Relaxing my flushed body on the couch in the changing room and
letting out a deep sigh, I wondered if this tiredness I was feeling was
because of the onsen or because of some other reason.
The air that passed through the gaps in my yukata slowly cooled my hot
body, making me feel somewhat comfortable.
But well, seriously… It was a long and arduous battle. I don't know how
many times I thought about just giving up… Even so, I did it. I surpassed
it.
It wasn't really just Alice, I think I was also traumatized by the bath. I
don't really know why I'm fated to have events happen while I'm in the
bath… I even kinda missed those times when I first came to this world,
thinking that there was no such thing as lucky pervert.
As I was absentmindedly thinking about this, a bottle of milk was held
out in front of me.
[Kaito-san, would you like some cold milk?]
[…Thanks. Where's Kuro and the others?]
[Ahh, I heard they wanted to play with some "fireworks", so they
headed out first to get them ready. I'm in charge of picking up Kaitosan.]
[…I see… Ahh, this is great.]
[You really need to drink a bottle of cold milk after a bath after all.]
Apparently, Kuro and Isis-san were so excited about the fact that we
were all staying together that they even went to prepare for fireworks.
Alice, who had come to pick me up, was wearing a yukata and her usual
mask, giving her a somewhat unbalanced appearance.
She said she was here to pick me up, but she took out another bottle of
milk from nowhere and sat down right next to me.
[…Pfuhaa~~ Well, it looks like young Kaito-san is tired, so let's take a
breather first before we go.]
[You're right. I'm certainly in the mood for a breather right now.]
It may have been because I had just finished taking a bath, but I felt a
sense of calmness and serenity flowing through me.
Without saying anything else, Alice drank her milk and after a few
while, she muttered.
[…Kaito-san. There's one thing I really don't understand, so do you
mind if I ask you?]
[Unnn? For you to have something you don't understand, that's quite
unusual of you, Alice.]
[Of course, there are also things I don't know. Like the depths of a
person's heart… Unless the person themself wanted to show it to me, I
wouldn't be able to see into it.]
[If it's you, I think you would be able to peek into it though…]
[Ahaha.]
[…So, what are you asking?]
[Ah~~ Well~~ It's not really that big of a deal…]
After saying that, Alice turned her gaze towards me and calmly spoke.
[…Kaito-san, why are you even trying to "endure" it?]
[Ehh? Endure what?]
[No, well, I'm talking about your behaviour. Kuro-san and I did say that
we wanted you to wait for a while, and since Isis-san is such a pure
person, I can understand why you're reluctant to step into such a
relationship with her. As for Ein-san, she isn't even your lover.]
[…Unnn.]
[…As for Duchess Lilia, I can understand your actions because of her
character… but what about Sieg-san?]
I understood what Alice was asking. She's wondering why I haven't had
any sexual relations with anyone yet.
[No, well, I'm sure Kaito-san also has to prepare your heart for such
deeds. Ahh, it's not like I'm trying to say that you should just do it or
something like that but… I was simply wondering why.]
[…Why huh…]
[Well, I know it's too late to say it now, but I don't really intend to hide
it, so I'll just say it now… I also know that Kaito-san sometimes secretly
deals with your needs alone. Ahh, of course, in that situation, I would
move out of sight.]
[…That certainly is too late to say… Ah, where did my privacy go…]
This was a topic that would normally have made me blush and hide
from embarrassment but… Alice's seriousness right now wouldn't let
me do so.
Alice wasn't trying to make fun of me at all, she was just genuinely
interested in this question.
[…Well, anyway. I know that the way I say this may sound bad, but don't
you think Sieg-san fits just right with your conditions? Her personality
is such that she would accept Kaito-san if you asked, and she's also
already 38… She isn't some twisted thousand year old virgin like me.]
[…Mhmm.]
[You live under the same roof, and have a lot of topics to talk about, like
taking care of your pets. Unlike Kuro-san and Isis-san, the elves also
have a decent sex drive that stems from the preservation of species.]
