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At night, I asked Rithina about the task to escort Etna-san, and she said that itās okay for me to go.
And there was almost no dissenting opinion in my declaration despite the fact itās obvious that Iām trying to build up my relationship with Etna-san here.
Well, I expected Sharon to oppose my decision. But no, in reality, Sharon didnāt show any objections at all.
Well, anyway, with my concerns gone, I could finally feel excited again for tonightās dinner.
[By the way, it is alright to be hard at work, but how long will you be gone?]
Rithina asked while I was happily eating the crispy and delicious grilled meat.
Now that she mentioned it, I donāt know. This is bad.
[Yes. I did say that it is alright, but problems may pile up if you are gone for too long.]
Canāt you please wait until my excitement died down first?
Rithina is such a worrywart.
[Sharon-sama. Itās Verde, Verde.]
Sharon was quick to respond to my pleading gaze.
Un, itās Verde. Although I have no idea who or what this Verde is.
[Ah, Etna-san is from Verde, is she not? Is that so?]
[Thatās right. So I donāt think itāll take more than a month for a round trip]
I donāt know where Verde is, but apparently, the trip to go there wonāt take a month.
They speak of it so lightly. In reality, itās still pretty far, right?
Rithina closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought.
She just returned. I guess it wonāt be fair for her if I leave for a month right after?
[Ah, no, that is not what I meant. It is alright.
However, if you are going all the way to Verde⦠it might not be the right timing to do this, but I have something to ask.]
I was worried for nothing. She gave me a pass.
In exchange for a request from Rithina. Thatās a piece of cake. Tell me
[I am not asking Haruto. This request is for Sharon.]
[Eh? Me? Um⦠okay! I understand!]
[I do not have anything to ask of Haruto. Sharon?]
She glossed through my question quite easily, opting to instead exchange whispers with Sharon above Laurier who were too busy devouring her meals to care.
[Ah, I see! I get it, Rithina-sama.]
Hearing Rithinaās whispering, Sharon seemed to understand something.
What is it? Iām curious.
[Now now! Itās nothing weird at all, so Haruto doesnāt need to worry about it!]
Sharon said with a strange smile.
Eh? Why did she suddenly get so excited?
Even if I asked her, Sharon, who was happily grinning in a good mood eerily, did not answer me. Neither did Rithina. None of them was willing to tell me what theyāve talked about.
Well, it couldnāt be anything bad.
[One month⦠Leave earlyā¦playā¦]
I heard Elcure mutter while I was talking to Rithina.
What play, you damn maniac?
Anyhow, given my relationship with Elcure, she might not be patient enough to wait for a month.
[Elcure. How about coming with me? Thereās no reward, but accompanying me should be enough, right?]
Unfortunately, itās not like I can cancel the trip now.
Therefore, I should just take Elcure along with me. Good idea.
[Noā¦thanks. Too much hassleā¦]
Thank goodness! Iāll follow you! I was hoping for that kind of reaction. But it never came.
Elcure is not the type to react that way after all.
Still, whatās with her saying that itās too much of a hassle? So sad.
Leon, who was also dining at the same table, asked politely.
Hopefully, heās not going to ask to tag along again.
[Since Haruto-san will be away soon, I need to tell this to you now.]
[Yes. After a few days of rest, weāre planning on tackling the Great Forest.]
The Demon Kingās territory is just beyond this Great Forest.
A hero would inevitably go through this place to subdue the demon king.
However, if the hero leaves, Aura would also inevitably accompany him along.
When I glanced at Aura, her face was solemn and she replied by nodding silently.
Now that it has become like this, I want Aura to stay.
When it comes to the journey to subdue the demon king, the risk of dying is higher than returning albeit seriously injured.
If possible, Iād like her to stay so that she wonāt have to take that risk.
However, that would also mean Iām undermining Auraās determination in subduing the Demon king.
For example, itās like forbidding me from getting touchy-feely with my wives. Itās impossible.
No, that analogy sounds so wrong.
Leon continued, most likely catching the exchange of gaze between me and Aura.
[Of course, no matter what happened, I will keep Aura⦠no, and Caroin as well, even if I have to trade my life for it]
[Leon-sama! Not with your life on the line!]
