Nishizawa Eri spent the night tossing and turning in excitement, finally dozing off at dawn.
The next morning, an early-rising Nishizawa Eri packed a warm lunch and set off.
She arrived an hour ahead of schedule due to her overwhelming excitement, but it didn’t bother her at all.
She would soon meet her Master.
They would enjoy a picnic together, ride a boat, and share some dango.
She imagined linking arms and maybe even a kiss.
With such rosy thoughts, Nishizawa Eri waited for her Master.
Even as the promised time passed—one hour, two hours—and her Master didn’t show up.
Nishizawa Eri waited endlessly.
“Master would never break a promise.”
He was kind, after all.
They had a date planned.
So Nishizawa Eri couldn’t bring herself to leave.
Even when her phone battery died, her lunch grew cold.
Through lunch and dinner, into the night.
Even as the rain poured down.
As couples who had been on dates returned home and the park’s closing time approached.
Even past curfew for the academy.
She remained steadfast.
Because her Master, Kim Deok-Sung, was not the kind of man to break promises.
Though he might be late for reasons he couldn’t explain.
He would definitely come to meet her.
Nishizawa Eri believed that firmly as she waited.
“Master… I miss you…”
Splashing!
It felt like the sky was torn apart as rain fell in torrents.
Nishizawa Eri lowered her head.
“Is he not coming… Master…”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Am I being abandoned again? Eri-rin… Am I going to be hated again…”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Deep down, the anxiety she had suppressed began to bubble up.
The truth was, she knew.
Unlike other competitors like Rin, Olivia, Makoto, Aris, and Kasumi, Kim Deok-Sung didn’t truly seem to like her.
Of course, she didn’t blame him.
It was entirely her fault.
That was why Nishizawa desperately tried to win his heart.
The name “Eri-rin” was part of that effort.
If she could be a bit cuter, a bit more feminine, or use her galactic-ranked beauty…
Maybe her beloved Master would notice her.
“…Master… Eri-rin doesn’t want to be abandoned anymore…”
Tears poured from Nishizawa Eri’s eyes without pause.
Images from her traumatic childhood flashed in her mind.
A father who abused both mother and daughter before eventually leaving home.
A mother who shut her heart to avoid domestic violence, blaming her for her husband’s departure for a long time.
Because of that, her mother had been resenting her for a while after her husband left home.
An old, worn-out, and musty room with four and a half tatami mats.
The nightmarish sensation of the cold floor, which no one had warmed, felt on her cheek.
“I hate this. Eri-ring did something wrong… Master…”
Nishizawa fiddled with her dog collar as a habit.
She had worked hard to get this far.
She got accepted into Shuo Hero Academy, reconciled with her mother, and made friends.
She met her master.
But she didn’t want to be abandoned again, like back then.
The collar felt chilly like a dog caught in the rain.
At that moment, when Nishizawa Eri was hugging her lunch box and bowing her head low.
“Hey, Nishizawa.”
She heard Master’s voice, which she’d never forget, in her ear.
She lifted her head.
Amidst the tear-blurred vision, a familiar face shimmered.
“You… why the heck are you still here, getting soaked in the rain? Seriously… I’m losing it.”
The downpour cascaded.
As Kim Deok-Sung held a big golf umbrella over her, panting, Nishizawa couldn’t help but laugh.
He came!
Master hadn’t abandoned her.
Thump.
Thump, thump.
Nishizawa Eri’s heart raced.
Her face turned red.
Master was definitely different from other guys.
The one and only whom she loved.
“Master!”
Nishizawa Eri threw herself into Kim Deok-Sung’s arms, tears pouring down.
“Damn it…”
The sudden hug caught Kim Deok-Sung off guard, and he muttered softly in Korean while still holding the umbrella.
Swoosh!
The pouring rain drowned out his voice.
No choice but to stay out late.
“Master!”
Nishizawa snuggled up tightly.
Swoosh!
