Chapter 9

About 10 minutes after making the call, a bright red sports car pulled up in front of me, where I was waiting at the gate of Tou Quartz High School.

The owner of this flashy and energetic car was Mr. Gotou, who, as always, got out of the car looking cool in a suit.

"Hello, Kosei-kun. Your school uniform is dazzling. May I take a photo with you for my SNS profile picture? I want to hint at something."

"Hello, Mr. Gotou. I'm sorry for the sudden call. I don't mind taking a photo, but I think it might cause a scandal, so please don't do that kind of thing."

Mr. Gotou, a top-tier beauty and popular explorer on SNS, is often called "The Most Beautiful Explorer," a title that has been overused to the point of losing credibility.

If someone like him were to hint at something with a minor in a school uniform, my life would be over the next day, with my home, school, and everything else being identified.

People around us, regardless of gender, were looking at the scene curiously, where a beautiful woman had come out of a flashy sports car and was being friendly with a male student who had just let out a strange cry.

There were not a few classmates among them. I didn't want to stand out like this... I need to think about how to explain this from tomorrow.

Anyway, I need to go to the union headquarters and talk about the existence of System with Mr. Hasegawa. Just as I was about to get in the car and tell Mr. Gotou, Sekiguchi-kun came from the direction of the gate and looked at me and Mr. Gotou suspiciously.

"Kasumi-san... and, uh? Is it Yamamoto?"

"It's Yamagata. Do you know Mr. Gotou, Sekiguchi-kun?"

"We have a relationship as explorers. We're quite close."

He interjected, saying this. I can tell you're close just from the way you address each other. There's no need to be so defensive.

Besides, Mr. Gotou is scary... If you were younger, would you really not care? Please don't go as far as elementary school or kindergarten. If it comes to that, I'll have to be prepared for a scandal and report you.

"I only took care of him a little when he was new. It doesn't compare to my bond with Kosei-kun."

"You're not in a socially inappropriate relationship, right?"

"As a man, explorer, and human, I have no particular interest in him."

"What... Kasumi-san!?"

"Ouch! Scary..."

Sensing my shock, Mr. Gotou spoke a bit faster, but her words were so harsh to Sekiguchi-kun that I was even more shocked.

This person is really scary... Sekiguchi-kun glared at me. It seems he has a crush on Mr. Gotou and is taking out his frustration on me for suddenly appearing and being treated harshly by her.

It's not my fault, Mr. Gotou!

"Yamahara is in my class, but he's not much of a man. Hey, Yamagata, I don't know how you got close to Kasumi-san, but it's beyond your station."

"It's Yamagata."

"I'm saying it's not worth remembering your name. Both Kasumi-san and I are explorers. You're not even supposed to be in the same space as us, Yamada."

"It's Yamagata. Besides, that's elitist thinking. Scary..."

Sekiguchi-kun is quite twisted. Explorers are a kind of privileged class, so this kind of thinking does exist.

Judging from this, he must have been pampered a lot. Being a handsome explorer is great. I'm an explorer too, but I've never been pampered, even by my family. I'm not even worried about.

"That's a terrible ideology, Sekiguchi. And Kosei-kun is an explorer. Didn't you know?"

"Huh? He didn't mention it in his self-introduction. He must have been too embarrassed to say it, being a new explorer with no experience compared to me. It's a common story among the bottom feeders."

"...People like you lower the dignity of explorers."

Ignoring my growing frustration, Mr. Gotou now confronted Sekiguchi-kun. Moreover, she hit the nail on the head about why I didn't mention being an explorer, and I felt like I was about to collapse.

The people around us were surprised to learn I was an explorer, but they were also looking at me and Sekiguchi-kun with pity. Stop it, stop it, stop comparing us from an objective point of view!

Then, Sekiguchi-kun showed me his card, the explorer's certification.

With the existence of staff with the skill "Appraisal," the card can also display the explorer's title and skills at their discretion. In other words, it's a perfect profile for those who like to show off.

So, I took a look at Sekiguchi-kun's card.

Name: Sekiguchi Hisashi, Level 28, D-Class

Title: Shield Breaker

Skills:

Name: Hero

Name: Swordsmanship

Name: Presence Perception

Name: Hunter

"Do you understand my strength? This is the power of a talented explorer."

"Strong..."

Man, I'm so jealous. What's with "Shield Breaker"? What's with "Hero"? And the level is so high!

This is like a protagonist... except for the bad personality. I'd become a cocky person too if I had these skills. I have that much confidence.

"You probably only have useless skills, right? Don't loiter around Kasumi-san and get in the way. If you're a bottom feeder, act like one and play with the masses."

"Sekiguchi, go away. Kosei-kun, let's go. I don't want you to see such a disgraceful explorer."

Sekiguchi-kun, mocking, and Mr. Gotou, furious.

Caught between the two, I couldn't help but yearn for being a "normal explorer."

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