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He couldn’t honestly nod at those words. With his head bowed, Yuichiro muttered sullenly like a sulking child, “What’s the point of saving a hellish world like this?” His words slipped out unconsciously.

Temeraire tilted his head curiously at Yuichiro, who had a face like he had bitten a bitter bug. “Hell?”

In response to that, Yuichiro blinked his eyes lightly. ‘It seems that the word “hell” doesn’t exist in this world. Perhaps the concept itself doesn’t exist.’

“It’s a terrible world where the souls are said to go when villains die. They are tormented and killed for hundreds, even thousands of years, in proportion to the evil deeds they committed in the mortal world, only to be revived and repeat the cycle.”

When the stories of the Hell of Cauldrons Oil[1] and Needle Mountain[2] were mentioned, Temeraire visibly furrowed his brow.

“It’s a terrible world even after death, isn’t it?”

“Do such thoughts not exist in this world? Like where the soul goes after death?”

“We don’t have such a concept, but there is an old folklore that says after death, the soul untangles from the body like a thread and flies into the sky. A thread?”

As Temeraire explained, Yuichiro nodded faintly.

“In the sky of this world, countless threads of light drift with the wind. It is said that these countless threads intertwine and form a single mass, giving birth to a new life.”

Yuichiro narrowed his eyes and imagined. Regardless of being good or evil, when humans die, they become threads of light. Countless threads of light flying in the silvery sky. It seemed like an incredibly beautiful sight.

Lost in thought, Yuichiro felt Temeraire approaching and tightly gripped his hand. When he turned his gaze, he met the man’s earnest stare.

“Please don’t go back to the original world.”

Suddenly, Yuichiro was told those words clearly, causing him to gasp

As Yuichiro stared at Temeraire with wide eyes, the man continued with a worried voice, “I don’t want you to return to a world where you would be tormented even in death.”

It seemed that Temeraire truly believed in the existence of hell.

In response to the man’s earnest words, Yuichiro couldn’t help but almost burst into laughter.

With a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, Temeraire remained frozen. For some reason, he couldn’t say anything. While still tightly gripping Yuichiro’s hand, he let out a voice that sounded like a prayer. “At least, if you’re going back to the original world, please take me with you. Even if I’m just a servant or a substitute for a pet. I don’t mind doing anything you desire. I can’t bear to keep living in a world without you. Please… please don’t leave me behind.”

“Don’t leave me behind.”

Noah had said the same thing before.

It was an incredibly strange sensation. Yuichiro had always been the one left behind, but now he was being earnestly begged not to be left behind. He, who had felt worthless, was being treated as something precious that shouldn’t be lost.

“Temeraire.”

Hearing his name being called out, Temeraire lifted his lowered gaze. In his eyes, fear was faintly seen.

“If I return with you to the original world, you will also go to hell.”

“I don’t mind.”

“If I go back to the original world, I won’t be a goddess anymore.” The moment Yuichiro murmured those words, he felt a dull pain in his heart. He clenched his molars tightly, trying to conceal his contorted face. He continued, “Even the curse of obsessively loving the goddess placed upon you will be lifted. Once that happens, the one you’ll be with won’t be a goddess, just an ordinary middle-aged man. You will definitely regret it. Will you want to be with such an unkind, not even beautiful, just an ordinary old man?”

With each word spoken, Yuichiro felt a tightness in his throat, as if it were being constricted. ‘Why is it so painful?’ He couldn’t understand it himself. He was just stating the facts, so why was he hurt like a young child?

However, Yuichiro absolutely hated it. He didn’t want the man in front of him to realize that he was just a boring middle-aged man. He didn’t want to witness the moment when Temeraire’s loving gaze turned into disdain. His lips trembled involuntarily. The warmth he had felt in his fingertips dissipated once again.

Without being noticed, Yuichiro awkwardly withdrew my hand from Temeraire’s palm, as if trying to escape.

But Temeraire had a gentle smile on his face. “Are you afraid of being abandoned by me?”

Feeling frustrated at the man’s seemingly delighted voice, Yuichiro glared at Temeraire.

Still, Temeraire’s smile remained. He softly embraced Yuichiro’s head with both arms, like a tender embrace a mother gives to her child. “Please believe in me. I love you, not as a goddess, but as a human being named Ogami Yuichiro.”

Believe in me.

Those words, repeated over and over, made Yuichiro feel a strong desire to cry for some reason.

‘That’s a lie. I don’t want to believe it. It’s terrifying to believe. I’m terrified of believing and accepting Temeraire’s love, only to experience the same despair I felt at that time. I haven’t even been able to gather the shattered pieces of my heart.’

