My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 20 & 21

Chapter 20: The Customs of Onigashima and Someone Important

Side: Nagi

[TLN- Nagi often refers to herself by name and speaks with -desu, so please forgive any minor inconsistencies.]

The sound of rain still echoed outside the rocky shelter.
The fire was small, but it was truly alive. Just watching it sway made the tight feeling in my chest ease a little.

On Onigashima, I was taught that rain was kind.

It watered the fields and helped the soil grow.

But the rain I learned about during my journey was different.

It was cold.
It soaked all the way to the bones.
And before you noticed, it made people weak.

So every time the rain grew louder, my heart shrank.

Nagi was oni-folk.

I was born on Onigashima, far beyond the eastern sea, at the very edge of a chain of islands.

On Oni Island, warrior families—called samurai—ruled the land.

And Nagi was born into one of those families.

Daughters of warrior houses did not show weakness.
They did not cry. They did not turn their backs.

When Mother tied my hair, she always pressed her fingers lightly against my forehead.
It hurt—but it was warm.

Mother’s kindness always hurt just a little.

On Oni Island, there were customs.

Before coming of age, chosen sons and daughters of warrior families had to go on a journey.

They were given only a sword and a small amount of travel money, then sent beyond the sea.

Training. Results. Growth.
Proof of becoming an adult.

Nagi was chosen as one of them.

The night I was told, I couldn’t sleep.

I was happy—but scared. Scared—but proud.

The feelings crashed together in my chest until I couldn’t tell which ones were real anymore.

On the day of departure, Father didn’t say much.

He handed me my sword—and spoke only a single line.

“Come back alive.”

Mother pressed the pouch of travel money into my hands and smiled—just a little.

“You’ll be fine. You’re loved by lightning. And Nagi—go out into the world, learn about it, and find someone important.”

Those words supported me the whole way.

But the world beyond the sea was harsher than I had imagined.

♢

The world was wide. The world was cold.

And being alone hurt—a lot.

On Oni Island, children were protected.
But in the outside world, children were targets.

There were people who approached with gentle voices.
People who said they’d give me water and tried to pull my hand.
People who smiled and said they’d “hold on” to my travel money for me.

Nagi couldn’t smile well.

And because I couldn’t smile, I stood out even more.

I almost got tricked more times than I could count.

There were times I was nearly kidnapped by force.

There were many nights when someone targeted my pouch on dark roads, and I slept gripping the hilt of my sword…

Sleepless nights slowly carved away at the heart.

A worn-down heart starts doubting people.
Doubt makes breathing shallow.
And shallow breathing throws mana into chaos.

Little by little, Nagi put on armor called distrust.

Trust no one. Rely on no one.

The moment you rely on someone, something gets taken from you.

That became an unspoken rule of traveling alone.

Even so—I kept walking.

If I didn’t keep walking, I couldn’t return home.
If I couldn’t return home, I couldn’t become an adult.
If I couldn’t become an adult, it would be a disgrace as a daughter of a warrior house.

Alone. With no one around.

There was no one by Nagi’s side.

Someone who spoke gently and said they’d stay with me later called themselves a slave trader—and tried to catch me.

I ran away with everything I had.

I met bandits. I met monsters.

Human eyes were scary. Beast eyes were scary too.

I was scared—but I couldn’t stop.

And then, I finally reached the kingdom.

The city was big.
There were so many people.
And so many voices meant to deceive.

There was kindness—but there were also blades wearing the face of kindness.

Nagi always walked with her shoulders tense.

The loneliness of being alone clung to my back the whole time.

Nagi was tired.

Even so, resting was scary.

It felt like the moment I rested, something would be taken from me.

♢

That day too, I went into the forest.

I wanted results.

Before becoming an adult, I wanted to bring something back.

I hadn’t forgotten Mother’s words—that I was good with lightning.

More than a year had passed since I left Onigashima.

My heart and body were already worn down.

Even so, my goal alone kept pushing Nagi forward.

A monster appeared. Its fangs gleamed.

My breath stopped.

Nagi let the lightning out.

Normally, the lightning listened to me.

But that day, my heart was in chaos.

Tiredness, fear, and impatience all mixed together, turning my chest into a mess.

The lightning went wild.

My own lightning bit back at me.

The air split apart, trees burned, and the rain turned to steam.

Nagi’s body started shaking.

I wanted to stop it—but I couldn’t.

At this rate, I might die.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, tears spilled out.

Even though I was a warrior’s daughter, the tears wouldn’t stop.

I wasn’t supposed to cry.

I was frustrated—but more than that, I was scared of dying.

