Chapter 43

"Welcome back~"

"Welcome home~"

After school, after finishing my studies, I came straight home without playing with my friends. I announced my return with a deflated voice, and my equally deflated mother greeted me.

When I went to the living room, my mother and my younger sister Yuzuko were watching TV. It was a rare variety show. What are they watching? Did a favorite actor get married?

Curious, I turned my eyes to the screen. There—

"Then, was that shining appearance a skill of the explorer?"

"Ah, yes... it's a skill... Shining Yamagata, you know."

"Shining Yamagata...? I've never heard of that skill. What kind of effect does it have?"

"Ah, no... that Shining was just a joke, hehe."

The interview footage from when I was interviewed by the media the other day was being broadcast!

"What are you watching? Change the channel!!"

"Huh? It's fine, it's your big moment, huh, huh, huh."

"Yeah, big bro, you look cool? Except for your words. Huh, huh."

"Don't laugh with your nose, stop it, stop it!"

Oh, I'm so embarrassed I could die! And the TV is still milking this topic, don't they have anything else to do!?

I'm in agony. If I could, I'd spit blood as a reaction.

After the video of me performing Shining Yamagata during the stampede went viral, the media, through the guild, came to interview me.

I was so excited when I got the call, thinking, "I'm going to be on TV, yay!" I even studied good camera angles and practiced giving cool responses.

But. When the time came to go to the interview!

Once I was in the room surrounded by equipment, and the interviewer, someone I recognized from TV, started asking me questions... I immediately froze with tension. All my preparation was useless, and I was left speechless, my mind a blank.

The result was the pathetic me on TV just now. If there were a hole, I'd crawl into it. No, if there were no hole, I'd dig one and bury myself. It was that unbearable.

It goes beyond what can be excused as amateur. It's a broadcasting accident, the people in the control room are smiling awkwardly. Come on, TV people, edit it out, don't show pure panic-stricken Yamagata!

"You're amazing. To broadcast this nationwide."

"My classmates all saw it. They said you were cute? The contrast with Shining Yamagata is emotional."

"What's emotional about that!!"

What's emotional about that! If it's supposed to be a cute mascot, I can understand, but no, I can't! My own strange behavior is just plain creepy!

Naturally, this interview footage was broadcast in living rooms across the country, stirring up a lot of secondhand embarrassment, and I was made fun of so much in the classroom the next day.

Especially the guys teased me a lot, and I felt like I was on fire. The girls, led by Sazanami, tried to protect me, but even that was embarrassing.

Moreover, Sazanami, while gently restraining the guys, was actually quite angry. I heard a lot of complaints later.

Apparently, she couldn't stand the idea of a life-saving hero being made fun of. Yeah... I don't know, it's touching, but it's not that serious.

I'm an explorer. My job is to traverse dungeons, which inevitably includes fighting monsters.

The social role of exploration is undoubtedly to protect people's lives from the strange phenomenon of sudden holes opening up.

In the stampede, if people are being attacked by monsters... we, the explorers, will risk our lives and do everything we can to stop it. It's our job and our mission.

So, I just did what was expected. I don't want you to worry too much. I'll continue to protect you from the dungeons, no matter what.

When I said that, it seemed to touch something in her, and she hugged me, and I was really happy.

She smelled good. She was soft. It was dangerous.

"Please take care of yourself, Yamagata...! Don't do it just because it's your job, or your mission, or anything like that!"

So, it feels like I'm being treated like a self-sacrificing hero. Am I that worrying to watch?

It's a bit complicated.

Or maybe, just maybe, Sazanami likes me?

No, no, no way. But if she does, I think it's probably just the suspension bridge effect. If a cute girl does something like that to me, I'd probably fall for it right away.

Thinking about it, I'm happy, but—look. This is it.

A little kindness from a girl, and I jump to conclusions. Am I a bit too self-conscious?

I smiled wryly at my own lack of immunity.

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