Volume 4 Chapter 10 – The Great Adventure of Ruri the Hero – Part 2

| Niitsu Ruri

“Haah… haah… haaah… fuu…”

That was… the best.

The best battle I’ve ever had.

The biggest loss I’ve ever suffered.

Kinu-chan… once again, Ruri the Hero couldn’t win…

Still, Kinu-chan always does such a good job… the way she edits these videos.

She’s skilled. Really skilled. Masterfully done.

The way it wraps up, with her just leaving as if nothing happened at the end…

Let’s watch it again.

If there were a part where she sat down on a bench after the “attack,” it’d feel too raw to watch. But she’s edited it so meticulously, starting with a lighthearted opening.

It begins gently, without dwelling on any “pain” from the attack, with the “magic” coming in softly, and she leaves gracefully, ending with a tender, soft close. The timing is perfect.

If only I could capture that kind of flow in a move…

“Mmm, magic… spell… master… ahh! Haah… haah…”

It’s no use. I can still keep going. Ruri the Hero can still fight. I’m not defeated yet!

…What am I even doing at Kinu-chan’s house…? Oh well, Kinu-chan said not to worry about it. Though… she didn’t exactly say that.

Maybe I’ll try to endure a little longer.

◆

“Ah… mmm… huh? …Huh? Did I… hear something…? Eh! …Is she back already?”

I heard the front door unlocking.

Kinu-chan’s early. It’s not even three o’clock yet. Ah, I can’t stop. What should I do?

Well, if it’s just Kinu-chan… I mean, it’s not ideal, but it’s okay, right?

“Come on in.”

“Excuse me!”

“Thank you for having me!”

“!!”

Wait—that voice isn’t Kinu-chan’s!

Ruri the Hero is shocked!

No, no, no—this is bad! What do I do?

I quickly get up, close the laptop—wait, no, open it—no, close it!

They’re coming up the entryway! Okay, think! Should I turn? Step back? No, no jumping—that would make too much noise. This isn’t the time to turn around, either! I need to hide, but wait… where are my… panties? They’re not at my ankles! Where… where are they?

“Wow, it’s a model shop, huh?”

“It’s my grandpa’s shop.”

They’re right outside the door! No time left!

In the end, I crawled under the bed to hide.

From the conversation, it sounded like Kinu-chan managed to capture a “witch.” Knowing her, she probably lured them in with some trick.

And more than anything… Kyousuke-kun is here too… what’s going on?

Why is my heart pounding like this?

Is it because I’m not wearing panties…?

No, it’s because of the wicked wizard.

On top of that, Kinu-chan seems unusually determined, speaking much more than usual. I can feel her conviction, even though I can’t see it.

…Oh, I see. This is about securing a spy. Yep, yep. A witch with a stalker complex.

And now there are three of us here.

…So, Kyousuke-kun must have found out about the stalking. I should share this with the rest of the roundtable.

Here we are, three teens—no, no, this is about the stalking, right?

Or is it about magic…? Wait, did Kinu-chan blackmail Kyousuke-kun? That would be a betrayal to the roundtable… Kinu…chan…?

No, no, Kinu-chan would never do that.

…But, why are they here then?

Judging from Kinu-chan’s confident demeanor, it doesn’t seem like she’s been caught stalking. If anything, she’d be sulking quietly. But… blackmail… no, Kyousuke-kun doesn’t seem intimidated either…

So that means… in this double stalker situation, either the stalking or the magic has been revealed, and they’ve somehow come to an agreement to be here together…?

No, no, that doesn’t make sense either. But Kinu-chan’s determination is almost enough to make me nervous.

I can feel it…

The same wicked wizard who left me breathless with his stone magic spell just a little while ago.

The same evil wizard with whom I waged an intense battle not long ago.

…Perfect.

I might get caught.

No, I won’t.

Or… maybe I will?

No, it’s fine.

I will get caught!

It’s okay if I do. It’s fine.

Kyousuke-kun once told me it was okay—he told me it was fine, back in the day.