A song for a-thousand-step journey

Chapter 11

----The next morning----

Tenn woke up to the sunlight peering out at him from the window, the clock at his bedside beeping slightly and showing the time – 8:30 a.m. As it’s a vacation for everyone, they had came to an anonymous agreement to sleep in, even the ever early riser like Mitsuki – as he don’t have to make breakfast for everyone. Walking into the hotel’s cafeteria, Tenn is not surprised to see most of the idols sitting around, as it’s already quite late to sleep in even by normal standard (except some people like Tamaki, Yamato and Yuki, who are not morning person). What was surprising was the atmosphere in the room, it was so tense you could probly cut it with a knife. The Adventurers, Riku included, were in heavy discussion, pooring over a map on the table with several props like in a mediveal movie. Tenn went to where the others were seated and asked the nearest person, who happened to be Procella’s Fuzuki Kai:

“Good morning Fuzuki-san. What is going on, if I may ask?”

“Ah, Kujou-san, good morning. It seemed they are in some kind of strategy meeting, but I don’t really know the details as they have been at it since 5 in the morning…” Kai said sheepishly and pointed to Iku, who was trying to make the sleepy Rui to eat his breakfast “Iku said that when he went for his usual morning jog, Soujirou-san seemed to have received an urgent call and had assembled their group to discuss, and they hadn’t stop since then”

“I wonder what happened that they seemed so stressed? Well Shouryuu-san and Isami-san did…” Sougo wondered worriedly.

“Well, you guys will find out…right about now” Shimotsuki Shun, Procella’s leader said plainly when the Adventurers stood up from their table and looked towards everyone else.

“Sorry, but can you guys go to the conference room now? And someone call the managers and presidents, we have an enmergency.” Soujirou said to the idols.

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“What’s wrong?” Yaotome Sousuke said directly after everyone had assembled into the conference room the hotel provided, with the three presidents appearing on the TV’s conference call function.

“We have just received an urgent report from our Adventurer post in Okinawa, there is an abnomaly large gate appearing near here, thankfully not close to any other towns.” Soujirou explained.

“A gate?” Otoharu asked.

“Yes, a gate. I’m sure you all know about Elder Tale?” Nazuna asked, and when she received nods from everyone the were-fox continued “These gates are a side effect of us connecting with Earth, and the five Adventurer post – Okinawa included – are set up to prevent the monster that escaped through the gates from attacking normal human.”

“So the gate this time is larger than normal, means that there will be more monster?” Haru spoke up.

“Yes, the larger the gate the more monster that will come out, but there is another concern.” Soujirou confirmed.

“This time, the monsters that come out of the gate would not be the normal Goblins or minor monster from low level training fields. Our machine had detected that these monster come straight out of a newly formed dungeon.” Riku said, to the surprise of the idols and managers alike.

“Dungeon?! That means bigger monsters?” Tamaki said, his face going paler by seconds.

“Then where exactly is the gate? And are you gonna do something about it?” Sousuke demanded.