This chapter was going to be longer, I had to split it though. I find that a relief since classes started. Wish me luck with that.
Chapter Seventy-One: Keep On Backstepping Bow Hero
- ENTRY #6 -
After accepting the deal, I was ████████████ into a ████████████. I became the son of a somewhat well-off ████████████ in Luvar. They weren't rich enough to afford all the luxuries of life, but at least they weren't deep in debt like my ████████████ parents.
I will not bore myself writing down the details of my early years, as I was very much aware of what I was doing ████████████. Perhaps it would be considered a strange thing to have memories from ████████████. But for me, it just meant I could put my knowledge to good use all the sooner.
I could innovate so much in this ████████████. I already had my extensive knowledge ████████████. But with the power that I'd wished for, something I'll call ████████████ since it allowed me to ████████████, I was really able to do more than just develop ████████████. I just had to grow up ████████████ so my ████████████ parents would give me more leeway to do what I wanted.
It was a pleasant change, compared to my ████████████. My ████████████ parents did not seem to care or hold any strong expectations for me early on. I was fed, clothed and guaranteed to have a roof over my head with ████████████, for whatever reason.
They supported my pursuits to the best of their ability, but never got in my way, aside from some ████████████. I tolerated those for the sake of maintaining the favorable status quo that I was in. I might not have ████████████ for them due to my previous upbringing, but I can say I hold them in higher regard compared to ████████████ in my mind.
When I was around ten, making me forty in total, I met ████████████. She was an annoying brat back then. An orphan from some piss-ant village the name and location of which has long since been erased from history, after being torched by some bandits.
Ever since the day we met outside the town while I was doing some field work, she clung to me like a damn leech. Always following me around wherever I went and being annoying. I thought back then that it was because she wanted a handout or something.
The words of my ████████████ continued to echo in my head, warning me against associating with ████████████. That she had nothing to offer and only wanted to take things away from me. But, surprisingly, that hadn't been the case as I later found out.
One day, I was out on a stroll in the nearby woods collecting some potion ingredients. ████████████ was with me as usual, acting as a pack mule to carry my stuff. It was the only useful service that she was capable of. Or it would have been if she wasn't always clumsily stumbling everywhere on her stubby legs and spilling my precious ingredients all over the place. She managed to do it again, for the second time that day and I rolled my eyes at the noise before turning around. This time, however, she actually did have an excuse. A monster had ambushed us.
I'd known monsters sometimes prowled the area, and I had a couple of trinkets I'd developed to drive them away. Before I could use any of them though, ████████████ pushed me out of the way and tried to fight it with her own fists.
It went about as well as you'd expect
I was able to use the potions I had on hand to send the beast running. And then while I was healing the stupid girl since I still needed her to carry my stuff back, I asked her if she was an idiot. Seriously, what did she expect to do against that thing as a goddamn eight-year-old? And why had she pushed me out of the way anyway?
…
I can still remember her response, as she sniffled at my feet:
"Because you are smart."
...
When I asked her to elaborate after a moment, she told me a little bit about her life.
Apparently, she was at the bottom of the pecking order in her orphanage, because she was stupid and a useless good-for-nothing. Everything she ever tried to do always backfired, angering the people around her.
No one liked her. Not her caretakers, nor the other children, and especially not the townspeople. She couldn't even read.
It turned out that I was the first person who had even given her the time of day without calling her names or throwing stones at her for fun.
That still didn't answer my question, so I pressed her more and her following words shook me to the core.
"Smart people's lives are worth more."
This was not something that a little girl should have been saying, especially not with such a mature and sobering clarity ringing in those words. Even though I shared such a notion myself, when I was confronted with my vision of what an ideal world would have been like, I could not bring myself to ████████████.
As I carefully asked her to elaborate again, my suspicions proved to be correct. She genuinely believed the words that have been thrown at her time and time again, ever since she arrived in my new hometown. That she was stupid and worthless. That she should listen to and obey people smarter than her. And that their lives were worth infinitely more than her own.
After all that I'd been through, I hadn't been ready to believe her back then. I was briefly shocked and speechless by her words, but then I merely scoffed it off and took her back to the village. Taking the potion ingredients I'd gathered from her without even saying thanks before going back to my house.
I thought that'd be the end of it… but the next week, when I needed to gather ingredients again, she was there, waiting for me. And without saying a word of complaint, I let her follow me.
I think even if I hadn't wanted to think about it back then… it was the first time in ████████████ when I wondered if the answer that I got from my first life was wrong.
The other three heroes needed some time to gather their things. To inform their friends about where they were going. What they were going to do. Etc.
They also had to meet Corrin to inform him they were leaving. And, true to his word, he allowed the Heroes to leave without trying to impede them.
The events that'd happened last night weren't mentioned in that brief yet heartwarming meeting. But the other Heroes stayed a notable distance away from Itsuki. Even after he'd teleported them from Lazuli back to Sickle and dropped them off in front of Sickle's chained up Dragon Hourglass.
Itsuki had been silent all the while. And after his job was finished, he promptly walked off while Kizuna messaged Naofumi and the others with her numerous ofudas to let them know that they were back.
After getting the news, Naofumi immediately left the castle, where he'd been going over some potential strategies to reinforce Sickle's capital with L'Arc and Ethnobalt. He arrived there only minutes after Kizuna's return.
"Kizuna-! Wow, you look… like &^%$. No offense." Naofumi suddenly remarked as he approached the smaller heroine.
"No worries, I feel like it too." Kizuna chuckled sardonically. "But it's great to see you too, big bro."
Naofumi flashed her a smile, then looked over the group. He immediately noticed that someone was absent. "Where's Itsuki? Did he leave already?"
"He…" Kizuna started, only to trail off. She looked back at the others, who shrank under her gaze.
She felt so exhausted that she hadn't even noticed that he'd run off. And it didn't look like the other three were forthcoming to say where he went.
"I think he went back to the house. Believe it or not, he's even more tired than me after last night." Kizuna eventually answered.
"Hmmm…" Naofumi crossed his arms over his chest. But he accepted the answer and looked at the other three Heroes instead. "I'm guessing you three are the Cardinal Heroes I've heard so much about then? I'll take it you being here means you finally realize that this isn't a game now?"
The three shuffled their feet. They looked down at the ground beneath them.
None of them seemed to be in the mood for talking.
Naofumi's eyes briefly narrowed upon seeing Akane. She almost looked like…
"Come on, guys. Don't be afraid to introduce yourselves." Kizuna said tiredly as she clapped Hoshi on the shoulder.
"B-B-But we've only j-just m-m-m-met him," Hoshi said nervously. He was gripping his hands together nervously, and his eyes kept on darting around. "W-What if he's… he's just like…"
If only Kuro-Chan was around. She'd be able to calm him down.
