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Over the Infinite Chapter 18 Part 3

 

『How can Tsuna move? His HP was completely depleted, right? 』

『He probably used a potion or a skill. It’s off the record since I don’t have permission, but he might be used to stuff like this. 』

『…Ha, what a grand appearance. Mr. Minotaur, what did you think when you saw this? 』

『To be honest, I was quite shocked. I was like, “Wait, why is he standing? ” I unintentionally made a face like a comedian who just got pranked on a variety show.

After that, even the ((Intimidation of the Strong)) got nullified, and… yes, right here, they even managed to chain skills together. 』

『You guys are really pushing the envelope, aren’t you? 』

「Chaining skills? 」

「When you connect action skills smoothly, you can unleash another skill without the usual delay after executing a move.

But if you do that, a longer delay occurs afterward. 」

「Is that so? I only have one action skill right now. I wonder if I can use it? 」

「You could if you had another one. The timing is quite tricky, though. 」

In truth, the success rate of this skill chaining is quite low during our training sessions.

Being able to execute it here, and in the nick of time during the subsequent battle against the cat-eared girl, was honestly close to miraculous.

『The final battle was certainly something to see. Actually, there’s a hidden stage that only appears during your first challenge, but that’s as far as we’re broadcasting. 』

『Sneaky move by the guild. 』

『Next week, we plan to feature the video of (War Arms) that was originally scheduled for today.

Thank you, Mr. Gobtaro and Mr. Minotaur, for joining us today. 』

After that, our figures passing through the warp gate are displayed while the staff credits roll.

The video continues to show the arrival of the cat-eared girl to the hidden stage, finally concluding with an announcement for paid videos in a text crawl. It’s an egregiously commercial tactic, even for something that isn’t a movie.

「Wow, that was something, wasn’t it? 」

Philos says so, but from our perspective, it felt like the Minotaur stole the whole show.

 

-2-

Now that the broadcast is over, it’s already night. Time for the dinner meeting with the Dungeon Master.

The two of us headed to the restaurant designated by the Dungeon Master.

The place wasn’t within the dungeon area but was a bit far off.

「Do you know the way, Tsuna? 」

「I’ve got it covered this time. I’ve checked the transfers and all. 」

I had a tough experience last time, after all.

We could’ve taken a rickshaw, but we opted to navigate via the subway.

Being on the train like this, it’s easy to forget where we are.

「So, the subway is still a thing, huh? 」

「They even have a ton of lines. Isn’t this overkill? 」

I’m not sure how warp gate technology is treated here, but it seems wasteful to have trains even when there are teleporters.

Maybe there’s some sort of constraint, like they can only be used within dungeons.

The restaurant indicated on the map was slightly removed from the main street. It had a more casual vibe than a traditional Japanese inn.

It felt more like a high-end izakaya.

[2. TL Note: An izakaya is a typical Japanese pub or restaurant.]

「It’s my first time in a place like this. Same with the restaurant we went to the other day. 」

「Is that including your past life? 」

「Yeah, I never even reached adulthood in my past life. Actually, the first time I had alcohol was the aperitif at our last dinner meeting. 」

This guy seems to be dealing with quite a lot.

Once inside, we informed the attendant of our names and were guided to a private room in the back.

It seemed like a room they don’t use often. Well, our companion is the Dungeon Master, after all.

Dungeon Master was already waiting for us in the room.

He looked just like he did when we met in that 1K, but his outfit was more formal this time.

「Ah, you’ve arrived. 」

「Um, nice to meet you. My name is Yuki. 」

「Yeah, I’ve heard about you. I’m Shingo Kitsuki, the Dungeon Master in this town. Let’s talk while we eat, shall we? Sit, sit. 」

The Dungeon Master called for the waiter, and we each ordered drinks.

The food that arrived seemed to be a set course.

We started with appetizers, and once the drinks were served, the three of us toasted. It felt just like any other drinking party.

「What kind of restaurant is this? 」

I was the one who asked. Yuki looked around restlessly. A country bumpkin, perhaps?

「This is a place I originally created to replicate Earth cuisine—not just Japanese. Recently, we’ve started experimenting with ingredients unique to this world. I’ve long since stepped back, but I’m still a major shareholder, so I come here occasionally. 」

Come to think of it, the dishes so far have been familiar Japanese dishes.

Maybe they’ve adjusted to our preferences.

