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 - 57

Chapter 57: The Best Saturday

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“There’s no time to be doing something so stupid! Ah! The time!?”

She glanced at the clock. It was 9:13 AM. There was no time to lose! She had to get herself ready. Loria called her regular beauty salon and tearfully told the manager, “One of the three chances that will only come once in a lifetime has arrived,” forcing her way into a reservation. The fee was ten times the normal price, but this was an emergency. At this moment, every second was worth its weight in gold. She made several calls, invoking her authority as an A-rank adventurer and pushed her way through.

“I’m sorry! Just for today! Please, everyone! I’m going to cry for real…!”

She was getting a little carried away. Adrenaline was rushing through Loria’s brain, flooding it to an almost uncontrollable degree. Loria first headed to the bathroom to clean every inch of her body. She wanted to be prepared for any scenario, in case Ryuuto made a move on her. She had no issues with things like body hair, as her mother had always advised her to take care of such things daily, but she still took extra precautions. Imagining Ryuuto’s warm tongue trailing along her baby-smooth skin made her shudder slightly. Afterward, she got into the taxi she had called earlier and went straight to her favorite beauty salon. There, she maximized the time she had to get her hair and skin into perfect condition.

I wanted to get my nails done too, but that would take over two hours to do everything… Ugh.

One of Loria’s few hobbies was nail art. Normally, she would remove them because they got in the way while working in dungeons, but whenever she had a few days off, she would eagerly change her nail designs. For someone her age, this might seem like an extravagant indulgence, but considering Loria’s income and her lack of other hobbies, such expenses were negligible.

“Ah, wait! I only have two hours! Oh no, I also have to cook! Delicious food… Ryuuto-sama will eat it. and then he will say,’Loria, your cooking is so good. I’m full, but maybe now I’ll eat you instead.’ Ahh, no, Ryuuto-sama, don’t touch me there… Uhh, ahhh, ahhn! Aaaahhh! …This isn’t the time to be imagining dumb stuff!”

“U-uh, Loria-san? How about this? Is this hairstyle alright for you?”

Her hair stylist was rendered speechless at her rambles, but Loria couldn’t care less.

“Yes, we’re done! Yep, perfect. Thanks! Sorry, I’m in a hurry!”

After paying in a hurry, Loria jumped into the taxi waiting outside. At the same time, she contacted the association and had them recommend a shop that could provide the freshest fish and ingredients in the area, arranging to have them delivered to her home.

“All right! I’m going to capture Ryuuto-sama’s heart through his stomach!”

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“He’s here!”

She hadn’t been waiting for an enemy attack or anything, but her face bore the intensity she had never shown before, even on the harshest battlefields. Loria headed for the front door. Her heart was pounding wildly. Even though she was at home, a place she was very familiar with, her feet felt like they were floating. It was as if she was walking on clouds. 

“Yo. Hi there. It’s been a while, huh?”

“Ryuuto-sama. Thank you for coming to my humble abode.”

“Haha~ What’s with that greeting? You’re funny.”

Yes. Thank you for the ‘funny’ impression. How many points is that? About 90, maybe?

“Here. I couldn’t possibly come empty-handed. I brought a little gift.”

“Huh? Is this the hexagon cream puffs that are all over Instagram right now? Aren’t these only sold in Odawara?”

“Ahaha~ Yeah. Square cream puffs are on the rise these days, so it’s getting easier to buy the hexagon cream puffs. A friend gave me some this morning. I’m sorry, I didn’t get them myself, but they’re not bad. In fact, they’re really good.”

“Ryuuto-sama, you have a sweet tooth, huh?”

“No, not really. But you know, when a person is deprived of sweets for a long time, you will feel the withdrawal symptoms kicking in. Not that dungeons didn’t have any rare fruits. Those fruits were delicious and sweet, but well, no matter how much time passes, you never forget the sweets you ate as a kid.”

“Is that so? Well then, let’s have them as dessert after lunch.”

“Oh, by the way, where are the dolphins? Are they in the bath?”

Ryuuto’s eyes sparkled. He looked ready to dash off to meet the dolphins.

