Mental Rebirth: The World's Savior Was Not Me, but My Childhood Friend and Stalker

The bustle of the port town was as usual. Despite the recent presence of the Demon Lord and the Evil Extermination Dragon Eldora, it seemed like a distant memory as people enjoyed their peaceful lives.

However, among them were those walking through the town with a gloomy demeanor reminiscent of a wake. It was Touko and her companions.

Upon learning that Yuusha had been abducted by the Demon Lord, Touko became nearly frantic, pursuing the Demon Lord and pressing Mei and others for the location of the Demon King’s castle. But the castle was across the sea, and arranging a ship was necessary to reach the continent where the Demon Lord resided.

The ship was still being arranged. The thought of Yuusha being imprisoned by the Demon Lord filled them with an almost unbearable anxiety. Amidst this turmoil, a familiar and unforgettable voice was heard.

“Hey, Savior? Where are you? Don’t make things difficult for me, okay?”

The voice was casual and confident, as if the Demon Lord owned the streets of the town.

That unmistakable face of the Demon Lord – Mei clenched her teeth in irritation, while Touko charged forward with all her murderous intent aimed at the Demon Lord.

However, her punch never landed. Just like before, it was blocked by a magical barrier that appeared in mid-air.

“Oh, it’s you people from that time. Still in this town, I see.”

“This bitch, I’ll kill her right now.”

Despite Touko’s relentless attack, nothing reached the Demon Lord, who coolly observed her.

“Poor woman, clinging to a hopeless wish, refusing to face reality. Such a pitiful sight.”

“What? Just give Yuusha back, you whore.”

At Touko’s words, the Demon Lord seemed to have been waiting for this moment and laughed triumphantly.

“The Savior has already surrendered to me. Just yesterday, we enjoyed a meal together.”

The Demon Lord boasted to Touko, but Touko’s expression softened slightly, not the reaction the Demon Lord expected.

“I’m relieved… Yuusha is safe… truly relieved…”

Touko was relieved to know that Yuusha was alive and well enough to eat, dispelling her worst fears that he might already be dead.

The Demon Lord seemed slightly displeased by this reaction and continued with a hint of annoyance.

“Yes, indeed, he’s safe. He’s even sworn loyalty to me. In fact, more than that? I was overwhelmed by his passionate attitude, and we even shared a night together. He mentioned having trouble with a troublesome stalker woman.”

At the Demon Lord’s words, Rubure blushed to her ears, while Mei clicked her tongue. However, Touko replied without changing her expression.

“Huh? Yuusha would never do such a thing, nor say that. It’s you who’s the stalker. Typical of someone with a habit of lying.”

“What… Stalker… Me!?… Hah… Such a pitiful woman. Escaping reality and resorting to labeling, how pathetic. Ah, I’ve got a good story to share tonight in bed with the Savior.”

“Tell me the location of Yuusha’s mole.”

“What?”

The Demon Lord was confused by Touko’s sudden question. Mole location? Why would that suddenly come up in the conversation?

“You said you embraced Yuusha, right? Then you should know where his mole is.”

“Idiot! I don’t remember such a thing! Besides, you wouldn’t know either!!”

“I do know. I’ve bathed with Yuusha. I’ve always seen his naked body, so I know where his moles are, and his sensitive spots. Indeed, Yuusha does like being pampered, doesn’t he? Uh-huh, and he’s a bit sensitive too. I mean, I’ve touched him everywhere, and he would twitch and react especially adorably when I stroked his weak spots. I even became a bit mischievous and would keep stroking him during baths, but after dozens of times, he started to show discomfort, so I restrained myself. I wanted to touch Yuusha more, but I couldn’t bear the thought of being hated by him, it would be counterproductive. But he forgave me when I apologized, and afterwards, I only subtly touched less sensitive areas. But then suddenly, he didn’t want to bathe with me anymore. It was awful, you know? Bathing together during sleepovers was my joy. But now it’s a happy memory since Yuusha explained his reasons. It’s an old story from our childhood, so his sensitive spots might have changed, but the location of his moles hasn’t changed.”

I was speechless, dumbfounded by the woman who casually brought up childhood stories. More significantly, she memorized the location of moles on a boy’s body since childhood, fixating on the naked body of a boy of similar age. It’s likely she deliberately touched various parts of young Yuusha’s body in the bath, observed his reactions, and remembered them all.

