Chapter 99: Ruti’s cheeks dye red
Translator: Tseirp
Afternoon.
“It’s about time we go home.”
I said as I looked at the sun start tilting down toward the horizon.
“Mmm … yeah, I guess it’s about time.”
“Eh, isn’t it still early!?”
“But if we take our traveling time into consideration, it would be sunset before we reach home if we do not leave now.”
” … All right. But let’s come back again.”
“Yeah, we’ll come back together with everyone.”
Lit comforted Tanta who was feeling disappointed.
“Ruti, are you satisfied?”
“Yup, it was fun. I want to come back again.”
In the end, Ruti fished up less than the child of the group, Tanta.
However, Ruti’s extremely reluctant expression as she started keeping the tools told me that she enjoyed herself today.
I’m glad we came fishing today.
☆☆
“Good job everyone. Tomorrow, I’ll be cooking the fish we caught today so please drop by my shop if you want to.”
“Yup, I’ll definitely come.”
Tanta replied the quickest. I ruffled Tanta’s hair.
“The fish from the winter sea has exceptional fatty meat. Look forward to it.”
“Yay~”
Ruti raised both hands in the air. Ordinary people might find her expression hard to interpret but I could tell that she had a full smile on her face.
“Then, we will disperse here. Tanta should show Mido, Nao, and Gonz what you caught. They’ll definitely be surprised.”
“Yup! Red-oniichan, thank you for today!”
“Hn, see you tomorrow then.”
And so our rest day ended happily … or so it seemed.
“Hey Onii-chan.”
Just as everyone was about to leave for home, Ruti called out to me and Lit.
“What is it?”
“The ring on Lit’s left hand, did Onii-chan give it?”
I felt as if the air froze.
Tise and Tanta stopped moving and everyone stared in our direction.
Ruti looked directly at me with clear eyes. Within her eyes was the same aura that intimidated her opponents when she was the 『Hero』.
I took a deep breath and slowly opened my mouth.
“Ah yes. I proposed last night.”
I heard Tise gulp. Lit seemed nervous and she clenched her fists tightly. Tanta looked between Ruti and me anxiously.
“Onii-chan.”
Ruti, who was shorter than I was, stared up into my eyes.
Then,
“Congratulations, I’m happy for you.”
She said and smiled happily.
☆☆
“Phew, I was so nervous.”
After parting with everyone, Lit smiled as she relaxed both her arms.
“But I’m surprised. Ruti loves Red so much that I imagined she would be in a bad mood after her Onii-chan was snatched away.”
“Yeah. But Ruti did not develop affection for others apart from myself because of her divine protection. With that gone, perhaps she might find someone else attractive too.”
Due to Ruti’s mental resistance from her 『Hero』 divine protection, she was in a state where she could not embrace human affection toward others. Before her mental resistance was perfected, in other words, her feeling of affection toward me when we were together before her level increased was the only affection she could feel.
However, with Ruti’s 『Shin』, she could freely apply or remove her resistances.
The current Ruti could grow to love anybody.
“I kind of feel a little lonely since it feels like she will be leaving her older brother.”
“Red is pretty much a siscon after all.”
“Muu … I don’t deny it.”
“What would you do if that Drake Rider Otto became Ruti’s partner?’
“I’ll assassinate him.”
“Do-don’t say that with such a serious face. It doesn’t sound like a joke at all.”
I intended it as a joke but … if that time ever came, would I be able to accept it calmly?
I would probably assassinate him if the partner was Ares though.
“Sheesh, Red.”
Lit smiled bitterly as if she had read my thoughts.
☆☆
(I could tell that would be the conversation Red-san and Lit-san would be having.)
I am Tise‧Garland. An assassin and the close friend of Hero-sama in love.
Just a while ago, Ruti-sama congratulated Red-san and Lit-san on their engagement.
At a glance, it probably seemed like Ruti-sama gave up on Red-san and blessed their future together.
Red-san and the others probably thought that Ruti-sama’s love problem had been resolved.
But they were wrong. Being with her all the time, I could tell.
“Ruti-sama. Are you sure?”
“About?”
“Red-san and Lit-san.”
“Yeah.”
Ruti-sama nodded.
“Lit is a good person and will cherish Onii-chan. I recently started thinking that it might be good if a person like her became Onii-chan’s wife.”
“Is that so? That’s good … but won’t you be lonely once Red-san is married?”
“Lonely? Why?”
“Er …”
“I am his younger sister so I can’t marry Onii-chan. So I will yield the wife position to Lit-san.”
“Eh, err?”
“We can still be lovers without getting married.”
As expected, the problem has not disappeared at all!
Ruti-sama seemed to have remembered today’s Red-san. The limited expression doll-like face turned a little red.
“Onii-chan is tolerant so he can accommodate two easily. Lit can be the number one wife while I will be the number one lover.”
” …… ”
Red-san, you are making a huge misunderstanding.
Ruti-sama is certainly capable of finding a new love. However, love does not increase at a constant rate. It is going to concentrate more on the people where she has a higher likelihood of loving.
Just as she can form new love, Ruti-sama’s positive feeling for Red-san will keep increasing daily with the sky as the limit.
Or rather, haven’t we already past the point where there was no return?
Both Ugeuge-san on my shoulder and I tilted our heads worryingly.