The Man Who Remained — His Second Life Began with a Humble Bow of Apology. - Chapter 86: To Change the Ending (Part Two).

To Change the Ending (Part Two).

Being overwhelmed by a mountain of work and fearing tendonitis from endlessly sifting through documents was not a burden borne only by Gyokuran, the village chief, and Ellie, who had begun assisting her.

There was someone else, too, who now struggled with paperwork, clutching her head in despair at the ever-growing stack before her.

Her name was Ouka.

As the Deputy Gate Commander of the Suzaku Gate and one of the Triune, she was currently locked in fierce battle against paperwork, striving to atone for her own blunders and disrespect through hard work.

Her current task was to investigate the conduct of the gate guards within the Suzaku Gate.

Given that many of the Suzaku Gate’s people possessed rough temperaments, incidents were common. Still, as gate guards—the very pillars protecting the nation—they were expected to serve as role models for the people.

That was the official stance, at least. In reality, however, demanding propriety from guards treated as expendable soldiers worn down by constant battle with external threats was no easy feat. Thus, many issues had been glossed over until now.

And then… at the worst possible timing, the greatest disaster yet had occurred.

A guard had committed a grave offense against a visitor—worse still, against a subordinate of the Demon King’s representative. An utterly unforgivable situation.

To make matters worse, Ouka, unaware of the full circumstances, had defended the perpetrator, who was under her direct command, and had gone so far as to try to arrest the representative and his subordinate as criminals.

Considering the gravity of her actions, being tasked only with investigating gate conduct was merciful beyond words.

Depending on circumstances, public execution might have been warranted—not just for her, but for the entire gate leadership.

So while this task was indeed a mercy, it was by no means an easy one.

If it had been simple, the problem would never have festered so long, nor would fools have emerged who abused their status as guards to do as they pleased.

And while there might not be another as foolish as that man, Ouka knew—there were surely others like him lurking within their ranks.

If, just hypothetically… another similar incident were to occur while the representative was still present… even if the victim was merely a common townsfolk… if a guard ever laid hands on a citizen, then that would truly be the end.

In the worst case, the entire upper echelon of the Suzaku Gate might be ordered to commit seppuku—and that would be considered lenient.

Thus, under crushing pressure, Ouka desperately reviewed the reports before her, only to fall into utter despair.

She had ordered every squad leader, responsible for managing the rank-and-file guards, to report anyone with problematic behavior, past or present. Yet every single one returned the same answer: “No problems.”

Did that mean there were no troublemakers left—that the Suzaku Gate was filled only with upstanding, exemplary guards?

Ouka was not so naïve.

She knew full well, having risen from the bottom herself, that “no problems” merely meant issues were being hidden or ignored. And now, she had no idea what to do, clutching her head in hopeless frustration.

“Then… maybe I should ask someone even higher than the squad leaders… no, they can’t see what’s happening on the ground. Then maybe I should ask the guards directly… no, there are far too many, and I can already see them covering for each other or things slipping through the cracks. Then maybe I should offer rewards for anonymous reports… no, that would only lead to innocent guards being falsely accused in the worst-case scenario. Uwwh… uaah…”

The three heads of her Triune form drooped their ears and shook in distress.

Something had to be done. But she simply could not see a way forward.

It was then that one of her subordinates burst into her room unannounced.

This subordinate, a woman, was one of the few Ouka trusted completely—someone who would never be complicit in wrongdoing and was a rare pillar of support in this crisis.

She seemed flustered.

“F-forgive my intrusion!”

“You forgot to knock… well, whatever. What is it? As you can see, I’m very busy.”

“Th-the Demon King’s representative… has requested to see you by name…”

At those words, all three of Ouka’s faces twisted into an expression of dread.

“Ugh… I’m really busy right now… If it’s not urgent, send them aw—”

“He specifically requested you by name.”

“I’ll be there immediately! You’re having him wait in the reception room, aren’t you!?”

“Yes! We have prepared the finest tea and sweets, and he is waiting there now!”

“I’ll go at once… No, I at least need to fix my appearance as a gate commander… tell him I’ll be there in five minutes!”

“Understood!”

Normally, Ouka and her subordinate shared a rather easygoing relationship. But in this moment, the atmosphere was as tense as if an enemy invasion force had appeared at their gates.

