episode_0207

…..cold.

It wasn’t a metaphor, it really felt like a knife had been stabbed in the heart.

Iris and Ariel next to her were sweating a little and watching Athena.

Athena and Lily were glaring at me with their arms crossed as if telling me to make an excuse.

And I was just standing there, staring at the floor, unable to move in front of them.

…Wait a minute.

Did I do something so wrong?

No, to begin with, I’m not having an affair or anything… I’m not dating anyone…

Why on earth do I have to be so mindful of their feelings?

‘I did nothing wrong!’

I raised my head with a slightly aggrieved feeling.

“What’s with those eyes?”

“Ah..no..”

I couldn’t help but turn my tail right away at the sight of Athena’s glaring eyes.

“..Should I just lock him up so he can’t be messed with?”

My heart sank at Athena’s muttering.

She always showed a very scary appearance at times like this…

Honestly, this is a situation I’ve been in countless times already.

Fortunately, I knew Athena’s personality well, so I wasn’t too worried.

“Athena…”

As I looked up at Athena with the most tearful eyes I could muster, I saw her eyes start to tremble.

I held her hand gently with one hand, as if tickling her, and asked her earnestly.

“Don’t be so scary.. Yeah..?”

“…..ha.”

Athena looked at me for a long time with her cheeks slightly raised, then she swept her head back with a look of annoyance.

“Kids. Let them go together, but don’t expect anything from Hera.”

Iris and Ariel’s expressions only brighten after Athena’s permission. It seems that they were considerably intimidated by Athena’s fame.

“Thank you, Athena! I’m happy just being by Hera’s side!”

“..Thank you.”

Iris and Ariel spoke with faces that were much brighter than before.

Among them, Iris smiled brightly and came next to me, linking arms with me.

“We can continue to be together in the future, Hera!”

“Ugh…uh…”

I answered absentmindedly. Iris stared at me with calm eyes that didn’t match her bright smile.

“You won’t leave me behind this time either, right?”

Her appearance was quite different from usual, and my body trembled.

My eyes seem a little more cloudy than before…

He was clearly a kind person, but for some reason he seems to have changed a bit…

While I was hesitating to answer, Ariel grabbed my shoulder and spoke to me.

“It should be called Hera, not Sera.”

“..Okay, I’ll ask. And..and since I’m the older sister..”

“Apart from being my sister, we’re friends, right? Aren’t we?”

“Huh..? Well.. that’s true..”

Ariel smiled and whispered in my ear.

“Hera. Have you started researching something recently?”

“Huh…? Research..?”

Ariel suddenly brings up a story.

“Based on the speed of progress, it will probably take a few years, but once it’s completed, we’ll be able to stay together forever.”

“What…what kind of research is this?”

In response to my question, Ariel put her finger to her lips to indicate that it was a secret.

“Um..Just think of it as a study that makes it a fait accompli.”

A done deal?

What can be said to be an established fact?

I was curious, but seeing Ariel, it didn’t seem like she would tell me anything more, so I decided to give up.

“If you sneak it in at night… somehow… and put it inside…”

From then on, Ariel had been muttering eerily in a very small voice.

But when Lily came between the three of us who were standing close together, they were naturally pushed away.

Lily spoke to Ariel, who had a slightly sunken expression.

“Don’t stick too close to your sister. We are the closest people to you.”

“….tch.”

Anyway, once the research is completed, I…

Lily turned her gaze to me, leaving Ariel muttering in an inaudible voice once again.

“Stop flirting with me, sis. I don’t think I can stand it anymore.”

“Ah..no, I never really tried to flirt..”

“…..Where should I really lock you up?”

The murderous voice that came from Lily’s lovely lips gave me goosebumps.

“Ah..no! I’ll do better from now on.”

“Yeah. I’ll believe that.”

Only after I saw Lily smiling at me with her normal face again did I feel at ease.

In the midst of the calming atmosphere, Athena stepped forward and attracted attention.

“Then let’s just go to the Demon World like this.”

I looked at Ariel and Iris and asked a question.

“The Demon World… It’ll be quite dangerous. Of course, everyone is strong so nothing big will happen… But are you okay with not knowing what will happen?”

Ariel and Iris nodded vigorously to my question.

