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 - 52

Chapter 52: Interrogation

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“Ojou-sama.”

“Huh?! Ahem! We-Well, very well. I think that is possible. I suppose such things can happen if I think it back one hundred times at least. From what I investigated, the convenience store you work at is close to the residence of the hero Shougen Genma. I guess it is not impossible for you to have met him by some mistake. Since Ryuuto-sama is said to be a kind person who is friendly even to commoners… HOWEVER!!”

“Yes?”

“Don’t misunderstand. Even if you did happen to know Ryuuto-sama, under no circumstances should you carelessly form a close relationship with him. Especially since, as you should be aware, our Hero Association has an ironclad rule: we are only allowed to receive favors from higher-ranking individuals as acts of grace bestowed by heroes. We are not to receive those favors for ourselves.”

“Ah, I already exchanged LINE IDs with him. Teehee~”

“I’M SO JEALOUSSSSSSSS!! Why didn’t you say that first!?”

“Your Holiness…”

“Ah-?! Fumino?! N-No! You’re wrong! No, more importantly, why didn’t you report such an important issue to the association?!”

“Ah, look, look. Here’s a picture of Ryuuto-sama. He’s really cool, right?”

“Ah, you’re right. Kokona-san,could you send me this picture later?”

“Stop that! Don’t leave me out here alone! I’ll cry! I will really cry! Wait, are you two friends or something?”

“Oh my, Your Holiness… My apologies. I didn’t think it through when adding Ryuuto-sama’s on LINE!”

“Humph. As long as you understand now. Anyway… About Ryuuto-sama’s contact information… Ah! Don’t misunderstand! I only want his contact information purely to express my gratitude to him as the leader of this religious association for his purchase at your convenience store. Yes. Strictly for that only. 

“Ojou-sama, would the leader really need to thank someone who just happened to shop at a part-time worker’s store? That’s a bit of a stretch.”

“Q-quiet! Fumino, give back her phone. Kokona, make sure you subtly, and naturally, arrange for me to make contact with Ryuuto-sama—”

“Ah, Ryuuto-sama says he doesn’t like giving his LINE to strangers.”

“Don’t ask him out of the blue like thaaaat! I need to mentally prepare myself for these things!”

“Ahahaha~ Your Holiness, you’re kind of funny.”

Kokona amused herself by snapping picture after picture with her phone.

“Stop taking pictures!”

“Ah, Ojou-sama. Ryuuto-sama is really fast at replying.”

“Wait, Fumino, you’re already friends with Ryuuto-sama on LINE?! Don’t send him weird pictures of meee! It’s embarrassing!”

“Rest assured, Ojou-sama. Actually, when Ryuuto-sama saw your picture, he said he’d love to be friends with you.”

“What!? Y-yes…!”

Diane leaped, almost punching the air in triumph, before noticing the cold stares from the two in front of her and stopping herself.

“A-Anyway, well, everything turned out fine in the end. Ahem! Kokona and Fumino, I’ll reward you both later for your excellent efforts.”

Saying this, Diane gazed at her LINE screen showing the name “Ryuuto Sakazaki” and his close-up profile icon. Her expression softened almost immediately. Diane brought her lips close to Ryuuto’s icon on her phone, gave it a small kiss, and then twisted her body in excitement. Her squealing and flustered movements were far from the cold, statuesque charisma that led over six million followers. In that very moment, she was just an ordinary girl. Silent but strikingly beautiful, she stood there with glistening eyes.

“Oh, by the way, Kokona-san, what’s that shabby thing you’re holding?”

“Oh? This? Shabby?! How rude! I’ll have you know, this is a misanga I asked Ryuuto-sama for—a piece he always kept close to him!”

“A misanga?”

“What’s a misanga?”

Young people nowadays didn’t know what misangas were. It was a term that had been popular during Ryuuto’s boyhood. It was an old-fashioned term. 

“Wait! Di-Did I mishear?! Did I just hear something utterly unacceptable? Kokona, are you saying that this promise band belonged to Ryuuto-sama and that you received it from him personally?”

“Yes.”

In an instant, an intense aura of hostility erupted between Diane and Kokona. Diane leaped from the altar without any preparatory motion and lunged at Kokona without hesitation. Kokona, on the other hand, cried out gallantly, “Hah!” and jumped three meters backward.

