Chapter 3 When Mothers Assemble, They Form a Combo. No, I’m Not Talking About a Puzzle Game. Something Actually Terrible.
The next day, at breakfast (as always).
The dining room was even more of a mess thanks to the hooligans’ assault, but all it took was Mamako’s home-cooked meal to turn it into a place of happiness. Everyone felt like they could face the challenges the day would bring.
Perhaps she’d sniffed out that happiness—Shiraaase had shown up first thing that morning and joined them for breakfast, exchanging information as they ate.
“Hey, Wise, pass the soy sauce.”
“Mm, here.”
“Thanks… So that’s basically what happened yesterday. We were dealing with Amante’s minions all day long. And in the end, like always, Mom took care of everything.”
“Mamako managed to convince Libere Rebellion members to return to their homes? That is impressive, even for her. Well done.”
“Not at all! I barely did a thing.”
“No need for modesty. You were amazing! …Oh, Porta, you’ve got rice on your cheek.”
“Oops! When did that get there?”
With much excitement, the Mom’s Guild report concluded.
Now it was Shiraaase’s turn.
“So how about you, Ms. Shiraaase?”
“I have nothing particularly remarkable to report… I put out requests to each branch of operations but was unable to uncover any infooormation on the situation in town or the league in question.”
“Uh… What? But aren’t you an admin? You didn’t manage to find anything?”
“I find it hard to believe there’s no information anywhere on your side.”
“Wise, Medhi, I entirely agree. Anything happening within the game should have some form of data or infooormation we can obtain. Yet, none of that reached my ears… Which means…”
“It’s being intentionally hidden?” Masato asked.
Shiraaase hesitated but nodded. “Yes, that seems to be a reasonable assumption. But for them to keep infooormation from me… I can’t imagine what possible reason there could be for that.”
“Hmm… I suppose it could be as simple as everyone else hating you…”
Masato should probably have not said that aloud.
Shiraaase gave him a long look. Her eyes were intense, but with a calm, quiet beauty as she stared daggers at him. It was terrifying.
“I—I was just kidding!” he said, desperately trying to take it back.
He couldn’t read her expression at all.
“Well,” she said, “I will eventually find a way to avenge that comment.”
“Crap… I knew she was pissed…”
“But to appear like that without being able to infooorm you of a single piece of valuable intel would hardly make me worthy of my name. The one thing I did manage to overhear relates to the matter of increasing guild membership. Normally only test players and adventurer NPCs are able to join guilds, but this time…”
But before Shiraaase could finish…
“Good morning! Sorry to show up this early. Is anyone here?”
…a woman’s voice called from out the front.
“Oh, a guest? I’ll go check.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go see who it is.”
“Aw, Ma-kun! You’re so nice.”
“Uh, I’m not trying to be.”
But he didn’t feel like admitting that if he didn’t take the initiative here, he’d lose his chance to do anything at all.
But when Masato stepped into the entrance hall, he found it full of people.
“Um… What’s going on…?”
Pocchi and the other roustabouts were all here, along with a bunch of middle-aged women carrying what looked like boxes of cookies. There were so many of them they couldn’t all fit inside, and the line stretched out the front door.
The second Masato appeared, one woman grabbed Pocchi, hauled him forward, and they both bowed.
“Oh, there you are! I just wanted to apologize for all the trouble my boy caused!”
“Uh, um… Yesterday was my bad.”
“Pocchi! You’re seventeen and you still can’t apologize properly! Try again!”
“O-okay! I’m really sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you!”
The fact that this middle-aged-looking dude with a Mohawk was only two years older than Masato was certainly a terrifying discovery, but moving right along.
He recognized this woman’s plump figure and face—she was the woman from the general store. Apparently, this was Pocchi’s mom. Pocchi’s mom bowed her head again and again, extremely apologetic.
So was everyone else. “Sorry about my boy!” “My fool of a son caused you so much grief!” The other mothers and sons began apologizing in kind, their words of atonement echoing through the run-down inn until the reverb seemed ready to knock the place down entirely.
They were clearly intent on apologizing for the rampage from the day before.
Um, so…
“M-Mooom! Help! Heeeelp meeee!”
Masato was simply not equipped to handle this, so he called the one who was.
The inn remained far too run-down to actually invite anyone in.
So they set up seats in the yard, served up tea, calmed everyone down, and talked.
That is, since Masato and the other kids had no idea how to handle this situation, they waited at the back, holding the boxes of cookies the mothers had given them. Shiraaase waited with them.
Mamako was on the front lines, receiving apologies.
“…You don’t say? Well, thank you for coming all this way.”
“No, no, not at all. I really can’t apologize enough.”
Pocchi’s mother had come forward again as the representative of the Mother-Son Apology Brigade. “Hey! You say it, too!” “R-right! I’m sorry!” When prompted, Pocchi joined in.
“What my son did is not easily forgiven… I can’t believe he would do this to someone’s house.”
“Oh, well, a lot of this was already pretty broken, so it isn’t that bad, really…”
“But it is! This is just unforgivable. I work at the general store, and we handle building materials, so you simply must allow us to repair everything! Please let us help! I’m begging you!”
Well, good.
At the back, Masato and the others started whispering. “So our guild base is gonna get fixed up.” “Seems like it. Sweet.” “That’s a windfall for sure.” “A what?” “A surprising bit of luck.” Not literally the wind falling. Anyway.
