The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 36

Chapter 36: Howling at the Moon

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“Is, is she okay?”

“Ah, she’s fine, fine. She’ll be up and about soon enough, no worries.”

Rion said as she made a glass of shochu cocktail and handed it to Ryuuto. He took a sip and much to his surprise, it was quite strong. Her large eyes were glazed over with a feverish gleam and Ryuuto’s feet began to tingle. Of course, his nether region was twitching with anticipation as well. 

“Talking is good and all, but Ryuuto-san, you should eat more. We got some really good chicken. Please, go ahead, help yourself.”

“Ah, right. This is the season for hot pot, huh? It really feels like hot pot time when the season gets colder. You know, it’s been a while since I last had a hot pot party with everyone sitting around the table like this.”

“Ryuuto-san, here. This is ponzu sauce. I made it myself. 

“Oooh. Thanks! Huff, huff… Oh! It’s delicious!”

“Ahaha~ I’m glad to know you like it.”

“But still, Ryuuto-san, your hair is really long. It’s long and really lustrous too.”

By the time he realized it, Kyouka, who had recovered, was wrapping her arms around his back and started running her hands through his hair. Indeed. Ryuuto’s hair had grown to an abnormal length since he hadn’t cut it in 20 years. Even Rion, not wanting to lose out to Kyoka, clung to his waist and pressed her face against his hair.

“Ufufufu~ It’s so long.”

“Is your hair over there long too…?”

“Oi! Kyouka! Cut it out! Ryuuto-san, please leave them be. These two will probably fall asleep soon. Actually, they really can’t hold their liquor.”

“Fuunyaa”

As if on cue, Kyouka collapsed to the side and fell asleep again with a gentle, rhythmic breathing. With her back resting on the bed, her large breasts sagged to the sides due to gravity.

Whoa… Those are some manga-level boobs. 

Rion, possibly feeling the effects of the alcohol, was drifting off beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder. With her eyes closed like that, she looked downright adorable. 

“Ah, Rion’s asleep too. Is it time to call it a night?”

“…No, not yet. Ryuuto-san, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s have a match. If I win, then… Uuh, well… I want you to go watch a movie with me.”

Haruka said while thrusting her glass forward. It seemed she wanted to invite Ryuuto to a drinking match. Ryuuto loosened his tie before responding to the match request. 

“You don’t need to do that. It wouldn’t be fun if you ended up drinking more than you could. I will go with you, to a movie or whatever. I’m currently unemployed after all.”

“Really?! Ah, regarding your unemployment… A male like you just needs to fill the required form with the government and you won’t have to worry about money.”

“That may be true, but I’m not a pet. I want money, but I’m not a beggar. I want to contribute to society by doing something I can do. That said, I’ve spent most of my youth diving into dungeons, so I’m not sure if there’s a job I can do…”

“Even so… Ryuuto-san, if you’re ever in trouble, you can come to us. We will do our best to help you. Me, Kyouka and Rion. All of us are on your side, Ryuuto-san.”

“We can support you if worse comes to worst.”

“Ahaha~ Rion, you just met Ryuuto-san today. Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“It’s not too much. I’m certain that Ryuuto-san and I were brought together by the stars. We’re destined to be together. After all… No one’s ever been this kind to me before.”

“‘No one,’ huh. Ah, Rion’s asleep now.”

“Zzz…”

“Zzz, she said? Pfft.”

“Well, we’ve all had quite a bit to drink and eat. I’m sorry for making you play host, Haruka. I bet you didn’t get to talk much.”

“Well then, Ryuuto-san, to make up for it, would you join me for just one more drink?”

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“The park, huh? Indeed. It’s pretty quiet here, huh?”

“Well then… Once again, cheers!”

“Ou!”

“Actually, there were a lot of things I wanted to talk to you about today if I got the chance to meet you, Ryuuto-san.”

“Ahaha! I see. Those two were really something, huh? You didn’t get the chance to ask your question.”

“Well, I’m not sure about that… They’re not that wild normally, but it seems they got a bit flustered when they saw you, Ryuuto-san.”

“Haha~ To think cute girls like Haruka would say something like that to me… If my past self were to hear this, he would never believe it.”