“Ugh!”

Missing her target, Diane fell flat on her face on the floor. She quickly stood up, raising both hands in a fighting stance, and slowly closed the gap between herself and Kokona. What followed was an intense battle between two women in the chapel.

“Why are you running, Kokona? Why are you running from me?”

“Oh, Your Holiness, someone as insignificant as me would never dare run away from the esteemed leader of the Hero Association. I’m merely keeping my distance out of respect, as it would be improper to get too close to someone of your stature.”

They circled around a long pew, neither letting the other out of their sight. Fumino, Diane’s secretary and a bishop, had begun recording the scene on her phone, likely planning to post it on TikTok and make it go viral.

“Hey! Stop filming and help me catch her already, Fumino!”

“But I really want to make it into the trending shorts category.”

“Now’s my chance to run!”

“Wait right there! Fumino, catch Kokona right now. That’s an order from me as the Pope!”

“Understood. Kokona-san, don’t hold it against me.”

“Nooo! This is something Ryuuto-sama gave meee!”

With swift movements, Fumino grabbed Kokona from behind and locked her in a firm hold. Diane approached with a fierce expression, wriggling her fingers menacingly.

“Hand it over. Good grief, what a stubborn child.”

Diane snatched Ryuuto’s bracelet from Kokona’s hands and let out a sharp snort through her nose.

“Ugh… Even if you’re the Pope, this is too cruel. I begged Ryuuto-sama to give it to me!”

“It can’t be helped, Kokona-san. Please give up. Our lady here is utterly smitten with Ryuuto-sama. Taking that bracelet home and either rubbing it against her face or wrapping it around her precious little bean is the only way she can release her pent-up emotions.”

Diane’s face turned bright red at Fumino’s words, and she shouted in denial.

“I would never do that! Don’t make me sound like some kind of degenerate pervert!”

“Then, can you swear to heaven that you won’t use Ryuuto-sama’s bracelet for anything weird, Ojou-sama?”

“Umm… Well… I might wrap it around my wrist and carry it with me everywhere. That’s perfectly normal, isn’t it? Besides, if this bracelet is something Ryuuto-sama himself wore, it’s practically a sacred relic at this point. That being the case, it’s only natural for me to put this sacred relic under my protection! That’s right! There’s no issue whatsoever!”

“You really said it.”

“Ugh, you’re so cruel…”

“Well, well, to reward Kokona for bringing back such an important item, let’s give her a special prize: ¥100,000 worth of Hero Association tickets. You should gratefully accept it.”

“Here you go. A present.”

Fumino pulled an envelope from her branded handbag and, with both hands neatly together, offered it to Kokona.

“I don’t want this! This is only good for buying stuff from the association’s merchandise shop!”

Seeing the Hero Association-exclusive tickets, Kokona started whining. But Diane, having secured her desired item, no longer paid any attention to those beneath her.

“Mufu~”

“Ojou-sama is so adorable… Looking that happy after getting that misanga…”

“Kokona-san, as a follower of this society, you must endure this trial. Endure it, endure it, and one day, let your efforts blossom.”

Diane spread her arms wide with a face filled with compassion. Her large eyes, now bloodshot with excitement, gave off a slightly unsettling, horror-like vibe.

“That kind of thinking is so outdated! This is cruel. Abuse of power!”

“That’s irrelevant. This is the proper way to use power. If you want to do as you please, you should aim to become powerful yourself.”

“Ughhh!”

“Ojou-sama is so cool.”

“Fufun~”

Diane proudly wrinkled her well-shaped nose and thrust out her massive chest, which was evident even through her thick robes.

“She’s got that small-time villain vibe.”

“…Fumino, I think you have a wrong impression of me…”

“I’m not. I have the right impression.”

“Is that so…?”

Diane and Fumino exchanged glances before throwing their heads back and laughing loudly. It was the very definition of a villain’s laugh.

“My bracelet…”

Kokona crouched on the spot, sobbing softly in despair. The cleaning staff who had witnessed this scene chose to feign ignorance of the cheerful laughter coming from the two highest-ranking figures in the church, each resuming their respective tasks in silence.

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