"It seems Nanami has been successfully revived. That's good."

After bringing Nanami back to life, Janne said while checking the status board.

Probably someone actually confirmed it.

They specifically sent me a message—maybe because I don't check messages myself, or perhaps it's just the result of their strong fan base.

...Honestly, I don't really feel like Nanami has come back to life.

No... I might not even have felt like she died in the first place.

But since the god brought her back, she must have been brought back. There's no point in questioning that.

Still, it's true that my heart feels lighter than it did yesterday—by an incomparable degree.

I think I’ll be able to gradually open up the messages once I calm down a bit. Even if I don’t know whether Nanami will tell the truth, I certainly don’t think it’s okay to stay like this forever.

Anyway, at least this marks a temporary conclusion.

Nanami’s parents… her uncle and aunt were a shame, but maybe there’s still a chance to reconnect someday. …No, though, perhaps such a miracle only happens once.

"Well then, Kurose Hikaru. Since this quest is now over, it’s my turn to have you listen to me."

Jeanne closed her status board and smiled slyly.

　

"My turn?"

"Didn’t I win our last match? So now you’ll do as I say. It’s the privilege of the victor."

"I see."

Well, regardless of victory or defeat, I'd do anything for Jeanne's request.

She gave me the Jewel of Resurrection—a treasure beyond price.

The gratitude I feel is immeasurable.

"I heard along the way that this town has a dungeon, right?"

"Indeed. It's said to be quite large, even on a global scale."

"Large, huh? Then it's all the better. I intend to conquer this labyrinth all the way to its deepest depths. Cross Hikaru. You're coming with me."

"Conquer... you mean all the way to the bottom? I haven't even reached the sixth layer yet."

I recall that even Garnet, leader of the Crimson Vial, was still struggling to clear the sixth layer—the Dawn's Golden Plains.

And, of course, no one knows how deep it goes.

Of course, it might end at six or seven levels...

"Isn't that even better? That means we're the first ones to step foot there?"

"Maybe... but it's dangerous, you know?"

It's unclear just how much she understands about the dungeon's true peril.

Reaching the lowest level isn't some simple goal.

I know that firsthand from witnessing the battle with the Crimson Vial—literally, you can't reach it unless you stop a human being. No, you can't even begin until you've stopped one. That's the level of difficulty.

And even then, you'd need a team just as strong.

Just the two of us—me and Jeanne—would probably cause an accident even at the third level.

"What's wrong? Are you scared? Then I won't stop you, but I'm going alone anyway."

"Alone...!? Got it. I'll come with you. I planned to keep exploring the labyrinth anyway. Just remember, the labyrinth's currently off-limits—there was a demon lord defeated not too long ago. It'll stay sealed for about six more days."

She remembered refusing to team up with Refrea, but Jeanne was a transmigrant. Her circumstances were completely different from Refrea's.

Besides, she wasn't even in any kind of relationship with Jeanne.

"How long do you think it'll take to clear the labyrinth?"

"Well, realistically speaking, it could take five years—if that's too much, we'd just have to give up. We'd need strong allies, and we'd have to set some kind of limit somewhere, or it'd get out of hand."

Even that five-year estimate was just a guess.

Since we're transmigrants, I think we could become significantly stronger within about five years.

By accumulating points, we can obtain cheat-level items, giving us a clear advantage over other explorers.

If we can't make it in five years, we should probably give up. That's the reality.

As for the period we're willing to risk our lives, that's likely the limit.

In practice, considering peak age, we might last up to ten years, but mental exhaustion is inevitable, and maintaining such a lifestyle indefinitely is unrealistic. If we can endure as explorers for five years, we'll likely have saved enough to consider retirement.

Besides, the world is vast.

It would be ridiculous to spend all our time and energy on just one town and one dungeon.

"Five years... alright."

Jeanne placed her hand on her jaw, lost in thought, then looked at me with determined eyes.

"You've been staying at inns all along, haven't you?"

"C-Cro?! Ah, uh, yeah, I guess so."

I was startled by the sudden odd way of calling me. Cro... sounds like a dog or something.

"Then let's rent a room. Sharing accommodations should be cheaper."

"H-Huh? A room!?"

