Chapter 157: Youth, Indeed (2)

Iris leaned in, eyes sparkling with excitement. “S-so? What happened after that?”

Her face drew close enough that I instinctively flinched. At this distance, I could even feel her breath. They said no matter how beautiful someone was, after three years, you would eventually get tired of seeing their face. Yet I had been looking at hers for over ten years now—counting my previous life—and was far from being tired; my heart still skipped a beat every time I saw her.

Seeing me distracted, Iris said, “Dale?”

“Ah, sorry! What were we talking about again?”

She huffed and stamped her foot impatiently. “About Senior Sophia and Berald! So? Did you give her his contact information?”

“Yeah.”

“And? What happened next? Are they messaging each other?”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

All I had done was pass along Berald’s contact to Senior Sophia. Whether they actually kept in touch afterward wasn’t something I had followed up on.

Iris smacked her chest in frustration. “What? That’s the most important part! How could you not know that?”

Watching her stomp around like that, I couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. I had never thought Iris would be this interested in someone else’s love life. Then again, cadets her age being fascinated with romance wasn’t exactly unusual. Heroes or not, soul stigmata or not, they were young people with hearts quick to turn toward love.

I was not in any position to talk either. After all, I had recently confessed my feelings to both Iris and Yurina and was still waiting for their answers. It was hardly the time for me to act like a detached bystander.

Pouting, Iris puffed out her cheeks and pinched the back of my hand. “Ugh, you’re useless! I really wanted to know if they were getting along!”

I gave a wry smile and shrugged. “But do you think they would actually make a good pair?”

“Why not?”

“Well, let’s be honest, it’s not exactly the most natural match.”

Berald was well over two meters tall, while Senior Sophia barely came up to his waist. It was less “Beauty and the Beast” and more like “Little Maiden and the Beast.”

“Hmph. That’s because you don’t understand, Dale! Sometimes, it’s the complete opposites who are drawn to each other the most!”

“Is that so?”

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

Wait. Then who on earth likes short men? What about guys like me? Who’s supposed to love us? No, no. Stop that. I can’t compare myself to Berald of all people. Besides, for someone who didn’t exactly grow up with the best nutrition, I am not that short.

“Anyway! I still think Senior Sophia and Berald go well together!” Iris said.

“Haha. Alright, alright.”

“Senior Sophia definitely seems interested in him, but what about Berald? What’s his type?”

“Berald?”

“Yes. You see him all the time, so you must know what kind of women he likes.”

“Ah, well…”

How was I supposed to put this?

Iris said, “Hehe. You know, I once heard that big guys like Berald often prefer smaller, cuter girls.”

I had no words.

“Am I right?” she asked.

“Uh, y-yeah. That sounds about right.”

“I knew it! I had a feeling!”

There was no way I was about to tell Iris the actual details of Berald’s preferences.

“Ah!Haha. Sorry, I’m getting carried away.” Giving me a sideways glance, she continued, “I’ve just been… really interested in romance lately.”

The memory of what had happened over the last break immediately surfaced, and the air between us grew uncomfortably heavy.

I quickly changed the subject to break the awkwardness. “A-anyway, instead of guessing, why don’t I just ask Berald directly?”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Sure. It’s no big deal.”

I pulled up my Hero Watch and sent him a message.

Dale: Yo.

The reply came back almost instantly.

Berald: Hm? What is it, Brother?

Dale: You’ve been in touch with Senior Sophia lately?

Berald: Yes. Turns out we get along surprisingly well. We’ve been talking a lot.

After seeing the reply, I said out loud, “Oooh!”

They were indeed keeping in touch.

Berald sent another message.

Berald: In fact, I’m supposed to have lunch with her today.

“What?”

Not only messages, but actual lunch plans? And alone? That doesn’t sound like him at all.

While I was frowning at the screen, another message popped up.

Berald: Would you like to join us, Brother?

Dale: No, I’ll pass.

Berald: Really? That’s a shame. I think it’d be more fun with you there.

You crazy bastard. What am I supposed to do, third-wheel and ruin everything? Still, from the way he’s talking, it doesn’t seem like he’s realized Senior Sophia’s feelings yet.

Even Berald, dim-witted as he could be, wouldn’t be casually inviting me along if he had picked up on her interest.

I pondered it for a moment, then typed another message.

Dale: Where are you meeting?

Berald: At one o’clock, in front of the annex cafeteria.

