Chapter 106

Chapter 106. The Blonde is Too Much (1)

It’s been a week since the showdown between Berald and Rios.

As the school gradually becomes more lively in preparation for the final evaluations, I’ve been frequenting the training grounds to internalize the new insights I’ve gained recently.

Of course, I didn’t push myself to the point of exhaustion like last time.

‘If I did that, I might collapse again.’

Since the side effects of Ash Fire couldn’t even be healed by the Blessing of Resurrection, I needed to be cautious.

Anyway.

Today, after finishing training with Yuren and Berald, I was heading back to my dorm room.

“Ah, Dale!”

A familiar voice calling me.

Turning my head, I saw the Saintess with her pink hair, holding a thick paper envelope, waiting for me.

Iris ran over with a bright smile.

“Did you just come back from the training grounds, Yuren?”

“Yeah.”

“…You’re not overdoing it again, are you?”

Iris looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

“I’m keeping it in check. I came back early today, didn’t I?”

“Hmm. You always say you’re fine, so I don’t trust you at all.”

Iris, still suspicious, turned on her Hero Watch.

“Wait a sec. I’ll ask Yuren to send me your recent training grounds attendance records.”

“What?”

Since when did they start exchanging that kind of information?

“Your usage has increased a lot over the past week… But you’ve been getting enough sleep. Ah, and you’ve been eating properly too, right?”

Iris nodded as she carefully examined the attendance records Yuren sent.

Her meticulous checking of my every move made me stifle a laugh.

‘Feels like I’ve become a golden child.’

It might be excessive worry, but it also brought back some nostalgic feelings, which wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

“Hmph. Do I need a reason to come see you?”

Iris puffed out her cheeks with a pout.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Hehe. Just kidding.”

Iris smiled as if she hadn’t been pouting at all.

“I came because I have something to tell you. And also…”

She trailed off, glancing around to see if anyone was nearby.

“Shall we go inside?”

“Sure.”

I opened the door and went in.

Compared to Iris’s room, my dorm room was so old and small that it was hard to believe it was in the same school, but it had everything I needed.

“Tea? Or coffee?”

“Cook me some ramen!”

“No.”

Ramen? Right after coming in?

“It’s too late for ramen, Saintess.”

“It’s fine. I have a metabolism where all the fat goes to my chest.”

“……”

Did I just hear something that would make half of humanity her enemy?

“Alright. Wait a bit.”

Following Iris’s strong request, I cooked some ramen and served it to her.

“Mmm~! It’s so delicious!”

A Saintess eating ramen late at night in a male dorm room.

‘Thinking about it, it feels surreal.’

I smiled wryly as I watched Iris finish the ramen.

“By the way, didn’t you say you had something to tell me earlier?”

“Ah, right. Are you free this weekend?”

This weekend?

“I’ll probably be at the training grounds all day. Why?”

“Remember when we went to volunteer at the orphanage last time?”

“Ah, yeah. I remember.”

I nodded, recalling the memory from a few months ago.

“Since the final evaluations are coming up and things will get busy, I wanted to visit one more time before that.”

“I see.”

“If you’re okay with it, could you come with me again?”

I looked at her sparkling eyes and stifled a wry smile.

‘How can I refuse?’

I’ve been busy lately with new insights, but I wasn’t so busy that I couldn’t spare a day.

“Sure, I’ll go.”

“Really? You’ll come with me?”

Iris smiled like a blooming flower.

“Hehe. The kids will definitely be thrilled!”

“But did you wait outside my room late at night just to ask that?”

Couldn’t she have just asked me over the Hero Watch?

“Well… there’s something else too.”

Iris blushed slightly and hugged the thick paper envelope she was holding earlier.

“Can you step outside for a moment?”

“Why?”

“Just for a bit!”

Instead of answering, she pushed me out of the room.

I tilted my head in confusion but followed her instructions and stepped out into the dorm hallway.

After waiting for about five minutes.

“You, you can come in now.”

Iris’s voice came from behind the door.

Click.

I opened the door and entered to see…

“Ahem. Welcome back, Master.”

Iris, dressed in a neat maid outfit.

She stood with her hands clasped in front of her white apron, bowing her head as if measured with a ruler.

“…Iris?”

“Yes, Master.”

Iris approached me with a mischievous smile.

“What’s with this…?”

“You said you liked maid outfits before, didn’t you? So I thought I’d try wearing one.”

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it, there was that ridiculous misunderstanding(?) before.

Since nothing came of it afterward, I thought it was just a passing incident, but I never expected Iris to show up in a maid outfit.

“It took some time to alter the chest area. How do I look? Does it suit me?”

