Volume 2 Chapter 13/14 – 2 / 100 | Hatsushiba Tomoka/ Bloody Valentine

Tomoka Hatsushiba, who had cried her eyes out and even had an accident, had now changed clothes in the bathroom.

She seemed much calmer, so he decided to ask.

“Sorry for making you wait. So, what did you mean by salvation?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m talking about religion or anything, but I need you to listen.”

Even if he was a flawed hero, it was in his nature to extend a hand to those seeking help.

A sacrificial princess, his little sister trying to take her place. A half-blood child, feared by both humans and demons. A child of slaves illegally brought from another country, separated lovers—so many mistakes, so many failures, and countless regrets.

He had lost track of how many times he felt powerless. Although he was impatient to return to Japan, he couldn’t just ignore all of this in the end.

Then there were the records of past heroes stored in the Grand Church of Salvation. Among them were countless raw accounts not found in heroic tales.

The record titled The Downfall of the Hypocritical Hero described a hero who demanded nothing in return and, in the end, lost almost all of his power. Even though there was something he truly desired, he continued to deceive himself and aid others. Because he didn’t demand anything in return, people’s requests grew more careless and unreasonable.

At first, he thought it didn’t matter if it was hypocritical, as long as people were saved. He even thought it was a manly way to act cool.

But deceiving oneself causes magical power to deteriorate. That was the truth behind Alefgard’s magic. Even summoned heroes, who were given great powers, weren’t an exception. If you used great power deceitfully, you paid a great price. It was the story of a hero who lost to the Demon Lord.

The church, wary of a hero like him who helped recklessly and seemed unlikely to demand a reward, made their move while he still lacked real strength.

They had a Saint peek into his soul with her spell of enlightenment. She shed tears of blood as she pleaded, “I am not fit for this journey,” even as she recognized his inherent nature. Perhaps out of guilt, she taught him to thoroughly internalize this value system: “Salvation must have compensation; deceit must have consequences.”

There’s no such thing as a perfect fifty-fifty in this world. Yet, the hero who saves Alefgard must strive to achieve it.

“I intend to make Kuzukawa regret trying to lay a hand on Aika.”

“…”

“I know it’s hard to trust me after seeing how I’ve been up until now.”

“…No.”

“I believe Hatsushiba-san’s wish will be granted, even if you stay silent.”

“…Yes.”

“You can either remain silent, endure it, and just wish for results, or prepare a price to pay and confront Kuzukawa as the person involved.”

“…”

“Which of these would be salvation for you and your friend?”

“…”

“I will respect your decision.”

“Toudou-kun…”

Now that he knew the situation, he couldn’t just leave it alone. However, knowing that Kuzukawa had tried to use Aika, he needed to confirm her resolve. Whether she would be saved passively or confront the issue head-on.

“I’m just making sure since I understand your feelings. I know it’s a harsh way to put it, but ultimately, it’s not something you have to bear alone. If that’s the case, then please step aside.”

“…It’s not like that. Megumi is my only friend. Offering Aika as a sacrifice—I was just like Kuzukawa. No, I was even worse. I wasn’t in my right mind. I’m so sorry. I don’t know if there’s a price I can offer, but… please, save Megumi and me.”

Her eyes showed a color of determination and resolve. Ah, yes. It’s a color he liked—beautiful.

“…Alright. I’ve certainly received your resolve. Leave it to me. We’ll talk about the price later…”

Aika, who had been listening quietly with her eyes closed, suddenly stood up, her large eyes wide open as she raised a fist and declared with determination,

“My future path is one of the warrior’s way!”

“Aika?!”

“I must walk this unending path of atonement as Naruse Aika, the sinner!”

“Aika, what did you do?! Toudou-kun!”

And then, Aika began muttering to herself.

“What I lack… Atonement… Level the friction… Erase Tomoka-chan’s guilt… A counter for Kyou-chan… A warning for Mihane-chan… Yes! Tomoka-chan, can you lend me your ear?”

“Huh? Sure, but…”

◆

“…Kyoupi taught me a lesson.”

“It’s because Tomoka is so cute.”

“Aika, Kyoupi taught me a lesson too.”

“Let’s watch the video we recorded later, together.”

The price was proposed by Aika, accepted by Tomoka, and decided upon by the two of them.

Specifically, it involved some reckless filming.

He wasn’t expecting this kind of “price”… Was Aika actually angry?

◆　◇　◆

| Naruse Aika

After taking a bath, I changed into the underwear that Kyou-chan bought from the convenience store, and slipped into the pajamas I borrowed from Tomoka-chan. I had already informed my family about my plans.

“Here you go,” Tomoka-chan said as she handed me a glass of cold milk.

We sat together at the table, surrounded by snacks. Tonight was a sleepover and bonding party with Tomoka-chan.

A lot had happened today. Well, technically, it all started yesterday…

Two battles on the first day, and I lost both of them badly…

Until yesterday, I was still a maiden. Is it really okay? It’s too late now, but… Kyou-chan and I got together, so, heh, well, whatever.

“What’s wrong?” Tomoka-chan asked.

“I was just thinking about how I’ve become an adult,” I replied.

“I-I see,” she stuttered.

“I’m sorry, though. My first time turned out like this.”

Yeah. Kyou-chan was way too ruthless. Though it was my idea, and Tomoka-chan was the one who accepted it. But the one who was ruthless… was Kyou-chan.

But despite being so ruthless, I still like him—so much!

“It’s fine. Honestly, I could’ve been defiled by those demons if things had gone badly… but actually, it was kind of… the best?”

“Really? I’m glad. Isn’t Kyou-chan great?”

“Y-Yes. He’s… wonderful.”

“Right? Not many people notice, though.”

