I Came Back from the Dead, Quit Being a Holy Hero, and Just Wanna Shake My Hips in a Harem - Chapter 37: The Beginning of Us

Chapter 37: The Beginning of Us

Kokono lay inside the tent, her hand slipping beneath her clothes, squirming between her thighs.

“H-Haruya… H-Haruyaaa… ♥ Ahn… w-what is this… ♥”

Her lips parted and closed in quick, shallow gasps.

A girl who had never even known what sex was… now trying to raise herself up with nothing but an erotic novel.

Clueless about pleasure, she fumbled toward the answer—testing that faint, spreading numbness with her own innocent body.

Her usual soft, fluffy smile now carried a sultry glow.

“Nn… nn… ♥ Feels good… ♥ Ahh… ♥”

She said it outright—it felt good.

Her hips shifted as if caressing themselves, pressing deeper.

A girl who had never even known masturbation was discovering it here and now—panting, confirming the words from her book with raw instinct.

“Haaah… ♥ Aah… ♥ Feels so nice… ♥”

I watched with the strange awe of seeing a butterfly emerge from its cocoon… until our eyes met.

I thought that might shatter her very first orgasm—

But instead, her face softened even more.

“Haruya… watch meee… ♥ Ngh… ♥”

Shame was there—her blush deepened.

Yet she didn’t seem to understand it was “wrong.”

If anything, her instincts told her being watched by me only made it feel better.

Her whole body trembled as her hand moved faster, chasing that rising wave.

“Haruya… when you watch me, my belly tingles sooo much… ♥ Look at me, keep looking at meee… ♥ Ah… ahn… something’s coming… ♥”

Kokono’s eyes went hazy.

She blinked several times, then opened her mouth wide as release swept through her.

“Aaaahhh… ♥ Haruyaaa… ♥”

Her very first climax—while staring straight at me.

There was no way I could hold back after that.

Sex‼ Sex! Sex‼

If my book had sparked this, then I’d gladly take responsibility—with sex! Straight into my first time with Kokono, let’s gooo‼

I was completely battle-ready when—

“Haruya, you were right… ♥ Masturbation really cleared away my worries.”

She flashed that soft, gentle smile again—overflowing with kindness.

A trusting smile that seemed to say she believed in me.

That alone cooled me down—not that my lust was gone, but at least I could breathe.

I promised myself I’d burn this scene into memory for later, then sat down beside her.

Partly because I wanted to talk… and partly to hide my rock-hard erection.

“…Sure, I was careless. But didn’t I tell you it was supposed to be a noble ritual?”

“…Do you think I’m a bad girl? Lord Amhaya might get mad at me…”

Kokono slowly pushed herself upright, still looking dazed and uneasy.

“Masturbation’s just wisdom people naturally arrive at. Don’t worry—everyone does it.”

“Even Lily and the others~?”

“Oh, of course—they’re all about the self-love. Saint Masturbator and Prince Masturbator, right there.”

I answered openly—nothing wrong with it.

Kokono let out a dazed little “fweeeh…” in surprise.

Her expression was so guileless it actually made me stop and think.

After masturbation, shoulders loosen, hips relax, and the heart shows true.

It had been the same with Lily. The same with Filio. After they finished, I’d caught glimpses of their bare feelings.

Maybe masturbation really did hold that kind of hidden magic.

Yeah—that’s it. Believe in the power of masturbation.

“Are you worried the ritual might fail?”

When I asked directly, Kokono looked away for just a moment.

Then, with a weak little smile, she admitted:

“Yeah… I’m kind of a clumsy shrine maiden candidate, after all~…”

“Day-to-day stuff, you definitely seem airheaded enough.”

“Leave it to meee~.”

“But as a shrine maiden, that’s different. I haven’t known you that long, but… after traveling with you, I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working. Your dance was beautiful.”

When I said that straight out, Kokono’s face softened into a small smile.

Maybe it struck deep, because she fell quiet.

“Still worried?”

I pressed again, and Kokono lowered her gaze, troubled.

“I’m… the yin side twin, y’know…”

“Yin? Kokono, you seem pretty bright to me.”

“I mean my nature. My sister and I were born as shrine maiden twins… our natures are opposite. Um, together we’re the yin-yang shrine maidens.”

Yin and yang.

So that’s what Lily had meant—the affinity with the holy attribute.

Which meant the yang side, Kikino, was the one compatible with holiness.

…Did Kokono already know she might be the shrine maiden who couldn’t host a god?

“…You don’t have to force yourself to become a shrine maiden.”

