Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo. 

A few days have passed since the Dungeon Communication Channel was opened. And today was the day that Sumire was supposed to bring Hwaya to visit Tatsuo. So, the two ladies, Sumire and Hwaya, a tall, fair-skinned woman of exceptional beauty, a slim figure, a bountiful bosom, as well as hair and eyes that glowed in a flame-red color, were walking side by side through the streets of the Sasazuka neighborhood. 

"He really didn't do anything to you after you told him that you told me about him, right, Sumire?" Hwaya asked for the tenth time since she arrived in Japan. 

"I already told you, Nee-San, he didn't do anything to me." Sumire replied with a hollow chuckle. "He did tell me that he wasn't happy that I shared information about him like that, but he forgave me because I did it for his sake." 

Judging by this conversation, which had happened several times before, Hwaya did not have the best impression of Tatsuo. It looked like she even thought that he might have hit Sumire because of what she did. 

"*Sigh* But it can be frustrating, though." Sumire said while shaking her head. 

"What do you mean?" Hwaya asked in a curious, yet concerned, tone. 

"He just entered high school, but it feels like he's the older one between us, sometimes, you know?" Sumire replied while smiling wryly. 

Hearing that, Hwaya's steps came to a stop as she looked at Sumire with her beautiful red eyes opened wide in surprise. 

"Did you say… He just entered… High School?" Hwaya asked in a dumbfounded tone. 

"Uh… Yes…?" Sumire replied in an unsure tone. "He hasn't really been to school yet, though. You know because of Two Moon. And then, when schools restarted, his school was attacked by a flock of giant magpies." 

Hearing that, Hwaya could only continue to look at Sumire as if she had grown a second head. Meanwhile, Sumire was starting to fidget under Hwaya's intense stare. A moment later, however, she also opened her eyes wide. Though, her eyes were opened in realization. 

"Now that I think about it, since he's a Dungeon Explorer, he was probably the one who dealt with those big birds, wasn't he?" Sumire asked in a dumbfounded tone. 

Sumire's tone and question finally snapped Hwaya out of her daze. Then, she smiled wryly. 

"Well, if you wanna know the answer to that question, all you have to do is ask him, right?" Hwaya asked with a smile. "But seriously, all this time I was thinking that he was your boyfriend, Sumire. I mean, you defended him so fiercely. But I guess he's more like a younger brother to you, huh?" 

Hwaya's question put an end to Sumire's pondering immediately. Instead, her contemplative expression was immediately replaced with a fierce blush. On top of that, she found herself incapable of making eye contact with Hwaya. 

Seeing Sumire's reaction, this time, not only her eyes were opened wide, but even Hwaya's mouth fell open in shock. 

"Sumire… You…?" Hwaya asked in a dumbfounded tone. 

"Don't say it, Nee-San." Sumire said, cutting Hwaya off as she covered her face with both of her hands. "I already feel like I'm gonna be a cradle robber when I think about it by myself. So, if you say it, too. I won't be able to handle it." 

With that said, Sumire started walking forward again with her hands still covering her face. Meanwhile, Hwaya could only look at her dumbfoundedly for a while. Then, with a wry smile on her face, she shook her head before hurrying to catch up. 

Eventually, the duo reached the lobby of Tatsuo's apartment building. And while Sumire took out her smartphone to text Tatsuo, Hwaya looked around with an appraising eye. 

"His family must be pretty well off." Hwaya said as she noticed the interior decoration of the lobby. "This place is pretty upscale." 

Having just finished sending her text, Sumire only lowered her head. Though, this time it was not out of embarrassment. Instead, it was because it was not her place to tell Hwaya about Tatsuo's family situation. She had promised not to make the same mistake a second time, after all. 

Meanwhile, up on the top floor of the apartment, Tatsuo was sitting at his desk with an Azure-Winged Magpie's mana stone in his hands while thinking deeply. 

'I only have four mana stones left." Tatsuo thought to himself. 'That means, I only get one chance to extract the Skills from each Floor Master Set. And while that was always true with the [Orc Lord Set], the [Wraith Queen Set], and the [Dark Ratman Set], I could continue collecting the [Lizard Knight Set] over and over again until I got it right. But to do that, I'll need more mana stones. I guess I'll have to go out hunting sooner or later, huh?' 

While Tatsuo was deep in his thoughts, his smartphone buzzed, letting him know that he had just received a text message. 