[...…]
Well, if she puts it that way, I guess you could really say that Sieg-san
was the perfect match for me. In fact, Sieg-san was a kind, older woman,
and in that sense, she was just too good of a lover for me.
Even so, the reason why I still haven't held out my hand to her huh…
[…Ah, no, if it's hard to answer, it's not like you have to do so…]
[Alice, you also understand it, right? That I would return to this world
after going back to my world once.]
[Yes, you told me about it before, Kaito-san.]
[…Unnn. My purpose for returning is simple. I just wanted to say
goodbye to the people who took care of me in my original world. That's
all there is to it… However, that's something very important to me. Only
when I've done that can I say with pride, that "I'm going to live in this
world".]
[…Dealing with unfinished business first huh…?]
[…Yeah.]
…Sorry, Alice. I just lied to you.
No, maybe "lie" isn't the right word for this… My uncle and aunt who
took me in and raised me are the ones I owe the most.
Before going into such… Before I get into a deeper relationship with
Kuro and the others, I really want to give myself some closure.
However, there's something I intentionally didn't tell her. It's the thing
that I'm most anxious about right now…
I haven't told anyone about it yet. The words that Shiro-san told me
when I visited the God Realm before. Shiro-san compared herself to the
"Last Boss" in one of the stories I read. Such a Shiro-san told me that
she was giving me the final ordeal… telling me that I should beat it
myself.
There was one part of Shiro-san's words that made me feel
uncomfortable.
Shiro-san said that if I didn't make it through her ordeal, my choices
would be the same as the rest of the otherworlders… Asking me
whether I would stay in this world, or go back to my previous world.
If it were regarding that, my words certainly weren't a lie… However,
"were those really my only options"?
From her statement telling me to beat her in her final ordeal, I think it's
safe to say that it would be a match between Shiro-san and I.
What I'm asking her to do for me is to let me go back to my world and
then, come back to this world… This was something unprecedented.
However, by fighting a match against her…"What will I lose" if I lost
against her?
Perhaps, I may have just been thinking too much. No, it seems more
likely that Shiro-san had simply imposed that ordeal and wasn't going
to ask for any compensation from me.
However, I couldn't help but feel bothered about this. When she told me
"Show me your true worth.", I couldn't help but notice the challenging
look on Shiro-san's face… And when she told me "If you wish for more
than that, you would need to prepare for what is to come"…
If my worth didn't meet Shiro-san's standards, what would she do with
me then?
I don't know, and I'm pretty sure Shiro-san wouldn't answer if I asked.
Well, there's always the possibility that I'm really just overthinking
this…
[Now then, Kuro and the others are waiting for us, so how about we
started moving?]
[…You're right.]
Right now, I'm not telling anyone about my thoughts regarding this. It's
just a hunch, but this trial that Shiro-san is going to put me through… I
think it's "something I need to get over on my own"…
(P/R: I conquered the final boss (god) of the world with my amazing
womanizing powers and the final boss fight was her asking me for my
first. I just came up with a new isekai title.)
Just as I was about to get up from the couch and start walking alongside
Alice, she pulled on my sleeve.
[…Alice?]
[Kaito-san, you know, I asked you to wait for when I found courage,
right…]
[Unnn.]
[You know, I'm a twisted virgin… so it might take a little while. But
perhaps… I'll be able to "find the courage by the time Kaito-san comes
back to this world".]
[...]
[…That's why, errr… When Kaito-san properly says goodbye to your
original world and comes back here… At that time, please take me to
that place. To a "romantic cottage with a seaside view"…It's a promise,
okay?]
[…Yeah, it's a promise.]
Dear Mom, Dad——— I've often heard from people that I was a terrible
liar. That's why, I'm sure… Alice is aware that I lied to her. She knows
I'm hiding something, she knows it isn't something simple… Even as she
was aware of this, she still told me that she would wait for me. How
should I say this… Unnn——– I'm falling in love with her all over again.