My Little Sister Came Along On My Journey

This time, I truly was alone.

It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do about it.

“There’s no point in staying depressed forever…”

I found myself surprisingly calm about the whole situation.

I really needed to start looking on the bright side.

And right now, the most pressing concern was—how I was going to support myself from here on out.

Father had at least given me enough money to cover my immediate needs.

However, between travel expenses, food, and lodging, it would barely last two weeks.

I needed to establish the foundations of my new life before then.

“Money, huh…”

Now that I’d been banished from my family, I could no longer rely on my status as a nobleman’s son.

The only thing I could depend on was my own ability.

“Guess I’ll have to figure out a way to make money using this appraisal skill…”

The remote Kingdom of Tilt—

After leaving my family estate and crossing the border, I’d made my way to this country.

I’d visited several times before while accompanying Father, and I remembered it fondly because of how comfortable I’d felt here.

“For now, I’ll make this my base of operations.”

It wasn’t exactly a major metropolis, but the people living in its capital all seemed to have kind, friendly faces.

And that sort of thing was important to me.

And so, I made my way to the Adventurers’ Guild.

I’d considered several possible occupations, but in the end, I decided to pursue a profession I’d admired for a long time—being an adventurer.

“An F-Rank adventurer… So I’m starting at the very bottom, huh?”

After completing my adventurer registration and receiving a general explanation of how everything worked, I left the guild.

I’d expected as much, but my noble upbringing meant absolutely nothing here.

I would have to start from the lowest rank.

From there, my rank would increase based on my achievements, such as the number of quests I completed and my success rate.

The higher my rank, the more difficult—and better-paying—quests I would be allowed to accept.

Conversely, if I remained at a low rank, I’d only be eligible for poorly paid quests, which meant my standard of living would remain low as well.

“So the more I rise through the ranks, the better my life becomes. Otherwise, I’ll be stuck living in poverty… Being an adventurer isn’t easy either, huh?”

Well, I supposed that was what living in a world where ability determined everything was all about.

For the time being, I’d accepted a medicinal herb-gathering quest, so I needed to set out first thing tomorrow morning.

The herbs I was supposed to collect could only be harvested during a roughly two-hour window in the morning.

I’d have to make sure I wasn’t late.

For today, I decided to get plenty of rest at the inn and recharge my energy.

I started walking down the road toward my lodgings.

Just then—

“W-wait for meee!”

I heard a voice calling from behind.

When I turned around—

“Wait for meee… Eek!”

Thud.

Oh, she fell.

“Uuuugh…”

A girl who looked about fifteen years old unsteadily picked herself up.

She had long, golden hair and wore a red, one-piece dress.

She was dressed almost like a noblewoman.

And she possessed such delicate beauty that everyone passing by couldn’t help but stop and stare.

“—Wait, FLARE!?”

The person who’d been chasing after me was none other than my little sister, Flare.

She must have slammed her face straight into the ground, because she looked ready to burst into tears.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I hurried over to Flare.

“Are you here alone? It’s dangerous for you to wander around an unfamiliar city by yourself!”

“I’m perfectly fine now that I’ve found you, Onii-sama.”

Flare gave me a cheerful smile.

“What are you doing all the way out here…? Did you come with Father?”

“No, I left home. All by myself.”

“What?”

“I’m going to stay with you, Onii-sama!”

Flare clung tightly to me.

“Because otherwise, you’d be all alone…”

“But if you suddenly disappear like that, everyone back home will worry about you.”

“I left them a letter!”

Flare gazed up at me.

“And I’ll write home regularly, too! So it’s okay, right? Please? Pleeease?”

As she spoke, she threw her arms around me.

Flare rubbed her cheek against mine affectionately, clinging to me like a playful kitten.

After all… she was still my adorable little sister.

It didn’t matter that we weren’t related by blood.

She was precious family to me, and that would never change.

“…All right. You can stay with me for now.”

“Yaaay!”

“But you have to make sure you write those letters. Promise me.”

“Yes! I promise~!”

Flare looked genuinely delighted.

“Oh, and let’s sleep in the same bed tonight! It’s been so long since we last did that!”

“R-right…”

Good grief. Flare really was such a clingy little sister.