I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!?

Chapter 3.1: Reuniting with the Girls I Saved

“By the way, Ryu, the girls you saved contacted us,” my mother said.

“Huh?” I replied.

Oh, the two girls from that incident.

They had bad luck, didn’t they? Nobody would expect a random attacker to show up where they happened to pass by.

Still, they wanted to thank me. I didn’t step in because they asked for help, so they didn’t need to feel guilty about me.

“Their parents also wanted to thank you and apologize in person, but since you hadn’t woken up yet, we declined,” my mother continued.

“Hmm, I don’t really need thanks,” I said.

“Even so, their daughters seem to feel quite responsible. They asked us to contact them immediately if you woke up,” my father added.

“That’s awfully polite,” I remarked.

Well, if I showed them I was fine, they’d probably feel relieved.

Ignoring them and letting their worries pile up wouldn’t be good, either…

“I’m totally fine with meeting them. I’ll be stuck in the hospital for a while with nothing to do, so I can fit their schedule,” I said.

“Got it. I’ll let you know as soon as we hear back,” my mother replied.

“Okay,” I nodded.

Time passed like that, and my first day in the hospital (not counting the time I was unconscious) went by.

It was a very peaceful time, except for when visiting hours ended, and Sakuya, who had to go home, bawled again, throwing a tantrum and wailing, “I wanna stay heeeere!”

The next day, four women stood in front of me as I lay in bed.

Their expressions brimmed with tension, as if they were about to receive a death sentence.

Uh, what? Did I do something wrong? Do I look that scary…?

“Thank you so much for protecting us the other day!” one of them said.

“Thank you!” another echoed.

Two of the four, a lively-looking beauty with peach-colored hair down to her shoulders and big, round eyes, and a cool beauty with long, shimmering silver hair and blue-green eyes who spoke in a flat tone, bowed to me.

Yes, these were the girls I shielded during the incident.

The energetic one with peach-colored hair was Makoto Hiragi. The cool silver-haired beauty was apparently called Kanade Sumeragi.

The women on either side of them were their mothers.

I didn’t expect them to come the very next day.

Since it was a weekday, their fathers couldn’t make it, but they apologized profusely for that, which made me feel awkward instead.

Their mothers followed the girls’ words.

“We want to thank you too. If you hadn’t been there, who knows what would’ve happened to our daughters…” one said.

“No, this incident was unavoidable, or rather… I acted on my own, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t feel too guilty,” I replied.

“Even so, my daughter is more precious to me than my own life. You saved her, and no amount of gratitude is enough…” the other mother said.

“No, no, really…” I stammered.

“No, it’s you who…” they insisted.

A battle of apologies rooted in Japanese humility ensued. My mother put an end to the endless struggle.

“Both of you, continuing this will only make everyone feel worse. How about we let this matter rest here?” she suggested.

“We wanted to offer something tangible as thanks…” one mother said.

“What do you think, Ryu?” my mother asked.

“Since I saved them and I’m fine too, I can’t accept anything grand. Your feelings are enough,” I said.

“That’s how it is. We feel the same as our son. We’re proud he protected your daughters, but we don’t hold any resentment toward you,” my mother added.

“…Thank you so much,” one mother said.

“Thank you!” the girls chorused.

Hopefully, this helped them sort out their feelings.

If they kept feeling guilty after spring break, they wouldn’t enjoy their school life.

After that, the adults left for another room to talk. For a while, it was just me, Hiragi, and Sumeragi chatting.

Hiragi and Sumeragi had been close since kindergarten because their families lived nearby, so they’d been like family friends for years. No wonder they got along so well.

“Wait, Minase, you’re in ninth grade!?” Hiragi exclaimed.

“Yeah, I’ll be a high schooler this year,” I confirmed.

“That’s… so… we’re the same,” Sumeragi said.

Sumeragi seemed unused to formal speech.

I didn’t mind if she dropped the formalities. It was our first meeting, so I guess it couldn’t be helped.

My father was a fairly well-known sports trainer, so I grew up with nutrition education and scientific training.

Thanks to that, my height shot up in middle school, and I now stood over 180 cm. Unfortunately, my last year of middle school was marred by growing pains that kept me from playing baseball properly, which I regretted.

Because of my build, people often mistook me for a college student. Apparently, Hiragi and Sumeragi thought the same.

“I thought you were a college student or something…” Hiragi said.

“I get that a lot,” I replied.

“Y-Yeah… that’s… right…” Sumeragi added.

Hiragi showed a thoughtful gesture, resting her fist on her chin and tilting her head. Even such a small action looked cute—beautiful girls were something else.

Next to her, Sumeragi stared blankly, her face barely changing, but that somehow added to her mysterious charm. That felt a bit unfair.