“I’m so sorry to have kept you wading!”

Stumbling over her words in her haste, Ouka burst into the tatami room where Cross awaited.

Anyone could tell at a glance how flustered she was.

Cross smiled gently.

“Calm down. There’s no need to rush.”

“Y-yes, Lord Representative… I mean, Cross-san, what is your business with me today?”

She had been ordered by the village chief to address him as “Cross-san,” as he disliked overly formal titles. It was phrased as a polite request, but one she dared not defy.

“Ah… well… how should I put this… You’re very different from the last time we met.”

Despite her clear tension, there was an air of seriousness about her now—so unlike the previous time, when her panic had driven her to offer her body as a misguided form of atonement.

“I apologize for that disgraceful behavior. I was… more than a little frantic at the time.”

“I see. Well, I’d be happier if you didn’t rush or tense up so much and just spoke normally with me.”

“I will… do my best.”

At her stiff response, Cross chuckled softly.

“So… what can I do for you today? If there is anything you need of me, please say the word.”

Thinking there must be a specific reason he had called for her, Ouka braced herself.

“If it’s something sexual, I—”

The leftmost head began to mutter, only for the other two to silence it with cold sweat and forced smiles toward Cross, as if to say “Please pay it no mind.”

“Ah, no. It’s actually something I wanted to ask you about.”

“Yes. What would that be?”

“It’s about your conduct investigation, right? The checks on the guards. Is it going well?”

“Of course. There is nothing you need concern yourself with, Cross-san!”

She beamed with a smile so perfect, it was clearly forced.

“I see… And your real thoughts?”

“I have no idea what to do and I’m completely at a loss, I’m so sorry!!”

All three heads cried out in unison, tears streaming down their faces.

“I thought as much. That’s why I wanted to consult with you…”

“Huh? About what…?”

“I want to help you out with it. And afterwards, I have a favor to ask.”

“You want to help…? No, I’m grateful, truly, but this isn’t such a simple issue…”

As she spoke, Cross placed three sheets of paper before her.

“What are these…?”

“Take a look.”

She distributed them among her three heads and read them simultaneously.

They contained detailed information and evidence on three guards with problematic conduct within the Suzaku Gate.

Not low-level guards, either, but those of considerable rank—precisely the ones hardest to investigate.

It was the very information Ouka had been desperate for but utterly unable to find.

These documents contained the answers, the results, she so desperately needed.

“H-how did you…?”

“Don’t worry. I got permission from Hibuse, so nothing illegal was done. I might not be good at paperwork, but gathering intel like this—I can help with that.”

Ouka nodded, her cheeks turning red.

“I understand… So afterwards, you wish to ravage my body in secret, using me as you please…? Very well, I accept—”

“I never said that.”

All three of her heads tilted in confusion.

“Eh? But… isn’t that why you called me here in secret…?”

“I honestly have no idea why you’d think that… Anyway.”

Cross let out a small sigh.

“So, what is it you want from me?”

“I want you to help Gyokuran.”

His words were short, clear, and left no room for misunderstanding.

The one who had proposed this idea was not Cross, but Ellie.

In order to improve Gyokuran’s situation—where she carried mountains of work that were not hers to bear—Ellie had reached a perfectly logical conclusion.

Delegate to someone else capable.

And the first candidate she had chosen was Ouka.

There were two reasons.

First, her high information processing capability.

As a Triune, her work capacity was three times that of a normal person, and with the right application, it could become exponentially greater.

If Ouka honed her skills, she would be qualified to be scouted directly by the Demon King himself.

That was how outstanding the Cerberus race was—rare, and incredibly capable.

Letting such potential go to waste was simply unacceptable.

***

The second reason was that it was an easy opportunity to earn her gratitude.

Ellie had known from the start that Ouka would struggle with the investigation, even if she hadn’t expected her to be completely stuck.

Tasks like reevaluating subordinates’ behavior or identifying unsuitable personnel are not efficient when approached as mere administrative work.

Ellie knew this well, being of the same disposition herself.

Such problems are not resolved by treating people as entries in an organizational chart.

Rather, one must face each of them as an individual, as an equal.

However, for someone like Ouka—or Ellie herself—who excelled at handling information, such work was not their forte.