“Really? But Ryuuto-san, you’re so cool. I’m convinced you must be popular no matter where you go!”

“Not at all. In fact, you, Kyouka and Rion are all insanely beautiful. I’ve never seen anyone as pretty as you all back in middle school. Well, Nee-chan seemed to be pretty popular, though.”

“Then that means you must’ve been popular too, Ryuuto-san!”

“Unfortunately I take after my dad, not my mom. Look, compared to Nee-chan, my face is pretty plain, right?”

“That’s not true! You have sharp features, and your eyes are beautiful… I-I think you have a very nice face.”

“Haha~ Thanks. Even if you’re just saying that as a joke, I’m still happy. But you know, back then, in both high school and middle school, there were tons of guys with way more handsome faces than me. Still, by the end… Most of them died in the war or during exploration. Shougen and Yoriaki managed to survive since they’re resilient, but I bet almost everyone from my class is gone now.”

“That must’ve been a really harsh time. I couldn’t even imagine what it was like.”

“There were just too many monsters. If you left them alone, they’d keep spawning no matter where they were. On the surface, the military was constantly fighting against monsters and we got so used to the sight of death. The news would report hundreds of deaths every single day. People died at the hands of monsters more often than traffic accidents. We’d be eating breakfast while talking about how today’s death toll in Tokyo hit triple digits.”

“How brutal…”

“When I was in middle school, I received my first blessing at the temple. My job turned out to be a mage. That really messed me up. Our generation grew up on games and manga, so I got all fired up, thinking, ‘I’ll save the world with my magic!’ I was so hyped up about it. And the adults just kept encouraging us. They had no problem letting naive kids charge into the dungeons and slaughter monsters. But for those kids’ parents, it must’ve been hell. The government and the public treated skill users like heroes. The military was completely drained. All the young men were drafted at eighteen and sent straight to the front lines, where they kept dying like crazy. That was normal to me, but for the older folks who lived through peaceful times in the Showa and Heisei eras, it must’ve been impossible for them to accept the harsh reality. …Man, there really aren’t a lot of men around anymore.”

“Yes, that’s true. For me too… Well, we’re not the same age, but this is my first time getting this close to a young man. I think most people living normal lives will go their entire lives without ever seeing one. I’ve seen them in videos, but meeting one like this, actually interacting… This might be the first and last time in my life meeting a living young man.”

“Ooh.”

“Ryuuto-san, can I come closer?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“You’re warm.”

“…Yeah.”

“I never knew men were this warm… It’s like the sun. Just by touching you like this, my heart is beating this fast. Ryuuto-san, can you feel it? How hard is my heart beating?”

“O-Ohh… Haruka, your chest is… Pretty big.”

“Ryuuto-san, if you say it like that… You’re going to get my hopes up, you know?”

“Whoa, seriously? If I said something like this to a girl back in the day, I’d get rejected on the spot—hell, maybe even sued.”

“Fufu. Those girls had no idea how wonderful Ryuuto-san was. As for me… I always feel grateful to you every day, Ryuuto-san. And… It’s not just that, I…”

“Hey, didn’t you have something you wanted to talk about?”

“Ah, right, right. So, I’m an E-rank explorer. To be honest, it’s neither good nor bad. In reality, the monthly salary for an E-rank is about the same as working full-time at a convenience store with weekends off. But this month, I’m aiming for D-rank. So, if I manage to rank up to D within the month… Would you form a party with us?”

“Sure.”

“H-huh? So-So fast? Do-Don’t you need to think about it first?”

“Well, I’m not sure… Alright. Let me think about it a little. TO be honest, I haven’t really figured out how I’m going to live from now on either. Oh, but aside from that, how about we all go see a movie next week? With the same group of people as today? Let’s make that promise.”

“Okay.”

“Then, let’s make a pinky promise.”

“Ufufu, Ryuuto-san, you’re really cute. I think I just fell for you even more!”

“Huh? What a troublesome little kitten.”

“Oh, and… Could you turn the other way for a moment?”

“Huh? What, did a killer clown pop up in the middle of this peaceful night park?”

“Chu.”

Haruka gently pressed her lips to Ryuuto’s cheek.

“Uu…”

“Uwooooooh!”

“Kyah!”

And Ryuuto suddenly howled at the moon.

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