This is bad. There’s no way I can lie my way out of this.

“Ryuuto-sama, unfortunately, the dolphins were taken by my little sister on a walk to the Tone River today, so they’re not here. I’m sorry.”

“Huh, the Tone River? That’s surprisingly close. Let’s go to the Tone River then!”

“Ah, that was a lie. Not the Tone River. They’re probably in the Baltic Sea by now. More importantly, your requested menu is ready. Come inside, come inside.”

“Oh, really? Well, then, I’ll take you up on that. Pardon the intrusion!”

Fortunately, Ryuuto was easily drawn in by the mention of food. Loria found herself liking his straightforwardness even more.

“Right this way.”

“Wow, it’s neat and tidy. Is this your parents’ place?”

“Sorry, yes, I still live at my parent’s home.”

“What?! No, I’m not judging. Nothing wrong with living with your family.”

“Yes. My father passed away from an illness when I was young, so it’s just my mother, my sister, and me. My sister was born via a sperm bank, so we have different fathers, but she’s my one and only adorable sister.”

“Ooh… I can see you really care about your sister. You two must be close, huh?”

“Tha-That’s right! She just happened to be out today though. Had I known you were coming, I would’ve asked her to stay! Oh, look! Here’s a photo of me and Tsumugi, my little sister.”

“Oooh! Your little sister is so gorgeous! And she’s blonde!”

“…Ah, but showing family photos like this must be boring, right? Actually, this face was AI-generated, so I highly recommend deleting Tsumugi’s face data from your brain immediately. Forget it. Seriously, forget it. Ahem. Uh, my little sister’s real face is… Unusual, to say the least. Or… Uh… You know what? I don’t even have a little sister! Haha! Just forget it, forget it!”

“Oh, okay. But what do you mean by an ‘unusual face’…?”

“Let’s have lunch! I went all out making it.”

“Wow, this looks amazing! No, it is amazing! The food made by a beautiful woman… Of course it’s going to be delicious!”

“Ah, come on, Ryuuto-sama~ Compliments won’t get you anything!”

“Thanks for the food!”

“Ufufufu~”

Ryuuto devoured the meal on the table like a wild beast that hadn’t been fed for a week.

What ferocity… Are all men like this?

Loria had never dined with a young man of similar age before. While she had attended banquets and gatherings hosted by the Explorers’ Association, the few men present were usually older, distinguished figures who were more interested in drinking than eating. Watching Ryuuto’s unrestrained enthusiasm for the meal was surprisingly refreshing and satisfying.

“More, please!”

“Here you go.”

Ryuuto ate bowl after bowl of rice like he was in a flowing soba noodle contest. His eyes sparkled with joy. The few men Loria had known only showed such passion when wealth, fame, or power were involved. Ryuuto, however, was driven by simpler desires: food and beautiful women. If he could eat and have a good woman by his side, he needed nothing else.

Ahh… Ryuuto-sama… You’re so amazing… How wonderful… ♡

“More, please!”

“Sure, have as much as you like.”

By the time Ryuuto finished his lunch, he had polished off all the rice Loria had prepared in two rice cookers—enough for an entire family.

Amazing. Is this how much a healthy young man eats?

“Ahh, that was delicious. Thanks for the meal.”

He had eaten at least ten mackerels and drained two large pots of miso soup. As for the rice, over three kilograms had disappeared into his stomach.

“Y-you’re too kind.”

Despite his ravenous appetite, Ryuuto’s eating manners were impeccable. He ate the fish clean, leaving no bones or skin, and not a single grain of rice remained in his bowl. As he loosened his belt, likely to ease his full stomach, Loria found herself feeling an unexpected and overwhelming attraction at the sight of his hand reaching for his belt buckle. She quickly averted her gaze.

After the meal came dessert time. While Loria wasn’t bad at conversation, she wasn’t particularly dominant in social settings with friends. Ryuuto, however, was a remarkable listener. His curiosity seemed genuine, even about things he likely already knew, and his enthusiasm encouraged Loria to talk more. She ended up chatting about everything—from serious dungeon exploration stories to complaints about her family. She completely lost track of time while talking with Ryuuto.

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