Help! My Overprotective S-Rank Master Who Loves Me Too Much Won't Let Me Go on Quests! - Chapter 46: Aria-san Has Changed!

Chapter 46: Aria-san Has Changed!

“Hey, hey, Adin-kun! What would you do if I became stronger than you first?”

“Huh? Could that even happen?”

“I’m three years older than you! And—”

The white-haired girl unleashed her flame magic as she spoke.

“I’m already stronger now!”

“No, you’re not!”

Determined not to lose, I tried to cast a flame spell, but it was much weaker than the one the white-haired girl had just cast.

“See?”

“I-I’m only four years old right now! Once I turn seven, I’ll definitely catch up to you!”

“But by then, I’ll be ten.”

“Then I’ll catch up when I turn ten!”

“By then, I’ll be thirteen~”

“That’s unfair!”

“It can’t be helped! I’m three years older, remember?”

“…Maybe when I turn fifteen, I’ll finally catch up.”

“By then, I’ll be eighteen… But if you’re still weaker than me by then, I’ll train you! I’ll make you strong enough to fight by my side. And when you’re as strong as me, Adin-kun, I’ll—”

The white-haired girl was about to say something when suddenly everything disappeared from my vision, and I found myself in bed. It was a dream—or rather, a vivid memory from long ago. That white-haired girl… She disappeared soon after that. I wonder where she is now…

“A-A-Aria-san!?”

I woke to find Aria-san holding me tightly in her sleep.

“Adin-kun… I want to… with Adin-kun… huh?”

She mumbled something in her sleep, but my small movements must have woken her up. Did she just say my name? It seemed like it, but maybe it was just my imagination.

Trying to shake off the thought, I greeted her.

“Good morning. I’m sorry to wake you, but could you… uh, let go of me for a bit? We’re… kind of too close.”

“Good morning~ Let go? You want me, to let go of you?”

Aria-san looked at me curiously, then hugged me even tighter and said:

“That concept doesn’t exist in this world~”

“Aria-san…!”

It’s not that I disliked being hugged by Aria-san, but it was definitely a little embarrassing. Still, something about her felt different today.

“Adin-kun… You know, I used to think I didn’t want you going on quests because I was worried something might happen to you. But now… I’ve changed my mind a little.”

“You’ve… changed your mind?”

“When you saved me yesterday, I felt like we were fighting together to protect the town. Even though it was a life-or-death situation, I was so happy to be fighting alongside you.”

“Aria-san…”

“And then, I realized… I was always trying to prioritize you over everything, but by not letting you do what you wanted, I was being unfair to you.”

Aria-san spoke with a serious expression.

…It seems like yesterday’s events really did have a big impact on her. Not just in how she feels about me going on quests, but also in how she interacts with me… And from the way she’s hugging me so tightly now, it’s clear she’s changed in how she treats me too.

“Aria-san, um… It’s really nice of you to say that, but could you maybe… let go of me now?”

“Nope~! I want to hug you even more!”

I tried to sit up, but because Aria-san was still holding me so tightly, I couldn’t do a thing. Just at that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Milena-san entered the room.

“You two must be tired after yesterday… huh?”

“….”

Aria-san got scolded by Milena-san shortly after, but she didn’t seem to care one bit. She kept hugging me the whole time.

“……”

I wanted to believe that everything was back to normal, but it felt like a new kind of daily life was about to begin—one that was a little different than before.