Dale: Alright. Enjoy your meal.

Berald: Next time, you really must join us!

Dale: Yeah, yeah.

I powered down the Hero Watch, then lifted my gaze to meet Iris’s expectant eyes.

Her eyes sparkled like a child begging for a gift. “What did he say? What did he say?”

“Iris,” I said.

“Yes?”

“Want to have lunch at the annex cafeteria today?”

Really, there was no need to use Iris as an excuse. Honestly, I was dying of curiosity too. Even after thousands of years, counting my previous life, it seemed like the word youth still lingered somewhere in my heart.

***

Iris and I snuck into the annex cafeteria. I could probably blend in, but Iris stood out too much, so she had disguised herself and even cloaked her presence with magic. She spotted Berald and Senior Sophia soon.

“Ah, there, over there! That’s him, Dale!” Iris said.

“Shh.”

No matter how careful we were, both Berald and Senior Sophia were skilled enough to sense anything unusual. So, Iris and I sat at a distance, far enough not to be noticed.

“At least from here, the mood doesn’t look too bad.”

Berald and Senior Sophia had ordered the daily special and were chatting pleasantly as they ate.

“What are they saying, Dale?”

“Wait a second.”

I stirred my mana, sharpening my hearing. Their voices, faint but clear, drifted over from dozens of meters away.

“Do you come to the annex cafeteria often, Senior Sophia?” Berald asked.

“Now and then.”

“Do you have a favorite cuisine?”

“I like Holy Empire food,” she replied.

“Seriously?”

“Why? It’s clean and light, and easy to eat.”

“Huh. Can’t say I’ve met anyone who actually likes Holy Empire food before.”

Light and harmless small talk, exactly the kind of conversation between two people just starting to show interest in one another.

“Seems like they’re getting along without any awkwardness,” I said.

“Really?” Iris watched them with wide, eager eyes. “Ahh! They look so good together.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. Can’t you see how their eyes are practically dripping honey?”

Not that much honey, honestly, I thought.

Iris continued, “Watching them like this reminds me of the first time you and I had a meal together.”

“Didn’t we just cook ramen on that hillside?”

“Tsk! Don’t ruin the mood.”

Apparently, in her memory, even that humble ramen meal had become something romantic.

While Iris was lost in her little daydream, I turned back to watch Berald and Senior Sophia. Who would’ve thought their future could change like this? Knowing what I remembered of their relationship in the past, this pairing was hard to imagine. But it wasn’t bad at all.

Guiding my old comrades to greater heights, preparing them for the war against the Demon God’s army was, of course, important. However, seeing them discover something as simple and pure as happiness warmed me in a way I hadn’t expected.

None of us ever had a real youth. Not Iris, not Yuren, not Berald, not Senior Sophia, not even me. We never knew what it was to feel those innocent flutters or heart-pounding moments. Our youth had been nothing more than days crushed under the weight of survival.

But now, things were different. We could finally taste the sparkling happiness we had never dared to reach for in our past lives. And that was something I had made possible. The thought filled me with a strange pride, swelling in my chest.

I quietly watched the two of them a while longer.

Seeing them finish their meal and get up, Iris said, “Ah, Dale, they’re moving to another place.”

“Let’s follow them.”

Berald and Senior Sophia went to a campus cafe, continuing their conversation over coffee. The meeting was going better than I could’ve hoped. I was just beginning to smile in satisfaction when their words reached my ears again.

“By the way, you have such a unique way of using magic. Grabbing Mana Bullets with your bare hands, throwing them, even using them as footholds,” Senior Sophia said.

“Ahh, you mean the Berald Combat Style?”

“That’s what it’s called?”

Berald scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “Heh. There’s a bit of a story behind the name.”

“That spell, or combat style, whatever you call it, how does it actually work?”

“Hmm, hard to explain in words.”

“Oh? Could it be related to the microscopic world?” she asked.

“Hmm? Microscopic world?”

Wait. Hold on, I thought.

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

No, no, no. Shut up. Shut your damn mouth, I screamed internally.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the microscopic world’s magic,” Senior Sophia replied.

“I’m also deeply interested in it!” Berald said in excitement.

“Really? Then what part caught your interest?”

I muttered, “Stop him.”

Berald replied, “Hmm. The fragile beauty of the microscopic world, above all else…”

Springing to my feet in a rush, I shouted like a madman, “Somebody shut that bastard up!!!!!”

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