Dungeon Refrigerator 64

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The Invaders On The Beach

Floating in the sea, their bodies buoyant amidst the crashing waves, they played around like children—Ruu and I. If I had come alone to the sea and played like this, I would have felt so lonely that my heart would have broken, and I might have ended up crying and going home. But now, I have a cute, adorable girlfriend like Ruka. Even in such a simple play, I could have a very enjoyable time.

And while playing with Ruu, I only had eyes for her.

In the past, a bitter experience of getting stuck in an eroge game route because I paid attention to another girl during a date had become a guide for me to avoid making the same mistake. I'm grateful. I suppose this is another experience in life.

That's why Ruu was in such a great mood today, and she talked about various things more cheerfully than usual.

.....

After about 30 minutes of dating by the water's edge, Ruu and I wrapped it up. We bought cold drinks for ourselves as a gesture of appreciation to the considerate couple who gave us space and returned to our resting spot. As expected, or as usual Serai-san and Nina-san were being hit on.

Of course, it makes sense. Even from afar, Sekai and Nina's beauty stands out head and shoulders above the rest—no, they shine like a golden three-headed dragon, radiating beauty to their surroundings.

And the ones boldly challenging Serai-san and Nina-san are a pair of slender, pale-skinned guys in swimsuits and hoodies. But don't get me wrong. When I say slender, I don't mean like the old me, an uncool, bespectacled twig. They're stylish and slender, with their hair extended enough to cover their eyes, wearing a silver necklace around their necks, rings, and bracelets on their arms, and sparkling earrings on their ears—fully armed and ready for the pick-up game.

(Impressive. If it were me, I'd probably lose everything when I got in the water.)

Their main purpose is not to swim in the sea but to hunt for girls on the beach, so they probably don't need to worry about losing precious metal in the ocean.

"...So, people around me keep saying, You're so kind!' Even though I don't think that way about myself (glances). They tell me not to worry about it, but then they cry and thank me. It's so bothersome (glances)."

I see. It's the appeal time for the stylish guys.

It's a derivative form of saying, "I'm a kind person.". As he glances at Serai-san to gauge her reaction, he sneaks at her proportions. Could it be he's trying to hide his gaze for that reason? I see, I see. He's got many friends. They all think he's extremely kind. I'm astonished by his audacity to say that about himself.

(Sound. Sound. Sound.)

"Oh! Welcome back, you two♪ Did you get us some drinks? Thanks a bunch~♪"

Ignoring the stylish guy's persistent appeal with a reclining chair and a Buddha-like smile, Nina-san noticed our return and showed a smiling face. Nina's high-ignore ability remains unchanged.

On the other hand, Serai-san, with a strained smile, dealt with the persistent appeal from the stylish guy. When she saw us come back, she let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart. Yes, I'm sure this difference is what determines whether you can toy with women or not.

"Ah...! Ezuki, is that you!?"

"Hmm?"

The stylish guy, who was overloaded with accessories and tried to hide his gaze, exclaimed, so I turned my face towards him. When I looked closely, it was a former co-worker from my previous workplace, Kei Myou. Well, I ignored him too.

"Sorry for the wait. So, feeling thirsty? I bought some juice for you."

"Thanks, master! Wow, it's so cold♪ I love it!!"

Here, I quickly followed Nina-san's high-ignore ability.

There's no point in talking to him now. Kei Myou used to make fun of me at work, calling me a gloomy otaku, which led me to dislike him. Therefore, it's best to have no contact with him. That's what adults do.

But it seems my attitude didn't sit well with Kei Myou, as he raised his voice in dissatisfaction.

"Hey, Ezuki! How much trouble do you think you caused everyone by suddenly disappearing from the company?"

Oh, he's right. I have no counterargument on that point. And I'm amazed at how fast Kei Myou's mouth turns from attacking me to attacking others. But he's from a different department, so it probably didn't affect him much.

So I continued to ignore him.

"Well, it's been a while since I've been in the ocean. Do you 2 want to swim too?"

"Yeah, sounds fun. After I finish this drink, maybe I'll swim a little."

