“S-so good…”
“Enough to make you cry?! What an exaggeration. It’s just a regular meat skewer.”
“No, I mean it. It’s amazing…”
“Then you must have been quite hungry…”
As the girls looked at me with both exasperation and a strange sense of admiration, I chowed down on the second skewer. As I sank my teeth into the hot poultry meat, grilled to savory perfection, its juices gushed out from the inside and spilled into my mouth. While the simple, salty base seasoning was delicious on its own, the sweet and spicy sauce that had been drizzled over the top of the meat was just out of this world. I was in ecstasy as I devoured the food, and in no time flat, the five skewers Leonie had brought me were gone.
“…Gulp. Thank you. Ah…that hit the spot…”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“You really saved me. Thanks. I owe you my life.”
“Again with the exaggeration.”
“No, seriously, I was on the verge of death back there…and…?”
Just then, I noticed for the first time—this girl, Leonie, was unbelievably gorgeous. The moonlight was bringing out her doleful, ephemeral beauty, and she was just my type. And on top of that, she was a kind enough person to have reached out to check on some demon she had never seen before passed out by the roadside. She was definitely a catch.
“My name’s Ruchika. You’re called Leonie, right? Do you have a mate?”
“Huh?”
“What do humans call it again…? A ‘lover’?”
“…No, I can’t say that I do.”
“Gotcha, gotcha.”
When I’d collapsed from hunger, I’d seriously been wondering what would become of me. But the fact that I’d met a wonderful girl like this must have meant the world had plans for me yet.
“Can you stand?” Leonie asked.
“Huh? Oh yeah. I think so. Hup!”
I jumped up and checked the condition of my arms and legs. They seemed a little weak from having been still for so long, but they were already feeling better after a bit of movement.
“Thank you again. Seriously. I can’t believe I was about to drop dead before getting a chance to chase my dream after coming all this way to the human capital.”
“Does that mean you’ve also come to take the entrance exam for the Hero Institute?”
Oh?
“Are you two are doing the same?”
“Yes.”
“We just came back from checking out the exam venue in advance, actually. We were about to find something to eat before going home.”
In contrast to Leonie, who had nodded coolly, Nor still looked scared of me…but maybe that was simply part of her personality. Where Leonie tried to look at everything calmly and objectively, I felt like Nor was the timid and reserved type.
Okay, so they’re off to get some food… This is my chance.
“Can I go with you?”
“…Do you mind, Nor?”
“If you’re all right with it, Leonie, then sure…”
“Thanks!” I said.
And with that, they allowed me to tag along. But just then—
—I paid the price for my lack of vigilance.
“Wha—?!”
Someone bumped into me from behind and made me stagger. I felt something being pulled out from my pocket.
“…?! A thief!”
“Whoa, seriously…?”
Even though I had been able to fill my belly a little, I was honestly still pretty hungry, and I must have let my guard down while I was dazed. Although I’d used up all my cash a few days ago, I didn’t want to lose my wallet, too.
“They targeted you because you were out of it! We have to chase after them! Nor, go report it to the guards!” Leonie said.
“Okay!”
“All right, they’re not getting away with this!”
Leonie and I took off running, leaving Nor behind. Even though it was nighttime, the city streets were still full of people. Brightened by the light of magical lamps, the place really seemed like a city that never slept. Leonie and I wove through the crowd as we chased after the pickpocket. Wow, this girl’s pretty amazing if she can keep up with my speed.
“I guess the crime rate in Kars Kingdom isn’t as low as I thought.”
“There are a lot of crowds this time of year given the number of visitors coming for the Hero Institute entrance exam. That means more unsavory types, too.”
We kept talking as we ran, but Leonie didn’t lose her breath at all. Yeah, she’s good. I was starting to like her even more.
“So is it actually pretty hard to get into the Hero Institute?”
“It’s a school for developing the next generation of heroes—of course enrolling is difficult. But this isn’t really the time—”
“And there’s a practical exam?”
“And a written one on top of that. But what does that have to do with—?”
Leonie shot me a quizzical look as I grinned back at her.
“In that case, we’d better be good enough to catch some lousy pickpocket, huh?”
I started running even faster.
“Wha…?!”
“Look! We’re about to catch up to them!”
Planning each movement carefully as I gave chase, I made sure to lead the pickpocket farther and farther from the crowds. Soon enough, I had succeeded in chasing them into a dead-end back alley.
“Y-you little…!”
“All right, stop right there. You won’t be getting out of this one.”
I held out both my hands as if to block the pickpocket’s way. Leonie looked a little impressed as she caught up with us a few moments later. Heh-heh, I really got to show off some of my moves there.
“All right, time for you to give up and return my wallet. It was a gift from my mama, and it’s empty anyway.”
“Screw you—!”
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the pickpocket was a girl. She cursed viciously at me as she threw the wallet back in my direction. I caught it and put it carefully away.
“I bet you two are no different than all the others, blabbing on about wanting to be heroes and all that nonsense!” The pickpocket yelled again. Her eyes were darting about, searching frantically for an escape route.
“‘Nonsense’…? I’m dead serious about it, actually.”
“Leave her be, Ruchika. There’s no way a thug like her could ever understand the ambition it takes to pursue becoming a hero.”
Leonie’s response was scathing. I could sense she had some special feelings around her desire to join the Hero Institute. But her phrasing only seemed to provoke the pickpocket girl even more.
“You’re Leonie Baez, aren’t you? The daughter of the Almighty Hero? You suck-ups think you’re so much better than everyone else, always doing whatever your Gear tells you to do!”
“You have no idea what it means to be a hero. Heroes are the hope of humankind, entrusted with overcoming the mistakes of humanity.”
“‘Hope’?! They’re nothing but a bunch of slaves who happened to be born with a little talent!”
“Uh, sorry, but I’m not really following…?” I said.