Chapter 88

Chapter 87: Experiment Ghost

Jilnias Academy might only have crazy people.

Whether they are original characters or mob characters.

That’s what I thought as I looked at them in front of me.

“—Dungeon Exploration Skip Club?”

“Yes. It’s a club for comrades who want to take it easy.”

“And the experiment is about exploring dungeons while sleeping?”

“Yes.”

Thanks to Kanon-chan’s Divided Death, we were able to wake the fallen students and hear their story. They indeed said that.

Kanon-chan and I tilted our heads in unison.

What are they even saying?

“We got the idea from sleepwalking. By inputting actions as patterns in advance and manipulating them with magical power, we thought it would be possible to explore dungeons even without consciousness.”

“That’s not possible, what are you talking about?”

Kanon-chan replied very seriously.

That’s understandable.

“If this succeeds, we can explore dungeons while sleeping! We’ll immerse ourselves in research during the day and do sleep dungeon exploration at night. What do you think?”

“It’s a failure.”

“It’s definitely a failure.”

Upon our words, the students’ expressions turned sorrowful.

Don’t cry. I’m sorry.

“We are still in the experimental phase, and we were testing it at night in this building where few people come. We even spread rumors of a ghost to keep people away…”

What… So this is the ghost…?

What is this… I’m super disappointed…

‘Toa-chan’s fainting loss, huh.’

“Why were there so many people here?”

“We decided to divide roles among the members like a game to explore dungeons. It was more like a demonstration.”

The multiple club members nodded.

I see… Since complex actions cannot be performed while asleep, they were trying to explore the dungeon using only simple patterns.

Wait, isn’t the rumor of the ghost just because they increased the roles like this…?

“However, if they end up attacking other students like this, it won’t do. I programmed them to respond only to the dungeon monsters or the dungeon master. But it seems that the precision wasn’t up to par for a program made in just an hour.”

“I can’t believe you thought that could work… By the way, did you submit an application to the Student Council? This is clearly a stupid and dangerous experiment.”

Then the student quickly looked away.

When Kanon-chan stepped closer and stared hard at them, the student let out a resigned sigh.

That’s unfair, I want to be stared at like that by a beautiful girl too!

“I submitted the application a week ago, but Vice President Luka rejected it saying, ‘If you have time to do something so nonsensical, hurry up and analyze Solciera’s magical formula.’”

“Oh, with Luka, that’s not surprising. If it was Nico or Hishou, it would have been an immediate OK.”

“That’s right! When I asked Hishou a month ago, she said, ‘Rainbow light is super amazing! Alright, I’ll also increase the budget!’ and agreed right away.”

“Now that you mention it, that was also you guys, huh… I thought I recognized those faces…”

Kanon-chan placed a hand on her forehead and looked up to the sky.

These two, along with Miuye, have been solving incidents like this every time…

“Well, I’ll report this positively, so why don’t we stop here for now? Luka is on edge these days. Seriously, she’s scary when she gets angry!”

Seeing the trembling Kanon-chan, the students all nodded in agreement while pondering something. Why does everyone have experience with this?

“Understood. Then we’ll quietly withdraw this time. Let’s go, everyone.”

“Yes, President.”

The students stood up, apologized to us, and turned on their heels.

“Next, should we work on that research to make the Dungeon Core emit light freely to make organizing the Dungeon Core easier?”

“Hey, keep it within the range I can manage!”

Given that the club like this exists at Jilnias Academy, it’s probably full of things like that…

Watching the crazy club members leave quickly, Kanon-chan sighed.

“There was no romance or anything at all. Ghosts… don’t exist…”

“Yeah… Oh, Toa-chan, wake up.”

I woke Toa-chan, who was unconscious while hugging the heavy artillery.

“Ugh, ugh… Huh, g-g-ghost?!”

“The ghosts were people who wanted to explore the dungeon while sleeping.”

“????”

She seemed to have a lot of questions in her head, probably because she was just waking up and her brain wasn’t fully online.

I’ll explain it to her properly later.

“Well then, we’ve solved it—Congratulations!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Uh, what does that mean…?”

“The Dungeon Exploration Skip Club was the ghost.”

“????”

Come on, is she still dazed?

It’s true that Toa-chan is usually asleep at this time.

Should we get her a nightcap and pajamas?

The ones that emit rainbow lights. I just met some people who are good at that a little while ago.

“With the achievement of uncovering the truth of this incident, I can hold out for another month. I’ll negotiate hard to get the budget too. Alright! Today, I’ll treat you guys to a late-night snack! Jilnias Academy has a lot of dining options that stay open late because all-nighters are the norm!”

As she wrapped her arms around my and Toa-chan’s shoulders, Kanon-chan smiled. Yes, that’s one guilty.

I mean, that late-night snack money comes from the research budget, right?

‘Is food treated by a beautiful girl delicious?’

Of course, it is.

Just as I was in a mood of wrap-up after resolving the incident, I suddenly remembered.

There wasn’t just one rumor about the ghost.

“By the way, what about the rumor that the ghost eats students…?”

If the rumor was about them, it seems strange to say they eat.

“Hmm, well…”

Kanon-chan answered without thinking, smiling immediately.

“It’s a rumor. There’s no way that could happen. It’s a lie meant to scare people away.”

“A lie, huh.”

If that’s the case, then I don’t have any doubts left.

In reality, the ghost issue has been resolved.

“Let’s eat steak! Oh, are you the type to worry about late-night meals? Is that something that bothers you at your age?”

“Eh, um, if I can eat, it doesn’t really matter to me whether it’s night…”

“That’s great! I’m like that too!”

Hmm, it’s relaxed.

From this relaxed atmosphere, I became confident about a spin-off.

This is it.

A spin-off where Miuye solves comedic incidents that occur at Jilnias Academy.

Maybe it could be a four-panel manga.

A comedy set in Jilnias Academy.

After being expelled, somehow a group of two or three beautiful girls helps out, and then they solve incidents together, right?

Or maybe it starts with just Kanon-chan and Miuye, but the members gradually increase.

I know this sort of thing well.

That Dungeon Exploration Skip Club would definitely be a recurring character.

Having that level of density as a mob character is impossible.

If that’s the case, all that’s left is to find a suitable character and pair them up with Miuye!

Easy, I’ve won.

‘Is it really that simple? Kanon’s demeanor seemed a bit off for a moment.’

It’s not like I forgot.

I think it was Nameless who did something.

That guy interfered with the chaotic gag comedy.

While keeping an eye on Kanon-chan, I also sought out Miuye’s true companions.

Good grief, having a mysterious beautiful girl is a hassle.

‘Nameless, who on earth are you…!’

Stop it, it makes me feel like I’ve lost.

■

In a hospital room where mechanical sounds echoed regularly, it suddenly sat up.

The time had already passed midnight.

“…”

Something was missing.

That’s what I thought.

With this discomfort, I couldn’t even sleep.

Eventually, it subconsciously stroked its belly and realized the source of the discomfort.

Saliva gathered in its mouth, and its stomach growled.

That’s right, it was hungry.

“…I’m hungry.”

Already, it hadn’t eaten for a day.

To live is to eat.

Then, I must eat to live.

“I need to eat.”

Its actions were controlled by instinct.

Without putting on shoes, it stepped barefoot onto the floor.

Then, it wobbled and left the hospital room.