“Someone… please help…”

Being alone was terrifying.

That was when something warm and gentle wrapped around me.

Maybe it was another person who would take something from me.
Maybe it was another smiling face hiding bad intentions.

But that person held Nagi tight.

In the middle of the raging lightning, they held me gently.

The warmth of another person—something I hadn’t felt in so long—was hot.

It was real body heat.

Nagi’s consciousness began to drift.

The sound of rain grew distant.
The smell of lightning faded away.

In the end, the only thing left was warmth.

♢

When I opened my eyes, there was a man there.

Was he another bad person, like a slave trader?

I was scared.

He was a stranger.

But there was a fire.

We were sheltering under rocks from the rain.

I couldn’t believe it.
I wanted to run.

But the man was gentle.
Slow.
Careful not to make me anxious.

His words were short. His hands were soft.

He offered me water—and drank it himself first.

Then he set it down and waited.

He showed me it wasn’t poisoned.

“Hort Rubel. What’s your name?”

A name from beyond the sea was hard for Nagi to say.

So I asked—

“…Is it okay if I call you big brother?”

I thought he might laugh at me.

But he didn’t mock me.

He smiled kindly.

“Big brother is fine.”

That’s what he said.

Big brother shared his food.

He let me warm myself by the fire.

He looked away so I could feel safe.

He was careful not to scare me.

And then big brother said—

“I want to help you control your power. What do you think?”

Those were words Nagi had never heard before.

There were people who took things from me.
People who tried to trick me. People who tried to capture me.

But no one had ever offered to help.

Tears threatened to spill again.

It was embarrassing.
But I couldn’t stop them.

Mother had said it before—“Find someone important.”

When oni reach adulthood and meet certain conditions, their bodies grow all at once.

She said that growth itself was proof—results that meant being recognized as an adult.

But Nagi didn’t know what those conditions were.

Not knowing made me impatient. Impatience made the lightning go wild.

But now, there was a fire.

Even when the rain kept falling, my chest felt a little calmer.

Because big brother was here.

For the first time in a long while, I remembered warmth.

Body heat. Kindness.
The smell of a place where I didn’t have to run away.

Nagi grabbed his sleeve and asked quietly.

“Big brother… you won’t do anything bad? You won’t disappear, right?”

Big brother thought about my question before answering.

“Yeah. I’m actually on break from work, training myself right now. If you want, will you let me help you while you’re in this kingdom?”

Just hearing those words loosened something deep in my chest.

Nagi stared at the fire and made a small decision in her heart.

I still didn’t know what my ‘results’ would be.

But today’s warmth—this feeling—was surely the beginning of something.

“Nagi will do her best!”

For the first time in a long while, I thought I could try believing again.

Believing in big brother.

Chapter 21: Filling the Loneliness with Body Heat

The rain had stopped.

Drops fell late from the forest leaves, making soft sounds.

I put out the fire and buried the ashes in the soil.

When I stood up, with the faint leftover warmth of the damp rock shelter at my back, she hurriedly stood as well—

But Nagi still wobbled.

Her body heat had returned, but the aftereffects of the rampage remained.
Her stamina and condition were unstable, and I couldn’t push her.

“Can you walk?”

“…Yes. I’m okay! But my legs feel a little heavy.”

An honest answer.

I nodded and gathered our things.

I could carry her, or lend her a shoulder—but since we’d only just met, I hesitated to go that far.

Originally, I’d planned to return to the lodgings.
Even on break, I still had a bed.

But I couldn’t take Nagi there.

If I brought an oni girl into the trainee dorms, it would turn into a mess instantly.

And Nagi was still in the middle of her journey.

I could only help her during my break.

So while I could, I needed to set up a proper living environment for her.

As an adventurer, I’d rent a small inn on the outskirts of the royal capital and use it as our base.

When we left the forest, the cool wind after the rain brushed against my skin.

“Big brother.”

“Hm?”

“…Is it okay if Nagi comes with you?”

“Yeah. I’m not leaving you behind here.”

Nagi nodded lightly.

Her fingers gripping my sleeve were still trembling.

She hadn’t fully shaken off her fear yet.

The city gate was being handled by the Third Knight Order.
I showed my adventurer’s guild card as identification, and since she didn’t have papers, I paid a silver coin instead to let her pass.

“Picked up some trouble?”

“No, just helping someone.”

“Hmph. Do whatever you want.”

Once the Third Knight Order guard took the money, he let us through.

I chose an inn near the Adventurers’ Guild.

It wasn’t fancy. The floor creaked.

But it had a roof. Futons. And fire.

The innkeeper looked at me and Nagi and raised an eyebrow slightly, but once I paid, he accepted us without a word.

