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Chapter 81: Former Hero – Loves
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Such great weather!!!

The blue sky is spreading out, as if mirroring my frame of mind.

And, since it’s early spring, the sunlight wasn’t that hot, either.

Here I am now, waiting on the main street of West Malt, for a certain someone.

Of course, that certain someone was Celes.

Ready. The me today is very ready.

Since the smartphone event, I can feel my distance with Celes rapidly closing.

Concerning the date today, I already had in mind the perfect one. Though, it might be a little forced on my part.

Fu. . . fufufufufufufu.

For the last several days, because I was so happy, I’ve been disregarding many things that have happened.

It’s also been awhile since Sharon last pointed out [Eww. . . Haruto’s expression looks disgusting. . .], like earlier this morning.

Well, that can’t be helped.

Having a date with a certain girl, it’s impossible not to elicit any weird expressions.

It’s impossible for a guy not to do so. NO way.

While I was deep in thought, the expected person finally showed up.

[Go. . . Good morning.] (Celes)

The arriving Celes quickly greeted me, albeit with a slightly timid sounding tone.

Slee. . . It’s sleeveless. . .?

Celes wore a different set of clothes than she usually wears today. This time, she wore a sleeveless dress.

Also, some cute accessories, such as the necktie that was dangling over her chest.

[Goo. . . Good morning.] (Haruto)

It’s fascinating to see Celes in this different set of clothing. I was nearly lost for words.

Dang it.

I should’ve worn something different today as well.

But, at the moment, I only have two sets of clothes in this world.

The other one was being washed, while I wore this one.

Umumu. . .

When I think about it again, it sounded really bad.

Oh, right. Since it’s special, were her clothes today specifically prepared for this?

Umu. Not bad.

[Umm. . . Onii-san? It. . . It’s embarra.s.sing if you stare at me that much.] (Celes)

I, while making necessary corrections to my date plan, while at the same time staring at Celes blissfully from the top to bottom, seem to have made her blush.

[Ah. . . Err. . . It’s, sorry. That dress is marvelous. It looks lovely and cute on you.] (Haruto)
[Cu. . . What, cute? I. . Eh. . Thank you very much.] (Celes)

Toward my sweet words, Celes turned even redder, so much so that she had to turn her head down.

Uwa, super kawaii. I had the urge to pat her head.

If it goes on as it is, I might have the urge to take this date quickly to the hotel.

No no no, wait, wait.

It’s still too early.

[Well then, shall we go?] (Haruto)
[Ye, yes. . .Ah.] (Celes)

Naturally, I took hold of Celes’ hand.

Of course, it’s only natural if I do so while on a date.

Also, I’m clasping both hands together.

From this side, I realized that she was exuding some peculiar, fluffy fragrance.

Even if her heart is beating like mad, Celes didn’t hesitate, and grasped my hand back in return.

Yos.h.!.+

This is it. This will be it.

My heart is clasping as hard as my hand is.

[Err. . .How will we spend the day?] (Celes)

Celes asked about the schedule today.

She shyly kept her face down, hiding her fl.u.s.tered expression from me.

The way it appears. . . It’s almost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Simply irresistible.

[About that, ah, yes. We will go to see the clothes shop for the time being, after that. . . ] (Haruto)
[After that. . . ?] (Celes)

I pulled Celes’ hand, guiding her as we walked along the side of the main street.

[Ee? Wai. . . Onii-san?] (Celes)

As it seems, Celes might be wondering why I’m in such a haste.

Apart from the limit of stamina, since we can’t go directly to the hotel.

It’s also to evade the stalkers who have been following since a while ago.

Actually, at the time I was waiting for Celes, I sensed that there were some people in hiding, watching me.

Most likely, it’s Sharon and Rithina.

They were good enough in concealing their presence, but I’m on a lookout.

Along with the two that were hiding in the shadow, there was also Mina behind them.

I wondered why they were tailing us while Celes and I are on a date, but let’s lose them for now.

I pulled Celes’ hand as we go from one alley to another, hiding ourselves in the dark.

If I use the searching magic in the middle of the crowd, I might get confused by the random pa.s.serby. It’s the opposite within tightly s.p.a.ced surroundings.

Entering a narrow gap, I waited for Sharon and co. to pa.s.s by while embracing Celes, so our body can fit in the gap.

[Eh? Eh?] (Celes)
[Ssshhhh. Please remain quiet for a little bit. Or else Sharon and the others will hear you.] (Haruto)

Being held by me in such a narrow s.p.a.ce, Celes can only nod while blus.h.i.+ng madly.

Celes’ slim waist, that is pressing onto me now as I embrace her, felt pleasant to me.

The embrace was really close, because the gap was so narrow. But, it can’t be helped.

