Chapter 63 Heartbreak
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Hiroya’s POV)
After that, I woke up Ares, who had fainted, and took him to the hot spring.
Ares seemed to remember my actions and followed me with a serious face.
──Splash
So now, here we are, both n*ked, sharing our true feelings while soaking in the hot spring.
”I… lost to you in s*x when you were 8 years old…”
”…I’m turning 9 next month. Besides, I’m still a virgin too. I haven’t had s*x with Liz, just some foreplay.”
”I see… well, I’m still a virgin too. Anyway, that shocked me a bit, so I barged into your room. Sorry about that.”
”That’s okay.”
* * *
After a bit of awkward silence, I somehow started talking.
”So, Ares.”
”Huh?”
”Isn’t ‘let me do it’ a bit too direct? I think there should be some mood setting.”
”…Was that bad?”
Ares scratched his head.
”I think that’s not good. …I can’t believe Liz actually got in the mood.”
”Then, what do you think I should say?”
Suddenly, Ares turned to me and asked seriously.
”You could say ‘I like you’ or ‘I love you. I want to hold you’ or something like that.”
Ares looked confused by my answer.
”Huh? What kind of reaction is that?”
”No way. I don’t have love or romantic feelings for Liz.”
”Huh? What did you just say?”
I glared at him, a bit annoyed. What is Ares talking about?
”I have a childhood friend back in my hometown… or rather, in my herding group…”
”Okay, I’m listening. Try to explain it in a way that makes sense to me.”
Ares took a step back, a bit intimidated by my stare.
”When I was 8, I promised to marry her… and then I tried to hold her.”
”That’s fast!”
Well, maybe not so much here. He’s the same age as me now. Since my memories from my past life returned, I’ve grown quite a bit in just 7 months. In my old world, it would be like 6th grade or 7th grade to have s*x? …Yeah, that’s still a bit early.
”But I messed up… thinking back, I made the same mistake as tonight. I tried to go straight to it without any mood.”
”You’re an idiot…”
”And she told me, ‘I’m saving my first time for you, so you better get better at it’.”
”…That childhood friend sounds either devoted or harsh…”
I can understand that. Maybe she wanted a gentle approach from someone she was familiar with.
”Now that I’m out here adventuring… but I haven’t had that chance… I’m still a virgin.”
…Yeah, that makes sense. It seems like there’s been no progress.
”I don’t have the courage to go to a brōtḥel, but I thought maybe with Liz, since we know each other well… I’ve wanted to ask her for a long time.”
”Hey… Liz is a virgin too, you know?”
Ares looked a bit surprised by my words but quickly laughed.
”No way! There’s no way a virgin would act that seductive.”
Ares laughed.
”…You’re really an idiot. She is a virgin. Liz said, ‘I’m giving my first time to Ares’. So, Liz likes Ares, you know?”
I pressed on.
”…But I’m engaged to that childhood friend… I’m going to call her here to be together soon.”
Oh, that’s a death flag. I decided to change the subject and break that flag.
”Ares, changing the topic… you’ve been exploring near the dungeon lately, right?”
”Huh? Oh, yeah.”
Ares looked a bit flustered as I suddenly changed the subject.
”You absolutely must not push yourself. Your life comes first. Missions can wait. It’s a promise, okay?”
Ares, who had been a bit flustered, nodded seriously at my earnest gaze.
”Alright. So, let’s continue. What do you want to do with Liz?”
”…I didn’t know Liz had those feelings… I did something terrible to her.”
”What do you think about Liz?”
”…She’s an important friend… Damn! What a loser I am…”
I’m not sure how to tell Liz this.
”First, you need to apologize to Liz. Do it sincerely. Emphasize that she is an important friend. You would be betraying Liz, who cared about you, Ares. You don’t want to cut ties, right?”
”I definitely don’t want that.”
”Then apologize. Until Liz is satisfied.”
Yeah, there’s nothing more I can advise. I have to support Liz with everything I’ve got.
* * *
Even though we were supposed to be relaxing in the hot spring, Ares and I looked pale. We decided to drink some coffee milk to calm our nerves.
”Ares, here.”
As I handed him a bottle, Kazumi, Rena, Martina, and Liz came through the curtain from the women’s bath. Everyone looked gloomy. Liz looked completely worn out…
”…Did you hear everything?”
Kazumi nodded slightly at my whisper.
”Liz… I’m sorry, I didn’t understand your feelings at all.”
Ares approached Liz.
──Slap!
Tears in her eyes, Liz slapped Ares on the cheek.
”Liz…”
”Don’t get cocky! I didn’t like you at all!”
With that, Liz ran out of the hot spring area.
”Liz!”
As I tried to chase after her, Kazumi grabbed my hand to stop me.
”We’ll talk to Liz.”
Kazumi said that and left with Rena and Martina to follow Liz. I was left behind, only able to rub Ares’s back.
* * *
I walked back to the inn with Ares, then separated from him to go to my room. There was nothing to do until everyone returned. I sat on the bed, lost in thought.
(Liz, I hope she’s okay…)
I left it to Kazumi and the others, but I couldn’t stop worrying.
Eventually, the door opened, and Kazumi and the others came back.
”Where’s Liz?”