"*Sigh* I guess they're already here." Tatsuo samutteredid as he put the mana stone into his [Inventory]. Then, just to make sure it was actually Sumire, Tatsuo picked up his smartphone and checked the text message. "*Sigh* Alright, I guess I'll just go meet them." 

With that said, Tatsuo stood up and put his smartphone in his pocket. Then, he started walking towards the elevator. Along the way, he decided to check his [System Status] and Dungeon Status. 

{[Status] 

[Personal Information] 

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo 

Age: 15 

Race: Human/??? 

Title: ??? 

Coins: 449,275 

[Physical Attributes] 

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: C- 

Strength: D+ 

Agility: C- 

Dexterity: C- 

Endurance: C- 

Intelligence: D+ 

Perception: D+ 

Energy: C 

Charm: B 

[Skills] 

Language: E+ 

Pianist: D 

Singing: E+ 

Vale Tudo: D 

Weapon Mastery: D 

Dagger Master: D+ 

Firearms Mastery: D- 

Cooking: F+ 

First Aid: E- 

Hacking: D 

Stealth: C+ 

Blacksmithing: C- 

Leatherworking: D 

Tailoring: C- 

Programming: E+ 

Blink: D+ 

Spatial Slash: D+ 

Spatial Rend: D 

Return: S- 

Back Stab: E 

Enchanting: C 

Lightning Speed: C- 

[Abilities] 

Mana Reactor: A+ 

???: ??? 

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]} 

"Damn, just climbing the Dungeon has really made my [Stats] grow a lot." Tatsuo muttered to himself with a smile on his face. "And how does my Dungeon Explorer Status look?" 

{ Dungeon Explorer Status 

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo 

Race: Human 

Sex: Male 

Class: Dimensional Assassin 

Title: Lizard Knight Slayer (All Stats +1) 

Rank: Silver 1 

Level: 21 

HP: 3590/3590 

MP: 2870/2870 

Strength: 48 

Dexterity: 76 

Constitution: 51 

Intelligence: 48 

Magic: 118 

Charm: 310 

Luck: 154 

Skills 

High-Ranked Martial Arts Technique: Lv. 5 

High-Ranked Dagger Mastery: Lv. 8 

High-Ranked Marksman Technique: Lv. 2 

Overwhelm: Lv. 3 

Spatial Mastery; Low-Rank: Lv. 4 

Return: Lv. 1 

Lightning Speed: Lv. 1 

Class Skills 

Blink; Low-Rank: Lv. 6 

Spatial Slash; Low-Rank: Lv. 7 

Enhanced Stealth: Low-Rank Lv. 9 

Spatial Rend; Low-Rank: Lv. 3 

Back Stab; Low-Rank: Lv. 6} 

Satisfied with is growth, Tetsuo finally reached the ground floor of his apartment building. And when the elevator doors opened, he immediately saw Sumire and Hwaya. Naturally, they both noticed him, as well. 

While Sumire was still embarrassed from her conversation with Hwaya on the way to the apartment, she turned her face away with a blush on her cheeks. Hwaya, on the other hand, once again widened her eyes at Tatsuo's appearance. 

'He might be the most masculine, yet beautiful man… No, he's only fifteen or sixteen according to Sumire.' Hwaya thought to herself while looking at Tatsuo's face. 'So, calling him a boy would be more appropriate, no? Either way, I guess I can understand why Sumire fell for a younger guy. At least, in terms of looks alone.' 

"Hey, Sumire-San." Tatsuo said with a smile. "It's nice to see you again. And I guess this must be Mastiford-San. It's nice to meet you." 

Greeting the ladies politely, Tatsuo stepped out of the elevator. And when he reached in front of the two, he extended his hand for a handshake to Hwaya. 

"Oh… Um... Hi, Tatsuo-Kun." Sumire said shyly. 

"It's nice to meet you, too." Hwaya replied while smiling elegantly as she accepted Tatsuo's handshake. "Since this is our first meeting in person, allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Hwaya Eleni Mastiford." 

After a quick handshake, Tatsuo and Hwaya released each other's hands. Then, Tatsuo gestured towards the elevator. 

"Well, why don't we head upstairs to talk." Tatsuo said with a smile. "I'll brew a pot of tea so we can sit down and talk. Then, I can show you around my place." 

"That sounds delightful." Hwaya replied while continuing to smile as well. "I'd also like the opportunity to meet your parents, as well." 

That caused the atmosphere to change abruptly. However, Tatsuo did not drop his smile. Sumire, on the other hand, looked at Tatsuo with worry. 

