Chapter 13: A-Rank Adventurer

Next morning. Breakfast time at home.

'Today, we’re interviewing three A-Rank adventurers from the <Tenchi Guild>.'

The television displayed a trio of beautiful, rising-star adventurers. They took turns answering the interviewer’s questions with practiced ease.

In this world, adventurers who possessed both strength and beauty were often invited to make television appearances. It was the kind of dream Hirose had once entertained himself.

I still can't believe Mizuki Housaka-san is Hibiki’s older cousin...

Finding out he was related to a celebrity by marriage—or at least by blood—was a shock. It was surreal to have someone he’d admired from afar appear right in front of him, even if that encounter had been marred by her catching him in a rather... compromising position with Hibiki.

'Which dungeon do you plan to tackle next?'

'Let’s see,' Mizuki replied to the reporter. 'Probably a high-tier B-Rank dungeon.'

'With the talent in the <Tenchi Guild>, a B-Rank dungeon sounds like it would be a walk in the park.'

'While it’s true we’ve cleared that rank several times, complacency is the greatest enemy of any adventurer.'

'Wonderful. Even with such a stellar track record, you remain so grounded. It’s hard to believe you’re still a high school student.'

On screen, Mizuki spoke with a serious, dignified air. She seemed like a completely different person from the woman Hirose had met, and his impression of her shifted slightly.

"I guess that’s what they call a 'public persona,'" he muttered to himself.

Naturally, anyone would mind their manners in front of the cameras. But he suspected the bright, pushy personality he’d witnessed was her true self.

After finishing breakfast, Hirose headed to school.

"Hey, hey, can I call you Hirose too? Oh, and you can call me Himari or Hima!"

"Then I’m calling you Hirose too," Umirin added, leaning in. "You can just call me Umirin. Thaaanks!"

"I... Look, even if you’re okay with it, it’s a bit of a hurdle for me to just start using your first names," Hirose replied, feeling the pressure.

Before homeroom, Hirose found himself completely surrounded by Himari and Umirin. They had hijacked the desks of students who hadn't arrived yet, sitting to his right and directly behind him.

In the seat in front of him, Hirose’s friend, Yamato Kuzuhara, was staring at the scene, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"Hey, Hirose! What the hell did you do?! What’s going on here?!"

"A lot... A lot happened, Yamato."

"And you... you’ve changed lately. You look better, or like... you’ve shed a skin or something..."

(Well, technically, I did have a bit of 'skin' taken care of...)

Yamato scrutinized Hirose’s face, but he couldn't quite pin down the reason for the change. Hirose’s skin was undeniably clearer, but that was the extent of his observation.

"Kuzuhara, was it? You want to talk to us too?" Himari teased.

"Huh?! Me?!"

"Aw, look, his face is all red! Talk about a lucky break, huh? Ahaha!"

The two girls giggled, clearly enjoying the way Yamato scrambled for words.

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!"

Just then, Hibiki arrived. The classroom door was wide open, and the first thing she saw was Hirose being cornered by her two best friends.

Hibiki had planned to head straight to Hirose’s desk the moment she got to school. Seeing them beat her to the punch—and with her guy, no less—set her off.

"Hey! Why are you guys talking to Hirose before I get to?!"

She shouted it loud enough for the entire room to hear. The chatter in the classroom died down instantly as every eye turned toward them.

"Wait, Takanashi...?"

"Takanashi and Rindou? And why are Motoya and Ihara there too...?"

"What did that guy do? He was a nobody last week."

The obvious shift in the atmosphere drew everyone’s gaze to Hirose’s corner. Hibiki, however, couldn't have cared less.

"What? You’re the one who said we should talk to him!" Himari countered.

"Yeah. If Hibiki is talking to him, then obviously we are too," Umirin said with a shrug.

"That’s not what I meant! I wanted to be the first one to talk to him today!"

Bag still in hand, Hibiki stomped over to Hirose’s desk.

"Kuzuhara-kun!"

"Y-yes?!"

"Switch seats!"

"What?! Uh... okay."

Yamato folded instantly under Hibiki’s sheer intensity and vacated his seat. It was a pitiful sight.

With that, Hirose’s desk by the window was completely besieged by the three girls.

"Listen, Hirose. You don't have to talk to these two, okay? Just focus on me."

"C'mon, Hibiki. We’re all classmates. Don't be a hog," Himari teased.

"Exactly. We have a right to talk to him too, don't we?"

"Just go back to your seats already! Do you have any idea how much I was looking forward to talking to Hirose in class?!"

"Hahaha..."

Hirose could only offer a strained laugh as the three of them bickered.

It didn't take long for the word to spread through the class: Hibiki and Hirose were dating.

Everyone was asking "Why Takanashi?", but no one in that room knew the truth. Even Himari and Umirin didn't know the real story of how they’d ended up together.

This event served as the catalyst that suddenly catapulted Hirose to the very top of the class’s social hierarchy.