「Congratulations again on clearing the trial. Tsuna-kun, Yukito… Should I address you that way? Considering how you look. 」

「Ah, just Yuki is fine. I don’t like that name. 」

「Alright, Yuki it is. If there’s anything you can’t eat, just let me know beforehand. There are times when foods from your previous life might be intolerable here. 」

「No, I think I’m okay. 」

Really? As for me, I feel like I can eat more things than I did in my previous life.

In my former life, I never ate things like goblin or tree roots. Those would usually cause an upset stomach, but people in my hometown could eat them without any problem. And it’s not just me; everyone in the village could.

After that, we spent some time savoring the nostalgic dishes and talking about Japan.

Though Yuki and I haven’t talked about it much, it turns out we both died during a relatively close time period in Heisei-era Japan, so we have a lot to discuss.

It’s strange discussing the celebrities and politicians of our old world here. From TV shows to internet culture, we even delve into some really niche topics. I’m starting to think this guy has quite the geeky disposition.

「By the way, what kind of person is the other one who couldn’t make it today?」

Yuki raised the subject of the other former Japanese person who couldn’t come to this place today.

There’s probably an opportunity to meet them later, but the curiosity is there.

「What kind of person… That’s a difficult question to answer. 」

「Could it be a girl? 」

「Yeah. She’s a half-elf and about the same age as you guys, if I remember correctly… she’s around 14 years old now. Elves age slower, and even as a half-elf, she’s still growing quite slowly, so she’s about the height of an elementary school student. 」

A half-elf, huh? And a girl, at that; it certainly fuels the imagination.

I’ve seen elves in town a few times before. Both men and women are delicately beautiful. I’m glad they’re not the elves as drawn by some monster-sensei out there.

Elves generally have a longer lifespan, and it seems like they grow slowly here as well.

「She cleared the trial at a relatively early stage and became an adventurer at a younger age than usual due to her parents passing away early. She’s now quite high-ranked… I think she was around rank C or B. 」

She sounds like a strong half-elf, despite being around the same age as us.

But she’s the height of an elementary school student, huh? She must be beautiful, but no matter how wide my strike zone is, an elementary school kid is a no-go.

For the record, I’m fine with shorter heights, but if they’re taller, that’s even better. Well, I won’t specify what I mean by that.

Her growth seems slow, so it’s a tricky line to walk. But, hey, maybe it’ll open new horizons for me, so it’s worth a try as a guy. Yup.

Anyway, nothing can start unless I get introduced to her.

 

-3-

「Today’s meeting is partly an introduction, but have you decided on the other trial bonus? 」

「Um, is anything okay? 」

Yuki, that’s a bad move. Saying something like that will only make it difficult for me to discuss limitations.

「Anything’s fine, but it’d be helpful if it directly contributes to dungeon conquering. Also, things that are impossible with my authority or abilities are out of the question. 」

Ah, now it’s difficult to bring up the topic of Milk Pudding.

「By the way, what can’t you do? You seem like you could do anything… 」

「That’s not true. I can’t give excessive combat power or resurrect the dead. Wanting to go back to Earth is also not an option. In fact, I wish I could do that. 」

Resurrection is impossible, huh? That was a bit surprising.

「Ah, um, actually, I was a woman in my previous life. 」

「Huh? Really? That’s rare. …This is the first time I’ve heard of that. 」

Oh?

「Is changing genders that rare? 」

「Well, I’ve never heard of it. In this world, for some reason, those with past lives often have the same gender. There are cases where it’s different, but usually, those people don’t have many memories. So, a case where the memories are this clear might be the first. At least, it’s the first one I’ve encountered. 」

Is that so? Is it because the soul rejects entering a body of a different gender? I don’t really understand the talk of souls, though.

「Ah, sorry. So, what were you saying? 」

「I want to become a girl again. That’s why I came to this town, hoping that could happen. Can you grant that as a bonus? 」

「Hmm… 」

Unexpected, but the Dungeon Master looks troubled. Is it really impossible?

「Is it not possible? 」

「No, it’s not that it’s impossible. It can be done. 」

「In that case— 」

「But there’s one problem. You, Yuki-kun—should I say Yuki-chan? —you want to revert back in the truest sense, not just as a simple change, right? 」

「Y-yes, a mere change wouldn’t suffice. 」

Then you might as well just have surgery. In this town, they’d probably do it if you paid.

「You know, there’s actually a precedent for that kind of gender change. Not about having a different gender in a past life, though. Tsuna-kun, do you remember the glasses-wearing guy who examined you at the checkpoint? 」

「Ah, that sadist with glasses. 」

He’s the guy who made me into a minor hero when I executed the Giant Swing.

Why’s he suddenly—wait, was he originally a woman?