He really missed Kuro-Chan. If only she didn't need to stay back in Lazuli to run their cafe…
Naofumi locked eyes with Kizuna, and she made some vague gestures behind the three.
He remembered what he told Itsuki last night. And based on Hoshi's words, some dots managed to connect in his mind.
It was apparent that these three weren't treating this as a game encounter. Meaning Itsuki and Kizuna had succeeded in waking them to the reality they were in. But their unwillingness to speak to him likely meant it had been a painful and traumatic realization. And given that Itsuki had immediately run off…
Damn it. He was probably going to need to check on the Bow Hero later. But for now, he could at least do this.
"Hey, relax, I'm not going to bite. I'm Iwatani Naofumi." Naofumi casually walked up to Hoshi with a smile while holding out his hand. "I'm the Shield Hero of my world. Like Kizuna, I can't harm people. So you have nothing to worry about from me."
"Yeah, there's really nothing to worry about with Naofumi!" Kizuna butted in. "He can't harm anything at all, so you can annoy him as much as you want!"
Naofumi glared at the Hunting Hero, and Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him.
Naofumi grabbed the smaller girl and began to give her a noogie.
"Ahahaha! See, it's not painful at all!" Kizuna shouted gleefully.
Goddamnit Kizuna. You were really laying it on too thick here.
The intimate action was so unexpected and sweet that the other Heroes did begin to smile a little. Hoshi slowly walked up to the duo, trying to introduce himself. "U-Um… I… I'm…"
"Rafu!"
Raph-Chan bounded onto Naofumi's shoulder from behind, cutting off the impromptu brother-sister action. A hitched breath escaped the Ofuda Hero at the sight of her.
"Oh yeah, this is my shikigami daughter, Raph-Chan." Naofumi pet her on the head. "Introduce yourself to them, Raph-Chan!"
"Rafu!" The little raccoon/tanuki hybrid stood on her hind legs and saluted the three Heroes with the most adorable eyes possible.
…
Hoshi began trembling again. But this time, it was for an entirely different reason.
"M… May… May I pet her?" Hoshi reached his hands towards the shikigami. His eyes shone with unshed tears.
Raph-Chan, seeing the gray-eyed Hero in front of her, jumped off Naofumi's shoulder onto Hoshi's outstretched arms before the Shield Hero could answer. She made a cute face while she let out another playful "Rafu!"
…
…
The Ofuda Hero died.
…
…
PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!
And then, he lived again. With a burning passion that almost rivaled Naofumi's.
"Rafu! Raf! Raf! Rafu!" Raph-Chan cried out happily at the burst of attention.
"S-SO CUTE! SO ADORABLE! SUCH AMAZING FUR! SHE ALMOST RIVALS KURO-CHAN'S!" Hoshi cried out in glee.
"Oh… oh no, I'm sorry. Our friend kind of has an obsession with cuddling cute things." Akane quickly bowed respectfully to the Shield Hero. "I didn't think it'd come up here too. We should have mentioned that as soon as we saw your familiar an-"
"Wait. Is that what Hoshi was doing with his cat friend back in Lazuli?" Kizuna asked curiously.
"Yeah, what did you think they were doing?" Daitan cocked his head in confusion.
…
Kizuna opened her mouth, then closed it.
Perhaps it'd be better not to mention what she'd thought it was.
"No worries. Actually, it's a relief to meet another person who loves Raph-Chan almost as much as I do." Naofumi smiled brightly at the sight. Just like that, Raph-Chan had caused the other Heroes to ease up even more.
Especially Hoshi.
PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET PET!
"RAFU!" Raph-Chan cheered happily as another person was added to the cult that worshipped her.
Yes, Naofumi was going to make sure the Ofuda Hero was thoroughly indoctrinated on the greatness of Raph-Chan before he had to go back to his world. It was his sacred duty to make sure Raph-Chan was spread as far and wide as possible, after all.
Kizuna began to pout. "Chris is adorable too!"
"Pen!"
Nah, the penguin monster wasn't even close.
They eventually were introduced to one another. Whatever thoughts Naofumi had of Akane when he first saw her were long gone by then.
While she might have looked like her initially, the Jewel Heroine was clearly different in several regards. And by the time some of the others arrived, the other three Cardinal Heroes were already leaving with them from the Hourglass Building.
"That's Glass. You already know her. And that's my big brother L'Arc, he's the King of Sickle! I know he doesn't look or act like a King but trust me on that for now." Kizuna whispered conspiratorially to the three at the end.
"Hey! What lies are you spreading about me now lil' sis!" L'Arc said angrily.
Kizuna stuck her tongue out at him in response. And he proceeded to give her a noogie just like Naofumi had done several minutes earlier, getting her to laugh.
"Is she this friendly with everyone she knows?!" Akane asked curiously.
Daitan didn't respond, as so many cute girls had come with the group. And Hoshi had Raph-Chan hugged to himself with the happiest smile on his face any of them had ever seen.
Raphtalia, who was also in the group alongside Dou-Lon and Filo, immediately sighed upon seeing that and the identical grin on Naofumi's face. "Don't tell me another person is now obsessed with our youngest."
"Alright, I won't tell you." Naofumi winked.
Raphtalia glared at the teasing. Naofumi chuckled and began to open his mouth to introduce those with him to the Otherworld Heroes.
However, Daitan ran past Naofumi to Raphtalia with starstruck eyes. "Hey there hot stuff. Are those animal ears real? I gotta say, not my usual kink, but you are rocking that tanuki Miko look."
"E-Excuse me?" Raphtalia asked in surprise.
"Oh, no need to be shy. I know you might think that I'm a bit out of your league, but I don't discriminate.
"Are you single by any chance? Even if you aren't, I doubt that whoever you are with is anything like me. Say, are you free tonight? I've been to Sickle before but only briefly. I'd be very grateful if someone could show me around. And maybe we could have dinner after that and get to know each other better if you know what I mean?" The tan young man wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
…
"Did you find Moto's long-lost brother in Lazuli or something?" Naofumi asked Kizuna tensely behind a very visible snarl.
"I'm… what does he mean?" Raphtalia asked through gritted teeth.
"He means something that makes me want to bury him into the ground," Naofumi said, a cloud of anger beginning to surround his form. A similar cloud was also appearing around Raphtalia.
"Uh, hey babe, no need to get flustered, I don't mind taking things slow if that's more your thing." Daitan backed off a little.
"If you're too dense to get the subtext of their interaction, they're obviously together," Akane answered dryly beside him. "I could have sworn you'd drop the faux manhood act after last night."
"Not… all of it was fake. But… they're… togeth... oh… oh no… Um… heh heh." Daitan chuckled nervously.
The aura of malevolence from both Heroes was intensifying in front of him. The same glint shone in their eyes and oddly reflected off the eyes of Raph-Chan.
