Men Don't Like Saggy Breasts

What on earth was this skill supposed to be?

At the time, he had been too busy running from the succubus to pay much attention to it. But now that he had finally regained some peace of mind, he realized it wasn't just a simple, high-tier ultimate skill.

Furthermore, judging by the tone of the flavor text, it seemed to have been written by the mage, Tigria. Rin sat with the skill scroll spread out before him, deeply contemplating the Goddess's intentions.

As a side note, even though he had reincarnated into a game world, he couldn't summon any cool or useful UI like a status window.

He had tried it dozens of times after putting on the mask and awakening his past life's memories, but to no avail.

Instead, he possessed a unique ability fitting for a porter: the power to view item descriptions.

Thanks to this, he could recall forgotten skill effects and lore, but Condemnation: The End of Selfishness was the first item he had encountered that included flavor text.

Since it was a skill scroll found in the Goddess's Sanctuary, it was bound to be useful in some way later on. However, if the description was to be believed, it hinted at a chilling prophecy: that he would eventually need to destroy the mind of one of the Hero's party members.

Though it left a bad taste in his mouth, the more Rin thought about it, the more he realized it wasn't entirely implausible.

Even though she was healed now, Lucy had been betrayed by the Hero's party, her limbs torn from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her body.

If eighty percent of the reason Lucy had managed to endure while clinging to Rin's back in a papoose was her obsession with him, the remaining twenty percent was her desire for revenge.

'Once I recover, should I just destroy the Empire?'

But Lucy had immediately shaken her head.

'No, talking like that is what got me into this mess in the first place. That's probably a bad idea.'

Rin had been somewhat moved by her reflective attitude.

'Instead, I'll impale their torsos on stakes and display their heads. I'll leave their limbs alone, though.'

...Even if her subsequent plan for punishment had made his face instantly stiffen.

For someone like her to face the final boss later on, reuniting with the Hero's party was inevitable.

Even if Rin urged her to, Lucy would likely refuse.

Rin sighed, plagued by an ominous premonition that he might have to use this skill to appease her.

"Sigh."

"Rin, are you uncomfortable?"

Lucy, who was clinging to him, looked up at the sound of his sigh.

"No, it's nothing."

"Then what is it? Is it... because of me?"

"It's not like that."

"Then why?"

Ironically, after recovering her limbs, Lucy's obsession and dependence on Rin had only grown stronger.

Because the first thing she saw upon regaining consciousness after drinking the Elixir was Rin's death, she wanted to be attached to him at all times.

"Rin... Rin...!"

On the first night after she regained her body and they finally slept separately, Lucy suffered from a new nightmare. Unable to even scream, she could only choke out Rin's name in a strangled voice.

Rin, who had been sleeping deeply due to his physical exhaustion, woke up much later and shook her awake, only for her to throw her arms around his neck and burst into tears.

"Rin!"

"Lucy, what's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?"

"You were dead... You told me to live well and then you died... I tried everything to save you, but you wouldn't open your eyes... What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Without you, I...!"

"Lucy, I'm right here. I'm alive and well."

At his words, she reached out and fumbled over his face with her hands.

"Really?"

"Yes. You prayed to the Goddess and brought me back to life."

"Ah..."

Lucy whispered, hugging Rin tightly.

"Please don't leave me. Let me feel you near me, always."

"Um, Lucy, your body is fine now, so that's a bit..."

"Rin."

Lucy's voice dropped, turning heavy and dark.

"If you ever disappear from my side, I will tear this world in half to find you and drag you back to me."

"..."

"I want to hear your heartbeat."

"Well..."

"Can I?"

She threatened to tear the world in half, yet she looked up at him with such desperate, pleading eyes.

When he reluctantly nodded, Lucy smiled brightly and buried her face in his chest.

"Rin... my only ally, my best companion, my Rin."

From then on, except when absolutely necessary, Rin was forced to remain glued to Lucy's side.

Furthermore, because she constantly monitored his every breath and movement like she was doing now, he couldn't even ponder things in peace.

Lucy wanted to know and share every single one of Rin's thoughts.

"I was thinking we should stop by a city soon."

"I don't want to. Cities have too many people."

Given their status as fugitives, Lucy's point was valid.

However, they had another problem.

"First of all, we don't even know where we are. We need to check."

Panicked by Rin's death and resurrection, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lucy had blindly slung him over her shoulder and sprinted here at full speed using her monstrous strength.

This mountain clearing was lush with greenery and had a stream nearby, but thin ice and snow still lingered. Other than the fact that they were far away from Epaltelga, they had no way of knowing their location.

"I hate cities."

"Why? Because of the crowds?"

"...Because there are other women."

Lucy muttered petulantly, looking away.

"Rin is mine. I don't want other bitches getting close to you."

"No, no. No one is going to approach me."

"That's only because you don't know any better!"

Rin had no idea what Lucy was seeing in him to make her so anxious.

He wasn't a womanizer, nor did he have the looks or personality to become one.

And in the first place, Rin didn't belong to Lucy.

She kept claiming ownership over him—something he had never agreed to or signed away—giving Rin a massive headache.

He had absolutely no clue how to handle this obsession and codependency.

"Look, Lucy. There's a very important issue."

"No, there isn't. There's no problem. I have you, and you have me. Everything is fine."

"No, listen to me for a second."