“It’s okay, Hera! Even if a hole is pierced in my body, I can regenerate!”

No, that’s not okay.

A hole in my body? That should never have happened in the first place.

“I’ve grown a lot since before. Nothing will hold me back.”

Ariel speaks with serious eyes.

“Ha..but..”

“Let’s go.”

“I want to go.”

“Ugh…ugh..”

Although I felt quite uneasy, I decided to follow their wishes after seeing how they never gave in to my repeated attempts to dissuade me.

So the party became a total of 8 people.

“The departure time is… Hera, you decide.”

At Athena’s words, everyone started looking at me.

“Uh…uh..”

I felt my heart shrink under the intense gazes of the seven people looking at me.

I cleared my throat a few times and then spoke to them.

“How about eating first…?”

*

So that’s where we went.

“Hmm… There are a lot of customers today.”

Sister Dania looked at us with quite surprised eyes.

The Demon King and Athena. And Lily was looking at her sister with a look of caution.

The rest of the people were all blankly staring in the direction of my sister’s chest.

In particular, Sephir’s face seemed to be stained with a deep sense of defeat.

…Well, it’s a size that you can’t help but be mesmerized by.

I was like that at first too, so it was a completely understandable situation.

I quickly smiled and approached Dania before the mood got awkward, pointing at her.

“Let me introduce you.. The first person I became close with here. She’s like a family member to me, and I really rely on her a lot.”

“My name is Dania. Please take good care of me.”

When my sister smiled faintly, they returned the greeting in a bewildered manner.

I whispered in my sister’s ear with a feeling of regret in my heart.

“I’m sorry, sis.. Did I suddenly bring too many..?

My sister smiled faintly as if nothing had happened and patted my head.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad that you found out how charming my little brother is. Can you make me some food?”

“Ugh…are you really okay..?

“Hera. As I said before, you don’t have to pay attention to your sister’s feelings at all.”

My sister continued speaking, looking at me with her green eyes that resembled emeralds.

“I told you I wanted to be your comfortable shelter.”

“Sister…”

My face felt a little hot.

For a while, I just blankly stared at my sister.

“..Let’s go in quickly, Hera.”

“Huh?”

Athena came closer and lifted my body into the door.

I was taken aback by her sudden behavior.

“Ah..Athena..?”

“I still don’t like it.”

huh..?

what…?

.

.

.

Now, after that strange atmosphere of knowing and not knowing flowed.

Everyone was blankly staring at the table in front of them.

“…It shouldn’t be delicious.”

Athena looks at the food with eyes that have grown twice as large.

“This…this is the first time I’ve had something this delicious!”

Sephir, who was stuffing food into his mouth with a happy expression.

“……This is dangerous.”

The Demon King mutters with a serious expression.

“…..”

And Lily, who seemed familiar with this situation, was eating her food calmly.

Other people also showed various surprised reactions.

I felt strangely proud of their reactions.

‘Haha… As expected, this is my sister’s cooking.’

I was happy that everyone got to taste my sister’s great cooking.

Without realizing it, I started to lean my head on my sister’s shoulder and hum a song out of habit.

My sister also smiled faintly and started stroking my head.

“”…..””

My heart raced in surprise at the sudden silence.

“Uh…why…?”

When I asked in a bewildered voice, Athena let out a short sigh and began to put food in her mouth again.

“There is something more dangerous than the demon right in front of you.”

Saying strange things that I have no idea what they mean.

“Sister..I’ll be back.”

I spoke to Dania, holding her hand reassuringly.

Then, Sister Dania also grabbed my hand and hugged me tightly in her arms.

“Hera. Just keep this in mind.”

“Huh..?”

“The world is like that. You don’t have to save it. But no one can say anything. Just come back safely.”

My heart was beating softly at my sister’s kind words.

I gave my sister a quick kiss on the forehead and smiled brightly.

“It’s okay! I’ll definitely come back and save the world.”

At my bold determination, Sister Dania opened her eyes wide and stroked my head with a helpless expression.

“I can’t help it, really..yes. Go save the world and come back. I’ll be waiting here.”

Do you know what a comfort it is to have a home you can always return to?

I was able to walk with a strong step thanks to my sister’s warm comfort.

Okay, let’s go.

To save the world.