Daitan didn't even try to run. Running would have been futile anyway. Guess this was what he got for opening his big fat mouth early on.
"Shall I?" Raphtalia asked while cracking her knuckles together.
"Zweite Aura." Naofumi finished chanting the spell under his breath and a glow surrounded Raphtalia, increasing her stats.
It was over in a second.
The Blunt Weapons Hero was grabbed by the Katana Hero, lifted off his feet by his shirt, and plunged so deep into the ground that only his legs were left sticking out and flailing around.
A small shockwave rocked from the site of the impact. And the minor earthquake was picked up on seismographs all the way over in Lazuli.
Its mysterious origin would have gem scientists scratching their heads for many years to come.
"Impressive." Glass nodded her head next to the half-tanuki girl after the dust cloud settled down. "I was only able to bury him up to his chest before."
"That was probably because the ground was covered in gemstones. The ground here is made of regular stone." Kizuna pointed out. "Not to mention, Naofumi cheated there with that spell of his."
"Still. I think he might have actually felt that one." Akane said in a bland voice.
It ended up taking several minutes to dig Daitan out of the ground. "Owww…" And yes, it actually looked like it had hurt this time.
Raphtalia had really grown more powerful since coming to this world. Naofumi couldn't have been more proud of his girlfriend. He could only hope she'd continue to become more violent down the road.
"I could try burying you in the ground next if you want, dear." She flashed a deadly smile at the Shield Hero, warning him what would happen if he continued down that line of thought.
Yep. Nothing was hotter than an aggressive Raphtalia. He continued to smirk at her, imagining her in various states of undress involving leather and spicy situations to use her mind-reading powers against her.
The girl had to do everything she could not to blush.
Oh, she was so going to get back at him in the bedroom for this. A win-win situation for both of them to be sure.
"How about you try to keep it in your pants until we know these people better at least." Akane dryly suggested to her blunt friend after witnessing the flirting between the duo.
"I tried to tone it down until I saw her…" The sandy brown-haired manlet sighed in defeat.
He was going to have to refrain from flirting with anyone they met after that until he was sure they were single… and not capable of burying him in the ground.
That last one really hurt.
After introductions had been finished and everyone was informed that the other Three Heroes would be staying with them for a while, they split off to do their various tasks.
As the Cardinal Heroes were weak and didn't believe that they could share their strengthening methods with others, the vassal Heroes and party members of the Heroes separated with the three Cardinal Heroes to help them level up and increase their strength in other ways. Helping them to become stronger just as Kizuna had promised.
Raphtalia and Glass left with Akane while Filo and Raph-Chan went with Hoshi. That left Dou-Lon, Maya, and Aksel to help out Daitan.
"Ready to go grinding again?" Aksel asked his girlfriend.
"Grinding monsters, or grinding against you?" Maya asked mischievously.
Daitan's mouth, which had opened naturally when he noticed how hot the raccoon girl was, immediately closed itself.
Even if the pair turned out to not be together, the dangerous thirst in Maya's voice was too much, even for him.
"Time for another workout." Dou-Lon popped his neck into place as a savage grin appeared on his face.
Yeah. Daitan was definitely going to prefer the tiger man in this scenario. Right?
Their first day in Sickle gradually continued. All three Heroes were getting to face different monsters in the surrounding forests.
"Why are we grinding here first?" Akane asked after half an hour had passed. "I'm not going to gain many levels against low-level monsters." Even she was able to kill them with somewhat relative ease.
"You can still gain weapon forms from absorbing their corpses, can you not?" Glass replied. "If you do not believe that methods can be shared, then this is another good way to improve your power."
Akane didn't really have a reply to that. As yes, almost all of the monsters they were facing didn't live in either Label or Lazuli. So she was getting plenty of good weapon forms from the monsters.
She also wanted to open her mouth on the methods thing… but kept it shut. Her methods were all pretty stupid anyway. Besides one, the others would never believe them as they were so ridiculous and stupid.
She still couldn't bring herself to believe she even had them. She had played games as a form of escape back in her world when she wasn't designing outfits, but these methods hadn't been in them.
She'd preferred playing by herself, so the fact that these methods required others was insulting.
In another part of the forest, the Ofuda Hero was astounded by the two animals helping to level him up.
Filo, at this point, had grown a lot bigger as a humming fairy. Not quite big enough to carry a person around. But definitely big enough for Raph-Chan to ride on her back. And, due to her monster race, she was able to sing at least three different tunes at the same time. Helping to make her Performance Magic even more potent than before.
"Rafu!" Between Filo's singing and Raph-Chan's illusion magic, the monsters never stood a chance. All of their attacks missed the three of them, and even Hoshi was able to contribute to the battle without fear of being harmed.
He couldn't one-shot every monster. But he could bring them down thanks to the two's help.
"A-Amazing! H-How are you two so strong?" Hoshi asked at one point. "You're not Heroes, right?" They hadn't had the ability [Growth Revision] used on them either. As far as he knew, that was something only he had the ability to use.
"Hmmm, Filo used to be a lot stronger." The little girl commented while her other vocal cords kept up the singing. "But since Filo changed monster forms, Filo hasn't been as strong. So Filo has been playing more of a support role like Daddy."
A glow surrounded Raph-Chan with her latest song.
"RAFU!" The shikigami headbutted the monster in front of her, and the force of the hit caused it to explode.
"... That support performance magic… is its base form really that strong?" Hoshi asked with wide-eyed wonder.
"Filo thinks Daddy mentioned unlocking a shield at some point that made Filo's magic more powerful. But Filo isn't sure." The hummingbird shrugged.
Filo and Hoshi gained exp. But Raph-Chan didn't have levels yet, so she gained none. "But Daddy has a shield that is able to make Little Sis a lot stronger. Fishing Lady has a similar weapon form for Small Penguin."
"Wait, so there's… there's weapon forms that increase the strength of party members?!" Hoshi asked ecstatically. He never thought he'd be learning so much just from one outing. And from monster companions no less.
He felt inspiration entering his mind. Maybe that was what his next volume needed! Not some other pretty girl to hang off the protagonist's arm, but a wise bird monster with information that could help his characters out!
"Mmhmm. That's why Filo's so strong in Filo's world." Filo said happily. "Daddy has lots of Shields to help make Filo's other monster form tons stronger. Though Filo loves how much Filo can sing as a humming fairy!"
"Still… how did I not realize that something like that existed…" The Ofuda Hero sighed. He could have helped Kuro-chan and her family grow so much stronger...
"Maybe Gray Guy hasn't been absorbing everything into the weapon like Filo's Daddy?" Filo suggested.
"Gray guy?" Hoshi asked.
"Isn't Gray Guy gray?" Filo responded as if it made perfect sense.
