The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 203

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 203. The Traitors (4)
The commercial district of Valhalla City.
It was the most densely populated area within the sprawling expanse of Valhalla City, a place where the diverse cultures and goods of the Three Nations intermingled in vibrant harmony.
It was where Candidate Program couples most frequently ventured for weekend outings, and even for those who weren’t Candidates, the streets perpetually thrummed with energy—filled with residents of Valhalla City and tourists from across the Three Nations.
By the standards of the younger Candidates who had recently enrolled, it was the most ‘hot’ destination within Valhalla City.
“Um… D-Dale.”
“Hmm?”
A silver-haired woman drawing the gaze of everyone around her as she strolled through the streets.
Yurina, her moonlight-silver hair tied back in a tight braid, wore a skirt that revealed her pristine white legs and a blouse with a hint of cleavage showing—a vision of ethereal beauty.
Yurina, unfamiliar with skirts, clutched the hem with her hand and gazed at me with a worried expression.
“I… don’t look strange, do I?”
“Strange? Not at all.”
With Iris’s assistance and even light makeup applied, Yurina was breathtakingly beautiful—the kind of beauty that stole one’s breath merely to behold.
“It suits you perfectly.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. But…”
“But?”
There was one drawback.
‘She’s drawing far too much attention.’
I released the faintest wisp of killing intent toward the men who were staring at Yurina with vacant expressions.
The men flinched as if burned, stumbling backward in alarm.
I clicked my tongue and turned back to Yurina.
“Aren’t you cold dressed like that? The weather’s gotten quite chilly.”
“Hehe. I’m fine.”
True enough.
Though she appeared delicate on the surface, Yurina was a superhuman capable of tearing steel with her bare hands.
Exposing her legs in winter would hardly cause her to feel the cold.
“Still, just to be safe, let’s stop by a Clothing Store later and get you some stockings.”
“Huh~ What’s this, Dale? You like stockings?”
“No, it’s not that I like them or anything.”
“Then you don’t like them?”
“…”
Sigh.
Do I like stockings?
I shook my head with a firm expression.
“I have no interest in stockings whatsoever.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes. The reason I suggested you buy and wear stockings was purely for warmth since it’s winter—there’s absolutely no other meaning behind it…”
“Black or white—which do you prefer?”
“Both have their own charm. Black stockings accentuate maturity, while white stockings highlight purity, I’d say? It’s difficult to choose between them. Personally, in situations where they’re slightly translucent, like when wet, white stockings are more appealing, but in ordinary circumstances, black stockings are more attractive. Since we’re not going near water today, classic black would be the better choice…”
Gasp.
“D-Dale… you really do love stockings, don’t you…?”
“N-No! That’s not it!!!”
“Hehe. Got it. I’ll buy a pair and wear them later.”
“Ugh…!”
Yurina nodded with a bashful smile plastered across her face.
I made every conceivable effort to clear up her misunderstanding, but my attempts to persuade her failed as she simply nodded along with an “I see, I see~” expression, letting my words go in one ear and out the other.
“…Damn it.”
“By the way, Dale, have you thought about where we should go today?”
“Well…”
Places suitable for a date.
When I came here before with Iris, we went to the Movie Theater, but that wasn’t an option now.
The true purpose of this date was to locate the masked organization that had been displaying suspicious activity recently.
“Let’s focus on areas with lots of people for now.”
“Hmm… wouldn’t the Demons typically hide in places with fewer people?”
“That’s likely, but crowded areas are better for observing the movements of many people at a glance.”
And though I hadn’t mentioned it to Yurina yet.
This mysterious masked organization we were searching for might contain not just Demons, but ‘Heroes’ as well.
‘If the opponent is a Demon, there’d be no reason to hide in inconspicuous places.’
I drew upon my mana to heighten my senses as I surveyed the bustling streets crowded with people.
“Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Yurina?”
“Hmm. Nothing comes to mind right now. Hehe. This is my first date, after all.”
Yurina scratched her head and laughed shyly.
I stifled a chuckle and began walking.
“Then shall we just walk together for now?”
“Yeah!”
As I strolled through the streets at Yurina’s pace.
“…Um, Dale.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s gotten quite cold lately, hasn’t it? Right?”
“Well… it’s winter now.”
“Right? So… b-because it’s winter? M-my hands are getting a bit chilly.”
With that, Yurina extended her pale white hand from her pocket, wiggling her fingers.
I stifled a chuckle and looked down at her hand, which was making quite the emphatic statement.
“That’s strange… I could have sworn I heard someone say they weren’t cold earlier.”
“Ugh…!”
“Haha. Just kidding.”
I took hold of the hand she offered.
Thanks to possessing a superhuman body, I didn’t particularly feel the cold, but holding hands like this made my entire body feel warmer somehow.
“Hehe. You’re warm.”
Yurina smiled shyly and tightened her grip on my hand.
Thus began our date—or rather, our undercover investigation.
Yurina and I became an ordinary couple, blending into the crowd as we surveyed the streets of Valhalla City.
