MTLNOVEL Chapter 124: Back in ICDS
ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
Around the same time Tatsuo woke up in his world, Sumire, Shea, and Aletia started their day, as well. And just like Tatsuo thought, they were expecting Tatsuo and Tio to show up pretty early in the day. And the reason for that was because Tatsuo needed to create identities for James, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Tio.
As for James, Alfonzo, and Elicia, James would show up in the evening, after training with his master and the rest of his peerages, while Alfonzo and Elicia would show up around noon. Since they had not told anyone in their world about the [Dimensional Chat], they needed to leave and quickly complete a quest before coming to Sumire's world.
"Alright, let's make breakfast, Aletia-San, Shea-San." Sumire shouted in the hallway of Tatsuo's apartment in her world. "Tatsuo-Kun and Tio-San will be here before too long."
"Okay~~~~!" Shea said excitedly, her voice ringing out from behind one of the doors along the hallway.
A moment later, Shea flung her bedroom door open. Then, with excitement written all over her face, she hopped out of her room and stopped in front of Sumire. A moment later, Aletia's bedroom door also opened. However, instead of leaving the room, she poked her head out and looked at Sumire.
"Bath." Aletia only said one word,
"*Sigh* I told you to do that last night." Sumire said, sounding like a disappointed older sister.
Instead of replying, Aletia only stared at Sumire with her usual expressionless gaze.
"*Sigh* Fine." Sumire said while shaking her head. "Shea-San and I will go prepare breakfast. You hurry up and take a bath."
Aletia nodded her head before closing the door to her bedroom.
"Miss Aletia isn't a good cook, anyway." Shea said just before Aletia's door closed completely. "So, it's better this way. We don't wanna mess up the food, right?"
With Shea's words, the door to Aletia's room stopped closing. Then, it opened just enough for Aletia's hand to stick out.
"[Spark]." Aletia chanted while pointing her right index finger at Tio's fluffy rabbit tail.
*Zap!*
"Ababa-baba-ba!" Shea shrieked as a weak electrical current traveled through her body from her tail.
Although the [Lightning Magic] was not strong enough to hurt someone like Shea, it still left quite the uncomfortable feeling and caused Shea's muscles to tense up.
And while Shea was shaking from the electrical shock, Aletia nodded to herself before closing the door to her bedroom and taking off her clothes to take a bath.
Meanwhile, Sumire only watched the interactions with a wry smile on her face. It was common knowledge among those who went to the Arifureta Universe that Aletia did not help with the cooking. However, they never figured out why until she came to Sumire's world and tried to cook something for herself.
The only way Sumire could describe that attempt was... something else.
The food Aletia cooked looked perfectly edible. It even smelled amazing. However, when Shea asked if she could have a taste, her eyes rolled into the back of her head before she could even swallow the first bite. Then, she lost consciousness for a moment. After that, she rushed into the bathroom to spit out whatever was in her mouth.
"Vampires just don't have the same sense of taste as the other races on Tortus do, I guess." Sumire said as she supported Shea towards the kitchen. "Well, she usually only drinks the blood Tatsuo drew for her after we rescued Myu-Chan. So, stuff like that shouldn't happen very often."
Meanwhile, Aletia was humming happily to herself after putting the cheeky, perverted rabbit in her place. Then, she started filling the bathtub in her bathroom. While it was filling, she took off her clothes and washed up. And by the time she was all washed up, the tub was filled up and Aletia got in the tub.
"I miss Tatsuo." Aletia mumbled to herself. "I can't wait to see him again."
Then, as if the universe was waiting for Aletia to say that, a bright light flashed in the bathroom.
*Flash!*
*Splash!*
"Huh?" Aletia exclaimed in surprise when her face and hair were splashed with the water from the tub.
While blinking in surprise, Aletia noticed there was a pair of legs wearing a pair of jeans with a pair of sneakers on the feet connected to them standing in front of her in the but. Then, she let her gaze roam upwards. When she did, she saw there was a white, unbuttoned, button-down shirt and a black t-shirt underneath that. She also noticed the brown skin tone of the hands and arms that were on either side of the figure.
Seeing that skin tone, Aletia's heart began to race, and she continued to raise her head to see the rest of the figure. And that was when she noticed the extremely handsome face she had been longing to see ever since they separated in her world.
