Songs in the Void

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo. 

Nearly a month had passed since the Event Dungeon in Osaka was cleared. In that time, neither Guardian nor Freedom Wing had showed up at Tatsuo's apartment. That led Tatsuo to think that he could possibly trust Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa Noriko, as it meant she had not told the authorities about his true identity. 

Then again, it could also mean that the Lt. colonel did not know his true identity. Either way, Tatsuo's life was rather peaceful during that time. So, the only thing he had to do was climb the Dungeon. 

For the first two weeks, Tatsuo spent his time in the Dungeon collecting the pieces of the [Lizard Knight Set], so he could use [Skill Extraction] to make an accessory for Sumire. He already had the mana stone for it, and in his free time, he created another necklace that he would [Enchant] the skill into. 

Unfortunately, he did not have very good luck when hunting the Lizard Knight, as it took nearly two full weeks to get all the pieces to the set. However, after getting all the necessary pieces, he immediately made the accessory for Sumire. And she was quite happy about receiving it. She even kissed him on the cheek in excitement. Though, she immediately ran away while blushing furiously after realizing what she had done. 

After finally finishing his business on the Dungeon's 20th Floor, Tatsuo finally started climbing the Dungeon again. However, he was taking it rather leisurely. Since there were no more objectives for him to complete that required him to climb the Dungeon. Though, he did kill as many of the monsters on floors 21, 22, and 23 as he could in hopes of finding n [Event Raid Ticket]. 

Though, he really did not enjoy fighting all the zombies that inhabited those floors. The stench of rotting flesh was enough to almost make him pass out every time he started an exploration. He would get used to it quickly enough while fighting, though. But at the beginning of every exploration, he would be overwhelmed momentarily, every time. 

Unfortunately, he had no luck in that regard, either. But on the bright side, Tatsuo's level had risen twice. As a result, his Strength, constitution, and Intelligence went up by 2 points each on his Dungeon Explorer Status, while his Dexterity went up by 4. His Magic Stat also increase by 8 due to his [Mana Reactor Ability], as well. 

Unfortunately, that was not enough to cause any of his [Stats] to rise in his [System Status]. Still, it was pretty good progress for a month's work. 

On top of his Dungeon Exploring activities, Tatsuo would spend his free time going around Japan to kill as many monsters as he could, as well. In fact, his monster hunting speed was so prolific that there was a visible drop in the number of monsters showing up in villages, towns, and cities all over the country. 

As Void, he made quite a bit of money, as well, from selling all the monster remains that he did not have a use for. Though, he did keep some to make himself anew body suit . But he would worry about that later, when he went back to his own world. He even planned to make outfits for his mother, Kasumi, and Mai, as well. 

But today, Tatsuo was currently in his bedroom playing the piano. He had decided that after going nonstop for so long that he deserved a break. Unfortunately, Sumire was climbing the Dungeon today. So, he could only hang out by himself. 

{BGM: "Bagatelle in A Minor" –- Ludwig von Beethoven} 

*Ring!* *Ring!* 

Just as Tatsuo played the final note on Beethoven's, possibly, most well-known piece, a chime from the apartment's intercom sounded out. 

"Hmm? I thought Sumire-San was climbing the Dungeon." Tatsuo muttered as he looked towards the phone that connected to the intercom. "Wait! Doesn't she usually text me before she comes over? I wonder who this could be." 

With that, Tatsuo stood up from his piano bench after flipping down the key lid. Then, he walked over to the phone and answered it quickly. 

"Soramoto here." Tatsuo said after answering the phone. 

{"Soramoto-Sama, you have a guest."} The pleasant voice of the middle-aged female apartment manager sounded over the phone. 

"A guest?" Tatsuo asked in a confused tone. "Who is it?" 

{"It's a woman."} The manager replied. {"She said she was a friend of your late mother. Her name is Yoshikawa Noriko."} 

Hearing that, Tatsuo raised an eyebrow. After not hearing from her for nearly a month, he did not think he would hear from her before he left the ICDS Universe. 

"I understand." Tatsuo said, not worried if this was a trap in the slightest. "I'll be down to get her in a moment." 

{"Understood."} The apartment manager replied politely. {"I'll pass the message on to Yoshikawa-Sama."} 

"Okay, I'll be right there." Tatsuo said. However, just before he hung up the phone, Tatsuo thought of something. "Oh, by the way. Did she come alone?" 