I didn’t know the full story, but I could tell she carried heavy insecurity.

I could also tell she was trying to make up for her sister, who had left on a journey.

That’s why I tossed it out lightly, like it was just another option.

“No wayyy.”

Kokono shook her head quickly, like a little rattle.

“Why not? The Demon King’s already gone.”

“Lord Amhaya said… he might have revived…”

“Then just wait till he’s fully revived before worrying about it again, right?”

“I owe so much to the people in town, who raised me like family… If I become a shrine maiden, everyone will be happy…”

“…And maybe then, everyone will notice you?”

When I hit that nerve, Kokono’s eyes went wide.

She stared at me in shock, like she couldn’t believe I’d figured it out.

Ah… I see now.

The reason I couldn’t just leave her alone—

She was too much like me. No wonder it threw me off balance.

I scratched my head awkwardly and muttered,

“…This is about a friend of mine.”

“A story about Haruya~?”

“No, about a friend.”

“So, a story about Haruya then~.”

“…Look, yeah, it’s usually the guy himself in stories like this, but just pretend I’m his twin brother Karuya right now.”

I grumbled that out, and Kokono only gave me her usual soft, fluffy smile.

Seriously…

“…Karuya was a kid who got abandoned as a baby.”

I said it bluntly, and Kokono’s face tightened with sympathy.

Didn’t want her looking at me like that—it was something I’d already come to terms with.

“Karuya knew he’d been abandoned, but never knew where. The villagers always dodged the question, feeding him obvious lies. And well… that only makes you more curious, right? If they’re hiding it, there has to be a reason.”

“…Mmhm…”

“So he dug around. And found out. Turns out, he was left in a monster-infested forest.”

“That’s…”

Kokono fell silent, unable to find the words.

Not wanting to weigh her down, I forced a grin as I continued.

“Guess they wanted to get rid of him quick. …Yeah, just an unwanted kid. If an adventurer hadn’t happened to find him, the monsters would’ve eaten him.”

One of those stories that crops up every so often in this world—too ugly to ever be spoken of openly.

I pushed the tale forward, toward the real point.

“Karuya, once he found that out, tried to be a good kid. In the village, as he grew up… even when he became an adventurer. When he first walked through the Adventurers’ Guild doors, man, he looked like the perfect nice guy.”

Back before I died and came back, I’d even said things like: “For a world where everyone can smile, I’ll defeat the Demon King!”

All the while only thinking, “I wanna be popular with girls…”

“He kept being good, kept working hard… whenever he helped someone, everyone looked happy. And he didn’t hate helping people either.”

“Because you thought everyone would see you…?”

Kokono was looking at me like she saw herself in me.

Her hand squeezed mine—because she’s just that kind of gentle girl.

I didn’t want her to end up feeling the same way I had, so I told her straight.

“Yeah. I thought the whole world would see me.”

Kokono listened seriously to my words.

Thinking back on her, I spoke as someone who’d been there.

“Most likely, Kokono… at the end of all your effort, the ‘you’ you want people to see won’t be there.”

“Eh…?”

Every time I shone as a Hero, every time I stood in the center of the world’s light, I felt more and more like I was the only one there.

An empty white porcelain vessel—never filled, just sitting there, cramped and suffocating. Never again.

I’m done with that life.

From here on out, it’s Haruya Arden—the scumbag degenerate version—for life.

“Working hard for the sake of others isn’t bad. It gives you motivation, but…”

“But…?”

I let a devilish grin spread across my face as I spoke to Kokono—the girl who would keep walking the world as a shrine maiden.

“You should also listen carefully to the more honest desires at your core.”

I couldn’t tell if my point really sank in.

But Kokono seemed to keep repeating my words in her heart. Then, timidly, she asked,

“Haruya, what’s your desire~?”

“Casual, irresponsible relationships with lots of women.”

“Ahh… yeah, I can tell that’s really bad~.”

I laughed it off, ruffling her soft hair until it was a mess.

“Hahaha, I know it’s bad. But I still want it. Anyway—if you don’t lie down soon, it’ll mess you up for tomorrow. Get to bed, or I’ll sing you a lullaby.”

I flashed her a teasing, wicked smile, and Kokono actually looked happy.

“That… sounds really nice~.”

She wasn’t exactly at the age to be asking for lullabies anymore, but I didn’t point it out.

If it eased her worries even a little, if it softened that pain—then it was good enough for me.

Looking back now, I think this was the real beginning.

The true start of our adventurer party—The Masturbation Lovers’ Club.