Chapter 53: He’s everything to me

After a minor incident, they finished changing and left the school grounds.

Showing their devices to the guard at the gate, their weekly outing passes were automatically processed, and they were allowed to leave.

Since his face was too well-known, he used a light disguise to alter his appearance slightly for a more comfortable outing. People had difficulty recognizing someone even with just a few changes.

[Disguise skill level has increased.]

As a bonus, his Disguise skill improved, expanding the range of transformations possible.

“The disguised face suits you too, Oppa.”

“Really? Well… you look even more beautiful today.”

He’d learned to return a compliment with a compliment. Seemingly pleased, she stood on tiptoe, reached up, and patted his head.

“You’re learning. Good job, Oppa.”

Hearing her say that with a smile made him feel like a pet.

He was prepared to comply with whatever she wanted, considering he might have to break the potentially shocking news about another woman joining their group.

Oblivious to his thoughts, she continued to smile.

He smiled back. Today was for her, so he put aside thoughts of other women.

“We have some time before the movie, so let’s go to a cafe I’ve been wanting to try.”

She took his hand and led him along. As they walked, he noticed many people glancing at Estelle.

‘Well, it’s understandable.’

A strikingly beautiful woman with green curly hair and green eyes.

And with a figure that was hard to find among ordinary people, it was no wonder she attracted attention.

He was wondering if he should block their gazes when men stared too persistently, but then he sensed something strange with his heightened senses.

“Estelle, wait a moment.”

“What is it, Oppa?”

“You… aren’t you getting stronger?”

At first, he thought he’d sensed it wrong, but he was certain. The more people looked at her, the longer they observed and acknowledged her, the more her energy grew.

It was only increasing by a minuscule amount, but it was increasing.

“That’s true, but…”

“Don’t tell me…”

He had a theory. Gods gained power by increasing their recognition and gathering faith. Simply having more people know about them made them stronger.

He hadn’t realized this in Estelle’s world because her religion was the only one, and everyone knew of her existence, but in this world, no one knew of Estelle’s religion.

“Since you’re practically an avatar of the Goddess… as more people recognize you and become interested in you, the Goddess’s power grows, and yours recovers, doesn’t it?”

His theory was that the attention she attracted itself could become her strength.

“That makes sense… I did notice my divine power increasing during the entrance exam, even though I wasn’t praying.”

If that were the case, there were countless ways to quickly restore her power. Of course, even if everyone in the world knew about her, she wouldn’t regain 100% of her power.

But what if she could recover even half of it? S-rank Hunters would no longer be a threat, and since she could buff the entire group, their overall strength would increase significantly.

As he was pondering various plans, she poked his lips with her finger.

“Anyway, that’s that… It’s our date today, so let’s not think about work. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

He’d gotten a bit carried away after discovering a way to quickly achieve their goal. He decided to think about plans later and focus on spending time with her now.

“This is the cafe I was talking about.”

A cafe he’d never seen before, not a franchise.

“You said this place was famous?”

“Yeah.”

It certainly looked like it. Even though it was well past lunchtime, all the tables on the first floor were full, indicating its popularity.

Fortunately, there was a second floor.

They each ordered coffee and a dessert Estelle liked, took a buzzer, and headed upstairs.

She went up first, swaying her hips enticingly as he followed.

She then lifted the back of her skirt slightly, flashing him her lingerie.

She was a true vixen. She must have been a nine-tailed fox in a past life.

She glanced back and smiled mischievously before lowering her skirt and casually going upstairs to find a seat.

There were only three tables left on the second floor.

They would have been out of luck if they’d arrived any later.

“Oppa.”

“Yeah?”

“How many times did you think of me last night?”

She made a suggestive gesture with her hand. He quickly grabbed her hand and stopped her, in case anyone saw.

She was incredibly straightforward. He would have choked on his coffee if he’d been drinking it. Or maybe he should be grateful she’d asked now?

“Do I really have to say..?”

“Why? Is there something you can’t tell me?”

“No, it’s not that… it’s just a bit embarrassing.”

He hadn’t talked like this before she became his wife… had he? Come to think of it, he didn’t recall her ever engaging in suggestive talk before she developed romantic feelings for him.

Her image had always been that of a pure maiden, a saint, so how could she have possibly engaged in such talk? But look at her now.

Her suggestive gestures, her casual dirty talk, the clothes she wore to impress him… who would see her as a saint now?

