Whose Forearms Are They?
She could only blame herself for everything. Fleeing and pursued, the goddess eventually had to run all the way to a strange world that didn't even know she existed. In her misery and despair, she had disguised herself as a filthy, foul-smelling homeless person to keep everyone at bay. And that was when she met Yunjae.
"Everything will surely work out. So please, hang in there."
The boy who had hugged a homeless person without hesitation, offering comfort with a warm smile, had now become Lupinus's sword. And at last, he had dealt a proper counterblow to Mamon.
"Now, I'm not alone anymore!"
But to Lupinus, that simple truth seemed to bring far greater comfort than anything else.
"Lady Lupinus..."
Mari had thought she was just a brainless, perverted goddess, but because she was a deity, she had suffered and agonized for far longer than any human ever could.
"But still, I took Yunjae's family away from him..."
Even though she had apologized, it seemed the guilt still weighed heavily on her heart.
"No, you didn't. You didn't take them away."
Mari gently wrapped her arms around Lupinus from behind to comfort her.
"They lived a good life before they passed. And you shouldn't worry too much about that either. Yunjae has already made peace with it. He doesn't resent you, Lady Lupinus."
At that, Lupinus turned around and hugged Mari tightly.
"Yunjae really is too kind."
"That's just the kind of person he is."
Mari finally understood why Yunjae hadn't been angry with Lupinus, and she felt deeply relieved that he hadn't.
Lupinus shed fat tears, yet she forced a bright smile.
"That's why I have to become his family now! I'm going to bear his children!"
Why does she always ruin a perfectly good moment...
"But before that, I really want to try using ropes! Just thinking about it is so stimulating! Yunjae tied up in ropes!"
"You perverted goddess, seriously! Do you have absolutely no self-control?!"
Despite Mari's flustered scolding, Lupinus, having fully recovered her perverted spirit, replied with a shameless face.
"I am the Goddess of Greed, after all!"
And as befitting the Goddess of Greed, she proudly declared that she would give him a proper reward.
"Since he suffered for fifty-seven years, I'll let him have five to seven wives!"
Since the all-out portal assault began, major cities across the globe had suffered significant damage, but surprisingly, the entire crisis was resolved within a single day. And the next morning, only one name dominated the headlines of every global media outlet!
No one knew what mechanism made it possible, but Yunjae, appearing through the portals alongside the beautiful blue-haired girl Rosamy, had completely eradicated the monsters attacking the major cities. It sent shockwaves across the entire world.
And it was only natural. Moving through the portals just like the monsters did, starting from Tokyo and sweeping across the globe to eliminate the threats, Yunjae was an existence unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Appearing alongside a beautiful blue-haired girl, saving people with his shining sacred armor and holy sword, and then vanishing into thin air—he had saved every major city in the world in a single day.
"Now the entire world knows me as 'Slender Forearms'!"
Of course, there were some side effects to this fame.
"Well, there's nothing you can do about that. Real-time translation is standard these days. That's why I recognized it instantly when I first saw you."
A world where language barriers had already ceased to exist! Seeing Yunjae utterly traumatized by the morning news, Mari let out a soft chuckle as she sipped her morning coffee.
"But 'Slender Forearms' on a global scale?! I really thought I was finally going to escape this name..."
At his dejected look, Mari couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
"Still, you did a wonderful thing. Everyone is singing your praises."
"Ah! It's not praise, Mari!"
When Yunjae thrust his tablet toward her, Mari tilted her head and took it.
The public was divided over the identity of this mysterious savior who appeared out of nowhere, saved lives, and vanished just as quickly...
What is the meaning behind "Slender Forearms"?
"Pfft!"
Why on earth did he have such a thing floating over his head, and of all things, why "Slender Forearms"?
Mari instantly spat out her coffee, coughing violently.
"Here, have a tissue!"
"Th-thanks."
Even while coughing from the coffee going down the wrong pipe, Mari couldn't stop laughing.
"I almost ruined an expensive piece of tech."
She caught her breath, relieved she hadn't sprayed coffee all over the tablet.
"Anyway, the part after that is even weirder!"
At Yunjae's whining voice, Mari bit her lip to suppress her laughter and looked back down at the screen.
"'The media suspects the name refers to the forearms of the blue-haired girl who accompanied him...' Pfft!"
If Yunjae had been wearing normal clothes, they might have deduced that the name referred to his own forearms. But...