…
He didn't say anything to that. But continued to absorb the corpses of monsters they were defeating… as well as a few random things they found on the ground to test Filo's words.
Not all of them unlocked a new weapon form. But a few did. And he realized he was able to identify what unlocked a new weapon form by the glow that would emanate from his gemstone when a new item was placed near it. He'd noticed it before in the past, but never understood what it'd meant.
He never knew you could get a Leaf Ofuda from absorbing a specific plant. And to think it had the ability to raise the quality of herbs one picked.
He was going to have a lot more inspiration for his manga by the time he was back in Lazuli.
Daitan would say things were going well on his end too. Given that he had three people slaughtering monsters to help him out.
But…
"Oh my. I've got blood on my outfit Axie-poo."
"Don't worry. I'll help you take it off once we get back, my dear." Aksel winked at the Raccoon girl mischievously, causing her to giggle.
"Ahahahahaha! Die monsters, die!" Dou-Lon was a beast. He had transformed into a full-on white tiger therianthrope and was practicing killing monsters with his katana in one hand while the other mauled monsters with his claws. He continued to laugh as he painted the ground around him red with the blood of his enemies.
"You're barely a challenge! Bring me something more worthy of my skills!"
The Blunt Hero grimaced.
He really wished he could have had other people helping him out.
Why were they all so weird?!
While the otherworld heroes were busy playing catchup, Naofumi brought Kizuna back to the castle. Though the girl was tired, she had to get caught up on some things. And as they were Cardinal Heroes, they couldn't assist the other Heroes in leveling up.
Naofumi was helping L'Arc to draft out battle tactics for the defense of the city as well as the invasion of Luvar that they were planning. They also had to plan on where to meet up with the reinforcements they were getting from other countries. And how they'd get the different militaries to coordinate their attacks from different directions as they plowed through Label territory in order to reach Luvar and, eventually, its Capital.
As time went on, Naofumi found he missed having Mirellia's and Aultcray's input.
Even that depressed king, when he'd spoken, had put forth ideas that were brilliant in leading large armies effectively against any threat. They could definitely use some of those ideas here…
"Kizuna, do you know when Lapis's airfleet will arrive?" L'Arc's question brought Naofumi out of his reverie.
"They were still doing repairs on their main fleet last I checked," Kizuna answered. "But Corrin should be sending out some of the ships that were in the lower docks today. They're not really powerful, but they can still serve as troop carriers."
L'Arc grimaced. "Better than nothing I guess."
"Do you think our fleet's firepower will be enough to combat Luvar's?" Minister Stone asked L'Arc.
"I honestly don't know. We might have to resort to anti-aircraft cannons on the ground, though lugging them around with the main army will be a hassle. And that's if they're even effective against this fleet." L'Arc sighed.
The information they'd gotten about it from Label's survivors was… discouraging, to say the least.
"I'm sorry if my efforts to design new ships with Kyo in the past are backfiring on us now," Ethnobalt said sadly.
"It's not your fault. You couldn't have possibly predicted that this would happen." Kizuna rubbed the rabbit man's shoulder in an act of comfort.
Naofumi crossed his arms while thinking over the problem. He was starting to realize how it was an advantage that his world didn't have this level of technology. It was bad enough fighting an army on the ground or the sea, but if you included air in the equation?
World War II and every war after that had shown how air superiority could turn the tide against most armies.
On the bright side, at least they had the rule of stats as an equalizer. Luvar's flying fleet would only be as powerful as the people piloting them and the soldiers manning the cannons. Even with that, they were going to have to think of a way to level the playing field if they wanted to keep ground casualties to a minimum.
They were in the middle of going over ideas for this when Rishia suddenly burst into the room. Catching the group of them off guard.
"Fuehhhh, w-why didn't anyone tell me that you were back?!"
"Huh? You mean Itsuki didn't tell you in advance?" Kizuna asked confusedly.
The girl shook her head. She'd been busy studying Ethnobalt's ancient texts while waiting to train the others. She'd only just heard about it thanks to leaving the library to get some water and overhearing soldiers talking about Kizuna's return in the hallways.
"Hmmm… he must have been more tired than I thought. If he didn't even tell his girlfriend that he was coming back." Naofumi remarked to himself.
"H-How many times do I have to say that we're not together yet?!" Rishia complained.
"Yet?" Kizuna asked playfully.
"F…" The girl bit down the whimper. "Is he back at the house?" Rishia asked helplessly.
"Probably. I don't know where else he'd go." Kizuna remarked.
"O-Okay. Ethnobalt, I'll try getting back to work on those texts tomorrow." Rishia said.
"Take as long as you need with your boyfriend, Rishia. I'll continue the efforts on making a cipher after this." The rabbit man smiled warmly.
Rishia's cheeks filled with red, but she rushed out of the room.
The group continued discussing strategies and battle formations from there.
It was actually impressive how quickly she got back to Kizuna's house from there, considering how far it was from the castle, the surrounding town and buildings quickly passed on by. A mixture of concern for her friend as well as some life force manipulation to increase her speed and stamina made the trip a lot shorter than normal.
Soon, she was in front of Itsuki's room. Barely even winded from her run.
It'd been open that morning when she walked by, but now it was closed. And there weren't any lights on inside.
"It… Itsuki?" She knocked on the door.
…
She didn't get a response. And after knocking again, she breathed in deeply to help calm herself, before she opened the door.
The Bow Hero sat on his bed. The only light in the room was streaming in through the windows.
He looked stiff as a rock. And when she opened the door, he didn't even look at her.
His eyes were blank. And it took him a moment to recognize who'd walked in. His form trembled slightly. And his hands tightened into fists in his lap.
The look of happiness and relief upon seeing Itsuki quickly disappeared from Rishia's face. Being replaced with one of concern.
"Rishia… am I a bad person?"
…
"... wh… what?" Rishia asked meekly.
The blank expression still covered the Bow Hero's face as he turned his head to the side, unable to look the girl behind him in the eyes.
"I messed up again... I equipped my Cursed Series again. I hurt the other Heroes with it and almost lost control of it…
"Again."
"It happened all over again... Rishia."
…
"..." The girl didn't even speak. She immediately moved over to the edge of the bed. And she wrapped her arms around Itsuki in a big hug.
She held his head to her shoulder. Rubbing his back with her other hand.
He only slightly trembled in her hug. A thin line of tears slowly ran down the sides of his face.
Several minutes of this passed. At some point, he wrapped his arms around her because the trembling began to grow worse, and it wouldn't stop otherwise.
He couldn't remember the exact words he said. He didn't know if he told her about the incident at the Conference. Or if he told her about how it'd been plaguing him ever since Kyo's attack in Lazuli and the other nations. He definitely told her about using it in the forest though.
