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“So, what happened?”

“What do you think happened? The remaining organization members were all killed, and Lao Chen was imprisoned in the imperial penitentiary.”

“Just hearing about it sounds like one heck of a mission… I can’t believe something like that happened after I collapsed…”

“Oh wow, has it really gotten this late already?”

While catching up with an old companion, it had somehow turned completely dark around us.

I stood up, thinking that if I made Stella wait any longer, she’d definitely have something to say about it.

“I’m heading in now. You should do the same.”

“Ah, brother!”

“What is it?”

When I turned my head, Luke bowed his head to me and spoke in a serious tone.

“Thank you for saving my life that day.”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“I heard you asked Ras to save me when I went into the hideout against orders and got myself into danger.”

Did that brat spill everything in the end? He’s such a blabbermouth.

He seems a bit more composed now, but Luke is still cocky and rude.

“Uh… Why are you looking at me like that…”

He’s just a kid who got a mana circuit at a young age and thinks the world is a joke.

It feels like I’m looking at my past self, and I couldn’t just let him be.

“The strongest Red Demon, who eliminates designated targets at all costs, bowed his head and asked for my help! That’s really touching!”

“Yeah, yeah. Sigh… Well, I’m off then.”

Red Demon… Just saying it makes me cringe.

If I ever catch the punk who gave me that nickname, they won’t get away with it.

If I get caught, I’ll just destroy them. It was fine when I was just called Unknown Man, but ever since that Red Demon nickname appeared, a lot of annoying guys have tried to catch me.

The biggest problem among them is ‘her,’ that annoying woman.

“Haah… Speaking of which, what is Ras up to?”

“Oh, Ras will come soon, so just wait.”

“That sounds like him. Hope he’s doing well.”

After saying that, I went into the house and spoke to my parents who were in the kitchen.

“Is the story over? What about Stella?”

“She’s probably taking a bath now. She was so hungry she ate four bowls of soup!”

“Nova, how could you let her go hungry until this hour?!”

“Y-yeah…? That can’t be right…”

I’m pretty sure she had the four-person set meal to her heart’s content at the village restaurant before coming here, and most of it was devoured by Stella herself. How could she still be hungry?

I always wonder how that little body manages to digest such ridiculous amounts.

“…Well, I’ll go upstairs too. Today’s been a bit tiring.”

Going up to the second floor, I checked the bathroom and it looked like she had already finished her bath.

Unfortunately, there was no situation where we would meet right after she finished bathing, just with a towel wrapped around her.

At that moment, I heard a cute yet strange laughter coming from my room.

And that breathing sound… Something feels off! Is something going on?!

With a sense of unease, I dashed to my room, and there I saw her back, rubbing her face against the blanket on my bed and sniffing it.

“Gasp… Hehe…”

“…Stella?”

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“Nova, you’re late…”

It seems she’s talking with that little brat I met earlier…

Isn’t she talking a bit too long? She ate four bowls of soup and took a bath already. Does she really prefer talking with that old companion over me? It’s really annoying.

“Seriously… What are you doing?!”

Meeting with Nova’s parents and spilling our stories while eating delicious food was nice and all.

But why is she taking so long to come home?!… What’s their relationship anyway?

“Could it be that green-haired kid… and Nova are in a relationship…?”

She looks pretty cute and almost feminine at first glance.

I mean, it can’t be that… But what if Nova actually likes that kind of girl…?

While washing up, I raised my head and stared at the mirror in front of me.

In the mirror stood a finely featured girl with an intricate smile, looking like a doll.

I might be biased, but I was quite cute. No, I was definitely cute.

The only thing I disliked was that I was about a palm-sized shorter than girls my age, which made me a bit annoyed because everyone wanted to pat my head.

But if Nova pats my head, my face naturally softens with joy and I can’t stop him.

“Could it be that Nova really likes that type?”

