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 5 Chapter 35   New event

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“――That’s the situation. Even if you find the core inside the dungeon, do not destroy it. Also, if you happen to fight near the core, be careful not to damage it.”

“Understood.”

Upon sharing the information heard at the laboratory yesterday with Miyano and the others, all four of them nodded with a serious expression. While I didn’t explicitly mention the death of the hero, the fact that there were casualties seemed to have been conveyed.

“However, is there another event happening again? We just dealt with one not long ago. I’m done with seasonal events,” said one of them.

“Yeah, this isn’t some seasonal event, and I have no desire to participate either.”

They couldn’t tolerate having such an event. Though, at this moment, there were no elements that could refute its existence.

“But Kana-chan, this time it happened in a place unrelated to Igami-san, and it seems to be a global issue, right? There might be no helping it”.

“But what if it’s a curse that can affect the entire world?”

“…..Can’t argue with that. Damn it.”

As Asada spoke, she probably meant it as a joke. However, hearing the thought that had been lingering in my mind spoken aloud caused a momentary delay in my response.

Thankfully, it seemed that no one noticed. While Miyano was looking at me with a puzzled expression, it was unlikely that she would dwell on it.

To prevent the conversation from being further dissected, it would be best to quickly change the topic.

“Now that the school trip is over, there are no other events, right?”

Amidst the abnormal situation and the possibility of the Savior’s army taking action, I posed the question to confirm that nothing else was happening.

“What? What are you talking about? Of course, there’s an event!”

However, for some reason, Asada responded with a displeased expression.

“Did something happen?”

I knew about exams and winter break, but apart from those, there shouldn’t be any significant events. If anything, there might be the entrance ceremony or grade promotion in April, but that was still far off and not really considered an event.

If that’s the case, then what could it be? I really have no idea.

“It’s Christmas, obviously!”

“……Oh, right.”

Asada’s words left me with nothing else to say.

Come to think of it, I feel like we had a similar conversation last year.

But I see, we are already in December. With all the recent events, I haven’t been paying much attention to the calendar.

“What are your plans for Christmas this year, Igami-san?”

Christmas, huh… Personally, I don’t have any particular plans and was thinking of spending it alone. But knowing these guys, if I say I’ll be alone, they’ll probably reject that idea.

Well, it’s just a thought, but let’s give it a try.

“Well, I was thinking of spending it alone—”

“That’s definitely not happening.”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

As expected, my suggestion was immediately shot down. Actually, they didn’t even listen to me till the end.

But now, does that mean it’s confirmed that I’ll be spending Christmas with them?

I glance around, but the other three don’t seem to have any objections or reactions.

Wait, no, that’s not entirely true. Miyano seems to be reacting. She’s just nodding with a smile.

“In that case, what about New Year’s?”

Last year, we were together during New Year’s, so I suppose it’s the same this year.

Well, being together for both Christmas and New Year’s might be a bit much, so for New Year’s…

“Huh? Are you okay with that? I thought you’d choose one or the other, so I suggested spending Christmas together this year…”

—Just for Christmas… Huh?

“…”

“…”

Upon hearing Miyano’s words, I realized that I had misunderstood, and we ended up silently gazing at each other.

With a grim expression, I slowly shook my head, but Miyano responded with a smile, shaking her head in return.

Then, I placed my hand on my face as if rubbing my eyes, and then looked up as if to the heavens, releasing a sigh.

After exhaling the sigh while looking up at the sky, I slowly lowered my head, meeting Miyano’s gaze, and spoke.

“I see. In that case, just for Christmas—”

“No way!”

“I finally got excited about it, so let’s spend it together!”

However, before I could finish my sentence, Asada interrupted, and Miyano promptly shut me down.

“Tch, shouldn’t have said anything…”

If I hadn’t spoken up, it probably would have been either Christmas or New Year’s again this year.

But it seems that, unconsciously, I had grown comfortable enough with these guys to consider doing events with them. Understanding that made me realize how different things were from a year ago.

“There might be some lucky pervert moment.”

“I’d rather not have that, you know…”

However, I sighed in response to Abe’s words because, personally, I’d prefer not to have anything like that. Yet, somewhere in my heart, I realized that I wasn’t as averse to it as I thought.

…I’ve really changed quite a bit.

As I thought that, I looked up at the sky again and let out another breath.

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So, after various discussions, it was decided that we would spend Christmas together. However, I can’t just hang out at their place or house all the time.

“So, why here?”

“I explained that already. Besides, staying at the dormitory is not a good idea.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Moreover, while talking with them, I remembered that there’s somewhere I want to go—or rather, someone I want to meet this Christmas.

