3 idiot chapter 143

 Episode 143. A Resting Back, and a Child in Pursuit

"Ahh~ man, I slept like a log."

The next morning… morning?
Well, we're in a dungeon, so who knows what time it really is. I scratched my head as I got up—wait, hold on a sec.

When the hell did I take off my helmet?

Am I stupid? That’s way too careless.
Letting out a heavy sigh right after waking up, I heard—

"Good morning, Master."

"Oh, morning, Minami… Wait, what’s wrong?"

Minami, still fully armored and apparently on watch duty up until just now, leaned over to look at me.

Her eyes were completely red.

"You okay? Sorry, I must’ve pushed you too hard. Let’s take the whole day off today—get some rest. Seriously. I’ll cook something up right now, so eat and get some sleep. You need to ease up, you’re way too tense."

"Ah, no, it’s not like that…"

Man, nothing good ever comes from entering a dungeon.

Not only did I let myself get careless, but I also ended up overworking Minami.

And this time, both were completely my fault—damn it.

As I started prepping breakfast while thinking about how I needed to apologize—

[I appreciate the food prep, but really, no need to worry. Nishida and Azuma took turns with me through the night. I got plenty of rest.]

The dragon girl peeked in from the side and spoke up.

"Huh? Oh, really? Then that’s a relie—wait, no, it’s not. Your eyes are red too."

[Nozomi’s just a little… well, right now I’m the one in control, so there’s no need to worry.]

Uh… okay?

Not entirely sure what that meant, but…
At the very least, it seems like both of them are physically fine?

Still, I doubt they’re not pushing themselves.

"Kou-chan~, I want some rice porridge… Use dried flying fish stock, yeah?"

"I’m craving something light—how about grilled fish?"

Unlike me, who was just lying on the ground, Nishida and Azuma crawled out of the tent, still half-asleep but throwing in their breakfast requests.

Alright, got it.

Thanks for working through the night.
I, uh, just slept, so I’ll handle breakfast.

Today, I’ll take care of everything.

"Morning, I’ll whip it up real quick. Go wash your faces. Where are the other two?"

Looking around, I didn’t see the two royals anywhere.

And it’s not like they had set up a separate tent either.

Where the hell did those two go?

"Ah, the two of them—"

"We’re back~!"

Just as Minami was about to answer, Rina and Alf came climbing up from the descending stairs of the dungeon.

Wait, they went down ahead of us?

Seriously?

"What the hell are you two doing going off alone? If you're gonna die, at least do it when we’re not around."

"You’re as cold as ever to royalty, aren’t you, Kitayama? We just scouted ahead a bit. We didn’t go too deep."

Alf sighed dramatically and shook his head at me.

Hey, I’m the one who wants to sigh here.

If it gets out that we brought royalty into a dungeon and something happened to them, the fallout would hit us square in the face.

I seriously wouldn’t mind if they went back home even now.

"Now, now, let's not fight. First comes… the report? No, breakfast, I suppose."

Alf, as laid-back as ever, sat down near us with a smile.

"Fine by me. I’m starving~"

The kimono-wearing queen also plopped down beside him.

She really doesn’t care about her clothes getting dirty, huh. Are you guys really royalty?

They’re a totally different breed compared to the other royals I’ve met… Well, then again, that last king was wandering around in a fake aloha shirt.

At this point, whatever.

"I’ll have breakfast ready in a sec, so go wash your hands. Minami, Saintess duo—well, I guess it’s just Kana right now. You two take a break."

"Yes, Master."

[Aye-aye~]

And so, today began a peaceful, laid-back dungeon life—a well-earned rest day.

……………………

……………………

"Alright, let’s gooooo!"

"El, you’re pushing too far ahead! We can’t cover you!"

"It’s fine, support the others. With Noa’s buffs, I’m good."

"Like hell I’m leaving you—!"

I caught up to the reckless idiot who charged ahead, and smashed a fox spirit that snuck up behind El with my shield.

El shot me a sideways glare and clicked his tongue.

"I didn’t see that one… Sorry, Noin."

"That’s what I keep telling you. Don’t underestimate the forest, El."

"I’m not underestimating it… but—"

But what?

I let out a long sigh and turned to face him.

He was making one hell of a frustrated face.

I get that he’s trying, I do.
But this kind of reckless charge is a bit much.

"I was doing my best to stay alert… K-Kita wouldn’t make a mistake like this…"

El clenched his teeth, his face twisted in frustration.

This guy, seriously.

He was the first one to calm down after everything that happened, but when that letter came, he lost it more than anyone.