This is the only well hidden spot around here.

I didn’t deliberately choose this spot. Well, no, I did.

After a while of searching, Sharon and co. failed to spot us, so they went looking in another place.

This is bad.

We may have lost them for now, but I won’t rest easy if they were to keep looking.

Everyone always wants a private date for themselves. Because that’s where the fun is.

And above all, Celes is. . .

Inside my embrace, with her face buried into my chest.

Dang, my lower half is reacting.

No, definitely no. The date has just started.

Let’s continue then.

[Mou, is it safe already?] (Celes)
[Ah. . Ye, yes it is.] (Haruto)

Reluctantly parting with Celes, we returned out of the alley.

Inside the perimeter of my searching magic, it seems that Sharon and co. have really gone.

Afterward, the two of us went to the clothes shop in town.

We both got to choose a set of clothes for ourselves.

Since Celes had always wore shorts, and I’ve been vehemently lifting her skirt up when I can, she was reluctant to buy another one. Though, she shyly bought one at my urgence anyway.

[On the next date, please wear this.] (Haruto)

What a man. Already talking about the next date casually, when we aren’t even done with the first.

How would Celes answer to that? *Doki doki*

[Eee. . . Eto. . Okay. . . Then, Onii-san should put on the clothes he bought today, too.] (Celes)

Celes approved the idea with a small, pleasant smile.

Uooooo!? Success!!!

Without any forcing, the promise for a second date has already been obtained.

To this response, my tension rose sky high.

I asked the store clerk to send the clothes to the hotel, and then we went out of the clothes chop to continue on with out date.

Walking out of the shop, while under this high tension, I still had more to go.

Rather than just holding hands with Celes, we clasped our fingers together, in a tight bond.

I did not know whether it could be considered how two lovers will act when with one another, whether or not it was proper, but at least Celes wasn’t against it.

This is just perfect.

It should be possible to go all the way with just a little more push.

I felt convinced that today, I’ve earned my victory.

And after the two of us finished having lunch, we went to the magitech shop as per Celes’ request.

I didn’t really have much knowledge about this field though, so I couldn’t tell if the shop stocked quality goods or not. While Malt was pretty crowded, it’s still situated at the border of the country.

Educated in the aristocrats inst.i.tute, with Celes’ capability to discern the goods that easily surpa.s.sed even the highest level of local librarian, she could easily tell that none of the goods were up to her satisfaction.

Anyway, Celes herself said that it’s normal, since this is a city at the country’s border, and that the neighboring country didn’t have any distinct commodities to add. I suppose it’s true.

And then, using the paper from Marquis Iris to cross the border, we arrived at the East Malt shopping district.

The overflowing demons from the labyrinth, due to most of them having already been dispatched by our group, allowed almost no critical damage to happen to the city, making the district as crowded as it was before.

[It’s good to know that the city wasn’t damaged.] (Haruto)

I muttered as I looked around.

[True. That many demons, and Onii-san defeating most by himself. That’s really incredible.] (Celes)

As Celes said so, she grasped my hand tighter.

My heart beat louder for a moment, at such a gesture.

[Well. . . That aside. It was impossible for me just by myself. We all did that together, with everyone else.] (Haruto)
[Fufu. Thank you very much.] (Celes)

While I was trying to hide my own embarra.s.sment, Celes smiled.

No, no, that just served to unnerve me even more.

My face felt hot.

Are? What happened to me?

The tide has become favorable for me.

Afterward, we went sightseeing and visited several shops, before finally resting on a restaurant.

Inside, sitting at one of the tables, enjoying myself while holding Celes’ hand, I could feel that all my worries began to melt away.

[On the back of your left hand, there is a magic symbol? Can you tell me what that is?] (Haruto)
[Ah, that one? It’s a magic symbol that represents my clan.] (Celes)

I might’ve asked for something forbidden to see, but Celes answers it with ease.

Well, it’s not even concealed, and left exposed. So, I guess it’s not a secret.

On the back of Celes’ left hand, there was a tattoo of a certain crest.

So, as Celes told me, the crest a.s.sisted in casting magic to the member of the clan, and had been pa.s.sed down for generations. Furthermore, they say when one becomes a high elf, the tattoo will spread to their whole body.

High elf, eh.

In case of high elves, is there a dark elf too?

And, do the dark elves have big b.r.e.a.s.t.s?

It’s silly of me to a.s.sume that each and every one of them are female.

And, it’s silly of me to a.s.sociate dark elves with big b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Anyway, the crest that Celes has been using is to a.s.sist her in healing magics, and it seemed to be one of the rarer ones. {1}

The phenomenon caused by magic must be imagined properly, and in the case of healing magic, one must truly understand the process of how wounds recover, and also of how our bodies really work. Otherwise, the magic might backfire, or even deteriorate the target instead.