"Slurp... Ahh! Something cold tastes so gooood~♪"

While I ignored the infuriated Kei Myou, I sensed Ruu fidgeting behind me. But Nina-san smoothly adapted to my pace. Nina-san is the best. My trust in her increased by 5 points. Finally, when I got released from the troublesome situation, Serai-san drank her juice and took a deep breath with a smile.

I'm also a terrible person, huh? But my trust in Kei Myou is negative. He lies without a second thought. He's a typical psychopath who doesn't care about lying.

There's a tendency to think that people like me, socially awkward otakus, are psychopaths in society, but that's not true. Not.

Socially awkward otakus, we're like narrow-minded, honest people. Just think about it. Socially inept and bad at living. 

How could someone like that be a psychopath?

A psychopath is, to put it bluntly, a self-serving egomaniac who manipulates others. So they may be smooth talkers on the surface, never hesitating to use others as stepping stones or deceive them. But that's why some of them achieve great results, and many psychopaths have high social positions, such as executives or doctors.

In short, socially awkward otakus who would never succeed and psychopaths who use others as stepping stones to succeed are opposites.

Socially awkward otakus have zero influence over others. They lack any persuasion skills and even struggle with basic communication skills. Even if they somehow had influence, it would only result in negative feelings of discomfort from others.

If I weren't a socially awkward otaku, I could've lived a more cunning and successful life, like Kei Myou, using lies and smooth talk.

"Kuh... I know it! That body. That's from the dungeon? Don't get too cocky just because you got a little stronger in the dungeon, Ezuki...! (Huff)"

With that parting remark, Kei Myou, my former co-worker, left the place. Hmm, it's unexpected to encounter someone like him here.

.....

(Sound of waves. Sound of waves.)

Listening to the distant sound of the waves, I sit on the beach mat, gazing at the sea, while reflecting on what happened earlier. When asked by Serai-san and the others about Kei Myou, I just mentioned that he was a former colleague from my previous workplace.

(But to encounter that guy Kei Myou in a place like this...)

The 3 beautiful college girls are already in the sea. Since I'm watching our belongings, I encouraged them to go and play. I observe the three beautiful figures playing at the water's edge from afar. I feel at ease.

(Sound of waves. Sound of waves.)

"Phew..."

My response to my company's situation was probably quite off as a professional. When I quit, I couldn't help but get emotional. The feeling of becoming stronger in the dungeon and the humiliation of being an unremarkable salaryman were strong, urging me to break free from those shackles. So I have no regrets. However, I could have handled it a little better.

Yeah, I'm just really bad at living.

(Sound of waves. Sound of waves.)

(......)

(Sound of waves. Sound of waves.)

(......!......!......!)

Huh...? What's this...? This presence mixed into my thoughts like noise...

(......!......!......!)

"Oh, could it be salt? Is it you guys...?"

I turn my attention to my arms and shoulders. After coming out of the sea and resting under the beach parasol, I notice that my body has a faint layer of salt on it.

"I see... We're at the sea, after all, a salt-producing area. It's not surprising if salt spirits are active here..."

I only could channel the salt spirits once, during that incident at the salt sauna. After that, I received the blessing and skill of [Salt] from the salt god(?) who appeared in my dreams. Let's try channeling again and see if I can find out more.

Free of attachments, free of attachments. There is only nothingness here.

Paaahn...

Alright, the ringing in my ears is coming. The surrounding noises feel distant. Good, just a little more, deeply, quietly.

(......!......!......!)

"Kyaaaah!?!"

Splash! Thud!

"Bufuu!?!"

I felt my chakra opening up, and just as I was about to enter a meditative state, something suddenly crashed into me.

"Geho! Geho!... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Completely defenseless, I suddenly got hit by an impact. I couldn't help but choke and see stars. For a moment, I thought it might be Kei Myou seeking revenge, but the person who fell on me seemed to be a woman in a swimsuit. 

I could feel the softness of a female body on top of me.

(Ah. I messed up! I finally got to meet him. What should I do...!)

"Ugh... It hurts! My... my eyes..."

But as I tried to open my eyes to check sand got in them. The woman who fell on me mumbled something, but being abruptly pulled back from my meditative state to reality, made my thoughts short-circuited and didn't work properly.

"Oh, now! I'll wash it away with water! Please stay still for a little while..."

(Huh...? There's something familiar about this woman. Who is she...?)