Chapter 34, I’m Having Fun Right Now

Translator: Lizz

  

After having a good time doing their shopping, the two went into a café to kill some time.

 

They sat facing each other on a sofa seat by the window. Shopping bags were on both sides of Rika, containing swimsuits, summer clothes, accessories, and other items.

 

Drinking the iced coffee they had ordered, the two finally managed to relax.

 

“I ended up buying too much…”

 

“It went according to plan, and you’ll be able to earn money again soon, so there’s no need to worry.”

 

She had purchased not only exploration gear and weapons, but also swimsuits and casual clothes, leaving her savings balance almost at zero. She had already resigned to the idea that she would be entering a period of poverty so severe that she would barely be able to afford proper meals.

 

“Being able to receive meals until I can resume exploring is a huge help, but is it really okay…?”

 

However, the issue of food expenses had already been resolved.

 

Masato had promised to take care of her daily meals. They had arranged to eat together at Masato’s house twice a day, lunch and dinner. Naturally, he had already informed his siblings through their group chat and obtained their approval.

 

Since the no-exploration period had been determined to last only a few days, there was no need to worry about rent or utility bills. As long as the food expense problem was solved, it looked like she would somehow manage.

 

“Of course. Feeding three people or four people doesn’t make much difference.”

 

“Thank you very much.”

 

To an outside observer, it might have looked as though only Rika was benefiting from the arrangement, but Masato had his own objective. He hoped that having a girl visit frequently would help Rekka become more accustomed to women.

 

The image of Rekka leaving barefoot and on the verge of tears had been burned into Masato’s mind.

 

“No, it’s fine. I just never imagined you barely had any casual clothes.”

 

Back when she was a student, she had a school uniform. Since she had spent her weekends immersed in martial arts training, opportunities to wear casual clothes had been extremely rare.

 

Only after starting to live alone had Rika finally realized how necessary clothing was, and she had consulted Masato about it.

 

“I’ve been wearing school uniforms since middle school. I never imagined I’d end up not having enough clothes to wear when going out.”

 

She gave a wry smile and put the straw to her lips.

 

Embarrassed by her blunder, Rika looked away from Masato and gazed out the window.

 

Young men and women were moving through the streets.

 

Even though society had become super-aged, Shibuya remained a district of youth. Students going on dates while still wearing their school uniforms, groups emerging from karaoke boxes, and all kinds of people were enjoying their brief youth to the fullest.

 

“Hm? What’s that?”

 

Following Rika’s gaze outside, Masato spotted a familiar figure.

 

It was Haru, surrounded by two high school girls. The sight of him chatting happily reminded Masato of the youth he had already left behind.

 

No, Masato had never done things like ‘hanging out with friends after school,’ so what it actually reminded him of was the period when he had wished for and fantasized about living such days.

 

He had intended to simply watch them go while silently wishing them a good time, but by chance their eyes met. Then Haru’s gaze slid sideways, and for some reason he put on a look of understanding.

 

After saying something to the high school girls beside him, Haru left them and entered the café.

 

“It’s rare to see you in a place like this, nii-san.”

 

“Yeah, I guess so. Are your friends okay?”

 

“Yeah. They were just about to head home. Mind if I join you?”

 

Masato looked toward Rika. After confirming that she had given a small nod, he shifted over to the end of the sofa.

 

Haru sat down in the vacant spot.

 

“Let’s start with introductions. The one who just sat down is my younger brother, Haru. He’s one year older than Rekka.”

 

After Masato introduced him, Haru gave a light bow.

 

Prompted by him, Rika also bowed and spoke.

 

“Nice to meet you. My name is Tachibana Rika. I’m exploring dungeons together with Masato-san.”

 

“I thought it was unusual for nii-san to be shopping alone with a girl, and it turns out you’re the famous Rika-san. Nice to meet you. I’m Kanamiya Haru. I look forward to getting along with you.”

 

“Famous…?”

 

Being talked about behind one’s back naturally sparked curiosity. Rika found herself asking for clarification.

