Please to Kitsune-sama!

Inari had a rough grasp of the role expected of her. She understood it well enough, but… her honest impression was that everyone’s roles were far more specialized than she had anticipated.

As for the equipment they carried—Kanda’s seemed to be the highest-performing.

The other two? She could sense some strange energy from them, but it didn’t feel like anything particularly impressive.

“To test the compatibility of this matched party, we’ve selected a beginner-friendly dungeon. Here’s some information to guide you.”

“Mm.”

The document handed out was a thin booklet. The cover read Tokyo Dungeon No. 2—a detailed guide with a map included, from the looks of it.

As they flipped through it, Kanda suddenly clapped and said:

“Alright, looks easy enough! Let’s get going. Time is precious, y’know!”

“Y-yes, absolutely!”

“Agreed. Beginner dungeons don’t earn much anyway.”

“Hm…?”

The trio’s casual response gave Inari a faint sense of discomfort. They were about to risk their lives, and yet they were treating it so lightly. Was this how people nowadays viewed life and death?

“What about you, Kogami-chan? You don’t seem to be carrying a weapon—are you good?”

“Aye, I shall be fine. Shall we make our way, then?”

She didn’t fully understand their standards yet, but if this was how things worked, there was no point in questioning it. She didn’t want to ruin the mood or stand out unnecessarily.

“Tokyo Dungeon No. 2… oh, looks like there’s a free shuttle bus.”

“Stop 7, yeah.”

The group handled things quickly and smoothly, like they were used to this. Inari blinked for a moment, then reconsidered—perhaps these three weren’t beginners after all.

Then again, no one ever said the matching service was for beginners only, did they?

Led by the trio, Inari arrived at the Tokyo Dungeon No. 2.

There, just like the one she had seen before, stood a swirling dungeon gate—its pale blue light spinning ominously. The gate was surrounded by sturdy barriers, a security checkpoint, and guards armed with swords.

“Hi, this is a matching service group run from the Awakener Association.”

“Got it. May I see everyone’s Awakener cards, please?”

They were shown through the gate one by one after card inspection. And as Inari stood before the gate, she couldn’t help but feel the immense power it radiated.

It was clearly weaker than the one she had destroyed… but even so, it was no small thing.

“Still reeks of a curse, this one… That such a thing is revered as a resource mine… Truly, the ages have changed.”

“Alright, quick team rundown. I’ll take front with Tanabe-chan. Kogami-chan and Shinbashi, you’re in the backline. Tanabe—got any aggro skills?”

“Y-yes! I can draw attention within hearing range!”

“Nice, that’s solid. Shinbashi—how far’s your healing range?”

“As long as I can see them. If I lose sight, it won’t reach.”

“Cool, cool. Kogami-chan—what can you do?”

“I canst handle most tasks well enough, I reckon.”

“This one… He may be more capable than he first appeared.”

Inari answered thoughtfully, and Kanda gave a casual “Alright, good enough.”

“Let’s move out. Keep it chill, yeah?”

The three plunged into the dungeon gate like they were diving in head-first. Inari gave a quiet “Hmm” and followed.

She felt her senses twist slightly—then suddenly found herself standing in what looked like a cave.

…

Torches lit the walls, casting a warm glow over the place. But the air was damp and sticky.

“Looks like your basic goblin cave. This’ll be a breeze.”

Kanda said as he drew his sword and strolled forward. Tanabe followed, and Shinbashi smiled and said, “Shall we, Kogami-san?”

“A breeze, is it…”

Inari still had no idea what to truly expect. That was why she quietly followed behind them.

And that’s when she sensed a foul presence—right before hearing the shrill cries.

“Gii!”

“GIGIGIIII!”

Creatures clad in ragged scraps, swinging rusted weapons, came charging forward. They were clearly not human—identical to the goblins pictured in the guide.

“Let’s go!”

Kanda dashed forward. With a shout of “Slash!” his blade shimmered and cleaved through a goblin in a single stroke.

“Ho…!”

Impressed, Inari conjured a pale-blue foxfire and launched it at another goblin, sending the creature flying.

So that was the power behind the “Slash” technique. No wonder they didn’t see goblins as a threat.

It explained their confidence, she thought with a nod.

Then she noticed—where the goblin’s body had vanished, two small glowing stones remained, no larger than pebbles.