Chapter 28

1.

"Aaaah!"

Remembering what I'd heard about my photos going around online, I searched for them—and let out a scream.

My name, the fact that I was an A-rank Hero, and... even if not every detail, quite a lot of personal information about me had already spread across the internet.

Were Heroes public property or something!?

"…I understand you didn't come to see me off when I was discharged. But why are you screaming?"

"T-the internet..."

My face was all over the internet like I was public property!

There were even photos of me shopping for cooking ingredients all by myself, not with Dojin.

And what was with that online article titled 'An Esper's Love Life? Let's Find Out About Their Partner'? Was it a column?

That column? was full of photos of us on dates, showing affection.

What's this? I can't resist a picture of Dojin kissing my cheek. I'll save it.

Dojin's affection usually went no further than kissing, not counting the foreplay, so his cheek kiss had caught me completely off guard. I didn't have any photos of it, so I was lucky.

No, that's not the point. Well, it is important, but it's not what we're supposed to be talking about.

"We're not even dating publicly!"

"Aren't you, for all intents and purposes? Your partner would be a global celebrity in the old world."

"Well, that's true, but..."

I had no idea paparazzi existed in this world, too. I hadn't felt anyone watching me at all. Had Dojin known and just let them be?

"I heard paparazzi here are even worse because they're stealth ability users. Though I guess they do have some professional ethics."

Professional ethics, my ass. Would people like that really take pictures of a couple laughing and being affectionate with each other?

And what was with the picture of us holding hands and going into a hotel? Why was it taken from an angle that made it look like evidence of an affair?

"They don't follow us into hotel rooms and places like that, do they?"

"If they do, I'll really kill them."

"Anyway, apparently they don't follow us into private spaces like that."

At any rate, it looked like most of the photos of Dojin and me out and about had been taken.

There were even pictures of me taking a selfie with Dojin, along with other shots of us together from different angles.

For now, I saved all of them. The smartphone Dojin bought me had plenty of storage.

"Isn't that one already in your photos?"

"The angle's different. It's a different picture."

"…?"

Peridot looked at me quizzically.

But I didn't have any pictures of Dojin from behind, so it was fine.

There were even paparazzi photos of the two of us walking side by side.

Hehe, seeing us like this really drove home how much taller Dojin was than me. Thinking that I was more than a head shorter and must look petite to him made me happy.

Seeing me grin, Ruby said with an exasperated look,

"Your expression changes so much."

"Make up your mind. Do you like it or does it make you uncomfortable?"

"I like it, but it also makes me uncomfortable... something like that?"

"God, you've really become a woman."

"I am a woman now."

Ruby and Peridot both gave me a knowing look.

So what? Once you find someone you like and sleep with them, you'll end up just like me.

"There's a picture of you kissing, too."

There was a photo of me straddling Dojin and kissing him in a park. Wasn't that a place Dojin had taken me to by teleporting?

Could Dojin be leaking these to the press himself?

…Anyway, I should save that picture, too.

After scrolling through all the photos, I discovered something incredible.

"There are so many pictures of you going to hotels."

At this rate, it looked like we'd been photographed every single time.

There was even a picture of us leaving a hotel. One showed us going in at night, and another showed me coming out past noon with an exhausted look on my face.

There wasn't a single picture of me leaving a hotel looking healthy. Every one showed me looking worn out after Dojin had worked me to the bone.

"Eek…"

It felt like my private life had been exposed, and my face flushed red with embarrassment.

I mean, it's great that my boyfriend's so virile! But I didn't want to brag about it where anyone could see.

It was embarrassing. It was like announcing, 'We have sex every day.'

"Wow, you stay out overnight all the time, and they got pictures of every bit of it."

"W-wait, Ruby…!"

"What? You said having a virile boyfriend was something to brag about."

What on earth had I said back then!?

Ruby's words left me speechless. Because I really had said that.

I did think having a virile boyfriend was something to brag about, but I didn't want it to feel like a nationwide public announcement!

Even bragging had its limits.

And once you crossed those limits, it became so embarrassing that I couldn't move a muscle.

"P-please stop…"

But since I'd spent plenty of time bragging about my boyfriend, all I could do was take Ruby's teasing without putting up a fight.

2.

After begging and begging them to stop teasing me, Ruby and Peridot finally stopped.

It had only been playful teasing, anyway.

In return, though, the two of them demanded that I cook for them.

Even I thought my cooking had improved a lot. It seemed almost as good as the hotel food Dojin and I had eaten together before.

It seemed this body had a talent for cooking, too.

"…♪♬"

Once I realized how quickly I was improving, of course it became fun.

At first, I'd thought I'd just learn enough to make Dojin fall even harder for me! But now, even this very moment of choosing cooking ingredients was enjoyable.

Looking over the ingredients, selecting the best ones, and deciding what I could make with them felt like choosing the 'strategy and character combination I wanted' in a game. It was fun.

Humans can find anything fun once they start enjoying it.

