Epilogue
The labyrinth explosion has completely subsided.
…For the students of the academy, the recognition that a labyrinth explosion is a dangerous event has firmly taken root, and I think more people have started to feel a desire to become stronger.
At the very least, that’s how it was for me.
…Thanks to Onii-san, no students were traumatized.
Seeing such a flashy battle would naturally have that effect, I suppose.
However, with promising children being exposed to danger, news programs are still actively discussing the state of the Adventurer Academy.
There’s danger, sure… but in this day and age, without labyrinths, we’d be in trouble, right? And to train adventurers capable of conquering those labyrinths, I believe real combat experience is necessary.
So, I don’t have any particular issues with the current educational system.
…If possible, I’d love for an adventurer of Onii-san’s caliber to be stationed at every Adventurer Academy, but I know that’s unrealistic.
Right now, the academy is swamped dealing with the media. Even we students get approached by reporters at the school gates, so those higher up must be having a really tough time.
For the academy and us, that’s about where things stand, but the buzz surrounding Onii-san hasn’t died down at all.
The adventurer who defeated the Black Dragon single-handedly tamed a labyrinth explosion at the academy—naturally, that’s going to cause a stir.
One of the students who recorded the battle uploaded it online, and now the incident is known nationwide.
News programs have been airing Onii-san’s overwhelming battle non-stop, and the excitement is absolutely tremendous.
The media swarming the academy often asks more about Onii-san’s battle than the labyrinth explosion itself.
It was a disaster that would have definitely resulted in casualties if Onii-san hadn’t been there, so the attention is understandable.
…That said, there’s also been a bit of controversy.
The scene where Onii-san was carrying me, for example. Not only Onii-san but even I got a little flak for it.
…Onii-san’s hardcore fans are scary.
Even Manami-chan cried to me, saying, “I wanted to be carried by him toooo!”
I mean, I was being handled like some kind of luggage, you know.
Her first words after I was saved were like that, so I couldn’t help but think, “Worry about me a little more!”
But, well, it’s fine.
Today, I welcomed my first day off since experiencing the labyrinth explosion and decided to visit the orphanage where I was raised.
…It’s been a while, but the building is looking quite nice.
The damage caused by labyrinths is undeniably on the rise. As a result, funding for children who’ve lost their parents has apparently increased significantly.
That funding seems to come from people who graduated from orphanages like this one.
One of my quiet dreams is to become an adventurer successful enough to contribute to that funding someday.
Thanks to the support of various people, orphanages across the country are now able to operate fairly smoothly, I hear.
When I rang the doorbell… the teacher who took care of me came to greet me.
“Rinne-chan! It’s been a while!”
She approached with her usual gentle expression.
She looks a little older than the last time we met, but she’s still full of energy, which is a relief.
“Yes, it’s been a while, Minami-sensei.”
She’s the person who took care of me the most… and also the teacher I accidentally injured with my magic long ago.
As I passed through the orphanage gate with Minami-sensei, she smiled brightly.
“Rinne-chan, your timing is perfect today.”
“…Am I getting dragged into grocery shopping or something?”
“Oh, come on, don’t be so wary. Look, the adventurer teacher you used to like just happens to be visiting today!”
“…L-like? It’s not like that…”
There was an adventurer from outside who supported this orphanage.
Everyone called them the “adventurer teacher,” and I don’t think I ever heard their name.
They’d bring games, manga, snacks, or drinks as gifts.
…They also trained us in adventurer skills, didn’t they?
It’s been about four years, I think? I haven’t seen the adventurer teacher since I left this place.
What kind of person was the adventurer teacher again?
As I tried to recall those old memories… wait, now that I think about it, didn’t the adventurer teacher look a bit like Maya-chan’s Onii-san?
Huh?
The face I vaguely recalled did resemble Maya-chan’s Onii-san.
Confused, I walked with Minami-sensei until—
“O-Onii-san!? W-Why are you here!?”
