As A Result of Trying To Live An Erotic Slow-Life, I Have Become The Underground Ruler of This Upside-Down Otherworld - Chapter 53: The Rats Rise

Chapter 53: The Rats Rise

The kid… Yuri, a boy, is recovering nicely.

Seeing him stumble back from the bathroom, barely able to walk, makes me worry if he’s really okay. But Mia, who’s been taking care of him the most, says his race has slow physical recovery.

Of course, it’s not just Mia—Towa and Serika are cautiously pitching in, tending to him whenever they can.

No need to say it, but that’s definitely helping his steady recovery.

I’m relieved things haven’t gotten weird, but it’s not exactly a happy-ever-after.

Yuri’s obviously not my kid.

That means he’s got a home to go back to. I don’t know how long it’ll take for him to fully recover, but we’ve gotta send him back properly.

That’s only natural—I didn’t kidnap him or anything.

It’s protection, plain and simple. But if you decide to protect someone, you’ve gotta see it through to the end.

That said, it’s also clear this isn’t a normal situation.

An eight-year-old kid, battered and collapsed in an alley—asking him directly about what happened probably isn’t the best move.

It’s not just physical—there’s gotta be mental damage too. We need to be considerate.

But then, how do we figure it out?

“What do you think about that?”

“Fweh!? G-Goshujin, sorry, I’m not sure I follow.”

We’re on one of our regular walks.

I throw the question out as we go.

“Yuri, I mean. Why was he collapsed in a place like that?”

“U, umm… I don’t know.”

Shuri’s ears droop shobon.

She’s probably got some kind of gut feeling, though. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said the clinic was a bad idea.

But I can’t push her too hard either—I feel a wall there, somehow.

Even with sex, it’s the same. There’s this line, like, “don’t cross this boundary.”

So, we’re still stuck in this pseudo-exposure play, no main event.

“Got it…”

“S-Sorry.”

That’s the thing—I don’t even know what she’s apologizing for.

Is it for not having an answer, or for really not knowing?

Active effort, huh.

Maybe this is where I need to step up, but crossing that line feels like stepping onto a rickety, crumbling bridge.

Right now, it’s a bridge we can cross together.

But ahead, it’s just me, and it might collapse in a heartbeat.

“U-Um, Goshujin?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you taking care of that kid? I-I think once he’s recovered, he can go home on his own, you know?”

Ugh, man, Shuri’s so hard to read. Or is that just the norm in this world?

I mean, Shuri’s the one who sparked me helping Yuri, so what’s she saying? But I’m the one who made the final call.

Feeling some kind of accomplice vibe is off-base.

“Well, guess it’s ‘cause I changed his fate, maybe?”

“F-Fate?”

Mia said he’s out of life-threatening danger.

Flip that, and it means if we hadn’t helped, he’d probably be dead.

Maybe someone or something else would’ve saved him, and who knows how they’d have treated him.

“I’m not into helping people just to feel good about it. If you change something, you’ve gotta put it back. If you can’t, that’s on you. It’s the responsibility of the one who changed it.”

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be making this active effort.

Towa, Mia, Serika—they followed me, changed their lives and norms for me.

So, it’s only natural to make sure they think it was worth it.

Same with Yuri.

First, I’ve gotta get him back to the life he would’ve had.

If that’s not possible, I keep looking after him. That’s what taking responsibility for helping someone means, I think.

“…Kazune.”

“Huh?”

“Um, Kazune-san. I heard she’s a pretty skilled adventurer. If you ask her, she might look into the kid’s situation.”

Good point.

Towa mentioned that too—Kazune’s got some serious skills.

Guess I’ll ask her then.

Ronnyan was originally set up to hire adventurers anyway.

“Nice one, Shuri. I’ll talk to her next time I see her.”

“U, yeah.”

I’ll prep the payment, and she can have a taste of me as a bonus, huh?

…Crap, forget that thought.

※

“If it’s a request from Arius-san, I’ll take it in a heartbeat!!”

“Uh, whoa? I haven’t even told you the details yet.”

“Bring it on! I’ll do anything!”

Shuri-chan? Kazune-san’s way too hyped, and it’s kinda scary.

Well, conveniently—or as usual—she’s been dropping by almost daily, so I caught her to talk about the request, and this is how it went.

“U, um. Let me explain first. We took in a kid who collapsed on the street. I want you to look into why that happened and where his home is. His name’s Yuri.”

“Got it! Leave it to me!”

Whoa, instant agreement. So fun!

I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly.

I mean, I thought we were pretty close, but still.

“Thanks. So, right away—”

“Roger! I’m on it!”

Gatan—Kazune-san stands up with a loud clatter, and for some reason, others stand too.

“No, wait! Uh, this is my first time hiring an adventurer like this. How much should I pay? Oh, and there’s upfront costs, right? Just give me a rough figure.”

“Huh? You don’t need to pay anything.”

…What?

“Arius-san’s always taking care of us! It’s on the house! Oh, but, but… if you could make our next session a little extra… I’d be thrilled.”

No, no, hold up, blushing isn’t the issue here.

“Kazune-san.”

“Yes!”

“Give me a quote.”

“…Huh?”

That’s not okay.

I’m super touched, of course. Honestly, I’m glad I took you on as a client, for real.

“Kazune-san, I don’t wanna make this sloppy. I’m really grateful, and I’d go all out for you after without you even asking. But don’t sell yourself short.”

Don’t grovel, Kazune-san.

“I know I’m asking for a big job. And I don’t doubt your skills—you agreed without hesitation. So let me pay you. Good work deserves good pay, that’s just how it is.”

“…”

Kazune-san’s throat moves slightly, her eyes flicking to Towa for a split second.

“Goshu… Arius-san.”

“You’ll give me a quote, right?”

“…Yes, then here’s what I want. We… uh, we’re an adventurer team called the Rats. If we pull this off, I want you to make the Rats Ronnyan’s exclusive team. That’s the payment.”

Her words, after lowering her eyes, are totally unexpected.

Payment? What kind of value is that supposed to have?

“It’s a crazy high price, this deal. It’s a contract for you to keep looking after us. I wanna call you Goshujin-sama, Arius-san. The whole team feels the same.”

She says it with dead-serious eyes, and every person she called her team has the same look.

If I said, “Let me think about it,” what would Kazune-san think?

She’d probably laugh it off, say, “No biggie!” like earlier.

But I bet she’d never bring up this deal again.

“—”

I fight the urge to glance at Towa.

I don’t look away from the Rats’ team, staring straight at me.

“Active effort, huh.”

To make this world easier to live in.

Can I do it alone? That’s just arrogance—Mia’s the only reason Yuri’s alive.

I’m not some grand hero trying to save the world, not that kind of guy.

“Kazune-san.”

“…Yes.”

This is a crossroads.

The shut-in environment’s set, but can it last? This is the first turning point.

“I’m counting on you. Bring me good news.”

“—!”

Gotta choose.

To keep stability, I’ve gotta build strength.

“Leave it to us, Goshujin-sama!!”

Every Rat there drops to one knee, bowing in unison.

Looks like they already see themselves as my exclusive adventurers.

“After you complete the request, right?”

“…Fufufu! We’ll nail it, easy. The Rats don’t take on fights we can’t win.”

“Oops, spoke too soon. Guess I’ll prep some tougher, crazier jobs for next time.”