No Damage 8

Test

8. I'll Give An Answer

After the men apologized for their earlier remarks and hurriedly left, about ten minutes passed before──.

"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting, Haruto."

Lilith and Alice arrived in the courtyard.

"We've got the necessary documents, so let's go together to receive the reward... phew."

"Yeah..."

While explaining, both of them sighed.

"...Are you two feeling a bit worn out?"

"Hehe, the branch manager really squeezed us."

"Normally, advanced magical beasts like dragons should only be dealt with by S-rank adventurers. We broke that rule by going all the way to Haruto's town──"

Lilith and Alice said with wry smiles.

Ah, so what those men said earlier was true.

"Well, we couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Even though our rank is low, we're still adventurers too."

Lilith raised her fist and shouted in an impassioned tone.

"Yeah, thanks to you two, my town was saved. I'm grateful."

I thanked the two of them again.

Then,

"Oh, I'm glad. I heard you went out to protect the town from a dragon, so I was worried. But it seems Lilith and Alice are okay."

Running towards us was a girl.

Her long purple hair reached down to her waist.

She seemed a year or two older, lightly made up, giving off a glamorous impression.

She was wearing an outfit reminiscent of a bikini-type swimsuit.

Apparently, she was a dancer.

Her skin was exposed──or rather, it felt almost like being half-naked.

She was barely covering the important parts. Leaving the rest of her tanned skin exposed.

She has a good figure, this girl.

And her breasts are large.

"Hmm? Who's this boy? You keep staring at my breasts."

The purple-haired girl looked at me.

Apparently, she refers to herself as 'Boku.'

"I-I'm not... I mean..."

I'm not looking at your breasts! Even though in my mind, I was defending myself, my gaze kept being drawn to her cleavage.

"Hmm...?"

She provocatively shook her ample breasts, teasing me.

The dynamic bouncing and soft deformation of her breasts were quite erotic.

Even if it wasn't me, any guy around my age wouldn't be able to resist staring at that sight.

"Haruto, are you really not staring?"

Lilith glared at me.

Under her intense gaze, I stiffened.

"Do you like girls with this kind of appeal?"

"Hehe, Lilith, you seem jealous."

"I-I'm not!"

In response to Alice's retort, Lilith blushed slightly and denied it.

"He's Haruto. He helped us with the dragon extermination."

Coughing, I introduced myself to her.

"I see. I'm Salome. Nice to meet you."

Salome, the girl with purple hair, introduced herself to me in a very casual manner.

"Her outfit is revealing because she's a dancer," Alice explained.

Ah, that makes sense.

"A dragon extermination, huh... So you're quite skilled."

Salome stared at me intently.

She leaned in so close it felt like she might kiss me, making my heart race.

I've never had a conversation with a girl in such close proximity.

Her sweet breath tickled my face.

"You have a pretty face. I like guys like you."

"Huh? Huh?"

I felt even more flustered.

"But if I flirt with you, will Lilith get mad?"

"T-that's not what I meant!"

Lilith's voice shifted.

It was a stark contrast to her dignified demeanor during the dragon extermination.

"Earlier, you stood up to those rough guys for us, right? I actually wanted to join in. Watching your actions was refreshing."

"Rough guys? What happened, Haruto?"

Lilith and Alice looked puzzled.

"Well, you see..."

Salome recounted everything that happened earlier.

"...Did you get angry on our behalf?"

"Well, um... Lilith and Alice risked their lives to protect the town, so I couldn't stand idly by while you girls got disrespected. I wanted to defend their honor."

I said, feeling embarrassed.

"Thank you, Haruto."

Lilith flashed me a radiant smile.

I became even more embarrassed.

"Could this be a budding romance? Hehehe."

Salome observed me and Lilith with great interest.

"W-wait, what are you saying!"

Lilith blushed crimson.

"Lilith has zero immunity to romance, so don't tease her too much, Salome-san."

Alice chimed in.

"After all, she hasn't even had her first love."

"Even you, sis! And besides, you haven't had yours either!"

"Hehe, you're right~. I can't say anything about others."

Alice chuckled softly.

Salome grinned mischievously as she watched us interact.

It was somehow heartwarming and soothing.

──Afterward, I received the reward for the dragon extermination.

It was an enormous sum of 600 gold coins.

For reference, an average household needs about 30 to 40 coins to live for a year.

So, I received one-third of that, which is 200 coins.

Having achieved the goal of receiving the reward, I decided to return to town for now.

"Keep adventurers in mind. If you ever feel like it, contact us anytime."

As we parted ways, Lilith said.

You can contact the guild using the magical communication device in town.

By mentioning Lilith and Alice's names, I could contact them directly.

"If you need advice or want to fight together, I'd be happy to."

"Me too~."

Alice smiled warmly.

Becoming an adventurer... huh?

I muttered to myself.

Honestly, I still don't have a clear answer within me.

There are many adventurers besides Lilith and Alice.

There are unpleasant guys like those rough ones earlier.

And there are nice girls like Salome.

But becoming an adventurer means I can't continue school.

It's like getting a job.

"Thank you both. When I get back to town, I'll think it over again──and then come up with an answer."

I thanked Lilith and Alice.

Or perhaps──I already have about half of the answer within me.

I looked at Lilith and Alice again.

──I remember.

The faces of the two who desperately protected the town and fought for me.

──I recall.

The faces of the two thanked me and invited me to become an adventurer.

The feeling of being expected and needed──I felt it so strongly for the first time.

So, I...

I know which path I want to pursue──.