"Wh-why on earth are they calling Yunjae my forearms?!"
Rosamy, who had been sitting quietly, blushed furiously in embarrassment the moment Mari read that part aloud.
"Because seeing you flustered is just so cute! Squee!"
"L-Lady Lupinus!"
Having nowhere else to go after returning yesterday, Rosamy and Lupinus were naturally crashing at their place.
"Ah, this is too funny, seriously..."
As a result, the morning was far livelier than usual. Mari wasn't particularly picky about guests anyway, and besides, these three were the heroes who had just saved the world! Of course, Lupinus hadn't actually done much, but since she was the one who had made Yunjae who he was today, she deserved some indirect credit.
"Anyway, this is going too far, so I need to ask them to publish a correction! I only made this name as a joke, but now it's going to become my official global moniker!"
Seeing Yunjae grumble about the injustice of it all was so adorable that Mari couldn't stop smiling.
"A Saintess and a Hero, bound together as 'the girl' and 'the girl's forearms.'"
How could anyone not laugh at that!
It was true that Yunjae was strikingly beautiful, but when fully clad in the Goddess's Sacred Armor, it was hard to mistake him for a woman. Naturally, people assumed Rosamy, his companion, was the "girl" in question. Though, even with that assumption, why it was specifically her forearms remained utterly baffling.
"Why did you even choose such a name in the first place?!"
At Rosamy's cry—she was just as embarrassed by the name "Slender Forearms" as Yunjae was—he wailed in response.
"Ah! I only made it as a joke! Back when I was a b-boy, the older guys used to tease me about it, so..."
His b-boy days had been the only period in Yunjae's life when he was surrounded by more men than women. He had used the nickname he got back then just for fun, but who could have predicted it would lead to a disaster of this magnitude?
"And that is why you should never name your game characters carelessly."
Having casually teleported into Yunjae and Mari's apartment as if she were clocking into work, Akemi chimed in.
"Yunjae! Coffee for me too!"
"Ah, yes! Just a moment!"
Despite having become a world-famous celebrity overnight, Yunjae remained as polite and helpful as ever. As he headed toward the coffee pot, Akemi let out a heavy sigh.
"Every time I come here, there are more women."
And all of them were exceptionally well-endowed.
"Ugh..."
Seeing Akemi shrink back in self-consciousness, Lupinus giggled and called out.
"Don't worry! In cases like this, being flat-chested can actually make you stand out more!"
"Wh-what?! How can you just say that out loud! That's so mean! Stupid goddess!"
"Well, men who prefer small breasts are rare, but they do exist. The world of preferences is vast!"
At those words, Akemi flinched and looked at Yunjae.
"...Is that true?"
"Ah, yes! I mean, the important thing is simply that they exist!"
As long as they're there, I'm grateful! At the brave declaration of the Hero, who didn't care about size and just wanted to experience a romantic spark, Akemi let out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, thank goodness."
"You dummy, what do you mean 'thank goodness'!"
First the "Slender Forearms" shock, and now Akemi worrying and finding relief over something so bizarre. As Mari burst into another fit of laughter, she shook her head.
"No one here understands my feelings! No one!"
It seemed Mari wasn't the only one who was clueless anymore.
"Here is your coffee, Akemi."
"As expected, Yunjae is the only one who comforts me."
Akemi giggled, leaning her back against Yunjae.
"Ultimately, the most important thing is whether they belong to me or not. So size really doesn't matter."
No matter how big they are, it doesn't matter if they aren't mine! At the Hero's extremely realistic perspective,
"Then I'll give you permission, Yunjae!"
Akemi made a bold appeal, showing affection that rivaled even Taerin's!
"Ah! Akemi! We should talk about things like that when we're alone!"
Seeing the Hero blush and humbly accept the offer, Mari snapped.
"Hey! You're not even going to reject her?! 'When we're alone'?!"
"I-I have an open mind!"
It seemed an excessively long period of being single had made even this pure Hero a bit mischievous. Yunjae replied with a flushed face.
"Ooh, how naughty!"
But wasn't a man who was a little mischievous far cuter than one who was completely stiff? As Akemi giggled and leaned against him again, Yunjae scratched his head.
"Well..."