“I-I’m sorry for that.”

“No, no. Kyou-chan does it on purpose.”

“On purpose?”

“Yeah. Back in elementary school, Kyou-chan was the school’s prince.”

“I can’t imagine that… at least, not until yesterday.”

“Yep. But if you touch his heart, he changes completely.”

Yeah. Kyou-chan was the school’s prince. He always noticed when someone looked sad. And once he noticed, he couldn’t help but reach out to them. And most of the girls he saved ended up having their first love with him.

And most of them, I pushed down… as the princess.

“Then, in elementary school, there was this Bloody Valentine incident, and that’s when Kyou-chan became the way he was until yesterday. At that time…”

“What’s Bloody Valentine?”

“Oh… that’s when, in Kyou-chan’s locker, chocolates and letters were constantly being swapped out, leading up to White Day.”

“Swapped out? What do you mean?”

“Well, someone would put in chocolates and a letter first. Then, the next person would come and crush and tear up the ones already inside before putting in their own. It kept happening, and the bottom of Kyou-chan’s locker was a mess.”

“That’s… terrifying. Like, a turf war?”

“Exactly. A turf war.”

Well, the ones instigating it behind the scenes were Towa-chan and me.

“And then, Kyou-chan’s heart started to ache. On top of that, his father passed away, and he fell into a deep depression.”

“I see…”

That was truly unexpected. Even I was deeply affected by it.

“And because his father’s death was kept a secret at school, someone spread a rumor that Kyou-chan was down because of Valentine’s Day. It led to a brawl among the girls.”

I’m pretty sure the first to say it was either Jun-kun or Hijiri-chan. It wasn’t Michiru-chan, and definitely not Erika-chan. Momo-chan, who had transferred schools, might’ve done it. My wild guess would be Nana-chan.

“…That’s intense.”

“There were rumors that eating chocolate would make your nose bleed, but in my case, it was literal nosebleeds (physically). That’s where the name Bloody Valentine came from.”

“And what happened after that? Although, I’m a bit scared to ask.”

“Kyou-chan, being the diligent person he is, apologized to everyone. Even though he was sad about his father, he properly turned down each confession, and it seemed really painful for him. On top of that, the girls were all injured.”

“That must’ve been unbearable.”

“I wanted to help Kyou-chan, so I confessed to him. I asked if I could be there to support him.”

Yes, I was cowardly. I couldn’t act until he apologized to everyone, because I wasn’t confident. Back then, I was still the shy version of me.

After all, all the girls were so cute! Why were there so many of them!? It was so stupid! So stupid! Kyou-chan’s praise power is totally a cheat!

“Huh? Then what happened up until yesterday?”

“When we entered middle school, Kyou-chan got a stepsister.”

“A stepsister?”

“Yes, a stepsister of the same age. Kyou-chan’s mom got remarried.”

“Remarried…”

“I’m extremely jealous by nature, and having a girl of the same age living under the same roof made me constantly jealous. So I acted coldly towards him and broke up with him a few times just to get his attention. That was how things were until yesterday. But after the assault, I came to my senses.”

“I see.”

“That’s why I decided to go to Kyou-chan’s house this morning and apologize. But his stepsister scolded me, and I was so shocked that I just stood there until it was almost too late to get to school. Oh, and please keep this to yourself, but that girl is Fujitou Mihane-chan from Class C.”

I decided to keep the fact that I was a little out of it to myself… because it’s embarrassing.

“The cute trio from Class C?”

“Yeah. They all went to the same middle school. Sagawa-san, Asagi-san, and Mihane-chan, the stepsister.”

That massive transformation in Sagawa and Asagi during our third year of middle school was definitely Kyou-chan’s doing. That intensely brother-complex Mihane-chan wouldn’t have done it. When I saw it, my heart was torn to shreds.

But I was acting cold towards him at the time, so I couldn’t even ask Kyou-chan. And I heard it while walking in the hallway—Sagawa said it on purpose so I could hear. Absolutely infuriating.

Jeez, Kyou-chan, you oblivious love-creating machine! You’re supposed to help with good intentions! But because you don’t have ulterior motives, the girls don’t get suspicious! Because they’re not suspicious, they fall for you! You first-love-manufacturing playboy!

…Most girls’ personalities changed after falling in love with Kyou-chan. Sagawa and Asagi-chan were typical cases. They didn’t do it on purpose so I could hear. They were in the same class after all.

Getting praised by Kyou-chan boosts their confidence, huh?

Well, I guess it can’t be helped.

There were even girls like that in middle school, like juniors. I pushed them down though.

But now? My heart? Is at ease?

“But Shimode said she’s not connected to Todou-kun.”

“Well, she’s been hiding it well. But you know, deep down, she wants to be seen as a girl by everyone around her, especially Kyou-chan. Even though they’re not blood-related, she’s got this extreme brother complex.”

“Extreme?”

“I think you can tell from earlier, but when you’re with Kyou-chan all the time, it just… happens, I guess. It’s inevitable. I suppose I can understand now, since I had my first time today.”

“I get that. Wait, today? You were acting cold towards him until yesterday… huh?”

“Haha. Actually, today is a special anniversary for Tomoka-chan and me.”

“Whaaat!? So it was Todou-kun’s first time too? No way…? His waist felt like a whole different creature…”

“It’s true. He even admitted it himself. I can vouch for it. Kyou-chan has never been able to lie. It was a very important promise with his beloved father.”

Yes, even now he treasures it. …But it’s also fun to corner Kyou-chan, who can’t lie. Ah, I miss those elementary school days…

“I see… So it really was his first time… haha.”

“…”

Ah, I was the one who took his virginity. That’s important. The rest are just the same in my eyes.