A Promise for Next Time
I walked along in a daze, footsteps dragging. Right beside me, Hestia’s golden hair swayed cheerfully, as if dancing with delight. She seemed to be in a very good mood. Her face remained expressionless as always, but the faint, mysterious aura that surrounded the Hero was rippling and swirling like a lively dance. It was clear my acceptance of her request had pleased her more than I’d expected. Meanwhile, I was still utterly exhausted from the aftereffects. A normal academy student would have hesitated to get too close, terrified of committing some unforgivable offense in the Hero’s presence. And Hestia herself was somewhat aware that the students avoided her. That was precisely why she sought out people who didn’t constantly watch their words around her—and among them, I, who was not a regressor, had caught her eye first.
Well, we were in the same class. It couldn’t be helped. I’d simply had a touch of bad luck.
In any case, the regressor abandoning the Hero was unexpected, but I had still accepted her invitation to eat together. I didn’t show it, but her presence did make me uncomfortable. Not because of her personally, but because the fact that she could see through my Authority and truly perceive me felt burdensome. Besides, this wasn’t exactly new. In the first round, the regressor had also kept his distance from her like everyone else. The lonely Hero had approached me back then too. I’d felt sorry for her and let her get close. Unlike the socially adept regressor or the Saintess who always had Yulia by her side, Hestia had truly been alone.
As I recalled her past, I turned my head slightly—and our eyes met. She stepped a little closer and spoke with careful formality.
“No, not at all… I’m always free.”
“……I see.”
She gave me a strange look, the kind one might give a pitiful child. Wait a second—I’m not a loner. I’m only free because I prefer being alone! Why are you looking at me like we’re the same kind?!
“Um…!”
“Is something the matter?”
“……It’s nothing.”
I desperately wanted to correct her misunderstanding, but I decided to stay quiet. I had no desire to make a fuss and look even more pathetic.
When we entered the dining hall, a great many eyes turned our way. Being with the famous Hero naturally drew attention. As Hestia’s expression turned apologetic and she seemed about to say something, I ignored the stares and sat down at a suitable table. If I simply remained quiet, most people wouldn’t even remember me properly anyway. There was no need to concern myself with their gazes.
I opened the menu and began choosing what to order. Soon Hestia sat down across from me. She glanced over the menu, then kept stealing looks in my direction. I closed the menu slightly and asked,
“Is there something you’d like to say?”
“No. It’s just… thank you.”
“……?”
“Ahem. I will pay for the meal, so please order whatever you like.”
For some reason, Hestia looked even happier than when we’d first entered. Even with that blank face, her emotions were surprisingly easy to read. Was this honesty, or simply innocence? I smiled gently at the Hero who was patiently waiting for me to decide.
“I’ll pay for my own share, so it’s fine.”
“No. Please allow me to treat you…”
“There’s really no need. I dislike accumulating debts.”
“Even so…”
“If you truly insist, then you may pay today, Hestia. Next time, it will be my treat.”
When I spoke firmly, her golden eyes widened slightly.
“……Next time, as well…”
She murmured the words softly, then called for a server after agreeing. The server must have seen her here several times already; he took our order without the slightest hesitation. Once the server left, Hestia and I sat facing each other.
“……”
“……”
A faintly awkward silence settled between us. While waiting for the food, I was wondering what we should talk about when Hestia spoke first, her tone impeccably polite.
“Yes. As you know, there have been quite a few incidents lately, so it felt a little uneasy. But everything seems to have resolved well, which is a relief.”
“Indeed, the atmosphere on campus has not been pleasant these days. Just today I heard that an anomaly has appeared in the barrier…”
It seemed the trouble I had caused was making even Hestia worry about the academy’s security. The headmaster was still busy repairing the barrier and hadn’t properly addressed the issue yet, so complaints about safety would likely continue for some time.
“Do you plan to remain at the academy, Hestia?”
“Remain…?”
“I heard the number of students dropping out has increased recently. After today’s news, it will likely rise even more. What will you do?”
Most of my questions were simply attempts to keep the conversation alive in place of her rather disastrous social skills. I already knew roughly what her answer would be. After all, I was something of a regressor myself.
“I intend to stay at the academy.”
“Is there a particular reason you must remain?”
“Well… I enrolled under imperial orders. Until a new command is issued, I have no choice in the matter.”