"I… I enjoyed using it on the other Heroes, Rishia. I started out only wanting to terrify them into facing reality. But… then I genuinely wanted to make them afraid of me. And I enjoyed the pain I caused them. I enjoyed it when I was drowning one of them in the river. I was enjoying what I was putting them through.
"But for all the reasoning I used to convince myself it was right, it turned out that they were just like me back then.
"Only pretending that they were still in a game so they didn't have to face reality. And I didn't see it or even consider it."
…
"I just… I don't understand… I keep telling myself I shouldn't use it… but then I go and use the Curse Series anyway. Thinking it'll help me accomplish something by myself…"
"Why? Why can't I stop myself, Rishia?" Itsuki softly asked her. A thin veil of tears in his eyes.
"Why does this keep happening to me? Why am I unable to do anything to help anybody out? Why do I keep resorting to this evil?
"Am I evil at heart?"
Rishia opened her mouth to refute that statement, but Itsuki kept on talking before she could interject.
"I hate it. I hate how it warps my sense of justice. I keep on telling myself that it'd be a bad idea to use it but then I go ahead and use it anyway… And &^%$ hits the fan every time I do so.
"So why? Why does this keep on happening to me?
"Why… why do I keep on hurting others…?" Under the weight of all those emotions, Itsuki felt more tears fall down the sides of his face. He'd seen and done such horrid things that numbed him to other horrible scenarios he'd witnessed or participated in.
And yet… he was breaking down because he'd worked so hard to change, to become better lately. Yet he was still repeating the same mistakes. Falling back into the same old habits.
And it hurt so much. His disappointment in himself. His inability to change. To overcome his past shortcomings.
"Why… why am I such a horrible person…?"
…
Rishia continued to hold him. Not saying anything as Itsuki continued to softly cry in her arms.
Itsuki's eyes eventually closed, and he thought only a moment had passed.
When he opened them again though, the light of the sun was coming directly through the window. His body felt incredibly stiff from sitting for so long. Dry tear tracks ran down his cheeks, showing some time had passed. But he felt even more tired than he had earlier. Tired, and defeated.
His sleep had not been restful, despite the girl next to him still holding him for all that time.
"You're still here…" Itsuki said despondently.
"Yes. I haven't left your side." Rishia replied.
…
Itsuki sighed. "You didn't have to stay with me, you know. There are probably a million other important things you could have been doing to prepare for Kyo than watching me cry."
"..."
Rishia's hand raised his chin, making him look up at her. He saw a look of such care in the girl's eyes. They looked… so much like hers had.
"As important as it is to take the Book Hero down and avenge Ost… your well-being is just as important to me, if not more," Rishia said seriously, no trace of hesitation in her voice. "Do you not remember how I promised to help keep you on the right path?"
Rishia was smiling a little more than before. Itsuki looked down at his lap as he recalled the memory in his mind. It only made him disappointed in himself again. "I'm sorry I let you down."
"You haven't let me down at all." She kindly refuted, moving his head so he would look at her again.
"Even if you pulled your Cursed Series out, you put it away when Kizuna told you to. That's better than what happened before."
"But I still…"
The two stared at each other, mere inches separating their faces. It could be so simple. Either of them moving forward towards the other.
Rishia's smile seemed to grow just a little bigger, seeing red filling the Bow Hero's cheek. The rest of his earlier refute died on his lips.
"You really want to see the good in me. Don't you?" Itsuki whispered.
"I don't need to. There is already a lot of good in you." Rishia replied happily. One of her hands moved to rest in his. "And I'd feel terrible if I didn't try to help you see it."
…
They sat on the edge of the bed in silence after that. Their hands remained interlocked all the while. Itsuki still trembled under his own disappointment. But Rishia's comforting presence was helping him to feel better at last.
…
…
…
"I'm… going to need to apologize to the other Heroes," Itsuki said after a while.
"Yes," Rishia replied softly. "And if you don't, I'll pester you about it until you do so."
"What if they don't forgive me? I hurt them." Itsuki responded sourly.
"Then you'll work through it. Just like you did back at the village." Rishia smiled. "And you'll have us around to help in the meantime. Including me."
"..."
It took a moment for Itsuki to respond to her sincere statement.
"I… is it alright if I don't do it tonight?" He finally asked.
"Are you scared to see them so soon?" Rishia asked worriedly.
"Yeah, a lot. But also…" He yawned loudly into his shoulder. "I'm extremely tired. And emotionally drained. It… was really rough not being around you or the others the last few days…, especially you. I need some time."
"…" At the shy admittance, Rishia gave him a soft smile. A light red dusted her cheeks. "Then is it alright if I stay with you tonight?"
"Huh? Oh, oh no, no it's okay! I'm feeling better now if you're that worried about me!" Itsuki said, his face turning red in embarrassment.
"Itsuki…" Rishia almost wanted to admit that she loved him far too much to want to leave him alone right now even if he was feeling better. And that nothing would make her happier than to be able to cuddle with him for a night so she could forget about the pain of not having him around these last few days.
But instead, she smiled while trying to hide a look of embarrassment. She had gotten more confident, but not that much so. "With you and Kizuna gone, I wasn't able to sleep well at night, especially after the news about how the conference went with Kyo's attack, and I've been busy training Naofumi and the others nonstop on top of my own training and studying..."
"I don't know if I even have the energy to make it back to my own room…" Okay, maybe she was lying just a little bit.
But could you blame her?
…
Itsuki should have felt embarrassed. But… all he felt was a wave of tiredness wash over his body again, and a sense of relief that he wasn't going to be alone with the nightmares he was definitely going to have after last night.
"Alright. You can stay with me. But only for today. There's no reason to have the others suspect something more is going on between us."
Gods. Naofumi's teasing would reach a whole new level if that happened. And they hadn't even kissed… yet.
Rishia agreed, and the two lay down on the bed together. Rishia snuggled up against him, resting her head under his chin while wrapping her arms around his chest. His arms, though stiff at first, hesitantly wrapped around her in turn.
Despite their shared exhaustion, they talked about what they'd done while separated. From Itsuki's exploration of Lazuli to Rishia practicing with her ofudas.
It was definitely different from messaging the others from the comfort of their beds at the end of the day. But in a good way.
Itsuki breathed in the vanilla scent of Rishia's hair and felt the tenseness in his body disappear at the action.
It really did feel amazing. He only wished that he could gather the courage to ask her…
"Rishia?" He suddenly said.
"Hmmm?" She hummed in response.
He reached into his Bow's gemstone, taking the Emerald Flower he'd stored inside out of it and showing it to her. "I almost forgot, my first day in Lazuli, I got to see a gem garden. This was growing in it, and… I wanted to give it to you."
"R… Really? It's so beautiful." Tears entered the girl's eyes.