Iris lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and twirled around.

Her swaying pink hair and the sweet scent tickling my nose.

The sight of the Saintess, blessed by the seven gods, in a maid outfit in my room was so surreal it felt like a dream.

‘I don’t think we even had events like this when we were lovers.’

Back then, the war with the Mains was intensifying, so there wasn’t much time for sweet events (whether maid outfit play was a thing or not).

‘Thank goodness for the regression.’

As I was trembling with emotion(?), Iris looked at me with anxious eyes.

“…Does it not suit me?”

Seeing no reaction, Iris looked at me with worried eyes.

I gave her a thumbs-up in response.

Iris, now with a brighter expression, pointed to a chair.

“Here, sit down, Master. I’ll give you a shoulder massage.”

“No, you don’t have to go that far…”

“Ssh. Come on.”

Iris tapped the chair with a stern expression.

‘Who’s the master here?’

I stifled a wry smile and sat down as she commanded.

“Hehe. Tell me if it hurts, okay?”

Iris went behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

Thump.

An indescribably soft sensation touched the back of my head.

“How is it? Does it feel good?”

“……”

I can’t even think about my shoulders with that holy sensation on the back of my head.

“Hmm… Maybe I need to use more strength?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Not that?”

“……”

How can I explain?

The blessed(?) sensation on the back of my head is so sacred that I can’t even think about whether my shoulders feel good or not.

“I’ll try using a bit more strength.”

With that, Iris let out a small grunt and applied more pressure with her hands.

Thump, thump.

As she leaned forward naturally, the stimulation on the back of my head intensified.

‘No way.’

Is she doing this on purpose?

As I desperately tried to hold onto my slipping rationality.

“Ssh. Strange… He should have fallen by now… Is this guy made of steel?”

A faint murmur reached my ears.

If I hadn’t become a ‘Furnace’ and drastically improved my physical abilities, I wouldn’t have been able to hear such a soft voice.

“What did you just say…?”

“Huh? I didn’t say anything.”

Turning my head, Iris tilted her head with wide eyes.

“Well, that’s enough for today.”

She removed her hands from my shoulders and covered her mouth with her hand, giving me a sly wink.

“Next time, I’ll wear it again for you, Master?”

“……”

It seems.

Even if she’s a Saintess-turned-maid, it doesn’t mean her heart is pure.

* * *

Saturday.

I headed to the meeting spot with Iris.

Camila had already arrived at the meeting spot.

“Long time no see.”

I waved and approached her, but Camila glared at me with her arms crossed.

“Hmph. I haven’t seen you in class lately. Heard you got suspended? You really are a troublemaker.”

“What, were you worried about me because you didn’t see me?”

“W-who’s worried about you!”

Camila shouted angrily.

I chuckled and looked around.

“Where’s Iris?”

“The Saintess is taking longer to get ready.”

“Huh? What kind of preparation?”

“Ugh. Don’t even ask. Since dawn, she’s been worrying about what to wear, if her hair is messy, how to do her makeup naturally… Ugh.”

Camila sighed deeply, holding her forehead.

‘She’s having a hard time.’

I smiled wryly and avoided Camila’s sharp gaze.

“Anyway, since the Saintess will take a bit longer, I’ll head to the school store first.”

“Why the store?”

“Priest Antonio said the kids at the orphanage really wanted to try the bread from the Hero School store, so he asked if I could bring some.”

“I see.”

Indeed, the store inside the Hero School had many limited-edition breads that were hard to find outside.

‘Since it’s where candidates from three countries gather.’

With the culinary cultures of three different countries in one place, it was natural to have many unique products.

“How many do we need to buy?”

“Hmm… Considering the number of kids, about 50? Maybe more, depending on how much they eat.”

That’s quite a lot.

“Let’s go before it gets too late. The limited-edition breads sell out fast.”

“Ah, no need to go yourself.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

I raised my arm with the Hero Watch on it towards the confused Camila.

“I have a friend who’s really good at buying bread… or rather, a bread courier.”

“……?”

I smirked as I said that.

Click.

I turned on the Hero Watch and sent a message to my ‘friend.’

“See, just one simple click and…”

As I chatted with Camila, killing time.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

A blonde pretty boy came running from afar.

On his back was a large backpack, like a peddler’s.

“Huff, huff, huff! D-Dale! I got the bread!”

Juliet, drenched in sweat, put down the backpack full of bread.

He carefully approached me and held out his hand.

“A-and here’s the change…”

“Ah, forget the change between friends. Keep it.”

Of course, I never gave Juliet any money for the bread in the first place.

“See? Got it quick, right?”

I put my arm around Juliet’s shoulder and smirked.