Chapter 191 (2/2)

… Okay…

“That wasn’t my intention when I first went out on our journey with the hero here beside me… All I wanted was to finish this as quick as possible and return to your side… But we worked together, and after the years some bonds were made… He saved me from peril many times and my perception of him changed, from a reliable person to a dear person…. and then those feelings changed to love…”

…

“And he also had those feelings… By the time we defeated the Demon Lord we had already…”

… Figures… As I thought, the scene I saw at that time was not my misunderstanding or nothing…

“That’s why, although I know I’m saying something really selfish… I know that I’m just saying this after it happened, and that this is the least I can do to settle things in my heart… I know that I’m hurting you… But I wanted to tell you this myself… I know that doing this will only hurt you more but, I can’t make it as if our seriousness that time was nonexistent, and it has been tormenting me up until now…

I’m really sorry… I’m sorry I’m being selfish…”

I didn’t say anything. Midways I hanged my head down… And didn’t look at Aria at all.

They might have gotten tired of waiting because with a sound I was able to tell that Aria and Hero-sama got up…

When Aria and her party were leaving the room, I looked at Aria’s back and said just one thing.

“Be happy.”

I don’t know if she heard me… But I wasn’t able to say anything else… There might be something else I could have said… But I couldn’t think of anything else… If I had not run away that time, something might have changed… But I ran away… Is there anything else I can say…?

‘You were special for me too…’

I whispered that in my heart…

After Aria and her party left, I turn towards the girls.

“… I’m fine!! I’m unexpectedly calm!!”

Even after I said that, the girls give me worried looks. What is it? When I was thinking that, I felt water hitting my hands. I touch my cheeks with my hands and realized that at some point I started crying. Even though I wasn’t planning on cry…

“I-I’m sorry!! This is just… Some dust got in my eye.”

I don’t want them to se this unsightly side of me.

But the girls just hugged me tightly.

“… It’s okay… It’s okay to cry.”

I don’t know who said that… It could have been all of them… but…

The moment that genlte voice entered my ears, I started sobbing and just kept crying…