Chapter 2

I remembered that I was destined to be a losing heroine, and the first thing I thought to do was to put some distance between myself and the future hero, Lucash. Looking back, for these past eight years, even though there were several children of our age in this small village—precisely, three boys and three girls besides us—Laurel, as I am, was always with Lucash. Lucash was the same, meaning that neither of us ever joined the other children's circle.

From the opening dialogue of "Last Brave," I could infer that if my memories didn't return, I would have continued living this way until the day Lucash set off on his journey. The villagers would often say things like, "You're with Laurel again today," or "You two are as close as ever." In a sense, this was a form of isolation. In a village full of such villagers, would the hero Lucash really return after his quest?

Putting aside the future for now, I decided to change this two-person relationship. It might even be possible to change the common understanding among the villagers that "Lucash and Laurel will get married someday" at the beginning of the game—so I thought.

Despite being attacked by monsters, thanks to Lucash's power as a hero, I wasn't injured at all. I resumed my activities the next day. My parents and the other villagers all said, "You should rest more..." with less than favorable expressions, but I felt that time was precious.

—To change my job from being the hero's childhood friend as soon as possible.

This was the goal I set for myself. However, a problem arose that would hinder the achievement of this goal. It was the issue of the future hero not wanting to leave my side. After he declared that he would protect me, it was only natural for him to act this way.

"Lucash, it's okay now..."

I had promised Laurel's mother that I would protect her.

"That's very kind of you, but we've never been attacked by monsters in the village before, right?"

"That's true, but it might happen today."

Indeed, the future hero. Even at eight years old, he had a firm resolve. And as Lucash said, in the not-too-distant future, monsters would start appearing in the village. Currently, a weak magical barrier surrounds the village to keep the monsters away. However, as the resurrection of the demon king approaches, the monsters will become stronger, and the weak magic will no longer be effective. This phenomenon occurred worldwide, and the king of this world began searching for a hero. A messenger from the castle would come to this village, and at the right moment, monsters would appear. Lucash would defeat them with his hero's power, and the messenger would recognize him as the hero, sending him off to the capital—this was the summary of the first hour of the game.

However, I digress. To be honest, I wanted to change the fact that Lucash followed me like a duckling. If I didn't like Lucash, it would be a simple matter, but the perception that those two were "special" friends was something I wanted to avoid for the future.

"It's really okay now!"

"No. No matter what Laurel says, I'm going to follow you."

No matter how strongly I tried to push him away, Lucash wouldn't nod. Over the past eight years, my childhood friend would often nod even if he was dissatisfied, but where had the boy who was teased for being a crybaby and a coward gone?

While I was confused, "I" could sense the future hero's resolve in his stubborn attitude. The future hero, as I knew him, had a gentle personality, but he never flinched in the face of monsters. His occasional displays of strong will and stubbornness were what made him stand out.

It seemed that the presence of his childhood friend Laurel was significant in Lucash's personality development. Thinking about the future, this fact was rather melancholic.

"...Laurel, are you okay? You seem different today."

The sudden words of my childhood friend made my shoulders jump. Indeed, the future hero, though he seemed absent-minded, was sensitive to the emotions of others. In other words, he was observant.

I was still the same Laurel, but overnight, I had aged nearly 20 years in my mind. It was as if a new personality had been born. "I" and I wouldn't fully merge, so it wasn't surprising that my actions and words might seem out of place.

"No, no, I'm fine."

I smiled, but Lucash's eyes were filled with suspicion. His sensitivity to my changes was likely due to the eight years we had spent together. Childhood friends were indeed a troublesome attribute.

Even though I was in my 20s in my mind, I was still adjusting to this situation. I was struggling with two sets of memories and personalities. In other words, I wanted to be understood that it was not shameful to be at a loss when questioned by an eight-year-old boy.

"Hey, Laurel?"

The slightly slurred voice made me turn reflexively. There stood a red-haired girl. This girl—yes, Petra! Petra Eme, the daughter of the village chief of Eme's village.

In "Last Brave," she was just one of the nameless villagers. But to me now, she seemed like a heavenly helper, an angel. What a wonderful place to run into her!

