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Tl: Sam

…

　Two days after the battle with Bamocraft.
　I was visiting a certain facility in Shinjuku to complete a certain procedure.

“This place is huge……”

　This building, as big as the surrounding skyscrapers, is a facility of the “ Association of Explorers.
　The Association of Explorers handles everything related to dungeons, including registration of explorers, rank screening, support for exploration, and redemption of materials.

　The Association of Explorers is state-run and is managed by the Association’s Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Monster Control. So any major problems that occur here must inevitably be handled by Dojima-san as well. I wonder if that guy is getting proper sleep.

“410, please come in.”
“Ah, okay”

　The number on the ticket in my hand was called out, and I headed for the reception desk.
　The association looks like a normal government office. I was nervous, even though I was not doing anything wrong.

“Thank you very much for your time.”
“Yes, thank you very much. I’m looking forward to working with you. Shachike- no, Tanaka-san!”

　The young woman at the reception desk looked at me and let out a loud voice.
　Naturally, all eyes turned to me. I quickly hid my face with my bag, but some of them might have recognized me.

“I’m sorry……..”

　The woman at the receptionist’s desk blushed with embarrassment and lowered her head.
　I encourage her, “It’s okay, I don’t mind”. I know exactly how it feels to want to die after something happens at work.
　But I can’t believe she was so distraught and surprised. I realized that I had become famous.

“I am very sorry. Well, I, Hazuki Minori Hazuki, will be in charge this time. Tanaka-sama, how can I help you today?”
“Well, I heard that you get a reward for defeating named monsters.”

　The monster I defeated the day before yesterday was a named monster.
　I have heard that the government gives a reward for defeating a named monster. When I was a company employee, I had defeated Named monsters several times, but I never received the money because it was taken by the company, of course.

　Because of that, I had forgotten all about the bounty, and Adachi’s message reminded me of that.
　Since it was Hoshino who put the final nail in the coffin of Bamocraft, I could have given all the money to her, but she refused to do so.
　So I took the money and we split it up.

“Oh, it’s about the bamocraft!　I was watching the delivery too!　The way you fought the SS-ranked monster tooth and nail …… is top-notch!”

　The receptionist, Hazuki-san, with a twinkle in her eye, operated the computer at a tremendous speed and proceeded with the procedure.
　I get a lot of compliments in comments, but it’s rare to get compliments like this in front of me, so I’m kind of embarrassed.

“Please wait a moment… It’s rare for a Named to be subjugated, so I’ll need a little time… here this… this… huh?”

　Hazuki-san tilted her head as she looked at her computer.
　What is going on?

“I looked at Mr. Tanaka’s searcher information and saw that his searcher rank is the lowest ‘E.’ Is there a mistake at ……?”
“Oh, by the way, I never updated my rank.”
“What?　It is too much of a waste of time!　If you get a high rank, you can get free public transportation, free use of public facilities, and other perks!”

　Hazuki-san rolled her eyes and was surprised.
　If you get a high explorer rank, not only do you get the perks I mentioned earlier, but you can also enter dungeons of high difficulty and gain a variety of other benefits.
　But as a company employee, I had forgotten about such things. I guess Suda didn’t want me to become highly ranked, so he didn’t tell me on purpose.

“Wait a minute, we’ll take care of that procedure here …… Yes, you’ve got enough to get an S rank with room to spare just for your most recent activities alone. …… Normally, there is a promotion exam, but with this track record, I think you can pass it. May I go over to my supervisor now and ask for a promotion?”
“Really?　I would like to ask you to do so.”

　If they are willing to do it, there is no reason to refuse.
　I asked gratefully.

“Yes, I’ll do it!　Please leave it to me!　I’ll make my boss shake his head for sure!”

　With that kind of enthusiasm, Hatsuki-san calls her boss on the extension line.
　After a few minutes on the phone, they quickly come to an agreement. They quickly reached an agreement.

“I did it!　My supervisor’s permission has been granted, so I’ll take care of that too!”

　Hazuki-san told me with a smile, as if he had done all he could do.
　Apparently, when she called her boss to tell him that he would be bashed by the public if they knew that I was still ranked E, he quickly relented.
　I heard that the approval from the Ministry of Monster Control was also granted right away. Maybe it was thanks to Dojima-san.

“I’m issuing an S-rank certificate now!　If you give me about 30 minutes…… I can make sure it will be ready!　So could you please wait a few minutes?”
“Yes, that’s fine. I apologize for the short notice.”

　I bowed my head and left the reception desk.
　I’m going to receive my bounty in the morning and go to the Magic Development Bureau in the afternoon.

　I had planned to finish my morning schedule quickly, but it looks like it’s going to take longer than I thought.

“I’m going to wait in the lobby with a drink or something. I’m sure it won’t take long if I’m on social networking sites.”

　I used to think that social networking sites were for people with free time, but now that I’ve tried it, I find it surprisingly fun.
　But now, I use it every now and then. It’s quite addictive.

“Hmm, I’ll have a cup of coffee.”

　I went to the lobby, picked out a drink at random, and headed for the nearest chair.
　And then…,

“I was wondering who you were, but you’re not the girl from Kisaki’s place. I didn’t expect to see you here!”
“What?”

　I turned around in surprise when my teacher’s name was mentioned. Few people know that I am Kisaki-san’s disciple. I turned my attention to the entrance of the association, wondering who in the world it was.
　Suddenly, a red carpet was laid out on the floor, and a woman in a bright red dress walked briskly across the carpet. Behind her were about ten men in expensive-looking suits.

　This person is ……

“Kujoin-san?”

　I knew this person.
　Kujouin Akane….. She’s a person who makes a lot of noise in the world.

　The rank is S. A well-known explorer with both ability and fame.
　I’ve heard that he used to be in a party with my master and blacksmith Shiwa-san.

“It’s been a long time. It’s good to see you looking so well.”

　With that, Kujoin-san coolly took off her large tinted sunglasses and made eye contact with me.

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