"Well, I wasn't expecting to end up like this." Tatsuo, the one who appeared in Aletia's bathtub, said while scratching the back of his head. "I thought we would be in the living room or my bedroom."
"Fufufu." Tio giggled from the edge of the tub, as she was balancing on it, while using her hand fan to cover her mouth. "I think you have more important things to worry about."
"Huh?" Tatsuo intoned while tilting his head in confusion.
"Tatsuo!" Aletia shouted, as she could no longer contain herself.
*Splash!*
In the next instant, Aletia leapt out of the tub and threw herself into Tatsuo's arms. And to Tatsuo's surprise, he was almost knocked over by the force behind Aletia's hug tackle.
'What's going on?' Tatsuo asked himself. 'Was Aletia always this strong?'
At that moment, Tatsuo remembered the existence of the Dungeon. He then turned to look down at Aletia, who had her arms and legs wrapped around him like a koala.
"Aletia, have you already entered the Dungeon?" Tatsuo asked with a smile.
"Mmm." Aletia intoned in affirmation while nodding her head.
"I see." Tatsuo replied as he reached up and patted Aletia's head. "Well, you can tell me about your Dungeon exploration later. For now, I need to say hi to Sumire-San and change clothes. I need to start working on the IDs for the others, too."
In fact, Tatsuo actually needed to make IDs for Aletia and Shea, too. Because no one actually considered their identifications. Though, they did not need to worry about Shea's non-human features, since Sumire was able to buy an artifact from the Floor Shop that hid those with no issue.
However, Aletia was reluctant to let go of Tatsuo after not seeing him for three days. And that left Tatsuo feeling helpless as he stepped out of the bathtub, leaving soaking wet footprints on the bathroom floor.
"Aletia-San, is everything okay?" Sumire asked, her voice carrying from outside of Aletia's bedroom. "We could hear you scream all the way from the kitchen."
A moment later, both Sumire and shea rushed into the bedroom. And when they saw Tatsuo, standing there, soaked from his thighs down, with Aletia clinging to him and Tio standing at his side, they both froze for a moment.
"Oh, I wanna join, too." Shea said as she started taking off her shirt.
"Stop it, Shea-San." Sumire said as she quickly stopped Shea. She then turned to Aletia and continued in a stern tone. "And you, either finish taking your bath, or go and get dressed."
In response, Aletia unwrapped her legs from around Tatsuo's waist while nodding in understanding. Then, she calmly tried to pull Tatsuo towards the bath. At the same time, she reached for his shirt to try and take it off.
"I'm coming, too." Shea said, trying to shake off Sumire's hands so that she could get undressed, as well.
"Oh, my." Tio tittered. "Then, perhaps I should join, as well."
"No, he's not coming with you." Sumire said, her tone sounding rather exasperated at this point. She then swept her gaze over Shea and Tio as she continued. "And you two, stop encouraging her."
'*Sigh* Even in another world, when these four get together, situations like this are bound to happen.' Tatsuo thought to himself while slamming his fist down on the top of Tio's head for letting her hands wander a little too much. 'But I have stuff to do. So, this can't continue.'
"Alright, that's enough." Tatsuo said while pulling his hands away from Aletia and Shea, who were trying to move him into the bathtub.
"Yes! Master! Harder!" Tio shouted before being promptly ignored.
Tatsuo then stepped away from the bathtub and quickly made his way out of the bathroom and Aletia's bedroom. Then, he moved directly to his own bedroom in this version of his apartment. However, when he stepped inside, he could not stop his eyes from twitching.
Even though it had only been a little more than a month, Tatsuo's room had changed quite a bit ever since Sumire started living in the apartment. Or rather, the things that could be found around the room had changed quite a bit, as there was now a very noticeable feminine feeling to his room. Luckily, none of the things that made it clear that this was his room had been removed. For example, his piano was still sitting in its place.
Shaking his head at the changes, Tatsuo took both his and Tio's luggage out of his [Inventory]. Then, he picked out a new pair of pants, socks, and shoes...
"You know what?" Tatsuo said after pulling the shoes out of his luggage. "I'm just gonna take a shower. I mean, I'm pretty much soaked all over because of Aletia's hug, anyway."
And that was exactly what Tatsuo did. Then, after a quick shower, he moved to the dining room, where he could sense everyone had gathered. After that, he sat down at the table with his laptop and hacking tool as he started creating identities for James, Alfonzo, Elicia, Aletia, Shea, and Tio while chatting with everyone about what's been going on since they separated.