“Hm? Oh, Rinne? Why are *you* here?”
Onii-san looked a little awkward.
He was in the middle of sparring with wooden swords against a group of kids, effortlessly fending off attacks from six children at once.
Even while distracted, he wasn’t losing at all to the kids—Onii-san really is something else… wait, no, that’s not the point!
Onii-san called for a pause and looked over at me.
“…Minami-sensei, why is Rinne here?”
“Oh, you remembered her, Jin-san?”
With Minami-sensei smiling, Onii-san furrowed his brow.
“No, I didn’t exactly remember… I just had some business at the Adventurer Academy recently… Wait, is Rinne from here?”
“That’s right. See, Rinne-chan, isn’t it nostalgic? When you were little, you used to cling to Jin-sensei’s back and say you’d marry him someday—”
“Waaah! Stop it! That was when I was a kid!”
Onii-san seemed to finally remember, clapping his hands and turning his back to me with a teasing grin.
“Rinne, wanna cling again?”
“No way, idiot! Why are *you* here, Onii-san!?”
I tried to brush it off, but my mind was racing.
…The person who frequently visited the orphanage back then was Onii-san?
I tried to recall memories from about five years ago. They were fuzzy, but there were definitely similarities to a younger Onii-san.
What…?
…The teacher I used to like back then?
Huh? Wha—?
Huh!? …Huh!?
“Jin-sensei always brings us all sorts of things, and when I mentioned the monitor wasn’t working anymore, he brought a new one right away,” Minami-sensei said, pointing to a large monitor in the next room.
“Why do you even have something like that…?”
“Well, lately, the kids want to watch streamer videos and such. Jin-sensei set it all up, and we often play Maya-chan’s videos, right? Oh, and Jin-sensei recently debuted as a streamer too! I’ve become a little sister to him! Right, Onii-san!”
“…Please, seriously, stop that.”
Onii-san, unusually, held his head in his hands as Minami-sensei teased him.
…Onii-san?
Did you donate that ridiculously huge monitor just to make the orphanage kids fans of Maya-chan?
Now that I think about it, there was news a while back about someone donating tons of monitors to orphanages nationwide, and the kids were thrilled.
…Onii-san.
With your wealth and ability to do something so absurd, it could only be you…
“Now, now, you two young folks can catch up. Go for it, Rinne-chan!”
“You’re misunderstanding something, Minami-sensei!”
I shouted, but Minami-sensei was already off playing sword-fighting games with the kids in the next room.
…Her surprisingly good moves must be thanks to Onii-san’s training, right?
I was… still reeling from all this, but I decided to ask anyway.
“Onii-san, do you, like, donate a lot?”
“To nearby facilities directly, and… well, a bit here and there.”
“…I see.”
…That’s amazing, I thought.
Onii-san has the talent to earn a lifetime’s worth of money for an ordinary person with just a single dive into a labyrinth.
…But all he does with it is donate and… support Maya-chan.
I don’t know if he’s selfless or just obsessed, but I bowed deeply.
“…Onii-san, thank you for everything. Being able to use magic, growing as much as I have… I think it’s thanks to you, too.”
My emotions were a mess. But for now, I pushed all those feelings deep down and expressed my gratitude to Onii-san.
Words of thanks for so many things.
His visits were one of the joys in my life when I was down after losing my parents.
Deciding to aim to become an adventurer.
The fact that I never really struggled here was probably because of Onii-san’s donations.
“Rinne… Rinne… Oh, yeah, there was a Rinne who used to cling to my back… Always buzzing like a cicada, right?”
“…Please stop treating me like some kind of bug… You actually remember?”
…Memories started flooding back.
Talking at school about how I wanted to marry Onii-san someday… Mentioning him when I turned down a confession at school because I had someone I liked… So many embarrassing things, ughhh!
Desperately hiding my embarrassment, I couldn’t help but focus on what Onii-san had just said.
…He remembered me. Could it be… he was a little conscious of me too?
