Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 158 – The hero faced reality

“But, that can’t be… Cecilia didn’t have time for that with the whole engagement issue…”  [Yuuga]

“I confessed to her while you were off working in the mines. You can blame me all you want. I won’t make any excuses. I was tired of making excuses to myself.”  [Youki]

I used to be afraid of breaking the warmth of our daily lives and running away by finding reasons to avoid things. But I’ve moved past that. Dealing with Yuuga was an inevitable hurdle in my relationship with Cecilia. No matter what kind of person Yuuga was, my feelings for Cecilia were genuine. The fact that we were a hero or a demon didn’t matter. So, even though Cecilia beat me to it, I had already laid everything out on the table.

Yuuga was currently dumbfounded and shocked, clearly bewildered. I was prepared for anything he might say, but what happened next caught me off guard. Yuuga bit his lower lip and clenched his fist, struggling to contain his emotions. However, instead of letting his emotions explode, he suddenly ran out of the room. Cecilia couldn’t hide her surprise at his abrupt exit. She must have been prepared to hear something from Yuuga, which made it all the more surprising.

“I didn’t expect him to leave without hearing more about the situation.”  [Youki]

“Yes. I thought Hero-sama would push harder and ask more questions.”  [Cecilia]

“Same here. Knowing Yuuga’s personality, I imagined the worst-case scenario, like half the mansion being destroyed.”  [Youki]

“You’re overthinking things. Besides, before it ever came to that, you’d stop him, right?”  [Cecilia]

“Y-Yeah, you’re right.”  [Youki]

Was it my imagination, or did Cecilia’s retort sound slightly different than usual? Because of that slight discomfort, my reply wound up a bit off, too.

“Fufu… oh, it looks like it’s starting to rain.”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia prompted me to look out the window, and sure enough, I could see raindrops starting to fall. It wasn’t pouring yet, so it wouldn’t be enough to get thoroughly soaked.

“Hm… ah!”  [Youki]

As I was looking at the rain, I saw Yuuga sprinting full speed out of the mansion’s entrance. It was like he didn’t care at all about the rain. A guard at the gate called out to him, but Yuuga ignored him and kept running.

“Is he going to be okay, running off without an umbrella?”  [Youki]

“Yes. I hope he reaches home before it starts pouring.”  [Cecilia]

“After getting his heart broken, the last thing he probably wants is to get soaked in the rain.”  [Youki]

That’d be a miserable experience, the cold feeling both inside and out. I knew I wouldn’t want to go through that. Even though he probably didn’t want to see my face right now, I decided to bring him an umbrella.

“Cecilia, do you have an umbrella? I’m going to take it to Yuuga. I feel like his mum or something.”  [Youki]

“There’s one here. Please, take it. Be careful. The wet roads are slippery.”  [Cecilia]

“Thanks, I’ll be careful. See you later…”  [Youki]

As I took the umbrella from Cecilia, our hands touched, and we both let out a small “Ah” in surprise. Then, we somehow naturally looked at each other at the same time, seemingly perfectly in sync. I tried to brush it off with a playful thought, but the atmosphere suddenly felt different. Cecilia seemed to sense it, too, as her eyes darted nervously. If we keep staring at each other like this, it might get dangerous… but at the same time, we’re dating, so maybe it’s okay? That thought crossed my mind.

“Ah, haha…. Uh, I-I’ll be on my way now!”  [Youki]

Like a coward, I couldn’t do anything. Instead, I turned around and ran off towards Yuuga at full speed. It made me wonder what kind of expression Cecilia had after my choice. Was she disappointed? Pessimistic thoughts began racing through my mind. Would I regret it later? It was then that I realized that the umbrella wasn’t with me. It seemed that I had dropped it out of nervousness when I touched Cecilia’s hand earlier.

“…I’ll have to go back.”  [Youki]

I had no idea how I should be facing her when I returned, but I had no choice. I decided to just apologize for being such a fool. I didn’t even realize I hadn’t taken the umbrella because I was so lost in staring at her. Even if Happiness and Sheik called me an idiot, I couldn’t refute it.

“…Oh.”  [Youki]

Just as I was about to turn back, I saw Cecilia running towards me with the umbrella in hand. I had no time to mentally prepare myself before I found myself face-to-face with her again.

“…You forgot this.”  [Cecilia]

“Ah…uh, thanks. Seriously, I’m such an idiot.”  [Youki]

This time, I properly took the umbrella from her. Our hands brushed again, and we locked eyes once more. Silence fell between us, causing me to reach my limit.

“Youki-san…”  [Cecilia]

“Uh, well… let’s talk more the next time!”  [Youki]

I gently embraced her, then finally turned and ran out of the mansion. Duke would probably say I still have a long way to go, while Happiness would call me a coward. Sheik would probably express his disappointment with an ‘Ehhhh’. However, this was the best I could do. It didn’t matter what others thought. What mattered was how we felt. Although, depending on what was going through Cecilia’s mind, I would still be labelled a coward.

“This rain is perfect for cooling my head.”  [Youki]

The rain had started to come down harder, but it felt good to be soaked by it now. As I gripped the umbrella that was lent by Cecilia tightly, I chased after Yuuga. However, enhancing my sense of hearing and smell in this rain didn’t help much. Well, as long as Yuuga didn’t stray too far off the main road or take a detour, it wouldn’t take long to catch up to him.

I ran down the well-maintained road, searching for any signs of him. But no matter how much I ran, I couldn’t find him. I was definitely running faster than him, so it didn’t make sense that he was still nowhere in sight.

“Damn it, where the hell did he wander off to!?”  [Youki]

The wind was picking up along with the rain, and I wanted to return to the inn soon. The weather had taken a turn for the worse, and it wouldn’t be surprising if lighting started striking any minute now. No people were walking around anymore; most had likely taken shelter inside buildings to wait out the rain.

“…Oh, that’s it!”  [Youki]

Even Yuuga, with his stubbornness, might have taken refuge from the rain inside a building by now. But what was I supposed to do with the umbrella now? Cecilia lent me this, so it would feel wrong not to use it. More than that, I couldn’t stand the thought of letting it go to waste. I was already drenched, so my umbrella wouldn’t do much good, but I opened it anyway and walked on. I kept scanning the area for Yuuga as I made my way back to the inn.

“Ah…”  [Youki]

Just as I was nearing the inn, I finally spotted him. We must have passed each other somewhere along the way since I hadn’t seen him at all until now. It looked like he had been wandering through town, getting soaked in the rain the entire time.

I approached him to give him the umbrella and fulfil my original purpose. His head was hung low, and I couldn’t see his face, so I had no idea what kind of reaction to expect. Feeling a twinge of anxiety, I called out to him.

“Hey, here’s an umbrella. Cecilia lent it to me… It might be too late, but here…”  [Youki]

“…Oh, Youki-kun, we see each other again, huh.”  [Yuuga]

When he lifted his face, it looked like he had been crying. At first, I thought it was just the rain making it seem that way, or I might have been mistaken, but no, it wasn’t. His eyes were swollen, and there was a sob mixed in with his voice. Was it because I told him about Cecilia and me? Maybe it was too soon for Yuuga. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything.

“Youki-kun… Mikana… she told me she hates me…”  [Yuuga]

“…Huh?”  [Youki]

“I… I don’t think I can get back up… anymore…”  [Yuuga]

With just those words, Yuuga collapsed onto his back. He fell into a puddle created by the rain, causing the water to splash up.

There’s no point leaving me with such a dramatic, hero-like comment before you collapse… What am I supposed to do?

If I left him there, the knights might drag him away, so I carried Yuuga on my back and returned to the inn.

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