Chapter 54

The next day after school, I immediately made my way to the junior high school my sister attends. To be honest, it’s my alma mater, Kuritsu Junior High School.

It had only been about a month since I graduated, and I never thought I’d be back here.

I was even surrounded by teachers who had taken care of me back then and junior students I knew, who were surprised or teased me about the interview and Shining Yamagata. Everyone was looking at that kind of thing!

By this point, I was secretly already thinking about going home.

However, I came here today for no other reason than to talk to Aizaka, a classmate of Yuzuko’s. I’ll endure a bit of embarrassment.

Just as I was thinking about this, my sister appeared. She had brought another girl in the same school uniform. She must be Aizaka.

She had long, straight black hair, a demure yet sharp look, and slightly upturned eyes. She was looking at me with a suspicious expression, as if she were wary of something.

Huh? Did I do something wrong?

I was surprised by her unexpected coldness. With wide eyes, I tried to cover it up with a forced smile as Yuzuko spoke to me.

"O-Oh, sorry for the wait. This is Aizaka-san, who I talked about yesterday."

"......Nice to meet you."

"Y-Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Yamagata Kosei, Yuzuko's brother."

I tried to greet her with a cheerful smile, even a bit of a silly one, hoping that my smile would ease the tension. But Aizaka-san glanced at me coldly, looked around, and asked,

"Is Mido Kanae not here? Did you come alone?"

What is she saying? Scary... What is this girl, trying to start a fight right away...

Yuzuko's eyes widened. My sister, in fact, hates it when family or friends are rude. She would even snap at anyone without hesitation.

"Aizaka-san, what's with that attitude? You said you wanted to meet my brother. Did you assume I would bring Mido-san? Who do you think you are?"

"......I apologize. However, I thought your brother and Mido-san were close, so I assumed it would be fine to bring her."

"Who gets to decide that? Not you, but my brother and, more importantly, Mido-san herself. Don't be so presumptuous after asking for help."

"......I'm leaving."

Aizaka-san, having been thoroughly defeated, turned to leave. I was angry, but she was right, and I couldn't say anything in return. She looked like she was grinding her teeth in frustration as she left.

Hmm. Well, I might as well say what I have to say.

I instantly used my physical abilities to stand in front of Aizaka-san, who was facing the other way. To Yuzuko and Aizaka-san, it probably looked like I teleported.

"What!?"

"O-Onii-chan!?"

"Hey there."

This playful attempt to break the frozen atmosphere didn't work at all...

Regardless, I tried to be playful and smiled at Aizaka-san.

"What? I apologize for my rude attitude, but if Mido-san isn't here—"

"True, I'm alone today, but I can still listen to what you have to say. I am older, after all. And as an explorer, I'm probably at a higher level than you."

"......Are you provoking me?"

I said this as a bit of a comeback, and this girl reacted in a way that was almost comically dramatic.

Even though she's prone to getting angry at this age, isn't her boiling point a bit too low? Is she a quick-boil kettle?

Her face turned red with anger, and she sneered at me.

"I know you've only been an explorer for about a month. Even with guidance from a top A-rank explorer, there's no way you can beat me, who has been exploring for a year."

"Here's my explorer's license."

"Wh-What... Level 72!?"

Aizaka-san's eyes widened in shock at the high level on my explorer's license.

Well, of course. For a new explorer to reach level 72 in just a month—according to Mido-san, I've already surpassed E-rank and even D-rank, reaching a level that's considered low in C-rank explorers—no one would have expected that.

I know it's a bit childish, but it seems she really judges people by numbers and evaluations. I thought showing her actual proof was necessary to move forward, so I'm not really at fault. Probably.

Even though Yuzuko didn't understand what was going on, she seemed to realize from Aizaka-san's reaction that I was exceptionally strong and was taken aback. My sister?

Regaining my composure, I continued.

"So, that's the situation. I'll say it again: I can listen to what you have to say, and if it's really urgent, I can consult Mido-san."

"Who... are you?"

"Yamagata Kosei. I'm Yuzuko's brother, a first-year student at To Quartz High School, and an E-rank explorer. And most importantly—"

"......Most importantly?"

Most importantly. Most importantly. Is there anything? Hmm.

"Most importantly, um, well, um... Never mind. That's all."

"What is that...?"

I tried to say something cool but failed. Embarrassing.

Despite my embarrassment, Aizaka-san seemed to laugh a bit, though she was still in a daze.

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