The caster must also be capable to ascertain the degree of injury. That’s why it’s very difficult to do. This is exactly why healing magic users are so very rare. In this case, Celes crest had the acc.u.mulated knowledge of her ancestor’s healing art. She could cast a healing spell with much more ease than normal, because most of the procedure had been a.s.sisted by the crest.

Hohou.

To think that there is something so convenient.

Is there such a thing for humans to use?

But, I wonder how that crest would acc.u.mulate experience?

With the help of such crests, the effect of a magic spell will be increased.

. . . Getting a.s.sistance, according to the situation, that sounds awesome.

Above all, the crest can simplify some complex procedures.

How do I create one?

How come such copious amounts of information can be compressed into something that looks so simple?

[A . . Ano. . O, Onii-san. . . If you look at it so much. . . It’s. . . ] (Celes)

While I was staring at Celes’ hand with great fascination, she was getting redder without me noticing.

[Ah, so, sorry.] (Haruto)

No no.

Perhaps it’s written in small letters, but I guess there is a ‘don’t stare too long’ sign on it.

[Can I also hear something about Onii-san as well?] (Celes)

I can feel Celes’ grasp getting a little tighter.

Ho.

Things about me?

Do you want to know if there was something to worry about?

Fufu.

Good then.

When a girl wants to know about someone’s past, it only means she has feelings for that particular someone.

Surely, it can’t be wrong.

Anyways, let’s answer it first.

I must admit, I told Celes a story similar to what I’ve told Sharon.

All of them are in the same s.h.i.+p as me, so I suppose they have the right to know.

This time around, will I be able to keep them together?

And so, the evening came around.

We idly spent some time by watching the sunset.

As the sky was dyed red by the setting sun, Celes and I were sitting on top of the gate that also served as the country border.

Normally, this place is off-limits, but we managed to get permission.

The atmosphere felt somewhat romantic.

This is it.

The decisive point.

I reached out to my hand over Celes’ shoulder, who was sitting next to me.

Is, is it okay?

Yes, it surely is.

I grabbed Celes’ shoulder and pulled her closer to me.

Celes didn’t resist my advance.

[Celes.] (Haruto)
[O, onii-san. . . ] (Celes)

Under the setting sun, the two of us are staring at each other.

Amazing. This feeling is amazing.

Celes’ eyes are looking very beautiful at the moment.

She’s not resisting. Is it because of the promise?

No no, that should not be the case.

Go for it, go for it.

It’s alright, it’s alright.

Will a kiss be alright? I can’t say that out loud.

I shouldn’t hesitate and march forward!

I closed the gap between our faces.

Celes seemed to guess what I was trying to do, and closed her eyes.

Oo!

This! This is it!

The time has come!

[Nn. . .Nnn. . .] (Celes)

As our lips met, Celes let out a soft sigh.

Her trembling lips were tightly shut, but the thrilling sensation remained.

It’s today, it’s possible to go all the way! I’m absolutely sure of it.

And then my right hand suddenly felt aching.

It’s burning bright red, wanting to scream out loud.

No, figuratively speaking, I really want to scream.

At this time, is it okay to touch Celes’ breast?

I really want to touch it.

However, this might’ve been Celes’ first kiss.

On our first kiss, could I do something so drastic all of a sudden?

Is it good to go? I do think that it’s good to go.

No, wait, I must be patient.

I must not go in rus.h.i.+ng.

Rus.h.i.+ng in, might just ruin all the things I did today.

Failure is not acceptable. I should go with care.

[Nn. . . Pua. . .] (Celes)

My lips parted with Celes’ several moments later, and then I separated myself from her.

Thinking more about Celes, it will be weird if there was some tongue twining involved.

The reason I separated myself from her, was to see Celes’ reaction to my actions.

She had an intoxicated gaze; I can feel a heated expectation being thrust upon me.

Victorrrryyy!!!

Though in my mind I was doing the gutsiest pose I can imagine, I didn’t show it on my face.

I stared at Celes with a serious gaze.

The difference in experience, I can tell from the kiss alone.

I take the intoxicated Celes’ hands, and lifted her up by the shoulder.

Celes also closed in her body to mine.

Dere . . .!

This is, unbearable.

As I planned beforehand, I started walking with her toward the hotel near the border.

Nothing slipped out. Today’s plan is perfectly done.

And after this, is the real thing. Main dish. Final flag.

Fu. . . Fuhahahahah. . .ha!

Hahahahaha!!!

My brain is in an imaginary carnival.

The parade is carried out, the confetti is popping in the air, fanfare is resounding.

Springtime is coming!

Banzai another world! Banzai my elf girl!

Raizu note: Yay! Harem +1. Celes is sure a cutie~