What Needs to Be Learned

◈

After untying the ropes that bound me without saying a word, Luna-noona bowed her head deeply to me and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

Immediately apologizing like this is very good, Luna-noona.

“Did you think I would abandon you like the others did, Luna-noona?”

“I’m… sorry. Sniff!”

Ah, I don’t like seeing Luna-noona cry.

“It’s, it’s okay! People can misunderstand things! Get up, get up!”

“B-but…”

“Thinking about it, I guess I’m partly to blame for not getting straight to the point and building up suspense… So it’s okay! It’s not like anything serious happened!”

“J-Jin-sang…”

Luna-noona looked up at me with tears in her eyes, sniffling.

“Please get up. And wipe your tears.”

“Okay… sniff.”

Luna-noona stood up and wiped her tears.

“I’m sorry, really… really sorry, Jin-sang…”

“Were you that anxious?”

“Yes…”

But thinking about it, I still don’t quite understand?

“Was there anything specific that made Luna-noona so anxious?”

“W-well…”

Luna-noona fidgeted with her fingers while slowly explaining why she had been anxious.

Her anxiety grew most from the day I became C-rank.

From the day we overcame the Monster Parade.

Everyone learned how amazingly competent I am.

So more adventurers started talking to me, and occasionally some even asked to go on quests together.

Luna-noona says she was extremely worried that I might compare her with other adventurers and become dissatisfied.

Adventurers who wouldn’t need Heal every time they used a skill, and wouldn’t need to do unnecessary endurance training.

She thought I might be attracted to a more comfortable party.

Plus, all the adventurers who had formed parties with Luna-noona and then broken up with her did so after reaching C-rank.

In other words.

What Luna-noona worried about most was:

That I, being so competent, might join another party and abandon her!

Thinking about it, it was natural for Luna-noona to be anxious.

Haah, this is all because I’m too excellent!

Well, enough self-praise.

I felt sorry for Luna-noona.

If I had been more reliable and given her confidence that I would never leave her, this wouldn’t have happened.

…Alright!

Let’s give her that confidence now!

“Luna-noona!”

“Y-yes! J-Jin-sang. Sniff! S-sorry. Are you a-angry?”

“No! I’m sorry, Luna-noona!”

“J-Jin-sang? Why are y-you apologizing…?”

“It means I didn’t give Luna-noona enough confidence to prevent her from doing this. I’m really sorry!”

“N-no! J-Jin-sang doesn’t need to a-apologize! T-this is all my f-fault…”

“But we’re the strongest combo! I’m so upset that I didn’t notice my partner was anxious… And I even knew a bit about Luna-noona’s circumstances!”

I grabbed Luna-noona’s shoulders firmly and said:

“Luna-noona! Rest assured! Our combo will never break up! Please trust me!”

“J-Jin-sang…”

Tears rolled down Luna-noona’s cheeks.

“T-thank you… hwaengg… hiccup! Sniff!”

This time, it seemed like she was crying with relief and emotion rather than sadness.

“No need to thank me! I’m counting on you from now on too, Luna-noona!”

“Y-yes! Sniff! I’ll a-always be with J-Jin-sang! W-we’re sniff! the s-strongest combo.”

“Yes!”

Great!

With this, the misunderstanding is resolved!

“…But Luna-noona.”

“Yes? What?”

I cautiously asked Luna-noona.

“Are your tail and chest really mine now?”

Whoooosh!

Luna-noona’s face turned red like a radish again as she covered her chest and tail with both hands.

“Ah, ah, aaaah…! T-that… t-that…! I was s-so desperate that I s-said that without thinking! I-if J-Jin-sang r-really wants then t-that…!”

Luna-noona being embarrassed was very cute.

This makes up for getting hit in the jaw!

“Hahaha! That’s what I thought? I was just asking.”

“…Huh? R-really? Is that… all?”

“Yes! Oh, but I can still touch your ears whenever I want, right?”

Actually, I haven’t touched them much since that time because I was concerned.

“Y-yes! E-ears are f-fine…”

“Awesome!”

From now on, I’ll touch them whenever I want!

◈

“That’s what happened!”

“My, that was quite serious.”

That evening.

After parting with Luna-noona, I went straight to Miriana-noona’s place to report.

It was to update her on recent events, but also to convey my intention to prepare to leave Kellion soon.

