Chapter 204

When I woke up, right in front of my eyes and nose was an object that looked like a black ball of fur.

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I don’t know what I’m saying, but there really is a black ball of fur right in front of me, and it’s tickling the tip of my nose.

“Hmmm……?”

Is this the rescue’s quarters?

I look out the window and it still looks light but …….

“Why am I here ……?”

I’m sure I’ve been doing everything I can to get the knights away from the fireballs falling from the sky during the battle against the Demon King’s army,…… but maybe I’ve fainted again?

Little by little, as I was going through my memories, the black ball of fur in front of me twitched, two ears stood up and red eyes turned towards me.

“Kyuul!”

“Ah, Kukuru. It’s you, isn’t it? No wonder I felt so ticklish.”

What I thought was a black ball of fur was Kukuru, the Leader’s pet noir rabbit. He put his face to my cheek and rubbed it with a friendly gesture.

As always, he is a demonic, deceptive creature.

I get up from my bed, stroking Kukuru, and find something black lying on the floor.

Looking closely, I saw that it was an owl rolling its eyes.

“…… Nea?”

“…… Ha!? Why am I on the floor!

“That’s what I want to hear.”

Why was Nea, who had transformed into an owl, sleeping on the floor?

She woke up at the sound of my voice, found Kukuru on my shoulder, and spread her wings wide as if in anger.

“Aaaaaaahhh, you did this! The one who pushed me out of bed!”

“Kuh.”

Nea flaps her wings and pushes Kukuru out of the way, landing on my shoulder. As a bystander, I have no idea what is going on..

So you were sleeping in bed and Kukuru knocked you out?

“Fuuuh! Fuuuh!”

“Well, well, calm down. Anyway, Nea. I know you’re in the rescue quarters here ……, but why am I here? What about the leader? Is everyone okay?”

Nea, who is threatening Kukuru, who has turned to the opposite shoulder, asks her what is happening now

“You were asleep for three days after the battle. The moment after that attack from the sky was over, you collapsed.”

“…… Well, I remember that much too. So, everyone is …….”

“All the rescues are fine. Rose was seriously injured in the fight with Nero, but somehow she is still alive and well. But you were the only one who was too tired to wake up right away, so they brought you here.”

“…… I see.”

“By the way, the only members of the group who came back were me and Ferrum. The others are on the battlefield treating the wounded.”

…… Rose is seriously injured, huh?

I thought I wouldn’t be unscathed against Nero Argents of …… though. But from the way Nea was talking, I’m glad to see she’s doing well.

I’m sure she’s still taking the initiative as a rescue.

It’s not just the fatigue that has put me back here, though I should be back there too.

As I was getting out of bed, the door to my room was opened and a dark-haired boy named Nack came in.

He shouted in surprise at me as I stepped off the bed.

“…… Usato-san! You’re awake!!!!”

“Yeah, Nack. I’m home.”

“Welcome back!”

I finally get up, somewhat relieved to see Nack greeting me cheerfully.

“You were at the castle while we were away?”

“Yes. I’ve been helping out with various things. When I heard that Usato-san had returned after the battle, I came back here.”

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“I see. ……”

I’m so glad I made it back here alive.

It’s like my home in this world.

As I think about this, Nack looks as if he has remembered something, and he looks huffing and puffing.

“Yes, Amako-san and her friends are just preparing a meal for us.”

“Amako is?”

“Yes. It seems that she saw Usato-san wake up in her premonition, and just now, she and Suzune-san went to …… make a meal.”

“What? Senpai’s here too?”

It is true that I was hungry, but I didn’t think that my senpai was here.

No, though I was happy to see that he was safe.

“Kazuki is here too.”

“Kazuki too…… then we’d better get downstairs as soon as possible……. Nea, Nack, would you mind waiting downstairs for me to change?”

“Yes. Nack, let’s go!”

“Oh, yes!”

Nack follows Nea out the door with a flutter of his wings.

I put down Kukuru from my shoulder and went to change clothes — suddenly I saw a group uniform hanging on the wall.

“……”

I had Rose fix my troupe uniform, but because of the battle it got dirty again and I got a lot of small scratches and things like that.

It’s a shame, too.

There are some people I couldn’t help.

“But …… I’m still …….”

“Kyu?”

I huff at Kukuru, who tilts his little head and looks up at me, and pat him again.

And I remember. I remember the Leader who saved me in the middle of the battle, when Nero Argents was about to finish me off.

“…… Kukuru, your master is still a great woman.”

What you have lost will never come back.

I’m not going to stop there, even though I feel helpless and regretful.

Even after the battle is over, it doesn’t mean that the struggle against the Demon King’s army is over.

