Please to Kitsune-sama!

With Inari sighing softly in the back, the helicopter continued on its path… eventually landing atop a building's rooftop helipad that had come into view.

After stepping out, Inari immediately tilted her head at the empty surroundings.

"Hmm? No one hath come to greet us?"

"People in charge don’t bother coming up to places like this."

"Yeah, come on—let’s head inside."

Prompted by the two, she entered the building. Inside, a man with glasses was waiting for them.

"Good work on the quest. I’ll take over from here."

"Sure, thanks. I leave it to you."

"See ya, Inari-chan."

"Oi, oi. And where doth thou intend to leave me, exactly?"

When Inari tugged on Maruyama’s sleeve, he scratched his cheek with a troubled look.

"Ah… this is where our job ends."

"That’s right. Still, if fate allows, we’ll probably meet again."

"Hmph, so be it then. Naught to be done, I suppose."

Noticing the glasses-wearing man watching her as she waved the others off, Inari turned to him and asked.

"What is it now?"

"Ah, nothing… just confirming you’re the real deal."

"I’ve no clue what thou mean. Couldst thou not speak a bit more plainly?"

"Your ears and tail. Are they artifacts?"

"I know not what this ‘arteefakt’ thou speakest of may be, but… aye, they are genuine."

"I see. Well then, allow me to explain what comes next. This way, please."

The place he led her to appeared to be a conference room—rows of tables and chairs lined the space.

"Let’s begin with introductions. I’m Aoyama, secretary general of the Awakener Association’s Japan Branch."

"Ohh, that’s most courteous of thee. I seem to go by the name Inari."

"You seem to?"

"Aye. That was what appeared on the so-called status screen that was forced upon me, or some such."

"Hmm…"

Aoyama fell into thought for a moment. A girl who claimed to have destroyed a dungeon—if true, that would be incredible. But… it was just a little too convenient.

“There’s just no way she’s not suspicious…!”

A girl who destroyed a dungeon suddenly appearing out of nowhere—wasn’t that a bit too perfect?

But even if it were a trap—whose trap would it be?

After thinking it through, Aoyama gave up. Ultimately, this wasn’t something he was qualified to judge.

"Now then, Miss Inari. From what I’ve been told, you don’t seem to know much about the situation—would that be correct?"

"Aye. I’ve long been removed from the world of men. I know naught."

"When you say ‘long’…”

"There were still people around back when color tee-vees first appeared… so how long would that be, I wonder?"

"...Whoa. Analog era, huh..."

Aoyama resisted the strange impulse to compete with her on the sharpness of the joke, and instead turned to the screen and brought up a video.

"Let’s start from the beginning, then. I apologize for the simplicity—it’s the orientation video we show to new recruits, but it should help explain the appearance of dungeons and the founding of the Awakener Association."

"Ohh, that would be most helpful. By the way…"

"Yes?"

"'Twould please me greatly if tea were to appear about now."

"...I'll have some prepared right away."

As she poked and examined the paper cup of tea with fascination, what really caught Inari’s interest was the contents of the video itself.

Twenty years ago, dungeons suddenly began appearing around the world. The very first one, commonly known as the “First Gate,” unleashed monsters that modern weaponry had no effect on, ravaging nations in a matter of days. In response, people with mysterious powers—“Awakeners”—began to appear.

The operation to conquer the First Gate, in which all the world’s Awakeners gathered, succeeded—though at great cost. After that, dungeons began appearing across the globe, and new Awakeners continued to awaken.

Dungeons disappear when cleared. That was both the truth—and a misunderstanding. In any case, Awakeners were the only ones capable of fighting the monsters.

To support them, the Awakener Association was founded—an organization backed by the governments of each country. It’s managed by global standards, but in practice, Awakeners form their own groups called “clans” and operate independently. This structure developed because the nature of Awakener powers often required quick, autonomous action—too much central control had proven to be fatal in many cases.

In fact, countries that had tried to strictly control their Awakeners found their efforts backfiring. Their Awakeners refused to act, or fled the country entirely. Those with no way to escape simply holed up inside dungeons.

One such country lost over half its territory to monster-related disasters. Their military and law enforcement were almost entirely wiped out before they finally understood: this was the reality of the new world.

“And that’s why, today, every country in existence has signed the Basic Awakener Treaty and established their own Awakener Association branches based on it.”

“I see… 'tis quite the tale indeed.”