Noticing the change in atmosphere, Hwaya wore a confused expression. However, after realizing the change came after she mentioned meeting Tatsuo's parents, she understood exactly what happened. 

"Oh my, I'm sorry." Hwaya said in a sincerely apologetic tone. "I didn't mean to…" 

"Don't worry about it." Tatsuo replied as he waved dismissively. "Although the fact that they are gone still hurts, I know it's not anyone's fault." 

Reaching that point, Tatsuo turned around, walked to the elevator, and pressed the call button. Then, once the doors opened, he gestured once again for Sumire and Hwaya to enter. And once they were all inside, Tatsuo punched in the code for the penthouse as he continued. 

"But the monsters will pay for what they did to my parents." Tatsuo said, his tone turning quite frosty as he did so. 

As the elevator doors closed, Hwaya finally understood why Tatsuo seemed so sensitive about her organization. He said he had a run in with Guardian and Freedom Wing, who were supposed to protect people from the monsters. Yet, they had become organizations that only acted for profits and fame. And he had no reason to believe that the organization she wanted to create would be any different. 

And she was right to an extent. The memories from this life Tatsuo took on were making him feel like that. However, his prickly personality and somewhat extreme beliefs were molded from the time he was tortured in the name of training for eight years by DOATECH, but Hwaya, naturally, had no way of knowing that. 

A few moments later, Tatsuo, Sumire, and Hwaya left the elevator on the top floor. And when they did, Hwaya was surprised to realize that the whole top floor belonged to Tatsuo. On top of that, the interior decoration was quite nice, as well. 

Meanwhile, Tatsuo led Sumire and Hwaya to the kitchen table, where he offered them seats. Then, he made his way into the kitchen to brew tea, just as he mentioned before. 

"You have a lovely home, Tatsuo." Hwaya said in a sincere tone. 

"thanks." Tatsuo replied from the kitchen. "Mom liked everything to look nice." 

"Hey… Um… Tatsuo-Kun." Sumire said a moment later. 

"Yeah. What's up?" Tatsuo asked in reply. 

"Those big magpie that attacked your school, you were the one who took care of them, right?" Sumire asked. 

"I guess that was obvious after you realized I was a Dungeon Explorer, huh?" Tatsuo replied with a chuckle. "But yeah, I was the one who did it. Then, at the end, Guardian and Freedom Wing tried to take what was mine. And when they did, I kinda threatened to kill anyone who tried to take my stuff. So, I'm not really on the best terms with them right now." 

While Sumire was expecting Tatsuo to admit that he was the one to kill the Giant Azure-Winged Magpies, hearing that he threatened Guardian and Freedom Wing was well beyond her expectations. As for Hwaya, that cemented her thoughts about Tatsuo's aversion to her organization even further. On top of that, she agreed with Tatsuo's stance against them. 

"I probably would have done the same thing." Hwaya replied with a nod. "In fact, I probably would have burned off some of their hair to get my point across." 

"Although I could have cut off some of their hair, too." Tatsuo said with a chuckle as he came out of the kitchen holding a tray with a teapot and three teacups on top. "But if they had moved, I might have ended up scalping them, instead. And that wouldn't' have been good." 

The thought of Tatsuo accidentally removing the scalps of several people made both Sumire and Hwaya shiver. 

"Yes, that was probably the right move." Hwaya replied in an awkward toen. 

After that, the three chatted about much lighter topics over tea. Then, after they finished their tea, Tatsuo showed Hwaya around as he promised. Naturally, Sumire followed them. 

"By the way, Tatsuo-Kun." Sumire said, sounding much more relaxed after drinking a bit of tea. "You must be rich now, right? After selling all those C-Ranked monsters corpses, I mean." 

In response, Tatsuo could only scratch the back of his head while smiling awkwardly. 

"Well, the thing about that is…" Tatsuo muttered while looking away. "I'm not actually registered with New Moon. So, I couldn't sell the corpses. On top of that, Guardian and Freedom Wing are probably on the lookout for me. So, I didn't go to get registered later, either." 

Hearing that, Sumire didn't know what to say. And since it mad perfect sense, she could not think of any reason to retort. Hwaya, on the other hand, smiled. 

"Well, if you wanna go get registered, I can go with you." Hwaya said with a smile. "If I'm there, they shouldn't hassle you over anything. You'll probably wanna register under an alias, though.' 

"Yeah. And then they'll think I'm one of your underlings or something." Tatsuo replied with a slight frown. 

"Although you're probably right." Hwaya replied with a nod. "does it really matter what those insignificant people think?" 

