Day One
Suzume taught Hikari advanced wound assessment. Arterial versus venous bleeding. Signs of internal hemorrhage. When to use magic and when mundane pressure was better.
Day Two
Rina learned civilian handling protocols. How to calm panicked people. How to give clear instructions under stress. How to physically move someone who'd frozen in fear.
Day Three
Honoka ran through mass casualty scenarios. Ten victims, limited mana, no backup. Triage at scale.
Day Four
Honoka got basic first aid certification. Hikari learned emergency communication protocols. How to relay information to rescue teams. What details mattered, what didn't.
Day Five
Back to Hikari for advanced content. Spinal injury management. Crush syndrome. Field amputation as a last resort.
Day Six
Rina again. This time they practiced extractions in pitch darkness, relying only on verbal communication and touch.
Honoka reviewed everything she'd learned. Suzume quizzed her for three hours straight.
Day Seven
Kasumi sat cross-legged on the training room floor, a length of rope in her hands.
"Okay, explain this one again."
Suzume knelt beside her, guiding her fingers through the motions.
"It's a bowline. Non-slip loop, easy to untie even after bearing weight. You use it when you need to secure someone to a harness quickly."
"Like this?"
"Almost. Try again."
Kasumi did just that. This time, the knot formed correctly.
"There you go."
"Hm." Kasumi examined her handiwork, then looked up at Suzume with a glint in her eye. "You know, if you wanted to tie me up, you could've just asked."
Suzume's face went hot.
"That's not—I'm teaching you valuable rescue techniques!"
"I'm a very willing student." Kasumi's grin was dangerous. "What other knots do you know? Any that work on headboards?"
"We're moving on to the figure-eight."
"Is that a position?"
"It's a KNOT, Kasumi."
Kasumi laughed, bright and genuine.
"You're so easy to fluster Suzu. It's adorable."
Suzume shoved a new length of rope into her hands.
"Figure-eight. Now."
They worked through five more knots. Kasumi kept making comments. Suzume kept turning red. But by the end, Kasumi could tie all of them blindfolded.
Two more teaching sessions that afternoon. Hikari on psychological first aid. Rina on improvised equipment usage.
Suzume pulled up her full status screen.
[Status Window]
Name: Aoi Suzume
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Class: Rescuer (Level 15)
HP: 170
MP: 295
EXP: 45/950
Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 26
Intelligence: 52
Endurance: 18
Luck: 12
She stared at the numbers. Level 15. D-Rank, still, but she didn't mind that. Her Intelligence had nearly doubled. Her MP pool was massive compared to where she'd started.
[Time to pay Yagami a visit.]
---
The Association headquarters lobby was crowded with Players and staff. Suzume walked through the front doors in her rescue gear, head held high.
People noticed.
She saw their eyes flick upward, reading her level. Watched confusion ripple across faces. A woman in combat armor stopped mid-conversation. A group of young Players near the registration desk went silent. Whispers followed her across the marble floor.
"Is that Rescue Girl?"
"Wait, she's Level 15?"
"Wasn't she Level 6 like a week ago?"
"That's impossible. You can't gain nine levels in a week."
Suzume kept walking. Let them stare. Let them wonder.
She approached the front desk.
"I'm here to see Deputy Director Yagami."
The receptionist blinked at her. His eyes darted up to her level indicator, then back down. He was awakened—he could see the number clear as day.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No. Tell him Aoi Suzume is here to discuss guild certification."
The receptionist made a call. His expression grew increasingly uncomfortable as whoever was on the other end responded. Suzume caught fragments:
"Yes, sir. I understand, sir. But she's... yes, I'll tell her."
He hung up.
"He'll... see you now. Third floor, end of the hall."
"Thank you."
She took the elevator. The other passengers gave her a wide berth, stealing glances at the number floating above her head. One of them, a B-Rank judging by his equipment, looked like he wanted to ask something, but couldn't find the words.