Honestly, even as an unrelated individual of the same sex, I was utterly repulsed. Was Yuusha dealing with her every day?

“See, you don’t know. I win. You’re probably just trying to assert dominance over me, his imaginary lover, out of sheer fantasy, right? ‘Pathetic woman.'”

I shuddered with anger. Pathetic woman…? She insulted me, not as the Demon King, but as a woman, looking down on me as if I were a loser. An unbearable humiliation. But I mustn’t react to her provocation. Fortunately, I hold the trump card.

“Hah, bark all you want. But do you understand? Your self-proclaimed lover, Yuusha, is under my control. I’ll tell him later about the ridiculous things this stalker woman said! Hmph! You’re alone, but I have Yuusha with me! That’s a fact, not a delusion!!”

The sound of teeth grinding. It was Touko. Yuusha is currently kidnapped by me. It’s an undeniable fact. But more than that, for Touko, the worry is whether Yuusha might be humiliated by me.

And that fact indeed appears as a triumphant expression on my face.

As the stare-down continued, Rubure noticed a suspicious person peeking around the corner of a building, watching us. She immediately recognized who it was and yelled with a beaming smile.

“Yuusha! It’s Yuusha, right? I’ve been looking for you!”

“Yuusha! Yuusha, right?! You were here, I’ve been looking for you!!”

Ignoring everyone, she ran to the corner of the building and leaped into an embrace.

“Idiot… This is a really bad time…!”

“Yuusha! I’m so glad… I thought something terrible had happened to you… I’ve been so worried since that day… I’m really glad… Ah, this warmth is real, isn’t it…”

Seeing Rubure tearfully hugging me, I couldn’t say anything. It was true I had caused her worry and anxiety. So… I understood her behavior. …But right now, it’s not a good time. I felt a strong gaze but deliberately looked away, gently stroking Rubure’s head.

“Sorry, Rubure… I’m back. Let’s go back to our lodging for now.”

“Wait.”

I thought we could naturally head back to the lodging after this emotional reunion, but it wasn’t to be. I couldn’t keep avoiding it. I turned to face the source of the voice, the Demon King and Touko.

The Demon King glared at me, and Touko looked at me with tearful, happy eyes. I’ve never felt so relieved by Touko’s gaze.

“Have you forgotten, Yuusha? You are my property. I will not allow you to leave as you please. It seems you need some disciplining; for now, let’s return to our castle.”

Suddenly, I was his property. I wasn’t aware of it. He casually said “our castle,” which was frightening. I had no intention of living in a castle.

“This is why stalker women are so ugly. Yuusha and I are in love. When will you finally accept the reality that we’re lovers? Our love cannot be broken by anyone.”

Suddenly, we were lovers. What had happened while I was away? I have no memory of becoming lovers with Touko, even after more than ten years of knowing her.

“It seems I should kill this stalker woman right here. Repeated insults against me, and trying to steal my property. This is unforgivable.”

The space between them warped. Both seemed ready for battle. If I got involved, I would surely die. It was clear from the distortion in space.

But this situation was bad. Touko couldn’t win against the Demon King. That much was clear from our previous encounters. Likely, the Demon King was serious about killing Touko. I couldn’t just watch and let it happen. I had to stop it somehow. But… how? While Touko might be convinced otherwise, the Demon King had been insistent on killing only her, probably fearing Touko’s power. If I could prove to the Demon King that Touko was powerless…

“Listen to me!! I have something important to say!! Actually, I… I have someone I love!!!”

“Touko… I already know that, you don’t have to say it now.”

Touko’s expected response came, and she faced the Demon King. But the Demon King’s attention shifted slightly towards me.

“I… actually love Rubure! I’ve been in love with her since the first moment I saw her!!!”

I pulled Rubure, who was beside me, into an embrace. She initially didn’t understand, but then turned bright red and exclaimed softly, “Eh, eh, ehhh?!”

Suddenly, the surroundings seemed to darken. It felt like they were engulfed in darkness, but nothing had actually happened. However, my body suddenly became immobile, as if I had lost all freedom.

“…Huh?”

Touko shifted her gaze from the Demon King to me. A gloomy, entwining miasma seemed to crawl over my body, feeling as if I was wrapped by countless snakes. Step by step, Touko approached me.