Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Chapter 15   The last member

Three days later in the evening, while I was out for some errands, I received a phone call from Miyano.

“Hello?”

“Ah, is this Mr. Igami? It’s Miyano speaking.”

“Yeah, it’s me… Did the permit get approved by any chance?”

“Yes. So, we decided to gather and discuss things soon. I wanted to ask you about a convenient day for everyone to meet… Do you have any available days coming up?”

“Hmm, well, I’m not currently working, so any day works for me.”

“I see. How about meeting tomorrow around 1 p.m. in front of the main gate?”

“Ah… Wait a moment.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, isn’t tomorrow Sunday?”

I, or rather adventurers in general, don’t pay much attention to weekdays. But today is Saturday. Miyano is a student, and tomorrow should be their day off. Did they deliberately sacrifice their day off to make time for this?

“Well, yes, it is. But it’s better to discuss these things sooner, and after school, it’s not easy to find a calm and free time. So, although it’s a day off, we thought tomorrow would be fine.”

“I don’t mind, but… well, alright then. Let’s meet in front of the main gate at 1 p.m. tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

After ending the call, I put my smartphone back in my pocket.

“Working on a day off… That’s quite troublesome.”

Muttering to myself, I walked back home.

The next day, Sunday, I arrived at the main gate a little earlier than the agreed time. I spotted someone approaching the school building. It was Miyano.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Igami!”

“Oh, Miyano. Nah, I wasn’t waiting.”

…? What’s this? It feels like the distance between us is closer compared to last time… Am I imagining things?

“Thank you for coming today as well.”

“Well, I had nothing else to do anyway.”

“Please come this way. Everyone is already waiting.”

Following Miyano’s lead, we entered the training room, where the other members had already gathered. As we walked in, they turned their attention towards us.

However, there was one person I didn’t recognize. Most likely, that’s the member who was absent last time.

“Oh, Mizuki. You finally made it, that person.”

“Kana. I called them, so don’t say things like that.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m convinced by including them, you know.”

“Um… Hello.”

As Miyano tried to rebuke Asada’s words, Kitahara timidly greeted us.

“Ah, um… It was Kitahara, right?”

“Yes. I-I’m Yuzu Kitahara. And… this is Haruka-chan.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, nice to meet you too. You’re the one who was absent last time, right?”

“Yes.”

Ah, that’s the vibe I’m getting. Doesn’t seem to have any negative feelings in particular, just maybe a bit lazy?

From the brief and curt responses, I could sense this person’s personality to some extent.

But for me, it works out fine. I don’t intend to engage in friendly conversations or anything like that.

“By the way, Haruka is your first name, right? What about your last name?”

“Ah, yes, um…”

“Abe. Haruka Abe.”

“Haruka Abe, huh? Can I just call you Abe then? I’m Koosuke Igami.”

“Yes.”

As we finished introducing ourselves, Miyano and the others seemed to have finished their conversation and joined us.

“Haruka, you should try to smile a bit more instead of being so unfriendly.”

“No. I smile when I want to, but it’s bothersome to force a smile when I don’t feel like it.”

“Seriously…”

Miyano seems resigned, but I’m sure that’s just how things usually are with Haruka.

“Well, Mr. Igami, she’s not intentionally being uncommunicative, so please don’t take offense…”

Miyano apologized to me while facing my direction, but honestly, I don’t care about such things at all.

“Ah, it’s fine. I understand. Honestly, talking to others is a hassle.”

“Yeah, that’s right. If you want to talk, you can talk to someone else. I’m not interested.”

“I see. Well, I don’t mind, so if you don’t feel like talking, you don’t have to. At least give the minimal response though. Forcing it will only create tension.”

“Is that so? Thank you.”

Abe nodded slightly in response, but didn’t show any further reaction.

Ah, this level of interaction is just fine. We’ll be parting ways soon anyway, so there’s no need to become close.

“Hey, Haruka. Are you okay with having a third-rate old guy like him as a team member?”

As I pondered such thoughts, Asada asked Abe in a disgruntled tone.

“I agree.”

“Oh, how unusual. Haruka, being so proactive.”

“This person is convenient. If we let this opportunity slip, we might end up with someone troublesome. I don’t want that.”

But Abe clearly expressed her agreement.

I thought she would give a nonchalant response like “Either way is fine,” but it seems not only I, but also the rest of the team thought the same.

Well, from her perspective, having someone like a hot-blooded guy as an instructor might be troublesome.

“Besides, there are no technical issues.”

“Why are you saying that when you haven’t even seen anything?”

“I’ve read the reports, so I have a general idea. And… well, never mind.”

Usually, when someone starts saying something and then dismisses it, there’s usually something behind it. What is it? Did Abe notice something about me? She didn’t investigate or anything, right… Well, there’s no need to force an answer.

“Anyway, I agree. What about the others?”

“I’m definitely in favor. After all, I invited you.”

“Well, I’m in too. At that time, we might not have been able to progress without you, Mr. Igami…”

Following Abe’s words, both Miyano and Kitahara expressed their agreement, but Asada just furrowed her brow and remained silent.

“Now, Kana, what’s your decision?”

“Ugh… Oh, fine! Okay, I understand!”

“Well then, Mr. Igami, from now on—”

She was probably going to say “Let’s work together,” but Miyano’s words were interrupted midway.

“But! Before officially joining the team, I want to set some conditions!”

“What are you talking about, Kana?”

“You have to show results that prove you can fight at least to some extent using the facilities in the second training ground! That’s the condition I’ll accept!”

“So troublesome…”

“Mm, I agree.”

“Yeah, she’s got a point. …Or rather, I think we demonstrated our ability to fight in the previous dungeon, didn’t we?”

“That was just one battle. Dungeon exploration requires the ability to engage in continuous combat. It’s important to know how well you can fight in a sustained manner. That wasn’t clear last time, right?”

“Well, she has a point, but… it’s still such a hassle.”

It might be necessary to verify their ability to continue fighting, but honestly, whether they acknowledge it or not doesn’t matter in itself.

After all, we’re already forming a team. Once you go through the team formation process, you can’t disband for three months.

So even if Asada doesn’t approve, I’ll still be working with this team.

“What are you going to do? Will you accept it? Or will you run away?”

“Can I even run away?”

“In that case, I won’t acknowledge you.”

“But even if you don’t, it’s already decided by majority vote that I’ll join.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying! Will you accept it? Will you not?”

Sigh “Fine… I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”

Honestly, it’s a hassle, but if we don’t do it now, there will be complaints later. Considering our future relationship, it’s better to comply with their request here.

“Hmph, if that’s how it is, then hurry up and come.”

Asada said that and walked briskly towards a different room, slipping through the door.

“I’m sorry, Igamii-san! I apologize for saying something rude like testing your abilities even though I invited you…”

“Oh, it’s fine. I can understand what she’s saying. We’re about to venture into life-or-death dungeons together, so it’s understandable to be concerned about having someone on the team whose abilities are unknown. By using the facilities at this school, we can assess to some extent how well someone can fight without putting their lives at risk. So, her judgment of including you as a team member is not wrong.”

Well, whether personal emotions are involved is another matter.

“I appreciate you saying that. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. When you apologize to a girl like that, it makes an old guy like me look like a bully picking on a schoolgirl.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…”

Miyano continued to apologize with a face that still seemed apologetic. Deciding that saying anything more wouldn’t make a difference, I let out a light sigh and started walking.

“For now, let’s go. We shouldn’t keep Asada waiting too long, or she might get angry.”