"So, you were both invited to become 1st Dungeon Explorers?" Tatsuo asked in a surprised tone while looking up from his laptop screen.
"Yup!" Shea replied energetically. She then puffed out her chest as she continued in a proud tone. "I'm already on the 8th Floor, by the way."
"Hnn... 11th Floor." Aletia added in her usual tone.
"*Sigh* If I were as strong as the two of you when I first went into the Dungeon, I would have made it a lot higher in the time I was here. I probably would have been Gold-Ranked by the time I left."
"Speaking of which, Shin-San is Gold-Ranked now." Sumire said after putting her chop sticks down.
"I guess that makes sense." Tatsuo muttered. "He should have brought Palludia back from his Dimensional Mercenary mission to the Ehrir Empire, too."
"That's right." Sumire replied with a nod. "There are now eleven Explorers in the Communication Channel once Aletia-San and Shea-San are included."
"I see." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Now that I think about it, I should probably drop in on the channel. Check my Explorer Status, too. I need to see how things have changed."
Tatsuo then lowered his head to continue working on the identity creation process. In the meantime, he opened his Dungeon Explorer Status.
{Dungeon Explorer Status
Name: Soramoto Tatsuo
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Class: Dimensional Assassin
Title: Lizard Knight Slayer (All Stats +1)
Rank: Silver 1
Level: 23
HP: 9850/9850
MP: 9730/9730
Strength: 278
Dexterity: 317
Constitution: 259
Intelligence: 347
Magic: 429
Charm: 698
Luck: 154
Skills
High-Ranked Martial Arts Technique: Lv. Max
High-Ranked Dagger Mastery: Lv. Max
High-Ranked Marksman Technique: Lv. 8
Overwhelm: Lv. 5
Spatial Mastery; Mid-Rank: Lv. 5
Return: Lv. 1
Lightning Speed: Lv. 6
Class Skills
Blink; Mid-Rank: Lv. 2
Spatial Slash; Mid-Rank: Lv. 4
Enhanced Stealth: Mid-Rank Lv. 2
Spatial Rend; Mid-Rank: Lv. 3
Back Stab; Mid-Rank: Lv. 1}
'Hmm... That's about what I expected.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'It also gives me a point of reference between the difference in the scores on my Explorer Status and my [System Status]. For example, Values in the B- Range should be anywhere from 201 to 300. And A- is over 500... But I don't know how far that goes until reaching the next sub-grade.'
Shaking his head to take his mind off of number comparison, Tatsuo raised his left hand and covered his mouth with it.
["Yo, is anyone here?"] Tatsuo asked over the Dungeon Explorer Communication Channel. ["I know I've been out of contact for a while, but I'm back for the next few days."]
{"Tatsuo! You're finally back!"] Hwaya cheered excitedly only an instant after Tatsuo's words ended. ["I have a lot of things I wanna ask you about."]
["Hey, Mastiford-San."] Tatsuo said casually. ["I'm sure you do. And you'll have the chance to do so. I'll be heading to the Wyvern Nest tomorrow. And Sumire-San told me that you'd be going there tomorrow, too."]
["I see."] Hwaya replied. ["Then, I guess I can wait."]
["Where have you been, Tatsuo?"] Shin asked.
["You didn't tell him, Mastiford-San?"] Tatsuo asked Hwaya, instead of answering Shin directly.
["No, it's your secret to tell."] Hwaya said. ["I won't make that same mistake a second time."]
["I see."] Tatsuo replied while smiling lightly. ["Anyway, I'll let you know what I've been up to when I see you at the Wyvern Nest tomorrow, Yeon Hwawoo-San."]
["*Sigh* You don't have to use that fake name anymore."] Shin said in an exasperated tone. ["I mean, pretty much everyone in the channel knows my real name by now."]
["I see."] Tatsuo replied with a chuckle. ["Well then, I'll see you later, Kang-San."]
["Just call me Shin."} Shin said. ["My father is also surname Kang. So, it could get a little confusing."]
["Got it."] Tatsuo replied. ["Speaking of which, where is Kang-Ojisan?"]
["Oh, he's in the Dungeon."] Shin replied. ["Walker is busy, too."]
'Yeah, guarding your sister.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'Although he deserved it, you kicked his ass then forced him to become your little, bro-con, sister's bodyguard.'
