Chapter 6

"Huff, huff, calm down, me. It’s okay, just stay calm. I didn’t even feel this nervous when I stood before the Emerald Dragon."

While trying to calm his rapidly increasing heart rate, he psyched himself up.

A once-in-a-lifetime battle was about to begin. No matter the outcome, he had to give it his all.

His encounter with Hinoka was when he was six years old.

Kreis, who had been expelled from the island, moved to the small village of Mamaru, far from the capital, with the small amount of money he was allowed to take with him.

His mother had told him to become an adventurer, but at that time, Kreis was in a daze from Marley’s betrayal and had lost the will to live.

It was the girl, Hinoka, who lived next door and was the same age as him, who saved Kreis.

Hinoka was a kind girl. When they first met, Kreis was suddenly hugged, and he felt a sense of warmth and kindness he had never experienced before.

Perhaps she couldn’t just leave him. Kreis cried, not because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t stop. When he finally stopped crying, Hinoka released him, and they spoke for the first time.

"Sorry? I suddenly showed you something embarrassing. I’m Kreis."

"I’m Hinoka! It’s okay. I’ll protect you, Kreis!"

Her carefree smile was too dazzling for Kreis—

Kreis fell in love for the first time.

"What a nostalgic memory. It’s been 12 years, and I’ve made you wait too long, haven’t I?"

He recalled such sweet memories.

Even though it was a promise they had made together, the wait had been too long.

But today, it would all come to an end.

No matter the outcome, it was time to take the first step.

He wrapped the small box in beautiful packaging, held it gently in his hand, and took a deep breath.

Kreis mustered his courage and knocked on Hinoka’s door.

◇◇◇

"Um, Hinoka. I need to talk to you. Is it okay?"

"…What?"

Kreis was internally conflicted.

After returning from Zaclab, he had met Hinoka twice, but he felt she was avoiding him.

Now, Hinoka’s face, as she came out of her room, was pale and exhausted.

(This… I can’t do it, can I?)

His faint hope was immediately shattered.

But he couldn’t back down now.

Even if the outcome was clear, there was something he had to say.

"Hey, I have something I want you to hear. Today is your birthday, right?"

"So what?"

Kreis could see Hinoka’s body tremble.

"Do you remember the promise? It’s been a long time, but I wanted to tell you something when you turned 18. I—"

"Go away."

"Huh?"

"Don’t you understand? I said go away!"

Hinoka’s gaze became sharp.

"I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want to hear anything from you, Kreis! Why? Why wasn’t I good enough? Did you betray me!?"

The flow of events was completely different from what he had imagined, and he couldn’t hide his confusion.

Hinoka, speaking incoherently, tried to distance herself from Kreis.

"Sorry, Hinoka, I don’t understand what you’re saying. What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

"That’s your problem! What are you trying to say to me!?"

"Right, I have something I want to give you. This—"

"Didn’t I already say it’s fine!?"

With a thud, the beautifully wrapped box Kreis was trying to hand over was knocked away by Hinoka’s hand. It fell to the floor with a dry sound, and Kreis could only watch.

(So, Hinoka’s heart has already moved on this much, huh?)

He suddenly understood, as if a weight had been lifted.

He hadn’t expected to be rejected so completely.

Even if he was turned down, he thought she would at least listen to him.

Maybe that was his own naivety.

(If she hates me this much, I can’t continue the party.)

"Got it, sorry, Hinoka. I shouldn’t have bothered you when you weren’t feeling well. I understand. After the next quest, I’ll leave the party."

"…What…?"

Hinoka, who had been agitated, suddenly stopped, as if she had returned to her senses.

"Yeah, but I don’t really have anything else I want to do besides being an adventurer. Ha ha, maybe I’ll go back to the village. Or maybe I’ll go somewhere far away."

"…Why…? …You’re… leaving…?"

"It’s my fault. I can’t be in the same party with someone who hates me this much. I’m really insensitive or something, I guess. I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable!"

"What are you saying…? K, Kreis, you—"

Hinoka swallowed her words.

If she had been able to think more clearly, maybe a different future could have been possible.

But just like Hinoka, Kreis was at his limit with sadness and pain.

He had mustered all his courage, and now it was spent.

He looked straight at Hinoka and forced out his trembling voice.

"So, Hinoka, thank you for everything until today. Thank you for always being there for me."

—The 12-year-long first love of the boy came to an end—

◇◇◇

"So, Hinoka, thank you for everything until today. Thank you for always being there for me."

"Ah… Wait—"

Words that couldn’t form slipped out.

Kreis turned his back, picked up something from the floor, and ran away.

His instincts warned him to chase after him.

But the fear of being rejected again made his trembling legs unable to move.

The last face of Kreis he saw was worse than the day they first met, and the fact that he had made him look like that just squeezed his heart.

Why are you crying, Kreis?

Kreis didn’t like that girl, did he?

Rondo often said that Kreis was cheating on her. At first, she didn’t believe it, but gradually, her doubts piled up. Then, she saw Kreis hugging Niula.

Someone else had stolen Kreis’s heart.

Unable to bear it, and afraid to hear the truth, she rejected Kreis.

Regret and shame.

Feeling the happiness that should have been hers slip away, tears fell from her eyes.