Volume 1 Chapter 11/12 – Pseudo/ Birth

“Here’s some barley tea.”

“…Thanks, Kyo-chan.”

We had gotten out of the bath, changed into clean clothes, and quenched our thirst. The clothes she was wearing were ones I had lent her.

◆　

After that, of course, I couldn’t just let her leave with the mess I’d made on her, so I suggested she take a bath. She began to strip off her uniform with a big smile, but when I told her I’d leave out of respect for her boyfriend, she started sobbing uncontrollably.

She cried, telling me things like: she wasn’t dating Kuzukawa, she never thought he’d get violent, she wanted me to be jealous, she never wanted to break up, she’d always loved me, she only broke up with me to make me jealous, she was jealous of Mihane, she wanted me to pay more attention to her, being the object of jealousy felt good, even her solo play was the best when she thought of me, she’d woken up after yesterday, she hadn’t given Kuzukawa anything, she was still “clean,” and she was still mine.

When I looked into her eyes, all I saw was insecurity, insecurity, insecurity—so much insecurity. I wanted to reassure her, so I smiled at her.

Or at least I tried to, but with her face covered in tears and… other things, it must have looked like I was committing a crime. Even I could tell that my smile had turned into an awkward grimace.

Seeing that, she started sobbing again, saying things like “You don’t believe me! Please believe me! I’ll do anything! Don’t abandon me!” She was completely panicking. I had no choice but to hug her.

It was the first hug we’d shared in over five years.

Welcome back, Aika.

But still, with her completely naked.

From my perspective, this was our first meeting in five years, and it should’ve been an emotional reunion.

Yeah, this is not good.

Please, no one call me a “hero” for this.

While I was thinking that, she hugged me back.

Yeah. Welcome back, Aika.

Once her sobbing calmed down and the tears stopped, I quickly helped her out of her uniform, then her bra and panties, all in one swift motion. It was like magic. Aika’s eyes went wide with surprise. This is the true skill of the hero who saved the other world. Or maybe not.

Once we were both naked, I washed her whole body, just like in the old days.

Aika didn’t resist at all, leaving everything to me.

It reminded me of when we were kids—playing in the mud, fooling around in a typhoon, falling into the river—all those warm, nostalgic memories.

But then again, my body was heating up.

And so, after washing her thoroughly…

“It’s big.”

“Really? I’ve never really compared it, so I don’t know.”

I made a veiled attempt at teasing her. Well, I have compared it before, though. With some pretty tough warriors. But in the other world, the standard wasn’t size, but shape, endurance, and magic power.

In other words, overall combat potential.

There were races with ridiculous sizes, not to mention magic. I was well-versed in magic, so controlling my magical energy was no problem. I used that skill to bring down countless opponents.

The title of “hero” isn’t just for show. Or maybe it is.

“N-No, it’s… it’s bigger than I imagined! I mean, it’s way different from when we were kids! And I’ve only ever seen yours!”

“Is that so?”

“R-Really! It’s true! My, um, ‘room’ has always been reserved just for you, Kyo-chan!”

“Haha, it’s been a while since I heard that. Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

It had been ages since I saw Aika this flustered. Felt like 10 years ago. I got a little nostalgic and teased her a bit.

I finally understand what she meant by “my room.” Back then, I didn’t get it at all and just nodded along. No elementary schooler would’ve understood. Was she a succubus or something?

She seemed to realize I was teasing her, and once she looked relieved, I figured I’d ask for a little favor. I was struggling to hold back.

“Hey… would you mind putting your hands up for a second?”

“? Sure… It’s embarrassing, though…”

“You look really beautiful.”

I took another moment to admire her. Even by the standards of the other world, she was a top-tier beauty. Her light chestnut hair, slightly fluffy and cat-like, reached her shoulders, now clinging to her face in large locks after being washed.

Her big, light brown eyes were framed by long lashes and sat beneath perfectly double-lidded eyelids. She had a sharp, elegant nose and small, pale pink lips. Her cheeks were tinged with the faintest blush of excitement.

She looked a little more grown-up than the face I remembered.

Her skin was fair, without a single blemish, and her chest was noticeably larger than my hands could hold, with a beautifully balanced shape. Her small, pale pink nipples stood firm, almost taunting me.

Her waist was slender, and while her butt wasn’t particularly large, it was perfectly shaped and toned. Her legs were long and slim, with just the right amount of softness to her skin.

In short, she was stunning.

Ah, this is bad.

───I could practically hear the switch flipping in my head.

“Wha—wait, wait, wait, no, stop!”

◆　

After we finished the bath, we dried our bodies and hair, and I started talking about what happened yesterday.

“Sorry… This all started because I showed such a pathetic side of myself.”

“You’re not pathetic at all! You were super amazing and so cool!”

“…That’s not what I was talking about.”

“Eep!”

What even is “cool and amazing” supposed to mean here?

◆　◇　◆

Aika told me about the video involving Kuzukawa and Mihane’s claims earlier this morning.

