part2 · 106-ep106
Episode 106: Mizuki's Hesitation
They finished their meal.
Ren took the cookbook and went back to his room.
"...Goodnight."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Ren."
The door to his room closed.
Mizuki, left behind in the living room, sat alone on the sofa.
"......"
A quiet room.
For a while, Mizuki did nothing, staring up at the ceiling.
And then—
she suddenly remembered that day.
◇
At the guild. The day she'd had that magic stone's value examined.
"...One billion yen can first be paid as an advance."
The Branch Chief's words.
That magic stone had a value that couldn't be compared to any S-rank magic stone currently confirmed.
That was precisely why. The guild had presented the sum of one billion yen.
But—
"I have no intention of bringing the owner here."
Mizuki had answered that way. She couldn't let Ren's existence become known.
After that. She'd brought home the conditions the guild had presented.
The owner's identity would be limited to only the bare minimum of staff. It would not be disclosed externally. Mizuki would act as the point of contact and handle negotiations.
Those were the conditions.
Mizuki hadn't decided on the spot.
"If those are the conditions, I'll take them home once, talk with the person, and then decide."
That was her answer.
◇
And then, that night.
Mizuki told Ren.
The conditions the guild had presented.
And—
the sum of one billion yen.
But. After listening in silence for a while, Ren—
"...One billion?"
"...Yeah."
"......"
Ren thought for a moment.
But.
"...I don't really get it."
That was Ren's answer.
One billion yen. By ordinary thinking, an outrageous sum.
But—
To Ren, who had lived ten years in the dungeon, there was no real sense of just how much that sum was.
"...I'll leave it to you, Mizuki."
"...To me?"
"...Yeah."
That was all Ren said.
And then—
he turned his gaze back to the game.
◇
"......"
Mizuki was still thinking about that moment.
"...Leave it to you, huh."
So easily. Ren had left it all to Mizuki.
And that was exactly why. Mizuki was troubled.
"...Even without a billion yen."
She murmured quietly.
Mizuki herself. She was active as an A-rank adventurer. If she took requests, she had a decent income of her own.
Besides—
"...I can just earn it myself."
Even without a billion yen. Living an ordinary life as two people was well within reach.
And it wasn't only that.
As for Ren—
he still had a huge amount of magic stones and materials left. Even just the materials from B-rank-equivalent monsters were worth a considerable amount.
If they sold those little by little. They would almost never have trouble making a living.
"......"
Then. Was there really any need to go out of their way—for one billion yen—to create the possibility of Ren's true identity becoming known?
The guild said it would keep the secret. But. The more people involved, the greater the possibility that information would leak.
And. Once Ren's existence became known—
they might never be able to return to the life they had now.
"......"
Mizuki closed her eyes.
What came to mind was—
today's Ren.
Looking through the cookbook. Happily searching for the next dish.
"...Hamburg steak."
He'd said that. And smiled, looking just a little happy.
For ten years. Ren had never had time like that.
Fighting to live. Slaying monsters to eat. Securing a place to sleep. Surviving tomorrow.
That was all.
But now—
Making food. Eating together. Thinking about what to make next.
"......"
Mizuki smiled quietly.
"...Maybe it's fine to leave things as they are."
There was no need to force themselves to get a huge sum of money. If it was just enough money to live normally, there were any number of ways.
Besides. The magic stones and materials Ren had were still left in huge amounts.
There was no need to go out of their way to take a risk.
"...As for Ren—"
Mizuki murmured quietly.
"I want him to keep living normally, just like this."
He'd come back after ten years. And now. He had finally begun an ordinary life.
Playing games. Shopping. Cooking. Laughing.
Those kinds of days—
she wanted them to last as long as possible.
"......"
Mizuki thought about herself.
Back when she'd been a model. Just walking through town, she drew stares. Photographed. Called out to. Wherever she went, she had to be conscious of people's eyes.
Even after becoming an adventurer. Now that she'd risen to A-rank and become the leader of 《Astra》, she drew attention in a different form than before.
Her name was known. Her face was known. Even her actions were watched by those around her.
It wasn't that she disliked being noticed. There were times she'd been saved by it, too.
But—
There were also moments when living freely became difficult.
"...Standing out is hard, you know."
Mizuki murmured.
And that was exactly why. Now that Ren, who had lived for ten years without anyone knowing, had finally returned.
she didn't want to take that life away from him.
"......"
Mizuki stood up. And looked at the door to Ren's room.
Beyond it—
he might be looking at the cookbook again right about now.
Thinking that. A smile rose to her face naturally.
"...I don't have to decide yet, do I."
One billion yen. Certainly a huge sum.
But. Was it something worth trading for Ren's ordinary life?
Mizuki still hadn't found an answer.
Just—
For now. Ren was living happily.
That alone was enough.
"...I want to protect this life."
Mizuki murmured quietly.
And then. She turned off the living room light.