When I said, "You can be a hero," to a child with no talent, he really started to become a hero, so I acted like I knew what I was doing, like I was a wise master. - Chap 13 - The Swordsman and the Martial Artist

There’s a swordsman named Sakura Arletia. She was raised as a boy. She had talent as a swordsman, and her strength had far surpassed others by the time she was 10. Therefore, she set off on a journey to defeat the Demon King, where she met the then 11-year-old Hero Dan. From there, her fate changed drastically.

There were conflicts, and she went on a journey with someone who she initially didn’t pay much attention to, and ended up being called part of the legendary hero party. Now she is 27, and soon turning 28.

“Lady Sakura”

“What is it?”

“About the previous matter, regarding teaching at Hero Dan’s knight training school…”

In the royal capital of Trelbana, she was being talked to by a certain female holy knight. It was about a request that had been hinted at before, for her to teach at Hero Dan’s training school. However, it’s not something that can be simply wished for.

The reason being that nobody knows where Hero Dan is. With his arrogant, narcissistic traits, and various mysteries and personal connections, no one could make such a request. However, it was thought that if it was Sakura Arletia, who had once journeyed with him, she could propose it without any problem.

Moreover, she occasionally asked for speeches at the knight training school, and was considered the perfect candidate. It also matched the reason she herself was going to start working as a teacher at the knight training school from this year.

“I understand, I will speak to him myself…”

For that reason, she had summoned Hero Dan to the royal capital. As always, she was in a crisp coat-like garment. Her bust size was actually large, but she wrapped a cloth around it and kept her hair short. Therefore, she might not look out of place as a well-featured medieval man.

That’s why Dan still misunderstands.

“Ah, Hero-kun!”

She was at the meeting place an hour before the agreed-upon time. She had been waiting from quite an early time, but the hero also showed up about an hour early.

“…”

“Ehehe, it’s been a while.”

“Ah.”

“Shall we go grab something to eat?”

“Is it just the two of us?”

“Yeah, it is.”

(I always arrive early for meetings, and Hero-kun does the same… I guess we really are in sync, huh? I wish I could say that…)

“Um, do you want to go to that private dining restaurant we went to last time?”

“I don’t mind where… Are you going to ask me to give another speech today?”

“Ah, um… I think it’s slightly different today.”

The two of them start walking side by side towards the restaurant. Along the way, Sakura smiles happily, as if they were a couple.

(I rarely get to spend time just the two of us… I want to cherish this. Maybe I’ll drag out the return a bit…)

As she was planning such things in her head, a shadow called out to the two of them.

“Hero, and Sakura… where are you two going?”

“Ka…Kaguya-chan… why are you here?”

“I saw you two… that’s why I called out.”

“I, I see.”

“Are you two going for a meal? I want to come too.”

“Ah, yeah, let’s eat together.”

“I’m happy, thank you.”

Kaguya, who used to be a party member, happened to be visiting the royal capital. So suddenly, their dinner for two shifted to a meal for three, and Sakura felt a little bit lonely.

(We-well, eating with everyone is more fun, right… Yes, fun fun… okay okay…)

Repeating to herself as if to convince her own heart, Sakura maintained her smile. Afterwards, the three of them, including her, entered a private room in a high-end restaurant and sat down. Kaguya was sitting next to Hero Dan, and Sakura was sitting opposite them.

(Uh, I wanted to sit next to him… But even if we were alone, I wouldn’t have the courage… But if I think about it as being able to see Hero-kun’s face from the front… Ah, wherever I look, it’s still the Iron Mask Face…)

“Hero, what, request?”

“…I’ll go for the hamburger, safe choice.”

“Hero, you often order that, do you like it?”

“Not particularly. Rather, what about you?”

“I’ll have the chicken steak.”

(Eh, isn’t it unfair to talk at such close range? But it’s okay because it’s Kaguya-chan… It seems like Kaguya-chan only thinks of Hero-kun as a father figure…)

The girl named Kaguya literally fell from the sky when Hero Dan was 20 years old. At that time, she was a small 8-year-old with no relatives, and was raised by Hero Dan, the great sage Linlin, and the dominant swordsman Sakura. Although she used to be small like a child, she has now grown into a woman, but to Sakura, there were many times when she still felt like a child.

