It seems that Hera is giving off an extremely “Hera” vibe, so I made some revisions.
The next day.
I wake up in the bedroom of my house (I bought a completely ordinary house near the academy when I enrolled). If I listen closely, I can hear the chirping of birds, and the sunlight coming through the window brightly illuminates me and my bed.
“…Morning?”
“It’s 8 o’clock now. Normally, you’d be heading to the academy by this time.”
“Not today. The academy is closed for a week.”
That’s right—because Kai, the promising newcomer, transformed and appeared as Loki, and later, the body left behind in the school building was discovered, the academy is on a one-week temporary closure.
Within this week, there are various things to be done—cleaning the school, confirming the identity of the body, investigating the cause, etc.—as Doban-sensei lamented, so I remember it well.
To be honest, I was mostly going to the academy to see Hera, so it’s incredibly sad not to be able to see her.
Speaking of which, my favorite, Hera, was recognized for her handling of Loki and her achievement of soloing a dragon, making her the face of the country at just 15 years old. She was chosen for the 10th seat of the kingdom’s strongest—‘The Ten.’
Of course, none of this happened in the game.
In the game, at this point, the protagonist would have defeated the invader, thus taking the 10th seat, and ultimately, the protagonists would monopolize the top five seats.
Naturally, the protagonist would be in 1st place, while Arthur would be in a quiet 3rd.
“Well, the protagonist is gone now… what will happen?”
“That’s true… Loki seems to have completely disappeared… and the human who was incarnated is probably dead as well.”
“How can you say that so confidently?”
“Those who had their bodies taken over by the evil god have always disintegrated into ash and died as soon as the evil god was gone.”
So that was how it worked.
There were incarnations in the game too, but I’d only seen Hera. So even though I’ve played through the game many times, this is the second time with Kai.
However, if the old man says so, I can believe it. He knows more about the evil god than I do.
“Well then… how will this world fill the gap left by the early exit of the protagonist?”
I really can’t say anything about that, but as someone who has been an otaku for many years, I think a new protagonist will likely appear. After all, the fanbook mentioned that those loved by spirits are not unique in this world.
“Well… I’ll think about that later. As long as I can protect Hera, that’s all that matters.”
“That’s right. It won’t help to think about it now. Even the gods don’t know about the future.”
Even if the story changes.
Even if a new protagonist appears.
“I will definitely protect Hera. I’ll show my determination as an otaku and a hidden powerhouse.”
But for now—I’ll use this rare day off to indulge in sleep.
I burrow back into bed and close my eyes—just before I do, the intercom-like magic device rings, and I reluctantly get out of bed to head to the entrance.
“Hello, who is it—!?”
The moment I see the person at the door, my eyes widen—
“Well done, Hera. That’s the spirit of the Dragon Slayer family. Keep up the good work.”
“…Yes.”
While responding, Hera gazes into the eyes of Alfred von Dragonslay, the head of the Dragonslay family and her father. What flows from him are only feelings of disgust and obligation.
“…”
Hera hasn’t told anyone in her family that she can read emotions. The only person she confided in was Doban-sensei, to convince him, and while Shin knows, Hera believes it hasn’t been discovered.
“…Then I’ll go train.”
“Understood.”
Alfred replies disinterestedly, allowing Hera to leave. Since she didn’t want to be in such a place, she returned to her room.
“Phew… this really is normal, isn’t it?”
Back in her room, Hera collapses onto the bed and lets out a deep sigh.
(Even though I came back home after a long time just to announce that I became one of ‘The Ten,’ it’s exhausting… but this will be the last time!)
Hera gets up from the bed, steadies her fluttering heart, and opens her closet.
“I wonder what kind of clothes Shin likes…? Ah, he mentioned he liked dresses the other day…”
Hera, now transformed, smiles happily and excitedly selects a dress to wear.
As you can see from this, she plans to surprise Shin and invite him on a date. Zeus had told her where Shin lived.
“Shin… I wonder what kind of expression he’ll have if I suddenly show up at his house…? I hope he doesn’t get mad…”
Wearing a pure white dress and a straw hat, Hera mutters with concern.
(Well… worrying about it here doesn’t help.)
Hera encourages herself, puts on some light makeup, and leaves the house. It’s still morning, but it’s a bit warm, probably because it’s early summer.
“Is this the right way…?”
Having spent so long defeating monsters, she’s never had the experience of hanging out with someone. As a result, she feels extremely restless, and even the path she’s traveled countless times looks completely different.
“Speaking of which—”
Hera recalls the events from a week ago.
Shin’s figure, deftly handling an opponent she couldn’t match.
The way he panicked and worried when he saw her in such a sorry state, giving her a large supply of what is said to be the world’s best medicine.
Shin getting angry for her sake.
“~~~”
Just remembering makes her face flush crimson, overwhelmed by embarrassment.
(That’s totally unfair…)
To be so openly cherished.
No matter what he did, he looked at her with kind eyes, smiling.
He got angry for her sake.
He worried for her—
“—There’s no way I couldn’t fall in love with him…”
Hera, who loves reading shoujo manga that she knows are impossible in real life, meets someone who is even cooler, kinder, and who likes her more than the heroes in those stories—there’s no way she wouldn’t fall for him.
Feeling this way.
Feeling her whole body burn with heat.
Having her heart race just from making eye contact with him.
Every time she sees him, her heart leaps with love and joy.
Her first feelings and first experiences.
Everything of that is something he has given her.
Hera, without suppressing her pounding heart and heated face, rings the intercom at Shin’s house, checking her hair and appearance.
She can firmly assert that such a huge opportunity won’t come twice.
She absolutely does not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance.
So—
“Hello, who is it—!?”
The moment the door opens and she meets Shin’s eyes, he gasps in surprise.
From his gaze, a mix of surprise, affection, and joy flows toward Hera.
Feeling relieved by that, she allows herself to show a blushing, yet endearing smile that could score a million points.
“Good morning, Shin. I’m sorry for dropping by unexpectedly—but… would you like to go out with me?”
Get ready, Shin.
I will definitely stand by your side.
