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 - 76

Chapter 76: Meeting Up at the Cinema

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“I—I made it.”

Rion came to a breathless stop in front of Toyo Cinemas, the designated meeting spot, exactly fifteen minutes before the promised time of 9:00 AM—and was startled.

Something’s here.

Standing there was Kyouka, dolled up in a yellow-toned dress with her hair done up in an elaborate style.

“Good morning! Great weather today, huh? You look all fancy and cute too, Rion. I thought it was a Shichi-Go-San outing or something.”

“Good morning. I was more surprised by you, looking like you walked out of The Rose of Versailles. Planning to host a dinner show or something? We’re students, you know.”

Rion was wearing a classy, checked one-piece dress—an autumn-inspired girly fashion that was perfectly ordinary for a teenager. The two girls leaned in close, their noses almost touching, and began glaring fiercely at each other.

“Haaahn? Spare me. This is just a normal afternoon dress. In the Kuonji family, when a lady is invited on a date by a gentleman, it’s our custom to show up in formalwear.”

“You look like a high-end harlot at best.”

“Haa!? What did you just say, you little Hina-doll?”

“Isn’t your makeup a little too heavy? Ryuuto-sama likes modest girls like me.”

“You’re totally the slutty type.”

“You female dog.”

“Horny rabbit.”

“Trashy ancient gyaru.”

“Horror of the Kokeshi doll.”

“I’m the traditional Japanese beauty!”

“And I’m the beauty of a Hollywood actress over here!”

“W-what are you two even doing!?”

The voice belonged to Haruka.

“Haruka! Wait—you’re in your uniform?”

In stark contrast to Rion and Kyouka, who were dressed to the nines for their date with Ryuuto, Haruka showed up in her explorer school uniform.

“Huh? Oh, this? Yeah, I stopped by school for a bit. Ahaha. But you two look amazing! Super stylish. It really suits you both!”

Haruka beamed like the sun itself. Being complimented so directly and genuinely like that, Rion lowered her head in embarrassment. Even Kyouka, momentarily disarmed, blushed a little and replied with a shy thank-you.

“Th-thank you kindly.”

“Th-thanks.”

That brief moment of peace didn’t last.

“Yo, sorry, sorry. I was aiming to get here early, but you all beat me to it, huh?”

Until he appeared—Ryuuto Sakazaki himself. Rion accidentally dropped the movie pamphlet she had been holding. That was how shocked she was. It was Ryuuto. A man. The real deal. Handsome. Irresistible. She couldn’t form words.

He wasn’t wearing his usual suit, but rather a casual outfit: a baseball-style bomber jacket with skinny jeans. But that wasn’t the main point. He had cut his long hair—completely. His sharp, refined face shape was now fully visible. His eyes were intense, but to Rion, they were wildly attractive and absolutely alluring.

Already, a small crowd was forming at a distance around Ryuuto. But all anyone could do was stare, awestruck, biting their fingers in silent admiration of his radiance.

Sense of superiority. Rion’s entire body trembled with a thrill. Her face burned like it was on fire. She had thought about what she would say first, over and over—but now, no words came out. She couldn’t stop her face from grinning as she darted her eyes around. She wanted to shout at all the background nobodies around her.

Look! Look at him! That is my future husband. I’m going to bear his children!

This wasn’t some delusion. In fact, the two of them had been growing steadily closer. Watching a movie together like this meant they were only seconds away from ending up in bed. Surely, even the gods would approve of their relationship.

“W-wow, Ryuuto-san, you cut your hair! It looks so good! If you keep showing up like this, I’m seriously gonna fall for you…”

“Haha, it’s been a while, huh? Kyouka-chan, that’s a lovely dress. It looks amazing on you. You look like a real-life princess.”

“H-hawawawa…”

Damn it all!

Kyouka was spasming from hearing one of Rion’s top five lifetime dream compliments from a man—“You look like a princess”—directly from Ryuuto himself. That was supposed to be me! I was the one meant to hear that from Ryuuto-sama!

Rion burned with jealousy. Kyouka, nearly rolling her eyes back in ecstasy, was twitching all the way to her fingertips. As a fellow woman, Rion understood—it was inevitable for Kyouka to reach her climax from that compliment alone.

“It’s good to see you again, Ryuuto-san.”

“Yeah, long time no see, Haruka. You managed to rank up without a hitch, right? Congrats.”

“Th-thank you so much!”

Haruka also gripped the hand Ryuuto offered with both of hers, a look of pure bliss on her face. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

No. I’m falling behind—completely.

But as if he had sensed Rion’s anxious feelings, Ryuuto casually walked over to her and gave her a bright smile.

“Rion-chan, it’s been a while. Sorry I haven’t been able to make time. But man, you look super cute today. Like a refined noble girl. That dress is awesome. Haha, sorry—what am I even saying? I don’t talk to cute girls much, so I say dumb stuff sometimes.”

“Ryuuto-samaa~♡”

Rion’s knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed on the spot, barely managing to hold herself upright. How could this man always say the exact words she most wanted to hear? It made her so happy, so overwhelmed with emotion, that tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

Just like a loyal dog reunited with its beloved master after a long separation, she felt like something dangerously inappropriate was about to leak out from deep inside of her.

No! Rion, don’t let it happen! If it does, the game is over. Immediate disqualification. If you want to stay with your beloved Ryuuto-sama even one second longer, you must hold it in. Don’t give in until victory is yours.

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