Live Dungeon!

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“Seriously, what IS wrong with you, Tsutomu?” Amy’s voice pierced the stillness of the living room with disbelief and a touch of exasperation.

Eyes narrowed like a hawk, she was staring Tsutomu down over the morning newspaper. The pages crinkled in her grip, revealing a spread of Tsutomu caught in the act — innocently, or so he claimed — of petting Lorena and Daryl. The image had taken the Dungeon Maniacs by storm, as well as instantly ignited chatter among the fandom.

Tsutomu felt the weight of Amy’s scrutiny — After all, Lorena was no longer just any unassuming Healer; she’d become an icon in her own right. Even Daryl, too, had reached a new level of fame, so much so that an official fan club had sprung up under Xeno’s management. The fans were vocal but respectful, their adoration nothing problematic, but still, Amy looked unconvinced.

“I taught you that petting technique to use it on ME, and you go and… abuse it like that?” Amy hissed, shaking the newspaper under his nose. “Look at Daryl! Just look at his face! Look how… happy he is!”

“Please… can we not make a big deal out of this?” Catching sight of Daryl’s flushed expression in the photo, Tsutomu snatched the paper out of Amy’s hands, but she was not one to be silenced easily. “I never thought it’d be THAT effective! Like, really, you’ve probably taught me some world-changing beast-taming technique, and you didn’t even realize it!” he added, irritation creeping into his voice.

“Why are YOU acting offended!? I’m the one who’s upset — with those shameless hands of yours!”

“C’mon, enough already… People are calling my hand movements criminal now. How about we just keep quiet about who’s really at fault here?”

“What did you just say!? Of course it’s YOUR HANDS, not my teaching!” Amy retorted, seizing his hands with a half-threatening grip.

In the midst of their escalating spat, Korinna, who was quietly arranging plates for breakfast, shot them a severe glance.

“Both of you, it’s almost time for breakfast,” she chided in a tone that left no room open for defiance, a contrast from her usual shy and reserved self; to her, food was serious business. “If you drop a single dish, it will be on your hands — so behave yourselves.”

“Sorry,” Tsutomu promptly said.

“Good God, Tsutomu, you’re just impossible…” Amy muttered, a reluctant sigh escaping between her teeth as she finally released his hands and went to help Korinna.

Across the room, Amira finally spoke up, “I can see why people might think you’re guilty of something, Tsutomu. I mean, even I was suspicious — did you also charm that Ancient Dragon with those moves of yours?”

“Oh, YOU are asking that? That’s rich, coming from you!” He shot back with a wry grin.

They bantered — or rather, bickered, for a few moments amidst the breakfast preparations, until a deep voice, low and somewhat weary, broke in.

“Try not to draw attention with such… unusual interests,” Garm muttered from his seat, arms crossed, having also read the newspaper and followed the entire exchange.

“I know, I know…” Tsutomu replied with a sigh, inwardly a little surprised that Garm had even spoken to him at all; it had been quite a while since they last did.

“Good,” Garm nodded, and with that, fell silent once more.

“……”

Just then, Daryl, who had been watching the entire scene with his ears perked and his tail twitching, leaned forward, his face lighting up.

“Sir Tsutomu! Sir Garm! Remember how we talked about going out to eat soon? I’ve found this incredible place with delicious meat! Are you two free next week?”

The suggestion seemed to breathe fresh air into the room, and Garm gave a slow, approving nod. Tsutomu scratched his head, pondering for a moment before offering his agreement.

“All right! Then please clear your schedules, because you both have to come!”

“Fine, fine, just stop shouting already. It’s loud enough in here without you adding to it,” Garm grumbled.

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’ll suddenly bail on you or anything,” Tsutomu added with a relieved chuckle. “Just tell me the time and I’ll mark it on my to-do list.”

Daryl beamed at the affirmation, puffing out his chest with pride. Tsutomu, feeling the warmth of the group around him, couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed, and he raised his hands defensively when Daryl’s gaze met his.

“How about I treat you to a thank-you petting session, Daryl?” he proceeded to tease.

Daryl promptly took a step back, visibly flustered. “N-no, thank you! I didn’t realize I’d look… well, like THAT!” His ears twitched as he recalled the embarrassing photo in the newspaper. “Really, please just keep your hands to yourself!” 𝐫𝒶Νö₿ƐS̩

Diniel watched the lively scene from across the room, a pang of envy stirring within her. With a carefully crafted look of nonchalance, she approached Daryl, pretending to have come over simply to retrieve her breakfast. Timing her hands with Tsutomu’s momentary distraction, she reached out.