Back on the front lines:
“Then leave fixing this building up to us! We’ll get it done in no time!”
“W-well… It seems rude to refuse, so I suppose I must accept. Thank you so very much.”
“Not at all! We’re the ones who should be thanking you! …Oh, but this won’t even begin to make up for it… I know! Mamako!”
“Yes? What is it?”
“You’re all adventurers, right? Are you here to climb the tower?”
“Yes, we are. That was the plan…but then we heard that the children in town had all gone into the tower and never came home, and that’s how we knew we had to go—”
“Oh my! You’re trying to bring them back?”
“Yes. We hoped we could do something. So that’s why we made this guild. It’s called Mom’s Guild, and—”
“My, my! Goodness gracious! You made a guild! Then we simply must help you! There are so many children who still haven’t come home, so we must help in any way we can! Don’t you agree?”
Pocchi’s mother turned to the crowd, who all nodded vigorously. Masato wondered exactly what sort of help she was offering…
…when Pocchi and his roustabouts turned toward Masato’s party. They all started yelling, “Leave it to us!” or “We’ll help!” with lots of confidence.
Did they mean…? Really?
Masato and the others started whispering again. “Looks like we’re solving not only the base repairs but our personnel shortage.” “We are so lucky.” “This is a godsend.” “A god…what?” “A coincidence that works in out favor.” Basically the same thing as a windfall. Anyway.
The moment finally came. They would certainly offer to have their children join the guild. What a delightful thing that would be! They would finally have enough people to tackle this tower. Here it came! Here it came!
Pocchi’s mother said it!
“In that case, Mamako, let us mothers join your guild! All us mothers together can tackle that tower, no problem!”
Anyway.
Outside the ruined inn stood Masato’s party all geared up. Shiraaase, too.
And with them was a line of thirteen mothers all dressed up for going out, carrying large bags stuffed with lord knows what.
Eighteen people in all. These were the Mom’s Guild members! Let’s conquer this tower!
No, wait.
“Mm? What’s happening? I feel like I’m seeing things… Oh, I get it. Somebody must’ve cast an illusion spell on me—”
“Masato. I know how you feel, but what you are seeing is the truth.”
“Don’t you dare avert your eyes… Not that I believe my eyes, either.”
“I—I can hardly believe it myself, but it’s the truth!”
“For real…?”
Yes. As the grim countenances of his party proclaimed, it was all true.
Pocchi’s mother as well as the hoodlums’ thirteen mothers were, beyond all doubt, members of Mom’s Guild. Not even joking, they had actually joined.
Masato was so lost. He really needed someone to explain.
“Um, Shiraaase… Do you mind?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“The town’s mothers have become guild members. People who should never be in guilds are now in a guild. You yourself said that only test players or adventurer NPCs could join guilds. I distinctly remember you saying that at breakfast.”
“I did say exactly that. But I didn’t get to finish my sentence.”
“And the rest was…?”
“‘But this time, all town NPCs will be allowed to join.’”
“Why would you ever do something like that?”
“I thought it was a great way to secure the numbers Mom’s Guild needs. This is not a lack of basic humanity on my part at all. But it seems I was entirely right about your reaction to it being extremely entertaining. Heh-heh-heh.”
“Argh… You’ve really got it in for me… That’s the most visible enjoyment I’ve ever seen you express…”
“And so, please take on the tower with this crowd of mothers. I will spend the day pursuing infooormation related to the Libere Rebellion once more. Farewell!”
She patted Masato on the shoulder, laughed in his face again, and went away.
She was then replaced by Pocchi and the roustabouts.
“Hey, Masato, you look kinda bothered.”
“Damn straight! …If your group would’ve just joined the guild instead, this would never have happened…”
“Uh… Yeah, but… About that… The guild name is just…”
The guild Mamako had created was named Mom’s Guild, a name men everywhere refused to even utter aloud. “It’s just…” “Yeah…” It was just too much for Pocchi’s group to handle. Masato could hardly blame them.
“So anyway! We won’t join the guild, but we’ll fix your base up for you! Have fun storming the tower! Bye!”
“Ah! Wai—!”
Pocchi’s goons quickly shuffled away.
And with that, reality took hold. Knowing when to give up was vital. There was no stopping the situation now.
“Let’s go conquer a tower! Come on, everyone!”
““““Yeah!””””
At Mamako’s call, Mom’s Guild set out.
Pocchi and his gang saw them off from the ruined inn’s entrance. The confidence they’d all shown earlier was clearly directed at base repairs.
Wait, no! Bodies and skills honed on the front lines of combat belonged here! It’s not too late, you fools! Join us at the tower! Masato wanted to yell.
But Mamako spoke to him first.
“Ma-kun, please understand. If they join the tower assault, that rebellion might show up. And the town mothers don’t ever want their children getting mixed up with them again. You see?”
“Argh, I get it! I know I have to understand how parents worry! I know I can’t just ignore those concerns! I get it, okay?”
“My! You’ve finally learned to understand how Mommy feels? Mommy is so happy to see how you’ve matured, Ma-kun!”
“So glad to hear it! Ugh…”
Masato wondered if part of being mature meant forcing yourself to agree to disagreeable things.