(I was surprised when she fell from the sky… But she’s grown so much, huh. She used to be so small, but now she’s taller than me…)

(Considering she’s always been spoiled by Hero-kun, me, and Lin-chan, she must see us like parents. So maybe it’s misguided for me to be jealous…)

To Sakura, Kaguya clinging to the arm of the Hero right in front of her eyes and pressing her ample bust against him seemed nothing more than a child clinging to her father.

“Hero, drink sake?”

“I enjoy it to some extent.”

“I’ve recently been able to drink too. Let’s drink together next time.”

“…I see. So you’ve also learned to drink.”

“Let’s drink, when do we do it?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m busy. Drink with Sakura.”

“…I’ll drink with Sakura, but it doesn’t mean anything unless I’m drinking with you.”

Watching Hero Dan, who was preoccupied with Kaguya right in front of her all the time, even Sakura narrowed her eyes in displeasure.

“By the way, Hero-kun! There’s something I want to ask you.”

“That’s right, what do you need?”

“Well, about becoming a teacher at the Knight Training School—”

“—I refuse.”

“So fast!! Let me finish!”

“I’m busy.”

“You always say you’re busy, Hero-kun, but what are you doing?”

“…Various things.”

“Hero… you said that before. Request, details.”

Sakura presses Hero Dan, Kaguya looks at him with questioning eyes, the hero sighs and shakes his head at the gaze of the two.

“It’s none of your business. It’s my problem alone.”

“…I see.”

(Is he doing something dangerous without telling us again?)

“Could it be, Hero has a woman?”

“Eh!?”

(Are you kidding me!? Hero-kun…)

Sakura, constantly fluctuating between joy and worry, looked back at the hero. She couldn’t help but wonder if his schedule was busy because he was already married and had a lot of things to take care of.

“So you’re busy because you’re married?”

“I haven’t done that yet. The plan is not that significant, but it’s something that has to be done continuously.”

“I see, Hero isn’t married yet. I thought you were doing it secretly.”

“I’m not.”

“Do you plan on doing it?”

“…Well… my parents keep talking about it.”

“Oh… I see, got it, makes sense.”

(Huh, did Kaguya just smirk?)

Only Sakura was able to notice that Kaguya, for a split second, narrowed her eyes and raised her cheeks. However, the hero didn’t notice it, and Sakura rubbed her eyes, thinking it was a mistake. The true intention behind Kaguya’s smile, who usually has a downbeat demeanor and a nearly constant expression, was something that only the person herself could understand.

The topic then drifted on.

“Hero, I want to see what’s under the mask.”

“I’ve told you many times, I won’t show it.”

“Mmm… Then, I’ll tell you about a popular charm lately.”

“What? What’s that?”

“You match your faces…”

“Don’t tell me you want me to take off the mask for that charm.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t try to take off the mask without saying anything.”

(Well, I can understand why Kaguya wants to see what’s under the mask. He never shows us.)

(I guess people other than us are curious about it too. The people in the royal city, people from other countries… The only ones who know might be the hero’s parents?)

(There are several theories as to why the hero doesn’t reveal his face… One is the demon tribe theory. It says that he is a demon, but he is disguising himself to protect humans without them knowing… Well, this is unlikely.)

(Another one is… the theory that the Hero Dan is from the Hero’s Village. This one is also just a rumor about the Hero’s Village…)

(What was it again? The original hero defeated the Demon King and married the princess of the royal family. However, he had already consummated his relationship with several women during his journey and had children. Then a certain prophet appeared and urged him to hide and nurture the hero’s descendants in the shadows in preparation for the worst future…)

(It was considered to be just a made-up story, or a sloppy fabrication, but there are people who say that the hero might be a descendant of that village because he appeared from a place completely unrelated to the royal family.)

“Hero’s hometown, progress, request.”

“That’s impossible.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t try to take off the mask when you’re upset.”

Before Sakura’s eyes, the hero and the warrior were fighting lightly hand to hand, like a cat fight. This pulled her out of her whirlpool of wave-like thoughts.

“Ah, Hero, about the teacher thing.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not free.”

“Then how about a part-time lecturer? You can just come occasionally…”

“…”

“No good, huh?”

Sakura pleads with upturned eyes. Any normal man would find it hard to resist such a cute request. However, Hero Dan mistook the beautiful woman in front of him for a handsome man, and her appearance looked somewhat pitiful.