The doors opened. Suzume stepped out.
Yagami's office was exactly what she expected. Dark wood, leather furniture, framed certificates on the walls. A window overlooking the city. Everything designed to intimidate visitors. To remind them who held power here.
He sat behind a massive desk, expression carefully neutral.
But she saw it. The flicker in his eyes when she walked in. The moment of disbelief before he locked it down.
"Miss Aoi." His voice was smooth. "This is unexpected."
"I'm here to submit my certification."
"I'm afraid nothing has changed. The level requirement—"
"Is Level 10 minimum." Suzume smiled. "I'm Level 15. Well above your threshold."
Yagami's jaw tightened visibly.
"That's... not possible. A week ago, multiple testimonies confirmed—"
"A week ago, I was Level 9. Things change." She pulled out her phone and opened her status screen, projecting it onto his desk. The numbers glowed between them. "Would you like to verify? I'm sure any awakened Players nearby could look."
Silence stretched between them.
Yagami's mask slipped for just a moment. She saw frustration there. Calculation. The scramble of a man whose trap had just been dismantled.
"The exam results from your previous attempt are no longer valid," he said finally. "You'll need to retake the certification test."
"Fine."
"The next available slot is—"
"Now." Suzume crossed her arms. "I'll take it now. Unless there's a regulation preventing that?"
Yagami's eye twitched.
"...I'll have someone escort you to the testing center."
---
Four hours later, Suzume handed in her exam booklet.
Same questions. Same essays. Same hand cramps.
But this time, when she walked out, there was no uncertainty. She'd destroyed that test.
The day after, Suzume and Yumi sprawled on the couch at headquarters, watching something terrible on TV. Some drama about idol singers who were secretly assassins. The plot made no sense but somehow that was more charming than frustrating.
"There's no way she'd survive that fall," Yumi said, gesturing at the screen with a handful of popcorn. "That's like eight stories. She's wearing heels, too!"
"In what universe do assassins wear platform heels?"
"A sexy universe."
Suzume snorted.
"I guess."
Suzume's phone buzzed.
She almost ignored it. But something made her check.
A notification from the Association app.
Leadership Certification Exam Results Now Available
Her thumb hovered over the screen. Yumi noticed and sat up.
"Is that—"
Suzume tapped it.
The page loaded.
Examinee: Aoi Suzume
Exam Date: [CURRENT]
Status: PASSED
Score: 97%
She read it three times.
"I passed."
Yumi grabbed her arm.
"You passed?"
"Ninety-seven percent." Suzume laughed, slightly hysterical. "I passed."
Yumi tackled her in a hug, nearly knocking them both off the couch. Popcorn scattered everywhere. On TV, the idol assassin was having an emotional moment with her rival. Neither of them cared.
"Holy shit, Suzu. You did it."
"There's still the final form—"
"The final form is literally just your signature on like 5 pages. It's a formality." Yumi pulled back, grinning so hard it looked painful. "You did it. The guild is official. Legitimate. Legal. Whatever word you want to use."
Suzume stared at the notification on her phone. The words hadn't changed. Status: PASSED.
Months of work. The training in her cramped apartment at 5 AM. The research until her eyes burned. The rescues that nearly killed her. The bureaucratic nightmare, the political games, Yagami's smug face on that podium. All of it leading to this moment, to these two words on a screen.
The Dungeon Rescue Guild was real.
Legitimate.
Hers.
She thought about Akane. About those final recordings, the desperate hope that someone would come. The optimism fading day by day. The help that never arrived.
[I did it, sis. I actually did it.]
Her eyes stung. She blinked hard.
"So," Yumi said, still grinning. "Guild Master Aoi. How does it feel?"
Suzume let out a long breath. She looked around the headquarters, the conference table covered in paperwork, the training room in the back, the couch they'd bought secondhand. All of it theirs now.
Officially.
"Like the work is just getting started."