“Good boy, good boy,” she murmured.

“…?”

Daryl blinked, then tilted his head down to look at Diniel in mild confusion. She was on her tiptoes, hand outstretched, struggling to reach the top of his head with an encouraging pat. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly as Diniel faltered, her fingers awkwardly hovering over his fur. Despite the effort — and her initial confidence from having also learned some of Amy’s petting techniques — her touch lacked the ease Tsutomu’s hands seemed to possess. Her confidence momentarily wavered, and she reluctantly pulled her hand back.

“Why don’t you look like that… that cute little pup in the newspaper?”

“Because your technique is… clumsy, Miss Diniel,” Daryl replied, straightforwardly, without a trace of irony.

Diniel froze, her hand falling to her side as she absorbed the bluntness of his words. A frown etched itself into her features. She had spent enough time with Amy to have earned her fair share of praise for her petting skills, and even other Beastkin had admired her gentle touch. As such, Daryl’s words struck an unexpected nerve.

“Are you actually saying I’m worse than Tsutomu? I’ve had way more experience petting Beastkin than he has. Amy herself taught us both; she’d vouch for my skills. I know I’m better than him. Lemme guess… you’re just acting tough because you’re embarrassed, aren’t you?”

“It’s not about experience — it’s because you’re doing this just to touch my fur! That’s why your technique can’t compare to Sir Tsutomu’s.”

Diniel stared at Daryl for a long moment as the sting of his comment settled in, then, with a slow turn, she leveled a cold, accusing glare at Tsutomu.

“…You brainwashed him with your moves, didn’t you? You criminal…” she muttered through gritted teeth.

“That’s just your frustration talking. Own up to it.”

“Hmph, pervert. You ought to die a hundred times in God’s Dungeon for this.”

“Even if I did, it wouldn’t change your selfish, clumsy ways one bit.”

“…..”

The rebuke was almost too much to bear; Diniel clenched her fists, her glare icy enough to pierce armor. But then, a quick look at Daryl’s exasperated face caused her anger to dissipate, leaving only a bitter sense of wounded pride. With an indignant huff, she turned on her heel and strode toward the stairs.

“What about breakfast?” Tsutomu called after her.

“Don’t want it,” came her reply as she ascended the steps, her voice trailing off.

Amy, watching the exchange from the kitchen, winced. Her expression turned remorseful as she watched Diniel disappear upstairs.

“Aww, looks like she’s sulking now… I’ll talk to her later.”

“Not sure why she’d sulk that hard over it, but sure. If it’ll help, please do.” Tsutomu shrugged, still watching after Diniel.

Amy sighed. “To be fair, I probably planted the seeds of this problem when I taught her. But you’re the one who watered them and let them grow wild, Tsutomu!”

As the tension settled, Amy thought back to all the times she had coached Diniel. Diniel had taken all her advice to heart, gradually building a sense of pride in her technique to the point where she thought she had mastered it. Perhaps her seeing Tsutomu unwittingly outshine her had been too much to bear.

“All right,” Tsutomu decided, shaking his head. “When she’s done sulking, I’ll bring her breakfast.”

“Good idea,” Amy replied with a nod. “But seriously… knowing Dini, that might take a while.”

“S-sorry, Miss Amy. This is kind of… my fault, isn’t it?” Daryl lowered his head in apology, his cheeks faintly reddened.

Amy waved him off, offering a small smile. She’d originally regarded Daryl as little more than Garm’s apprentice, but he’d since shown himself to be a genuine, thoughtful individual. She had to admit, she’d grown fond of him.

“It’s fine. I figured it would come to this one day, honestly. Besides, you really told Diniel off — she needed that. I’d say you’ve earned another head pat from Tsutomu — yeah, consider it a reward!”

“Um, um…” Daryl’s mouth opened slightly as he considered her words. “I-I mean, that sounds fair enough, but…”

He would never ask Tsutomu for a head pat himself — he did not particularly want it anyway — but if it was something he’d earned, he would not exactly object. He looked back at Tsutomu with a tentative glance, a flicker of expectation in his eyes.

“Sorry, but not now. I’m… not really in the mood,” Tsutomu replied flatly, catching Daryl’s look.

“Huh!? Why not? You were all too eager just a few moments ago!”

“It’s different when it’s just for fun. But when someone’s actually asking for it, it just feels… unnatural, you know?”

“Aww…” Daryl sighed, looking thoroughly put out. Amy, observing the scene, let out an amused chuckle.

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