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

Volume 2 Chapter 0 and Chapter 1 - A future that was not desired and Extension of the deadline!"

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

Volume 2, Chapter 0  A future that was not desired

“What would you do if you had a serious crush on someone?”

I was taken aback by Asada’s sudden question while waiting for the bus, and I couldn’t respond immediately.

A lover, huh…

At least for now, I can’t even consider trying to find one. Well, maybe I won’t be able to consider it for the rest of my life.

“Well, let’s see…”

It’s all in the past now. I have to come to terms with it. I know I have to move forward, look ahead.

But even though I know that, I can’t easily come to terms with it.

I still don’t think I can change my mindset anytime soon.

It’s not something I can overcome by my own will. It’s unavoidable, I suppose.

…No, maybe that’s just another way of running away.

Still, I can’t imagine being in a relationship for a while. I don’t want to think about it.

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend in the first place? It’s not like you have a bad personality, and your looks are decent… I don’t think you’re incapable of having a girlfriend…”

However, it was probably because I struggled to come up with a response and ended up giving a vague answer.

Asada continued talking without sensing my internal rejection.

For me, discussions about having a romantic partner are something I’d rather not delve into. If it’s just casually mentioned in passing during small talk, I can tolerate it to some extent.

But when someone explicitly tells me to find a girlfriend or get married, or asks if I’m not seeing anyone, it becomes quite difficult.

I mean, how should I put it… Unwanted thoughts flash in my mind, and though I’m not sure who they’re directed towards, I inexplicably become irritated.

“…Well, there are various reasons.”

I shrugged my shoulders as usual and tried to brush it off, but today, for some reason, it didn’t end there.

“What do you mean by ‘various reasons’? Is it possible that you can’t forget about your ex-girlfriend?”

…

The moment I heard those words, I understood why my body was tensing up.

Vivid scenes started flowing through my mind, and an indescribable uneasiness swirled within my chest.

As a result, my heart was beating strongly and rapidly, and my clenched fist felt pain, yet I couldn’t relax it.

“Um, Igami-san?”

Miyano called out to me with a worried expression.

Though I recognized that in my head, I couldn’t respond to it.

Stop it. Don’t ask. Why would you bring that up?

Please… don’t ask any further.

But my feelings didn’t reach her, and Asada continued speaking with a faster pace than usual.

“It’s been years since then, right? It’s about time you forget and find someone else…”

Thud! I heard the sound of something hard being struck.

No, it wasn’t just that I heard it. I realized that I was the one who did it.

Apparently, I unconsciously punched the railing I had been leaning on.

“You’re so annoying.”

“Huh…?”

“Why do I have to talk about something like that with you guys?”

My reaction seemed to catch everyone off guard. Not only Asada, but the other three people present also widened their eyes in astonishment and stiffened their bodies.

“Don’t think that everyone can go through life without thinking like you do.”

I shouldn’t have said something like this.

But even so, once my mouth started moving, it didn’t stop until the end, and I glared at Asada as I spat out those words.

──◆◇◆◇──

Volume 2  Chapter  1 “Extension of the deadline!”

“Why am I even here?”

I muttered to myself as I stepped out of the gate, without a single reason or purpose.

“What are you talking about? Have you forgotten about all that?”

Someone must have heard my murmuring, as Kana Asada, the girl with dyed hair who was walking in front of me, turned back and mockingly remarked.

“That’s not it. I mean, I should have quit by now, you know?”

“That matter has been settled, hasn’t it? Bringing up past issues is not very manly, you know?”

While Asada said that, the other members of our adventurer team, Mizuki Miyano, Haruka Abe, and Yuzu Kitahara, smiled wryly.

…Well, I wonder about Abe. It’s hard to tell since she doesn’t show much expression.

“…sigh. I want to quit.”

Originally, I should have quit not only this team but even being an adventurer altogether.

However, due to the desperate pleas of my team members, I reluctantly extended my resignation deadline, allowing us to continue until the end of this fiscal year – in other words, until these guys finish their first year.

…It’s unfair for a group of high school girls to gang up and beg like that, damn it!