Aura and Caroin protested against Leonās statement.
But Leon did not care. His determination seemed firm.
Iām grateful for that and having that kind of spirit is good and all. But as a former hero, I need to give him a few words of advice.
[Leon, you have a good spirit but a misplaced one. As a hero, you have to stay alive to protect everyone. At the very least⦠If you have to sacrifice your own life, do so only when you are at an extreme dead end. Trust me. Take my word as a former hero.]
[Thatā¦might be correctā¦]
[Moreover⦠Iām glad that you intend to keep Aura safe for my sake, but Caroin is a different case. You are the only one who could make her happy.]
[Nn, wh-what did you�!]
That does it. My advice backed by my experience and expertise, along with a humorous tone to lighten up the dark mood, was able to convince Leon.
Caroin, on the other hand, was bright red as if sheād been boiled.
These fellas are like highschoolers.
No, even I was not this pure when I was still a highschooler.
What? When was the last time I was pure?
Nn? Canāt remember. But letās not talk about that anymore.
[Fufu. He got you there. As Haruto-sama said, letās all subdue the demon king and survive.]
[Yunikram⦠youāre right. Un. Sorry.]
Unusually, Yunikram smiled as he tapped on Leonās shoulder. He actually can smile?
This finally convinced Leon, and he apologized to both Aura and Caroin. I still canāt believe that guy can smile.
While everyone else was enjoying this Heroās friendship drama, Elcure was the only one tilting her head.
Now that I recall, I havenāt told her about my identity yet.
Well, anyhow, the dinner ended in a bright mood thanks to this.
Each of us left the dinner table to do what we needed to do respectively. As I walked down the corridor on my way to a post-meal swordsmanship exercise, Aura called out to me.
I turned around to see her.
[I need to say something too.]
As Aura got closer, she quickly wrapped my right hand with both of her hands then led it straight to her chest.
A fluffy sensation immediately spread all over my palm.
Muni~, no itās more of, funi~. (ED note: Funi is the SFX for fondling)
Did she stuff a lot of marshmallows under her shirt?
[Please forgive me because I will be away for a while.]
I was honestly tempted to move my fingers, but Auraās serious expression prevented me from doing so.
[Yeah, I know. Be careful, okay?]
I replied and put my left hand on Auraās cheek.
In turn, Aura let one of her hands that were on top of my right hand off, reaching up to my left hand.
Auraās cheek felt so puni~.
Funi~ in the right hand. Puni~ on my left.
Adding to that was the feeling of Auraās palms on top of each of my hands.
This is the strongest combo.
Is there any other combo that can win against this? No. Affirmative.
[Donāt overdo it. If youāre stuck, just return. I⦠no, weāll do something about it.]
Hearing my words, a reassuring look bloomed in Auraās face.
Iāve been wondering about how Aura would feel. She mustāve been worried sick.
However, I would only make her even more worried if I complained. In my good judgment, itāll be best to send off Aura without worry as I usually doā¦but I always do horrible things, donāt I?
Aura, who had been talking with a serious tone up until now, suddenly let out a fluttery voice.
I hadnāt even moved my right-hand fingers yet. So itās not because of me.
[I meanā¦I will be away for a whileā¦so, wellā¦today, I meanā¦would you make love to me todayā¦?]
Aura told me so with wavering restless eyes.
She pressed my right hand deeper into her chest, strengthening the fluffiness further.
My left palm could feel the heat in her cheek.
Here I thought thereās no stronger combo out there, but she goes beyond it?
Amazing. Aura is truly amazing.
I love you. I love you, Aura.
Her cuteness is beyond words.
So I immediately issued my right hand, which had been on standby due to my earlier order to wait for an assault, never forgetting to slide my left hand from Auraās cheek to the back of her head.
With the option to retreat deprived of her, both me and Aura simply put our lips on each other. Sheās been sending smoke signals from the get-go.
The point is, we couldnāt hold it anymore and go for the kiss.
Our tongues entwined intimately just like our hearts.
Soon enough, it indeed turned into an after-meal exercise. But not what I originally planned to do!
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