{"Yes, Soramoto-Sama."} The apartment manager replied. {"She's here alone."} 

"Okay." Tatsuo replied with a laugh. "That means I don't have to worry about preparing snacks and tea for too many people." 

The apartment manager laughed, as well. 

{"Soramoto-Sama, you know the company that owns this apartment building provides housekeeper services, right?"} The apartment manager said. {"Perhaps, you may consider hiring someone to look after your home. It must be tough for a boy of only fifteen years living alone to take care of all the household chores."} 

"I'll think about it." Tatsuo replied. "Anyway, I'll head down now. Talk to you later, Suzuki-San." 

{"Yes, I'll talk to you later, Soramoto-Sama."} The apartment manager said in a pleasant tone. {"have a nice day."} 

With that, the call ended and Tatsuo made his way over to the elevator. 

"The manager said she was alone." Tatsuo muttered to himself. "but that doesn't mean this isn't a trap. Not that they would be able to stop me from leaving if I really wanted to. And because they would be confronting me in public, I wouldn't even be able to start killing. I don't wanna freak out the normal people, after all." 

In actuality, Tatsuo did not care about what the normal civilians thought of his actions. However, the rational part of his brain was telling him that would not be a good thing. 

'Weird, why am I thinking that way?' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'And why doesn't the thought of killing another human bother me in the slightest? I mean, I know I was conditioned to not care. But this is too much. It's almost like… killing humans is beneath me… What the hell is going on?' 

While Tatsuo continued to ponder over his thoughts and feelings, the elevator reached the ground floor. And when the doors opened, he saw the Lt. Colonel immediately. However, he almost did not recognize her. 

Instead of wearing her Guardian uniform, which consisted of a white, military style, dress uniform with red accents and a white hat with a red circle on the front, she was wearing a thin, black turtleneck, a long, white coat, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black, high-heeled boots. 

On top of that, now that she was wearing casual clothes, her beauty really stood out. Her sharp, hazel eyes and long, straight, raven-black hair with bangs that covered the right side of her face really made her mid-thirties elegance stand at the forefront. 

At the same time, the Lt. Colonel also noticed Tatsuo. And like many others, she was taken aback by just how handsome he was. However, with her experience in the military and Guardian, what hadn't she seen? So, she was able to regain her senses relatively quickly. 

"Soramoto-Kun?" the Lt. Colonel asked as the sound of her heels clicking across the floor echoed through the lobby while she approached Tatsuo. "it's nice to meet you, I'm Yoshikawa Noriko. I was a friend of your mother's when we were children. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to come and see her in years. But now that I have some time away from the military, I thought I would come to visit." 

The Lt. Colonel said all that with an incredibly natural smile on her face. Then, when she arrived in front of Tatsuo, she held out her right hand for a handshake. 

Naturally, Tatsuo smiled as well. However, when his mother was mentioned, he wore a somewhat pained expression. Still, he reached out to accept the Lt. Colonel's handshake. 

"I'm sure my mother would have been happy to see you, Yoshikawa-San." Tatsuo said. "Unfortunately, she and my father were killed in a plane crash when their plane was attacked by wyverns on the day Two Moon started." 

Hearing that, lt. Colonel Yoshikawa wore a genuinely surprised expression. Which made sense, Tatsuo did not know her before his trip to Osaka. So, there was no way he would have known how to contact her so that she could come to his parents' funeral. 

"*Sigh* I'm sorry to hear that." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said in a downcast tone. "And I'm truly sorry for your loss. If you ever need anything, I'll leave you with my number so you can contact me." 

Though Tatsuo was surprised by Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa's declaration, he did not show it. Instead, he wore a grateful smile and nodded his head. 

"Thank you, Yoshikawa-San." Tatsuo said. "Anyway, why don't we head upstairs. We can talk more once we're up there." 

Nodding in response, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa followed Tatsuo into the elevator. Then, Tatsuo punched in the code for the top floor and the elevator closed before starting to ascend. 

Not long later, the elevator opened on the top floor and the two walked into the apartment. Tatsuo then led the Lt. Colonel to the living room and offered her a seat while he made his way into the kitchen. 

"I'll brew some tea." Tatsuo said, his tone not quite as friendly as it was in the lobby. "Lt. Colonel, we can talk about anything you want to say after I come back." 