Remember the looks people gave us back then! There were even people looking at us while holding their phones!

…Well, with such circumstances, I ended up staying on this team.

So, as usual, we went through the gate and ventured into the dungeon today, exterminating monsters and collecting materials.

“Phew, another day done!”

“We’ve gotten quite used to it. It’s incomparable to when we first started.”

“And Haruka-chan’s scouting skills really help.”

“Mm, I did my best.”

As we exited the gate, we went to the administration office to convert the items we obtained in the dungeon into money. Indeed, their performance had improved significantly compared to our first dive into the dungeon. It almost made me think, do they really need me anymore?

Or rather, do they really need me at all? Today, I didn’t do much other than following behind them…

“Hey, what are we going to do after this?”

As I pondered over our recent adventure, Asada posed the question to our team members.

“Wait a minute, aren’t we going our separate ways?”

“Well, yeah, but think about it. Is it okay for a group of lively high school girls like us to have nothing to do? Exams are over, so can’t we have a bit more fun?”

“…Hmm, that’s true. We dedicated most of our summer vacation to training for the ranking match, and until recently, we were focused on studying for exams.”

“When you put it that way, we’ve been quite busy.”

“Mm, we should take a break for a little while.”

The rest of the team members, excluding me, seemed to need time for their studies after the ranking match. However, they couldn’t neglect their adventures and had been sacrificing their free time.

And recently, they were finally freed from both the training for the ranking match and exam preparations.

“So, how about we go get something sweet to eat? Um… ah, here. It looks like a nice place. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me. I don’t have any particular plans.”

“I’m fine with it too.”

“I don’t mind.”

Although they may engage in life-and-death battles as adventurers, at the end of the day, they’re still girls. Miyano and the others seemed enthusiastic about Asada’s suggestion.

“Well then, I’m heading back. Just make sure you don’t stay out too late… What?”

It seemed like they were planning to make a detour somewhere without me, and since I didn’t need to be there with them, I intended to disperse and walk away. However, for some reason, Asada grabbed hold of my arm.

“Don’t make such a displeased face. It hurts, you know.”

Ah, am I really making that kind of face? Well, to be honest, I do want her to let go.

But, anyway…

“If you know I don’t like it, then let go of my hand.”

“Then will you come with me?”

“…I have no idea how we went from ‘if’ to ‘then,’ but I refuse.”

However, despite my firm refusal, Asada’s hand holding onto me doesn’t let go.

Damn it, should I forcibly break free?

“Do you really want to pass up the opportunity to have tea with high school girls? Some people are willing to pay just to be with them.”

“…I feel like I should be the one getting paid.”

I try to pry Asada’s hand off my arm with my free hand, but… darn it!

There’s no need to compare our strength. I’m a third-class mage, while Asada is a warrior who primarily relies on her physical abilities, and she’s a first-class warrior.

It’s like comparing a baby to an adult. I’m obviously the baby in this case, and she’s the adult.

In other words, I can’t use my strength to break free from her grip.

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

As I observe her words and attitude, Asada’s mouth twists in displeasure, but I wish she would think a little more carefully about it.

“Well, think about it. If I were to go with you in this situation, it would be a combination of four high school girls and one middle-aged guy. Suspicious activities would be suspected, and someone might report it.”

“You’re overthinking it. It’s unlikely anyone would report something like that.”

“No, in this day and age, even small things can lead to reports. That’s why I’m going home… Hey, Hero-sama, why are you also holding onto me?”

As Asada and I argue, for some reason, Miyano, who is usually the voice of reason and would normally try to stop Asada, grabs my arm in the opposite direction of where Asada is holding.

“Well, well, let’s all go, Igami-san.”

“Don’t joke around! Hey, Abe, don’t push me from behind! And Kitahara, you’re not the type to do this, right?”

Furthermore, both Abe and Kitahara, who were still there, also pushed me from behind, leaving me with no choice but to move forward.

Well, to be honest, it was mostly Abe who pushed me, while Kitahara seemed hesitant.

Whether I should interpret this as getting closer to my team members or feeling betrayed is a subtle matter.