“The way I see it, he tries too hard to be perfect. I wish he’d at least be a little more willful and ask more of his friends. But his pride won’t let him. That’s why…” Leo flashed Aki a teasing grin, “I was honestly shocked when you told me you guys were dating. Sure, everyone knew you guys were into each other, but I never thought he’d be able to tell you how he feels.”
Everyone knew… Aki fidgeted from the embarrassment of being told that to her face.
“After all, he showed absolutely no interest in any of the fancy princesses and drop-dead gorgeous ladies who flirted with him before. I was starting to think all women looked like slimes to him. We were starting to worry,” Leo said with a laugh.
“R-Really?”
She was going to say, “It’s not like you or Johann have any women in your life either” but stopped.
They had been so busy training and studying for their war against the Dark Lord, they probably didn’t have the time for romance. Their unrivaled strength may have been due to not only innate talent but also the amount of time they invested in getting stronger.
Leo narrowed his eyes, seemingly unhappy with her reply. “C’mon now, you know better than anyone how oblivious he is when it comes to romance. Though his status as Hero likely played an even bigger role in him not getting involved with any women… Or more like, he was purposely trying not to get attached to others. Until he met you.”
Aki bashfully looked away from Leo’s sudden soft smile. It sounded as though she had become someone so special to Elias he couldn’t run away from love anymore.
Whether he knew how she was feeling or not, Leo continued with his ears turning pink, “…I know exactly how he feels.”
“Pardon?” Aki looked at his face and he immediately turned his head toward the window to avoid her eyes.
“I mean, you’re no peerless beauty—”
“Hey, what’s that—”
“But you give everything your all,” he continued over her. “I’m pretty sure you had it rough being summoned to this unknown world. But instead of running away, you accepted it and assertively asked us questions. And then you even went the extra mile to help us out when we needed it, right? You came across as really lovable and cute—ack, what am I sayin’?!”
Red rushed to Leo’s cheeks and he scratched the back of his head. Aki pursed her lips at his endless praise. But he didn’t let his compliments end there. He gazed sincerely into her eyes.
“Ah, whatever. Might as well say it all while I’m at it. It’s because of your personality that I want to be with you and encourage you. And when I see you in danger, it makes me think I should stick around to protect you. Once I started thinking that way, I, well, began fallin’ for ya.”
Aki blushed profusely and hung her head. It was almost as if Leo was confessing his feelings to her a second time. Being told those things by a wonderful and sincere man like Leo filled her with a mix of joy, nervous butterflies, and shyness.
Leo turned his head away again and glanced back with only his eyes. “So I think that’s what made him fall in love with you.”
“Y-You think so…?”
Ahhh! This is so embarrassing! Aki’s face burned so bad she couldn’t look up.
Leo cleared his throat to clear the air. “Anyway, Elias has never had anyone like you in his life. And that’s why he was so desperate to protect you as the Hero and as a man. But so much happened all at once, he failed at both,” Leo said persuasively. Aki gave a small nod.
“He’s definitely wallowing in self-pity because he feels responsible for getting you hurt. Hence the breakup speech... Sheesh. That’s where he shoulda said I’ll become strong enough to protect you from now on,” Leo teased.
Aki laid her right hand over her heart. I don’t want my relationship to end with him… At this rate, he will put up his Hero wall, seal his heart off, and pretend not to notice it.
She didn’t want to see Elias’s forced smile again. Rather than a fake expression directed at strangers, she wanted him to give her that blissful smile reserved for his lover.
Finally discovering what she really wanted, Aki looked at the teacup sitting on the table and asked, “…Leo, what should I do?”
“About what?” He tilted his head.
She leaned on the table, her butt hovering a few inches off her chair. “I don’t want Elias to end up alone like this… I don’t want to break up with him!” At last, her true desires became words.
Though she didn’t want Elias to end up alone, she also wanted to be the only woman he ever loved. She didn’t want to give him up—she wanted him to herself. Perhaps it was wrong to harbor these feelings for the world’s Hero, but that was how she felt.
“Because I love Elias…!” she announced in a trembling voice.
As she became aware of how great her feelings for him were, the fresh memory of him feebly shaking his head saying they should end things entered her thoughts.
What did she have to do to pull him out of his slump? Would she never be able to reach him again now that he had pulled back into his shell?
The thought was enough to crush her heart and bring hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to fight them off by gnawing her lip to no avail.
Leo sadly watched Aki hiccup and choke on her words. He seemed hesitant to say anything until he couldn’t bear to see her weep any longer.
“…Don’t cry,” he said in a strained voice.
His voice sounded so deep, Aki couldn’t help looking up at him and blinking back the tears.
Leo’s sharp gaze held her captive. “Don’t cry, Aki,” he repeated stronger this time. “I didn’t nearly die in that last battle to see you dissolve into tears. That’s not why I fought him… That’s not what I fought Elias for!”
“Leo…?”
Leo jumped up and strode over to Aki. He looked down at her as if her words had deeply hurt him. She looked up at his confusing expression and tilted her head.
“Leo, what’s—”
“Please, Aki!”
Aki placed her right hand on the table to stand when Leo reached out and pulled her tightly to him. As she blinked repeatedly, his hair tickled the top of her shoulder and her cheek.
“L-Leo…?” Eyes spinning, she stiffened in his arms. His hands tightened on her back. He hugged her so tight she struggled to breathe.
“I know this is a cowardly time to ask this, but…am I not good enough for you…?” he whispered in her ear.