The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned
"......"
"......"
A silence that descended like a heavy curtain.
I gulped dryly, looking at Yurina, who was wrapped in a large towel.
“Uh... w-what?”
“I said... I’m done bathing.”
“T-then I’ll go next....”
As I stood up and started heading to the shower, Yurina grabbed my arm.
She avoided my gaze, turning her head slightly, and pouted.
“D-Dale, you don’t have to shower. Y-you barely fought, right?”
“No, but still....”
“It’s f-fine! You didn’t even smell when we were next to each other earlier!”
Yurina exclaimed, pulling my hand closer and sniffing it.
“Hehe. Smells nice....”
“...It smells, though.”
“B-but it’s a good smell, so it’s fine!”
Yurina held onto my hand firmly, clearly intent on not letting me go to the shower.
I sighed briefly and sat back down.
Swish.
Yurina sat next to me and subtly leaned her head toward me.
Her damp hair glistened, and the faint scent of shampoo tickled my nose.
“...Reward.”
Clutching the towel draped over her like a cloak, Yurina murmured in a shy voice.
“Now... r-reward... please.”
“...Why are you suddenly using honorifics?”
“H-huh? Did I just speak formally?”
Her face turned beet red as she flustered, seemingly forgetting what she had just said.
If a painter had captured this moment, they might’ve drawn her eyes as spirals.
Suppressing a chuckle, I gently placed my hand on Yurina’s head.
“Ah...”
She let out a small gasp as my hand touched the crown of her head.
The tension in her body—so jittery moments ago as if ready to bolt—quickly dissipated.
Stroke, stroke.
Applying slight pressure with my palm, I stroked Yurina’s head.
“Ehehe. Dale’s hand... is warm.”
Like finding a cozy spot next to a heater on a cold winter day, Yurina clung tightly to her soft towel, smiling contentedly.
As the image of her beneath the thin towel popped into my mind unbidden, my heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst.
“Dale.”
“Yeah?”
“In my past life... was there ever a time like this?”
“Well, you never sat next to me asking to be patted on the head.”
“T-that’s not what I meant!”
Yurina looked down at the sword resting on the table and murmured softly.
“...I meant, was I ever shaken after killing someone?”
“Not sure.”
To be honest, I didn’t know.
“I only joined the same party as Yuren ten years after graduation. I don’t know exactly what happened during that time.”
But.
“The Yuren I met ten years later... didn’t hesitate to swing his sword, whether his opponent was a demon or a hero.”
“...I see.”
Yurina nodded faintly.
“You said in my past life, I became the strongest swordsman, right?”
“Yeah.”
The last hope of humanity.
The Descendant of the Sun.
A swordsman closer to the “pinnacle” than anyone since Reynald Helios.
There were countless titles describing Yuren Helios.
“...Can I become that kind of hero?”
Looking down at her sword, Yurina’s face showed a lack of confidence.
I chuckled softly and patted her head again.
“No, you won’t be like Yuren.”
“...Then?”
“You’ll be even greater.”
Reaching a place that the Yuren of my past life could never attain.
Brighter than the radiant sun—a moon shining even more brilliantly.
“...Really?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
“......”
Yurina asked in a slightly subdued voice.
“How can you be so sure?”
Her lips quivered slightly as she bit them.
“Right now, I’m such a mess... just from getting blood on my sword.”
“You’re not a mess.”
I shook my head firmly.
“You made the decision, Yurina. Even if I was the one to push you forward.”
I took her trembling hand in mine, still vivid with the sensation of that moment.
“And if you were someone who could kill without hesitation or doubt... I would’ve thought differently.”
“...Thought differently?”
“Yeah. Yuren once told me something.”
Looking at the bloodied sword, I continued.
“A sword without any hesitation or contemplation is too light. It can never reach the pinnacle.”
“...I said that?”
Yurina blinked in disbelief, her eyes wide.
“Well, I don’t fully understand what it means, but.”
One thing is clear.
“Yurina, you’ll reach the heights Yuren did... and far beyond.”
“......”
After a moment of contemplation, Yurina spoke softly.
“In my past life... I became a man, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And... how was I?”
“How were you?”
I tilted my head quizzically as Yurina fidgeted with the towel in her hand.
“Did I... ever feel sad? Regret it, maybe?”
“Not really. At the time, I didn’t even know Yuren was originally a woman. Oh, but there was one thing.”
“What?”
“You nagged a lot when Iris and I were goofing off. Always said it wasn’t time to relax.”
“Haha. That’s just like me now.”
Yurina laughed lightly.
“...I see. That’s how it was.”
Standing up from the sofa, Yurina’s shadow fell over me.
“So, I guess I’m now living the dream my past self always longed for?”
“Huh? What dream...?”
