Earth Dungeon 68.2

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Chapter 68.2. Welcome

[A loli dwarf. It would have been nice if she had a dwarf beard, but isn't this good as a mascot character?]

Shizuku-san evaluated her appearance, but calling her a mascot character was strange. It wasn't a childlike feeling but rather a small one. She didn't seem childish.

She blushed and held the edge of her skirt shyly, indicating that this wasn't her idea.

So why did she wear a dress? I understood when I saw the next girl who descended. It was a girl in a light blue dress. However, even from a distance, it was apparent that her dress. That's unlike Oukubo's high-quality one that had smooth fabric and lacked both shine and texture. She had dressed modestly for today's guest of honor.

Furthermore, the girl was an albino. To put it bluntly, it was Kamishiro Serika. Why was this girl here? I now understood why they used an armored vehicle.

[Let's predict. Serika-chan says to Sakimori-san, "Does this look good on me?" hesitatingly! Then, when he pats her head, she blushes. It's a strategy to raise Sakimori-san's favor. She's an excellent researcher, but she intends to show her ignorance of common sense. She can't fool this Detective Amano Shizuku's eyes!]

Shizuku-san chuckled lightly with her arms crossed. She seemed to have seen through everything.

[However, she has become the director, so that possibility is unlikely. This is to make Sakimori-san underestimate himself and let his guard down. The strategy is to increase Sakimori-san's evaluation. She may be a brilliant researcher, but she's not very knowledgeable about the world.]

I nodded in agreement with my partner's words. It made sense. It was quite suspicious. The reality was harsh.

They put a dress on the dwarf girl, and Serika wore a cheaper dress than Oukubo's. She understood her appearance, so even with that, she stood out more and looked beautiful. She had thought this through well.

Well, it seemed like an interesting story. This girl was quite the strategist. If you were a young man, you might fall for it. She had a devilish personality, but I thought.

Serika noticed me and ran over, shyly intertwining her fingers with mine and blushing.

"Does this look good on me?"

Every word was exactly as Shizuku had predicted.

"Heh, I see. So all I have to do is pat your head and say, 'Good job,' huh, beautiful girl."

I couldn't help but laugh and playfully curl my lips, patting Serika's head.

"Muu. I see. I'll raise Sakimori's evaluation of me again. I never expected to be found out."

"Well, what can I say? I'm just an old man."

It seemed that her attitude was different from what I had expected. She slightly opened her eyes, her expression turned sulky, and her mouth pouting. I shrugged in response.

"Hehe. I'll go change!"

Quickly, with a smiling face, Serika skipped back to the armored vehicle. She had prepared a change of clothes, it seemed. The dwarf girl with a look of despair must be feeling miserable. She was quite the demon.

[Serika's favorability rating has dropped to -100. Chararara~]

Now, should I ignore the hallucination and greet Oukubo? Should I kiss the back of her hand? Serika was more of a klutz than I had expected. Her seduction attempt was probably futile. Real life wasn't like a novel with a protagonist. It was somewhat strange, but I decided not to dwell too much. It wasn't worth worrying about yet.

I moved to the cafeteria and led Ookubo and her group to the head of the table. By the way, Serika, like Karin, had changed into a shirt and jeans. It was a refreshing sight to see the albino-looking girl dressed in an active outfit. I ignored the sad gaze of the dwarf girl sitting in the middle.

"Princhess~"

The usual little girl who had taken a liking to the dwarf girl was excited, but the atmosphere around her was a bit awkward. Well, it was fine.

"Now then, we are grateful for the presence of Oukubo Ryuko-san today, so we have prepared a small welcome party to express our gratitude."

"Hyaa, H-hai. My name is Oukubo Ryuko. I'll be joining the Amatsugahara Corporation soon, so please take care of me! No, I'll take care of it."

She stood up and lowered her head, giving a somewhat stuttered response. It seemed better than the scheming Serika sitting next to her.

"Well, there's no point in talking for too long. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers~!"

We all raised our glasses and clinked them together before digging into the food. We had also bought orange juice from the Outer City this time, so when you added up all the food costs, it was quite expensive. But in situations like this, I didn't want to be stingy. I wanted to make them understand that the company was profitable and that I played a role too.

"This chicken is delicious, and it comes with meat!"

"Well, of course. It's not just bones."

"Cakes taste so sweet and happy!"

"Hey, hey, can I have seconds?"

Everyone started eating with enthusiasm. It was decent food—well-cooked chicken, lightly grilled bread, and a vegetable-packed soup. Little girl, you don't need to recommend smoked meat to me.

The total cost was 2 million yen. Well, I hope Oukubo will like our company after this.

For now, it's about the salary. I wonder what happens with taxes when you join a company in the abandoned town?

Also, dwarves are said to like alcohol, but she's still under 20, so that's a no-go. Maybe I'll pour some orange juice instead.