Chapter 53

"About a classmate of mine named Aisaka Misaki... She apparently awakened to her skills about a year ago. She said she’s going to take the E-Class Explorer upgrade exam next time."

"So, she’s F-Class. And?"

The consultation from my little sister, Yuzuko, was quite unexpected. After all, her classmate turned out to be an explorer.

With this, there will be three of us—me, Sekiguchi-kun, and Aisaka-san—student explorers in this area. Considering that out of the 10,000 explorers in the country, students are a minority, the world sure is small.

So, what’s the problem with Aisaka-san?

When I asked, Yuzuko, looking somewhat perplexed, began to speak hesitantly.

"Um... She asked me to see if, through you, we could meet A-Class top-ranked Mido Kanae-san."

"...Mido-san? Why through me?"

"I heard that Mido-san has recently become infatuated with a high school boy and is really into him. And that boy is you. Is it true?"

"O-oh... Well, not too far off, I guess..."

It’s become a rumor. Scary... but of course it would. It’s bound to happen.

Mido Kanae is so well-known even among non-explorers that when asked about famous Japanese explorers, she’s often mentioned. Because S-Class explorers don’t get much media exposure, Kanae, who actively uses social media, stands out. Of course, many other explorers are also involved in streaming, but Kanae is still the most popular.

Such a famous person is deeply infatuated with a minor and teaching him various things. I’m too scared to see the online reactions, but I’m sure they’re saying all sorts of things.

It’s starting to feel like she might be attacked by her fans. I’m getting chills, and Yuzuko, sensing that the rumors are true, is pulling back in shock.

"Brother... Are you, um, okay? Has anyone played a weird prank on you?"

"Why do you assume I’m the one being pranked...?"

"Because you’re so vulnerable and easy to manipulate. A beautiful woman like Mido-san could probably win you over just by showing a bit of cleavage."

"That’s harsh."

Sister, what do you think of me? Am I a child who would follow a stranger for a piece of candy? But I do admit I’m pretty easy to manipulate, so yeah, it’s tough.

Let’s get back to the topic. Regardless of my relationship with Kanae, the issue at hand is Aisaka-san. I understand that she wants to meet Kanae through me, but what exactly does she want to do?

To be honest, I’m not really interested in competing for her attention at this point.

Using my sister to get me to introduce her to Kanae is a bit too convenient. I don’t want to cause any trouble for that person.

"Apparently, Aisaka-san’s abilities as an explorer are not suited for solo combat. She’s more of a supporter."

"Supporters aren’t rare, but... not suited for solo combat?"

"Yeah. All her skills are for helping and supporting other explorers. Because she’s a klutz, it’s hard for her to get combat skills."

"Really?"

"There’s a path to become an office worker, but she wants to continue dungeon exploration somehow."

This is quite an unusual case. I couldn’t help but forget my doubts about Aisaka-san and be surprised.

An explorer who doesn’t have any combat skills and is a klutz, yet has a strong passion for dungeon exploration?

Normally, someone like this would be immediately assigned to an office job after the new recruit training. Even if we set aside the fact that her skills are supportive, being a klutz to the point where she can’t acquire combat skills is frankly fatal. I would imagine such an explorer would be happy to take an office job. For her to have such a strong passion for dungeon exploration, there must be some compelling reason.

I’m starting to get curious. Regardless of introducing her to Kanae, I’d like to meet her and hear her story. Actually, such an explorer might be exactly the kind of person I’ve been looking for—useless in combat but highly capable as a supporter.

"Even if you say that, she’s F-Class, right? It’s not good to have too high expectations. You know, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Leibe is trying to temper my expectations, but I can’t help but be excited. This is something I never thought was possible, so it’s okay to be a little excited, right?

"Alright, Yuzuko. First, I’ll talk to Aisaka-san. We can decide whether to talk to Kanae after that."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks, brother... Kanae? Huh, Kanae? Mido, huh?"

Ignoring my flustered sister, I was starting to get excited about the possibility of meeting a new talent.

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