And they were off. Mom’s Guild moved down the hill, headed for the tower.
Masato and Mamako were at the lead, with Wise, Medhi, and Porta right behind.
And behind them: the mob of moms.
“Such beautiful weather.”
“Yes, indeed. It really is a lovely day. I hung the futons out!”
“Oh, you did, too? So did I! And I left all the windows wide-open to air the house out.”
“By the way, that side dish you gave me the other day was so delicious! I’ll have to repay you soon.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I made too much! I was happy you took it off my hands. There’s more where that came from, too!”
“Don’t mind if I do! Saves me the trouble of making one myself. Hee-hee.”
The thirteen mothers followed along, chattering away like they would on any street corner.
A Normal Hero. A Sage. A Cleric. A Traveling Merchant.
And behind them, the Normal Hero’s Mother, who’d somehow joined in the gossip, and then a mom, a mom, a mom, a mom, a mom, a mom, a mom, a mom, a mom, and…
What was even going on here?
This is so stupid… What will people think of this…?
There was only one answer.
“…What are they thinking? Are they planning on clearing the tower with them? Are they nuts?!”
Amante was watching Mom’s Guild’s march from behind a tree. Her opinion was certainly the right one: No one with any sense would choose to assemble this party. Attempting to clear a tower with a pack of moms was beyond foolhardy—it was downright mad.
But even so…this expedition was led by Mamako Oosuki.
“There’s no way this makes sense, but Mamako Oosuki is definitely on her way up the tower. We can’t afford to let our guards down. We can’t just let this happen. We need to prepare countermeasures… Oh, I know! I have the perfect item.”
Amante took a small crystal out of her pouch, grinning.
“We still have plenty of crystal bombs back at the tower… If we place them properly and detonate them just as they head in… Mwa-ha-ha! Go on, go! We’ll be ready for you! Heh-heh-heh… Bwa-ha-ha-ha!”
And with that loud peal of laughter, Amante set her scheme in motion.
Mamako marched the mob of moms down the hill and into town.
As they headed down the main road, everyone stopped to stare. Masato hunched over, keeping his head down, but somehow he survived the trial.
They headed out onto the bridge to the island. Almost at the tower entrance now.
“Sigh… Just getting this far has already done a number on my mental health…”
“Ma-kun! Cheer up! We’re just getting started!”
“Yeah, you’re right. We can finally start clearing this tower. It’s the adventure we’ve been waiting for… Okay! Time to get myself fired up!”
They were about to begin! The entrance doors were right in front of them!
Masato was about to run forward and claim first place…when Wise beat him to it.
“Heh-heh! I’m first!”
“Argh, Wise! Let me have this one thing! …What? Medhi and Porta, too?”
“Masato, hurry up!”
“Race you to it, Masato!”
“You’re on! Let’s do this!”
Masato dashed forward, making it look like he was going to catch up with the girls and pass them.
But the way Porta was running was so adorable he just wanted to run up behind her and scoop her up in his arms, but…
“Gasp! I can feel Mom watching!” With her keeping an eye on him, he’d better not. No, no, even without his mother’s watchful eyes he never really intended to. It was just a joke.
At last, they reached the doors: Masato in the lead, Porta just behind, Medhi in third.
“Wise, you’re in the rear! Loser!”
“Hey, Masato! Just how is my rear a loser?”
“Huh? No, that’s an expression for ‘last’…”
“I have to admit Wise’s rear end is definitely not winning any competitions. I think the expression fits!”
“There’s nothing wrong with my butt!”
Wise hastily clamped both hands on her backside, but she was inarguably in last place. So much for the race she’d started.
Once again, they’d got themselves all excited, and at last they were ready to start clearing this tower.
“Once we’re all gathered in front of the doors, the magic circles will appear under our feet, they’ll count how many we have, and then the doors will open, right?”
“I think that’s how it worked. Come on, let’s get this started!”
“Yeah, first we all need to gather… Huh?”
“What’s going on? Mama and the mamas haven’t arrived!”
“Huh? They haven’t?”
They turned around, looking back. Mamako and the marching mob of moms were still on the bridge. They’d stopped in their tracks and were deep in conversation.
“Geez, what are they doing? …I’ll go check.”
Masato ran back to Mamako.
“Hey, Mom, what’s the holdup?”
“Oh, Ma-kun… Well, you see… This lady here…”
Mamako pointed to a mother. She was staring at the ground, white as a sheet.
Was she suddenly scared of the task ahead? She was just a villager. Normally she’d never come to a dungeon. It was only natural to be frightened. Perhaps that’s how things should be.
Masato took a breath to calm himself down and then asked, “…Um, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah… I… I’m just so worried…”
“I see… I suppose anyone would be worried their first time in a dungeon…”
“No, it isn’t that. It’s just… I left all the windows in my house open.”
“Right, you left the windows… Wait, what?”
“It was such a nice day, so I wanted to air the place out… But when I was talking to the other mothers, I started to worry. My neighborhood is safe, but an area nearby has had a number of break-ins while the owners were away, and… Oh, I’m so worried! I can’t seem to help it! I’d better go home and lock up.”
“Uh… Th-that makes sense…”
This certainly wasn’t what Masato had expected.
But…
“But you’ve come all this way… And to make us all stop and wait for you is…less than ideal. I don’t suppose you can just leave it be…?”
