* * *

“What?”

For the first time, Carmen’s ever-present smile shattered.

Her excited face shifted into sheer disbelief.

This… this has to be about me, right?

I can’t just ignore it, can I?

She told me to bring the guy over, right?

Didn’t she like him?

She’d been watching him for a long time, hadn’t she?

She even nodded in agreement, didn’t she?

She listened to him talk for ages, too.

Am I being overly optimistic, thinking she’s just too shy to admit it?

“Do I… have to take him to you?”

Even though I hesitated, I asked, hoping that was the case.

I shouldn’t have asked.

“Ugh!”

It hurts.

It really hurts.

A crushing pressure enveloped my entire body, leaving my mind in a fog.

I struggled to reopen my eyes, which had reflexively shut tight.

Carmen, too, looked pale and had wrapped her arms around herself, stumbling backward.

Unlike me, she wasn’t used to the hero’s oppressive aura and seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Right… when the hero is truly upset, this overwhelming sense of killing intent floods the air.

How could I forget something like this?

The cold sweat soaking my body now makes all the earlier moments of tension feel like child’s play.

I’m weak.

When faced with such an intimidating threat, I just want to run.

I don’t want to endure it.

My instincts are blaring warning signals, urging me to flee as fast as possible.

But… this is because the hero is angry with me.

If I’d just complied when she told me to bring the guy over, she wouldn’t be this furious.

So, it’s my responsibility to fix this.

Staggering, I made my way toward the hero.

“S-sorry.”

Even though every inch of exposed skin stung, I held firm.

No matter how much it hurt, I had to endure it—at least until the hero calmed down.

“You… reacted. I thought… maybe you didn’t hate the idea as much as I thought…”

I could barely get a few words out before I was gasping for breath.

“You didn’t say no… exactly. Hah… it’s just that…”

Damn it! My voice isn’t cooperating.

Maybe it’s because I’m already in bad shape.

Looking at Carmen, who hasn’t even opened her mouth, I guess I’m faring a bit better, but still… this won’t do.

If this keeps up…

“…”

The hero is going to leave.

As expected, the hero, after silently staring at me for a moment, turned and started walking away.

Only then did the suffocating pressure ease up slightly.

Behind me, I could hear Carmen carefully creeping closer, pressing her body against my back.

“Why, why is he so angry?”

My heart was pounding wildly.

I knew I had to follow the hero and check if he’d calmed down, but my instincts were paralyzed with fear.

I have to go.

I need to follow him and see if he’s okay.

After clearing my throat with a few coughs, I finally managed to speak.

“Sorry. I have no idea.”

“Could it be… does the hero like men?”

“What? Just because he didn’t fall for you doesn’t mean you can assume everyone’s gay!”

As if I wasn’t already stressed to my limit, now I had to deal with this nonsense.

“No, I mean, it’s well-known that you like men. But if you’re okay and I’m not… then maybe…”

“If you’re tired, go rest. I’ve got to go butter him up, like always.”

Carmen’s absurd remarks oddly helped ease my tension.

Should I be thankful for that?

I have to catch up before the hero’s back completely disappears from sight.

“Anyway, sorry! Go take a break!”

I shouted back at Carmen as I started running.

Even if he looked fine, his body must’ve been shaken.

Resting until she felt better was the best thing to do.

It felt like dealing with a predator-like magical beast, really.

For those of us far beneath the hero’s level, he’s something else entirely.

“Hero!”

I had barely run a few steps, and already I was out of breath.

Maybe it was because I’d been so scared earlier.

While my mind could hold up, my body, unused to the hero’s killing intent, hadn’t recovered yet.

I took deep breaths.

Was it because I was anxious?

The words Carmen had said earlier floated back to me.

Could the hero really like men?

I’d never seen him date a woman, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Then again, I’d never seen him date a man either.

He didn’t even keep animals around.

He just seemed to dislike every living thing equally.

It was honestly impressive.

At this point, isn’t it more reasonable to assume he simply has no interest in romance?

No, but that’s a problem for me.

Isn’t there anyone who could miraculously awaken the hero’s romantic interest?

Lost in thought, I kept running and eventually caught up to him.

“Hey, the day’s not over yet, so you’re still supposed to hang out with me, right? Isn’t that right?”

Afraid he might leave me again, I blurted out my words hastily.

Thankfully, the hero wasn’t entirely heartless.

He just looked at me silently with his calm, gray eyes.

Even though he was only looking, my body involuntarily flinched.

Admiring him and being scared of him are two completely different matters.

“Where’s your companion?”

“I left her behind. You told me to take her to you earlier, didn’t you? If you were annoyed by the sudden introduction, I’m really sorry.”

I forced a smile as I answered.

Was he waiting to see if I’d bring the girl back with me?

“I only introduced her because I thought I should explain who she was after stepping away to talk for a bit. But… I won’t do it again. I know you didn’t like it.”

“Let’s go.”

The hero responded to my fervent explanation.

Even though it was a curt reply, the fact that he told me to come along instead of leaving me behind was a huge relief.

There’s a world of difference between trailing behind him with permission and running breathlessly to catch up.

I felt at ease.

“Being so tense has completely drained me.”

What kind of woman would the hero even like?

I’ll need to think about it again, but that’s a problem for later.

I must’ve been more anxious than I realized because as soon as I relaxed, all the strength left my body.

Oh no.

I’m unbelievably sleepy.

My eyes feel so dry that even blinking is a chore.

It’s so bad that I’m pretty sure I could fall asleep while walking if I just closed my eyes.

But that means…

As long as I keep my eyes open, I’ll be fine.

I forced my eyes wide open and followed the hero.

I know that even if I’m this sleepy now, I won’t be able to sleep once I lie down.

If I’d been able to sleep well, I wouldn’t have stayed up all night and only managed to catch some shut-eye at dawn.

Going home to sleep would just be a waste of time.

Besides, with Aimone away on a trip starting today, I’d be alone at home.

I hate being alone.

Even though I know in my head that I’ve returned to the past, there are moments when my heart feels utterly isolated.

“So, where are we going now?”

* * *