Chapter 61
What should I do about this..
Ultimately, the only way to completely eliminate the effects of the succubus fluid covering Ruril was for the Hero and me to have sex while using the magic item.
I could recruit someone to do it, but.. Have sex right beside a sleeping person while wearing a device attached to our bodies?
How many people would accept an offer like that?
It would be wonderful if we could at least bring in a female prostitute and a male prostitute, but because of the magic item's nature, only people with mana can use it, so ordinary people won't do.
If prostitutes had mana, they would be adventurers—or at the very least, they would be working in a field where they could use mana—instead of selling their bodies.
That was why recruiting someone was nearly impossible.
If things continued like this, Ruril would constantly go into heat, so asking someone to help us as though they were saving a life might be one option, but..
What should I really do about this..
“Ruril..”
I sighed as I looked down at Ruril lying on the bed.
Going to another region to look for someone would be difficult too, because Ruril might die if we didn't resolve this within a few days.
Even if we went to another region, finding someone willing to help us would be a serious problem in itself.
Hiring an adventurer was another possibility, but who would accept a quest to have sex beside someone while wearing a magic item?
No matter how I thought about it, no other solution came to mind..
A day had already passed, so Ruril would truly be in danger if I didn't decide soon.
Did I really have to step forward..?
I never imagined my first time with the Hero would turn out like this..
It still wasn't certain, and there might be another way I didn't know about, so meeting with the Hero and Cecilia came first.
Thinking that, I tried to open the door and leave, but the moment I reached for it, the door suddenly opened, and I locked eyes with the Hero.
What? Why is he here now..
“Lumia.”
“..?”
“Could we.. talk for a bit? It's important.”
An important conversation?
If there was something important to discuss in this situation..
There was only one possibility..
I looked up at the Hero.
The Hero had a serious expression, as though he had made up his mind about something.
If he had steeled himself enough to make an expression like that, there was a good chance he was about to reveal some truly important truth.
And I knew what truth the Hero was about to reveal.
For him to reveal this now meant..
I swallowed hard.
“Would that be okay?”
“...”
- Yeah.. Come in.
After all, Ruril was unconscious.
It would be far better to speak directly with the Hero alone than to discuss it with Cecilia at our side.
As soon as I gave him permission, the Hero entered the room and sat on the bed.
Since it was a room for two, the bed was fairly wide, so the Hero sitting down didn't affect Ruril at all.
Once he sat down, the Hero could only fidget, as though he found it difficult to bring up the subject now that he was actually going to explain it.
- What is it about?
I too moved closer and sat down in response to the Hero's words.
The moment I sat down, the Hero flinched.
He hadn't reacted this strongly even when I was beside him normally.. Since he reacted like this just because I sat beside him to test my suspicion, it seemed that was indeed what he wanted to talk about.
“... It may sound like an absurd story, but.. I want you to believe me. I'm not lying at all, and I'm not trying to make fun of you. I truly mean it.”
I let out a small laugh at the Hero's words.
- If I wasn't going to believe you, I wouldn't have believed you when you told me you'd returned from the future to the past, Hero.
“I see..”
The Hero muttered that and smiled faintly.
- So? What did you want to tell me?
“Actually, there was something I've been hiding from you all this time. If I told you, it would seem as though I were using your feelings to defeat the Demon King.. I didn't reveal it because I wanted to achieve it solely through my own strength.”
“...”
So that was it.
Inside, I reached a state of enlightenment.
At this point, I should probably have thought about why the Hero was revealing this to me, but..
I thought I knew the reason for that too.
I felt as though I needed to prepare myself.
“First.. um.. there's one thing I need to tell you.”
Something he needed to tell me?
If he was talking about the secret he was about to reveal, it was strange for him to say there was something he needed to tell me first after announcing that he was going to reveal it.
That meant there was something else he wanted to say.
I supposed I should hear him out first.
Thinking that it probably wasn't anything serious, I listened closely to the Hero's words.