But when Masato responded honestly…
“Sorry? What did you just say?”
…the mother in question opened her eyes wide, staring right at him.
Huh? What did this child say? I must be hearing things. You did not just say that. I am seriously worried here. What if something happened? If something did, would you step up? Would you compensate me for the damages?
All that was conveyed in a single wordless stare. It was terrifying.
He’d stepped in it again. This was a battle he could not win. Masato quickly changed his approach.
“Oh, right! You’ve definitely got to do something! What was I thinking? Ah-ha-ha!”
He had no choice. There was no arguing with her. A mother defending her home was far too dangerous an opponent.
So they needed to solve this problem quick… Aha.
“Yo, Wise! Got a sec? Over here!”
“Mm? What?”
Wise came running over. Time to put the Sage to work.
“Wise, the lady here would like to go home and shut all her windows. I was hoping your teleport magic could help take care of that quickly. Once she’s done, you can bring her back here. Would that work?”
“Sure, that’s easy enough.”
“I live right near the general store! Do you mind?”
“As long as the person I’m teleporting knows where we’re going, I can go anywhere. Let’s do this!”
The tome appeared in Wise’s hand. She started to chant…
…and the crowd of mothers began flocking around her.
“Oh, you can just go right home with magic? Then might I ask a favor as well?”
“Huh? …Well, okay, there’s a limit to how many people I can teleport at once, but one more person shouldn’t be a problem…”
“Then can I join, too? After hearing what she said, I got worried myself… Do you mind?”
“Um… W-well, going to two places won’t be—”
“Then I’d like to join, too! The perfect opportunity!”
“Uh…”
Following that: “Me too!” “May I?” “If you’re going there…” “If it’s not too much trouble…” The crowd just kept growing.
In the end, all thirteen mothers wanted to stop by their homes.
Wise just gaped at them. A cold sweat ran down her brow.
“So, uh… Just how many teleport spells is that? …Do I have enough MP? …Ah-ha-haaa…”
“Good for you, Wise! You finally get a chance to shine! You can actually use all your MP!”
“Y-yeah… That is technically true… Not really what I had in mind, though…”
Yep. Masato was entirely sympathetic to that. Still.
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Wise,” he said gently. “This is our adventure. Our destiny. We can’t fight it.”
“Argh! Your mom causes you more trouble than anyone, so this is extra convincing!”
This world revolved around mothers.
They could not clear the tower until all the mothers’ concerns were alleviated.
Meanwhile, inside the tower, on the first floor—
“…Still no sign of them.”
—Amante was standing with a trigger crystal in her hand, ready to detonate the explosives at any moment.
Mamako’s party should have definitely arrived by now.
“…This is taking forever!”
Not a trace. None. No matter how long she waited, nobody showed up.
“Geez, what are they doing? The moment they step inside I’m gonna blow all the bombs on the floor above and bury them in rubble! …Where are they? …Maybe I should go check outside…”
Sick of waiting, Amante stepped out of the shadows, heading for the entrance.
She stood before the firmly closed doors.
“The way this works, it only checks the numbers coming in, but you can totally step outside alone,” she muttered to no one in particular. Then she reached up and gave the door a push…
…with the hand holding the trigger crystal.
Instantly, there was an earsplitting noise from above her.
“Huh? What’s that noise? It sounds like a baby crying… No, that’s gotta be the bomb countdown starting… Uh… WHAAAA?! Th-th-th-the trigger!! I accidentally p-pressed it!! Auuuuuuughhhhh hhhhhhh!!”
Too late.
A moment later, the crystal bombs she’d placed on every floor from the second to the nineteenth all detonated at once. “Noooooooooooo!!” A mountain of rubble collapsed to the ground.
The evil had been vanquished.
From outside the massive, sturdy tower, there was no way to tell what was happening within.
After some time, the mothers’ quick flits back home were finally done.
“Thank goodness! I got all the windows shut! Now I can relax.”
“I was definitely right to go back home. I had forgotten to lock the front door! What a shock. I’ll lose my own head next!”
“And I’d left the kitchen window open… Oh, right, right, the community notice had shown up, so I had her use magic to pass it on to the next household. Teleportation spells are so useful!”
“They really are. I also had a package to deliver, so I had her help with that! Such a sweet girl.”
“Oh, you did, too? I did the same thing! My husband and grandfather both forgot their lunches, so we made a quick extra trip. Such a help.”
The regrouped mothers were already in full-on gossip mode and getting quite carried away.
Meanwhile:
“Uh, Wise? You alive?”
“…Not just to their homes, but other places, too…and then another… Ugh… No more… I’m never teleporting again… All outta MP… I’m done…”
“Wise! I’ve got an MP Potion! Here!”
“P-Porta… Thanks, but…I’ve already chugged, like, a dozen of them… I really can’t take any more…”
Wise’s new role as a transportation system had proven far too popular, and she was now collapsed in a heap on the bridge. Totally wiped. Unable to move. Not even enough energy to wipe the tears and other fluids away.
But they didn’t have time to let her recover. They had everyone here, and it was time to go.
“Wise. I know you’re tired, but it’s time to go. Up and at ’em.”
“Noooo… Pleeeease, have mercyyyyy… For real, though, I caaan’t… I can’t take a single steppp…”
“In that case, we’ve got no choice. We’ll just have to leave you here… No, you’d be blocking traffic. We’ll just have to let the ocean take you.”
