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『Hah... You really got me this time.』
“Gousetsu…”
In the aftermath of the battle, Gousetsu slowly rose to his feet.
Allen stepped in front of Charlotte, shielding her as he faced the enemy.
“You still want to fight? You’d be better off not wasting your strength.”
『Hardly. This old body may be worn out, but...after crossing blades with you, I know well enough the difference in our strength.』
Gousetsu slowly shook his head...then bowed deeply.
『I concede defeat. You’ve bested me, completely.』
"I-Is that so?"
Allen’s eyes widened. Hell Capybaras were notoriously stubborn. Once they made up their minds, they wouldn't change no matter what. But Gosetsu's words didn't seem to be a lie.
“Huh… You're surprisingly reasonable for a Hell Capybara.”
『What a thing to say!』
Gosetsu said matter-of-factly, laughing like a good old man.
『It would be terribly uncouth to interfere with young people in love, wouldn’t it?』
“......Huh?”
『Your words just now struck even this old heart. I thought you had kept your feelings bottled up... but it seems you’ve expressed them quite clearly. Even without my knowing.』
"What on earth are you talking abo.........Ah!?"
At that moment, he finally realized.
What he had blurted out just now.
(Did I say, The woman I love...!?)
Heat flushed through his entire body.
Luu looked at him and sighed, exasperated.
『I mean, I knew you liked Mama, but...I didn’t expect that kind of confession.』
『Could it be… that was your first confession? Truly?』
“Stop it, both of you! Don’t gang up on me like that!”
The surrounding monsters chimed in freely, with comments like 『No way...』,『Lame.』,『Actually, maybe it’s cool in a roundabout way?』
Allen roared at them to shut up and clutched his head in despair.
But what was said couldn’t be unsaid.
He had imagined the perfect confession, clever words, a thoughtful gift, a beautiful backdrop.
All of that was ruined.
(...But, I guess this is more like me.)
No point dwelling on it now.
He straightened up, turned on his heel, and faced Charlotte.
“Uh, Charlotte… so yeah. That’s how I feel.”
“…………”
Charlotte was still frozen, blushing furiously.
It was obvious she understood exactly what Allen had just said.
If Allen made an excuse or laughed it off, she would surely play along and pretend it hadn’t happened.
But Allen had sworn, he wouldn’t run away.
He looked her straight in the eyes and said it.
“I love you. I’m in love with you. Please… go out with me.”
No fancy phrasing, no poetry. Just simple, honest words.
They were everything Allen had to give.
Charlotte, still beet red, listened silently. Allen just waited for a reply. Five seconds. Ten seconds... one minute. Finally, five minutes had passed.
Eventually, Charlotte slowly opened her mouth.
A weak voice spilled from her soft lips.
“I...”
“I...”
“I’m sorry...!”
She rushed past Allen and leapt onto Luu’s back.
“Please! Luu-chan!”
"Huh? Erm, yeah. Got it."
She rode on Luu and ran up the wall, disappearing from the vertical hole in an instant. Allen couldn't chase after her, and could only watch her go.
".........Huh?"
『Ah… well. Chin up, young man.』
Gousetsu gently patted the freshly-rejected Allen on the shoulder with one of his paws.