"Yeah, it made me think of you…" Itsuki slowly blushed even darker as he realized what he'd said.
Rishia looked at him, almost as if he'd grown a second head. Gods, had he really said that? It'd sounded so much smoother in his brain. Had it been too soon to say something like that?
However, she began to giggle again, and after settling the flower in her braid, she wrapped her arms around him even more firmly than before and closed her eyes with a content smile on her face. "Thanks, Itsuki. I'll cherish it."
"Y-You're welcome."
…
They fell into a comfortable silence after that.
…
Itsuki wondered where it'd go for them from here. If they'd continue messaging one another at night. Sitting down to read manga and… or if they'd go on dates with each other… and hold each other like this at night… talking about whatever came to mind like a pair of in-love teenagers.
…
"Th… thank you, Rishia. For helping me feel better again." Itsuki eventually said softly. "Even if a monster like me doesn't deserve it. I'm grateful for this."
He really did feel better. Even if he still felt guilty about his actions last night.
…
He thought she had already drifted off to sleep. And closed his eyes to drift off as well.
"No matter what you say or think about yourself. You're not a monster, Itsuki." Rishia's voice replied just as softly. "You're a great person Itsuki, and great people sometimes make great mistakes."
"Gee, thanks a lot." Itsuki snarked.
The childish reaction elicited a giggle from the small girl.
"No matter the mistake, I'll always try to help you, no matter what, Itsuki."
"Even if you push me away, I'll always come back to help you. No matter how long it takes."
…
Rishia steadily drifted to dreamland, but Itsuki found himself unable to.
Her words then called to him a distant memory from his past.
He'd just been beaten up by the bullies at school again. And he was being hugged while the other individual used the healing ability she'd discovered only recently to heal him of the various bruises.
She'd comforted him as he did so. And, when he'd finally calmed down and asked her why she was doing this, she smiled at him.
"I'll always try to help you, Itsuki, no matter what."
"You're really nice and friendly! And it's their fault that they can't see that!"
"But… but they'll target you too…" Itsuki sniffled.
"Let them try. Even if you push me away, I'll always be there to protect you!"
The girl had twin braids running down her back, as well as sparkling blue eyes. She was a bit taller than Itsuki, but they were only nine.
One day, when he was older, he'd be the one taller than her.
For the moment though, her smile was sincere. And he couldn't help but believe his best friend would always be there for him as he finally smiled in return.
A shudder passed through Itsuki's body, causing him to hug the sleeping Rishia to him more tightly.
No.
The same thing couldn't happen to this girl.
Rishia had worked so hard trying to overcome the weight of her past.
He'd never be able to live with himself if that were to happen to her. If she became just like…
Even if all the other bright lights in his life were snuffed out, even if he lost his friends, if his very soul was corrupted and he became true evil… his bond with Rishia was one thing he absolutely could not afford to lose.
He could never be responsible for such a thing ever again. Or else…
It took him a little bit to push the clearer memory out of his mind. Trying to replace it with the resolve to not let the past repeat itself.
But when he did so, exhaustion consumed him, and he was finally able to get some much-needed rest.
The next few days came and went. A lot happened during that time, which Naofumi found hard to keep track of with how many people there were.
He knew the others were taking turns powering up the other Cardinal Heroes. Even L'Arc and Therese joined in the rotation, as their preparations had been completed and neither wanted to stay cooped in the castle with the approaching storm on the horizon.
He would glare at Daitan whenever he saw him. And the guy would wisely walk in the other direction in an effort to appease the Shield Hero for his earlier stupidity.
The day after they got back, Naofumi was finally able to meet Itsuki and give him the accessory he'd made. The Shield Hero hadn't seen his younger brother or his girlfriend at dinner the previous night. But he did see them both in the morning for breakfast and was able to give it to him right after.
It was a grip for the string of his Bow. Its wave design, which Naofumi liked inscribing into many of his creations, had been patterned exactly for Itsuki's fingers, allowing him to pull back the Bowstring far more comfortably.
When the Bow Hero had asked him why he made that kind of accessory, Naofumi recalled for him when they were facing the Spirit Tortoise for the first time, and how Itsuki's fingers had bled in that battle from pulling his bowstring back so much.
"At least with this, you won't hurt your hands if the battle drags out for too long," Naofumi told him at the end.
...
The Bow Hero had been oddly silent after hearing that. But, eventually, he hugged Naofumi and thanked him for his kindness, before going away to test out his improved bow.
Its Attack Up (Medium) Enchantment had disappeared after being equipped, being replaced with Air Strike Storm. It was an upgrade for his Air Strike Spread skill that would presumably add water and lightning-based elements to its attack.
He hadn't used it yet, so it was only a guess. It'd be cool if Naofumi was right though.
While he'd appeared down at breakfast, the gift had definitely helped to cheer the Bow Hero up. When he asked Rishia about how he was doing, she just said he needed some time. So Naofumi didn't feel to press the Bow Hero any further after that.
Speaking of Rishia, the Shield Hero still spent some time each day training with her. He reached a point where he could deflect or redirect defense piercing or defense rating attacks around half the time. Raphtalia had still been struggling to implement ki into her repertoire along with her new katana skills.
"It almost feels like I'm learning magic techniques from Eclair again. Only, I'm trying to get them to work with the Katana." She tiredly commented to herself.
"That is because you must direct your energy through it. And shape it in a way that uses your weapon to improve your skills," Glass commented as she left a panting Dou-Lon on the ground. She was also visibly tired as well. That damn hakuko's progress and grit were truly astounding. "Here, allow me to show you."
After some demonstrations from Glass, who did have knowledge of such things thanks to her old master, Raphtalia had progressed far more with her and Rishia's combined help.
She could only use a couple of new moves after all the training she'd done, but it was miles ahead of where she'd started at. And she'd also learned how to raise her stats with her own ki just like Rishia did in battle.
Naofumi and Raphtalia couldn't have been more proud of each other for their progress. And made sure to celebrate it at night.
When Naofumi wasn't training, he was making accessories in Romina's workshop. Or teaching Filo and Raph-Chan how to cook. Or experimenting with the herbs and ingredients in this world in trying to remake various potions from his world.
His efforts in that so far had managed to make a replica of the Health Potion from his world, called the Life Force Potion in this world. It restored one's health just like a healing crystal, though it didn't grant Naofumi or his friends any extra Exp.
It wouldn't be that useful since it was much quicker to heal with a crystal instead of drinking a potion. But he'd have to take some of these back to his world to test if they'd give him experience there or not.
His progress with making the other's accessories, however, was a bit slow.
"When is that fishing lure you promised going to be ready?" Kizuna complained from the doorway.
"I'm working on it! I haven't really made something this complicated before!" Naofumi yelled over his shoulder.
