The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 90

Chapter 90: Hachioji Dungeon

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How nostalgic..

As Ryuuto stepped off the bus and stretched his limbs, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around.

“Hmmph.”

“What is it now?”

Standing there, pouting with puffed cheeks and dressed in a pristine white mage’s robe, was Marin Shirakawa. She was glaring at him.

“Oh, it’s you. What’s wrong?”

“You’re so cruel, Ryuuto-kun. Even though you already have me, you go falling for Mikaze-chan and Ema-chan in the blink of an eye. Ahh, after all I’ve done for you… And just like that, you toss me aside like driftwood in the Sea of Japan. Splashhh. Sob, sob…”

Marin sat on the ground in a girlish pose, biting the edge of her handkerchief as she pretended to cry.

“Come on. It was just a coincidence that the seating worked out that way. There’s nothing wrong with chatting with classmates.”

“Well, I guess that’s true. Right, right! After all, Ryuuto-kun has a steady partner who shares his soul—me!”

“No, I don’t!”

“Eep!”

Ryuuto lightly chopped Marin on the head. She played up the pain dramatically, then immediately stood in front of him with a big smile.

“What now?”

“Ehehe. What do you think? This outfit—I got it new just for dungeon exploration. Cool and cute, right? It’s resistant to slashing, piercing, even fire and poison! And all for the reasonable price of 198,000 yen!”

“Oh, new gear, huh. Using a beast hide really does drive the cost up.”

“It was so expensive!”

Marin was wearing a pure white robe.

That’s probably a Mad Wolf hide. Not particularly rare, but the tanning is well done. Must’ve been made by a skilled craftsman.

Explorer gear varied widely in quality and cost. But honestly, high-performance gear naturally came at a high price. Marin’s robe, tanned and dyed white, had both thickness and flexibility. As she’d said, it was highly resistant to fire and poison. On top of that, it was lighter and easier to move in than mediocre iron armor.

Looking around at his classmates, Ryuuto saw that everyone had changed out of their uniforms and into their exploration gear. The uniforms of the Explorer School were functional and offered a degree of protection, but gear from a proper shop generally offered better performance.

“Come on, Ryuuto-kun! The field training’s starting!”

“Yeah, guess so.”

Their homeroom teacher, Koyomi, was waving a small flag like a tour guide, gathering the students from the Healing and Recovery Department. Apparently, multiple classes were overlapping today, so there were many unfamiliar students around—enough that getting lost could be a real concern.

However…Even among all the students, Ryuuto still stood out.

“Wow, that’s Ryuuto-sama?”

“So cool…”

“Hey, hey, do you think he’d respond if we said hi?”

“Sachi, this is your moment!”

“No way! I don’t have the guts!”

Nobody approached Ryuuto directly. In fact, his Healing and Recovery Department classmates had formed a half-circle barricade around him, clearly preventing students from other classes from getting close. There was a strong sense of possessiveness unique to the Healing and Recovery Department on full display.

To put it plainly, most of the girls in the Healing and Recovery Department were gentle-looking, soft-spoken types. But when it came to fighting over the only male in the group, their true natures came out.

Dressed in their distinctive white gear, the girls didn’t even bother hiding their hostility. They growled at anyone who tried to make contact—almost like wild beasts.

“Who do those elites think they are, acting all high and mighty?”

“Snapping pics of our Ryuuto-sama? Filthy thieves.”

“You should’ve meow like a horny cat while you’re at it.”

“The prince should be in the Magic Department…!”

“Ryuuto-sama… I will definitely, definitely bring you back. Until then, please endure among the immature Recovery girls, my eternal lord.”

Wearing mostly black robes, the students of the Magic Department—also known as the Witch Squad—believed in some nonsensical story that Ryuuto was originally meant to be in their class, but the Healing and Recovery Department had used trickery to steal him away.

Their glares were intense enough to kill.

“What’re you looking at?”

“Huh? I’m not looking, jerk.”

“Yes, you are, dumbass.”

“Come here, say that again, I dare you.”

“Don’t act tough just ‘cause Ryuuto-sama is watching.”

“You punk! You think you’re hot stuff? I’ll crush you!”

A dozen or so girls were squared off, faces nearly touching, staring each other down like bitter lifelong enemies.

Why does this one area feel like a lawless zone from the late 1980s?

“Alright everyone, stop messing around and gather up. If you’re not in place in the next ten seconds, you get zero credits,”

Koyomi said brightly, her voice cutting through the tension. The girls who had been locked in a death stare slowly began backing away from each other, still glaring, as if afraid to turn their backs. Their instincts were fully kicked in—like animals sensing danger.

“Ryuuto-kun, don’t fall behind, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Koyomi’s tone was oddly cheerful. Ryuuto thought to himself.

Maybe she’s actually way more capable than she lets on.

“Ryuuto-kun, over here!”

“Sorry, I’m late.”

Marin hopped up and down, waving at him. Today’s class was apparently a joint session. As Ryuuto walked over, the surrounding girls squealed with excitement but kept a slight distance.

Being the only boy among all the girls, Ryuuto couldn’t help but stand out. Feeling a little self-conscious, he was soon surrounded protectively in a circle by his fellow Healing and Recovery Department girls, shielding him from other classes.

Whoa, so cool.

Ryuuto felt a little like a princess being protected by knights.

The faculty head’s briefing was held at the entrance to the Hachioji Dungeon. A woman in her late twenties, dressed in a sleek black suit and wearing glasses, was giving slow, careful instructions from the stage. Apparently, after gathering together, the students would enter the dungeon with their chaperones and be grouped with more advanced explorers.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing really.”

Oh crap. I really need to pee.

The temperature inside dungeons was lower than outside. Ryuuto was used to this kind of temperature swing after spending so much time in light clothing. But during the bus ride, he had been offered tons of drinks by his female classmates—and perhaps because of the weird tension in the air, his bladder was now screaming for release.

“Sorry, I’m gonna step out for a bit.”

“Huh? Ryuuto-kun, do you need the bathroom? Do you know where it is?”

“More or less. There was one near the entrance, right?”

“Hey, can you go pee all by yourself? Want me to help you?”

Marin whispered into his ear, blushing deeply. Her eyes sparkled, her breath quickened, and she puckered her lips suggestively while making a lewd stroking motion with her right hand.

Ryuuto quickly responded.

“Yeah, I’m good. Really. Thanks, though.”

“Hmm? Huh, really? Too bad.”

Marin slowly licked her lips with her red tongue. Ryuuto gave a strained smile and hurried off toward the restroom.

For some reason, the weird excitement made his little guy perk up a bit. Not that he’d ever admit it though.

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