“Medhiii… Sigh… Whatever…”
“Wow! She doesn’t even have the energy to protest! This is bad!”
“All right, all right… New plan.”
Masato turned his back to Wise, kneeling down. “I’ll carry you, so hop on.” “Ughhh… This again… I’m so sorry…” When had he done this before? Wise managed to scramble up onto his back like a feeble old lady, and the piggyback was complete.
“Oof… You’re heavier than I thought…”
“I don’t even care if I’m heavy… Siiigh… This is the life…”
“You’re too young to be talking like that! …Also, like, don’t you have any concerns about this?”
“Huh? Like what?”
“Never mind. If you’re good, then so am I.”
It really wasn’t a big deal at all.
I mean, what was pressing against his back were hardly worth any “Eek! Pervert!” style shenanigans. He could barely feel them!
So whatever.
I feel like she’d definitely have made a big deal out of this when I first met her, though…
Had she changed? Or did she just no longer view Masato as a man? That bugged him.
But by giving her a piggyback ride, Masato had solved one problem. Onward!
“Okay! Let’s go clear this! Come on, everyone!”
““““Okay!””””
Mamako let Mom’s Guild forward. The gossiping continued, but this was progress at last. They set off across the bridge toward the doors.
Everyone reached the front of the tower safely. With all the delays, this felt like a minor miracle.
“But, uh… Oh, there it goes.”
Magic circles appeared under their feet, and they began counting them.
Last time, they’d passed with six—Masato’s party and Shiraaase. This time, they should easily make the cut, and the door would open…
…but when it did, and they saw the first floor, everyone fell silent.
“Wh-what happened? The interior has collapsed!”
What had previously been a large corridor was now a pile of rubble. A disaster area.
Like several floors above had all collapsed. You could see quite high up.
“How could this…? What happened?”
“Good question… I wonder…”
Something had clearly gone wrong, but what that was, they had no way of knowing.
Then Medhi spoke up.
“Um… Does this mean we can climb the rubble and start on a higher floor?”
“Huh? Climb the—?”
Masato looked around again, and…the fallen rubble did form a sort of staircase.
“Looks like we can! …All right, let’s give it a shot!”
“Wait, Ma-kun! Climbing on rubble might not be safe. Perhaps if it was just us, but with the town’s mothers…”
“I don’t think we need to worry about that. Look!”
Climbing the rubble staircase did not seem terribly difficult. His proof?
“I’ll use my eyes and guide us up safely! Leave this to me!”
Porta was bounding up the rubble, leading them on a safe path. If a twelve-year-old girl could get up that easily, the mom mob should be able to handle it, too.
“Hee-hee… The Porta seal of approval!”
“Mm-hmm. Cuteness proves safety… C’mon!”
“That’s right. Let’s go!”
“Yeah, onward and upward! Go, go, Masatooo! Climb! Climb!”
“Wise… You seem much better now.”
The more commotion she made, the more he wanted to just drop her, but he decided to let her have this one.
The guild members proceeded without traps, monsters, tedious searches for the stairs, or any of the other impediments that should have been in their way.
A while after Mom’s Guild started climbing the rubble stairs…
…the rubble near the entrance shifted slightly, then started to quiver, and finally was flung aside.
Amante crawled out from under it.
“Cough…cough… Ugh, I thought I was gonna die…”
She was in one piece. Evil had not been vanquished. Evil was resilient. Stupidity had given her the resilience needed to prevail.
After checking herself for injuries, Amante stood up and looked around—around and up…
…and saw the tail end of the mom march far above. A group of moms all dressed up to clear a dungeon.
“Ah! When did they get here?!”
Her targets were already inside and had climbed all that way without even noticing her. Lord. What a blunder. What a humiliation.
“Hngggg… I’ve gotta hurry after them… Oh, I know! There was a warp floor around here somewhere… I can use that as a shortcut to the twenty-first floor…”
And then what? Lay an ambush?
“I need a plan… That’s it! There are special traps on the twenty-first floor! If those traps are activated, lightning shoots into the windows in the exterior walls! Mwa-ha-ha! I’ll make that work for me!”
With this brilliant idea, Amante laughed wildly and ran off.
This time, Mamako Oosuki and her minions were truly doomed!
Masato’s party had easily reached the twentieth floor.
But it would never do to let their guard down. There was a stratum boss on every tenth floor.
They gathered before the doors, the countdown started, and the doors swung open…
“Arf, arf! Grrrrr!”
A snarling dog appeared! A boss dog! A boss doggo! Like the tenth-floor boss, clearly intentionally designed for cuteness factor but slightly bigger and stronger!
But, uh, it was still a doggy.
“Now, Ma-kun, try not to be too mean, okay?”
“We’ll all be watching. Don’t hurt it too much!”
“That’s right, Masato! All the mothers in town are watching, and Porta has her innocent gaze on you, too.”
“Masato! Um, um… Please be nice to it!”
“R-right… I’ll do my best. Here goes… Hah!” Thwack.
“Heeeee?! …Ruff…” Thud.
Masato struck the boss doggo’s side with his sword.
OVERKILL! The boss doggo was defeated!
