After that, since Ootori-san told me to wait at the entrance, I stood there for a while until Mary came down alone.
「S-Say something, please…」
「No, sorry… You just looked way cuter than I imagined…」
「Uu……」
Her short hair was neatly trimmed, with her bangs covering one eye, and the back loosely styled. She wore a short-sleeved off-shoulder knit top and, probably the kind of flared skirt Hikari really liked before. Mary’s thighs, usually hidden, were dazzling in the sunlight.
「Ah… you even have a bit of makeup on…」
「Y-Yes… Mera-san did it for me…」
I don’t know much about makeup, but I could tell she was wearing lip gloss, something she normally never uses.
「Yeah, you’re cute. It’s refreshing since you don’t usually wear it.」
When I leaned down to meet her gaze, she looked up, and her face turned bright red, like she was boiling.
「I-I… seriously… can’t take any more of this…」
「Ah, sorry…」
「N-No… I’m fine…」
As the two of us stood there feeling awkward, a voice suddenly cut in from the side.
「I didn’t expect to see flirting right at the hospital entrance… Honestly.」
「Truly remarkable… Yuuki-san, is there any woman left in the world you ‘can’t’ win over? Don’t you agree, ojou-sama?」
「Why are you dragging me into this!? What about you, huh!?」
「Me? Hmm, let’s see… Face: 100 points. Body: 100 points. Wealth: 100 points. If I had one flaw, it’d be that I attract womanizers.」
「I keep telling you I’m not a womanizer…」
「Ahh… I had classmates like that in college… always saying the same thing while they played around with girls…」
「You’re the worst, Yuuki-san.」
「Terrible, yes… husband.」
「「「!?」」」
「Mary… what did you just call me?」
「H-husband… was that not okay?」
「No, it’s fine… I’m just… not used to being called that… that’s all…」
『So… that’s what a womanizer looks like… (whisper whisper)』
『Troublesome types, those… They’re so good at getting everyone on their side… (whisper whisper)』
Hey. I can ‘hear’ you whispering loud and clear, you know…
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
After that, they offered to take me to the nearest station, so I accepted the ride in Ootori-san’s car.
「Ah, come to think of it… the hospital bill…」
「No worries. The government will be covering Mary-san’s hospitalization costs.」
「Really? That’s okay?」
「Well, originally it was meant to be covered by the condolence payment meant for when you died, but since you’re alive… and because you helped suppress the disaster, the payment has been more or less guaranteed.」
「I see… I mean, isn’t my survival still not officially confirmed yet?」
「Well… technically you’re still legally ‘deceased’… Wow, that sounds like something out of a game, doesn’t it?」
「Haha… you play games, don’t you?」
「Not much lately. Work, dungeon exploring, and weekly mental training with Takanashi-san have kept me too busy.」
「Sounds intense…」
「It is… and thanks to you, Yuuki-san, my workload has increased too♪」
「Sorry about that.」
「It’s fine. We should get the official results in 2–3 days, and then we’ll go public. When that happens, you’ll need to attend the official ceremony.」
「Ah, sorry, but… when is that ceremony scheduled?」
「Let’s see… If everything goes smoothly, about a week from now.」
「In that case, would a month from now be okay instead?」
「Why? Do you have something planned?」
「I’m heading off to save another world.」
「Yuuki-san… would you like me to refer you to a psychiatrist?」
「No, seriously! You still don’t believe me!?」
「I mean, a different world? That’s like something out of a light novel or a game…」
「Then explain how I came back to life!」
「When you put it that way… hmm… Maybe it was just a magic trick and you were never really dead?」
「Then what about this grown-up body?」
「Hmm… maybe dungeon magic?」
「…I feel like it might be safer to just take you with me.」
「H-husband, are you… going to another dangerous place all alone again…?」
Mary tugged on my sleeve and looked up at me with wide eyes.
「Well… it’s a place that’s helped us a lot, and we could use the extra strength. Of course you’re coming too, right, Mary?」
「If I can go, I want to go!」
「Alright then, we’ll have to get you some weapons too.」
「In that case, I’ll have Mary-san’s weapons delivered to your house. They should arrive by tomorrow. Will that be alright?」
「Thank you very much, Ootori-sama.」
「Please don’t use -sama, it’s embarrassing.」
「Then, Rina-san it is.」
「Yes, nice to meet you, Mary-san.」
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
After arriving at the station and getting out of the car, I immediately felt the piercing stares of men and women around us.
「Th-this is… scary…」
「Come to think of it, you used to wear a hood, right? Huh? But you were fine at the celebration in Italy?」
「That time I was with Yuuki-san. When I’m with Yuuki-san, people tend to look at him instead.」
Well yeah, Mary looks insanely cute today… and she’s even dressed up, which she usually never does. She’s basically a total knockout right now…
「Okay, here.」
I held out my left hand, and Mary tilted her head in confusion.
「What is it?」
「If we link arms, you can look down while walking and won’t have to see everyone staring. It’ll be a bit embarrassing, but bear with it.」
「Y-yess…」
Mary timidly linked arms with me. Her ample chest pressed up against me, but I told myself to ignore it… boobs.
「Th-then! Pleased to be in your care!」
Bringing the nervous, stammering Mary along, I headed to buy our tickets.
「Here, Mary, use this. Step through the gate separately, okay?」
I bought her a transport IC card and handed it over. After we passed through the gates, we linked arms again.
「Alright… now where should we go…」
「Did you say something?」
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