So, that means Mihane was pacing around out of concern. That’s a relief.

I was worried about getting stabbed. If it came to that, I’d have no choice but to dodge and counter. And if I ended up taking down my stepsister, I’d probably be the first to rush to the police, confessing, “Officer, it was me.”

Oh, but there’s always healing magic. That’s a relief. No, wait, I still shouldn’t be thinking about taking down my stepsister.

Apparently, the video had been edited to show Kuzukawa and his goons ganging up on me while Aika watched and laughed. Of course, Aika said that after such a thing, Mihane declared that she wouldn’t let Aika get near me again.

“…So, Mihane-chan… um, is she…”

“It was an accident, like earlier. She left right after.”

Aika then mentioned Mihane had shown her a certain… revealing photo afterward.

Why, though? Why did she take a selfie like that? How does that even connect to not letting Aika near me? What kind of deterrent is that? It’s like a whole other world.

…Well, I was a hero in another world.

I was never involved in the kind of drama that seems to come with girls’ jealousy. Maybe because I was an honored hero summoned from another world, they did their best to keep me away from such petty problems.

Most of the time, I was only around professionals at brothels. Not exactly forced, but I don’t think I did anything terrible… I always checked their eyes, after all.

Even in a world dominated by the strong, I never sought out trouble, despite being the strongest among humans. If they begged, though, I couldn’t refuse. Relying on contraception magic became second nature.

“…Be careful around Mihane-chan, or rather… never mind.”

“Mihane? It’s fine. I’ll talk to her properly.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Well, if she’s taking and showing those kinds of photos just to keep Aika away, I guess there’s a level of worry there—even if they don’t get along.

In terms of her mental state, I mean.

Aika seemed to be trying to defend Mihane in some way, and I can’t help but feel anxious about my stepsister’s way of thinking. I should have a talk with her.

For now, though, I’ll hold off until I can understand Mihane’s mindset better.

Kuzukawa’s intentions were clear from the video. So that’s what he’s been thinking all this time? I never noticed five years ago. Well, now that I know… it’s not really an issue.

“He’s using me to get closer to you, weakening your resolve and turning your heart toward him. But it’s a simple ploy once you know. Just ignore it.”

“Yeah, but… if my behavior doesn’t change, Kyo-chan might get hurt again… It’s weird for me to say this since I’ve hurt you before, but…”

I gently pulled Aika closer, letting her rest her head on my shoulder. I remembered she used to like that.

“I’ll be fine.”

“……”

“So, don’t think you have to sacrifice yourself. For me, it would be worse to see you tormented.”

“Kyo-chan…”

I had been struggling with burnout since the battle against the Demon Lord, but seeing Aika’s cute side cleared that up. Thanks, Aika.

“Hey, Aika. You’ve never doubted my feelings, right? This time, believe in me again, okay?”

“But… Kyo-chan, you hate violence…”

“Well, haha, yeah…”

“Kyo-chan?”

That doesn’t even count as violence. I never wanted Aika to see that side of me, though. For some reason, I’ve always attracted that kind of trouble. But when Aika moved into town, she told me outright that she hated violence. Since then, I’ve done my best to avoid showing her that side of things.

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t enjoy using violence. But… sometimes, if you show mercy, things get out of hand. I’ll handle it, though.”

“……”

There’s no room for mercy when dealing with bandits. Hesitate, and innocent people get hurt.

Even though I was the hero of the human race, not all of my enemies were the Demon Lord’s minions.

Despite the world being threatened by the Demon Lord, there were still those who were beyond help. And I learned that if I hesitated, I couldn’t protect what I wanted to. That’s my regret…

I struggled at first, didn’t I? Ah, Artlily stood by me back then. After that, I couldn’t help but respond to the cries for help. I guess it turned into a kind of obsession. Even now, I see the faces of those I couldn’t save.

As I looked into Aika’s eyes, I whispered the words with magic, just like Croix had taught me—a merchant’s trick. Sorry, Aika.

“Just trust me, just this once.”

“…Alright. I’ll trust you.”

She seemed to have come to terms with it.

I was worried when she got so frantic earlier, but I’m glad she’s okay now. Then Aika started to confess something.

“…You know, Kyo-chan, you’ve always been so kind, just like you were before. But I’ve been the awful one all along. I trusted you, and because I trusted you so much, I did things that betrayed that trust. I always knew how you felt, Kyo-chan. And knowing that, I played with your feelings for my own pleasure… I’ve been using you all this time just to make myself feel good…

Kyo-chan, like I said earlier, I love you. But I can’t ask you to be with me now. Don’t give me an answer yet. I want you to watch me while I do everything I can to make up for the pain I caused you. I’ll do whatever it takes. And in the end, I want you to choose me… so I’ll work hard!”

“Aika…”

She smiled at me, looking as if a heavy weight had lifted off her shoulders. It was like seeing the old Aika from before I had a stepsister.

Except…

“Oh, but how did you get so good at it? I want to know!”

…Nope, not quite.