We Just Beat It Down and That's the End of It, Right? (8)

“K-Kururu-sama?”

David stared at Kururu in astonishment, as if trying to make sure she was really there. The woman standing before him was turning twenty-one this year, yet she looked just as she had three years ago. Though she seemed a little young, her beautiful features were as perfectly arranged as a doll's, and her long, fluffy, lustrous indigo hair swayed in even the slightest breeze.

There was no mistaking that it was Kururu. And yet, from her steady gaze and poised bearing, she gave off a mature air that made her seem like an entirely different person from the one he'd seen a year ago.

“Where the hell have you been all this time?!”

“I'm sorry for suddenly disappearing without a word... Eek!”

As if to cut off Parna's questioning, Kururu closed her eyes and strode into the bar like a seasoned adventurer. But the bar was being cleaned before opening, and she stepped on the end of a mop that had been left out. She slipped and tumbled forward.

“Oh, this is Kururu-san.”

“Yeah, I was a little worried too, but it is Kururu-san! Welcome back, Kururu-san!”

“What kind of impression is that?! Stop making it sound like being a klutz is just who I am!”

After watching the whole thing, Tina swallowed some milk from her glass and let out a sigh. Perhaps that got on Kururu's nerves, because she quickly stood up, puffed out her cheeks, and glared resentfully at Tina and Alice.

“So? Where have you been all this time? David was looking for you like his life depended on it! It was awful every day, you know?! At one point, he started saying all this nonsense about trying to fill the hole in his heart left by your disappearance, and turned into a total perverted old man.”

“Now, Parna-sama, let's not get into that. However, Kururu-sama, could you explain why you disappeared so suddenly?”

“...I was the one who sent Kururu a message.”

“...What do you mean?”

Before Kururu could answer, Rex spoke up. It was an unexpected reply. The moment David realized Rex was the reason Kururu had disappeared, he fixed him with a sharp glare.

“A year after I started training, I... got scared. Those days of training were brutal... It was hell. I truly realized how incredible my master was, to have endured days that terrifying all the way until he reached Level 999. But... if even my master, who'd made it through that grueling training, couldn't do anything about this, how could I possibly manage it alone? That thought terrified me.”

“You make it sound... like he's dead.”

“I don't want to believe it either. But... it's been three years. If I set out believing he's alive, and he wasn't, then I'd be... alone. I was scared of that.”

With a self-mocking laugh, he said, “So much for being a Hero... I'm a coward.” Perhaps he didn't want anyone to see how pathetic he felt, because Rex lowered his head and covered his face with his hand.

Seeing the proud Hero openly admit his weakness in front of everyone, David could easily imagine what Rex must have been feeling. Looking uncomfortable, he averted his gaze. Even a Hero was human, and Rex was still young. Rex was heading into unknown territory—a place even Kagami had yet to return from—so it was only natural that he would feel anxious. David regretted not having been more considerate.

“David, it's wrong to blame Rex-san for my disappearance.”

“...Kururu-sama.”

“The message only said, ‘I'm preparing to go to my master's side. I'm moving forward.’ It certainly wasn't written as though I were asking you to help me.”

“Then... why did you disappear?”

“Rex-san's message was certainly what prompted me. But I'd already intended to follow Kagami-san. However... if I went to Kagami-san with my low level, I surely wouldn't be any help. So I went to my father.”

Hearing that, everyone remembered that when Kururu had disappeared, she'd said, “There's something I need to find out.” Parna immediately understood and reflexively asked her, “What did you need to find out?”

“As you know, my father is one of this world's administrators. I thought he would know how many people had gone to the next stage, and what their levels were, just like Esteller-san and the Dark Dragon-san. So I went to ask him... What level had the Sages who went to the next stage in the past reached?!”

“...And what would you do with that information?”

“I thought there'd be no point in going outside if I couldn't catch up to them. Even if I made it to the next stage, I'd only hold Kagami-san back. So... I trained.”

Kururu opened her status window and showed it to them. It clearly displayed Level 172. Aside from Rex, she'd made greater strides than anyone else, and Tina and Parna couldn't hide their astonishment.

“You've gotten stronger than me! What did you do?!”

“I only began training in earnest this past year... but I was planning to go to Kagami-san from the start, so I'd been secretly training, you know? ...It was hell. But I somehow reached the average level of the Sages who went to the next stage in the past.”

Perhaps remembering those days, Kururu's eyes briefly went vacant. Seeing that, Rex exclaimed, “I know, I know!” and nodded fervently in sympathy.

“...Kururu-sama. Even so, why didn't you tell me you were setting off on a training journey? Do you know how much I searched for you?”

“I'm sorry, David. I apologize for worrying you. But I didn't want to leave room for anyone to interfere with my training. If I'd said I was going to train alone, you would've stopped me, and even if you hadn't, you would've secretly followed me. Then surely... I would've let myself rely on you again.”

Perhaps Kururu's resolve had gotten through to him. David let out a heartfelt sigh and said, “You've grown into a fine person,” then held out the ticket he'd been about to give Menou to Kururu.

“This is yours. I'm entrusting Kagami-sama to you.”

“Thank you... David!”

Just as Kururu gave a shy smile and reached for the ticket he offered—

“Hold it!”

The door at the bar's entrance burst open with a loud bang. Everyone turned toward it at once, startled by the noise. Standing there was a figure clad in a tattered pink gi, like an overlord who had crossed countless battlefields and pursued nothing but strength.

“That ticket... I'm taking it.”

Takako's muscles had grown far more massive than they had been three years ago. With a taut body, a more chiseled face, and distinctive lips, Takako glared at Kururu with a tense expression and declared those words loud and clear.