Please to Kitsune-sama!

After letting Yasuno inside and receiving a general crash course on how to use the house’s appliances, Inari nodded repeatedly in admiration.

“Modern appliances truly are wondrous.”

“Modern, you say…?”

“To think one need only press a button and it doeth everything for thee.”

“Wait, are you sure you understood how to use them?”

“Indeed, indeed. Leave it to me.”

Yasuno looked understandably anxious but decided to trust Inari if she insisted she was fine.

After all, one didn’t need to master household electronics. As long as the basics were covered, the rest could be looked up in the manual when needed. That’s how people did it these days.

“Well then, I’m relieved to hear that.”

“Aye, thou hast my thanks. Truly, thou hast helped me greatly.”

“No, no, not at all. Well then, I’ll be taking my—ah!”

Just as she was about to take her leave, Yasuno let out a small yelp.

“Forgot something?”

“No no no, not quite. See, supporting you with household chores wasn’t actually my job in the first place.”

Saying that, she pulled out her business card and handed it to Inari.

“Let me introduce myself properly. Yasuno Kaho, Support Division, Sales Department, Japan HQ of the Awakener Association. I’ve been assigned to you under special directive due to your… unique case.”

“Ohh! Then that is most helpful indeed.”

A special case. Yes, that was certainly true. Inari had no family register, and yet she was entered into the national records as an Awakener. That wouldn’t have been possible before the dungeons appeared. It was a rare exception that spoke to how special Awakeners had become.

In Japan’s case, the situation was even more complicated. The country was one of those that had initially fumbled their response to the Awakener phenomenon. Now, strong Awakeners were in such high demand they’d take almost anyone—even a suspicious-looking girl with fox ears and tail, who spoke like an ancient noblewoman. They couldn’t afford to turn her away just for that.

Part of Yasuno’s assignment was to keep such a person in good spirits.

“Now then, Kogami-san, do you have a plan for your activities going forward?”

“Aye. I know little of how things work here, so for the time being, I intend to explore dungeons at a leisurely pace, without pushing myself overly much.”

Hearing that, Yasuno gave a relieved nod. It was a safe, stable, and reasonable answer.

Most Awakeners tended to act like they were invincible and rushed into reckless situations thinking they were special. But being reckless didn’t magically grant one special powers. Probably. There wasn’t enough data to be sure—but there was data proving that reckless behavior led to higher mortality rates.

From that perspective, Inari’s approach was downright exemplary. Yasuno couldn’t ask for better.

“Actually, I anticipated you might say that. So today, I brought a list of promising parties currently recruiting. For example, this group—‘All Night’—is entirely composed of knights, very sturdy—”

“Ah—nay. I shall go alone.”

“…Eh?”

“I tried that ‘match-making service’ before, did I not? Frankly, I saw little benefit to it.”

“Ehh…? W-Wait just a moment. See, dungeon parties ideally consist of two frontliners, two midliners, and one in the rear—”

That was the so-called ideal party composition.

Two tanks in front, two mid-ranged dealers and a healer in the middle, and a ranged sniper-type attacker in the back. A well-balanced, stable layout where the tanks hold the line and the dealers take down the enemy. Of course, some tanks focused on damage rather than defense—but those builds tended to suffer higher death rates and were more costly to maintain.

“I see. And this ‘All Night’ group thou did mention?”

“Oh, they’re all tanks. So they’re specifically looking for a skilled dealer. I heard you had excellent offensive power, so I thought you’d be a perfect fit.”

“Fumu…”

So, dealers were the ones responsible for damage output. Tanks were the wall. Healers restored the team.

If those were the three core roles, then…

“Still, I say again: I need no party.”

“Ehh!? Why not!?”

“From what I have heard, I am capable of all three roles, am I not?”

“Wha—but… even if you’re exaggerating, there’s a limit to how much you can boast…”

From Yasuno’s perspective, the briefing said Kogami Inari was a magic-type dealer.

That role was always in demand—just below healers in popularity. So to suddenly claim “I can do everything” sounded… absurd.

Especially with stats like Attack E, Defense F, and Agility E—there was no way she could tank anything.

Apparently, this was where support would be most needed.

A fire lit in Yasuno’s chest. Her sense of duty was awakening.

Inari, meanwhile, just felt a headache coming on.

“Very well! If that’s how you feel…”

“Aye?”

“Then I’ll accompany you on your next dungeon run!”

“…Eh?”

At Yasuno’s unexpected declaration, Inari could only groan inwardly.

“A bother indeed…”