After getting dressed, I went downstairs to find that the lower floor was more crowded than I had expected.

Kazuki, Nack, Ferrum and Nea were sitting on the chairs at the long table where the tough guys usually sit, while senpai and Amako were standing and serving dishes and food.

It was around noon at that time of the day?

The time of day is probably around midday.

“Oh, Usato-kun! You’ve come down!”

“Senpai……”

Noticing us, senpai smiles like a flower and beckons us over.

I’m glad to see that both senpai and Kazuki seem to be doing well.

With relief, as I try to sit down in the empty seat next to Kazuki, Amako approaches me.

“I’m home. Amako.”

“…… Yeah, welcome back. Usato.”

I take the bowl of bread she’s holding and talk to her.

I’m not sure if she was looking after me when I passed out or not.

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When I saw Amako’s sleepy eyes, I guessed it, so I lightly touched her shoulder and cast a healing spell on her.

“Did I make you worry?”

“No. I trusted that Usato would be fine.”

“I see. ……. But thank you.”

Once I thanked her firmly, Amako looked away slightly and gave me a troubled look.

“Um, there’s something I want to talk to you about later.”

“Something you want to talk about?”

“Yeah.”

“…… Okay.”

When Amako replies, she and senpai go back towards the kitchen.

What is it? It seemed to be a thought, but was it something to do with foreknowledge? It was somewhat like the time in the land of the wicked dragons and beastmen, though.

…… No, we’ll talk about it later, for now let’s sit down.

While placing the bowl of bread on the table, I greet Kazuki next to me.

“Good morning. Kazuki.”

“Good morning. You’re awake at last. Usato.”

At any rate, after exchanging reunion greetings with Kazuki, I was thirsty, so I took a sip of the water at hand, and saw Ferum, who was sitting diagonally in front of me, glaring at me in a rather unfaithful manner.

“Finally, you’re awake. You’ve been sleeping too long. You.”

“Have I been sleeping that long?”

“Three days is a lot of sleep.”

I didn’t want to pass out at all.

I laughed bitterly, and Nea, who was leaning her elbows on the table next to Ferrum, spoke up.

“It’s not the first time he’s fainted, you know. He fainted and collapsed at least three or four times in the course of his travels.”

“What, are you kidding me?”

Ferrum looks at me delicately and is incredulous.

No, well, I admit that I faint every time there’s an incident.

And when I thought about it, I looked at Ferm and remembered something that concerned me throughout the fight.

“…… Oh, yeah.”

“What?”

“I’m glad I was able to un-assimilate with you, because there was a possibility that …… I would have stayed like that forever. Hahaha.”

It’s hard for me, too, to remain assimilated with Ferrum all the time.

It’s not that I don’t want to be with her, it’s just that it must be hard for both of us to be in our group clothes all the time and to be with each other 24/7.

When I say this somewhat jokingly, Ferrum, who is extremely upset, glares at me even more.

“I-I-I-I too was so excited to get away from you, too! First of all, don’t forget that my magic just likes you!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry about that ……?”

It wasn’t a good idea to make fun of her, because it was her own magic. And in Ferrum’s case, unlike me, she might have been taking it very seriously.

I don’t know what Ferrum thought of my apology, but she starts to groan with her head in her hands.

“Ugh~……”

“Pfft, you’re not being honest.”

“Shut up!”

I’m kind of grinning and talking to her, and I’ll leave Ferrum to Nea.

Feeling somewhat hungry, I was looking at the food on the table when this time Kazuki approached me.

“Looks like we both made it home safely, huh?”

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“Yes, we did. It was really hard, but …… yeah, it’s strange that we’re doing this now.”

How many times have I almost died ……?

When I stalled Nero Argents, I didn’t feel like living.

“You got it for Kazuki and Senpai, right? The hero’s weapon.”

“Yeah. I’m a gauntlet case like Usato, and senpai became a katana.”

“Senpai is a katana, huh? Well, yes, in a way it is as expected …….”

In fact, I had a feeling that senpai would be a weapon with a cool image, like a sword or chain sickle.

Combined with blitz, she looks like a fighter.

When Kazuki says he has a gauntlet similar to mine, …… could it be the wristband-like thing wrapped around his left wrist? Mine is a bracelet, but it’s very different from Kazuki’s.

“When I first used this, I also talked to Shinryu …… Falga-sama.”

“Falga-sama? What did he say?”

“He gave me some advice on how to use it and how to form my mind after …….”

Falga-sama has helped me a lot.

He must be exhausted from making two armour …… too.

If I could, I would meet him again and thank him.