The heavy rain pounded the golf umbrella.
“I missed you, Master…”
She mumbled, her voice quivering.
Her thin dress soaked through, clinging to her, revealing everything beneath.
Nishizawa, looking like a drenched puppy, left him speechless.
As he rushed out of the dormitory searching for Nishizawa, hoping to find her at Inokashira Park where they had arranged to meet, he was caught off guard by Han Seo-Jin’s message from the National Intelligence Service informing him that Nishizawa Eri was still waiting at the park.
“Master… Eri-ring knew you’d come… I believed you would meet me. Because Master is… Master is…”
Nishizawa cried tears like rain.
“Because Master is kind…”
Nishizawa spoke in a choked voice.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
Typically, he would have pushed her away and cursed her for being so clingy, but not now.
It was unexpected, a sudden accident, but still, it was his fault for breaking the promise.
“I’m going nuts…”
He muttered under his breath in Korean.
But it was definitely a dizzying situation.
Damn it.
He couldn’t curse, nor could he push her away.
“Believing? What a load of crap. Hey, Nishizawa. What were you doing out here until now? It’s pouring. What were you gonna do if I really didn’t show up, you foolish girl…”
“But you did come!”
Nishizawa wiped her teary eyes and said.
She buried her face in his arms.
“Master, Eri-ring knows you’re just being awkward saying all that.”
“…Are you talking nonsense? If Makoto hadn’t contacted me, I would’ve been in big trouble. You know? Aren’t you mad that I’m late?”
“If I hadn’t, it would have been a big deal. You know? Hey, aren’t you mad that I’m late?”
Honestly, if I were in her position, I’d definitely be mad.
The reason I went looking for Nishizawa was that even though I didn’t really like her, it wasn’t a good idea to ruin my relationship with a major character like her.
I came to check on her because I was worried about that, but I didn’t expect this reaction.
Honestly, this is my fault.
“It’s okay. Master hasn’t abandoned me… There must have been a reason for being late. So, Eri-chan is fine. Eri-chan is Master’s loyal slave, after all!”
Nishizawa Eri tries to smile through her tears.
“I just want to be held a little longer in Master’s arms.”
If she had just gotten mad, I wouldn’t have felt so uncomfortable.
Instead, it just makes me feel more sorry.
Guilt crashes over me.
“Eri-chan wants Master to pet her too…”
Nishizawa mumbles in a small voice.
“Is that not allowed?”
Nishizawa looks up at me.
True to her setting as the world’s top beauty, even with her hair drenched and her eyes swollen, she has an unnecessarily pretty face.
Nishizawa’s beauty catches my eye all over again.
Well, whatever.
It can’t be helped if I feel embarrassed. I’ve done something wrong.
I silently place my hand on her orange hair and pat her.
“Master…”
Nishizawa burrows into my arms.
Her earlobes turn bright red.
“Hihihih…”
Nishizawa giggles.
At least she looks happy, so I’m relieved.
Boom! Rumble!
After the thunder and lightning pass by several times, Nishizawa gently pulls away from my embrace.
She smiles.
“Okay. Eri-chan is fully charged with Master’s energy! I’m all better now… Aheh-choo!”
Nishizawa, pretending to be fine, sneezes.
Let’s not talk about it.
Nishizawa giggles sweetly.
With her beauty at a level of the world’s strongest, she looks ridiculously cute no matter what she does.
She walks over to me with a playful grin.
“Eri-chan wants to link arms with Master under the same umbrella. Can we? I got all wet waiting for you…”
Nishizawa pouts, bumping her fingers together.
It feels like she’s doing this on purpose, but since the fault is mine, I can’t say anything.
Today, I should probably just let her say whatever she wants.
It might make things a little less awkward.
“… Do as you please.”
“Got it! Eri-chan is so excited!”
As soon as I give permission, Nishizawa links her arms around me with a joyful expression.
I can feel her warmth on my arm.