["Got it."] Tatsuo replied. ["What about Yoshikawa-San?"]
["Not really sure."] Hwaya said, answering this question in Shin's stead. ["She very rarely gets on the channel."}
["I see."] Tatsuo replied. ["Well, I'll give her a call later. Anyway, I got some work to finish up. Oh, and I'll be bringing some people I met on my journey with me tomorrow. So, be nice when you see them, okay?"]
With that, Tatsuo closed the Dungeon Explorer Communication Channel. Then, he went back to setting up everyone's identities.
Scattered Cherry Blossom Universe, Underworld, Alaverus Territory, Alaverus Estate.
Meanwhile, in the underworld, James was packing clothes for a few days while his mother, Leona, two of his fiancées, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, and his master, Scáthach watching him get ready to go somewhere.
Rias Gremory, the heir to one of the Pillar Houses of the Underworld, was a beautiful, tall young woman, standing at 5'8" tall, with thigh-length, crimson-red hair, bangs that covered her forehead and frame her face, bright blue eyes, and a voluptuous figure with very large breasts,
Like Rias, Sona Sitri was the heir of one of the Underworld's Pillar Houses. And she was a young woman no less beautiful than Rias of average height with short black hair styled in a bob cut, violet eyes, a pair of smart looking glasses, and a slim figure with modest assets standing at 5'5" tall,
As for Scáthach, before she was reincarnated into a devil and the [Queen] of James' first peerage, she was the Queen of the Land of Shadows spoken of in Celtic lore, a woman of nearly perfect beauty, whether it be her facial features or the proportions of her body. Standing at 5'6" with long purple hair and wine red eyes wearing a full bodysuit with metallic shoulder pads and carrying a crimson red spear with a dangerous aura slung over her shoulder.
"*Sigh* Where are you going, James?" Leona asked in a somewhat concerned tone. "And please don't tell me you're going to meet those so-called friends of yours from other worlds."
"That's exactly where I'm going." James said in an annoyed tone. "And please stop talking to me like I'm insane or something."
"Well, can you blame us?" Sona asked while adjusting her glasses. "I mean, you sound like you've been reading to many of Rias' fan fictions. And now you can't distinguish between fiction and reality."
"Oh, come on, Sona." Rias, one of the only people who believed James when he first mentioned the [Dimensional Chat], said in James' defense. "We've known James for as long as either of us can remember. Don't you trust him enough to believe that he's not losing his mind?"
Rias then stepped forward and hugged James' arm, making part of it get lost in the valley between her breasts. Meanwhile, she smiled up at James with her eyes sparkling.
"But to prove that you're not going crazy, why don't you bring someone or some of us with you?" Rias asked. "That way, you'll have more credibility."
Hearing Rias' suggestion, James froze completely. Until now, he had never considered doing that. He then started doing calculations while looking at his number of Coins and the price for the [Dimensional Travel Tickets] in the [Shop].
"Well, I only have 4,376 Coins.' James thought to himself. 'With that number, I would only be able to pay for myself and two of them. But I'm sure if I left any of them out, I would have hell to pay. And I'm not really into the kind of torture Master can inflict. On the upside, I'll only need about 600 Coins to get us all there. As for what everyone else will think when we get back, I'll deal with that later.'
"Okay, I can do that." James said while continuing to pack his luggage. "So, who wants to come with me?"
Hearing that, Rias and Sona both exchanged glances. Then, they both looked at James and spoke in unison.
"I want to go/Take me with you." Rias and Sona said simultaneously.
*Cling!*
Instead of speaking, Scáthach made her intensions clear by tapping her spear against her shoulder pad, making a loud metallic sound echo through the room.
"Well, I'll pass." Leona said, sounding as if saying those words physically hurt her. "As much as I'd like to see a so-called other world, I have to be here to take care of Aaliyah."
James, at the thought of leaving his precious little sister behind, wore an expression similar to his mother's, who only wanted to see something interesting. Luckily, he was able to get himself together quickly.
"*Sigh* I'm gonna have to ask for help to bring all three of you with me." James said as he stopped packing and reached into his pocket to grab his smartphone. "Just let me ask if it's okay."
With that, James opened the [Dimensional Chat] app on his phone. Meanwhile, Sona and Scáthach exchanged glances. James willingness to take them with him made them rethink the way they had been treating him for the last month, or so.