"I won't listen to anything unless it's you telling me you like me."

"It's not that, but..."

"Then I'm not listening."

"..."

She turned her head away with a pout, but he could see her stealing glances, silently urging him.

Rin, who made it a rule never to say things he didn't mean, let out a sigh.

"I like you."

As a comrade.

"I like you too, Rin."

With that, she snuggled deep into his chest.

She pressed her ear as close to the left side of his chest as possible.

"Can I talk now?"

"Yes, I'm listening."

Lucy was listening to his heartbeat.

She had no intention of actually paying attention to his words anyway.

"Ahem. It's a bit awkward for me to bring this up, but..."

"Anything is fine, as long as it's not about us parting ways."

That was a problem.

Because that was exactly what he would have to tell her eventually.

"Lucy."

"Yes?"

"Why aren't you wearing any underwear?"

Lucy blinked her round eyes.

"I haven't worn any since my limbs were cut off."

"Well, things are different now."

"But I was the one carrying my own underwear. I didn't have any spares after falling off the cliff. And the ones I was wearing burned up from the heat when I drank the Elixir."

It was official lore in Arrogant Saga that drinking the Elixir caused one's body temperature to skyrocket, burning away whatever clothes they were wearing.

It was a setup designed purely to show Lucy's naked CG.

It was a scene crafted with so much effort that it even displayed a CG of Lucy's naked, fully restored body.

In that CG, the parts of her body that had been torn and slashed by her party members were marked by stark white stretch marks, looking almost like seams.

"Besides, I wash every day, and your clothes are oversized, so they're really comfortable."

"I'm glad to hear that. But if they're so comfortable, maybe you don't need to cling to me all the time?"

"Absolutely not."

He hadn't expected her to agree anyway.

Since traveling with Lucy, Rin could count on one hand the number of times she had actually agreed with him.

This was true both before and after her betrayal.

Perhaps it was the only thing about her that hadn't changed.

"Lucy, you're a grown lady. A noble lady, at that. People will talk if you go around clinging to a strange man."

"You're not a strange man. You're my best companion. And who cares what they say?"

I'm the one talking right now.

Rin felt a bitter taste in his mouth, as if bile were rising up his throat.

"Lucy, whether it's before or after saving the world, you're a noble. You'll get married eventually."

"...I suppose so."

At the mention of marriage, Lucy's eyes grew serious.

It seemed the grandest event of a lifetime could snap her out of her obsessive dependency, if only for a moment.

"It's a bit awkward for me to say this, but..."

"If it's you saying it, anything is fine. Except for parting ways."

"...Anyway, I heard that a bra is meant to shape your breasts and support them so they don't sag. Is that right?"

"Who?"

"Huh?"

"Who told you about that?"

Oh, damn it. He was getting glared at because an ugly guy like him was bringing up words like underwear and breast shapes.

Fortunately, that wasn't the reason Lucy's gaze had sharpened.

"Was it a woman? It was, wasn't it? A woman told you?"

"Uh... I just overheard it. It's not like I was talking to anyone. I just caught snippets of women talking amongst themselves while I was doing odd jobs nearby. Yeah."

"I see."

Lucy pressed her ear back against Rin's chest, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"Yeah. Your heart isn't beating like you're lying."

"..."

Rin had never lied to her, so how on earth did she know what a lying heartbeat sounded like?

Rin himself was curious about what it sounded like.

"I want to get married."

"Right. You'll get married one day, Lucy."

For once, Lucy didn't stray from the topic.

Sensing an opportunity, Rin took a deep breath and spoke bluntly.

"But men don't like saggy breasts."

"Eh?"

"No matter how big they are, if they sag, a man's feelings will instantly cool down the moment he sees them."

"No matter how big?"

"Exactly."

"Even if they're as big as watermelons?"

"Then they're just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠saggy watermelons."

Was this really the high-class conversation of a Hero's party?

A wave of self-loathing washed over him.

He felt like laughing at himself for resorting to this just to get the Hero to wear underwear.

Lucy, on the other hand, was dead serious.

"Saggy breasts are no good..."

To put it objectively, Lucy's breasts were quite large.

Within the party, Arciel barely beat her in size, but the voluptuous curves usually hidden beneath Lucy's breastplate were on full display now, especially since she wasn't wearing any underwear.

But what was the point of that?

He had said that no matter how big they were, it was no good if they sagged.

Lucy's brain began to work.

1. Lucy will absolutely marry a man (Rin) in the future.

2. Lucy has considerable confidence in her body, including her breasts and hips.

3. However, the man (Rin) said that no matter how big they are, his feelings will cool if they sag.

4. If she doesn't wear a bra, the likelihood of them sagging in the future increases.

5. If they sag, she won't be loved by the man (Rin).

6. She must buy and wear a bra immediately.

She was so deeply engrossed in her thoughts that she sat completely motionless until Rin finished packing up the camp and prepared to move.

Having derived a completely self-serving formula and conclusion, Lucy focused her vision and scanned the surroundings.

To buy underwear, they had to go to a city.

She couldn't see one.

She strained her eyes further.

She focused hard enough to see the talons of a bird flying far in the distance.

Still nothing.

She pushed her vision even further, trying to spot the fine hairs on the antenna of a bug clinging to a distant treetop.

And then—

"Found it."

A smile played on Lucy's lips.

"Rin!"

"