No, no, that’d make him a total lolicon. I was only in sixth grade when I was here.
As my thoughts spiraled, Onii-san smiled.
“You were a kid with incredible magic power… right? But it’s been a while, and there were other kids with similar names, so I didn’t realize it was *that* Rinne, the mischievous one who always clung to me and dragged me around…”
“Waaaah! Don’t say any more!”
As I shouted, Onii-san just laughed.
About two weeks have passed since I resolved the labyrinth explosion at the academy.
The media frenzy over my involvement in the incident was intense, with reporters lurking around my house, which was a hassle, but things have finally calmed down completely.
Rinne seems to have become more positive about her magic, so in the end, everything turned out well, I think.
On a quiet Saturday, Maya and I visited our parents’ graves.
We didn’t have a set day to visit, but today, we both just felt like going.
As usual, we cleaned the gravestone lightly, placed flowers we’d bought, and lit incense.
Dad, Mom.
Maya is still the cutest in the world today.
And I’m doing fine, too.
…That’s about all I say when I come here.
But coming here always stirs up complicated feelings.
If I’d been as strong as I am now when our parents were caught in that labyrinth explosion, could I have saved them?
Was there something more I could have done?
…I wish I’d cherished our time as a family more, I think now.
When they were alive, it felt so normal that I didn’t realize how precious that time was. Realizing it only after losing them is cruel.
That’s why I decided to keep expressing my love for Maya as long as I’m alive.
I glanced at her beside me.
What does Maya think about when she comes here? What’s on her mind?
As I wondered, her gaze met mine.
“I’m okay now, but what about you, Onii-chan?”
“I’m fine, too. Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
As we started walking side by side, Maya spoke up.
“Onii-chan, what do you think about when you visit Mom and Dad?”
“I always tell them you and I are doing fine. What about you?”
“Something similar, I guess? Also, recent events or things going on in my life, if anything’s changed.”
“Recent events, like school?”
“Usually, yeah. But today, it was about you, Onii-chan.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. We haven’t come here since you started streaming, right? So I was reporting that.”
After flashing a smile, Maya took a few wider steps forward.
Walking a couple of steps ahead of me, she spoke slowly.
“But coming here and reporting made me feel a bit pathetic.”
“What do you mean?”
“I realized I got saved by you again, Onii-chan.”
“Saved? Did I do something?”
“Ugh, you defeated the Black Dragon, didn’t you!?”
…Oh, that.
Doing things for Maya is as natural as breathing, so I don’t even count that as “saving” her.
“That’s just what an Onii-chan does.”
Every big brother in the world should at least be ready to take down a Black Dragon for their little sister.
“But I felt pathetic. I’ve been streaming to live on my own strength… but it’s not going that well by myself, and you’ve been helping me, right, Onii-chan?”
“That’s just what an Onii-chan does, too.”
“…Yeah, that’s you, Onii-chan. But for me, I feel like I’m always being helped and haven’t given anything back to you.”
When she turned to look at me, Maya was smiling, but it wasn’t her usual carefree smile.
It was a smile mixed with all sorts of worries.
“With you defeating the Black Dragon and starting streaming… I’ve been helped so much lately, and it’s made me think a lot. Like, is it okay for me to stay like this?”
…So that’s what’s been on her mind.
Maya’s usually all smiles, but as her brother, I know she’s got her own worries.
For her to open up like this, she must have been thinking about it seriously.
“Maya.”
I called her name softly.
She looked up at me, smaller than I am.
“Since our parents were caught in that labyrinth explosion… a lot has happened, huh?”
A lot… it was tough.
We didn’t have any relatives to rely on, and our grandparents had passed away early, so we had no one to turn to.
That labyrinth explosion was on a massive scale, and kids like us weren’t uncommon.
We were just ordinary, pitiful survivors, objects of sympathy.
The only option I had back then was to put Maya in an orphanage.
I was old enough to work, so I could’ve just looked out for myself.
But—that was the one thing I couldn’t do.