All the women were glaring at him. “And it was such a cute doggy, too… Wasn’t it?” “It did seem to be a monster, though… Right?” “But even if it was… Right?” “Argh…” The mothers’ whispers stung. Masato took more damage after combat than during it. All friendly fire. Whyyy?
But either way, they’d defeated the boss.
“Right! Onward! Come on, Masato! Forward maaarch!”
“I know, I know… How long am I gonna have to carry you, Wise? Geez.”
Still grumbling, he started moving toward the stairs behind the doors.
At the top of those stairs was the twenty-first level. The stone floors and walls were just like what had come before, but…
“Weird… Seems pretty bright for the middle of a stone tower.”
“Yeah. I wonder… Oh, there’s your answer. See? There’s big holes in the walls. Like windows. Light from outside’s coming in through those.”
“Oh, I see.”
Wise was pointing over his shoulder, and when Masato looked that way, he did in fact see huge gaps in the walls. Peering through, he saw a hole in the next wall over, too.
And through the hole in the wall beyond that, he could see the sky. That must be the tower’s exterior wall. Light was pouring in through that gap.
“These let such a nice breeze in! …Okay, Ma-kun! Here’s where the real conquest begins. Let’s all be on our guard!”
“Yeah… Whoa, monsters alrea—?”
“Hyah!”
Before Masato could even finish warning the others, Mamako swatted them away. Normal combat was as it had always been and would always be. Mom’s Guild pressed on…
…until just then:
“Um, may I say something?” asked a member of the mom mob quietly.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“It’s just… Do you mind if we take a quick look outside?”
“Outside? What for…?”
Through this hole, then the next, then the next—she wanted to go all that way and take a look outside?
Come to think of it, it did seem darker out there.
“Huh, looks like it’s getting overcast…”
“Right? So you see, I’m just a little worried.”
“Worried…?”
“Yes, I mean, it was such a lovely morning, right? So I hung out the laundry to dry. So…”
“That’s right! If it started raining, it would be a disaster! I’ve got all the futons hanging out to dry! If they got wet…”
“The laundry might be fine, but futons would be a different story…”
“Oh, but the laundry would be bad enough! You’d have to wash everything again tomorrow! That would take so much time, and where would you hang it? What a mess.”
“Yes… This could be bad… We’ll have to do something…”
Now all the moms were gathered around, and every last one of them was fretting.
Hmm… But…
“But I mean…laundry and futons? Not really a big deal… Besides, it might not even rain… And we’ve come this far, so…”
Masato just wanted to keep pressing on.
““““Excuse me? What did you just say?””””
This terror again: a crowd of moms fixing him with their fiercest glares!
Laundry and futons aren’t a big deal? What are you even saying? Of course they’re a big deal! Have you even done laundry before? Do you know the kind of hard work that goes into it? And on a daily basis? Are you saying that with full knowledge of the facts? And if not, how dare you say anything at all! Right? Right? Right? Right? Right?
Their terrifying gazes seemed to say as much as they loomed over him.
The cold sweat was flowing freely now. Masato quickly switched tactics! Manners!
“G-good point! Laundry and futons are everything! Our first priority! Ah-ha-ha! What was I thinking? We’d better head right back! …Which means… Wise, you’re up!”
The moment Masato said her name, every mother’s eyes turned to Wise. Nobody said what they wanted her to do, but clearly, they all expected her magic to save the day again.
Wise let out a squeal, her eyes widening.
“Wha—?! W-w-wait… I…I dunno if I… Oh, y-yeah! I’m afraid I’m totally out of MP, so I can’t use teleportation magic!”
“Don’t worry, Wise! I still have lots of MP Potions!”
“POOOOOORTAAAAAA! SHUT UUUUUUUUUUP!”
“Mmphhmffmff?!”
Wise gracefully bounded off Masato’s back, hopped onto Porta in a flash, and clamped a hand over her mouth, hard. She wouldn’t allow her to say another word.
But given how nimbly she’d just moved, Wise had clearly made a full recovery.
“Yo, Wise. I know how you feel, but this is a real problem… If we try to fight it, it’ll be way worse, so…we’re counting on you here.”
“Wise, dear… If you really can’t, we understand, but… There isn’t much else we can do, see?”
“Whatever, Masato. Mamako, I get that, but I just… I can’t…”
“Wise, fortitude! Chug another dozen MP Potions! Make your belly swell!” Snort.
“Medhiiiiiii! Like this doesn’t involve… Oh, I know! You can ask Medhi! Medhi can use teleport magic, too!”
The moment these words left Wise’s lips, Medhi went pale. All the blood had drained from her face.
“Wh-whaaat?! Um… Wait… Wise? How did you know I could…?! I’ve never said a word about it!”
“Huh? Oh yeah. I never asked you.”
“Huh? …Huh?!”
Both Wise and Medhi looked equally surprised.
So.
“I was just lashing out, but…you can actually use teleport magic, then?”
“Um… W-well…”
“You can, right? You totally can. And you kept quiet about it, didn’t you? And you didn’t even try to help at all, right? There I was, on the brink of death, and you just stood there watching, not lifting a finger to help, did you not? You did, didn’t you?! I knew it!”
“Um, um… Well, I, uh… Heh-heh… I dunno!”
Faced with Wise’s relentless glare, Medhi the diabolical plastered a beautiful smile on her face and tried to worm her way out of it, to no avail.