“Dale.”
Swish.
Yurina spread out the towel she had been wearing like a cape.
"......"
The first thing that caught my eye was her pale skin glowing under the moonlight.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
The silvery moonlight streaming through the window scattered, creating a dazzling scene so surreal it felt like being in a deep dream.
And the next thing that drew my attention was the luxurious lingerie that adorned her fair skin.
Black stockings reaching up to her thighs and the straps connecting them.
The type of lingerie commonly referred to as a garter belt.
"Uh, how... how does it look?"
"......"
I was so overwhelmed by the sheer visual impact that I froze, unable to utter a single word.
Even breathing slipped my mind.
With bloodshot eyes, I scanned Yurina's body from head to toe.
"Hey, say something, will you? Does... does it suit me?"
"......"
It wasn't too excessive, nor was it overly plain.
It was a design more befitting the term "elegant" than "sensual."
If you were to ask whether it suited Yurina...
"Honestly, it doesn’t suit you."
"Ugh! I knew it! I knew this would happen!"
Yurina pouted, stamping her feet in frustration.
"I told you I shouldn’t pick this one!"
"But..."
"Huh? Kyaah!"
I suddenly stood up and scooped Yurina into my arms.
Carrying her in the classic "princess hold," I looked down at her with bloodshot eyes.
"Whether it suits you or not doesn’t matter. If you’re asking whether it had the desired effect... this is my answer."
"Huh? D-Dale? Wait... Eek!"
With Yurina in my arms, I strode towards her bedroom.
Right.
To be honest, the lingerie did feel a bit premature for her.
It was like a newly graduated hero clad in equipment entirely made of top-tier artifacts.
But so what?
‘Garter belt... A garter belt?’
Does it matter if it doesn’t suit her?
Top-tier artifacts have the power to instantly elevate a hero several levels higher.
And the "gear" Yurina was wearing now was as potent as those top-tier artifacts.
"D-Dale! Your... your eyes! They're scary!"
In the face of such overwhelming destructive power, the wall of my reason crumbled like sand.
"Kyaaah!"
With Yurina’s scream, the door to the bedroom slammed shut.
The next day.
The sun had already passed its zenith.
“D-Dale, you pervert!”
Wham! Wham! Wham!
The pillow Yurina swung hit me squarely in the face.
"It... it was my first time! And you wouldn’t even let me rest!"
Yurina, her face flushed a deep red, looked on the verge of tears.
"S-Sorry."
Defeated in the tug-of-war between reason and instinct, I hung my head like a guilty man.
"Haa... haa... I really..."
Yurina pulled the blanket over herself to hide, glancing shyly at the discarded lingerie lying like a shed skin at the corner of the bed.
"You said it didn’t suit me..."
"I told you. Just because it doesn’t suit you doesn’t mean it wasn’t effective."
"Hmph. You didn’t even care about the lingerie halfway through!"
"Well... you’re not wrong."
"...Hmph."
Curled up under the blanket, Yurina slowly shuffled closer to me.
Once beside me, she puckered her lips.
When I pulled her into a gentle embrace and kissed her, a shy smile spread across her face.
"Ehehe... Finally got my kiss."
"We had plenty of kisses yesterday, didn’t we?"
"That... that doesn’t count! I was too out of it to really feel them!"
Yurina blushed furiously and pinched my side.
"So, you’re not going to sulk anymore about being the only one who hadn’t kissed before, right?"
"Hmph. I never sulked in the first place."
"Oh, really? Now you’re acting like you didn’t?"
As I looked at Yurina incredulously, she feigned innocence with a nonchalant expression.
While we were teasing each other, passing the time...
"...Dale."
"Yeah?"
Yurina gently leaned her head on my shoulder.
"I’m going to become stronger. Much stronger than I was in my past life."
"...Yeah."
"And... I’m going to be happy. For all the happiness I couldn’t have in my past life."
As she clasped my hand tightly, her resolve shone through.
"Why bring up your past life all of a sudden?"
"Well... You said before, right? That it’s because of my past life that you’re here with me now."
"Ah, yeah. I did."
"Then that means my past life played some role in changing my present life."
Ah.
So that’s why she said she’d be happy for her past life’s share, too.
"Hmm. Then I guess there’s no helping it."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"I was planning to stop today since you looked tired... but if we’re counting your past life’s share, too, well... I guess I have no choice."
I started to get up, grabbing the blanket covering her.
"W-Wait, Dale! You’re not thinking of doing more, are you?!"
"Ahem."
"Kyaaah! Don’t take the blanket! Argh...!"
Yurina, her face glowing red, grabbed a pillow and whacked me repeatedly.
"D-Dale, you pervert!"
Under the bright daylight, the room was tinged with the crimson glow of a setting sun.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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