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 40   Birthday

“Ah… still alive, huh?”

I approached Nina, who had collapsed, to check her condition, and she was alive without any injuries.

It seems that Nina was simply exhausted from playing too much and, combined with the consumption of magic power, ended up falling asleep.

“Acting like a tired child, huh… Well, she’s a child after all.”

For now, I should carry her.

The situation seems to have calmed down, but it’s still uncertain if all the enemies are gone.

There’s a possibility that someone might attempt to attack Nina while she’s sleeping, and I won’t be able to protect her.

While there’s a risk of the building being destroyed, it’s better to take her inside.

Oh, right. I should at least inform Saeki-san as well.

Even though Nina came here on her own, I’m sure they’re aware of the situation over there.

Well, it’s just a precautionary measure, but I think they already have it covered.

“Is the infirmary a good place?”

Considering defense, it would be better to join the surviving students, but if we’re present, we might get caught up in something.

With that in mind, I notified Miyano and the others before carrying Nina and heading towards the infirmary.

“Mmm…? … Ah.”

After laying Nina down on the infirmary bed and reinforcing our temporary protection, I finally took a breath. However, after resting for a while, Nina woke up.

Nina, with a relieved smile like that of a content child, looked at me.

It seems she’s already calmed down.

“Ah, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

“I’m not feeling bad. On the contrary…”

Nina smiled happily, her expression filled with joy.

“Nina.”

“Ah…”

Seeing Nina like that, I couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and gently stroke her head.

Nina didn’t brush off my hand or complain. She closed her eyes, seemingly enjoying the touch.

Until now, I had never seen Nina in this kind of state.

Perhaps it’s because I had never done something like stroking her head before, but even without that, it feels different.

Is it because she has changed, or is it because my perspective of Nina has changed… Probably the latter. Nina has always been this kind of “child.”

“It feels like we’re a family, doesn’t it?”

As I pondered such thoughts, I heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance of the infirmary. It was Miyano.

And not just Miyano, but behind her were three other team members. Everyone seemed to be unharmed.

“Ah—”

“Hmm? Ah, you guys are here. How’s everyone doing?”

“I’m fine. Just feeling a bit tired from using too much power, but no injuries left.”

Well, considering the flashy attacks she unleashed, it wouldn’t be strange for her to still be asleep for a while.

“…A family? A family…”

I glanced at Nina, wondering about her reaction. She seemed to be murmuring softly, clearly pondering over the meaning of the words.

Well, there’s no need to forcibly interrupt her thoughts. Let’s finish our conversation first.

“What about the three of you behind? How are you holding up?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit tired too, but with some rest, I should be able to move tomorrow.”

“I’m fine as well. I mainly stayed at the back, healing…”

“Ran out of magical power, but no injuries.”

“I see. That’s good—or rather, not bad.”

I had already confirmed their safety from their appearance, but hearing their responses again reassured me.

However, I immediately shook my head and glared at Miyano and the others.

“I may be the idiot who got kidnapped, so I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but why the hell are you guys confronting her? Didn’t I tell you before? If it looks dangerous, prioritize your own lives.”

“Well, um, how should I put it… W-we couldn’t just abandon our comrades, I mean, we’re comrades, right?”

“Y-Yeah, exactly. It’s not like we want to abandon our comrades, you know? Isn’t that unpleasant?”

Miyano and Asada seemed to be making excuses, but their attempts to cover it up were transparent.

“I tried to stop them.”

“And what happened?”

“Well, yeah. But Mizuki and Kana were being stubborn, so I had no choice.”

Abe said that with a stern gaze, looking slightly displeased at Miyano and Asada, who averted their eyes, clearly feeling guilty.

Kitahara, on the other hand, wore a troubled smile while watching the two, probably because he had also tried to escape, just like Abe.

“Sigh… Well, I knew you guys were like that. I already knew,” I muttered.

Here I am, trying to teach you guys not to get yourselves killed… sigh.

“I’m sorry. I’ll continue to be a burden to you.”

“If you understand, then stop. Or better yet, let me quit.”

Miyano simply smiled, while Asada avoided eye contact and didn’t respond.

However, in the silence that followed, I noticed murmurs coming from nearby.

Oh right, was Nina thinking about something? But maybe it’s time to let Nina talk to Miyano and the others.

“Nina… Nina?”

But even when I called out to her, Nina continued to murmur without looking at me. This is the first time she’s done something like this.

“Hey, Nina. Are you alr—”

“Father!”

Feeling a little concerned, I reached out my hand towards her shoulder and called out to Nina again, but she used a strange way of addressing me.

“…Father?”

It’s different from usual… Wait, how did she usually address me?

Wait, come to think of it, has she ever called me by my name?

I’ve heard her refer to me as “that person,” but has she ever directly called me by my name?

…But even if that’s the case, why did she suddenly start calling me that now?

