I, Who Was Criticized as the World's Weakest S-Rank Explorer, Am Actually the World's Strongest Explorer - Episode 67

Episode 67

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

Rin stood frozen. Her face was turning a deep shade of red as she flustered on the spot. 

“…W-Wait a second. This… is the hoodie Haruto usually wears?” 

“Yep. Isn’t it, Haruto?” 

“Well, yeah.” 

So that’s why it looked familiar. 

As I idly considered this, Rin muttered, 

“…I see,” 

Her face was reddening even further as she brought the sleeve closer to her face. 

“…What are you doing?” 

“N-Nothing! Nothing at all!” 

Nothing, huh? 

Despite her frantic denial, she stole a quick glance at me before sniffing at the sleeve again. 

Could it be…? 

“…Does it smell?” 

I felt like crying. 

“It doesn’t! Not at all!” 

Immediately after blurting this out, Rin covered her face with both hands. She was embarrassed beyond belief. 

“What am I even doing…! Th-This isn’t what I meant…!” 

“…Calm down.” 

“I can’t calm down…! I-I’m taking this off!” 

“Don’t take it off!” 

Caught in complete confusion, Rin tried to pull off the hoodie right then and there. I quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. 

“B-But… Someone like me wearing Haruto’s hoodie… It feels like too much!” 

“It’s really not a big deal. Just keep wearing it. Besides, it’s pretty warm, isn’t it?” 

“Y-Yeah… more than warm… It’s really cozy.” 

Rin seemed to settle down a little. She tugged lightly at the sleeve as she sat down on a chair. 

“Alright then, I’m gonna take a shower. Yuna, I’m leaving the rest to you.” 

“Got it. Rin, let me show you to your room.” 

“Oh! I’ll go with you, Rin-chan, and help show you around too!” 

Mom cheerfully joined Yuna as they led Rin away. For now, I figured it was best to leave things involving Rin to the women. 

Glancing briefly at Rin, she still had a faint blush on her cheeks. And then I left the living room. 

—

Later that night.

I began considering my next steps. 

First, the Explorer Association. 

Then, Rin’s parents… I’d have to do something about them. 

But where should I even start? 

If I were to challenge the Association, I’d essentially be going up against the Dungeon Agency…..… the government itself. 

To protect her, I’d need to establish a solid position for myself. 

Lost in thought, I headed to the bathroom. 

—

The next morning.

The following day, I decided to skip school and stay home. 

I didn’t want to leave Rin alone right now. 

….…At times like this, being an S-Rank Explorer would’ve come in handy. 

If I’d said I was delving into a dungeon, I could’ve skipped without issue. 

But now that I was A-rank, I no longer had such privileges. While I could still get permission to take time off by notifying the Association of a dungeon expedition, it wasn’t as convenient as before. 

That part was a bit of a bummer. 

Even so, staying at home didn’t mean I had anything particular to do. 

I just didn’t want Rin to be by herself. 

As for Rin, she was currently in the living room, engrossed in a game. 

“Whoa… this is amazing…” 

Having hardly played any games before, she seemed utterly captivated. 

Watching her sit there, immersed in the game, her posture and expression were undeniably adorable. 

For now, I needed her to stay away from the internet. 

While monitoring her from a distance, I fiddled with my phone. I was messaging Kirishima-san. 

I summarized the issues Rin was dealing with and posed a specific question: 

『Rin’s parents are demanding money from her. Legally speaking…… isn’t that a problem?』 

From what I’d researched yesterday, it seemed likely to be illegal. 

For instance, forcing a child to work as an explorer and demanding money from them is considered a serious crime. 

After all, it could lead to life-threatening situations. So the penalties were understandably severe. 

A reply soon came in from Kirishima-san. 

Displayed on my phone screen was a detailed explanation of the relevant laws. 

『Cases where underage individuals with special abilities are forced to provide financial support to their parents are strictly regulated under the Explorer Act and the Minor Protection Act. Specifically, even if an underage individual earns income using their abilities under parental supervision, demanding money unfairly constitutes exploitation.』 

Exploitation… Even just hearing the word carried a heavy weight. 

The message continued: 

『For example, in a past court case, a minor with special abilities had their entire income taken by their family. It left them without the necessary support for education and daily living. This resulted in the parents receiving a ten-year prison sentence for violating the Minor Ability User Protection Act.』 

The “Minor Ability User Protection Act”, huh? 

That was a term I’d occasionally heard in the news. 

For minors, in particular, special ability users are given strong protections. It was because the usage of their abilities might be forced against their will or their income might be controlled by family members. 

Rin’s parents are clearly in violation of these laws. 

『Additionally, under the Ability User Act, excessive work demands placed on underage explorers are strictly prohibited. Violating this can result in guardians losing custody rights. A precedent for this can be found in the Narumi City Underage Explorer Exploitation Case.』 

The “Narumi City Underage Explorer Exploitation Case”…? 

I immediately searched for it by name. 

Skimming through the details, it turned out to be a case where parents forced their child, a minor with special abilities, to work excessively. This resulted in severe health issues caused by overuse of their abilities. Not only were the parents given a prison sentence, but they also lost custody. And the child was placed under the care of a facility. 

…………..Rin’s current situation bears a striking resemblance to that case. 

If we took this to court, achieving a similar outcome wouldn’t be difficult.