An oni girl and a young adventurer.

We probably looked like we had a story.

I tried to rent two rooms—but Nagi shook her head.

“Two rooms is a waste.”

“…No, but—”

“Nagi doesn’t have money. My travel money is already gone.”

“…I see.”

She must’ve noticed that I’d been paying for everything so far—and felt bad about it.

The rules of the journey.
Only a sword and travel money.

Just how harsh had her journey been?

“I’ll pay, so don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

“NO!”

Nagi answered instantly.

The way she said “no” was stubborn—like her will was finally standing firm.

“Even if you say that, you still need somewhere to sleep, right?”

“…One room is fine.”

“Huh?”

“Please let me sleep in the same room as big brother. Nagi can sleep on the floor!”

I paused to think.

If I went back to the dorms, I could sleep without worry.

But would she really accept it if I said I was renting a room just for her?

“Then Nagi alone—”

“No! Nagi doesn’t want to be alone!”

She reacted strongly to the word ‘alone’.

Yeah… leaving her like that wasn’t an option.

With her condition still unstable, leaving her alone could be dangerous.

There was only one answer.

“Alright. One room is fine. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“The floor is no good. Nagi will sleep on the floor!”

“No, your condition’s not great, remember?”

“…Big brother is too kind!”

“Haah… okay, okay. Let’s just go to the room.”

Arguing at the counter was already getting us strange looks.

Nagi really looked like a child.

As long as I didn’t do anything stupid, there shouldn’t be a problem.

We took the key and entered the room.

It was small. One single bed. A tiny table. A wash basin.
A few towels—enough for two people.

We got a tub of hot water, wiped down our chilled bodies, and hung our clothes to dry.

Nagi stood in the corner of the room, clearly restless.

I set my luggage down and started taking off my clothes.

“Big brother!”

“If you stay in wet clothes, you’ll just get sicker. Here.”

I tossed her a few of the towels we’d been given.

“You should take your clothes off and hang them up too. Put this on instead, then wash your hands and face.”

“…Yes.”

I handed Nagi a spare shirt I’d been carrying with me.

Just as I told her, she took off her clothes and, in just her undergarments, wet a towel and started wiping her body.

So I wouldn’t see, I used my cloak and the clothes I’d taken off to make a small divider, hiding her from view.

Her movements were slow—proof that she was exhausted.

While she was wiping herself in the back, I ordered food from the inn and returned to the room.

Steaming soup and bread. Some grilled meat too.

The smell of food had a way of softening people’s hearts.

Nagi’s eyes widened.

“Let’s eat.”

“Thank you… it’s warm. It’s tasty.”

She quietly drank the soup.

One sip. Then another.

Each time, the tension drained from her shoulders.

…Good.

Seeing that, I finally let out a breath.

“Big brother.”

“Hm?”

“…Thank you.”

My chest tightened just a little.

Rina never said thank you to me.

Anything I did for her had always been treated as natural.

So I felt embarrassed and covered it with a cough.

“It’s nothing special.”

“It is special.”

Nagi replied softly—but firmly.

That single line carried a strange weight.

The wind tapping against the inn window made it easy to forget the rain from earlier.

Nagi sat on the edge of the bed, touching her horn.

It seemed like a habit—she touched it whenever she felt uneasy.

I spread a cloth on the floor and laid a blanket over it.

“Get some good rest tonight.”

“…Big brother?”

“I’ll sleep here.”

When I pointed to the floor, Nagi frowned.

“It’s warmer if we sleep together.”

“No.”

“…Why not?”

“…”

I got stuck.

I had a feeling no explanation would really get through to her.

Sleeping in the same bed with a girl I’d just met today was… yeah, that took courage.

“You wouldn’t like it, right? Sleeping with a man you don’t know?”

“I don’t dislike it! Big brother won’t do anything strange. Big brother is kind. That’s why I want to sleep together.”

“Kind, huh…”

I was just kind—

Suddenly, my sister’s words came back to me.

But right now, being kind felt like it was enough.

“…Alright.”

“I’m happy!”

I climbed onto the bed and lay down.

Right away, Nagi moved closer, clinging to my chest and closing her eyes.

In the darkness, her breathing slowly settled.

“Big brother… you’re warm.”

After traveling alone and going through so much, Nagi must have been feeling lonely for others.

With her clinging to me—her warmth, her faint sweet scent—I felt something soft stir inside me.

I hadn’t known that another person’s warmth could calm the heart this much.

I’d never held hands with Rina.
Never hugged her like this.

Nagi’s warmth quietly filled the loneliness in my heart.