"It'll take five years, won't it? I can't possibly live at inns that long. I want my own room to decorate however I like."

"I-I understand, but... sharing a room means... living together, right?"

"Exactly. Since we're both transferees, it should work out perfectly. We're already being watched anyway. Besides... I'm terrible at housework. I'm counting on you, Cro, to handle it."

"You're serious...?"

I hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, but there was logic to what Jeanne was saying.

She really was just suggesting it as a roommate arrangement. To a Japanese sensibility, living together with someone of the opposite sex was unthinkable! But in France, it was undoubtedly commonplace.

While I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it from my own values, I had no objections if that’s what she wanted. Above all, I wanted to repay her kindness as much as I could.

"Are you bad at housework?"

"No... I’m actually pretty good. I can handle the basics. Cooking too."

"Perfect. Let’s go then. Should we ask a real estate agent?"

"I think the guild can help with that. Besides, we’ll need to register as adventurers anyway."

"Then, please lead the way."

And so it was decided.

No, I had considered leaving the inn, but I never imagined it would turn out like this.

Maybe I'm just easily swept along...

◇◆◆◆◇

Before heading to the guild, I decided to eat something.

Jeanne turned out to be surprisingly carnivorous—she even ate more than I did. Despite being about as slender as Nanaomi, she somehow managed to fit in so much food. Probably because Jeanne is at a higher rank—her transformation into a monster is progressing.

Afterward, we went to the guild.

The interior was quiet, but normal operations were ongoing, and Jeanne’s registration as an adventurer went smoothly.

Her combat style, as I saw yesterday, is clearly defensive, front-line oriented.

Since Reflair was a pure attacker, teaming up with Jeanne might mean I'll be joining attacks more often. My current weapon, the dagger, is fine for now, but if we're aiming for the lower levels, I'll probably need something larger. More importantly, I'll need to strengthen myself—after all, I couldn't finish off the Demon King despite creating such a decisive moment.

I listened in from the side as the female staff member explained the ways of an explorer to Jeanne yesterday.

Since Reflair had been handling the delivery of spirit stones to the guild, I'll have to take over from now on.

Jeanne... she somehow reminds me of Kuren.

There's a distinct air of a younger sibling who completely lets others take care of everything, indulging in their dependance.

"So, shall we call the party 'LoveLove Twinbird II' then?"

The female staff member murmured while filling out the necessary details on the forms.

"No, no, no, that won't do at all!"

I'm being completely manipulated here!

　

"……Sigh. Just yesterday we disbanded LoveLove Twinbird, and now today you're forming a new party with another woman—does that mean you've already found a new bird to pair with?"

"W-wait, please stop. It's not like that with her!"

"W-what exactly is this 'LoveLove Twinbird' thing?"

"It's the party Hikaru was in with another woman until yesterday. Poor Refrea-san..."

"Ah. So that's the one—the lover (..)?"

"She's not my lover!"

"I'm definitely going to tell on you."

You can say whatever you want. I didn't even know I was registered under a ridiculous name like "Love-Love Twin Bird."

Besides, even if you were to tell anyone, Refreia returned to her homeland to become a Holy Knight, so she won't be coming to the guild anyway.

Well... I suppose if she found out I was paired with another woman, it'd be inevitable that she'd misunderstand...

"What do you think, Kuro? Should we go with 'Serious Explorers @ Gaia' for our party name?"

"Serious Explorers @ Gaia!? Can't we come up with something better than that!?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... how about 'The Earth Fighters' or something like that?"

"Rejected. That's lame."

Isn't 'Serious Explorers' just about as bad?

No, actually, maybe I'm not good at naming things—could it be a decent name after all? Serious Explorers.

I don't know.

"Since we're at it, let's go with something tough-looking, like Heavy Iron Knight or something."

"Jeanne does seem like that kind of character—well-armored and all."

"The Ravens Ark is also cool, or maybe Yakumo... or Mirage Works."

"I don't really know what they are, but they sound awesome—why not?"

They come flying out one after another—there must be some source material behind them.

Either way, as long as the name isn't too weird, I don't mind any of them. Compared to something like Lovable Twin Bird, any name would seem perfectly normal.