I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 39

Episode 39

“…Kanzaki, right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Hearing her voice confirmed it, so I opened the door. She was in her school uniform, standing straight. It was as if she had just come back from school. 

Once I let her in, she removed her disguise, revealing a smile.

“By the way… are you okay after the injury the other day?”

“Yeah… Thanks for that. Also, I’m sorry for all the misunderstandings… I never meant for things to get this way…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just come on in.”

“…Okay… Thank you for letting me in…”

Kanzaki seemed a little nervous. ……Well, I guess it’s natural to be cautious when entering a guy’s room.

As I was thinking this, Yuna, who had been in the kitchen, popped her head out. Kanzaki flinched and jerked her shoulder up in surprise.

“…W-What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is this… a threesome?”

“What are you misunderstanding!?”

Kanzaki was blushing and spinning her eyes in confusion. She was saying something ridiculous.

“…..Stepbrother? Kanzaki-san has come over, huh?”

Yuna said that deliberately, likely trying to quickly convey the nature of our relationship with just a few words. She’s a genius.

“…..Onii-chan?”

“That’s right. This is my stepsister, Yuna.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m looking forward to getting along.”

Yuna looked at her with great suspicion. Kanzaki then realized something and quickly bowed politely.

“…I’m Rin Kanzaki. I’ve gotten pretty close with your brother.”

I don’t really remember getting close to her, though.

“…Yeah, I’ve heard about it.”

“R-Really? About our relationship?”

“There’s nothing like that!”

“Well… not right now, at least…”

“…. Stepbrother? Aren’t you and Kanzaki-san just a fellow S-Rank Explorer?”

Yuna’s gaze was sharp. Kanzaki smiled and answered with a smile.

“Not at all. Just call me Rin from now on, Yuna.”

“Don’t try to get closer to him!”

Yuna shouted in a flustered way. At least it seemed like the two of them could get along.

“By the way, Kanzaki—”

“…Call me Rin. I’ll call you Haruto from now on.”

“…Really? Well, Rin, then.”

“…Y-Yeah… Haruto… Hehe, what?”

“So, Rin, you came to talk about SNS and channel creation, right?”

“Yeah… I’ve been wanting to do some things, but I don’t really understand how to create channels or SNS accounts. I did create an SNS account, though.”

“I’m not too familiar with that either…….. Yuna, do you know how?”

I asked Yuna, who then looked at me with a deadpan stare.

“Are you two modern people? Haven’t you been messing around with smartphones since you were kids?”

“I was busy with explorer training, so I didn’t have time for that. After middle school, I was always in dungeons.”

“Same here. I was always in dungeons, so I didn’t really get into that stuff either.”

Huh? Kanzaki and I exchanged looks. Although I do use my smartphone now and then, I made my account ages ago.

Besides, even if you mention making a channel for streaming, I have no idea where to start.

“Yeah… Sorry. Don’t show me your sad past. ……I’ll teach you.”

“Thanks, Yuna. I’m so happy to have such a kind sister-in-law.”

“Don’t go trying to become my sister-in-law without any permission!”

“…It’s kind of nice to be called that.”

“No! What I just said isn’t an admission or anything like that!“

Despite the bickering, the two of them were getting along well.

As I was thinking about this, the doorbell rang again.

When I went to answer, Kirishima-san and… a woman in a white coat I didn’t recognize were there.

The woman in the white coat was rubbing her eyes, looking a bit sleepy. She was tall and very beautiful.

When I opened the door, Kirishima-san smiled.

“Ah, Amakusa-san, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while. Is this Saotome-san?”

“Yes, this is Saotome. She’s the one I asked to investigate the dungeon and the magic stones.”

Kirishima-san introduced Saotome-san, who smiled brightly.

“Nice to meet you. Oh, those magic stones and materials are really fascinating. We still can’t say anything definitive, but there’s some unknown energy. And the research isn’t complete yet. Still, it’s really intriguing.”

“……Unknown energy?”

“Yes. Sorry we can’t announce anything yet. We’re not able to speculate, and it’s a bit of a tough situation. But I heard you’re going through some difficult times, so I came here to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Saotome-san puffed out her chest and smiled. …Given the situation, I’m just grateful that she’s willing to cooperate.

“For now… shall we go inside and discuss the details?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Oh! I smell curry! I love curry!”

“Is that so?”

“I especially love katsu curry.”

I might not be able to get along with this person!

Anyway, as I led Kirishima-san and Saotome-san into the room, Kirishima-san shot Saotome-san a sharp glare.

“…Saotome-senpai. Please don’t try to mooch off their dinner.”

“Eh, it’s fine, isn’t it? …..Is it not? I came all the way here and I’m starving.”

“It’s fine. Rin and… my stepsister will be here, so I originally told her to make plenty.”

“Rin…….. Who is that?”

“That would be Rin Kanzaki. She’s an S-Rank Explorer.”

“…S-She’s here?”

“Yeah, well.”

Nodding at the surprised expression on Kirishima-san’s face, I led them into the room.

In the living room, Yuna and Rin were happily looking at their phones.

“…I see, so this is for streaming?”

“Yeah, but it’ll take some time before you can start streaming after registering. For now, we’ve finished the registration part.”

“Thanks.”

“…Well, you don’t need to thank me for this much. Also, you should contact the platform to verify that the account is really Rin Kanzaki’s, okay? You can apply through here.”

“…Got it.”

“At that point, you’ll need to submit proof… Do you have anything?”

“I have a driver’s license.”

“Now that I think about it, S-Rank Explorers are allowed to carry whatever they need for their missions, right…”

“I’ve hardly ever driven, though… It’s easier to just fly.”

“Ah, yeah. That makes sense…”

It seems like the two of them were getting along quite well.

I led Kirishima-san and Saotome-san into the living room, and we all introduced ourselves briefly.

……..Yuna was still a little wary of Kirishima-san and Saotome-san, though.

So, I asked Kirishima-san.

“So, you two are here today to help us find a way to make the Explorer Association back down, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. My senior brought some magical tools to stabilize the filming of the Kamino Town Dungeon.”

“R-Really!?”

Yuna’s eyes lit up.

Kirishima-san looked surprised but nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why would someone from the Explorer Association do something like that?”

“Because it’s frustrating.”

Would Yuna understand that with just that one word?

“Understood!”

She got it just like that.

With Yuna’s wariness completely gone, I decided to move on to the main topic.

“…Saotome-san, I’d like to hear about the magical tools.”

“Before that, I’d really like to eat some curry.”

Hey.

Saotome-san was acting like a child. She’s a senior of Kirishima-san from high school, so she should be around 24 or 25 years old.

She might actually be the most childish of them all, despite looking quite mature.

Well, everyone was hungry. So, we decided to continue the conversation while having dinner.