Episode 157. Be Youthful (2)

“So, what happened next?”

Iris’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in close, her face just a breath away.

Her pretty face, now so close, made me flinch.

They say even the most beautiful face gets boring after three years.

But even after seeing her for over ten years, including my past life, my heart still skipped a beat every time.

“Mr. Dale?”

“Ah, sorry. What were we talking about?”

“We were talking about Sophia and Mr. Berald!”

Iris puffed out her cheeks, stomping her feet in excitement.

“So, did you give Mr. Berald’s contact info?”

“Yeah.”

“And then? Are they keeping in touch?”

“I don’t know about that.”

All I did was give Sophia Mr. Berald’s contact info.

I had no idea if they were keeping in touch after that.

“No! That’s the most important part! How can you not know?!”

Iris smacked her chest in frustration.

I stifled a laugh as I watched her stomp her feet in frustration.

‘I never thought Iris would be so interested in other people’s love lives.’

Well, it’s not uncommon for candidates our age to get excited about romance.

Even if they’re heroes or superhumans with Holy Marks, they’re still young people interested in the opposite sex.

‘Not that I’m one to talk.’

Not long ago, I confessed my feelings to both Iris and Yurina and was waiting for their responses. I wasn’t exactly in a position to judge.

“Ugh! Mr. Dale, you’re so clueless! I was so curious about how they’re doing!”

Iris puffed out her cheeks and lightly pinched the back of my hand.

I forced a bitter smile and shrugged.

“But… do you think they’ll be okay?”

“Why?”

“Well, honestly, they don’t seem like a good match.”

Berald, who’s over two meters tall, and Sophia, who’s barely up to his waist.

It’s like Beauty and the Beast… no, more like Girl and the Beast.

“Hmm. That’s just because you don’t know better, Mr. Dale! Opposites attract, you know!”

“Really?”

From what I remember in my past life, most tall women liked tall men, and short women also liked tall men.

‘Wait.’

Then who likes short men?

Huh? Who’s going to love someone like me?

‘Ah, no. Right. I shouldn’t compare myself to Berald.’

Honestly, I wasn’t that short, considering I didn’t eat well growing up.

“Anyway! I can’t agree that Sophia and Mr. Berald aren’t a good match!”

“Haha. Alright.”

“But Sophia definitely seems interested in Mr. Berald… What about Mr. Berald?”

“Berald?”

“Yeah. You meet him often, so you must know his type, right?”

“Ah… well.”

Well, you see…

What should I say… um…

“Huhu. Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that big guys like Mr. Berald often like small, cute girls.”

“……”

“Right? Am I right?”

“Uh… yeah, sure.”

“See! I knew it!”

“……”

I couldn’t bring myself to reveal Berald’s preferences in front of Iris.

“Ah… haha. Sorry. I got too excited, didn’t I? I’ve been really interested in… romance lately.”

As she said that, she glanced at me.

Naturally, memories of last summer vacation came to mind, and an awkward atmosphere settled in.

“Ah, well, maybe I should just ask Berald directly?”

I quickly changed the subject to break the awkwardness.

“Can you do that?”

“Well, it’s not that hard.”

I turned on my Hero Watch and sent a message to Berald.

[Hey.]

[Huh? What’s up, bro?]

He replied immediately.

[Have you been in touch with Sophia lately?]

[Yeah. Turns out we get along pretty well, so we’ve been talking a lot.]

“Ooh.”

Good to know they’re keeping in touch.

[Actually, I’m having lunch with Sophia today.]

“What?”

Wait, they’re not just talking—they’re meeting up alone?

‘This guy… I didn’t think he had it in him.’

As I tilted my head in confusion, another message came in.

[Want to join us?]

[No, I’m good.]

[That’s a shame. It would’ve been better if you came.]

You crazy bastard.

Why would I want to get caught in that mess?

‘But judging from his reaction, he hasn’t realized Sophia’s feelings yet.’

Even if Berald’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, if he had noticed Sophia’s feelings, he wouldn’t have invited me.

“Hmm.”

I sent another message.

[Where are you meeting?]

[At the Annex Restaurant at 1.]