“If only Eri-chan’s chest size were a bit bigger… I could service Master like a cow with my arms… I really should drink more milk.”
Nishizawa pouts.
Every choice of words is downright devastating.
If it hadn’t been only my fault, I would have let her have it.
Sigh.
At that moment, it wasn’t a good idea to drink the potion from Saori.
No, considering the price of this power-up, isn’t it cheap?
Lost in all these random thoughts, Nishizawa Eri asks me.
“But the dormitory curfew has already passed, Master. Are you okay with that?”
“I have no choice but to stay out.”
If I go now, the school gate will be closed.
Curfew? How ridiculous. It’s not the ’80s, but the school is just like that, so it can’t be helped.
“Staying out… with Master and Eri-chan… Hihihi…”
Nishizawa Eri blushes and laughs beside me.
“Stop with the silly fantasies and follow me. We need to find accommodation.”
“Stop your useless fantasies and follow me. We need to find a place to stay.”
Getting caught out after curfew has penalties, but if I tell the president, he’ll probably let it slide. If I say I took care of Nishizawa to uphold the mysterious value of kindness that he cherishes, he’ll just overlook this incident.
I wouldn’t have dashed out of the academy right before curfew without considering this.
“Okay!”
I steer Nishizawa away from the nearly closed park.
Whoosh.
The relentless downpour shows no signs of stopping.
With only one umbrella, Nishizawa Eri clings to my side as we wander the rainy streets of Tokyo.
In a densely populated metropolis with over ten million people, the weekend crowd is alive, even in this downpour.
“Master, there’s a hotel over there!”
Nishizawa points somewhere with her finger.
Following her finger leads me to a building.
It’s a hotel, but it’s clearly a love hotel.
Why on Earth would we choose that over a nice accommodation?
“Master, let’s go. Eri’s getting soaked and feels heavy… I just want to rest.”
Nishizawa whines, letting her shoulders droop.
Under normal circumstances, I’d have told her to stop acting like that, but since I feel guilty, I can’t.
How many times have I sighed when I met Nishizawa?
“Fine, I get it.”
According to the International Hero Agreement, aspiring heroes are treated like adults.
So, our “stay out” should technically pose no problem.
Pulled by Nishizawa’s hand, we enter the love hotel.
Inside, the hotel is quiet.
Maybe for privacy, there’s a kiosk instead of a receptionist at the counter, along with a drink vending machine.
“Huh, heh heh. Master, you’re obviously going to share a room with Eri, right? Right?”
Nishizawa, humming to herself, looks at me.
What?
Share a room?
“What nonsense is that…?”
Who decided that?
“But this hotel only has one room left, you know?”
Nishizawa lightly laughs, pointing to the room availability on the kiosk monitor.
As she says, there is indeed only one room left.
Did she purposely bring me here?
This feels strangely suspicious.
“Master, Eri’s really tired… Can’t we just go in and rest? Hmm?”
Nishizawa pouts with her cheeks puffed up and shakes her chest, putting on a cute act.
Where on Earth did she learn this?
I’m going crazy.
“…Alright, whatever.”
I can’t help it.
I pull out some cash from my wallet and put it into the kiosk.
Clunk.
A card key drops.
“Hee hee hee hee hee…”
Nishizawa grins like she’s in a good mood.
I take the card key and head inside the room with her, who hasn’t left my side.
As expected of a love hotel, under the suggestive lighting, I see a queen-sized heart-shaped bed and a bathroom.
Of all things, the bed is heart-shaped, and so is the wallpaper.
This feels weird.
“It’s warm!”
Nishizawa loosens her arms and sits on the bed.
Seeing her smile like that relaxes me a bit.
Thud.
I close the love hotel door.
Nishizawa places something wrapped in cloth on the table beside her.
“By the way, what’s that? You’ve been snuggling it like it’s a precious relic since earlier?”
Even then, one arm was linked with mine while the other held that bundle protectively.
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