Just as she said, Hestia operated under the empire’s authority. Unlike the Saintess who was bound to the church, the Hero was granted relatively free movement. One could compare her to a mercenary, except that she received direct orders from the empire. Her enrollment at the academy had also been at the empire’s command. I no longer remembered the exact timing, but I had looked into why the empire had issued such an order. Something about how the Hero should enjoy her youth… In any case, unless the empire changed its mind, Hestia would not be dropping out.
“I’ll also be staying at the academy, so we’ll probably see each other often from now on.”
“Hm, hmm. I suppose we will… You may speak more casually with me.”
“Then, may I call you by name?”
Hestia gave a small nod.
“Then… Hestia?”
For a brief moment, it seemed the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. Or was that just my imagination?
After I began calling her by name, Hestia and I chatted comfortably until the food arrived. I wasn’t sure whether my habit of asking and answering just enough to keep the conversation flowing had pleased her, but she remained expressionless as ever and the atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant. I decided it was fine.
Until the regressor approached her, I intended to keep spending time with Hestia like this. I didn’t know how long it would last, but simply sharing a meal with me should keep her from feeling lonely for a while. I glanced at the server bringing our dishes, then at Hestia who looked eager to talk about something, and smiled softly to myself.
When had it begun? At some point Hestia had realized that the people around her were subtly avoiding her. Despite the time she had already spent at the academy, not a single person ever tried to sit with her or invited her to eat together.
Even so, she wasn’t particularly hurt. Before enrolling under imperial orders, she had already felt the crushing weight of the title “Hero.” She had known from the start that making friends in the normal way would be nearly impossible.
Still, the faint loneliness she felt was… unavoidable.
That was why Hestia had decided to approach others first. When she had greeted her classmates on the first day, she had thought the atmosphere was not bad. It hadn’t taken long for her to realize that had been a mistake.
‘With me? For lunch? Ah, I’m afraid I have plans today…’
‘I see. It can’t be helped, then.’
‘Ahaha! I’m so sorry, Hero… I’ll be going now!’
Whenever she tried to get closer, everyone fled. At first she had told herself it was simply bad timing. But after the same exchange repeated again and again, even she could no longer pretend not to notice.
Only then did she begin to see what had been invisible before. Everyone looked at her with eyes full of burden. When she spoke, they fidgeted as though afraid they had done something wrong. When she asked a favor, their pupils trembled violently. She was not welcome.
From that point on, Hestia had half given up. In a way, it was fortunate. She no longer needed to propose lunch to each person individually; she could now read their feelings from a single glance. This way she wouldn’t burden those who did not want her near them.
After she stopped reaching out, she walked further and further down the path of solitude.
Then one day, while spending another lunch alone as usual, a certain young man caught her eye. He had unremarkable black hair and black eyes. For some reason his face refused to stick in her memory—an utterly ordinary man.
Since the Hero had shown little interest in even the Saintess in her own class, she normally would not have paid him any attention. But some time later, when she saw him eating lunch by himself just as she did, a small spark of interest had kindled inside her.
For a while afterward, Hestia observed him little by little. And just as she suspected, he too was a loner.
As her interest grew, the time she spent watching him gradually lengthened. Then came the day their eyes met. In that instant, Hestia understood at once that he could become her friend.
His gaze remained perfectly calm. There was no interest, no awe, no fear—nothing at all when he looked at the Hero Hestia. That was what had drawn her in.
The moment lunch began, she walked straight up to him.
“……Yes, hello.”
It was a question she had asked many times before, but this was the first time she had spoken to him. Hestia waited with a faintly trembling heart…
“……Yes. Would you like to eat together?”
She had finally received her first acceptance.
The lunches they shared afterward were truly satisfying for her. He kept the conversation flowing in place of her awkward tongue, and he accepted her request to be called by name without hesitation. But what she liked most of all was how thoroughly he ignored the stares of everyone around them.
It was only natural that eyes would gather when the Hero sat with someone. Yet he simply pretended not to notice those gazes at all.
He must be doing it for my sake.
He was probably being considerate so that she would feel less conscious of her surroundings. Truly, he had a warm heart.
Hestia looked at the young man eating quietly across from her and turned over in her mind the words he had spoken before the food arrived.
If you truly insist, then you may pay today. Next time, it will be my treat.
“Next time, as well…”
As she murmured the words, the corners of her mouth lifted—just a little.