”…She wants to be alone. She was trying to act fine, but it was pretty bad…”
”Yeah. She probably went out for a drink.”
Kazumi and Rena seemed to be worried too.
”Guess we just have to leave her alone…”
I didn’t know how to comfort Liz either. As I looked down, Martina placed her hand on my shoulder.
”…Big Sister Liz was crying, you know?”
”…I’ll go find her.”
I stood up, grabbing my coat and ‘Yamikirimaru.’
”Hiroya… please.”
Kazumi squeezed my arm tightly. I nodded slightly and left the room.
* * *
After leaving the inn for a while, I saw Gorge running toward me from across the street.
”Master! I was just about to go look for you!”
”I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
”It’s about Liz…”
I stopped as I was about to walk past him.
”What’s wrong with Liz?”
”Well… I was at the tavern near the barracks, and Liz came in all wobbly. Now she’s drinking with Otto…”
He leaned in and whispered in my ear.
”That guy has a bad reputation with women. Well, I’m not much better, but… is that okay?”
Hearing that, I took off running.
”I’ll let Kazumi and the others know!”
Gorge shouted behind me.
* * *
I could see the bar Gorge mentioned. Just outside, I spotted Liz and Otto. Otto was holding Liz, who was swaying and struggling to walk.
”Otto, I’ll take Liz home, so give her back to me.”
I called out from behind, and Otto slowly turned around with a smirk.
”Oh, it’s Hiroya. This is adult business, so you should go home.”
”…You let a girl drink until she’s out of it and then take her away? That’s your idea of ‘adult business’? What a gentleman.”
Otto leaned in closer, blowing his alcohol-laden breath at me.
”I’ll let your cheeky mouth slide this time. Now go home.”
I stumbled a bit from the smell of alcohol.
(This is why kids shouldn’t drink…)
”What’s wrong? Come on, hurry up. Liz and I are about to have some adult time.”
Saying that, Otto ran his tongue along Liz’s neck, who was too drunk to notice.
”…Liz is mine. I’m taking her back.”
Since I was reincarnated in this world, I’ve always been frustrated by my childlike body. At the same time, I’ve also felt the need to act like a child to survive in this world.
(I won’t show any mercy to this guy…)
There have been times in the past when the ‘Obu Hiroya’ within me has risen to the surface. However, aside from Kazumi and Rena, I’ve always held myself back from showing that side of me in front of Liz and Martina.
I moved away from Otto.
”Get out of here. I’ll make you pay for putting your filth on my woman.”
There’s no need to act like a child. I’m Hiroya O’Brien, but I’m also Obu Hiroya.
”Hmm. You’re telling me to ‘get out’ even though I’m rank A. Fine. Don’t regret it.”
Otto, holding Liz with his left hand, drew his longsword. I didn’t need ‘Physical Boost’. I was going to fight as Obu Hiroya. I didn’t know if my child’s body could withstand it.
I kicked the ground and leaped towards Otto. For an instant, Otto’s face contorted in surprise at my speed.
Otto threw Liz away, probably to readjust his sword.
I slipped past Otto’s left side and caught Liz.
”…Next time, I’ll kill you.”
I issued a threat that a child shouldn’t say, and started walking towards the inn with Liz on my back.
”Liz… What were you thinking? Were you going to sleep with another man out of despair?”
”…Hiroya… You called me… your ‘woman’──.”
”‘That’s right. Do you have any objections?’.”
”…No… I’m sorry…”
Liz’s arms and legs, which were clinging to my back, tightened.
”Hiroya’s back… it’s so big…”
Eventually, Liz began to snore softly.
”Hiroya?… No… It’s Hiroya, right?”
Kazumi, Rena, and Martina were standing in the street, probably having followed me after hearing from Gorge.
”It’s Hiroya. What’s wrong, Kazumi?”
I took Liz off my back and handed her to Martina.
”No. The Hiroya who was going towards Otto just now… he was so big. It was the large back that always carried me──it was Hiroya’s… My favorite Hiroya’s back…”
Saying this, Kazumi clung to me, crying.
”I also thought so. Big Brother Hiroya, he was so big…”
”I saw it too. …Could it be that his soul is so big that it can’t fit in his body…”
”Let’s talk about that later when we get back?”
I patted Rena’s head.
* * *
(Otto’s POV)
I couldn’t move a muscle and could only stand there, watching the woman and the boy walk away.
(Was it just a bluff?)
For a moment, the child’s figure seemed larger. It was definitely the figure of a youth. Fueled by anger, he was coming towards me, ready to strike.
In the end, the boy didn’t draw his sword, and instead, he carried the woman I had released.
(“Next time, I’ll kill you”? A child who couldn’t even raise a blade against me)
I sheathed my longsword and reached for my breastplate. I felt a shock there.
”Thi… This…!?”
There was a horizontal sword wound across my breastplate. My body had only avoided injury by a hair’s breadth.
”Wh… When… did he draw it?”
I couldn’t see it. I, who had defeated various monsters, couldn’t see it.
”God… speed…”
Unconsciously, the words left my mouth.
”Hehehe… You’re worthy of standing before me. Your arm is impeccable.”
I’ll defeat him──and then I’ll take those women too.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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