Chapter 5

After a hard day's work, a drink sure hits the spot.

I should have just had one and called it a day, but I ended up going on a drinking spree.

I couldn't stay up all night drinking in the other world.

The soul of the sage would never allow it.

"Finally, I'm free."

I walk against the flow of people in the streets of Shinjuku during rush hour.

I'm definitely tired, but after 30 years of staying up all night to defeat the demon king, it's nothing out of the ordinary.

I even trained for a week without sleep to master a single technique.

"A little fatigue? I can handle it with sheer willpower!"

The words of the sage's soul have now become my own.

"Phew~"

I take a deep breath... and then look around.

People rushing to their workplaces, walking briskly. Everyone has something to do.

I feel like I've truly stepped out of that world.

"Huh?"

I sensed something was off.

I couldn't let my guard down for a moment until I defeated the demon king.

I could always unconsciously sense the surroundings.

My subconscious picks up on "something being wrong."

Different movements or signs.

How many times has it saved my life?

I focused my attention on the source of the discomfort.

A girl is walking... probably a high school student.

She's dressed up, but not in a way that stands out.

She looks like someone from the countryside who has just come to Tokyo for the first time.

But she's in the area of Shinjuku where office buildings line the streets.

Moreover, she doesn't seem excited like a newcomer; she looks incredibly dejected.

"Looking down while walking like that, you'll—"

Sure enough, she bumped into a young man who was rushing to work, almost late.

"Are you okay?"

I caught her arm just before she fell.

But she's so light. It feels like I didn't even need to use much strength to catch her as she was falling.

She looked up at me.

Oh, she's quite a pretty girl.

"Huh, ah—"

She seemed to be unable to grasp what had happened.

In situations like this, you have to be careful about how you connect your words.

"Be careful walking around Shinjuku with your head down."

I've been in similar situations in the other world.

A girl with the latent power of a holy maiden.

When I approached her, I was completely treated as a pedophile.

For the next 20 years, until I defeated the demon king, I was called a pervert.

Because of that painful experience, I trained rigorously on how to talk to young women for the first time.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You noticed."

I stopped talking there.

Silence fell between us.

The salarymen and office ladies passing by in Shinjuku naturally avoided us.

"Thank you so much. I'm fine now."

"You don't look fine. Yeah, that's it. Let's get some food."

"Huh?"

"Breakfast. You probably haven't eaten, right?"

"Huh, eat? Come to think of it, I didn't eat dinner last night..."

"See? That's why you're wobbling. Eating will give you some energy."

I pulled the girl from the countryside into a beef bowl restaurant.

The girl, who seemed unable to make proper judgments, followed my lead.

"So, what will you have?"

"Um, ham and eggs."

"I'll have salmon."

I ordered two breakfast sets and waited for them to come out.

During that time, I didn't say anything.

"Um, I arrived in Tokyo last night."

She started explaining the situation on her own.

When someone is down, it's best to stay silent and not say anything unnecessary.

This is one of the skills I learned in the other world.

People tend to feel the need to do something when there's silence.

If you don't say anything unnecessary, they'll tell you what they want to say.

"Then, when I opened the door to his room, there was another woman in bed with him!"

Ah, it was a romantic relationship.

So, she walked around Shinjuku all night.

It's a wonder she didn't run into any trouble.

"So, what do you want to do now?"

"What do I want to do? What do I want to do... What should I do?"

She still seemed unable to think clearly.

Yeah, in that case, this is what you do.

"Alright. First, eat your food!"

"Huh, okay."

Just then, two breakfast sets were placed in front of us.

She poked at the fried egg with a lack of enthusiasm, but her expression changed after taking a bite.

It must have been delicious.

At this time, there's only one kitchen staff in the restaurant, and they do a good job.

The ham and eggs are runny and half-cooked, and the salmon has a nice sear.

"It's delicious."

"Of course. When you're hungry, even a cheap breakfast set tastes good."

"You're right."

Oh, she's looking at me and smiling.

How cute.

"Keep eating. If it's not enough, you can get a refill."

"Okay."

She's eating without thinking.

And it looks delicious.

For a 350 yen breakfast set, this is the perfect way to eat it.

"I'll eat too."

I'm also hungry from not eating last night.

I quickly finished my salmon breakfast set.

"Phew. It was delicious."

I feel a little unsatisfied, but being 80% full is good.

Unlike the wilderness of the other world, I can always eat in Shinjuku.

"It was delicious. Thank you for the meal."

"Thank you for the meal."

I finish my post-meal tea.

Yeah, I'm satisfied.

I fall silent again.

If I do, she'll start talking.

"Um, let me pay for this."

"Huh? I invited you. It's on me."

"But, I can't impose on someone I just met..."

"It's fine. You've already caused me enough trouble."

"Huh. Well... I'm sorry."

"Just kidding. I just lost my job, so I had nothing to do anyway."

She's trying to figure out how to respond.

Since my purpose isn't to make her hesitate, I'll ask her a question.

"Don't worry about me. What do you want to do about your boyfriend?"

"Huh? What do I want to do?"

"Do you want to make him apologize, or maybe punch him?"

I chose to punch him, but what does she want to do?

"I was in a daze, so I didn't know what to do."

"Yeah, I get that. You've eaten, so you should be able to think now."

"Yes, I thought about it!"

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I want to make him feel the same shock I felt."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Her plan was quite bold.

She wants to call him to the hotel room where she was supposed to stay and greet him in bed with another man.

"Sure, that would give him the same shock."

The methods of revenge in the modern world and the other world are different.

In the other world, the morals of revenge were more established than in the modern world.

One of them was to give the same pain.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

So, her plan feels just right to me.

"That might be a good idea. Then, you should contact a male friend in Tokyo, right?"

"I don't have any such friends."

"But you said you want to greet him in bed with another man. You need a partner."

Hey, what's with that pleading look?

I'm in trouble. You're the only one who can help me, that look.

I've seen many people with that look in the towns I visited as a hero on my way to defeat the demon king.

But this isn't that kind of situation.

You should handle your revenge on your own.

"Please, help me."

"I understand the situation!"

"Then—"

"But I refuse!"

Of course.

I wouldn't want to get involved in a stranger's drama.

"Of course, I won't do it for free."

"Hmm. What's in it for me?"

"How about a kiss?"

Hey, what kind of proposal is that?

I wish you would consider your proposal more carefully.

I was a hero.

I'm not in a situation where I'm short of women.

There are plenty of women who would be happy to follow me if I asked.

Oh, what's happening?

My lower body is reacting.

"Hey, it looks like you're reacting."

You're observant.

I failed... my mind wouldn't react to such a proposal.

But my body is different.

I've been working all night for days, and I've never had a girlfriend.

Just a few times a month at a hotel.

And even that has been on hold due to emergency debugging.

Combined with lack of sleep, my libido is going haywire.

"Alright, I'll help you."

"Yay, I'm so happy!"

Hey, don't hug me.

My body will react.

"But the condition is that I set the plan. The key is to give your boyfriend the same shock you felt when you met me."

"Can you do it?"

Of course.

I'm the hero who defeated the demon king.

I've overcome every obstacle to achieve my ultimate goal.

A petty love triangle revenge is nothing... not breakfast, but after breakfast.

"Then, let's start with a beauty salon."

I used my smartphone to find the best beauty salon.