Instead, it suited those who excelled at dealing directly with others, understanding their hearts.

“Anyway, after talking to people, I’ve found at least three guards we need to address. For some reason, they treated me like family and told me everything. Even bought me tea.”

Cross chuckled as he spoke.

“Well, Cross-san, you are incredibly popular here. Among the guards, among the people of Suzaku Street… everyone loves you.”

“Yeah… I was honestly shocked. I didn’t expect it to be this much. Why do they all treat me that way?”

He had obtained permission from Hibuse to wander near the gates, just in case, but in the end, he probably hadn’t even needed it.

Everywhere he went, he was welcomed, accepted, treated with kindness.

“Well, for us, fighting is communication. Knocking out the strongest gate commander in Suzaku Street in a single blow makes you more than a hero here—it makes you worthy of everyone’s respect. Didn’t you get challenged to fights by a bunch of people?”

At her words, Cross nodded.

Indeed, even within Suzaku Gate and Suzaku Town, Cross was showered with surprising amounts of admiration.

Wherever he went, people offered him food without asking for payment. As he walked down the street, cheers of admiration echoed from men and women alike. People approached him for handshakes in an unusually deferential manner uncharacteristic of Suzaku Town, and praises rained upon him—“So cool,” “So strong,” “So dignified.”

He was treated like a hero walking through the streets.

Such was the level of popularity Cross had achieved within Suzaku Gate and Suzaku Town—it had reached its peak.

At the same time, the number of people challenging him to fights had also increased significantly.

“Please fight me.”

“Just one match—”

“I want to feel the same awe I did back then.”

“I want to speak with my fists.”

These challenges were never out of malice. It was pure respect that drove them to repeatedly present their challenges.

“So, how did you turn them down? They can be pretty persistent. At worst, they’d attack outright.”

“Huh? I didn’t turn them down. I accepted every single one.”

“…What? Seriously? …Wait… But… there’s not a scratch on you. You’re not even sweating…”

“Well, I am reasonably strong, after all,” Cross replied with a gentle smile, making Ouka’s face stiffen in shock.

Suzaku Town could easily be called the town of brawls. Fistfights there were entertainment, communication, health checks, and contests of pride all rolled into one.

Because of this, even those who were weak in real combat but strong in brawls were plentiful. The entire town was accustomed to fighting.

For someone like Cross, who had merely learned their ways, it should have been an overwhelming disadvantage. Considering his popularity, the number of fights he accepted would have easily surpassed ten or twenty, and it was clear that only those with real confidence in their strength would have dared to challenge him.

Yet Cross had overwhelmed all of them, without even breaking a sweat.

To Ouka, this was beyond comprehension.

“In the end, no matter what anyone says, you really are a former hero,” she murmured with quiet reverence.

Those words brought a rare, peaceful smile to Cross’s face, a smile that showed how much they meant to him.

“By the way,” Cross began, “this has nothing to do with our discussion, but can I ask you a personal question?”

“Ah, yes. But please note that our three bodies have different measurements, so it will take a bit of time to relay them all.”

“That’s… something I’m very interested in personally, but let’s leave that for another time.”

“I thought so—wait, you are interested?”

Ouka was thrown off by Cross’s unexpected response. She had always assumed he disliked sexual topics, though in reality, the opposite was true.

“Of course I’m interested. What man wouldn’t be curious about cute girls?”

At those words, the middle Ouka widened her eyes, the left blushed deeply, and the right scratched her head with a bashful smile.

“But you’ve never shown any signs of it before…”

“There’s a truth to this, Ouka. If a man is pursued too aggressively, he’ll naturally take a step back. Even if I’m curious, being pushed that hard makes me recoil.”

“I see… That makes sense.”

The left Ouka quickly pulled out a notepad and scribbled down notes.

“That’s just how it is. But I’d like to get along with cute girls at a comfortable pace, so if that’s alright, let’s become friends slowly.”

“Gladly!”

All three voices chimed in unison, loud and eager.

Startled by their enthusiasm, both Cross and Ouka widened their eyes before exchanging soft, genuine laughter.

“Yeah, this is the kind of closeness I prefer—somewhere between friends and something more. If you’re serious, I’m counting on you.”

“Understood, Cross-san. I don’t have many male friends, so it feels fresh… and a little embarrassing too.”