"I am still waiting for the accessory you promised for my fans." Glass commented next to Kizuna. When had she appeared in the doorway?!
"It's not fair! Why does Itsuki already get his while we're stuck waiting for ours!?" Kizuna pouted at her best friend.
A vein began to bulge in Naofumi's forehead. And his rage finally peaked when a familiar blacksmith appeared behind them.
"Master Craftsman! Have you managed to finish another one of your amazing creations yet-"
"THAT'S IT! Everybody, OUT!" Naofumi got up, shoving the three individuals out the door with his impressive strength stat. "I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE NOT TO BOTHER ME UNTIL THE EQUIPMENT IS DONE ROMINA!"
"Nooooooo, I want to try fishing with my new lure!" Kizuna whined.
"Too bad! I'm still working on Raphtalia's sheath amongst other things! You'll have to wait your turn!" Naofumi yelled before slamming the door on them.
"Can I at least make a hole in the wall to watch you as you work, Master Craftsman?" Romina asked from the other side.
Naofumi didn't answer her. And he didn't let anyone in to see him while he was working after that incident.
It was bad enough that he was already working well out of his comfort boundaries with what they'd asked for. Hell, he was still trying to figure out what he was going to make for himself. He definitely wanted all the defense he could get, and if he got another secret skill like the one the last accessory had, it'd be all the better.
Out of the only two people that he'd allowed inside with him while he was working besides his wife friend was Raph-Chan. She was the perfect assistant. Grabbing the tools he needed and informing him when the molds were completed just when he'd need her to.
She always got a head pat from that. Which would earn an affectionate "Rafu!" in return.
"Hold that pose for just a moment more…"
And the second person he allowed to be in there besides her was the Ofuda Hero, Hoshi Isao.
It was definitely weird in a way. The monochrome Hero didn't really do much outside of when others were helping to level him up. Akane would train sometimes as well as Daitan since that was still a feasible way to increase one's stats. But the gray-eyed man was more comfortable having Filo and Raph-Chan level him up than training with others, most likely because the two weren't human.
Yet, he didn't seem to mind Naofumi so much. Whether because Naofumi was the father of Filo and Raph-Chan, or because the Shield Hero allowed the Ofuda Hero to work on his manga in his workshop since nobody would bother him there thanks to Naofumi strictly pushing everyone else away while he was busy working. Or maybe it was just the fact that Naofumi couldn't harm anything?
Naofumi definitely didn't mind either way. Especially when he saw that Hoshi had drawn Filo into his story. And was currently working on adding Raph-Chan to it as well.
That made the Ofuda Hero a true friend and ally in his book.
"Rafu?"
"Yes. It'll need a few touchups, but I got it down. Thank you for keeping the pose for me, Raph-Chan." Hoshi replied happily as he put his pencil down.
"Rafu!" Raph-Chan bounded from her spot, cuddling up against the Ofuda Hero who giggled as he rubbed her stomach.
"Quiet down a little bit. This part's a little delicate." Naofumi told them.
"S-Sorry." The Ofuda Hero commented quietly.
Naofumi didn't acknowledge the apology as he slowly twisted the various hooks that made up Kizuna's lure. He'd made sure to sharpen its ends to as fine a point as possible. With this, she could hook any fish she wanted, or really ruin some monster's day. He just had to make sure not to snap the metal, or…
Ah, good.
Naofumi sat back, sighing in relief as he looked it over.
Amethyst Flower Lure: Quality: Great
Agility Up (Low) Reflexes Up (Medium) Strength Up (High)
Heh, perfect for a fisherman. He had to thank Itsuki for the gem flowers he brought back from Sickle. It'd given him the perfect means for finishing some of these accessories.
The amethyst petals had been the perfect setup for the hooks he'd designed. Spaced evenly so Kizuna could hook her target no matter what way the lure was facing. And it'd also served as the perfect base for enchantments.
The Gem Reform ability he'd gained from absorbing the gem flowers had been useful too. Using soul power and magic power, he could shape any gemstone he held into whatever he desired, making things like Raphtalia's sheathe far easier to make.
One of the flowers also made it so that the quality of gemstones he mined in the future would receive a quality increase. That would really come in handy.
"That… really looks amazing," Hoshi commented in awe from over Naofumi's shoulder.
"Do you want to try making something for yourself? I have all the tools you'd need right here as well as some extra materials I don't plan on using anytime soon." Naofumi commented to the guy.
"Um… no thanks… I'm not that good with my hands." He commented sadly.
"Your art says otherwise." Naofumi gestured to the nearby sheet with the depiction of Raph-Chan.
Gods, it looked so real. Naofumi was half-tempted to grab it and try petting it to see if Hoshi had managed to replicate the feel of her fur as he'd tried so hard to do in his free time. Then, he remembered that it wasn't an ofuda and that it was only a normal sheet of paper, and a sad frown painted itself onto his face.
What he'd give to make that dream a reality. He could pet Raph-Chan even when she wasn't around…
Fortunately, the real thing jumped into his lap, and Naofumi smiled as he pet the happy furry creature. Raph-Chan cooed in delight as she soaked in the love and attention.
If only her best friend and the Shield Hero could have a baby. Then the shikigami would be able to reach another level of euphoria by cuddling with their daughter or son.
And getting into all sorts of trouble with them.
Heh heh heh.
"Um… Naofumi…" Hoshi began awkwardly.
"What? Don't feel afraid to speak around me, you know. I'm not really that scary even though I try to be sometimes." Naofumi said.
"It's not that, it's just… ... ...
"How are you so special?" The monochrome Hero eventually managed to ask.
…
"What do you mean?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"You cook the best food I've ever eaten. You're making accessories for everyone to make them stronger. You compound lots of different medicines. From the stories I've heard, you've been able to protect everyone in the past from powerful attacks of all kinds. And just about everyone here looks up to you…"
The young man grabbed the Ofuda Box on his side, looking down at his Cardinal Weapon. "I just wonder how your weapon could summon someone like you, while this one summoned a loser like me?"
"Well, that's actually pretty simple," Naofumi responded without any hesitation. "I wasn't that special when I was summoned."
"R… Really?" Hoshi asked in surprise.
"Yeah, well, apparently, I could cook better than everyone else when I first got here. I still don't really believe that though, since it's not that hard. But that's beside the point.
"Before I was summoned, I was just your typical otaku. Studying Business Economics in college while living off my parent's allowance. I wasn't extraordinary in any sense of the word. I had no girlfriend. I had acquaintances I hung out with from time to time. But I was just another guy living his day-to-day life and spending most of his time reading mangas and playing games before I was summoned."
…
Hoshi remained quiet, pondering that.
"What about you? Were you a mangaka before you were summoned?" Naofumi asked.
"I-I wish." Hoshi looked down nervously. "I've just had a lot of practice since coming to this world."