“I know, right? It seems I was making Luna-noona quite anxious without even realizing it. …Hmph. This is also because I’m too competent.”

“Jin-sang~ That just now was really annoying, so don’t do it again. Girls will hate you for it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I should follow Miriana-noona’s advice, of course.

“But our Jin-sang did something really wasteful, though it was as expected…”

“Wasteful?”

“It was something that would have been resolved later through conversation anyway. So…”

Miriana-noona said with a sly smile:

“Why didn’t you just let Luna take the lead and go for it? In that state, Luna would have agreed to any kind of play.”

“H-hey! Tsk! Tsk, tsk! You s-shouldn’t have such bad thoughts!”

Despite my scolding, Miriana-noona continued:

“Plus, Luna has a pretty strong dependency trait, so if she did it with you, Jin-sang, she’d probably stick to you like glue. Rabbit beastkin tend to be quite obsessive about affection, so you’d probably end up doing it every day.”

“E-every day…!”

If I had left things as they were, I could have had a happy-yeah life with Luna-noona every day…!

Brrrr! I quickly shook my head left and right to clear away these tempting thoughts.

“Y-you shouldn’t have such bad thoughts, Miriana-noonaaaa!”

“Am I wrong?”

“Being right or wrong isn’t the p-point! It wouldn’t have been good for Luna-noona either if I had accepted her in that state!”

“Oh really?”

“A-and I told you about my principles! Such things should happen after dating, when the relationship is fresh and sweet! Besides, Luna-noona was just mentally unstable at that time because she feared being abandoned by her party… There’s no way she would want to do that with me in her right mind… right? Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. She might!”

“Your regret is overflowing, kid.”

As a man, honestly, wouldn’t you have to be impotent not to feel regret about that situation?

“Ahem! Ahem! Anyway! What matters is consent when she’s in her right mind!”

“Jin-sang, I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you perhaps have any intention of dating Luna?”

“D-date Luna-noona!? Why are you s-suddenly saying that?”

That startled me.

“Our coward Jin-sang’s principle was that, right? What was it, dating? Having a sweet relationship? Before doing the deed?”

“My goodness! A g-grown woman shouldn’t use such vulgar language…”

“Quiet.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So that means you’re open to dating a woman. Did you never think about dating Luna?”

“W-well. You s-see… Luna-noona is very p-pretty and attractive and our b-best combo but…”

“But?”

“T-that and whether Luna-noona thinks of me as someone she w-wants to date as a man are separate issues, right? Today, s-she said those bold things because her mental state was unusual… But in her right m-mind, she might not consider me as a romantic prospect, right?”

Even when I asked if her chest and tail were mine, she was embarrassed and covered them…

“What if she doesn’t have any feelings and just thinks of me as a good colleague. If I suddenly ask her to date me… and she responds, ‘Sorry, Jin-sang, that’s a bit…’!”

My heart made of glass would shatter completely…!

“S-so dating is… m-maybe better after defeating the Demon King? With me there, even the hero could defeat it faster!”

The strategy named “Infinite Stamina Let’s Go”!

“…”

Miriana-noona looked at me like a pig in a farm.

Stop it! Don’t look at me with those eyes!

“I’m telling you, your cowardice is something else.”

“…”

I can’t say anything to that.

“Jin-sang.”

“Yes…”

“Just so you know, if our Jin-sang ever abandons that useless principle, this noona is always welcome, okay~.”

Miriana-noona winked at me and said:

“I’ll show you heaven.”

H-heaven…!

N-no!

If I listen anymore, my principles will be corrupted!

“Well, anyway. So you’re preparing to leave Kellion now?”

Fortunately, Miriana-noona changed the subject.

“Ah, yes.”

“Hmm… Then both Jin-sang and Luna should start learning soon. Jin-sang, from tomorrow morning, come to my house with Luna. I’ll kindly teach you.”

“Huh? Teach us what?”

And not just me, but Luna-noona too?

“Jin-sang, you said you’ll become famous, right? Famous enough to join a hero party.”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s something our Jin-sang absolutely must learn. It’s quite annoying, but it’s to avoid even more annoying and troublesome things later.”

“What exactly is it?”

“Well, obviously~.”

Miriana-noona twirled her index finger and said:

“Learning etiquette to deal with annoying nobles♪”