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 68   Date/Fourth person

“Igami-san. Did I keep you waiting?”

“Nah, not really.”

After finishing the date with the third person, Asada, a day filled with contemplation, today was the day for the final date with the fourth person, Miyano.

…It’s kind of late to think about it now, but if someone has been watching me in these public places one after another with different girls, I wonder what they would think?

Well, leaving that aside. Like the previous three, Miyano has also grown quite a bit. She always had a calm demeanor, but now there’s an even more pronounced mature vibe. In simple terms, she has become more adult.

“Isn’t this the scene where you say, ‘I just arrived’?”

“It’s not like we need to pretend to be in that kind of relationship. If you need to lie to maintain a relationship, it’s not one worth pursuing.”

“Well, that’s true. A relationship where you can openly discuss the facts and forgive each other lightly feels more like a proper romantic relationship.”

“Right? Well, not that we’re in a romantic relationship or anything.”

“Hmm. Those are really unnecessary words. Sometimes there are things you understand but don’t want to be told.”

“Sorry about that.”

However, walking around, thinking about where to go next, looking at this and that, buying things, and sharing impressions… It’s not exhausting to the point of annoyance, but honestly, it’s tiring.

Even though the relationship with Miyano is casual, it doesn’t mean there’s no consideration. Especially today, despite it being a trial date, I don’t want to make the other person uncomfortable or bored. After yesterday’s conversation with Asada, there’s even more to think about.

“Sigh… So, are we going somewhere?”

That must be it. Though it was a small sigh, I couldn’t help but exhale.

“Well… In that case, please just accompany me to one place.”

Miyano stared at me, showing a thoughtful expression before smiling and making the suggestion.

——◆◇◆◇——

“So, is this place okay?”

The place Miyano brought me to was a public bathhouse, about a twenty-minute taxi ride from our meeting point.

“Yes. I noticed you seemed a bit tired, so I thought you could relax here.”

She must have caught on to that sigh earlier. The way she stared at me earlier was probably her checking the level of fatigue.

“Well, I guess so, but it’s a bathhouse. We’ll be separated by gender, so what’s the point of coming together?”

Although it’s more like a health facility with a reasonably spacious bath area, it’s still a bathhouse.

And since it’s a bath, it should be divided into male and female sections when you go inside, right? So, why did she choose this place? It doesn’t seem like the kind of location you’d pick for a date.

“It’s not as bad as you might think. Have you heard of bath cafes?”

Even though she calls it a cafe, we’re not going to eat or drink anything in the bath, right?

“Cafe? I don’t know. If you mean health lands or something, then yeah, I’ve heard of them. Places where you can relax and play inside.”

“Oh, that’s right. It’s something like that. It’s a bit more stylish, and apart from the baths, we can stay together inside.”

Oh, I see. If there’s something to do together inside, it’s not a bad choice for a date.

“Well, if you’re okay with it, I don’t mind.”

“Great! Besides, since we’ve come this far, it would be troublesome to change plans now.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Well, it’s true that if we decided to go somewhere else now, we’d have to call another taxi, and it would just be a waste of time.

——◆◇◆◇——

“Well, there’s more to it than I thought. It’s like a cross between a manga cafe and a health spa.”

With that said, we entered the bath cafe or whatever it was called, and inside, there were more spaces beyond just the baths than I had expected. I could see a few other couples like us, men and women together.

Certainly, choosing this place for a date made sense. Of course, the primary reason was likely that Miyano chose it as a place where I could rest, but it seemed like a location where she could enjoy herself as well.

Since the date had just begun, we hadn’t entered the baths yet. We were sitting side by side in a spacious area where we could relax and talk.

“How is it? Did you like it?”

“Well, it’s decent enough. It’s been a while since I came all the way to a bath like this.”

“If you want to come here together in the future, feel free to invite me anytime.”

“Together, huh…”

The phrase “together in the future” was something I heard yesterday. It’s also a phrase that is currently bothering me.

“Igami-san, what are you going to do from now on?”