Yet, there was a part of him that wanted to believe. A pitiful part of him wishing to be convinced. Yuichiro felt tears welling up in his eyes due to the contradictory emotions, much like a teenage girl.

Just as his eyes were starting to moisten, the room’s door suddenly swung open forcefully. As Yuichiro shifted his gaze toward the door, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Why are you two getting all lovey-dovey without me?”

Standing in front of the door was an indisputably beautiful girl. The girl had a red ribbon headband adorning her straight, waist-length white hair and large blue cat-like eyes. Her lips were tinted with a faint cherry pink lipstick, enhancing her cuteness. In addition to the light blue short dress I had seen earlier, she wore white laced-up knee-high boots. The girl approached with large strides and swiftly grabbed Yuichiro’s head from Temeraire as if snatching it away. The soft feeling of her chest pressing against his cheek left Yuichiro paralyzed.

“N-Noah?”

Being called out in such faltering voice, Noah’s demeanor softened. “How do I look, Yuichiro? I’m properly dressed, right?”

In a tone reminiscent of a child showing off a perfect score on a test to their parents, Noah spun around on the spot. At the same time, the hem of his skirt fluttered lightly. With his sparkling, large eyes and plump, soft cherry pink lips, he was undeniably a perfect girl.

“What about your chest?”

Pointing to his slightly developed chest, Yuichiro saw Noah casually reach into his own neckline. Then, he pulled out something resembling a folded cloth.

“I heard that if you’re a small child, you can be either a boy or a girl, so I decided to disguise myself as a girl to avoid standing out. That’s why we decided to make breasts as well.”

Where did the resistance from earlier go?

Yuichiro asked in a casual tone, as if he had completely given up. He then watched in astonishment as Noah, who had tightly wrapped a cloth around his chest, adjusted it and returned it to its place.

Ignoring Yuichiro’s dumbfounded expression, Noah leaned in closer. With his curled eyelashes, Noah’s blue eyes appeared disproportionately large, as if they could swallow everything.

“Hey, what about the reward?”

“Huh?”

“You said you would give me a reward if I behaved well.”

Impatiently, Noah shook Yuichiro’s shoulder. In response to the urging voice, Yuichiro frowned vaguely. “Oh, now that you mention it, I did say something like that…”

As Yuichiro murmured quietly, Noah broke into a delighted smile. “What reward will you give me?”

“What…?” Yuichiro hadn’t even thought about the reward. Scratching the back of his head with one hand, he looked up into the air. “On the contrary, what kind of reward do you want?”

As he asked indifferently, Noah’s expression turned puzzled for a moment, then his face blushed bright red. After fidgeting and moving his body, Noah finally spoke with determination.

“Well… I want to see you doing it alone…”

“Huh?”

“I want to see Yuichiro doing it alone.”

Although Noah had repeated his words, the meaning behind it was incomprehensible to Yuichiro. Or rather, he didn’t want to understand it in the first place. Seeing Noah’s eyes sparkling with expectation, he instinctively muttered, “No way.”

Instantly, Noah furrowed his brow in frustration. “What do you mean, ‘no way’?”

“That’s the only thing I can say. What are you talking about? Do you even know where we are?”

‘In a room in a brothel far from the capital city, and moreover, about to depart for an enemy country tomorrow. What on earth was he blabbering about?’

‘Huh, is this the same brave man who was persuading the children without caring about his own life just a moment ago? Did his brain empty out in these few hours?’

Noah pouted in dissatisfaction at Yuichiro’s unmistakably horrified expression, not even bothering to hide it.

“But… but…”

“But what?” Yuichiro said sharply.

Noah then looked up at Yuichiro. “I feel frustrated that only I’m embarrassed. And when you’re embarrassed, Yuichiro, you look really cute…”

Whether it was an excuse or an attempt at scolding, it was impossible to distinguish, but either way, there was something seriously wrong with Noah’s head.

“You… Maybe you should see a doctor about your head or eyes.”

In response to Yuichiro’s earnest voice, Noah pursed his lips as if feeling disappointed. Seeking confirmation, Noah directed his gaze towards Temeraire. “But Temeraire, you think so too, right?”

“Yes, I completely agree.”

Temeraire’s response came naturally, causing Yuichiro’s eyes to widen in surprise.

“Hey, what are you trying to say…?” Yuichiro growled, questioning Temeraire’s statement.

Remaining calm and unfazed, Temeraire replied, “I am merely stating the facts.”

“Facts? Isn’t it just a twisted delusion or a hallucination in your brain…”

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