1 o’clock. Annex Restaurant.

[Alright. Enjoy your meal.]

[Next time, you should definitely join us!]

[Sure.]

After turning off my Hero Watch, I made eye contact with Iris.

“What did he say? What did he say?”

Iris’s eyes sparkled like a child waiting for a gift.

“…Iris.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s have lunch at the Annex Restaurant today.”

Yeah, no need to make excuses to Iris.

Honestly, I was just as curious.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Even though I’ve lived for thousands of years, including my past life.

Surprisingly, the word “youth” still lives on in my heart.

* * *

“Ah, there! There they are, Mr. Dale!”

“Shh.”

Iris and I sneaked into the Annex Restaurant where Berald and Sophia were supposed to meet.

While I might blend in, Iris stood out, so we disguised ourselves and used magic to hide our presence.

But even with all our precautions, Berald and Sophia were both formidable.

We sat far enough away to avoid being noticed.

“At first glance… the atmosphere doesn’t seem bad.”

Berald and Sophia were chatting while eating the day’s recommended menu.

“What are they talking about, Mr. Dale?”

“Hold on.”

I enhanced my hearing with magic.

From dozens of meters away, I could faintly hear their conversation.

“Do you come to the Annex Restaurant often, Sophia?”

“Now and then.”

“Do you like any particular cuisine?”

“I like Holy Kingdom food.”

“…Really?”

“Why? It’s clean and not too heavy.”

“Wow. I’ve never met anyone who likes Holy Kingdom food before.”

It was just light small talk—neither too friendly nor too awkward.

The kind of conversation two people just starting to get interested in each other would have.

“They seem to be talking comfortably, right?”

“Really?”

Iris watched Berald and Sophia with keen interest.

“Ah, they look so good together.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Can’t you see the honey dripping from their eyes?”

“……”

I wouldn’t go that far.

“Seeing them reminds me of when we first had a meal together, Mr. Dale.”

“…You mean when we cooked ramen on the mountain?”

“Shh! Don’t ruin it.”

“……”

It seemed that even the memory of cooking ramen on the mountain had turned romantic in her mind.

While Iris reminisced, I watched Berald and Sophia.

‘Who would’ve thought the future would change like this?’

Considering their past relationship, this was a hard-to-imagine pairing.

‘This… isn’t so bad.’

While it’s important to prepare for the war against the Devil God by leading my past comrades to greater heights.

Seeing them find pure “happiness” warmed my heart.

‘None of us ever got to enjoy a proper youth.’

Iris, Yuren, Berald, Sophia, and even me.

At this age, we should’ve experienced the fluttering and excitement of youth.

But we were too burdened by life to enjoy it.

‘But now…’

It’s different.

Now, we can enjoy the youth we never dared to dream of, the sparkling happiness.

I made it happen.

“……”

That thought filled my chest with emotion.

I silently watched them for a while.

“Ah, Mr. Dale. They’re moving.”

“Let’s follow.”

After finishing their meal, Berald and Sophia moved to a café on campus to continue their conversation over coffee.

Just as I was feeling satisfied with how well things were going.

I overheard their conversation.

“Ah, by the way, you have a unique way of using magic, right? Like grabbing and throwing magic orbs or using them as platforms…”

“Ah, you mean Berald Martial Arts?”

“…That’s what it’s called?”

“Hehe. There’s a story behind the name.”

Berald scratched his head with an awkward smile.

“That magic… or martial arts, was it?”

“Call it whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Really? So how does it work?”

“Hmm. It’s hard to explain.”

“Ah, is it related to the microscopic world?”

“Huh? Microscopic world?”

Wait, hold on.

“Hahaha! I never thought you’d know about the microscopic world, Sophia!”

No, no, no.

Wait, you idiot.

“Microscopic world magic is something I’m quite interested in.”

“I’m very interested in it too!”

“Really? What exactly got you interested in it?”

“…Stop him.”

“Kuh! Above all, it’s the microscopic world’s unique fragility…”

“Shut that guy’s mouth!!!!!”

Thud!

I screamed as if in agony and leapt to my feet.