Our parents had always taught me to be a role model for Maya, and that was the precious promise they left me.
Losing them was painful, but the reason I could keep living happily—
I looked into Maya’s eyes and spoke slowly.
“Because you were there, I am who I am today.”
“…”
“You waiting at home with a smile is more than enough repayment for me.”
“…Onii-chan.”
Maya stared at me, and I could tell she had a lot on her mind.
She might feel like “that’s not enough repayment,” but that’s up to the one receiving it.
“Even if I say this, you won’t be satisfied, right? Just know that’s how I feel.”
“…Muu, that’s a bit unfair, you know.”
“Sometimes it’s okay to be a little unfair. …Just keep doing what you love with all your energy. Seeing you like that is enough for me.”
When I said that, Maya puffed out her cheeks.
“Onii-chan… Fine, I’ll let it slide for now, but I’m going to find a way to repay you even more!”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
With a smile, Maya came up beside me and hugged my arm tightly.
Yup, that’s more than enough repayment right there.
Feeling happy, I walked home with Maya.
We both headed back with light hearts.
On the way, we spotted Rinne in casual clothes standing in front of a shop.
A weapon shop.
She was fiddling with her phone, probably passing the time—maybe waiting for someone?
“Oh, Rinne-chan?”
When Maya called out, Rinne looked up from her phone.
“Oh, Maya-chan and Onii-san? You two are together even on your day off, huh?”
“Just a coincidence today. You alone, Rinne?”
“No, I’m here with Ruka-san, looking at weapons together.”
I see.
As we were talking, Ruka came out of the shop.
“Rinne, sorry, the restroom was a bit crowded—oh, Onii-san!?”
Ruka’s cheeks flushed with surprise.
“Yup, it’s Onii-san. Fancy meeting you in town like this.”
“Yeah! Hey, Onii-chan, since we ran into each other, how about grabbing lunch together!?”
Maya’s eyes sparkled, and I had no reason to refuse.
“I’m fine with it, but don’t you and Ruka have plans?”
“No, we were just going to grab food somewhere after this, so it’s fine,” Ruka said.
“Cool, then.”
“Yay! It’s Onii-chan’s treat, right?”
“Treat?”
Ruka’s eyes lit up, and Rinne gave a playful bow with a teasing smile.
“Thank you, Onii-san.”
“I haven’t said I’m treating yet, Rinne.”
God, these girls’ teamwork is unreal.
The moment I showed any resistance, Maya clasped her hands together.
“Onii-chan, please! No good?”
“No way it’s no good! I’ll treat you to anything!”
“Thank you, Onii-chan! It’s a go, everyone!”
Damn it, I messed up!
I can’t keep giving in to Maya’s every request like this!
This makes it, what, my thousandth loss? I’ll have to be stricter next time.
“But, Onii-san, do you even have money on you? Ruka-san eats a lot, you know.”
“N-No, I don’t!”
Ruka hurriedly shook her head at Rinne’s comment, looking embarrassed.
Maybe she’s shy about people knowing she’s a big eater?
“Eating a lot is a good thing, isn’t it? It’s kind of fun to watch.”
“R-Really? I’m a big eater…”
“Guess so?”
Ruka seemed oddly pleased, though I didn’t quite get why.
Anyway, we’d decided what to do.
“Let’s go before the restaurants get crowded!”
Nodding at Maya’s words, we headed to a nearby restaurant.
Until now and from now on, I’ve decided to live for Maya.
I thought my mission was to show the world how adorable Maya is.
I started streaming to share her charm with the world, but… now it’s a little different.
Ruka and Rinne. Getting to know them and seeing how they chase their dreams with all they’ve got—I’ve started wanting to support them, too.
Helping them with their dreams, sharing their charm… I think I want to do that, or at least, I’m okay with it.
So, as a member of “Little Garden,” I’ll keep pushing forward with streaming.
Of course, no matter what, my ultimate favorite will always be Maya.
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