READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 40
40. Does Haruto Have Feelings For Me?
“Well then, once again. Congratulations on passing the examination, Haruto.”
Lilith said with a smile.
She celebrated with a beaming smile.
“Congratulations〜”
“Oh, I’m so glad, so glad.”
“Congratulations.”
Alice smiled gently, Sarome laughed cheerfully, and Luca calmly conveyed his congratulations.
They celebrated in their own way, and joy welled up within me.
── Today, Lilith, Alice, Sarome, and Luca threw a small party for me to celebrate my adventurer qualification.
The location was the dining hall on the first floor of the inn where I’ve been staying.
They reserved a part of it and treated me to a feast.
At the round table, the seating order was Luca, Lilith, Alice, and Salome clockwise from me.
Luca had a request for a journey starting tomorrow, and Salome, who had just returned from Agil City, would be leaving for another city the day after tomorrow, so it would be a while before I saw them again.
“Is this really okay…? It seems really expensive.”
Both the meat and vegetables were top-notch.
Even the dishes seemed like works of art, and it was obvious at a glance that it was a special menu.
I grew up in a middle-class family, so this was the first time I had eaten such luxurious food.
“You’re getting a high reward as an adventurer, so when else are you going to use it if not now?”
Lilith insisted.
“Yeah, yeah, this is for celebrating Haruto-kun… no, it’s our celebration for you… wow, this smells so good… just accept it without reservation… I can’t wait to eat… mmm, this is indeed exquisite… hehehehe.”
Sarome couldn’t hide her excitement.
Isn’t she being a bit too honest?
“The adventurers who participated in the Demon General interception operation received a large reward, so let us repay you even a little.”
“I heard that Haruto didn’t receive much reward because he was considered a goodwill collaborator.”
That’s right, I wasn’t an adventurer. So, unlike Luca and the others who were regular adventurers. My reward was meager.
It seems like I was treated mostly as a volunteer.
“The guild is so strict about everything. Well, since Haruto-kun’s reward was low, at least in this way…”
Sarome said as she poured me a drink.
You can drink alcohol from the age of 15 in this country, but is Luca okay?
She’s probably just over the age limit, right?
“Luca is 15. She’s old enough to drink.”
Lilith said with a smile as if she had read my mind.
“So let’s eat lots of delicious food today and drink lots of delicious alcohol.”
…Huh?
I just noticed, but Lilith’s atmosphere seems different today.
What is it?
She seems more glamorous than usual…?
“What’s wrong, Haruto? Is there something on my face?”
After saying that, Lilith’s expression changed to a startled one.
“Ah, no, it’s not that. It’s just…”
Lilith shyly covered her lips with her fingertips.
Ah, is she wearing lipstick?
I finally noticed.
“Lilith-chan, you’ve put on a bit of makeup today. She looks even more beautiful than usual, Haruto-san.”
“I looked around a bit after lunch. I met a girl who was very good at makeup, and she taught me…”
“Thanks to Meriel-san. You look beautiful, Lilith-chan.”
Meriel seems to be the name of the girl she met.
“Oh, is it like an opportunity to appeal to the guy you’re interested in? Huh, huh?”
Sarome teased with a grin.
No, the guy she’s interested in──it couldn’t be.
Lilith doesn’t think of me that way, right?
“W-wait, sis, Sarome, that’s not it, um, this is, well, it’s about grooming, or rather, it’s just a feeling, so, um, uh…”
For some reason, Lilith was flustered.
“You were muttering something like ‘I wonder if he’ll say I’m cute while I’m putting on makeup…’.”
“I-I didn’t say that! I mean, I’m not, so, um, well… uh, but, maybe I did… um, ah, geez…”
Lilith was in a panic.
It seems like she’s weak to this kind of joke.
The gap between her usual assertiveness and her embarrassment was adorable.
“Then, maybe it’s better for Lilith to sit here instead of me.”
“Eh, Luca?”
“Does Haruto have feelings for me?”
Luca asked Lilith in his usual expressionless tone.
Lilith, on the other hand, became even more flustered.
“N-no, Luca, don’t say that!”
Luca stood up from the seat next to me without waiting for a response.
“From now on, this is Lilith’s seat.”
“Come on, Lilith-chan, don’t be shy~”
Alice pushed Lilith somewhat forcibly.
“…If you’re too reserved, I’ll take your place instead.”
“Eh, sis?”
“N-no, it’s nothing… see, since Luca-chan recommended it…”
“Well, if Luca says so, then, um, it’s not like there’s any deep meaning, absolutely not, so, um, let’s switch seats…”
Blushing to the tips of her ears, Lilith exchanged seats with Luca.
A faint, clean scent of soap wafted through the air.
It was Lilith’s scent.
The distance between my shoulder and hers was just enough to touch or not to touch, creating a sense of tension──.
A mixture of nervousness, shyness, and excitement surged, and my heart began to beat faster.
──We enjoyed the feast with excitement.
With delicious food and drink, surrounded by four beautiful girls. I felt great.
“Phew…”
Lilith leaned lightly against me, perhaps feeling a little tipsy.
Her skin was supple.
A soft and elastic touch.
And the sighs escaping from her slightly parted lips felt strangely seductive.
“…Huh? Is something wrong…?”
“N-no, it’s nothing…”
Perhaps noticing my gaze, Lilith looked up at me with upturned eyes.
“Ah, sorry… I leaned on you, didn’t I?”
Embarrassed, she moved away.
The soft sensation still lingered around my upper arm.
“Anyway, you all did well to come out of the battle with the Demon General unscathed, Haruto-san, Luca-chan, Salome-san…”
Alice looked at me with an impressed expression.
“Haruto protected us with defensive magic.”
“And he activated it at an incredible speed as if he wasn’t even chanting.”
Salome nodded in agreement with Luca’s words.
“Hehe, I saw it too, it was amazing… Haruto.”
Lilith gazed at me with fervent eyes.
“Well, um…”
Being praised by everyone, I felt embarrassed.
Especially Lilith’s gaze. It made my back feel strangely itchy.
“By the way, the Demon General said something strange.”
Sarome suddenly remembered.
“That Haruto has some kind of power.”
“Some kind of power…?”
“It was like strange noise mixed in. I couldn’t hear it clearly. The voice of the Demon General.”
Salome’s explanation made me even more puzzled.
“? I didn’t hear any noise, though…?”
I was about to say when I suddenly realized.
Could it be──.
I arrived at one hypothesis.
As I tried to explain my skill, I felt a mysterious pain.
If the Demon General says that my skill is ‘divine power’, then maybe others can’t hear it.
The noise that only Sarome heard, in other words.
It’s probably a defense mechanism──to prevent others from knowing I have a divine skill.
If that’s the case, I can’t tell anyone about my skill, and probably shouldn’t.
──Should I continue to pass this power off as ‘defensive magic’?