“Understood, so stop those eyes.”

“Great, you’ll come occasionally.”

“It’s really rare.”

“I’m still happy! I’m also trying my best as a teacher from this year! Let’s do our best together!”

“I didn’t say I would do my best…”

Sakura turns her happy smile towards the Hero, who sighs and looks away. The food arrives at their table, and each of them begins to eat. In the middle of this, Kaguya carries a bite-sized chicken steak to the Hero’s mouth.

“Ah-“

“I don’t need it.”

“It’s fine, open your mouth.”

“…”

The chicken brought to the Hero’s mouth disappears in front of his mask, even though they can’t see it going into his mouth.

“This is really strange… why disappear, doubt, can’t wipe…”

“Hero-kun, you’ll never show your real face…”

Both of them blinked their eyes, but they still couldn’t see the hero’s real face. They finish eating and leave the restaurant.

“See you, Hero-kun! We promised to eat together next time!”

“Next time, we’ll definitely… drink together.”

As he turned his back and raised his hand, Hero Dan walked away. After he left, Sakura and Kaguya began to walk together.

“Do you want to come to my house after this, Sakura?”

“Eh? Is it okay?”

“The sake will go to waste.”

“Oh, you bought it to drink with Hero-kun, right? But, Kaguya-chan, you’re an adult now too, aren’t you? Have you found someone you like?”

“There is someone, for a long time.”

“Oh! Who is it?”

“Hero.”

“Hehe, you’re always so cute. He is indeed like a father to you. But, your liking might be a bit different.”

“Let’s leave it at that.”

Kaguya whispered that quietly, squinting her eyes. She walked next to Sakura with an innocent face. Seeing her grown-up expression, Sakura was overwhelmed with a deep sense of emotion, realizing that she had indeed grown up.

“You’ve really grown… from being so small… I’m happy.”

Saying that, Sakura stroked Kaguya’s head. As she repeatedly touched Kaguya’s fluffy hair, Kaguya laughed happily, but quickly returned to her original expression.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

“The Hero, he’s not married.”

“Huh!? Y-yeah, he did say that, didn’t he?”

“Easy to understand.”

“Eh? Did you say something?”

“No… just that if you keep seeing me as a child… you might get swept off your feet.”

“Eh? What does that mean?”

“Nothing… it doesn’t have a deep meaning.”

Again, Kaguya squinted her eyes. Sakura couldn’t understand what it meant to always see her as a child.

“What kind of alcohol did you buy?”

“Ultra Ale.”

“Eh!? Isn’t that the kind that gets you drunk really quickly!?”

“That’s why I bought it. I intended to get him drunk from the start.”

“Oh, is… is that so…?”

“Next time, I’m going to treat the Hero to a lot of meat… I’m going to thoroughly chew it all up and munch a lot. Until the Hero is panting.”

“Hehe, Hero-kun has a lot of money, so I think he can afford Kaguya-chan eating a little meat.”

“That would be nice. But, I wonder… He’s been treating me like a child all this time, so the tab might have built up quite a bit.”

Sakura was once again surprised by Kaguya’s beast-like grin, but when Kaguya closed her eyes and then reopened them, her face was expressionless again, so Sakura thought she must have been mistaken.

The sun that shone on them was glaringly bright.

***

I was called by Sakura, so I arrived at the meeting place an hour early. He’s always been one to arrive at his destination an hour early, so I followed suit.

I get called out by Sakura quite a lot. On the way to the restaurant, I happened to run into Kaguya as well. She’s grown up so much, even though she was just a child not so long ago. But then, is she really in love with Sakura…? There’s a strange feeling that I can’t quite put my finger on. After all, Kaguya’s been treated like a child since she was small, and I see Sakura and Linlin in the same light…

Will I be the one giving the speech at Kaguya’s wedding…?

As I was thinking about various things for the future, I ended up being asked to become a teacher at the Knight Training School during our meal at the restaurant. But I’ve got a successor to raise… Still, Sakura’s 27-year-old puppy-dog eyes were so painful to watch that I found myself agreeing. I’ll be a part-time lecturer, so I’ll only go when I really have time!

And Kaguya suggesting we drink alcohol… Time really does fly.

Well, from my perspective, she’s still just a kid.