Everyone was staring at her. A silent, relentless stare.
She would have to give.
Large tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, Medhi produced the biggest smile of her life.
“Porta! Bring me two dozen MP Potions, if you have that many! If you don’t, that’s fine, too! You don’t even need to tell me you have any!”
“No, I do! I have plenty of stock, so leave it to me!”
“Heh-heh, you’re so dependable, Porta! Well done!”
Medhi had far less MP than a Sage like Wise. Her brutal struggle had only just begun.
Using the Exit Key Porta had obtained, they briefly stepped outside, and another Return Home Festival began. Weeping, Medhi knocked back MP Potions, her belly visibly swelling.
Meanwhile…
…Amante appeared on the twenty-first floor.
“Th-this makes no sense… They should be here by now…”
Tired of waiting, Amante began prowling the floor, peering into the holes in the walls. No signs of anyone.
“What’s going on? …They didn’t jump to a higher floor, did they? …Huh?!”
Amante suddenly felt a presence.
She quickly turned around and saw a giant lizard. Well, not that giant; it wasn’t exactly a threat, but it was a monster nonetheless.
“Phew… I thought I’d finally found them, and it was just a monster! …Ugh! Well, guess I’ll just have to take care of this one!”
Amante pulled her thin sword and prepared to blow off some steam…and a moment later…
…a bolt of lightning shot out of the clouds outside. It entered through the holes in the exterior walls and struck Amante’s sword, electrifying it. “BWACCCK!” She let out a strange noise.
Naturally, her hair stood up on end. Every last folicle was fried.
“R-right… If you use metal weapons on this floor, there’s a set chance lightning will strike…with a stun effect so you can’t move…and the static…gives you an Afro…”
Just as she spoke, Amante fell over, unable to move.
The giant lizard crept up on her. A bunch of little lizards gathered around it.
“Wow, Mom! So much food!”
“Yes, indeed. It was just lunchtime, too! Let’s take her to our lair and eat her up!”
“““Yaaay!”””
It was unclear if this conversation actually took place, but either way, Amante was dragged slowly away.
Once again, the evil had been vanquished.
It was now just after noon. Mom’s Guild was taking a break.
Since they were outside anyway, they’d figured they should eat. They spread out blankets around the tower entrance and were enjoying a picnic.
“Hmm? I just noticed, but it’s only cloudy around the tower.”
“Oh, you’re right! Maybe we needn’t have worried. I suppose we could have left the laundry hanging outside after all…”
“Yes… But oh well. Ours was already dry, so let’s call it good.”
“Yes, let’s. Would you like a second helping? I stopped by a takeout shop while I was back home and bought a bunch. There’s plenty where that came from!”
“I also stopped by a shop and bought some sides. Help yourself!”
“Don’t mind if I do… Oh, that is good! I’ll have to buy some on my way home.”
“Yes. I’m thinking this should be tonight’s dinner.”
The mob of moms were, as usual, chattering away while they ate.
Meanwhile, there was one person at death’s door.
“Sniff… I drank too many MP Potions… Oh, my aching belly… I’m done for… I’m a failure as a woman… My heart’s been torn to shreds…”
“What shreds? You’re all jiggly! See?” Jiggle.
“Wise! Don’t poke— U-urp…”
It seemed she would live. Medhi was merely experiencing the death of her femininity. Her clothing had been unable to contain the swelling, and she was lying on her back, her belly exposed—truly, a fate no girl could endure.
Especially with a boy around.
It is just her belly… But still… I do wish they’d be more mindful of my presence…
Masato wasn’t exactly against having beautiful bellies on display, but a part of him was definitely against this entire situation.
That aside.
Masato decided to reassess the situation. Some serious thought was in order.
“Right, everyone, listen up. I’ve got a question here. Despite doing a real number on both Wise and Medhi, we’ve barely made any actual progress on the tower… Anyone have any ideas?”
Masato looked around at the girls sharing his blanket. He wasn’t even trying to hide his frustration.
No one seemed inclined to speak first.
“Ideas? …I mean, sure, I have some thoughts, but…”
“They’re definitely holding us back in a lot of… Urp… If I talk, it almost comes up…”
“Oh, uh… Medhi, you’re good. Just take it easy for now.”
“Um, um… I…think we should just try harder! I think that…might help… Ohh…”
“Don’t worry, Porta. I know what you mean.”
The reason for their lack of progress was clear. They had a group with them that insisted on slowing the party down. Everyone knew it, and they were right here, so no one wanted to say so aloud.
And even knowing the problem, figuring out how to deal with it was easier said than done.
They needed the numbers, so they couldn’t just send them home. The only way to progress smoothly was with their cooperation…but they had their own thoughts on things, and attempting to ignore those feelings led to terrifying glares.
“Sigh… I knew this was gonna be rough from the start, but…I didn’t think it would be this bad…”
“I definitely thought we’d do a little better than this, too… Maybe they just don’t, like, grasp the urgency?”
“Urgency… Right, that does seem to be the case. The mothers helping us are the ones who already got their kids back, after all…”
“And since their kids are back, they must be super relieved!”