And then,
“I love you, Lumia. I've felt that way all along, even before I returned to the past.”
“...”
I went completely rigid when I heard the Hero's confession.
Truly.
I froze right there.
“I like you, Lumia. In ordinary times, when things were hard, when we were in danger.. No matter when, you were always there for me.. and for everyone.”
“...”
“And.. even when the world was on the verge of being destroyed by the Demon King.. you sacrificed yourself to protect everyone.”
Saying that, the Hero took both my hands in his.
Come to think of it, I had never held hands like this with the Hero before.
I looked down at the Hero's hands.
They were warm, and far larger than my own.
“I've always only received from you. So.. so now I want to give something to you.”
Would that be okay..?
The Hero said that and lowered his head.
To be frank, it was a pretty awful confession line.
This sounded more like a confession of sins than a love confession.
...
I, who had once been a man, was not only receiving a confession from another man, but even evaluating the confession itself.. If my past self saw this, that version of me might scream and ask what on earth was happening.
But why was that?
What on earth was this happiness I felt?
I didn't feel even the slightest bit of revulsion at being confessed to by a man.
It was strange.
Incredibly strange.
Even though we had already nearly slept together.. even though we'd long since gone too far to discuss whether I felt revulsed..
I was happy, but conflicted.
I smiled.
- First.. thank you, Hero.
“...”
- But could I give you my answer a little later..? You have a secret you want to reveal, so I want to hear that first.
“If that's what you want.. all right.”
The Hero answered that and began to explain.
.
.
.
.
As expected, the secret the Hero wanted to reveal was the one I already knew.
To save the world, I had to fall in love with the Hero and become pregnant with his child.. That was the secret.
Even as he spoke, the Hero's face was flushed with embarrassment.
Especially when he had to say that I needed to become pregnant, he couldn't even get the words out properly, stammering repeatedly as his body trembled.
He also lowered his head, saying that the same reason was why he couldn't help Ruril.
Oh, right. I'd forgotten about that.
Come to think of it, I wasn't supposed to know that the Hero mustn't have sex with Ruril.
Since I had never said anything outright, the Hero didn't seem to know that I knew..
Come to think of it, the Hero had said that even before returning to the past, he hadn't dated anyone or slept with anyone.
According to the original setup, his personality was no different from that of a harem protagonist, so it was only natural.
No, hadn't I decided not to talk about the game anymore?
Everything in this world was real, and more importantly, the Hero was my benefactor, the person who had saved my life countless times.
I no longer thought of this place as a game.
The only reason I still brought up information from when this was a game was that it was the only thing I knew, and because that information had rarely been wrong.
“Lumia..?”
When I didn't answer, the Hero looked at me anxiously.
What answer did the Hero want me to give?
Since he had said he liked me, he probably wanted me to respond positively.
I gave a bitter smile.
So this really was how it was going to end up.
I had expected it to some extent, but hearing every truth from the Hero and receiving his confession left me feeling a little numb.
I let out a sigh.
Ever since I had stripped off all my clothes and frotted with the Hero to help him.. I hadn't crossed the final line, but it had essentially been the same as having sex.
From that moment on, I had already begun to notice my feelings to some extent.
It was only because I couldn't admit them.
Still, what else could I do with things having gone this far?
It was something I would have had to accept someday anyway.. And since the Hero had confessed first, it was my victory, in a way.
Everything was fine, but..
Of all things, my first experience.. Not only was I having my first time as a woman despite having been born a man, but I was doing it beside someone who was asleep..
My life really was eventful.
Still, it was for Ruril.
“Lumia..?”
Now that I thought about it, this guy really was hopelessly awkward.
Seeing the Hero staring at me with such a flustered expression was somehow funny.
I chuckled.
“..?”
My sudden laughter made the Hero look at me even more anxiously.
You don't have to look at me like that.
My answer had already been decided.
- Please be gentle. It's my first time..
I answered that way and smiled at the Hero.