Published: September 9, 2025
Note: The dragon encounter scene from the previous chapter (13-8) was revised on 2015/02/12.
Typo corrections were made on 2015/02/15.
This is Satou. Whenever I mention having a childhood friend of the opposite sex, people often assume they must be lovers. Each time, I would insist that a childhood friend’s romance only exists in fiction.
◇
“—Huh? Isn’t that the purple-haired hero from the other day?”
“Hey, long time no see.”
It seems they remembered Nanashi after all.
More composed than I expected—
“Is this the one who tortured Ten-chan?”
“That’s right, Mito. He gouged my immobile body, peeled off my scales, cut off my tail and horns! And on top of that...”
Tenchang, who had been trailing behind Mito as if hiding, trembled as she protested.
Inside, she seemed like a Celestial Dragon.
When our eyes met, she quickly hid behind Mito’s back like a bullied child.
—A Celestial Dragon acting so pathetic.
To avoid making things worse by staying silent, I decided to tell Mito the truth.
“You’re misunderstanding. That was treatment. I swear it wasn’t done to satisfy any sadistic desires.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah, of course. Even the tail and scales I cut off were healed with high-grade magic potions and spells.”
Mito glanced back, asking, “Ten-chan, is that true?”
It’s so like Mito to listen to both sides.
“That’s true, but... he even peeled off my reverse scales, you know? That hurts even when treated.”
“Well, it couldn’t be helped. The reverse scales were infected too. You wouldn’t choose to have your body taken over by a demon god, right?”
Though her tone remained resentful, Tenchang’s momentum gradually faded.
“So, you saved Ten-chan, right?”
“Yeah, I wish there was a gentler way, but I didn’t have anesthesia strong enough for a Celestial Dragon.”
Anesthesia potent enough for a Celestial Dragon would be a deadly poison causing heart failure in normal humans.
“Ten-chan, why don’t you say thank you and sorry to this person?”
“...Mito.”
Chastised by Mito, the silver-haired stunning beauty looked like a child.
“S-sorry... thank you...”
She muttered just that, then turned on her heels and fled deeper into the temple.
For a brief moment, just a little, I thought she looked cute.
But it was probably just my imagination.
◇
Now, to the main point.
“Mito, the one I needed to see wasn’t the Celestial Dragon, it was you.”
“Me? Could it be you’ve fallen for me~?”
Mito smiled broadly with delight.
Then, striking a theatrical pose, she started babbling.
“But it’s no good! Absolutely no good! Because I already have someone I promised a future with—my senpai.”
...That’s not me, right?
Because I don’t recall making any such promise.
“I have no such intentions, so don’t worry. More importantly, is there a quiet place where we can talk?”
Standing in a corridor isn’t ideal.
“Well then, let’s go to my room. Though calling it a room is a stretch—it’s a mansion big enough to fit a parliament hall.”
The room Mito led me to was a lavish mansion that could rival the reception hall in the Royal Capital. It was made of a pale green marble-like stone.
She took me to the parlor near the entrance.
When we sat down, a maid statue—called a Living Statue—poured warm tea for us.
Despite being a statue, her skill rivaled Lulu’s.
“Well then, now that we’re settled, let’s get to the main topic.”
“Yeah.”
I removed the purple wig and placed it on the sofa.
“Oh my, it was a wig? So your natural black hair means you were this generation’s hero—”
Mid-sentence, Mito’s eyes widened as I removed my white mask.
“—Eh? That beautiful face!”
Mito shouted upon seeing Nanashi’s face, which looked exactly like hers.
...Who’s calling me beautiful?
“You were a girl? Are you possibly a parallel-world version of me?”
“I’m a genuine male. This is just a disguise.”
I stopped talking and peeled off the face mask from my chin with a ripping sound.
Felt like a phantom thief.