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

“…Did I hear wrong? Explain it to me, Yuusha… What did you just say?”

Swallowing hard under the immense pressure, I nearly wanted to correct myself, saying it was a mistake. But I couldn’t deny it now.

“That’s why I’m saying I love Rubure! I’ve fallen for her!”

Holding Rubure so she couldn’t escape seemed necessary. If she left my side, Touko might kill her.

“I want to talk with Rubure alone. Yuusha, you’re just slightly confused because of the Demon King.”

“No, I’m perfectly sane. I can even kiss her right here and now if you want!!”

The atmosphere was unbearably tense. I felt suffocated. Touko’s gaze shifted from Rubure to me. Her expression wasn’t filled with rage or hatred, just emotionless, making her thoughts unreadable. She stared into my eyes.

“Wait, wait, I’m completely left out here. Stalker woman, I was about to kill you…”

The Demon King grabbed Touko’s shoulder and pulled her towards him. She turned towards him weakly. The Demon King looked frustrated, tears streaming down her face. Like a fierce Demon King, her presence had vanished, leaving behind a girl of her age.

“Ugh… No… That’s right, I remembered something urgent! Yuusha, I must leave now!”

Awkwardly, the Demon King disappeared. Touko stood there, drained, staring at the ground. Feeling a pang of guilt, I tapped her shoulder.

“Um… Touko…? It was a lie; I’m sorry… sorry.”

“Uh… really…?”

Her hoarse voice repeated for confirmation.

“Yeah… I didn’t want you to fight the Demon King and get killed… I had no choice… If you’re mad, you can hit me a couple of times to feel better, okay?”

“Was it a lie!? Don’t surprise me like that!!”

Rubure shouted in shock from behind. Touko didn’t turn around; they just ran off.

“You’re the worst. Or should I say scum?”

Mei’s harsh criticism hit hard. I had no excuse.

“Wait, Mei! Yuusha was just trying to save Touko’s life by lying! I’m not bothered by it! He did nothing wrong!!”

Rubure defended me, but Mei sighed heavily.

“It’s not that simple. Rubure, let’s kill some time at a café. And you should follow Touko. She’s probably in her room at the inn. Wait about thirty minutes before going there.”

“But shouldn’t I go quickly in such a situation?”

Another sigh from Mei. She was exasperated by my lack of understanding of a woman’s heart.

“Touko is stronger than you think. She just didn’t want to face you ‘right now.’ Understand the feelings of a girl in love.”

Following Mei’s advice, I went to Touko’s room after some time. I knocked.

“Touko? Are you there?”

“Yuusha!? Why are you here… no, it’s fine, come in. The door’s unlocked.”

Entering, I found a typical room with scattered belongings. I apologized first.

“I’m sorry for lying to you.”

I looked up, astonished. It was the first time I saw her like this.

“Uh, weird… I know it’s not true… but why do these tears keep coming? Ah… haha…”

She tried to laugh it off, but the tears wouldn’t stop. I realized the depth of the hurt I’d caused.

“I’m sorry, Touko… I promise I won’t lie like that again.”

I offered her my chest to cry on, and she wrapped her arms around me.

“Hehe… so warm… just like back then, Yuusha.”

Despite her extraordinary strength, she was still a girl at heart. I vowed never to betray such a precious friend again.

At the Demon King’s castle, the Demon King had been watching everything through a device in the collar.

“What the heck! Am I just a pawn?!”

“Yes, King… why did you even go to Luftla? It was a series of bad moves.”

The Demon King flopped, despairing over her failed plan. She wasn’t originally a Demon King, just a noble girl. Despite her title, she lacked the demeanor, but her unchanged nature was endearing to Sufle.

“Ah! That attitude is so disrespectful!”

She puffed her cheeks childishly, devoid of any regal dignity.

“What exactly were you planning for ‘training’?”

“Oh, you know, getting him to like the castle, thinking he’d cooperate if he saw its good side.”

Sufle chuckled at the naive idea.

“Aah! That’s audacity!”

The Demon King’s frustration was palpable but only emphasized her original, un-demon-like nature.

Late at night in the normally bustling town, a guard noticed a strange change in the coastline. Dismissing it as a trick of the night, he continued, unaware of the significant alteration that had just occurred in his familiar landscape.