Epilogue: The End of the Beginning

I hear a voice.

A puppy's cry so faint I might have missed it if I hadn't listened carefully.

'An abandoned puppy...'

That day, I finished working overtime and returned to my shabby apartment.

When I parked my car in the parking lot, I heard a small whimper from the bushes.

Wondering what it was, I approached and found a puppy there.

It must have still been a baby. Its body was astonishingly small.

'...Whine...'

A feeble whimper.

I scooped up the puppy and cradled it in my arms to calm it down.

'It's okay. Don't cry anymore.'

Pets weren't allowed in this shabby apartment.

I couldn't be irresponsible.

But I'd already found it.

It was only natural that I'd grow attached, right?

'Hide here when I'm not around. I'll secretly bring you some food, at least.'

'Whine...'

To the puppy, which seemed utterly anxious, I flashed a broad smile.

To reassure it as much as possible.

'It's okay. I won't abandon you.'

'Uu...?'

'So you can relax. Oh, right—why don't I give you a name while I'm at it?'

The puppy stared at me with a puzzled expression.

'Let's see, then—'

Your name is—

"Huh...?"

I woke up.

An endless blue sky filled my view.

My consciousness gradually cleared.

Oh, right.

I'd passed out after the battle with the High Orc, hadn't I?

"Why was I dreaming about that time—"

"Woof!"

I heard a bark.

Momo was sitting upright right beside me, staring at me.

"Momo...?"

"Woof!"

Perhaps relieved that I'd woken up, Momo rubbed against me vigorously.

It licked my face over and over.

"Sorry for worrying you."

Aka was beside Momo, too.

Aka slowly made its way toward me.

They both seemed to be unharmed.

"So we survived..."

The reality of it sank in all over again.

This time, I really could have died at any moment.

That High Orc had been one hell of a monster.

The memory of its fearsome nature made me shudder.

"Huh? Come to think of it—"

I suddenly checked my own body.

There was no pain. Had my wounds... healed?

My clothes were still torn, but the wounds had already closed.

Why?

Could it be the effect of 'HP Auto-Recovery'...?

Or had 'someone' treated me?

Someone... The most likely candidate was—

"Ichinose-san...?"

I opened my email screen.

There were about eighty unread emails.

Yikes...

A shiver running through me, I checked the emails. As expected, they contained the following:

That after the battle, she'd rushed here and used her Skill to heal my wounds.

That afterward, she'd petted Momo. Its fur had been incredibly soft, and she'd been extremely satisfied.

That after watching my wounds heal, she'd left Momo and Aka in charge here and departed.

The reason she'd left was simple: apparently, talking directly to people made her nervous.

...What the heck?

Still, she'd saved me.

I sent her an email thanking her.

A reply came right away.

'You still haven't replied to me. I can't have you dying on me.'

I couldn't help chuckling at the message.

This person really never changes.

But she was right.

It was probably time I replied.

"Momo, Aka..."

I spoke to the two of them.

"I want to add Ichinose-san to the party. Is that okay?"

Without her help this time, I would have died.

And if she hadn't told me about the home improvement store before that, I never would have noticed the High Orc's weakness.

That was enough.

I didn't need to be stubborn anymore.

It was probably time I trusted her.

"Woof!"

"...(shakes)"

Both of them agreed.

Thanks.

"Then let's add her as a party member... Wait, come to think of it, how do you send a party request by email?"

I searched for a way, but couldn't find any option that looked right.

"Could it be... we have to meet in person?"

With Momo and Aka, party requests had been sent when they looked at me.

If it worked the same way with a human, I'd have to meet Ichinose-san first.

So I emailed her to explain that.

Her reply came right away.

It said:

'I understand. Thank you for agreeing to make me a party member.

Then let's arrange a time to meet. In the meantime, I'll make preparations as well.'

Preparations?

What kind of preparations could she possibly mean?

I asked her.

'Um... Meeting people in person makes me extremely nervous, so I'd like some time to compose myself...'

That message made me laugh.

What an interesting person.

For now, Ichinose-san asked for about a day to get ready.

I agreed and closed the email screen.

"Well then..."

I stood up and stretched.

For now, I might as well head into the shopping mall.

I wanted to check the Skills and levels I'd gained in that battle, as well as the magic stones, and look around for useful things inside.

I'd used up most of the supplies I'd stockpiled for the High Orc battle, so I needed to replenish them.

There was no end to the things I needed to do.

"All right, let's go."

"Woof!"

"...(shakes)"

We were alive.

And we'd keep surviving from here on out.

In this world overflowing with monsters.

With renewed resolve, we began walking once more.