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 4 Chapter 11    Isn’t it out of the question for an old man who isn’t blood related to come to the beach with four high school girls?

After all the events, it had been about two weeks since I gave advice to the young lady. And on a certain day, it finally happened.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky.

The ground beneath my feet felt different, sinking rather than being made of soil or concrete.

There were a considerable number of people around, enough to make it feel somewhat crowded.

I had my hands full with baggage that seemed bothersome.

And as I lifted my gaze…

“There it is! The sea! Yaaaaay!”

Yes, it was the sea. I had finally arrived at the beach. And not just by myself, but with four high school girls.

…I hope we don’t get reported or anything.

In this day and age, even parents and children get reported just for looking suspicious due to those idiots trying to act all high and mighty. Well, we’re not even related, but still…

If we were reported, what would we do? Even if we haven’t done anything wrong, just the thought of being reported to the police makes me nervous.

Without even realizing or caring about my concerns, Asada, despite carrying her fair share of baggage, raised both hands in the air and jumped with all her might, expressing her joy and excitement.

…As for me, I just want to go home already.

“You’re quite enthusiastic. Acting like a kid, huh?”

I unintentionally let out such negative thoughts.

I immediately regretted saying something that might spoil the atmosphere, but it was already too late.

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Since we’ve come all this way, you should enjoy it too!”

However, Asada, despite hearing my words, turned towards me with a smile and cheerfully said so.

Sigh

Since we came all the way here for a well-deserved break, I do want them to have fun. I’m relieved that my words didn’t ruin the mood, but I can’t genuinely enjoy it like they can.

“Yay!”

“…Hey, Abe. Why are you lifting my arm?”

Well, whatever. To avoid further dampening the mood, I’ll just switch gears.

With that thought in mind, I shook my head. But for some reason, Abe grabbed my arm and lifted it, saying the same thing as Asada earlier.

Abe may seem quiet, but surprisingly, she’s quite proactive. But what is this? What are we doing?

I can vaguely sense their intention, so does that mean…

…Am I supposed to shout along too?

“Y-yeah!”

“Kitahara… Don’t force yourself. That’s not really your character, is it?”

As I pondered over such thoughts with a furrowed brow, Kitahara, who truly had a reserved personality, grabbed my opposite arm and raised it.

“Well, well, it’s okay, isn’t it? Since we’ve come all this way, let’s enjoy ourselves. Yay!”

And then, Miyano, one of the remaining members, raised both hands in front of me and said the same words.

“The atmosphere of the moment is important, you know. Come on, you too. Yay!”

“…Yay.”

I understand well that the atmosphere of the moment is important, as Asada said. I feel a sense of guilt or rather, a feeling of wrongdoing for having an attitude that could ruin the atmosphere until just now.

So, with a sigh of resignation, I raised both hands and uttered the same words as Asada and the others.

But…

“Hahaha!”

Right after I spoke, the four of them had various reactions, covering their mouths with their hands or turning their faces away. However, they all took actions that conveyed the same meaning.

In other words… they laughed at me.

“Hey, can I punch you guys for a moment?”

It was a bit embarrassing for a middle-aged man to join in with high school girls, but despite doing it, why the hell are you laughing at me like that? It’s your fault for making me do it, you jerks.

“S-Sorry.”

“I never thought you’d actually do it.”

“Violence is bad.”

“Yay!”

Asada and Abe, you two are definitely provoking me.

Well, now that I think about it, Miyano seems to be provoking too, doesn’t she? If you didn’t think I would actually do it, you should have stopped me.

I thought taking a break once in a while would be nice, but is this how I have to spend my day?

It’s pretty tough, isn’t it?

“Hey, we’ll go change, so wait for us, okay?”

To calm myself down instead of getting angry at this point, I let out a sigh. It seemed like the conversation was over, as Asada said those words and only took a small bag with her, handing the rest to me.

“Is this how the whole day is going to be? You haven’t even changed yet.”

As I muttered while looking at Asada’s back, Miyano and the others reacted to my words.

“Hahaha, well, it can’t be helped, can it? Kana was really looking forward to it. Oh, of course, we were excited too.”

“We have high expectations for the swimsuits.”

“I-It’s embarrassing, but…”

With that, the three of them followed after Asada towards the changing room area, and I watched their backs as my gaze fell upon the luggage left behind in that spot.

──◆◇◆◇──

“We’re back!”

Left alone, I had been organizing and arranging the belongings left behind at the spot. Once I finished setting up the space and sat down, I heard a familiar voice.

“We’re sorry for the wait.”

When I turned around, there they were, Miyano and the others, the owners of the voice.

And, as expected, all four of them were in swimsuits.

Miyano wore a stable one-piece swimsuit with crisscrossing straps in the front, and the bottoms were a regular bikini.

It might seem plain due to the all-black color, but thanks to the inherent quality and their good physique, it didn’t look plain at all. On the contrary, it seemed perfectly fitting.

Asada, on the other hand, wore a white bikini that was more traditional in shape compared to Miyano’s. It wasn’t completely plain but had cute accents with frills.

However, even with the frills, it maintained an overall simplicity, which emphasized their good figure and, well… their charm.

Abe wore a red one-piece with a short skirt-like bottom. There were holes or gaps in the belly and back, revealing some skin, so it’s not to say it had low exposure.

Kitahara, on the other hand, wore a bikini-type swimsuit, but it wasn’t a regular one. The top resembled a sports bra, extending up to the neck.

While the swimsuit covered her large chest up to the neck, it couldn’t completely hide its size. It actually accentuated its presence, giving off a rather emphasized vibe.

“…Ah, well then, I’ll go change too.”

Seeing the four of them in their swimsuits, I stood up without saying anything in particular.

I mean, I don’t know what to say, and if I were to say something, it would just feel… I don’t know, awkward.

“You still haven’t changed? What have you been doing?”

“Are you telling the only person left to leave this place? Besides, when it comes to guys changing, it’s fine to do it last.”

I couldn’t just leave my belongings behind, so I stayed in that spot, but honestly, delaying changing as a guy is no big deal.

After all, it’ll be over quickly, and there’s no one waiting for me.

Well, I did bring a magical barrier device, so even if everyone leaves, I don’t have to worry about my belongings being taken. But even if I were to use it, it would consume magical power, so it’s better not to use it if I don’t have to.

And well, there’s a bit of calculation or consideration involved too. That’s why I waited without activating the barrier.

Then, as I started walking with a few belongings to change, I let out a sigh and paused for a moment.

“Oh right, if everyone’s going to leave, activate the barrier. …Also, the swimsuits look good on you.”

I casually mentioned it along with the reminder, not wanting to say nothing or stare at them too much. But I wonder if that was alright?

I’m curious about their reactions and whether my words were appropriate, but instead of turning back to see, I continued walking with a steady pace.

I could hear some strange shouts like “Yeah!” from behind, but I didn’t let it bother me.