Watching them, Rosamy cast a slightly envious gaze. Originally a Saintess who had almost no contact with men, she had spent most of her time alone even after becoming Mamon's messenger. Most of the creatures she dealt with were mindless monsters, and even when she did encounter intelligent beings, they were either Demon Kings or human trash like Domian. There was no way she could have ever formed a decent relationship.
Sigh...
Because of that, she couldn't help but envy Akemi, who seemed so naturally affectionate. As Rosamy blushed, suddenly wishing she could do the same,
"Desires exist to be fulfilled!"
Seizing the perfect opportunity, the Goddess of Greed began to tempt the former Saintess.
"L-Lady Lupinus!"
"Charge right in! You're already bound to Yunjae anyway! Use that as an excuse to make your move! Tell him he has to take responsibility for you!"
True to her title as the Goddess of Greed, Lupinus had already resolved to gift him at least five to seven wives. Of course, this reward didn't factor in the 300% multiplier of Mamon's Grace, but since she counted herself as the first, there were still plenty of spots left.
"Deep down, Yunjae is waiting for it. He just lacks the right opportunity, but he's surprisingly manly."
Perhaps wanting to look after Rosamy, who now had nowhere else to go, Lupinus kept whispering temptations into her ear.
"I-I couldn't possibly do that!"
Rosamy shook her head, her face burning red.
"...I can't make the first move."
If he were to approach her first, she wouldn't refuse, but taking the initiative seemed far too difficult for her.
"Ah, so Rosamy prefers to be led. But Yunjae probably won't even be able to hold your hand first. He was left alone for too long..."
Lupinus sighed, feeling guilty about that once again.
But...
But he had already held her hand. In fact, he had held her hand all day yesterday as they traveled across the globe.
Flush!
The realization made Rosamy's face burn even hotter.
"...I can't talk about that."
Awkwardly, she tried to change the subject.
"Anyway, about our world..."
The moment those words left her mouth, Lupinus hugged Rosamy tightly once more.
"...Could we perhaps not talk about that?"
It was a topic that would only bring pain to both of them.
Hearing Lupinus's reluctance to bring it up, Rosamy was forced to realize once again that her world was truly gone.
"...Okay."
Glancing at Rosamy as she let out a heavy sigh, Mari cautiously spoke up.
"Um..."
At her voice, both Lupinus and Rosamy turned to look at her. Slightly intimidated by their overwhelming beauty, Mari hesitated.
"Well..."
"What is it? Is there something you want to say?"
At Lupinus's question, Mari nodded, deciding she needed to speak her mind.
"We all stayed together yesterday because there was nowhere else to go, but... I don't think it's a good idea for all of us to keep living together like this."
Her peaceful daily life with Yunjae had been disrupted. Even though this was the landlord's suite and there was plenty of space, living together indefinitely felt a bit much.
As Mari brought up her concerns, Yunjae, who was still holding onto the leaning Akemi, agreed.
"I agree. I think you definitely need a place of your own, Lady Lupinus."
"Are you trying to kick us out? This is the landlord's suite, the place is huge!"
"Ah! It's not like that... It's just that I don't live here alone. Mari lives here too."
When Yunjae explained that he had to be considerate of her, Lupinus giggled.
"Then we can just find a place where the three of us can live together!"
"Huh?"
The three of them? This place was already big enough for three people to live comfortably.
"Ah..."
Did she mean she wanted to take Yunjae with her and live as a trio?
"...Yunjae. What are you going to do?"
At Mari's cautious question, Yunjae looked slightly hesitant.
"No, I mean... I'm fine. Don't worry about me too much..."
It was all so sudden and flustering, but Mari had no intention of forcing Yunjae to stay. Though, if he were to suddenly leave and she had to live here alone, she knew she would feel incredibly lonely.
"Well, I think it would be best for me to keep staying with Mari! I'll look into finding a place for you and Rosamy, Lady Lupinus."
"Are you really abandoning Rosamy and me?"
"Ah! I'm not abandoning you...!"
Seeing him fluster, Lupinus giggled.
"I know, I know. I only teased you because I wanted to see you panic!"
To the Goddess of Greed, teasing a flustered pretty boy was one of life's greatest pleasures!
"Ah!"
As Yunjae let out a sigh of relief and smiled, Mari found herself relaxing as well.
Thank goodness.
She had been genuinely worried about what she would do if Yunjae decided to leave. Realizing how her heart had been pounding in suspense, Mari quietly took a deep breath to steady herself.