"Itsuki has shown me some of the things from your first volume, you know," Naofumi said at his discouraged tone. "You were pretty good even when you started."
"Heh, I spent months working on that, making sure everything was just right. I went through two rough drafts before I was confident enough to release it." Hoshi continued to put down his god-tier drawing abilities. Just like Naofumi did for his god-tier cooking abilities.
Naofumi almost saw the connection, but quite couldn't grasp that he was the Gordon Ramsay of the isekai genre.
"Not meaning to pry here, but did something happen in your world that makes you doubt yourself like this?" Naofumi asked.
…
"... no, not really," Hoshi responded after a moment of thought. "Strange, isn't it? I wasn't bullied in school. I wasn't mistreated by my parents. I didn't go through anything traumatic growing up. I was just a single guy, studying my generals at college while trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life."
It almost sounded like Naofumi, but without the talent for cooking or the inability to get drunk. Or the horrible parents that took advantage of his cooking and otherwise put all their love and attention on his younger brother.
"I had a talent for drawing art, and I felt it was my dream to become a mangaka. But there were already a lot of good mangaka artists out there. And their stuff was so much better than anything I could hope to come up with…
"Then, one day, while I was practicing in my free time, I felt to draw a scene. An open square inside of a fortress city. I drew some background characters, some in cloaks, some in armor. Then I drew three characters that I felt would be important for this story.
"I finished the other two, one holding a mace while the other was holding a jewel. And I'd just finished drawing the ofuda box the main character was holding, but when I got to draw his face, I felt something strange, like I was being pulled into the page, and passed out.
"When I opened my eyes again, I was in that square, surrounded by all those people alongside the two others I'd drawn, holding that Ofuda box in my hands."
"You drew your own Hero summoning." Naofumi realized.
"Yeah… and I've been in this world ever since." Hoshi chuckled sadly to himself. "Strange, huh? Normally, you'd think you'd be isekaied to another world by Truck-Kun or something like that. Isn't that how the cliche goes?"
"It's not really that strange." Naofumi shrugged. "I was summoned because I picked up the wrong book."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it took the motto "reading transports you to another world" to a whole new level. Let me just say, it's highly overrated."
The two both chuckled, then sat in silence.
Naofumi continued petting Raph-Chan absentmindedly. The furry creature had settled in his lap for a nap. Somehow looking even more adorable in her sleep than she did while awake.
…
…
Hoshi eventually went back to his manga. And Naofumi went back to work on another accessory.
It looked like a necklace. Naofumi was using petals from the Sapphire Flower he'd been given to improve on what he'd had for it before.
A project that wasn't for the others. But for something far more important after this was over.
A quiet air of comradery settled between the two Heroes of otherworlds.
Author's Notes:
Yeah. There's a bit to uncover in this chapter. And there'll be quite a bit more in the next chapter.
You get to see and learn a bit about the other Heroes. And get to see how they act in part now that the game facade has been thrown out the window.
I felt it'd be good to show Itsuki's struggle to repent. We're all human. We all make mistakes. Some mistakes are bigger than others. And some are mistakes that we repeat even though we know better.
I haven't tried to kill anyone. But I make my own major mistakes. And I keep making them again and again despite my attempts to change. I know what it's like to be severely disappointed in myself. I'm sure others here feel the same way.
Though that isn't going to stop me from finding new ways to torture Itsuki via omake!
Hero Clips!
Just a Dream?
Mmmm… this felt nice…
Itsuki felt more refreshed than he had in a long while. He also felt warm. Incredibly so.
It was almost like someone else was pressed up against him and… … …
His eyes shot open. Almost at the same time as Rishia's.
They were in bed together.
And they were both naked.
"AH!" "FUEH!" The two pulled back from one another in shock. Rishia pulled the blankets up, covering her surprisingly large chest while Itsuki covered himself with a pillow.
"I…" "You…" "What…" Both individuals stammered to themselves. Trying to figure out what to say to the other.
They'd only just slept together, right? And neither of them had been drunk either! Had… they really given in to their hidden urges at night and… and…!?
"Oh, hey."
Both heads turned to the doorway. Naofumi was standing there with a smirk. "Looks like you finally got some, Itsuki. Color me impressed."
"W-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" Itsuki screamed in a mixture of rage and embarrassment.
"It's a dream, obviously." Naofumi rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "As if you two would actually get down and dirty this early in the story."
"EARLY!? THIS IS CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY &^%$&^% FOUR IN CASE YOU FORGOT!" Itsuki screamed back.
"Technically chapter Seventy-One of the second story." Rishia meekly commented.
"Meh, still early for you two. Gotta let some more time pass for your vanillaness to melt away and allow that kind of heat." Naofumi retorted with a shrug. "You know I'm right. You haven't even kissed her yet despite having plenty of opportunities to do so, especially in this chapter.
"Talk about sad."
Itsuki would have screamed again at that, asking what the hell he was talking about.
However, before he could, he sat bolt upright in bed again.
He immediately looked down at himself. Checking his clothes and making sure that everything was there.
Oh, thank the Gods, he was still fully dressed.
He really did like Rishia a lot. But to suddenly go that far before they'd even had their first kiss?
Maybe Ren and Wyndia would have done it in another timeline, being the idiot teenagers that they were. But not him.
No way. No sirree. He'd rather he and the green-haired girl take their time. Get more comfortable with each other and grow closer to one another before they try something as intimate as that.
He then frowned. Perhaps giving in and letting her sleep with him today had been a bad idea. He definitely didn't want to give her the wrong message. And besides, if they ended up making out with each other while in bed…
He turned to the side to wake up Rishia, deciding they should talk about this now so he didn't forget later on and let something as risky as that happen and-
That wasn't Rishia.
"Expecting someone else?"
That definitely wasn't Rishia!
"Mhmhmhmhm."
It was horrible.
It was the worst thing imaginable.
It was everyone's favorite villain.
It was everyone's worst nightmare.
It was…
"Hey there, fRiEEEEEEEnnnnnnD!"
Kyo in Eris's outfit. With the padded boobs and all.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Itsuki bolted out of the bed, screaming as he ran from the room.
"Fuehhhhhhh! Itsuki, what happened!?" Rishia screamed in surprise as Itsuki's outburst woke her up.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
HE KNEW HE'D HAVE NIGHTMARES THE NIGHT BEFORE, BUT NOT LIKE THIS!
It would be several hours before anyone could get the Bow Hero to calm down. And when he finally did, he absolutely refused to explain what he'd dreamed about.
Because some things were just too terrible to inflict onto the minds of others.
Allen grinned widely from the heavens up above. "Good thing I don't mind giving you readers that mental image a second time around!"
Free mental scarring for all! Not just the Bow Hero!
Till Next Time
Allen