“The end of the battle against the …… demon king’s army,”

Nea and Nack told me that the battle was over, but I don’t feel that way at all.

In fact, it seems as if the situation is not over yet.

“Kazuki, what’s going on in the kingdom of Lingle now? It’s not like after the last battle, is it?”

“Yes, it is. The battle was won, but the damage done by that last attack was too much. Now everything is moving so fast that there is not enough time to celebrate the victory.”

“…… Are the injured knights still on that battlefield?”

Kazuki nodded at my words.

The reason why all the rescues are not here is because they are treating the injured people in the battlefield.

Probably Gerna and the others who came in extra numbers will have joined them, so if it’s true, I should probably head there too, now that I’ve woken up from my stupor.

Or rather, if I can go, I want to head there right away.

“…… I’m not the only one who was sent back to the Lingle Kingdom because I fainted, am I?”

“Yeah. It seems to be the same reason why we, the heroes, were sent back here.”

“Kazuki and senpai ……?”

I couldn’t predict that much.

If the two heroes are involved, it might be something serious.

“Sorry for the wait. I’ve brought the food!”

“It’s mostly leftovers, though.”

As I was thinking this, senpai and Amako appeared from the kitchen carrying plates with food on them.

When Kazuki saw them, his stern expression relaxed.

“Now that the food is served, let’s talk about it later. You’re hungry, aren’t you, Usato?”

“Sure, I haven’t eaten anything in three days.”

Whatever we’re going to do, we have to get back in shape first.

Amako sits next to me, and I sit in front of her, and she smiles at me as usual.

“I’m really glad you’re awake.”

“Haha, you’re overreacting …….”

“You’re not overreacting. I’d be nothing without you, you know.”

What do you mean you’d be …… nothing?

I’m not sure if she’s being serious or joking, but I know she’s worried about me, so I’ll take that as a yes.

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“Don’t take yourself too lightly, Usato.”

“What?”

“I’m sure everyone is worried about you. Including all of us here.”

“……”

Even senpai, who is usually playful, is decisive when she has to be.

I guess that’s why I never miss her……

“Hey. Why are you sitting next to me?”

“Hmm?”

As I was thinking about this, Ferrum was talking to senpai sitting next to her with a troublesome look on her face.

For a moment, she reacted with a puzzled look, but soon her face became full of confidence.

“I’ve always wanted to talk to you. It’s the first time we’ve talked …… face to face, isn’t it? My name is Suzune. Do you mind if I touch your horns or something?”

“How can you talk to someone who almost killed you in a normal way ……?”

“Well, that’s all in the past now. If you’re a friend of Usato’s, you’re a friend of mine. ……!

“I know that’s not right, even though I know that! You’ve never talked to me properly!”

Oh, it’s the usual senpai.

No, if there’s no rut, I’m happy for her, but senpai is being too aggressive and Ferrum is being pushed.

“I would love to be friends with a tsundere boxy silver-haired brown demon race or something! Ferrum! Let’s make friends with me!”

“Whoa! Usato, help! I can’t understand a word you’re saying!”

But what about Kazuki?

I’m sure he was almost killed by the black knight as well.

He lowered the hand he was holding to his chin and spoke to Kazuki, who was watching the exchange between Ferrum and his senpai next to him.

“Kazuki is …… about Ferme.”

“Hmm? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have feelings for her……”

Kazuki’s gaze turns to Ferme.

“When I see the way you’re fitting in here like this, I know you’re not as horrible as you were then.”

“…… Yes, you’re right. Even from my point of view, she’s changed.”

“Besides, you worked to help Usato in this battle, didn’t you? Then I don’t have anything to worry about.”

If Kazuki says so, it’s okay.

With a sense of relief, I looked at Ferrum and senpai, and while I was looking away, Fermu had grabbed onto the chair where Nea was sitting.

“Nea, exchange seats! I don’t want to get involved with this girl! That’s him! She’s a pain in the ass, just like Ururu!”

“No! You’ll sit there as a sacrifice to Suzune!”

“You, you, you!

Nea clings to her seat holding onto dear life, and Ferrum tries to take the chair from her.

When senpai sees them, her expression lights up as if she has had a flash of inspiration.

“Ferum, if it’s my seat, it’s ok to exchange it!”

“Nea, you’re coming down with me!!”

“Hoorah!”

A noisy and joyful scene, unrelated to the battle.

The smiling senpai and the desperate faces of Ferrum and Nea.

Amako, Kazuki, and Nack look at these girls with a wry smile.

I looked around at them once more, and finally, with a sense of relief, I reached for my first meal in three days.

Author’s Note:

Senpai was as energetic as ever as the year drew to a close.