Rosarinjas, marching out!
Following Rinka's deduction, we proceeded deeper and deeper underground. Unlike the extra dungeon, where collapse isn't a concern, we couldn't afford to create shortcuts. Instead, we relied on Rinka's exceptional memory to guide us along the shortest route.
When we arrived at the 11th underground floor, Geraldin-san was visibly deflated.
"Geraldin-san, what about Pochi!?"
"Still haven't found him..."
He looked unusually dejected. It's hard to scold someone like this. Even the Protectors of the Amethyst seemed grim... The air was chilling. Angry, are you? I understand.
"Otousan... I always thought you were a fool, but this is beyond belief. If anything happens to Pochi, a defenseless person like him, I’ll never forgive you."
"Kyuu... kyuun..."
"Answer me!"
"Y-yes!"
At this point, it's unclear who's the parent here. A father being lectured by his son.
"If something happens to Pochi, I won't forgive you either."
"!?! You can talk?!"
Nex, who rarely speaks and whose expressions are hard to read, was visibly... no, genuinely furious.
"That's not the issue right now, is it? Stop joking around, old man. What are you going to do if something happens to Pochi? You’re such an idiot—go run yourself ragged and find him!"
Ah, he's genuinely enraged. Ernst and Ordo are shaken! Even I'm shaken! Geraldin-san's tail is tucked firmly between his legs!
"Jend's papa."
"Y-yes?"
Oh, my solace! Mary-tan!
"If something happens to Pochi... Mary will *never* forgive you. Nex is right. Stop standing around whining here... go find Pochi and bring him back!!"
Mary was furious too! No solace here!
"Waooooon!!"
Crying, the old man ran off. It seems the mental blow from Mary, with whom he’d been relatively close, was particularly effective.
"Rosarin, we've searched most of this floor, but Pochi doesn’t seem to be here. By the way, what's with Rinka’s strange outfit?"
"This is..."
"A child in appearance! A fujoshi in intellect! The name’s Detective Rinka!!"
"Let’s keep the jokes to a minimum right now."
I delivered a sharp flick to his forehead. What an incorrigible fool. I said no jokes! Still, after determining that Pochi wasn’t on this floor, we told the old man to keep searching—clearly, anger drives persistence.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Based on my deductions, I don't think he's on this floor either!"
"You just said he was either here or on the floor below!"
"Earlier, there was talk about a Rosarin-like beauty, right? I think the situation might have changed! Instead of going up, it would make more sense to head down to the boss room and teleport away!"
"I see."
We then informed the Protectors of that there’s a high possibility Pochi had become Wolfanea Boy No. 6. Also, it seemed there was a Rosarin-like woman present. Seriously, who could that be?
"Nya-ha-ha-ha! Transform! Wolfanea Girl!"
Mary transformed. Adorable.
"My suit is strong, so I’ll just ask if anyone’s seen someone wearing the same outfit as Boy No. 6! Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
"Transform! Wolfanea Boy No. 2!"
Ordo transformed too. He’s quite into it. Striking poses, even.
"Transform! Wolfanea Boy No. 4!"
Ernst joined in with enthusiasm. Not really the time for this, but glad they’re having fun.
"Transform... Wolfanea Boy No. 5."
Nex transformed too, gazing intently at Jend.
"Fine, I’ll do it, okay!? Wolfanea Boy No. 1!!"
"Might as well include No. 3!"
"Transform! Wolfanea Boy No. 3!!"
Even Kou transformed. Everyone except Jend was fully on board.
"Wolfanea Boy No. 1!!"
*Now fully resigned.*
"Wolfanea Boy No. 2!"
"Wolfanea Boy No. 3!"
"Wolfanea Boy No. 4!"
"Wolfanea Boy No. 5!"
"Wolfanea Girl!"
(Victory is ours! Wolfanea Squad, Rosarinjas!!)
Lined up in a row, they smoothly slid their upper bodies in a circular motion. By shifting slightly, their faces—or rather, their masks—became visible in turn. Each pointed finger indicated their lineup order. Brilliant. For the record, only Mary struck a cute cat pose.
"Bravo! Bravo!!"
"Fantastic! So cool!!"
I and Rinka applauded their perfectly synchronized movements.
"Now, it’s my turn to transform!"
"What!?"
I tied my hair up and donned a military-style outfit complete with a white cape.
"Wolfanea Commander!!"
(Ooooh~!!)
Everyone applauded.
"That’s unfair! You look seriously cool!"
"Haha! I just remembered—the Commander has a communication function! It can connect via a special line with all Wolfanea Boys!"
"Rosarin."
"...Yes?"
"You forgot, didn’t you?"
"... Yeah. Sorry!"
We quickly tried to communicate. There was some static interference, but it seemed functional.
"Pochi, are you safe!?"
"Oneechan...? Zzz... I’m safe... zz."
"I’ll come rescue you right away!"
"Strong... zz... Luke... sorry... zz... focusing... zz... disconnecting now..."
Hmm? We made contact, but the signal—or was it the magic power?—was weak. The connection dropped, but we confirmed Pochi’s safety. Everyone but Rinka likely heard the transmission as well.
"Pochi... thank goodness."
"Pochi... seems okay."
"Pochi... we have to save him."
"Seems luck is on our side."
"Relieved..."
Jend, Mary, Nex, Ordo, and Kou looked visibly relieved. Given the situation, they seemed to have braced for the worst, and tears welled up in their eyes.
Though Ernst didn’t know Pochi as long, their collaborative crafting had made them friends, and he seemed equally relieved.
"Oh, I need to tell everyone Pochi is safe."
"Wait."
"Huh?"
"Don’t tell Otousan."
The hero’s son was expressionless. Dead serious.
"Not everyone is as strong as him. Taking someone defenseless to a place like this and losing them? That’s irresponsible, isn’t it?"
The hero’s son delivered a sound argument. His smile was terrifying.
"And what’s the real reason?"
"A good lesson, wouldn’t you say?"
Later, I saw the old man crying out for Pochi as he searched. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the truth.
Geraldin-san, your son has grown into someone remarkable in every sense!
What do you think about this chapter?
