The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 204

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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 204. Traitors (5)
After finishing our shopping at the Clothing Store.
Yurina and I entered a restaurant in a high-rise building to satisfy our hunger while overlooking the crowds of people moving through the streets below.
The interior atmosphere was pleasant for a restaurant at that price point, and the food tasted excellent, but.
“…How long are you planning to keep hugging that like that?”
I watched Yurina clutching a small shopping bag to her chest as if it were some precious treasure while we ate, and asked her.
“Huh? Oh?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to set it beside you while you eat?”
“Oh, no! It’s fine!”
Yurina shook her head urgently while keeping the shopping bag pressed against her chest.
What kind of underwear could she have bought to provoke such a reaction?
Curiosity stirred within me, but I refrained from voicing it.
“Anyway… I haven’t spotted a single Demon, let alone anyone acting suspiciously.”
I turned my gaze toward the window and clicked my tongue.
Though I could see people moving busily below, not a single one of them displayed any suspicious behavior.
“Should I change my investigation location?”
“Well… let’s not worry too much about it today and just enjoy the date like Elisha suggested.”
“Okay!”
After finishing our meal, Yurina and I stepped outside.
“Let’s see… where should we go next?”
“I’ve already been to the places I wanted to go. This time, let’s go somewhere you want to go, Dale!”
Yurina smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.
“Even if you ask where I want to go… I can’t really think of anywhere in particular.”
Since I didn’t have much experience with dates like this, nothing came to mind.
“Don’t overthink it. Just pick somewhere.”
“Hmm… then how about we go to a Cafe?”
After deliberation, the place I chose was admittedly quite ordinary and predictable.
But.
“Yes, I’d love to!”
Even at such a mundane suggestion, Yurina smiled brightly as if delighted.
I headed to a nearby Cafe with Yurina.
Though I hadn’t specifically searched for one, the Cafe was somehow filled with couples.
“Oh, look Dale! If you order the special couple menu, you get a basic 30% discount, and if you succeed at the challenge mission, it’s completely free!”
“…So that’s why there are so many couples.”
I let out a small laugh and asked.
“But what challenge do you have to succeed at?”
“Hmm… let me see.”
Yurina slowly read through the text written on the menu.
“So… you both bite a cookie dipped in coffee from opposite ends, and if it doesn’t break in the middle before you eat it… you k-k-kiss?!”
Sparks of excitement flew from Yurina’s eyes as she examined the event details.
“Dale! Let’s take on the challenge right now!”
“…Really? You’re going to attempt that?”
“If we succeed, it’s free!”
Yurina let out an exaggerated cough and ordered the special couple menu.
Soon, the cafe attendant brought over a long pastry soaked in coffee, placed in a dish.
“Alright! Both of you place your mouths on opposite ends and eat without breaking it!”
The attendant explained the challenge with a bright smile.
And then.
“….”
“….”
Yurina and I held the coffee-soaked pastry between our mouths at opposite ends, our eyes locked on each other.
As I gradually bit through the pastry, drawing closer to her.
“Mm, mmm! Mmmmmm!!!”
Perhaps it was the anticipation of fulfilling her long-held desire.
Yurina squeezed her eyes shut and began kicking her feet excitedly.
Huff! Huff!
Her breathing grew ragged as her excitement reached its peak.
Snap.
The pastry broke apart anticlimactically.
Perhaps because it was soaked in coffee, it snapped easily from the slightest pressure.
“Ah.”
A quiet sigh escaped from between Yurina’s lips.
“Oh, what a shame you failed! But if you come again next time, you’ll have another chance!”
“…Wait.”
“Yes?”
“A-another attempt! I want to try again!”
“I-I’m sorry, but the event challenge is only once per day….”
“That can’t…!”
The attendant left with an awkward smile while Yurina hung her head in despair.
“Uuugh.”
I let out a soft chuckle watching Yurina heave a sigh so deep it seemed the earth might swallow her whole.
“When did you become so obsessed with kissing?”
“Well… it’s because I’ve never done it before.”
Yurina continued, her expression deflated.
“Then why don’t we do it right here, right now?”
“R-right now?”
“Yeah. We don’t need some event like this to do it, right?”
If Yurina truly desired a kiss, there was no reason for me to refuse.
Before, my heart hadn’t been settled enough to initiate physical contact so readily.
But now, I had steeled my resolve.
“Mmm….”
Yurina glanced around nervously, swallowing hard.
After a long moment of deliberation, she finally lowered her head and spoke.
“…No, not now. Let’s skip it.”
“Why?”
“Because… I want the first time to be in a better atmosphere.”
Yurina bit her lip and clenched her fists tightly.
Knowing the truth about her real “first time,” I couldn’t help but swallow a bitter smile.
