I Picked up a Corrupted Heroine (The Secret Boss), and When I Spoiled Her, She Became Uncontrollably Affectionate With Me - Chapter 22-23

Chapter 22: The Moon’s Saint Expects

“Nn… huh, where am I…?”

When I woke up, I was inside the inn.

And on top of that, I was on someone’s lap.

“Did you wake up?”

I looked up at the voice and saw Sia there.

A lap pillow…!?

No, more importantly right now—

“A-Alicia…!? What about that Leviathan…!?”

“Leviathan? It looks like the hero took it down.”

“The hero…?”

A hero who wasn’t even prepared took down Leviathan all by himself…?

Is that even possible?

“It seems the monster was already pretty weak because Asta cut off its tail.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah, and the hero’s friends joined up right away too, so the whole hero party finished it off.”

“I see…”

Then yeah, that could happen…

Maybe the hero got way stronger than in the original story.

“So… what about Alicia…?”

“She brought you here to me and then left somewhere.”

“Left somewhere…? Did she say anything? Anything at all!?”

“Let’s see… I think she said she was ‘heading out on a journey.'”

A journey…?

Why?

Could it be connected to that thing Alicia mentioned before, the thing she ‘wanted to do’?

Either way, this means I might not get another chance to see her…

If I knew this was gonna happen, I should have just confessed…

“But she left a message for you.”

“…A message?”

“Yeah. Something like, ‘Once I get my thoughts sorted out, I’ll come see you right away.'”

Maybe it’s because she learned about the witch stuff…

That would hurt, yeah…

Man, I’ve only done the worst things.

“Next time I see her, I have to apologize for sure…”

“Yeah! I think that’s a good idea.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Also, when Alicia says stuff, you should just nod to everything!”

“Uh-huh… huh?”

I feel like she just said something weird…

Is it just me?

While I was feeling confused, Sia suddenly got a serious look on her face and spoke.

“So, Asta, how do you really feel about Alicia?”

“Uh… Alicia is…”

I want to say I like her, but Sia seems close to Alicia, so saying that would probably sound weird.

“She’s someone really important to me.”

“Why? You two just met, right?”

Sia tilted her head a little and stared straight into my eyes.

It was a casual move, but her red eyes had this strong “I’m not letting you get away” feeling.

If I lied, she’d probably see through it right away.

“It’s kind of a secret.”

“Hmph… come on, it’s fine. I won’t tell her, and I’ll keep it a secret…!”

“Even if you say that… I want to tell her first.”

“…Then you can say it now…”

“Sia? Did you say something just now?”

“No, nothing at all?”

Sia smiled like she was covering it up.

“By the way, Asta, is the time okay?”

“Time?”

“Yeah. The carriage home leaves in less than an hour.”

“Huh!?”

I quickly checked the time. It was already 1 PM.

That’s right, I was supposed to take the afternoon carriage back today…!

“I-I gotta get ready fast! If I miss the carriage and end up a day late, Ria will be so mad…”

“Hehe, yeah. Let’s hurry so we don’t make Ria mad.”

So we rushed to get ready and jumped on the carriage.

I met my favorite character, got dragged into story events, and it was tough… but it had that same wild feeling as my adventurer days, and part of me actually enjoyed it.

――◇――◇――◇――

[Alicia side]

“A secret… huh.”

I was waiting at the carriage stop for Asta, remembering what he said earlier.

In the end, I couldn’t ask why he thought I was so important.

But the way Asta reacted… it was like…

“Like he likes me…”

Asta tried really hard to hide it, but his ears turned a bit red.

Now that I think about it, yesterday when I asked why he cared about me so much, he seemed super nervous too.

These eyes can see through lies, but they can’t know every single truth.

“…Hehe, it’s too soon to decide I’m just misunderstanding…!”

If Asta’s crush really is me, how happy would that make me…!

I could feel my lips curving up into a smile without even trying.

I could have gone to see him right now in Alicia form and checked for sure.

But for now, I just wanted to enjoy this happy possibility.

—

Chapter 23: The Witch of the End Receives the Pendant

“Fuu… Finally made it back.”

I muttered that quietly in front of the door.

It had gotten completely dark out… I wonder if Ria is still awake?

I carefully unlocked the door and stepped inside, and right away—

“Asta!”

I heard quick footsteps, and Ria came running over.

“Welcome home!”

“I’m home…! Ria, were you okay these past three days?”

“Yes! Nothing weird happened at all…!”

“That’s good to hear…!”

I felt relieved and picked her up in my arms. It was a reward for being such a good girl.

“Yay… Asta’s hug…!”

Ria clung to me tight like a little koala. That would have been fine by itself, but—

“Cough, cough… Isn’t this a bit too strong…?”

She was squeezing so hard it felt like my lungs were getting crushed.

“Hehe, this is your punishment for those three days…!”

“Punishment, huh…”

I really did leave a ten-year-old girl home alone for three whole days. She must have felt lonely, so I guess I should just take this.

I smiled awkwardly and gently stroked Ria’s head.

“Mm… That feels really good… Please do it more.”

Ria narrowed her eyes like it felt amazing.

“Is this enough?”

“Yes…!”

While I kept stroking her head, she suddenly whispered something.

“…This form really does let me act as spoiled as I want…”

“Ria? Did you say something?”

“No, no. It’s nothing.”

Ria tilted her head cutely.

Must have been my imagination… Oh well.

“By the way, I got you a souvenir, Ria.”

“Wow~! I’m so happy!”

I pulled out a pendant with a beautiful ruby-like stone from my bag.

“A pendant… And is this a ruby…!?”

“It’s not the real thing, though.”

“But it looks so much like one…! And it’s really pretty… Thank you so much, Asta!”

Ria’s face lit up with a huge smile like a flower blooming.

“Hey, Asta… Could you put this pendant on me?”

“That feels kinda embarrassing.”

“Come on, please…! I want you to do it with your own hands…!”

Ria stared at me with sparkling eyes.

When she looks at me like that, I can’t help but say yes.

“Alright, fine…”

“Yay…!”

“Now hold still, okay?”

“Yes!”

Ria froze in place and waited, her cheeks turning a soft pink.

Seeing her react like that made me feel a little shy too.

“…Asta? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, uh… It’s nothing. Here, I’ll put the pendant on.”

I held both ends of the chain and reached around behind her neck.

Then I carefully hooked the clasp together.

“There, how’s that…? Yeah. It looks really good on you.”

Just like I thought, the red stone matched perfectly with Ria’s black hair.

When I stepped back a bit to look, the pendant gave her a slightly more grown-up vibe.

“Hehe… Thank you! I’ll treasure it.”

Ria held the pendant gently in her palm and gazed at it like it was a precious treasure.

“I’m glad you like it…!”

“Of course I like it! You picked it out after thinking so hard about me…!”

She smiled happily as she said that.

Looks like she saw right through how much I worried about choosing her souvenir.

Watching kind, patient Ria made me decide that next time I go far away, I’ll take her with me.