"Big sis, big sis♡"

It would have been perfect if there weren't someone clinging to me on the side.

I gently pushed Ribel, who was wrapped around my right arm, away with my left hand.

"Oh, come on. You're such a shy girl."

"No, I'm not!"

"Please don't use honorifics with me!"

"…I don't want to."

Ribel must have really enjoyed that tentacle play in the underwater cave.

She called me 'big sis' and clung to me like glue. If we were just friends, I wouldn't have minded that much.

This woman was the kind of lesbian who'd follow me into a communal shower attached to a training room—not one at home—and masturbate in the next stall while moaning.

Of course I couldn't stand that. It was hard to get close to someone masturbating in the stall right beside me while saying, 'Hah, I'm in the same... shower... as big sis...♡'

On top of that, she kept clinging to me whenever she got the chance and rubbing her breasts against my arm.

I was worried she'd join Dojin and me on a date without even asking.

"Like I said, I'm fine with being friends."

Even though it was something I'd done while possessed by a doppelganger, I felt responsible and always told her that.

We didn't have to be lovers; I was fine with being friends. I'd never made a friend here before, after all.

Ribel had said, 'I understand!' back then, but now she was clinging to me and trying to get touchy-feely with her whole body.

Well, having a female friend who's meticulous about self-care around had turned out to be helpful.

Especially when it came to cosmetics. It was a whole new world.

I wondered whether the paparazzi would take pictures of this, too, as I carefully picked out the ingredients.

Looking at the ingredients and taking Ruby and Peridot's request for a meat dish into account, I settled on braised meat. The potatoes and carrots looked good.

"By the way, do you cook for yourself, big sis?"

"Yes. It's kind of a hobby."

More accurately, it had started out as a weapon I'd honed to impress Dojin, but now it was a hobby that brought some life into my everyday routine.

Improving yourself is one of life's great pleasures. As I improved my cooking, I found myself enjoying it more and more, until it eventually became a hobby.

At first, I couldn't even tell whether ingredients were fresh or what condition they were in. Now, just by looking at them, I could imagine what I might cook. I could call myself a cooking expert.

"Then could you teach me how to cook, too?"

"You want to learn to cook?"

"Yeah, well. For bride training, and it's noisy at home, too."

Come to think of it, Ribel was the daughter of a chaebol family. Ugh, that doppelganger. What on earth had it done to a rich young lady like her?

I hadn't done it myself, but since it had been my body, I felt bad for her.

I didn't think I could turn down her request.

I mean, sure. It wasn't anything strange; all I had to do was teach her about cooking.

I hadn't seen this in cooking specifically, but I'd heard that anyone who'd mastered a field to some degree could feel themselves growing by teaching a beginner.

I figured I might be able to experience that, too. It had been a long time since I'd taught anyone anything, and it sounded fun.

I don't think I ever taught anyone anything back when I was a girl, though.

"Sure. I'll teach you."

"Yay!"

"But no touching while you're learning."

"U-ugh…"

Ribel seemed hesitant.

But this was nonnegotiable.

I didn't like girls getting sexually handsy with me, and touching while cooking with knives and fire was a real nuisance—and dangerous, too.

"…Okaaay."

Ribel understood that in the end, so she didn't argue and simply nodded.

She was pretty cute when she nodded so obediently.

"Hehe, good. When do you want to start?"

"Today! I'll start today!"

Ribel's enthusiasm was pretty impressive. In that case, I should buy enough ingredients for one more serving.

3.

Ribel learned to cook with real enthusiasm and dedication.

Honestly, I felt bad for suspecting at first that she was doing it just to spend more time with me. She was learning about cooking so seriously.

She even had a decent grasp of the basics already, so all she needed was a little instruction focused on recipes and techniques. That made things even better.

"It's delicious!"

I didn't nitpick the subtle differences in seasoning, since those were things she needed to adjust herself. Compared to me, Ribel seemed to prefer food a little saltier and more strongly flavored.

Even so, she ate the food seasoned to my taste without complaint and told me it was delicious.

"Wow, how did you improve so quickly…"

"It's delicious."

Ruby and Peridot were both impressed as they ate, as they always were.

Ruby had even been the one to teach me the basics, since cooking used to be her hobby, so she could really see how much I'd improved.

"Well, I'm going to step out for a bit."

I carefully packed the food I'd worked hard to prepare into containers. I was taking it to Dojin's place.

The Sword Saint, the Dragon, and Dojin all seemed to make do with takeout or eating out, so I'd started bringing them homemade side dishes.

I didn't go today, but sometimes I'd stop by and prepare the food myself before leaving.

According to Dojin, he could at least take the side dishes out and heat up the food.

[ Lapis : (photo of food) Today it's braised meat. ]

[ Dojin : I guess I'll have to bring rice, too. ]

Ah, it looked like they'd run out of rice.

I added some frozen rice I'd prepared in advance, too.

"Then I'll be heading out, too. Thanks for the meal."

Ribel gave a little bow and left the house with me.