11 Followers 1 Following

Bonus 2: Sharing a Roof Brings Us Closer

This is my third visit to Elna Village.

The villagers, already used to us by now, welcomed us warmly. All the more so because word had been sent ahead of our arrival.

"Welcome, ‘Hero’-sama, ‘Saint’-sama."

It was the acting village chief.

After the night of the festival, he had officially taken the position of village chief.

"Please, drop the ‘Hero’ and ‘Saint.’ From now on, we’re just Raiga and Yuto."

When I said that, he replied politely,

"Understood. —I welcome you as new villagers."

By the way, aside from Raiga, no one knows that I’m the ‘Hero.’

Karen-san and the others believe that Raiga and I simply share half of the ‘Hero’s’ power each.

In this world, the title of ‘Hero’ seems to carry special weight.

So, this is a secret between just the two of us.

"So, where are we going to live?"

"Yes, that has already been decided in advance. Of course, only if the two of you approve."


Following his lead, we arrived at a house I recognized.

"This was the former village chief’s home, wasn’t it?"

"Yes. The previous chief had no family, so it’s been empty. I thought it would be best for you to stay in a house you’d already spent some time in."

…We hadn’t even stayed here for a week, but strangely enough, I felt a sense of nostalgia.

I thanked the chief for his thoughtfulness.

"And where’s my house?"

When Raiga asked, the chief looked puzzled.

"Huh? Aren’t you two going to live together?"

"…Hold on a second."

"I heard rumors from the guards that you proposed in front of King Risharl?"

Hearing that, I recalled that moment.

‘I want the power to protect.’
‘I’m going with you to Elna Village.’

…Yeah, I suppose it’s no surprise they’d take it that way.

"Ah—no, I didn’t mean it like that… well, I guess it’s fine, but—anyway, it’s way too soon!"

Raiga’s face turned bright red as he flustered, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

"No, it’s fine. Thank you for everything, Chief."

"Hey, Yuto!"

Ignoring Raiga, I bowed to the chief.

"Well then, if you need anything, just let me know."

Waving, he walked off.

…Not that I should be the one saying this, but the fact that he could so casually ignore Raiga showed he had quite the personality.


Stepping inside, the sight was exactly as it had been a few days ago.

…Thinking back to when there were four of us, it felt a little lonely with just the two of us now.

Rizel bouncing around, Myudy scolding her.

Karen-san and I smiling at the two of them.

Close my eyes, and those scenes come back so easily… though there’s no time to get lost in memories.

"Yuto, what the hell was that all about?!"

Raiga was noisy as ever, pacing restlessly.

I thought it’d be better if he sat down.

"Raiga, calm down. I’ll make some tea."

"Oh, thanks—wait, that’s not the point!"

A perfect setup and punchline. He really was in a panic.

I ignored him and reached for the tea set.

The stigma no longer held any power.

This must be what the goddess meant by ‘only once.’ Even so, I could still use a little magic—enough for daily life.

At some point, Raiga had sat down.

We faced each other across the table.

"Here."

Boiling the water in an instant, I poured it into a cup and handed it to Raiga.

Reluctantly, he accepted it and took a sip.

I watched him, then tilted my own cup.

Raiga gulped down the entire cup at once.

…Such good tea leaves we got from the castle—it feels like a waste.

I poured him another cup as he set the empty one on the table.

“Th-thanks. …So, I’ll ask again—what exactly are you thinking?”

“What do you mean, ‘what am I thinking’?”

“Come on… what if something goes wrong living under the same roof?”

He looked embarrassed saying it himself.

His face was redder than the tea.

—Oh, that’s all?

“Is that the problem?”

“No, it’s a huge problem!”

“I don’t mind. You can do whatever you want with my body. You have that right.”

…I could tell from how he caught his breath, sitting across from me.


“What do you mean by that?”

“You’re asking all the questions today.”

“...Don’t dodge the issue.”

I tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but it seemed to backfire.

There was a hint of frustration in Raiga’s voice.

“I told you, right? ‘Show me sincerity.’ You’ve shown me yours. So I’ll answer you honestly. That’s all.”

“…This isn’t out of some sense of guilt, is it?”

His eyes pierced into me.

He meant my lies.

He seemed to think I was saying all this because I felt guilty about deceiving him.

“No, that’s not it.”

—You fought to protect me until the very end.

—You never once looked at any other girl besides me.

—You trusted me, a liar like me, until the very end.

—And you survived, too.

…It’s only natural I would fall for you, isn’t it?

“I want to live with you. That’s why it’s fine. I mean it from my heart.”

“…I understand.”

He stood up and walked around the table toward me.

…With how this is going, this must be what it means…

I stood up and stepped toward him.

“Um… nice to meet you.”

I closed my eyes.

I had zero experience, so all I could do was entrust myself to him.

…but no matter how long I waited, nothing happened.

Just before I was about to open my eyes, feeling puzzled—

“Ouch!”

A light tap on my forehead.

Probably a finger flick.

“It’s fine.”

Raiga said this as I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

“No need to rush. We’ll get closer little by little.”

“…Yeah.”

That’s when I realized my hands were trembling.

Maybe I was a little scared.

“That’s right… we have plenty of time. So, nice to meet you, Raiga.”

“Yeah, from now on, let’s take care of each other.”

When I extended my hand, he smiled like a boy and reached out his hand too.

A handshake full of affection.

From now on, maybe this is where I start showing him my sincerity every day…

Comments (2)

Please login or sign up to post a comment.

Share Chapter