“If you’re embarrassed, should I tell you first? I thought of you every night, and my sheets were never dry…”

“Four times!”

He couldn’t bear to hear any more, so he blurted it out. Perhaps because he’d spoken a bit loudly, he felt people around them glancing their way.

“Oppa, you shouldn’t shout in public. It’s embarrassing.”

She teased him with a smile, as if she’d been waiting for this reaction.

‘This is all your fault…’

“Haa… Whatever. I’ll be back.”

Buzz buzz

The buzzer went off, indicating their order was ready.

“Okay~”

Leaving her with her drawn-out response, he went downstairs, picked up the tray with two coffees and a dessert, and returned to the second floor.

She had taken off her outer layer, revealing her shoulders.

“It’s warm in here.”

It was still March, so the weather was a bit chilly, and the cafe was adequately heated.

“Yeah. It is warm.”

Having achieved the One Heart, No Sleep technique, he was unaffected by temperature changes, but he could still tell if it was warm or cold. As they sipped their coffee and shared the dessert, she spoke.

“I’m curious about that too. Can I try it?”

She pointed at his coffee.

“Sure.”

It wasn’t like anything bad would happen if she took a sip, so he handed it to her. She took a sip through the straw and then did something strange. She blew into the straw, creating bubbles in his coffee.

Something he used to do in elementary school. He hadn’t expected her to do that. It mixed her saliva into the drink, so it was generally considered bad manners.

“You can’t drink this now, can you?”

She said, showing him the coffee. She was wrong if she thought that would stop him.

“Yes, I can.”

He took the coffee back from her and drank it all. Seeing that, she smiled again.

“Hmm… How was the coffee mixed with my saliva?”

“It was delicious.”

He finally understood her intentions but decided to act indifferent. If he reacted differently, she would just tease him more.

“Then I’ll let you drink it often.”

No matter how he responded, she always had a comeback ready. He doubted he would ever win an argument against her.

After finishing their coffee, it was time to head to the cinema. He recalled her saying she’d booked tickets for a popular romance movie.

They bought popcorn and cola and sat in the back row of the cinema. Since both of them possessed superhuman senses, they could see the screen clearly even from the back row.

The back row was also empty, giving them plenty of space.

Like a typical movie date, they shared popcorn, drank from the same straw, and kissed during the kissing scenes.

She had said she wanted to experience these things while watching dramas, so he indulged her.

He had also dreamed of a normal date, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this.

And with his former wife, no less.

Honestly, the worlds they came from weren’t exactly conducive to such leisurely activities. She probably wanted to enjoy herself to the fullest on Earth.

They watched the movie, had dinner at a restaurant with a great view, enjoyed some wine, and even indulged in the luxury of checking into a hotel, despite having to leave before curfew.

It was for her, so he could afford this much extravagance.

They had one hour until curfew, which meant they had to leave in 20 minutes, considering travel time.

“I had fun today.”

“Me too.”

He’d shared many emotions with her throughout the day. It wasn’t that his past feelings had come rushing back. Just a little.

But instead, he felt that the bond between Kim Yu-won and Estelle in this life had deepened.

“Oppa.”

“Yeah.”

“Honestly, it’s okay even if you don’t regain all your past feelings.”

He understood what she meant.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that those memories might just become a distant past for you… but you’re alive here, before me.”

She continued,

“If you don’t have those past feelings, we can build new ones. I want you to love the Estelle of now, not the Estelle you loved in the past.”

She clutched her chest.

“When you died, when you disappeared before my eyes… it felt like a huge hole had been ripped through my chest. The hole was so big that everything seemed to be draining away, and I couldn’t stop it.”

Her gaze met his.

“It hurt so much… My world crumbled… The person who was my everything was gone… I didn’t want to live anymore. I wanted to end it right there.”

She released her grip on her chest and took his hands in hers.

“But you said you were reborn in another world, that we could meet again… So I endured, clinging to that hope, searching for a way.”

She moved closer.

“You’re my everything, Yu-won. I can give up everything else as long as I have you. Without you, my world dies, and I die too.”

She let go of his hands and embraced him, and he held her tightly.

“Okay…? Never… disappear from me again.”

She hugged him tightly, as if she would never let him go.

“Okay. I’ll never disappear.”

He swore to her, as her tears soaked his shirt.

That he would never leave her again.