“Hmm. I can’t tell anything from this perspective.”
Though I was drawing upon my magical senses, it proved difficult to pinpoint suspicious individuals among the hundreds and thousands of people flowing through the streets.
“Let’s not rush. We’ll search slowly. Elisha said it would be difficult to find them in just one day anyway.”
“Okay.”
As Yurina and I continued walking hand in hand through the streets.
“…Oh.”
Yurina suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“What is it?”
“…Dale, want to go in there?”
Yurina pointed to a Clothing Store in the bustling district.
It was a place we had visited before when Yurina and I had climbed over the Academy’s wall and ventured into Valhalla City.
“Wow, what a memory.”
“Hehe. Right? Actually, it hasn’t been that long… but it feels like ancient history.”
“Back then, I didn’t even know you were a woman.”
Thinking about it, so much had happened in these past few months.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes!”
Ding.
As I opened the shop door, a clear bell chime rang out.
“Dale, this way.”
Yurina led me by the hand to the women’s clothing section.
It was a place we hadn’t visited before.
‘Now that I think about it, Yurina was staring blankly at the women’s clothing section back then.’
Back then, when I didn’t know that Yuren’s true identity was actually Yurina, I had found it strange that she was gazing blankly at the women’s section.
But now, thinking about what she must have felt in that moment, my heart ached.
“Wow….”
Yurina’s eyes sparkled brightly as she looked around at the clothes displayed in the women’s section.
“Coming here to buy clothes was my dream.”
“…The women’s clothing section?”
“Yes. When I was ‘Yuren,’ even if I wanted to wear certain clothes, I couldn’t buy them.”
“….”
It was such a humble dream that calling it by such a grand word almost made me laugh, yet for her, who had to be ‘Yuren,’ it was a dream she could never achieve.
I swallowed a bitter smile and pulled Yurina’s hand.
“Pick any clothes you like. I’ll buy them all for you.”
“Oh, no. I have enough money to buy clothes myself….”
“I want to buy them for you as a gift.”
“Um… then, can I really choose freely?”
“Of course, Miss.”
I took her hand with exaggerated flourish, as if escorting a noble lady—which, truthfully, she was—and Yurina burst into delighted laughter.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Pfft. It doesn’t suit you at all, Dale.”
“Ugh.”
“Still… thank you.”
Yurina walked gracefully toward the clothing displays, accepting my clumsy escort with good humor.
“Oh, that’s right.”
As if remembering something, she turned back to me with a playful wink.
“I’ll buy those stockings you like too. Black ones.”
“….”
No.
I keep telling her I don’t like them, yet she persists.
“While we’re at it, let’s get a white pair too. We might need them later, who knows.”
“…Dale.”
Why was it?
The light in Yurina’s eyes as she looked at me seemed to turn slightly cold.
* * *
“That comes to 1,270 gold total.”
“….”
One thing I’d learned from shopping for women’s clothing: it was incomparably more expensive than men’s wear.
‘How did we exceed a thousand gold when we didn’t even pick that many pieces?’
Standing here in a ten-gold shirt, the price left me with decidedly mixed feelings.
“Thank you, Dale. I’ll wear them well.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Expensive as it was, compared to the gold I’d earned selling Behemoth’s byproducts before, this was nothing.
“Go on ahead, Dale. I need to buy something else separately.”
“Huh? But I said I’d pay for everything.”
“Ah, well… it’s just that…”
Yurina’s face flushed as she glanced away awkwardly.
In that direction stood a section dedicated exclusively to women’s undergarments.
“…Ah.”
Even so, having someone else buy your own underwear would feel strange.
“I understand. I’ll wait outside then.”
“Y-yes! I’ll be quick!”
Yurina hurried toward the undergarment section.
I waited outside for several minutes.
‘She’s taking a while.’
I sat on a bench in front of the Clothing Store, peering back inside.
Since it was the undergarment section, I couldn’t see Yurina from where I sat.
‘Well… this is my first time in the lingerie section anyway.’
Recalling our brief cohabitation from before, Yurina fundamentally didn’t own many women’s undergarments.
She normally wore the pendant and operated as Yuren, only reverting to her true form for a brief moment before sleep, so she never really needed many undergarments.
The few I glimpsed during laundry were nothing but functional athletic underwear.
‘Since this is my first time choosing proper underwear instead of functional athletic wear, it makes sense this would take a while.’
I’d never picked out women’s underwear before, so I wasn’t entirely sure, but it would certainly require more time than those men who just glance at the size and grab something.
Then.
Ding.
A bell chimed as the Clothing Store door opened.
I turned my head thinking it might be Yurina, but instead a female employee emerged.
The female employee, who had come out to empty the trash bin beside the bench with a large bag in hand, made eye contact with me.
“Ah… excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Is the person in the lingerie section your girlfriend? The one with… silver hair?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Hehe, I see.”
The employee looked me up and down, nodding her head.
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no… well.”
The employee glanced back into the store, then broke into a grin and gave me a thumbs up.
“You’re in for quite a night.”
“….”
What kind of underwear did she buy?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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