Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 48

Chapter 48: Confession

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The Dungeon Convenience Store that had expanded into America was burning up wildly on the internet. The video of the golem wiping out Rock Function, a group advocating for the restoration of men’s rights, seemed to be met with equal amounts of applause and criticism clashing against each other. However, since this was only a hot topic in the English-speaking world, it hadn’t gained much traction in Japan.

“This is quite a problem.”

I didn’t want to get even a fingernail involved in the delicate and complex issues of human rights and discrimination, but because the ones we defeated were that kind of group, the controversy had exploded regardless of my opinion about it.. That said, it was still a fire on the other side of the river. It was simply that the problems of that country had been brought to the surface, so it wasn’t really my concern.

In fact, there wasn’t anything I could do about it anyway. As far as I was concerned, whether male or female, there would always be differences in what people could and couldn’t do due to differences in ability, background, and environment. I just wished society could take that into consideration.

But of course, things weren’t that simple. Even machines designed to sort coins sometimes made mistakes or jammed. There was no absolute answer to problems even more complex than that. The process of arriving at an answer would inevitably bring up even more issues along the way. At the very least, I reminded myself not to get involved out of some misguided savior complex, thinking, “Those poor people, let’s do something to help them.”

But what was actually causing problems for me was that the Rock Function members had blocked off the entrance to the Dungeon Convenience Store’s New York branch. Since they couldn’t go inside to cause trouble, they resorted to making sure no one could enter at all.

This was a real pain. It wasn’t like I couldn’t go outside and take care of them, but if I did, there was a risk that the Dungeon Convenience Store itself would be perceived as a dangerous entity. To make things worse, they had even sent a lawyer, threatening to sue us for assault and illegal business operations.

For that, I had the store’s golem clerk respond with, “Feel free to do as you please.”

Even if they called it illegal, everything was happening inside the dungeon. There was no way to resolve things except through brute force inside the dungeon. Since the maintenance costs after setting up the store weren’t that high, I figured I could just leave things alone until the situation calmed down. Besides, the Dungeon Convenience Stores in Japan were still making money steadily, so there was no real problem on my side.

No problem… But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made a mistake. I wished things would somehow take a turn for the better, but at the moment, I saw no signs of a good solution coming to mind.

And then…

“Jiro! I bought some hamburgers!”

“Jiro-san, I got you a Crazy Cheese Special Burger. It’s from a really popular burger shop in America!”

Piroane and Mio arrived, carrying a massive number of takeout bags from a hamburger joint.

“Hey, you two…”

“They look delicious! Let’s eat!”

“Let’s eat! It’s lunchtime, but I think having a beer is totally fine too!”

“Well… I guess that’s fine.”

Hearing the word “beer,” I eagerly grabbed a can from the fridge.

“But seriously, what’s up with you two?”

For the past few days, they had been bringing food over like this. Donuts, pizza, hamburgers, fried chicken… No, I could see what they were trying to do. They wanted to say, “America has good things too.”

“I’m not particularly angry, you know.”

I explained while sipping a beer and holding a cheesy, meat-heavy burger in one hand.

“I just thought I’d test the waters of overseas expansion by opening a store in America, since it’s a country that’s already familiar to Japan.”

“Yeah, right. No ulterior motives at all.”

“Exactly. Jiro-san is a good person after all.”

The two of them nodded in unison. They didn’t believe me. Or rather…

“The fact that you two are going out of your way to be considerate of me is kind of annoying.”

“Why!?”

“You’re so insensitive.”

“You’re the one! You’re the one who drilled into me how terrifying you are when you get mad!”

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Aaah! Aaah! Mio! Did you hear that!?”

“Haha… It’s okay. Jiro-san is kind after all.”

Mio smiled warmly as she consoled Piroane. She was also a gnawing problem in my mind. After all, I still hadn’t properly explained the details of the Dungeon Convenience Store to her. She had likely picked up on some things since she had helped with the initial promotion, but still. I really should tell her properly. But if I did, I’d have to at least reveal my true identity to her.

What would she do once she learned the truth? Would she distance herself from me? An old man (with over 100 years as a monster + a registered age of “around 40”) clinging to a young girl was downright pathetic. But at the same time, was it right to keep secrets from someone I had grown so close to?

On the other hand, if I considered it as a ‘business secret’, then there were things I couldn’t tell even a friend. But was it really right to draw that line now, after I had already asked for her help…?

“…Um.”

For now, I should at least explain the Dungeon Convenience Store to her properly.

“I know it’s a bit late, but there’s something I need to tell you, Mio.”

“Huh? Ah… h-hyai!”

Hyai?

Well, whatever.

“I think you’ve probably figured it out already, but the truth is, I’m the one running the Dungeon Convenience Store.”

“…Huh.”

“I can’t tell you exactly how, but I thought it would be dishonest not to say anything… What’s wrong?”

“No, um… Thank you. I’m happy you told me.”

“…Really? That’s good, then.”

I tilted my head at Mio’s oddly subdued reaction, while beside her, Piroane looked completely dumbfounded.

“What’s wrong?”

“You… You’ve never been popular, have you!?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“No, because—Huh? Are you serious? Are you okay? Like in the head? Even I can tell, you know?”

“…The way you’re saying that is really irritating.”

“Mio~ Maybe you should reconsider your options? Maybe someone not Jiro?”

“Haha… I’ll do my best.”

“Oh, okay. Well, good luck.”

“Yes!”

What exactly was she going to “do her best” at?

“More importantly, I’m sick of all this heavy food. I want something light.”

“You’re the one who kept bringing it.”

“I was trying to make you feel better, and this is the thanks I get? You’re the worst.”

“Don’t worry, I’m only like this with you.”

“Grrr…”

“How about sushi?”

“Hmm… That sounds good, but I don’t want to go out and wait in line.”

“Let’s get delivery.”

“Oh, that Uber thing? Yeah, that’s convenient.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“Uber…”

Watching Mio order from her phone, a realization struck me. Or rather, an idea came to me.

I see… If I do that… But first, how should I distribute it?

I’d also need to prepare enough supplies. Maybe I should gather more magic stones first. There was a lot to think about. But at least it was a far more constructive concern than worrying over a problem I could simply ignore.

“Fufufu…”

“Ah, he’s scheming something again.”

Ignoring Piroane’s remark, I immersed myself in my own thoughts.

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