But still, for someone like me, I should be safe enough. My chest is pretty ample, and I’m definitely taller than 150 cm; I’m absolutely not a loli, I swear!

“Hmm… Is this face unchanged?”

As I grew up, I realized anew that my face was not really different from my past life.

If I had to compare, the only differences were my hair color and slightly more androgynous appearance.

In fact, it caused me problems in my previous life as well, often leading me to be mistaken for a girl.

Even my best friend from my past life used to ask me several times, “Are you really a guy?”

It wasn’t until we went to the bathhouse together that I could prove my manhood.

At one point, when I asked why they doubted me so much, the answer was pathetic.

[No… Well then, act more like a guy! Why do you keep… No, never mind…]

“Seriously absurd… Am I not completely manly enough?”

I’m sure Nova fell for my masculine side too.

Just think about it: that contrast with my cute girl-like appearance is a charm of its own.

If Nova were a girl, I’d have swept her off her feet by now… what a shame.

“That guy keeps playing pranks on me… He really needs to learn some discipline.”

After living as a man for so long, would that guy even understand what it feels like to suddenly become a girl?

…Even though I said that, for some reason, adapting didn’t take long at all… Why is that?

It’s not like I have a similar body or appearance… It feels more like I’ve become accustomed to this current body…

“…Just a meaningless thought, I guess.”

After finishing my shower and changing into pajamas, I went upstairs.

The first floor is mostly divided into my parents’ bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen.

And the second floor should have one room where Nova and I used to sleep together, and a storage room.

“Shouldn’t there be two bedrooms?”

Nova’s room brought back familiar air and nostalgic memories.

We used to have pillow fights or play tag here; it was really fun, and those cheerful times felt vivid like they were just yesterday.

In the corner of my room, the bed was covered with fluffy new bedding.

The carpet on the floor felt plush as if it had been freshly cleaned, almost as if it was prepared for my return.

“Well… I’m really grateful for the new room, but… ugh!”

I went straight into the room we used to share and dove onto the bed.

There’s just something comforting about the place I’ve always used…

On the desk was my favorite scented candle lit, and its gentle aroma filled the room.

“This is the scent of home… It feels kinda weird…”

The unique smell of wood from the cabin tickled my nose. As I pulled the blanket around me,

I suddenly halted at a familiar scent brushing against my nose.

“…Nova?”

I gathered myself and, clutching the blanket, took a deep breath.

Yep… there’s no doubt about it, that scent belongs to Nova. Has he visited often?

His gentle yet slightly sweet scent mixed in a strange way.

Warm and subtly permeating. It felt almost as if Nova were right beside me.

Snuggle snuggle

“This isn’t good…”

I muttered internally as I tried to let go of the blanket, but my hands just wouldn’t listen.

Instead, I hugged the blanket tighter and inhaled his scent deeply.

Inhale, exhale

Breathing in and letting it out. It felt like warmth enveloped my entire body gently.

This really isn’t good… Something about this… feels addictive. I want to stay like this forever.

I understand in my mind that this shouldn’t be happening, but it feels too… warm.

“Sigh… Hehe…”

“Stella?”

“!?!??!”

In that instant, my heart seemed to stop, and my entire body froze. I shot myself up from the bed.

Then, slumping back onto the bed, I tried to act as casual as possible while looking at Nova.

“Ah, you’re back?”

I acted like nothing had happened, just rolling around on the bed.

“Uh… um…”

Nova seemed at a loss for words, scratching his head awkwardly.

Ah… He definitely saw that… I seriously wanna die now… I wish I could just crawl into a hole.

So embarrassing… My face is burning up even more.

He should just say something… Why is he just standing there?

“So, you know? Um… I think that side of you is nice too.”

“Ugh… Uhhh…”

“It’s okay… They say it happens. Just calm down and put down the pillow in your hands…”

“Aaah!!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Hey, wait a second, Stella! That hurts! I’m serious! I didn’t see anything, cough!”

 

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