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?

Volume 2  Chapter 23   I can’t accept this reality

“By the way, why is Koharu-san here too?”

When I arrived at the meeting place, not only Hiro, who I was meeting up with, but also his wife, Koharu-san, was there.

“I didn’t expect Koharu-san to come along when I told you about it…”

“Well, today happened to be curry day. Curry can be prepared in advance and still be good even at this time of year. Besides…”

Koharu-san spoke with a smile, but suddenly her expression turned serious, and she looked at me meaningfully.

“There must be a reason why you invited us out for drinks.”

“…Well, it was actually Hiro who I invited, not Koharu-san.”

“It doesn’t matter who was invited. The fact that you’re inviting someone in the first place is unusual.”

Well, it’s true that I don’t often take the initiative to invite someone.

Perhaps due to our long acquaintance, Koharu-san seems to have seen through me.

“Well, there’s no point standing here and talking. Since we’re here for drinks, why don’t we go somewhere? There’s a place nearby, inside that building. How about there?”

“Sure.”

With that, we entered the izakaya chain restaurant inside the building and took our seats in a private room, where Koharu-san casually started placing orders.

“Well then, let’s celebrate our long-awaited reunion… Cheers!”

Perhaps because it was a weekday and not many people were around, our ordered beers arrived quickly, and under Koharu-san’s lead, we began drinking.

“Ah~! Not only the reunion with you, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a drink in a place like this!”

“You’ve definitely reduced your visits since getting married. You used to come to drinking establishments quite often.”

“Well, it’s only natural. I have a daughter now, so it’s not easy for me to come out… My husband seems to have been coming without me, though.”

Koharu-san directed a disapproving glance at her husband Hiro.

Well, I can understand why she would feel that way if her husband was going out to drink without her.

“Oh… I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m sorry too. I used to come here quite frequently…”

“Well, you were an adventurer, so it’s understandable that you’d want to drink after finishing a mission.”

However, it seemed that Koharu-san wasn’t taking it too seriously either. As Hiro apologized with a hint of embarrassment, she immediately laughed and started drinking again.

And so, the conversation shifted from the reason I invited Hiro to talk about my current situation.

“So, how’s it been lately? You’re teaching those girls, right?”

“Yes, they’re all excellent. They’re in the first and special class teams, and they’re already capable of working as professionals without any issues.”

“Well, it must be your teaching methods that are great, isn’t it?”

“I wish that were the case… but it’s their inherent talent, to be honest.”

“I see, I see. The new party of heroes, right? Her title is… ”Thunderous Hero’ isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s because she handles lightning. However, her control still needs improvement.”

At that moment, the dishes we ordered arrived, and Koharu-san picked up a piece of food, her expression turning serious as she posed a question.

“So, something happened with those girls, right?”

“Well… yeah.”

Even though I hadn’t said anything, I briefly stumbled for words, but managed to give that much of a response.

“Well, when adolescent girls are together with an old man like you, there are bound to be some issues. Even my daughter will eventually start saying, ‘Dad is so uncool.'”

“Hey, why are you aiming that at me? That seriously hurts, so cut it out.”

“Hahaha. Then make sure you show them a strong and cool side, so you won’t be told that.”

Koharu-san laughed, seemingly to avoid becoming too serious.

However, it seemed like she had more to say, as her gaze quickly returned to me.

“Were you confessed to or something?”

“No.”

“Then, something similar happened, right?”

“…They haven’t done anything to me.”

Continuing from earlier, I was once again struck by an answer that hit too close to home, and I ended up giving such a evasive response.

In reality, there were issues with them, but it wasn’t like they had done something to me, so it wasn’t a lie.

…Or rather, it’s just too rude for me, who came for advice, to give such an evasive answer.

“That’s not an answer. Besides, if it’s ‘with them,’ it means something happened with a different girl.”

However, it seemed like Koharu-san understood my answer and inner thoughts, as she chuckled.

“A person you know, someone close enough to develop feelings for you… that strongest girl, right?”

“…We walked around town together the other day.”

“It’s nice to go on a date straightforwardly. Well, I suppose it’s not something you wished for.”

Koharu-san knew that I was going to that research facility, so she seemed to have a general idea of how things ended up like this.

“So? Even if you were stimulated by that girl, did it lead to more conflicts and misunderstandings?”

“…You understand it well.”

“Women’s intuition is sharp, you know.”

Koharu-san had been accurately guessing my answers since earlier, but this time, she hit the bullseye.

As a result, I tried to keep my voice from trembling, but it was futile.

Perhaps Koharu-san and even Hiro, who had been silently picking at his food, had noticed my change.

“…Well, in your case, I’m also involved, so I just understand the circumstances.”

Saying that, Koharu-san smiled with a hint of loneliness.

“It’s been almost eight years since my sister passed away. It feels both fast and slow…”

The sister she referred to was the woman who was my girlfriend and passed away.

Mika. That was the name of my deceased girlfriend.

Mika and Koharu-san were sisters, and it was through that connection that I ended up joining Hiro’s team.

“For me, it feels slow. Time passes so slowly that I start to wonder if only that much time has passed. It feels like it’s been over ten years already. That’s how I feel.”

“I see…”

A few years ago, at that time, I hadn’t awakened yet, but Mika had already awakened.

She didn’t really want to fight, but once she awakened, she had a “duty” to fulfill and had to fight.

And she went into the dungeon… and died.

One day, due to a mistake in measuring the dungeon’s difficulty level, she encountered an irregularity and died. Well, it’s a common way to die for adventurers.

Even with prior investigation, we don’t go deep into the depths of the dungeon, so measurement errors are bound to happen. It’s inevitable.

“Hey. As a family member, it makes me happy that you remember her. She didn’t die in sorrow, leaving nothing behind. That’s how I choose to see it.”

However, even so, I couldn’t accept it.

I know that it’s not the fault of the association that made the measurement error.

I know it’s not the fault of Mika’s team members.

I also understand that considering the mortality rate of adventurers, it could apply to us as well.

No one is at fault.

No one is to blame.

If I had to say something, it was just bad luck. That’s all.

Even so, the fact that she died… I couldn’t accept it.