All three of Ouka’s bodies smiled shyly.

“That’s exactly the kind of expression that gets me, you know.”

“Goodness, Cross-san. You always say such embarrassing things… By the way, what was that personal question again?”

“Oh, right, I forgot too. I was wondering, what are the names of each of your bodies? If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”

All three tilted their heads at once.

“Names of our bodies…?”

“Yeah. Ouka is the name for all three of you together, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So what are the individual names for each body…?”

“We’re not separate creatures. We’re one being, so one name suffices…”

“Ah, I see. You don’t know about other Cerberus then…”

Cross nodded to himself in understanding.

“…Cross-san. I’ll accept the village chief’s request, but under one condition.”

“Hm? As long as it’s not something weird, anything is fine.”

“Before meeting you, I didn’t even know my species was called ‘Cerberus’ or anything like that. Could you tell me what you know about them?”

“Ah. If that’s it, I’ll happily share everything I know.”

“Thank you. Oh, and the tea has gone cold, so I’ll brew some fresh tea… my subordinates will.”

With practiced coordination, the three Oukas swiftly gathered the tea set.

“They say Cerberus reproduces like slimes splitting apart, but I think it’s more like an ant colony.”

“An ant colony?”

“Yeah. No queen, but each unit specializes for certain roles. Think of Cerberus as a species functioning like a social insect colony. That’s what one of my acquaintances said.”

“But the three of us don’t have separate roles…”

The three bodies pointed to each other playfully.

“Well, that’s probably because you didn’t assign individual names and didn’t need separate roles with only three bodies.”

“I see… By the way, Cross-san, how many bodies did the Cerberus you knew split into?”

“There was one like you with three bodies, another that split into ninety-nine and fought like a coordinated army… and then there was an entire city.”

“A city?”

“Yeah. Over a thousand bodies, all one Cerberus.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Where are they now?”

Cross gave a pained smile, his face shadowed with guilt he’d never shown before.

Ouka sensed immediately what that meant.

“S-sorry. Please forget I asked—”

“No, I should answer. I met them when they were still human. We… had to fight them. We killed them all. I don’t regret it—there were reasons it had to happen. But… sorry. Talking about this with you was thoughtless of me.”

“P-please don’t worry about it! It’s fine. Honestly, I don’t feel any particular attachment to the Cerberus race anyway.”

Ouka frantically reassured him, and Cross gave a sad, gentle smile.

“T-then… is it possible to increase the number of bodies?”

She forcefully changed the topic.

“Hmm? Sorry, I don’t know. They’re a rare species, and my knowledge is from a human perspective.”

“I see… I kind of feel like it’s possible… Cross-san, could you help me test it? Just count the stains on the futon while I—guh!”

Cross lightly chopped the top of her head.

“Doing that would just make a daughter or son, right… Wait, what would happen with mixed species…?”

“Who knows. Shall we try—gah!”

“Yeah, I have no idea.”

“Hmm…”

The middle Ouka rubbed her head where he’d chopped her.

“Still, if we could increase our bodies, that would be convenient… I’ve often thought one more would help.”

“That feeling is beyond me… Anyway, that’s all I know about Cerberus. Most looked just like humans. So whether your ears are due to your species or mixed blood, I can’t say.”

“I see… Thank you. Even just that makes me feel a little clearer.”

“Clearer?”

“Yes. I was abandoned as a child. I’ve lived my life not knowing what I am. Just learning my species was… surprising.”

She smiled serenely as she spoke, and Cross felt an indescribable sorrow well up within him.

“…If only I didn’t have this helmet.”

He muttered unconsciously.

“Hm? Is my helmet in the way? Here, I’ll take it off.”

The middle Ouka removed her helmet.

Seeing her, Cross gently reached out and patted her head.

She didn’t know why she was being patted. But for someone like Ouka, who had no memories of ever being shown familial affection, the tender touch was so comforting that she simply accepted it without resistance.

It wasn’t romantic or lustful—it felt closer to compassion or pity.

And because of that, his hand was endlessly gentle… like an elderly relative’s touch, filling her with a warmth that made her feel she could finally relax deep within.

Seeing this, the other two Oukas quickly removed their helmets and lined up behind her, eager for his gentle touch as well.