DanMachi Vol.16

Is It Wrong to Fake Accidents to Pick Up Girls in the Dungeon?

It happened right around when my ability to keep track of how much time had passed was starting to fail after Master abducted me.

Having endured his special lessons in an ultra-luxurious inn, the fair elf made a short declaration:

"We're going to the Dungeon."

"Eh?"

I was already worn out and in a daze, so his sudden order caught me off guard.

Hedin's remodeling—no, breaking in...or reincarnation? Ah, whatever, let's go with remodeling...Anyway, I was subjected to almost two days of developing a sensibility for "everything from the frame of mind for dealing with women to the most basic of basics of escorting a lady." These lessons were more grueling than anything Miss Eina put me through.

I still haven't been allowed a wink of sleep—he scoffed at the idea that I couldn't go five days straight without issue since I'm Level 4—and then he dragged me down into the Dungeon all of a sudden for some live practice.

"Ummm, Master...why did we come to the Dungeon for a lesson...?"

"You dolt. What would you do if Lady Syr caught wind of you doing something like picking up women up on the surface? Do you want to make her sad before your date has even begun, nitwit?"

"Of course not, sir. I'm sorry, sir..."

"You are currently an object of some attention in Orario right now. If you do anything that draws notice, word of it will spread in no time. Put a little bit of thought into your current situation, you harebrained fool."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir..."

Under the barrage of scathing criticism, I can't do anything other than stare blankly and apologize.

Human dignity? That means nothing to Master.

"But escorting in the Dungeon...Does that mean practicing with a monster? How would you even differentiate the fema—"

"Are you mocking me?"

"—Ghp?!"

Master's merciless kick hits my bottom, sending me flying into the wall before I collapse to the floor.

At least my defense level is going to be rising a lot!

I apologize over and over again pathetically.

"B-but if it isn't with monsters...then...doesn't that mean...?"

"Yes," Master says, adjusting his glasses. "For the remaining three days, you will hole up here in the Dungeon. You will devote your everything to hunting monsters—and women."

"Ehhh?!"

"What are you imagining now, you degenerate?"

"Agh! I-I'm sorry, sir!"

I apologize after a second kick lands as Master looks down at me scornfully, like I'm a disobedient animal. Then he outlines his plan.

"You will use female adventurers as practice dummies for your training."

I break into a sweat at how casually he called strangers practice dummies, but I can at least understand what he is getting at.

It isn't exactly what he was talking about earlier, but it's true things that would draw attention on the surface would generally not be considered news if they happened in the Dungeon. A bad reputation can spread like wildfire up there, but issues cropping up between fellow adventurers is an everyday sort of thing. Even if I screw up, at the very least it shouldn't start making the rounds aboveground until after the festival starts. Though word might spread among the other adventurers before that...