“Should we head out then?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
As we stepped out of the Cafe, the sky had already transformed into a brilliant orange, as if burning with the sunset’s glow.
I walked through the sunset-bathed streets, holding Yurina’s hand.
“…Dale.”
“Hmm?”
Yurina stopped in front of the Fountain at the center of the Plaza.
She squeezed my hand a little tighter and continued.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Huh? Sorry for what all of a sudden?”
“Well, actually… dating like this was my dream.”
Yurina gazed up at the sky with a faint smile on her lips.
“Thanks to you today, Dale, I’ve been able to fulfill so many dreams. Dreams I never could have imagined back when I was Yuren.”
“….”
Her silver hair gleamed in the sunset’s light.
The moment our eyes met, my mind went blank.
She was so beautiful it felt as though she existed in an entirely different world.
“I know I shouldn’t think this way, but honestly… I wished I hadn’t found Demon Human earlier.”
“…Is that why you apologized?”
“Yeah. Because once I find Demon Human… this happy time will end.”
Yurina scratched her head with an embarrassed smile.
I let out a soft laugh and nodded.
“I felt the same way.”
“…You did too, Dale?”
“Yeah.”
Demon Human or whatever.
Being with her was so enjoyable that I found myself thinking the same thing without realizing it.
“Hehe. That’s a relief.”
Yurina smiled shyly.
Without thinking, I reached out and gently stroked her hair.
Soft strands slipped through my fingers.
I slowly lowered my hand and caressed her cheek.
“Dale….”
My eyes met Yurina’s.
Perhaps it was the glow of the sunset.
I could see Yurina’s face flushed crimson, as though aflame.
“A-ahem.”
Yurina cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her head away.
“Come to think of it, we’re supposed to pretend to be lovers today, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
In truth, Yurina and I were already lovers, so there was no real need to pretend.
“That… um, look over there, Dale.”
Where Yurina pointed, I could see several couples standing around the Fountain, embracing or kissing one another.
“…So this place is also… like that Cafe earlier, a spot where couples gather, it seems.”
“….”
Fair enough.
A pristine street, an open Plaza, and a beautiful Fountain positioned at its center.
It was certainly the sort of place that would appeal to couples.
“Here… the atmosphere feels so much better than before….”
Yurina stammered hesitantly.
The sunset-painted sky, the crisp winter breeze, the pleasant sound of the Fountain drifting through the air.
Though there were quite a few people milling about, the atmosphere was so enchanting that such details faded from notice.
“…Dale.”
“Mm.”
Our gazes locked.
A peculiar silence descended between us, as though time itself had frozen.
“Mmph.”
Yurina closed her eyes tightly and offered her lips.
“….”
I’m often told I lack perceptiveness.
But I’m not so oblivious as to miss what she wants in a moment like this.
I swallowed hard and slowly leaned my face toward Yurina’s parted lips.
Then.
Thud!
“Eek!”
A shaggy-haired brown-haired Unknown Boy collided with Yurina.
“I-I’m so sorry! There are so many people, I didn’t see you!”
The Unknown Boy bowed his head in apology.
In such a dense crowd, not noticing who stood before you was hardly a grave matter.
“You…!”
Yurina glared fiercely—not at the Unknown Boy himself, but at the shopping bag now clutched in his hands.
His hand movements were too swift to follow with the eye, the work of someone with considerable practice.
She was a superhuman who had awakened a stigma, and among them, she belonged to the upper echelon of strength.
Even if her mind had been preoccupied with the kiss she’d shared with Dale, her senses hadn’t dulled enough to miss the clumsy handiwork of some mere child.
“Damn it!”
The pickpocket boy, caught red-handed, spun around and bolted.
Yurina reached out to grab the fleeing boy.
But I stopped her.
“Yurina, wait.”
“Dale?”
She turned back with wide eyes, as if asking why I was stopping her.
I watched the boy’s retreating figure disappearing through the crowd, my eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
‘A pickpocket.’
The kind of existence that loitered through the bustling districts of Valhalla City, hunting for easy targets.
‘I might be able to gather information about them.’
Given the nature of their profession—if one could even call it that—they’d have a keen eye and the skill to read the movements of multiple people.
Judging by his technique, this wasn’t his first or second time, which meant he likely knew Valhalla City far better than Yurina and I did.
“Let’s follow him and see where he goes.”
“B-but…!”
Yurina’s face fell as she watched the shopping bag in the boy’s hands.
Not only had she missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to share a romantic first kiss with Dale, but now her secret weapon(?) had been stolen right out of her hands.
“Why… why does this always happen to me…!”
With an expression full of frustration, Yurina followed after the disappearing boy.

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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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