as they passed by, Kenya and the others entered their home.
“Big brother’s home, Nana!”
“We’re back, Nana.”
“We’re back, Nana!”
The three entered the living room.
Inside, large, medium, and small cardboard boxes were scattered around.
The packages were piled up like a mountain.
“Oh, w-welcome back, big brother, Misuzu, and Reina.”
From within the mountain, Nana peeked out apologetically.
“Nana, what is all this?”
Kenya asked, looking around.
Cardboard boxes and furniture were piled in the middle of the spacious living room.
“Hehe… I might have bought a little too much…”
“A little too much? What’s all this?”
“Senior, this box says ‘refrigerator’ on it?”
Misuzu pointed out the label on one of the boxes.
“Furniture and appliances… I thought I’d get everything we needed, and it ended up being a lot… You know, we threw out the old futons, so I thought we needed beds…”
Kenya looked at the boxes.
Indeed, the labels said things like refrigerator, washing machine, and futon.
“How much did all this cost…?”
“About 2 million yen… I think?”
“Th-that’s quite a lot.”
“But they’re all things we need! It’s not like I was being extravagant!”
“Nana, if it’s something you thought we needed, you’re free to buy it.”
It seemed his sister was bolder than he had imagined.
Even though they’d lived a poor life until now, she spent 2 million yen in a single day…
But there was still enough money left in the billions, so it wasn’t a problem.