The F-rank Adventurer, Who Was Supposed to Be Just a Helper, Accidentally Goes Viral for Blowing Away an S-rank Monster – It Seems the Home I've Been Living in Was an Unusually Powerful Dungeon Inhabited by the Strongest Species - Chapter 23

<Third-Person Perspective>

The morning after Hoshi and Nanami’s collaboration stream, a woman stood outside her house, arms spread wide, taking deep breaths under the dazzling sunlight. It was Chief Sekino, Hoshi’s neighbor and the Guild Chief.

“Ugh.”

She then took her morning dose of stomach medicine as a preventive measure before heading out on an important task.

“I’m off.”

Chief Sekino stealthily moved towards the fence of her house, which was next to Hoshi’s, looking around cautiously.

(Hikone Hoshi has left for school. Now’s my chance to observe.)

Her mission for the day was ‘observation’, particularly of Hoshi’s pets’ behavior while he was away.

“Extra caution is needed with Magic Core bearers.”

As evident from Hoshi’s streams, his pets possessed Magic Cores, allowing them to venture outside the dungeon.

“…”

Ordinarily, they would be lurking in his home dungeon during the day, which wouldn’t be a problem.

But what if the pets ventured outside?

“Just the thought is terrifying.”

Monsters and upper-tier explorers are just ordinary humans on the surface, where mana doesn’t exist. There’s no defense against ‘Magic Core bearing monsters’ that can exhibit their strength above ground.

“She seems well-trained though…”

The pets seemed well-behaved in the streams, fond of Hoshi, and not prone to rampages. Still, Sekino had a duty to investigate for any potential risk.

“Okay, let’s get started… What?!”

Just as she was about to step out, she spotted something that made her instantly hide behind the fence.

“Kyui~”

It was Melon, the dragon, yawning and floating in front of Hoshi’s house.

(Why is it outside!?)

Sekino broke out in a cold sweat, her eyes darting towards the direction Melon was headed – the town.

(This is bad!)

Despite Melon’s fame from Hoshi’s streams, a monster is still a monster. The town could descend into chaos.

“I have to do something!”

She hesitated for a moment, then, deciding what to do, Sekino dashed out.

“Wait, stop!”
“Kyui?”

In a remote mountainous area, though the town was at a distance, she couldn’t let Melon go any further.

“Don’t go any further—”
“Kyui!”
“Ah! Nooo!”

But as she panicked, Melon, seemingly amused, floated closer to her. While Melon appeared friendly, Sekino was terrified.

(I can’t handle this! Wait!)

Despite her extensive knowledge of dungeons and monsters, Sekino was still fearful of an ‘S-rank Magic Core bearing creature.’

Somehow, she managed to keep Melon at bay.

“Phew! That was close.”
“Kyui?”

(What now?)

Determined, Sekino, feeling the weight of her duty as a Guild Chief, reached into her bag for something.

“Take this!”
“Kyui!?”

She threw an object that landed with a bounce in front of Melon. The dragon’s eyes widened in curiosity.

“Kyui~!”
“Yes!”

It was a “Fruit Orb” – a ball-shaped object filled with fruit juice, a favorite of most monsters.

“Kyui, Kyui~!”
“I did it!”

Melon happily munched on the orb. Sekino, exhausted, made a triumphant gesture.

(I managed to handle it!)

While feeding monsters could be problematic, as a Guild official, Sekino was allowed to take such measures in emergencies.

“Kyui~”
“…”

But as Melon finished the orb, their eyes met again, and she tensed up.

In battle, Melon was a formidable dragon, but even now, it seemed enormous to Sekino.

And then,

“Woof, Kuuun?”
“Kyui!”

Cotton Candy appeared, greeting Melon with a casual bark.

“Ahhh! Nooo!”

Sekino, already struggling with Melon, panicked at the sight of another ‘S-rank Magic Core bearer.’

(That’s it. I’m done for.)

She collapsed on her hands and knees.

“Oh no…”

Her bag spilled open, scattering more Fruit Orbs. She had no energy left to retrieve them, only managing to slump in defeat.

“Kyui”
“Woof”
“…Eh?”

But then, she heard a sound and looked up. Melon and Cotton Candy were there, each holding a Fruit Orb, seemingly asking if she was okay.

“Eh, um…”

Then, they jumped into the lap of the kneeling Sekino.

“Kyui~”

Their actions seemed to convey concern and care, contrary to her fears.

Chief Sekino, overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness from these powerful magical creatures, realized there was much more to them than just their formidable abilities. This encounter would undoubtedly change her perspective on Hoshi’s extraordinary pets.

“Woof~”

Chief Sekino, who had been comforting herself with Melon and Cotton Candy, looked up to see their endearing eyes gazing back at her.

“…!”

Feeling a sudden warmth, Chief Sekino realized something. Until now, she had only seen these pets as ‘mission targets’. She had dismissed their cute appearances, viewing them solely as formidable challenges.

“Kyui~”
“Woof~”
“…!”

However, their friendly approach, devoid of any hostility, forced her to acknowledge a new perspective.

“Could they be… cute?”

For the first time, Chief Sekino saw the two creatures, once only objects of fear, in a new light. They appeared unexpectedly adorable to her.

“Cuteee!”
“Kyui~”
“Woof~”

Overwhelmed, Chief Sekino couldn’t help but hug them tightly. The pets, seemingly pleased, snuggled into her embrace. She made another realization.

“So fluffy! It feels so nice…”

This soft, fluffy sensation melted her heart.

“Ahhh…!”

The constant stomachache she’d been suffering from since being tasked with the ‘Hikone Hoshi mission’ began to subside without her noticing.

“Cute… wait, what!?”

Suddenly aware of someone’s presence, Chief Sekino turned around, trembling.

“E-Erika… san?”
“Hehehe.”

Standing behind her was Erika. Chief Sekino quickly released the pets and bowed profusely.

“S-s-sorry!!”

She bowed so deeply it was almost comical.

(What have I done? And she saw it all!)

A chill ran down her spine. However, Erika just walked past her without saying anything.

“Please put the pets back in the yard.”
“Eh?”
“I’m going shopping.”

Erika bid her goodbye with a gentle, rather than scary, smile.

“What just happened…?”

Confused, Chief Sekino stood there, while Erika whispered to herself.

“It’s fine as long as she’s just near the pets.”

Erika walked away, a slight smile on her face, as if she too found some comfort in the interaction.

“Um…”

Left behind, Chief Sekino eventually decided.

“Kyui~!”
“Woof~”
“Just a little longer…”

She played with the pets a bit more before gently returning them to the yard.

—

<Hoshi’s Perspective>

“What’s up with you two?”

Returning from school, Hoshi noticed something different about Melon and Cotton Candy.

“Kyui~”
“Woof~”

They seemed unusually happy. Maybe something good happened.

“Well, it’s always good to be in a good mood.”

Seeing them happy made him feel good too.

“Oh, it’s time.”

He realized it was time for the stream he had announced on SNS. Hoshi started the stream.

“Hoshi-kun~!”
“Here we go!”
“Hello!”
“Hi, Hoshi-kun!”
“Happy you’re early today!”
“We’ve been waiting~!”

Viewers quickly flooded in, perhaps excited about today’s content.

“Today, as planned…”

Hoshi reiterated the plan he had previously announced.

“We’re going to the second floor of my home dungeon.”