Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 98

Chapter 98: Hiroshima Business Trip

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At last, the day had come.

The long-awaited day is finally here.

Shin shouted in his heart. During discussions held in Tokyo, it was decided that three S-Class Awakened from the Kanto region would team up to periodically clear out the dungeons that were too difficult to deal with individually across different regions.

For this first round, Jiro Hasegawa was assigned to team up with Tougo Shimazu and Shin Mouri, while Piroane Saito was sent to join Youki Nijou.

“Why don’t we make a video out of it while we’re at it?”

That suggestion had come from Shin. It was a gamble. Shin’s dungeon-conquering company already filmed and uploaded videos of their dungeon expeditions. Youki Nijou’s company also filmed videos, and she herself enjoyed posting short clips that would appeal to a typical high school girl demographic.

Meanwhile, Tougo Shimazu and Jiro Hasegawa did not have their own channels. Shimazu didn’t seem interested in uploading videos at all. The key figure, Jiro Hasegawa, had no interest in running a channel himself either, but he didn’t seem opposed to appearing in videos.

After all, he had already helped with videos for Piroane and for Mimimi Amanokawa. Yes—he had helped Mimimi Amanokawa. If he agreed to appear again, then perhaps… Just perhaps, Mimimi Amanokawa would show up too.

That was what Shin had hoped. So he gave it everything he had. He worked hard on the pitch. He wasn’t good at thinking up projects on the spot, but this time, he gave it his all. Because this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to appear in a video with Mimimi Amanokawa!

And now, the day had finally come.

“Ah, hello!”

Hiroshima Station. Mimimi stepped off the bullet train from Kyushu and greeted Shin cheerfully when she spotted him. She wasn’t wearing the work uniform she usually wore when filming—this must have been her everyday outfit.

Her look, matched with her usual gyaru-style makeup, gave off a different kind of presence than in her videos.

“Whoa, that’s amazing.”

Beside the stunned and speechless Shin, a mutter came from Misa. His childhood friend and secretary, Misa Yoshikawa.

“Is it even legal for a body like that to exist in real life?”

“Hey, stop that.”

Snapping back to reality thanks to Misa’s remark, Shin hastily stopped her and walked up to Mimimi.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I appreciate it.”

“Not a problem at all!”

As his brain was practically fried by Mimimi’s radiant smile, Shin desperately tried to keep his expression composed.

“You’ve got the looks, so just keep it cool.” 

Misa whispered beside him. That was how he’d gotten by all this time—sticking to that advice.

“For now, I’ll take you to your hotel, just like we discussed.”

“Sorry for coming alone. Jiro-san was supposed to come too.”

“No worries. It’s dungeon-related business, after all. Can’t be helped.”

“He said he’d make it in time for lunch, so we can have our meeting then.”

“Got it. Looking forward to it!”

She gave Misa that same warm smile as she explained the schedule.

Oh, she’s the real deal.

Misa thought instinctively. 

Shin had been a game nerd and a bit of an otaku since childhood. He awakened as an S-Class during high school. Once he was thrust into the public eye, Misa made it her mission to polish his appearance and correct his demeanor so no one would call him a gloomy arsonist or anything like that. And honestly, before his awakening, that was exactly the kind of impression he gave off.

Misa could confidently say that she had raised Shin Mouri herself. Over the years, many women had tried to cozy up to Shin. Shooing those types away had also been her job, so like it or not, she’d developed an excellent sense for reading people. And from what she could tell—Mimimi Amanokawa was a genuinely good person.

Still, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down just yet.

After all, who’s to say the sweetness isn’t a mask?

What if the moment she realized Shin was a fan, she pounced on that opportunity? What kind of tricks had she used to get close to Jiro Hasegawa in the first place?

No—this isn’t the time to relax.

Misa reminded herself, sharpening her observation of Mimimi even further. They dropped her off at the hotel by taxi, then passed the time in a café until Jiro arrived.

During that wait, they chatted. Well, mostly Misa did. Shin didn’t talk. No. To be precise, he couldn’t talk. He was still floating from the thrill of meeting the real Mimimi in person.

And to maintain the carefully crafted persona of “S-Class Awakened Shin Mouri,” built through years of daily discipline, he clammed up in silence. So Misa had to do the talking and after talking, she realized something:

This girl is a genuinely great person.

Then came a message—Jiro Hasegawa had arrived at the hotel. This was the final bonus round. Misa went alone to greet him and handle the check-in.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Misa Yoshikawa, secretary to Mouri at ‘Mouri.’”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jiro Hasegawa.”

Jiro Hasegawa was a tall, slender man in his thirties. Among the S-Class Awakened—who were mostly in their teens and twenties—he was the only one in his thirties. He had a somewhat weathered air about him that made him seem even older. Since he had no luggage to drop off, he went straight to the café after checking in.

“No bags?”

“None. I’ve got plenty of room in my item box.”

“Item boxes are really something to envy.”

“Haha, thank you.”

He only said what was necessary. The conversation didn’t really go anywhere as we made their way to the café.

Sorry, Shin. The bonus round ended in a flash.

Or so she thought, until she saw Shin’s frozen expression relax the moment he spotted her.

Oh, come on.

Meanwhile, Mimimi’s face lit up when she saw them.

“Jiro-san, great work!”

“Mimimi, thanks for your hard work too. Did you have a smooth trip?”

“Yes, it was fun!”

“That’s good to hear.”

Ah.

It became immediately clear. The conversation was nothing special—but their expressions said it all.

There’s no room for Shin to squeeze in here. So that’s how it is. No room at all. Yeah. Got it.

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