Chapter 73

"Ugh, they’re bringing me down. What’s with those guys? They’re ruining our date. And they even brought up Kanaguchi’s name, ugh."

"Y-You don’t like Kanaguchi-kun, huh?"

"There’s nothing to like about him, you know."

Oh, harsh.

After the pick-up artists hurriedly left, Sayama-san pouted like this. She looked really irritated. Not only was she upset about the interruption during the date, but she was also really angry that Kanaguchi’s name came up in the conversation.

It seems that because of various things, Sayama-san really dislikes Kanaguchi-kun. It makes sense, but still, hmm.

But then, she said something that went against my expectations.

"Besides interfering with Yamagata-kun, who was trying to help us, he looks down on everyone."

"Huh, looks down?"

"Even if he tries to hide it, it’s obvious! He thinks everyone except for the explorers is incompetent and treats us like we’re stupid."

"…Really?"

I was surprised. This person has completely seen through the elitist mindset that Kanaguchi-kun tries to hide.

Originally, he has always had this kind of ideology. He seems to view explorers as chosen geniuses by the gods and sees non-explorers as inferior beings. He even looks down on explorers who are below him.

I remember being belittled by him when I was a new explorer. There were quite a few people around, and he made some dangerous remarks, but he managed to get away with it thanks to his good looks and his explorer status. It’s pretty impressive in a way.

Anyway, putting aside his good looks, this kind of ideology, where explorers are considered superior, is called something like the real human eugenics ideology. It’s a ridiculous and absurd idea that is criticized from all sides, but it has gained a certain level of support and is quite persistent.

I don’t think Kanaguchi-kun is seriously involved with such organizations, but he is definitely influenced by them. Sayama-san has seen through this perfectly.

"Especially because I have someone like Yamagata-kun, who is amazing and a great explorer, around. I think, ‘What’s he acting all high and mighty for when he’s not that great?’"

"Well, I’m not that great either…"

"Your fake modesty is not needed."

"Cut it out!?"

This is exactly what it means to cut someone off. Or is Sayama-san, perhaps, overestimating me as much as Kanae-san?

It’s better that she doesn’t start calling me a savior, but I’m scared that the image of me in her mind is becoming too far from reality. I’m afraid she might start talking about misinterpretations. Scary.

"…In videos and stuff. I’ve seen Yamagata-kun fighting."

"Huh? Oh, the exploration. You mentioned it earlier."

"He fights alone against those monsters. Even against that Rich yesterday, right? He said he was fighting to save people, and he was crying, according to Gido-san’s videos and blog."

"It’s not that I hate fighting and cry. It’s just that the person who was possessed was crying because they were so sad. They were crying, saying they wanted to die and see their family, and wanted to go home. It was really painful to see."

Stop misinterpreting? No, no, my heart wasn’t screaming in pain because of the fighting.

It was because of the pain of seeing Natsuki, who was alive but had everything trampled on, crying and begging to be killed, wanting to see her family, and wanting to go home. …It’s similar, though. In the end, I was crying. No, I definitely would cry. There’s no way I wouldn’t cry or be angry after seeing and hearing that.

So, I’m not a crybaby like Yamagata or anything. While thinking this strange self-defense, I continued to Sayama-san.

"I, well, have some things I need to do through dungeon exploration."

"Need to do? What is it?"

"I don’t know the details yet. But it seems like something only I can do. If I don’t do it, it might be bad, so I might as well do it. That’s all. It’s not a big deal."

Doing something that only I can do is kind of a given, right?

I think the truly great people are those who take on the troublesome tasks that anyone could do. Thinking, ‘If someone else is going to suffer, I’ll do it myself,’ is not something everyone can do.

Heroes, I think, are probably those kinds of people. Compared to them, I’m just doing what I have to do, so I’m just a worker.

‘Lack of self-awareness is scary. You have a new title.’

Suddenly, a voice echoed. It’s Liebe.

Titles always come at strange times. I muttered the status in my mouth and looked at the displayed one.

Name: Yamagata Masahiro, Level 102

Title: Someone Who Can Cry for Others

Skills:

Name: Walking in a Wasteland Where Even the Wind Doesn’t Blow

Name: O Soul Seeking Salvation, the Wind Comes with Light

Name: For a World Where Everyone Can Rest

Name: Wind Purification / Evil Extermination

Title: Someone Who Can Cry for Others

Explanation: You even give your tears to someone else.

Effect: Increased study efficiency in daily life.

[Confirmed the world’s first acquisition of the title ‘Someone Who Can Cry for Others’]

[Approved the first acquisition bonus. All base abilities will be raised by one level]

[...Crying for others. It’s something anyone can do, but not everyone can do it. Your tears show who you are]

...Even the system. Everyone wants to make me seem great.

At this point, I can only give a wry smile.

At the time of posting this story,

Low Fantasy Daily, Weekly, Monthly 1st, Quarterly 4th

Overall Daily 17th, Weekly 11th, Monthly 12th

Thank you for the rankings.

I appreciate your continued bookmarking and evaluations.