Volume 7 Chapter 2 Kougarou's Proposal
"What, what are you doing, Yuusuke-san! Weren't you told to lay off alcohol for a while?"
"You're not even that strong, what are you really doing..."
Lisha and Tsukiko protested from behind.
No, sorry. Or rather, Lisha, are you a guardian?
"Sorry. It's more like a celebration of recovery, I used to do it a lot when injuries healed."
"Drinking and feeling alive... just a front, you know."
"A front?"
Lisha's innocent question made Kanami, who likely knew the truth, make a complicated face. Kou was smiling as if saying, "What will you do?"
Well, I guess I'll answer here.
Putting an empty can on the desk, I looked at Lisha and Tsukiko and replied.
"In Asteris, there is healing magic, so injuries that require falling back are usually severe. When those people heal, there's always something they ask."
"About the progress of the battle?"
"That too... but about the casualties."
"!"
Lisha and Tsukiko held their breath.
Yeah, there's no one who intentionally gives depressing information to seriously injured people. Those kinds of conversations are meant to be heard after they've recovered.
That's why people drink alcohol. Even though they can somehow understand by looking at the people around them, it's tough to accept the truth when sober.
In addition to celebrating their recovery, they'll have a lively gathering to commemorate the fallen soldiers.
Kou laughed out loud to dispel the dark atmosphere.
"Well, no one has died today. It's just a simple celebration."
"You're just saying that because you want to drink, right?"
"I may feel light-headed and heavy due to the thin aether, but the alcohol and food are excellent. No castle in any country offered anything of this caliber."
"Do you even know how alcohol tastes?"
I can imagine anything tasting good when I eat it.
While we were talking like this, the effects of the drink I quickly downed began to show, and my head started spinning. I sat down, and Kanami considerately brought me water. Sharla sat down next to me, and Tsukiko and Lisha also sat down somehow.
By the way, this guy has been staying at this house even while I was hospitalized.
"Hey, Sharla."
"What?"
"Has this guy been causing any trouble?"
The man called Kougaru is like someone who is constantly drowning in alcohol and women. He never betrays trust when it comes to combat ability, but when it comes to relationships with women, he betrays in a bad way.
I've been involved in so much trouble because of this guy's woman problems. Since I'm not wearing armor, it seems like I'm Kou and his friends' lackey, and suddenly I'm being chased by a woman with a menacing expression.
If it was a man, I could just punch him and make him roll, but it's not so easy with women. They're just scary in a normal way.
Being accosted by a tough-looking man is scarier than being accosted by a beautiful woman.
"Hey, hey, isn't that attitude towards someone who saved your life a bit much?"
"I really am grateful for that. But that's a different story from this."
Certainly, in the Shikin battle, it would have been over if Kou hadn't come. It would have been reckless to fight Grimoire in that battered state. Sharla shook her head.
"He hasn't done anything particularly bad. If someone were to mess up Yuusuke's house, I would have cut them down."
"...Even as a joke, that's not funny."
Kou's smile twitched. Eris, who typically handled matters with verbal warnings, even in Mevia, had spared Kou from punishment.
And then there was Sharla, with her entirely different set of values, shaped by her life in the hell.
Depending on the circumstances, she could ruthlessly eliminate her comrades.
Sharla served as the lethal countermeasure against Kou when he went too far. You could say that Sharla had cut Kou more times than his actual enemies.
"Well, whatever. If Yuusuke comes back, this tedious job will be over."
Kou remarked, pushing himself up from his seat.
"Leaving already?"
"I don't enjoy hiding in the shadows. Plus, if it's a guard duty, we won't have anyone to gather information effectively."
I nodded in agreement. Kou was right. Currently, there was no one who could freely roam and collect information.
It was an unfortunate consequence of our duty to protect the "key." Even with Tsuchimikado's abilities, we needed someone to seek information about the New World (Try Order).
"I'm curious about many things. I'll handle it my own way."
"Understood. If anything comes up, contact me immediately. You received communication tools from Kanami, right?"
"Yeah, I'll use them if necessary. If I'm going solo, there's no better candidate than me. I've been the scout during our journey, after all."
If Eris were here, she might be able to come up with a better idea, but I can't control this guy myself.
Fortunately, even if Kou moves around as he likes, he won't be defeated by the enemy.
"Well, don't push yourself too hard."
Kou picked up the bundled baggage and turned to face me. I thought he was going to say goodbye, but what came out was words I never expected.
"Yuusuke, 'meet' me once."
"...Huh?"
Thinking that I misheard, I stared at Kou's face closely, but his golden eyes looked down on me in silence.
Those eyes clearly conveyed that he was serious.
"...For what purpose?"
"I want to see how rusty your skills have become since we're going to fight from now on."
"You assume they've become rusty."
That's a rude thing to say.
But well, I can't say I don't understand what he wants to say. Aside from Kou, I have spent a long time in peaceful Japan.
However, I'm not enthusiastic about sparring with Kou. As you can see, his personality is like that, so if we spar, the effectiveness of his attacks diminishes midway. Because of that, Mevia has been activated her heals numerous times and how many times have I been scolded by Eris?
Besides, there is no Mevia here to instantly heal injuries. It's the worst to get injured during a practice match with friends.
Seeing that I was hesitant, Kou scratched his head.
"Tch, fine. I'll give you one condition."
Sorry, but no matter what condition he gave, I refuse. If I were to fight him, it wouldn't end well. I'll just listen if he has something to say. I might consider a proposal like thumb wrestling.
"What's that?"
"If you win, I'll tell you the truth of that time."
"That time?"
There are plenty of things I want you to apologize for, but it's all in the past. It doesn't matter even if I hear it now.
Kou said calmly to me, who was looking puzzled.
"It's when Eris sent you back after defeating the Demon King."
———.
——.
——.
"What?"
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