That’s why I rejected the idea of celebrating Christmas with Miyano and the others in their room and came to this “place.”

“But since we don’t get many chances to meet, isn’t it fine?”

“Well, I guess you’re right.”

As Asada nodded to Miyano’s words, they looked again at the place before them—the research institute building.

Here, they research techniques using items obtained from various gate expeditions, and it also serves as a containment facility for those awakened individuals who committed minor crimes.

This place may not seem suitable for Christmas, but there’s a reason why we—or rather, why I came here.

“I appreciate you saying that. Besides, I can’t just leave Nina alone.”

“Well, that’s true. Igami-san, you’re her father after all.”

“It would be sad for her to be alone on Christmas.”

Just a word of advice, be careful how you phrase that when speaking to others who live alone, or you might end up picking a fight.

But yes, as Miyano mentioned, I came here to meet the girl known by a name that sounds like a joke—Nina, the strongest girl living in this world.

She didn’t commit any crimes, but due to her unique circumstances and exceptional abilities, it’s not easy for her to leave this place.

Technically, leaving would be possible. All she needs to do is burn away everything that stands in her way.

However, doing that would cause inconvenience later on, so there’s no particular reason for her to leave and she prefers to stay put.

Still, she is undoubtedly restricted from freely going outside, and today being Christmas, I decided to visit her, knowing she’s cooped up in this place.

Becoming her father wasn’t something I wished for or even something I had a say in; it just happened to be processed that way in the paperwork. Despite that, I have become Nina’s father, and I couldn’t help but care about her.

That’s why I accepted the role of being her father, agreed to it, and thought it was the right thing to do.

Today is December 24th, Christmas Eve.

If I’m going to be her father, if I’m going to take on the role of a father, even though I’m not particularly busy with work or have any special reasons, leaving my daughter alone on a day like this just feels wrong.

It was because of this thought that I came with them all the way to this research institute.

By the way, I haven’t told Nina about this visit. It’s meant to be a surprise.

She doesn’t care about Christmas, New Year’s, or even her own birthday, so keeping it a secret was easy.

“Welcome back, Father!”

Though we hadn’t planned to come, Nina was probably taken aback by our sudden arrival, yet she rushed over to us with a joyful smile.

“What brings you here today? I don’t recall any plans for you to visit…”

This could sound like I’m visiting a lover kept in a separate location from my home. No, Nina is still just sixteen and my adopted daughter, so the term “lover” doesn’t apply.

“We are here too, you know?”

While smiling wryly at Nina’s attention solely focused on me, Miyano spoke to her.

“Well, it’s been a while.”

Normally, Nina wouldn’t bother responding to someone else’s greeting and might even react with hostility if her conversation is interrupted. However, she becomes more tolerant toward those she recognizes as powerful individuals.

So, while not treating Miyano as an equal, she engages in a regular conversation with her, knowing that she won’t die or be defeated by her attacks.

Well, that remark may have had some thorns since it’s been a while since she visited this place.

“Don’t say that. I had my fair share of busyness too, you know.”

Yeah, that’s right. While I occasionally visited this place, Miyano and the others were busy with preparations and training for the ranking battle that took place in October. They started around summer vacation, and apart from a bit of fun at the beginning of the break, they spent most of their time either delving into dungeons or training at the school facilities—a busy and unremarkable routine.

After the ranking battle, they continued training even more to ensure they wouldn’t lose next time or for personal reasons. It was another busy and unremarkable period, similar to before the ranking battle.

Then, in November, there was the school trip they went on for almost a week. While it happened not long ago, during that trip, they had encountered the dragons they fought before, and it reinforced the conclusion they had after the ranking battle—to win with confidence, they needed more training.

So, for the past few months, Miyano and the others dedicated most of their time to training, leaving little time to come to this research institute.

But, while training might be their choice, it feels like there’s a lack of excitement. They do go shopping after training sessions, but even for high school girls like them, I think they should be enjoying themselves a bit more.

Considering that, I hope today becomes a good break for Miyano and the others.

“I see. I’ll be more careful next time then.”

Given Nina’s personality, she will indeed be more cautious next time. However, it seems she has no intention of retracting her previous statement.

Looking at Asada subtly, she seemed visibly annoyed, furrowing her brow.

“Anyway, Mizuki, how about it? Would you like to play?”

I thought there might be a need for some follow-up or maybe she would suggest more training, but it turned out that neither was necessary.

“Hey, you in the white outfit. If you want to play, I’ll play with you.”

Nina’s words not only offered an invitation to play, but they also carried a sense of assurance, and it made any further explanations or training unnecessary.