I reached out and gave his head a rough pat, and El hung his head lower, looking even more upset.

"What are you rushing for, El?"

"I’m not."

"Bullshit. You’re off lately. Reckless moves, sloppier awareness of your surroundings. Sure, Noa and I are here to watch your back now, but what about next time? What if it’s just you on a real mission?"

"...Sorry. I’ll do better next time."

That muttered reply of his made something snap in me.

Next time, huh?

"Apologizing won’t change the fact that a single mistake can get someone killed. Do you get that? What the hell do you mean by 'next time'? Do you really understand? You keep saying 'next time,' but because you lost control this time, one of us—"

"That’s enough, Noin."

A quiet voice—calm, yet firm—cut sharply through our argument.

Turning around, I saw the smiling Sister and Nakajima-san.

And next to them, Hatsumi-san, eyes sharp as ever.

Even though Noa and I are adults, Hearty Eater won’t leave us alone to babysit these kids on our own.
They’ll always tag along, to the point it feels overprotective.

"Noin, you’re right in what you said. But being right can sometimes hurt people. Please remember that. You’re not wrong—what you said wasn’t wrong. But as comrades, as family, we can’t forget compassion."

"But… Sensei—"

"You did a good job pointing it out. That takes courage, you know? It’s not easy to call someone out. And you did it properly, without hesitation. That’s one of your strengths. But next time, before you speak, try thinking about why he did what he did. What he was feeling. He’s younger than you, after all. I’m not saying you have to act like a big brother, but you have more experience. So before you blame him, try understanding him. And make sure you also express why you’re saying those things."

Saying that, Nakajima-san reached over and gave my head a good ruffle, same soft smile as always—just like with Kua-san.

"El, don’t you have something to say to Noin too?"

"…Yes, Sister."

Seriously, there’s no beating these two in a debate.

Before you even get the chance to form a counterargument, you’re already reflecting on yourself.

If they took the time to call you out, then yeah, you probably did something wrong.

Even if not everything, there was definitely something you could’ve done better.

Instead of arguing, you end up thinking over where you messed up.

"I’m sorry, Sensei. I should’ve been more thoughtful with my words… and El, I’m sorry too. I chose my words poorly. It’s just, I was worried, y’know? About you getting hurt doing something reckless on your own, and… yeah."

"I know I’ve been worrying everyone… I’m sorry. I messed up… I’m really sorry, Noin."

We both bowed our heads, and the atmosphere around us softened.

Well—almost.

"El, I already have a good idea of what’s got you so worked up. But stop thinking like an idiot and focus on what’s in front of you. Do you want to die? Or are you trying to get your comrades killed? I’ll retrain that mindset out of you right now. Pick up your weapon."

One person wasn’t so forgiving.

Dressed in black, with a crimson scarf, knives in both hands—Hatsumi-san stood silently in front of El.

"Listen closely. I’ve said this over and over—we’re not special. Neither are they. So we face what’s in front of us with everything we’ve got. If you can’t do that, then there’s no tomorrow. Don’t stare off into the distance. Take things one step at a time. You’re not at the level where you can stand on the stage you’re aiming for yet. So train. Focus on the task in front of you. In this world, the ones who can’t do that are the ones who die. Understand?"

"…Please train me!"

El raised his spear again, facing Hatsumi-san with a determined glare.

Ahhh, it’s started again.

"Sheesh… martial artists really do teach with their fists, huh."

"I don’t think it’s a bad method, but I’ll admit it’s a little nerve-wracking to watch. Then again, it’s not something we could teach."

While Nakajima-san and Kua-san muttered from the sidelines, El and Hatsumi-san’s mock battle kicked off.

And oh boy, it was gonna be a long one.

If Nakajima-san’s style is ‘teach while sparring,’ then Hatsumi-san’s is more like ‘beat the lesson into you.’

"Think and move. Learn with your body."

If you can’t, you’ll be taken down in a flash.

"Look, see? Like this—"

"Uagh!?"

"You do not stay down just because you tripped! Roll and get back up! Never take your eyes off your opponent in a fight! If I were a beast, you’d already be bitten!"

"Y-Yes, ma’am!"

And so, Hatsumi-san’s one-on-one lesson continued.

This was supposed to be an outdoor training session with the orphanage kids…

Now it was just a full-on El vs. Hatsumi-san exhibition match.

And they’re fast—like really fast.

"Noin! You’re joining in! We’re drilling coordinated attacks with El again!"

"…Yes, ma’am."

At this point, I had no idea if we’d make it back before sunset.

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