Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man? - Volume 5 Chapter 74 First win and first loss

“——With this, it should quiet down for a while.”

After embarrassingly speaking about myself in front of students for some reason of fate, I had quietly come to the school training room with Miyano and others, whom I had been keeping an eye on.

It’s not like I came here because Miyano and the others were here. Originally, I had planned to come here.

So, why am I here? To be honest, there isn’t a specific reason. Just somehow, if I had to say, it might be to resolve lingering feelings.

Three years ago, such things happened, and in the end, I couldn’t witness Miyano and the others graduate, leaving me with some lingering regrets. So, I was a bit curious about how Miyano and the others graduated.

Even though visiting the school now won’t give me a glimpse of how things were back then, well, if I have to say, it’s just self-satisfaction.

But still, there’s a sense of lateness. The graduation of these guys doesn’t evoke any particular thoughts.

However… it does feel nostalgic. After all, this is the place where I officially joined them as a team.

“But still, the school feels nostalgic.”

“Even though it’s only been three years.”

“Three years is enough time.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Besides, even though it’s three years, the last year had a lot going on, and especially in times like now, with everything being normal, it feels nostalgic, doesn’t it?”

… Miyano and the others are chatting casually as they follow behind me.

Well, since we’re here, it should be fine. In a way, there might not be a more appropriate place than this.

With that thought in mind, I take a deep breath and turn to face Miyano and the others.

Honestly, I didn’t intend to talk here. But, it’s a good opportunity. Now that I’ve given a lecture and my mind is somewhat distracted, I can clearly express what needs to be said.

Ideally, I should talk to each one individually, but that felt problematic in its own way. So, I decided to address all four of them at once.

“——I have something to tell you guys.”

Just saying that to Miyano and the others makes my legs tremble. It’s quite pathetic. There shouldn’t be a need to hesitate when there’s no need to risk our lives for something like this.

But for some reason… it’s scarier than facing an irregularity.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Why are you making it sound so formal?”

“A confession of love? I’m okay with that anytime.”

“Um, Haruka-chan, maybe you should read the atmosphere a bit more…”

They’ve probably noticed that something is off with my attitude, but it seems they don’t understand the reason. No, maybe they do. Miyano is showing signs of nervousness, and Abe is being straightforward.

“No, Abe is right.”

That’s right. Abe’s words are not wrong. I didn’t plan to do this today, but the content of what I’m about to say is exactly like a confession.

“….Huh?”

“What does that mean?”

Although they should have understood my words, each of the four is showing bewildered or surprised expressions.

“Date——no, marry me.”

I pause the words I was about to say and express my feelings “to the four of them.”

“…Npe?”

What was that…? Who was that? What’s with that strange noise? It sounded like Miyano, but she wouldn’t make such a silly sound.

But let’s put that aside and move on. If we’ve come this far, it’s not easy… no, it’s not easy, but there’s no choice but to move forward. I said it myself in the lecture to the students earlier. Take a step forward. Once you take that step, there’s nothing to be afraid of, just keep moving forward.

I’ve started the conversation. Now, all that’s left is to honestly speak about my feelings. It might not be well-organized, and I might find it embarrassing later when I reflect on it calmly. But for now, all I can do is talk.

“Well, you know, it’s like this. Honestly, I think this situation is quite something. Or rather, proposing to all four at once is a ridiculous story, I get that. But… I couldn’t choose just one.”

Again, what a pathetic statement. Even when speaking about my inner feelings, I must have thought about the content multiple times. Why can’t I express my words so clearly?

The content I’m expressing is not just pathetic, it’s probably ridiculous. What’s the matter with not being able to choose?

“Choosing someone would cause friction. So, I thought about not choosing anyone, but that would trample on your feelings. It might not be my place to say, considering I’ve wasted your time until now, but… I didn’t want that. So, I thought it might be better if all four of you, even though I’m indecisive, accepted it…”

I thought a lot about going on dates with these four, but at that time, I didn’t think it through to the end. I just closed the gap a little and left it at that. I had this hope that by gradually changing, our relationship would become just right for all of us someday.

But when is that “someday”?

A little later, Kei clearly scolded me and gave me a push, making me realize that I had to advance the relationship with these four. And the result of my contemplation is this.

Accepting one would hurt the others. It would cast a shadow on our future activities together.

So, should I reject all four? That would be problematic too. At least, I wouldn’t be able to continue working with them. Plus, rejecting them… I didn’t want that.

Therefore, I decided to accept all four.

I understand, even that is quite a terrible answer.

“I find this situation pathetic. I understand your feelings, and I know there have been countless appeals. Despite making excuses like it’s from the past or due to age, I’ve wasted your time until now, and I’m still aware of my own dependence.”

I said these things because I believed that these guys would listen and accept me. Even now, still depending on others… Why am I so pathetic?

But even so, once I’ve started, I will see it through to the end.

I’ve long since embraced shame. It’s not just ordinary shame; it’s a colossal embarrassment in my life.

So, there’s no need to worry about being embarrassing or pathetic at this point. After all, it’s already evident that I am pathetic.

“So… um… yeah… I thought I’d start by telling you my thoughts because, well, if you guys find it unbearable and want to distance yourselves, I’m okay with that. Legally, it’s impossible for all four of us, and it might end up as something like a common-law marriage. But still, if you’re okay with it… well, let’s get married… that’s what I thought, but…”

I managed to say what I needed to say somehow till the end, but once again, I hesitated at the final moment. Creating such an ambiguous situation and even averting my gaze… I really am hopeless. Nevertheless, I was able to say it. Now, it’s up to these guys to decide how they feel about it.

