Episode 34

(Note: Special for this chapter, dialogues from the internet and TV are in 『….』. And dialogues through the telephone are in ‘….’)

The next day. 

It was a holiday. But since my parents had to work, the house was quiet. 

After the dungeon kept me busier than I’d have liked yesterday, today, I could finally enjoy a calm morning. 

Seriously. 

Was the dungeon jealous because I was making waves in Akasaki City? What a cute dungeon…

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NOT CUTE AT ALL, IDIOT!

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The morning news extensively covered the events in Akasaki City yesterday. Most of the footage showed Kiryu-san skillfully defeating the abnormal species. 

Having safely returned from my battles in the dungeon, I sat watching TV while eating the breakfast Yuna had prepared for me. The topic of discussion? Yesterday’s incident. 

Yuna didn’t seem eager to watch the news, flipping the channel. But no matter which station she turned to, it was the same story. 

『And now, of course, today’s biggest news: the battle in Akasaki City yesterday. Let’s hear more about it with former A-Rank Explorer Yonakawa-san.” 

『Thank you for having me.』 

This guy again? 

『Yonakawa-san. Regarding yesterday’s battle, what are your thoughts?』 

『Yes, I watched the battle through Kiryu-san’s livestream. I must commend his brilliant performance. He minimized damage and swiftly, decisively. And he accurately eliminated the anomalous species. Truly exemplary as an S-Rank Explorer』 

『Absolutely. And it seems Rin Kanzaki also achieved an incredible feat』 

『Indeed. Taking down two creatures simultaneously, each bearing five magic stones, singlehandedly… There are very few S-Rank Explorers in the world capable of such a feat—probably fewer than you could count on two hands.』 

The female announcer trembled with awe at Yonakawa-san’s words. 

『Until now, Japanese explorers were often considered weaker or lagging behind compared to the rest of the world. Would you say we’ve now caught up?』 

『I believe so.』 

The scene was met with cheers from the audience. However, Yonakawa-san’s next words quickly dampened the mood. 

『However—』 

With this, the studio displayed footage of me arguing with Kiryu-san. 

Yonakawa-san sighed deeply, his brows furrowing as he continued: 

『On the other hand, Haruto Amakusa…… While he did arrive at the scene, there were numerous reports of him slacking off. S-Rank Explorers are expected to act swiftly and with a high sense of responsibility. His behavior only serves to make the public uneasy』 

The studio atmosphere froze as if ice-cold. 

One of the comedians present jumped on the bandwagon. 

『I looked into him myself, and his conduct is clearly problematic. As an S-Rank Explorer, he’s supposed to represent the country. Yet, he hides out in local dungeon pretending to be active』 

『Exactly. Even his abilities are questionable. He might’ve been chosen for his mana reserves alone, but that’s not enough. His actions inconvenience other S-Rank Explorers.』 

The audience erupted in applause, agreeing enthusiastically. 

A sharp pain stabbed at my chest. And then— 

“These jerks!!!” 

Yuna lunged at the television. 

“Wait, wait, wait!” 

I hurried to stop her before she smashed the TV. 

『As expected, Amakusa’s just a lazy bum. He was late yesterday and didn’t do anything useful!』 

『Seriously, I can’t believe he’s S-rank. Even I could stand around doing nothing!』 

The comedian’s mocking remarks drew laughter from the studio, while Yuna boiled with rage. 

“Argh! That’s why you should’ve streamed the fight too! And Kiryu—he made sure his hair was perfect and even drove there leisurely, despite being able to fly himself!” 

She called me without any honorifics and used my first name. 

“Haruto! You can’t just leave the magic stones behind!” 

“I don’t have telekinesis, okay? Carrying those things just makes my load heavier!” 

Unlike Kiryu-san or Kanzaki, who could make the black magic stones float effortlessly, I didn’t have that ability. 

“But if you don’t show off like Kiryu does, no one’s going to notice what you’ve done! Are you okay with letting them say whatever they want about you?!” 

“………Well, yeah, it’s frustrating.” 

“Right!? It frustrates me too! I hate seeing my dear stepbrother misunderstood like this.” 

“…Sorry.” 

It wouldn’t be so bad if it were just about me. But the people around me were getting dragged into it too. 

“Haruto, you should really do something. The internet’s been tearing into you! There were some people defending you, though. And a few others followed their lead. So it’s not like *everyone* is against you.” 

“Is that….. right? That makes me curious, though.” 

“Don’t look. It’s hard enough for me to see, and I’m not even you.” 

“………..Yeah, I can pretty much imagine it.” 

They think it’s fine to say whatever they want about me. I’m basically the S-rank punching bag. 

“Haruto, you’re just unlucky—or maybe it’s more like your timing’s always off. Either way, your luck is awful!” 

“…Yeah, I’m aware.” 

“Why do you always manage to get misunderstood in the worst possible way? I feel like there were definitely ways you could’ve handled things better.” 

“…I can’t argue with that.” 

The fight I had with Kiryu-san at the end seemed to have made things especially bad. 

Because of that, the backlash was harsher than I could’ve ever imagined. 

I just hope it doesn’t cause trouble for Mom or my stepdad. 

While I was lost in thought, my phone started buzzing. 

I figured it was probably Miyoshi-san again. But when I checked, it was Kanzaki. 

We’d exchanged contact information once as S-Rank Explorers. But since we hadn’t spoken since, I’d forgotten all about it. Kanzaki must’ve used the number she got back then to call me. 

What’s this about? 

“Miyoshi-san?” 

“No, it’s Kanzaki.” 

“Kanzaki….. The one who stole your credit?” 

“…Yeah, pretty much.” 

I didn’t think Kanzaki cared much about being an explorer. So it was hard to say whether she actually stole the spotlight. I was curious why she was calling, though. And I was also a little worried about how she was doing after everything. So I answered. 

“Hello?” 

‘W-Wah… uh… Is this Amakusa’s number?’ 

Her voice sounded completely flustered.