Looking back, Tatsuo did not expect Hwaya to say something like that, so he was caught off guard by a bit. However, it did not take long for him to smile at her. 

"No, I guess it really doesn't." Tatsuo replied. "Well then, if you're willing to help me with that, I'd be grateful." 

"No problem." Hwaya replied in a confident tone. "Just leave it to me." 

Meanwhile, Sumire, after seeing Tatsuo and Hwaya getting along, could not help but smile happily. And when they finally reached Tatsuo's bedroom, she could not help her eyes lighting up, either. 

"Wow! That's a beautiful piano." Hwaya exclaimed after seeing the grand piano in Tatsuo's bedroom. 

"Well, my mom wanted me to have the best." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "Wanna hear a few songs?" 

"That would be lovely." Hwaya replied. "Sumire has told me a lot about your talent as a pianist. So, I would love to hear it for myself." 

"Sure." Tatsuo replied with another shrug. Then, he strode over to the piano bench and flipped the key lid. "Feel free to take a seat wherever you like." 

With that, both Sumire and Hwaya found seats that were comfortable. Meanwhile, Tatsuo stretched his fingers. Then, after a deep breath, he began playing with his eyes closed. 

{BGM: "Rondo alla Turca" – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart} 

When the lively, playful melody started echoing through the room, Hwaya immediately realized just how talented Tatsuo was. And she could not help but get lost in the music. Meanwhile, Sumire, who had heard Tatsuo play many times over the past few months, only smiled happily, as she had come to love hearing him play the piano. 

Tatsuo's impromptu performance lasted about half an hour. During that time, he played both classical music and piano rearrangements of popular hip-hop, R&B, and pop songs from his past life. And when he finally finished, it took a few seconds for Sumire and Hwaya to come back to their senses. 

"Bravo! Bravo!" Hwaya cheered while clapping her hands enthusiastically. "Sumire truly did not exaggerate your skill." 

"Thanks." Tatsuo replied proudly, as his piano skill was the thing he was most proud of in this life. 

"Now that we've got that out of the way, I heard you have a dojo in this building, as well.' Hwaya said in a challenging tone. "How about I show you that I really am the strongest of all the Dungeon Explorers." 

It seems that Tatsuo was not the only one who felt provoked a few days ago during their conversation in the Dungeon Explorer communication Channel. However, instead of replying immediately, Tatsuo seemingly disappeared from where he sat. And when he reappeared, he was standing behind Hwaya with his hand placed on her shoulder. 

"Are you sure you really wanna do that?" Tatsuo asked after [Blinking] behind Hwaya without a trace, or even a ripple in the ambient mana. 

In response, Hwaya jumped in surprise, frightened by the suddenness of Tatsuo's voice coming from behind her. At the same time, Sumire looked at Tatsuo in shock, as well. Since she had never seen Tatsuo do anything like that before. 

In the past, Sumire thought that Tatsuo had Awakened after feeling mana from him. However, after she found out he was a Dungeon Explorer, she figured that was where the mana came from instead. But now, she did not know what to think. 

"Like you, Mastiford-San, I'm both a Dungeon Explorer and an Awakened." Tatsuo said with a smile. "So, thinking you're the strongest because you were the first to reach the 50th Floor is foolish. Because things like that aren't the only things that matter in a fight." 

At that moment, Hwaya could only nod her head stiffly. Because everything Tatsuo said about if he wanted her dead or her never seeing it coming replayed in her mind. And she realized that he was right. Still, she would not accept being weaker than anyone so easily. 

"Anyway, I have another question about those birds you fought at your school, Tatsuo-Kun." Sumire said in an attempt to break the tense atmosphere. 

"What's up?" Tatsuo asked before [Blinking] back to the piano bench. 

"If you couldn't sell them, what did you do with the corpses and materials?" Sumire asked. 

"Oh, I made stuff outta them." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "I just had to buy some crafting tools from the Dungeon's Floor Shop first." 

"Really?" Sumire asked excitedly. "can I see what you made?" 

"Okay." Tatsuo replied as he stood up and walked towards his closet. "Just give me a second to change." 

That caused Sumire and Hwaya to look at each other with a bit of confusion. However, when Tatsuo came out wearing the [Azure Green Scaled Body Suit] and [Fluttering Feathers], both ladies were completely shocked. Then, after coming to their senses, they bombarded Tatsuo with questions about how he made them. And that lasted until they decided to return to Sumire's home for the evening.