“Igami-san.”

“What the—!?”

When Miyano called my name, I exhaled softly and turned to look at her. A fist was approaching my face.

I instinctively threw myself backward to avoid it, but due to the suddenness, it grazed my shoulder.

However, I managed to avoid it.

What was she thinking, throwing a punch out of nowhere? I was about to ask her when I turned my face towards Miyano.

But this time, my words were stopped not by a fist but by her lips.

“…With this, everything is resolved. I thought Igami-san, being a kind and earnest person, would probably continue to worry even if we all said it was okay, and it might take more time to get an answer. In the worst case, we might all end up rejected or something.”

After parting her lips, Miyano took a step back from me and started talking. However, due to the recent unexpected action, I couldn’t quite grasp the content.

Understanding that, Miyano gently grabbed my cheeks with both hands, looked straight into my eyes, and continued speaking.

“However, I don’t want that. If I get rejected because there’s someone else you like, I can accept that. But getting rejected when considering our relationship with all four of us and our future interactions, I can’t accept that.”

I can’t take my eyes off her. It’s not because of any issue with distance or being physically restrained. I just got pulled into Miyano’s gaze, staring straight at me.

So, even though I should have been able to avoid the next move, even though I should have known what she was going to do, I couldn’t avoid it.

“So, this… these words were really heartwarming,” she said, smiling with genuine joy from the bottom of her heart. Then she brought her face close again and kissed me.

“But, even though you said it out loud, you’re still troubled, right? That’s why I took the initiative. It was my first time doing this, you know? By doing this, even if you were pondering and hesitating about everything, you’ll take responsibility, right? Igami-san is kind and earnest. If taking responsibility is the only option, there’s no need to unnecessarily worry.”

Certainly, I would have been troubled with just words. Despite confessing, I would have continued to worry about whether this was okay, and in the end, I would have continued to fret until it became irreversible.

Therefore, Miyano’s decision to demonstrate her thoughts through action was not wrong, I think. In reality, being kissed by Miyano made me realize that there was no turning back from this situation. It reaffirmed my determination.

Deciding on resolve after things have happened is as late as it gets. But even so, I’ll stop relying on others. Otherwise, it would be too disrespectful to these guys.

“Koosuke, look this way for a moment.”

While I was feeling determined, Asada called me, and as I turned towards her…

“Huh? Wha—”

Similar to Miyano, Asada unexpectedly hugged me and, unable to avoid it, we ended up kissing.

“W-well, in this case, you have to take responsibility too!”

“You just forced yourself onto me…”

“But you’ll accept it, right?”

For her to force herself onto me and then demand responsibility, what a cheeky way to go about it. But, honestly, I have no intention of refusing at this point.

“Yeah. I kept you waiting the longest. My bad.”

As for this matter, Asada was the one who had been inconvenienced the most. After all, despite making overt appeals, I had even shouted back at her once.

Despite that, she made bold declarations and surprisingly hadn’t given up on me until now.

“For the first time, we won, right?”

Won… well, I guess this is also a victory. Whether in terms of romance or the back-and-forth earlier, it’s still my loss.

“Yeah. I lost. Or rather, is it your persistence that won?”

Honestly… it’s absurd to continue yearning for someone you thought was dead for so many years. To keep thinking about it for so long, it’s downright foolish.

“But, you know, who would’ve thought I’d end up in this kind of relationship with a former student? You guys have really grown up.”

Indeed, I never thought this kind of relationship would happen back then. I thought that if I kept refusing, eventually they would give up, and even if we did end up dating, I expected it to be with just one person. But here we are, not with just one person, but all four, and not to mention, skipping straight to a proposal without even going through the dating phase. It’s unexpectedly beyond my imagination.

“Don’t treat me like a child.”

Asada complains with a smirk, but even if they say I’ve become younger, they are still younger than me.

“But I’m still older. About three or four years, though.”

“In that case, if we make you take the rejuvenation potion one more time, we’ll be the older sisters, right?”

“Again… if I become ten years younger once more, it might become a legal issue, but in the opposite direction.”

Miyano might be able to prepare the potion again, but in that case, with the appearance I’d have, these guys would be the ones getting caught.

“If it’s ten years from now… around junior high school, maybe?”

“Give him another dose and he’ll turn into Hikaru Genji?”

“But even if the memories remain, doing it like Hikaru Genji might be impossible, right?”

“Besides, I really don’t want to start over from being a toddler.”

I wouldn’t want to start over from being a toddler, especially with retained memories. Even if I were to lose my memories, I would still decline.

“Igami-sa——”

“……?”

Miyano was about to call me, but she stopped mid-sentence, looking contemplative. After about ten seconds, during which she furrowed her brows, smiled, blushed, and made various expressions, she turned back towards me, opened her mouth again, and said,

“…Koosuke-san, please take care of us from now on too.”

Author’s Note:

Thank you very much for reading this far.

This time, there were requests for feedback, and with the intention of promoting the book version, I wrote a sequel to a completed story. I hope it turned out well.

This will finally be the end of this story, but I hope you enjoyed it.

Please also check out the book version of ‘Raising the Heroic Girl!’ Thank you!