And why “father”?

“Seems like you’ve been murmuring for a while. Did you take a liking to it?”

“Murmuring?”

“Since Mizuki mentioned us being like a parent and child, it’s like… you’re questioning yourself, in a way.”

…Hmm, I see.

So, what does that mean? Nina had feelings for me, but due to her lack of interpersonal skills, she couldn’t determine if those feelings were towards family or as a romantic interest. Nonetheless, she directed her affection towards me, making sure I wouldn’t leave.

However, she couldn’t classify those feelings or understand the appropriate distance with others, which is why she never called me by my name or anything like that.

It’s not entirely implausible.

Maybe the reason was that I had kept my distance before. So she didn’t know if it was okay to call me by my name.

And recently, I haven’t been keeping my distance, so Nina recognized that her feelings were akin to what Miyano referred to as “like a parent” and directed them towards me as a father figure?

If that line of thinking is correct, then it somewhat makes sense.

Nina never had anyone she could call a parent or a family member, and we first met when she was twelve years old.

She was still physically and mentally young, lacking emotional development and proper upbringing. It wouldn’t be surprising if Nina felt troubled and lost.

I previously said that Nina’s feelings were merely directed towards me as a substitute for a father figure, and it seems I wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Oh, right. This is yours, isn’t it?”

“Hm? Ah, my clothes and gear. What’s up?”

“I went looking for them. It’s not good for you to stay like that forever.”

“…Ah, yeah.”

It suddenly dawned on me that I was shirtless, wearing only gym shorts.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that Asada and the others were avoiding direct eye contact with me.

…Huh? Isn’t it kind of inappropriate to be shirtless in front of high school girls? And the shorts I’m wearing belong to one of the girls too.

…

…

…

Alright, let’s try not to make a big deal out of it. It won’t change anything even if I worry about it. This is just one of those emergency situations. It can’t be helped. It’s actually better than being in just my underwear!

…Let’s hurry up and change.

As I received the clothes from Asada, I intended to change quickly. However, in my haste, I forgot that Miyano and the others were there.

Just as I was about to start changing into the gym clothes, Asada kicked me, finally reminding me of their presence. I discreetly moved to a secluded spot and changed my clothes.

“Ah… there it is, there it is.”

After finishing changing, I checked the condition of my gear. And then, as I searched through my bag, I remembered something. Deep at the bottom, I found what I was looking for.

“Nina, for you, your birthday might not be a joyous occasion or anything like that. However…”

Taking out the item I had kept hidden at the bottom of my bag, I returned to Nina’s side and handed it to her, saying those words.

“It’s quite late, but happy birthday. I once told you not to recklessly use your powers, not to hurt others with them, right? So this is a symbol of that promise. This time, well, it couldn’t be helped, but be more careful next time. I’m waiting for you to live as a person in the human world. It’s a promise.”

This was something I bought after giving Nina a lecture before.

I had been troubled for over a month, unsure of what to buy. But oh well.

“There’s no special magic on it, so it can easily burn. So, don’t set it on fire.”

What I handed her was a small hair accessory.

Originally, I thought of getting a ribbon or something, but I hesitated because I thought that a fabric one would easily catch fire over small incidents.

It doesn’t have any special enchantments or rare materials, so it’s not particularly expensive. But in this case, I decided it would be better not to give her flame resistance or anything like that.

Well, as a birthday gift, it’s not bad, right?

“Ah…”

However, as Nina’s gaze fell on the wrapped present I gave her, tears welled up in her eyes and eventually she burst into loud sobs.

“Hey! Stop crying! Stop crying!”

“I can’t… Uuuuuuuh!”

Certainly, considering her circumstances, she had probably never received a birthday gift before. It’s not unreasonable for her to be overwhelmed with emotions and cry.

However, but… however, when she acts on her emotions…

“No, it’s not just impossible, it’s serious! It’s seriously dangerous! Flames are leaking out!”

Her magical power goes out of control and manifests as flames, scattering around her!

“Waaah! I-Igami-san!?”

“A-Are you okay!?”

I’m not okay!

It’s not a powerful or large-scale magic, but still, things catch fire, including me. And I’m not talking about passion or emotional meaning, but in a literal, physical sense. I’m seriously burning.

“Uaaaaah!”

“Wait! I’m going to burn right after making the promise with you! No, I’m going to turn into ashes! Extinguish the flames!”

Despite the flames leaking from her body, the gift she’s holding in her own hands is not affected by even a single spark, completely untouched by the fire.

Yet, there’s no abnormality (?) on my side as the flames approach me.

In the midst of desperately trying to calm Nina down, who is crying while scattering those flames, reinforcements arrive, and the situation is brought under control.

Today has been eventful, with the school building in ruins and several students dead.

But still, I have to say… I’m glad the people I know didn’t die.