Hearing the change in Tatsuo's tone, Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa could not help smiling wryly. Although she knew why his tone changed in such a way, it was still surprising to hear such a contrasting tone. She then shook her head and opened her mouth to reply. 

"You don't' have to call me by my rank anymore, Soramoto-Kun." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa, or rather Noriko, said in a dejected tone. "I'm no longer a member of the military or Guardian." 

Hearing that, Tatsuo's footsteps paused. A moment later, however, he continued into the kitchen. 

"Tell me about it over a cup of tea." Tatsuo said before disappearing into the kitchen. 

After that, the apartment fell into silence until Tatsuo returned with a pot of tea and a pair of teacups. He then placed the tray holding the pot and the cups on the coffee table in the living room before pouring a cup of tea for himself and Noriko. Then, he took a seat on the couch opposite Noriko. 

"So, they kicked you out after you failed to bring me in, huh?" Tatsuo asked as he picked up his teacup. 

"That's right." Noriko replied after taking a sip from her own cup of tea. "*Sigh* I was dishonorably discharged." 

Tatsuo raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. However, he remained silent, waiting for Noriko to continue. 

"It's because of our short conversation after our last exchange in Osaka." Noriko said after putting down her teacup. "*sigh* When I heard you mention my fall breaking technique, I couldn't help myself." 

"Yeah, that was pretty stupid." Tatsuo said bluntly. "Saying something like that out loud would only draw people to the conclusion that we had a relationship of some kind." 

"I know." Noriko replied while shaking her head in disappointment with herself. "But I was just too surprised to hear someone else that knew about that technique. Unfortunately, exactly what you said happened. It was so that those people from Freedom Wing could put the blame for the operation's failure on someone else. And that way, they would have an easier time negotiating over resources with the government." 

"That's' about what I thought would happen." Tatsuo replied before taking another sip of tea. "But how did that get you dishonorably discharged? I mean, you should have only been demoted at most, right?" 

"Those bastards from Freedom Wing, especially Okajima Ryoma, said that I must have sabotaged the operation." Noriko said with hatred in her voice. "Otherwise, they would have not failed to capture you. What a load of bullshit! Okajima is only an A+-Ranker like me. What made him think that he and his group of idiots would have been able to stop an SS-Ranker with the ability to teleport from getting away if he wanted to? Fucking pieces of shit!" 

Hearing Noriko start swearing when she was angered surprised Tatsuo. A moment later, however, he remembered that she was ex-military. And everyone he knew with a military background swore a lot. Not that he knew many people from the military, though. 

"*Cough* Excuse me." Noriko said with a slightly embarrassed expression on her face. "I got a little worked up. Anyway, that's not why I came here. Instead, I wanna know about your mother. Tell me as much about her as you can." 

In response, Tatsuo smiled.. Though, he did not completely drop his guard with Noriko, he was a lot more friendly while interacting with her. And for the next few hours, Tatsuo told her all that he could remember about his mother in this world. 

Shortly after the conversation ended, Tatsuo sent Noriko off. Not before she gave him her number and once again asked him to contact her if he ever needed anything. As for Noriko, now that she was no longer part of the military, she decided to become a freelance monster hunter to make ends meet. 

"Hmm… Maybe I should make her a Dungeon Explorer before I go back to my world." Tatsuo thought to himself as the elevator door closed and Noriko's figure disappeared behind the doors. "Eh, something to think about later, I guess." 

At that moment, a series of Dungeon Notifications sounded out in Tatsuo's ear. 

{An Event Raid has broken out! C+-Rank 500-man Raid, "Giant Boar." 

-Any Dungeon Explorers from Earth may participate. 

-The moment you express your desire to participate, you will be teleported to the corresponding location. You will then be returned to your current location after completing the Event Raid. 

-Would you like to participate? Y/N} 

{An Event Raid has broken out! C-Rank 1,000-man Raid, "Mini Kraken Wave." 

-Any Dungeon Explorers from Earth may participate. 

-The moment you express your desire to participate, you will be teleported to the corresponding location. You will then be returned to your current location after completing the Event Raid. 

-Would you like to participate? Y/N} 

{An Event Raid has broken out! C+-Rank 300-man Raid, "Giant Sword Tiger." 

-Any Dungeon Explorers from Earth may participate. 

-The moment you express your desire to participate, you will be teleported to the corresponding location. You will then be returned to your current location after completing the Event Raid. 

-Would you like to participate? Y/N}