She must have noticed that my reaction was strange. Miyano asked with a hint of anxiety on her face.

“I heard something similar from Asada yesterday. I thought about it slowly yesterday, but for now, I plan to stay with you guys for a while. Even though I’ve returned, I’m currently without a job. While it seems like the reward from that time was transferred, and I have some money, doing nothing doesn’t sit well with me. So, once I get things like a place to live, registration, and an account ready, I’m thinking of being with you guys again.”

Regardless of Miyano or the others, I express my immediate actions while keeping my feelings towards them unspoken. I’m aware that this is a sly evasion, merely buying time and postponing the real issue.

“I see… Okay, I understand.”

She must understand that I’m diverting the conversation with my cunning. After a brief pause, Miyano nodded.

“Of course, it depends on getting permission to go into the dungeon for tests and such. But more importantly, if you guys are okay with it.”

“We’re more than okay with it!”

It was meant as a joking remark on my part, but Miyano’s reaction was beyond what I expected. She responded with a loud voice, not exactly screaming but raising her voice significantly.

“Lower your voice, idiot.”

“Ah… Sorry…”

Apologizing to the other customers who had briefly turned their attention towards us due to the loud voice, Miyano and I redirected our focus to our conversation.

“But, we don’t mind at all, Igami-san. So, we’ll be waiting.”

Now that things had settled down, Miyano turned towards me again to speak, and her eyes were filled with a profound seriousness.

So I said, “Well, I can’t promise how far I can go. You guys have surely grown over the past three years, and on the contrary, even if I say I’ve become younger, I’m not used to moving my body, so you could say I’ve weakened. The effects of being caught up in the collapse of the gate are unknown, and I might end up slowing you down.”

Avoiding Miyano’s gaze, I responded with a somewhat joking tone.

“Even so, we want to be with you, Igami-san. And besides, you’ll quickly adapt. We believe in you.”

“That’s nice of you to say. But…”

Interrupting my attempt to subtly deny or escape from Miyano’s assertiveness, she insisted and cut me off.

“But, discussions about that are off-limits! Today, we came here to take a break, so talking with such a serious face is not allowed.”

“…You’re the one who brought up a topic that made me make a serious face.”

“…Did I? I see.”

“Well, even if that’s the case, for now, let’s take a break.”

As if trying to divert attention from the inconvenient topic, Miyano proposed with a somewhat flustered expression.

“Well, yeah. You went out of your way to bring me here, disrupting your break. In that case, let’s just relax casually.”

“Yes, please do.”

With that, Miyano sat back down, leaning closer as if she wanted to be right next to me.

Although we were initially sitting side by side, there was some distance between us. However, now there was practically no distance, and she was almost leaning on me.

I thought about saying something about it, but before verbalizing it, I decided to keep quiet and not mention anything about it.

Instead, I brought up a question as a casual chat, not a complaint.

“…You’ve changed quite a bit. Before, you had a more reserved side, but now you’re quite assertive.”

“Yes, that’s true. As I mentioned the other day… I’ve decided to stop wasting my efforts unnecessarily. By being considerate in places where I didn’t need to be, I ended up regretting it. So now, I’ve decided to be more honest with myself and do what I want. Of course, it depends on the situation and the person.”

“…Hmm. Do as you like.”

“Yes. I appreciate your understanding.”

But still, why did they… No, why did they, like me? Someone pathetic like me? Even in this situation, I’m a helpless guy, and from the female perspective, it wouldn’t be surprising if they found me irritating. At least, I don’t think I’m the kind of person who would wait for years after being presumed dead.

If I think that way, the logical conclusion would be to grow and respond to their feelings. If I could do that, I wouldn’t be struggling with these doubts.

However, at the very least, I want to say this.

“—Miyano.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Sometime… not too far off, I’ll give you a proper answer.”

“Yes, I’ll wait for that time.”

Even though I know saying ‘sometime’ is just another form of evasion, Miyano blinked in surprise at my words, then held my hand, smiling as she said, ‘Yes, I’ll wait for that time.’