Chapter 22

After passing through the forest, we returned to the town of Nolitch.

As we felt relieved to be back,

"Ah! Big Brother Shiro!"

What a surprise.

There was Aina waiting at the entrance of the town.

When Aina spotted me, she stood up from the log she was sitting on.

She ran over with a patter of footsteps and stopped right in front of me.

Then she looked up at me,

"Welcome back, Big Brother Shiro."

"Thanks, Aina."

"..."

Aina smiled and grabbed my hand.

It seems she wanted to hold hands.

"Hey, is that the kid's daughter?"

Liar looked at us holding hands and asked.

Behind her, Kiki was dramatically collapsing, saying, "He called me 'cute' but now he has a kid!"

"Hey, hey. Aina will be confused."

"No, no, she's not my daughter. This is Aina. She helps out at our shop."

"Oh, I see. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

Liar squatted down to be at eye level with Aina.

"I'm the adventurer Liar. I think we'll be relying on your shop a lot, so take care of us, little lady."

"Um... Ah! I-I'll be waiting for you!"

"Haha! You're still small, but you're a fine employee. Take good care of her, okay?"

"Of course."

"Alright. We'll report to the mayor. You two can head back to the shop."

"Huh? I'll go with you to see Karen."

"It's fine, really. You must be tired from all the new experiences. Leave the report to us and take a good rest."

"If that's the case... Alright. Please tell Karen I said hello."

"Sure! I'll let her know how well you did."

Liar said this and walked off with his companions towards the town hall.

I couldn't help but notice Liar's sly smile as he left.

◇◆◇◆◇

After parting ways with the four members of 'Blue Flash,' I returned to the shop with Aina.

"Phew. Being an adventurer is tough."

"Good job, Big Brother Shiro."

"Thanks."

I sat down on a chair behind the counter and took a breather.

I still had the materials from the Murder Grizzly in my spatial storage.

According to Liar, items in spatial storage don't age, so they won't rot even if left in there.

That's pretty convenient, isn't it?

So, 'Blue Flash' decided to stay in Nolitch for a while longer since they didn't need to rush to sell the materials.

They even offered to take me with them when they do sell the materials, as it would be good for market research.

"Big Brother Shiro, how was pretending to be an adventurer?"

"Hmm, it was quite an experience. Do you want to hear about it?"

"Yep! I want to hear!"

"Alright. I'll tell you. We were in the forest—"

I exaggerated the events in the forest and told Aina a funny and exciting story.

I really went all out with the exaggerations.

"And then Nessa—"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

"Then suddenly—"

"And then what?"

Aina listened intently, her face changing with each part of the story.

"—So, it was a pretty intense two days."

"Phew! I thought Aina would be overwhelmed. Beating a Murder Grizzly, Big Brother Shiro is so cool!"

"No, no, it was the 'Blue Flash' who defeated it. I just provided a bit of support."

"Ah? If Big Brother Shiro wasn't there, we would have been wiped out, I think."

"Haha. Maybe. I was really worried when the big bear appeared, but we managed to return safely. And we found out what adventurers might want... Yeah, it was good to have the adventurer experience."

"That's great, Big Brother Shiro."

Aina smiled, and I nodded back with a smile.

"Yep."

We had five more days until the inspector arrived.

It's not much time, but I should be able to get everything ready with the help of the home center and online shops.

"Since that's settled, I'll go home for a bit—"

Just as I was about to stand up and head back to grandma's house,

Knock knock knock! Knock knock knock!

Someone was knocking on the door urgently.

"Shiro! It's me, Karen! Are you there?"

It was Karen, and she seemed quite flustered.

I wonder what's going on?

I unlocked the door and opened it.

"What's the matter, Karen—umph!"

As soon as I opened the door, Karen hugged me tightly.

"Shiro, are you okay!? I heard you encountered a Murder Grizzly in the forest. Are you hurt? Any injuries? Are you alright?"

Karen asked, worried.

Ah, I see.

Someone from 'Blue Flash' must have told her about the encounter with the Murder Grizzly.

She must have rushed over out of concern.

Even though I was the one who wanted the adventurer experience, Karen probably feels responsible for it.

She really is a responsible person.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!! Did you get hurt?!"

Karen asked, almost in tears.

She was so flustered, it was hard to imagine her usual cool demeanor.

But, I was being hugged so tightly by Karen that I couldn't speak.

My face was buried in her chest, and I could only make "muffled" sounds.

"Hmm, what's wrong? Can't you speak? Did you—get your throat crushed!? Wait, I'll take you to the pharmacist right away!"

The one crushing my throat is you.

This is getting dangerous.

Specifically, I can't breathe.

"Mayor, Big Brother Shiro can't breathe."

"Huh? Aina, you're here too?"

Aina's presence distracted Karen, and the grip loosened slightly.

Now's my chance!

I grabbed Karen's shoulders and managed to pull my face out of her chest.

I survived the near-death experience.

"Phew. ...Finally, I can breathe."

"Good. You can speak, Shiro."

Karen looked relieved.

"Don't worry. My throat isn't crushed, and I'm not hurt at all. The 'Blue Flash' members protected me."

"But the leader of 'Blue Flash' told me you led the charge against the Murder Grizzly."

...

Liar, what did you tell Karen?

Sure, I used the bear repellent spray... but, did that count as fighting by adventurer standards?

From the look on Karen's face, it seems the story was exaggerated.

"I didn't really fight. I just used an item that worked on the Murder Grizzly to support 'Blue Flash.'"

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I just used the item from a distance and didn't engage in direct combat."

"..."

Karen suddenly slumped to the floor.

She must have been relieved.

"The leader of 'Blue Flash' told me you fought the Murder Grizzly alone. The Murder Grizzly is a terrifying monster. Even experienced adventurers find it difficult to defeat it without injury. I thought you—"

It seems the story was indeed exaggerated.

It wasn't just me who exaggerated the story.

"I'm sorry for worrying you."

"No, I'm the one who jumped to conclusions. But more importantly—"

Karen, still slumped on the floor, extended her right hand.

"It seems my legs have given out. Can you help me up?"

I took Karen's hand and helped her up.

Her legs were still weak, so I had to support her for a while.