“Yeah, that could be… Then again, I can’t say I feel much urgency myself. This is just a game event, and if we’re gonna join in, we might as well try to clear it… That’s about it. But these mothers…”
Regardless of the game’s difficulty… No, perhaps this was the main challenge provided by this particular game. Either way, dealing with mothers remained the main source of agony for the children. It was really tough sometimes…
“Ma-kun, don’t worry,” Mamako said. She’d been listening in silence all this time.
“But, Mom… I do worry…”
“Everything will be all right. Moms always come through in a pinch. No need to worry.”
“…Just take your word for it?”
“That’s right. You can trust your mother and trust these mothers. I promise.”
Mamako’s smile stretched across her entire face. It was the sort of smile that allowed no doubt, one that would reassure any son.
If Mamako said so, maybe he should believe her. Masato glanced at his companions, and Wise, Medhi, and Porta all nodded back at him.
Everyone had decided to trust her.
“…Okay. We’ll trust Mom and the mothers.”
With these trusted companions, they would finally start clearing this town—
“Um, pardon me.”
Another interruption. One of the mothers had spoken up. When Masato turned to answer, she said, “Oh, sorry, I was speaking to Mamako.” “Oh, you were?” Mamako and the mother began whispering together.
They were looking at a piece of paper—maybe a flyer of some sort.
Mamako suddenly turned around and looked at Masato.
“Hee-hee! Ma-kun! This is Mommy’s moment!”
She seemed even more upbeat than usual. Her smile shone even brighter than before. A Mother’s Light was at full power, and her entire frame was glowing.
Now Masato felt nothing but worry.
Meanwhile, inside the tower—
—the evil was resurrected a second time.
“Geez. As if I’d let myself get eaten by a bunch of chump monsters.”
Amante shot an angry glance over her shoulder, and the giant lizard family turned and fled… They were too low level to bother killing.
So.
“Sigh… Getting hit by the trap I set for them… How pathetic… Next time… No, that’s not right.”
Amante began walking, carefully fixing her hair.
“It was a mistake to even rely on traps. Clearly. I should handle this myself. And wandering around looking for them is a mistake, too. I know they’re coming. I just have to wait somewhere I know they’ll have to come. Right.”
Muttering to herself, Amante proceeded with confidence across the floor and up the stairs. On the floor above, she either glared or kicked the monsters away, advancing even higher.
Then she reached the stairs to the thirtieth floor.
“Yes, here. If I wait here, they’re sure to come. All I have to do is wait. Yes.”
Amante sat down on the stairs. Waiting. Patiently.
“Yes, hurry up and come to me! I, Amante, will personally take you down! Mwa-ha-ha.”
Amante continued to wait.
She would stay that way until her enemy appeared. For as long as it took. For ages.
Meanwhile, Masato’s party…
…was at the harbor.
“Step right up! Time for our monthly deep discount! Freshly caught fish, shellfish, shrimp, and crab! Stuff your baskets full for three thousand mum! Buy everything you need for tonight’s dinner! Come one, come all!”
A fisherman stood near mountains of seafood, bellowing for attention.
The mob of moms attacked!
“The monthly feast! We can’t let it get away!”
“As long as it stays in the basket during checkout, you’re gold! Pile as much as you can fit!”
“Oh, I will! I’ll make such a pile! Hahhhh! Clams, clams, shrimp, fish, fish, fiiish!!”
“Amateurs! The trick is to use the shrimp and crab claws to stabilize the pile!”
“Ohhh, is that the best you can do? Heh. You haven’t seen anything yet!”
The mothers were all stuffing baskets with seafood, piling them higher and higher. Their hands moved at lightning speed, like a hundred-punch combo from a master martial artist.
Flat baskets piled ten inches, twenty inches, thirty inches high.
One mother had even managed to get her seafood tower over a yard tall.
It was needless to say who—Masato himself certainly wouldn’t. He never would, but…
…It was Mamako.
“Look, look, Ma-kun! Look how much I got! Mommy comes through in a pinch!”
“Uhhh, sure… Right…”
Masato, Wise, Medhi, and Porta were all overwhelmed by the mothers’ grim determination. All they could do was watch.
After that, the mothers all said they had to start getting dinner ready, like this was plainly obvious. Nobody took a step toward the tower.
Masato’s party retreated to their base with a mountain of seafood.
“Oh, you’re back! We’ve been waiting! …So whaddaya think? Pretty awesome, right? We worked our butts off turning this place into a gorgeous hotel!”
Pocchi and his goons proudly showed them a magnificent building, which was now like some sort of palace: walls and pillars of beautiful marble, gorgeous gardens full of colorful flowers all around the property, and a fountain in the path leading to the entrance, decorated with a statue that looked suspiciously like Mamako.
The inn formerly on the verge of collapse had been leveled up to a luxury hotel in less than a day! It was now the Mom’s Guild Hotel!
Masato couldn’t help dashing over to Pocchi and gazing at him all teary-eyed.
“Th-this… This is so…so… Sniff…!”
“Heh-heh. Now, now, Masato. I know you’re impressed, but it ain’t good for a man to start bawling. But hey, I know the feelin’. Heh-heh.”
“Sniff! No, that’s not it! That isn’t it! Hnnng!”
If only they’d had Pocchi’s men with them, they’d have made it through that tower without so much as breaking a sweat. Why couldn’t that power had been turned toward better things?
He so badly wanted to make that point but was too busy shedding tears of frustration to say a word.
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