 

“Yeah. A little…”

 

There was a reason Haru hesitated. It was because of Rekka’s strange behavior.

 

His longing to have a relationship with a girl had been exceptionally strong, and whenever Rika’s name came up, he had become mildly sulky.

 

Normally, he was a good younger brother who cared deeply about his family, but whenever girls were involved, he became an extremely troublesome person. Haru found himself worried about his brother’s future.

 

Naturally, he had no intention of telling someone he had just met about that.

 

“Well, I’d heard that my brother had formed a party, but I was the only one who hadn’t met you. So I’d been wondering what kind of person you were all this time.”

 

That wasn’t merely something he said to smooth things over. It was something Haru had genuinely been curious about for quite a while.

 

Rekka was her former classmate, and Masato was her coworker. Haru was the only one who had never met Rika, and that had made him feel a little left out.

 

Since she often came up in conversations at home, he had been able to roughly imagine her personality and appearance. Still, meeting someone in person always changed one’s impression.

 

She gave off an impression of being somewhat reserved and sweet, far more so than one would expect from someone who fought monsters on a daily basis. Haru had imagined a more energetic and outgoing woman, so the gap between expectation and reality came as quite a surprise.

 

“Were you disappointed after meeting me in person?”

 

“No, no. If anything, it was the opposite. I felt relieved. I never thought the day would come when my brother would go shopping with someone who wasn’t family.”

 

“Pffft!”

 

Masato, who had been listening while drinking his iced coffee, turned a glare toward Haru. Wiping his mouth with a paper napkin from the café, he asked.

 

“Ha-ru-. What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means exactly what I said. It’s true, isn’t it?”

 

“Even I… no, actually… you’re right…”

 

Masato looked back on his past, searching for something he could use as a rebuttal, but found nothing.

 

As much as he wanted to deny it, he had no choice but to admit that it was true.

 

“See? You’ve always been like that. Being passive won’t get you anywhere.”

 

Haru pressed the attack, and Masato visibly faltered. He raised both hands slightly in a gesture of surrender.

 

There was no trace of the dependable figure he had been while exploring dungeons.

 

“…I know, okay?”

 

“As long as you do.”

 

Haru still felt he had more to say, but he stopped criticizing Masato and turned toward Rika instead.

 

With a friendly smile, he addressed her.

 

“Well, he’s a pretty unreliable older brother, but please continue looking after him.”

 

“Unreliable? That’s not true at all!”

 

“Really?”

 

Seeing Haru’s expression of genuine confusion, Rika lightly slapped the table with a bang, then rose slightly from her seat and launched into an impassioned speech.

 

“He’s always dependable! Just having Masato-san there makes me feel safe, and whenever things get dangerous, he always helps me. To me, he’s the ideal explorer I strive to become!!”

 

The intensity of her words was genuine. It didn’t sound like a lie or flattery.

 

Haru accepted that she was speaking from the heart.

 

“I-I see. Thanks for telling me.”

 

“I’m sorry. I got a little too excited.”

 

As she said that, Rika sat back down on the sofa, her cheeks faintly flushed red.

 

When Haru looked toward Masato, he found him wearing a smug expression. It irritated him a little, but he somehow managed not to show it and replied to Rika instead.

 

“No, no. Your feelings came across very clearly.”

 

Keeping the pleasant smile on his face, he turned to Masato and spoke.

 

“I’ve been worried about you all this time, so I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”

 

“Yeah. Right now, I’m having a lot of fun.”

 

Hearing those words, that he was genuinely enjoying his life at this very moment, filled Haru with relief. For a long time, he had worried that Masato might have been sacrificing himself and working endlessly just to earn enough money for living expenses and child-rearing costs.

 

Rika was not unrelated to that fact. If anything, she had played an important role in it.

 

Through the course of their conversation, Haru became convinced that Rika was an indispensable presence in Masato’s life, someone he absolutely could not do without.

 

And so, without even realizing it, Rika had become someone acknowledged and accepted by every member of the Kanamiya family.