"Laurel, are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"Petra! Yeah, I'm fine now. Sorry for worrying you."

I ran over and grabbed her hand, making her eyes widen in surprise. We had greeted each other and had casual conversations, but we weren't particularly close. I had never engaged in such intimate communication.

Thinking back, why had I only maintained a superficial relationship with the girls of my age in the village? Perhaps it was because our mothers were close and our families interacted. That was fine, but Laurel should have expanded her social circle.

From now on, I wanted to be friends. I wanted to deepen my friendships with other girls. This was the chance to do so, and to put some distance between Lucash and me.

"Where are you going?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm going to Radmila's house."

"Can I come with you?"

Petra showed even more surprise than before. Lucash, standing behind me, probably had his eyes wide open too.

Future hero, you should also expand your social circle. The boys your age who only say, "Hey, you're still the same," when you talk to them are not friends.

I smiled at Petra, who had stopped moving with her mouth half-open, and she looked at me for a moment before nodding.

"Sure."

I quickly responded, "Thank you," and turned around. Lucash, who had already taken a few steps toward me, met my eyes. He was clearly planning to follow.

I deepened my smile and looked him straight in the eye.

"Lucash, go home first."

***

I successfully went to Radmila's house with Petra. I believed this was a big step toward changing my job from being the hero's childhood friend.

As soon as I entered Radmila's house, I was hit by a strong sense of déjà vu. I had been here before, but this was the first time I felt this way. After a moment of hesitation, I realized the reason.

—In my past life, I remembered that a healing potion came out of that closet. Or maybe it was Madoka—the currency of this world.

"Laurel!?"

I was called from the back. The voice wasn't Radmila's. Radmila spoke in a more affectionate tone. This voice, though young, was calm and composed—

"Yuria! Yuria is here too?"

The girl with long, beautiful black hair was Yuria. She was a bit older than us. In terms of mental age, I was the oldest now.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah. Sorry for worrying you. I'm fine now."

I smiled, but the fact that Yuria and Radmila were also at Radmila's house made me feel somewhat, no, quite depressed. There were three girls of my age in the village, excluding me—Petra, Yuria, and Radmila. They had made plans to play together without me!

Outcast. I tried to shake off the word that came to mind. They probably didn't invite me out of concern for my attack yesterday. That must be it. —No, let's not be in denial.

Even if I hadn't been attacked yesterday, I couldn't be sure if they would have invited me. The relationship between me and the other girls was that thin, despite living in the same village.

However, I couldn't afford to be depressed. In fact, it was lucky that I realized this. I could start building relationships from now on. The Laurel from "Last Brave" ended up with a sad ending because she didn't realize this. I wouldn't let that happen to me.

"Yuria, Petra came? —Oh, Laurel is here too."

As I was firmly resolved, Radmila, with her fluffy, soft orange hair, came over.

I scolded my heart, which was beating wildly, and tried to smile as innocently and friendly as an eight-year-old. Then I said,

"Radmila, and two others. Can I join you?"

"Sure!"

She accepted me more easily than I expected, and I felt a sense of joy.

"But, what about Lucash?"

The words that followed made my shoulders drop. It seemed that I was already seen as a set with Lucash.

A sense of crisis rose sharply. This couldn't go on. I was still eight years old. Lucash would set off on his journey at 16, and I remembered him saying he was almost 17 at the beginning of the game. I had eight years. I needed to change my job from being the hero's childhood friend within eight years.

Actually, I had less than eight years. If I lingered in this village until Lucash left, even if I didn't want to, the villagers might push us together.

I needed to leave this village as soon as possible. This narrow, closed village. If I didn't, I would likely remain the hero's childhood friend.

I reaffirmed my two major goals for the future:

1. To put a reasonable distance between Lucash and me.

2. To find a skill and leave this village as soon as possible.

I would achieve these goals and change my future. I wouldn't let myself be called a losing heroine. It was fine if the hero forgot me. I would grab my own happiness.

Aim for it: Escape from being the hero's childhood friend!