The Lowest-Ranked Hero Has Returned

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Chapter 145: Let's Go to the Beach (4)

“…So.”

Iris, who had been quietly listening, slowly opened her eyes.

She glared coldly at Yurina, who was fidgeting with her head hanging low, as if she were a criminal.

“So, you're telling me that Yuren was actually your deceased brother, and due to family circumstances, you were pretending to be him?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Yurina nodded with a timid expression.

“……”

A heavy silence fell.

The sound of gentle waves felt like thunder, echoing loudly.

After gathering her thoughts, Iris slowly reached out towards Yurina.

“Ugh…”

Perhaps expecting a slap on the cheek, Yurina shut her eyes tightly as Iris’ hand approached.

And then…

“You’ve had it rough, Yurina.”

Iris pulled Yurina into a warm hug, gently patting her back.

“…Iris?”

“You've been suffering for so long… unable to tell anyone, haven’t you?”

“……”

Yurina’s eyes trembled slightly.

“To think that even your own parents discriminated against you because you bore the Stigma of the Moon…”

Iris continued, frowning.

“No matter the type of Stigma, the Stigmas of the Seven Gods are all blessings and grace from the same gods. There's no reason to be sad or discriminated against just because your parents bore different Stigmas.”

“Ugh…”

Tears welled up in Yurina’s eyes.

She buried her face into Iris’ shoulder, biting her lip hard.

All Stigmas are equally blessings from the gods, regardless of their kind.

It’s written in the foundational texts of the Heroes’ Academy, and it’s clearly stated in the scriptures of the Church of the Seven Stars that Yurina had learned as a child.

But even so, reality was different.

People are the kind of beings that would treat others as slaves for nothing more than the color of their skin.

The discrimination the Moon-born had to endure among the Sun-born was so cruel that words could hardly describe the atrocities it brought upon Yurina’s life.

But even so…

“…Thank you, Iris.”

Hearing it directly from the Saintess of the Church of the Seven Stars herself—that “all Stigmas are equally blessings”—felt like it was washing away the deep sorrows that had accumulated in her heart.

So much so that tears began to slip out without her realizing it.

“There’s no need to thank me. I haven’t done anything at all. If only I had known sooner… I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault, Iris. I’m the one who kept it secret.”

“I could have stopped that sly little cat from seducing Dale.”

“…Huh?”

Crack.

Iris’ arms tightened around Yurina.

Even though she was in the support class, Iris also possessed superhuman strength due to the mana in her Stigma.

Her arm, infused with that power, was strong enough to crush rocks.

“Ugh…! I-Iris?!”

“I can understand you hiding the fact that you were a woman all this time. And I can even understand why you hesitated to tell us when you had the chance.”

But.

“But you sneakily called Dale out all by yourself to seduce him, huh? And in a swimsuit no less?!”

Iris’ eyes flared up.

“Gah! I-Iris! W-wait a minute…!”

“I wanted to show off my swimsuit too!”

She had been too embarrassed to wear just her swimsuit in front of other men, so she had deliberately thrown on some loose clothing over it!

She had been so excited about secretly showing Dale her swimsuit later!

“And you went ahead and cut in line?!”

Iris shouted as she ripped off the loose shirt she had been wearing.

The light pink bikini hidden beneath the oversized T-shirt was now revealed in all its beauty.

“W-whoa…!”

Yurina’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the overwhelming two flesh mounds that could only be described as violent.

“Heh. So, what do you think? No matter how dirty you play, Yurina, some gaps can’t be overcome.”

Iris shot a provocative smile at Yurina, subtly glancing at her chest.

Yurina’s eyebrows twitched in irritation at the taunt.

“Are you seriously bragging about your chest size right now?”

“Well, Yurina, you wouldn’t know, but there’s no better weapon than this for capturing a man’s heart.”

“T-that’s not true! You’re just abnormally huge!”

“Bigger is better, isn’t it? Dale also prefers the bigger kind.”

“Hmph! Don’t lump Dale in with other men! He’s not the kind of guy to be swayed by some pointless flesh!”

Yurina turned to look at Dale.

“Right, Dale?”

“…Huh? Oh? What’s that?”

I, who had been frozen, entranced by the sight of Iris in a swimsuit I had never seen even in my previous life, finally turned my head belatedly.

“Tsk…!”

“Oh dear~ What should we do? It seems like he’s not only swayed, but completely captivated.”

Iris smirked triumphantly, subtly pressing her arms together to emphasize her chest.

Yurina’s face crumpled.

“How pathetic. You call yourself the Saint of the Holy Kingdom, and yet you resort to such shameless tactics?”

“Well, Yurina, as the esteemed daughter of the Helios family, you don’t seem too keen on gracefully accepting defeat, do you?”

The two women glared fiercely at each other.

Iris and Yurina, both locked in a battle of wills, suddenly turned their heads towards me.

“So, Dale! What do you think? My swimsuit suits me better than Yurina’s, right?”

“Be honest and judge fairly!”

“……”

Faced with this sudden volley, I firmly clamped my mouth shut.

Iris and Yurina.

Looking between the two women, I bit my lip hard.

‘Damn.’

I had expected this day would come eventually.

I had known for a long time that both Iris and Yurina had feelings for me.

That’s why I had been ignoring it.

‘This isn’t the time to be worrying about something like this,’ I had told myself, trying to avoid the issue.

I buried my head deep in the sand, hoping everything would just pass by.

‘But I can’t keep doing that forever.’

I steeled myself, looking back at Iris and Yurina.

Some people might criticize the choice I'm about to make as selfish.

Without any respect, without any consideration.

It could be a wrong choice made purely to satisfy my own desires.

‘But.’

So what?

‘I don't want to give up because of that.’

I've given up on too many things.

I've lost too much to count.

Even if they call it selfish and wrong.

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I didn’t want to leave any regrets behind in this new life I’ve managed to grasp.

‘Because that's how I've decided to live.’

Hoo.

I took a deep breath and spoke to the two women.

"Both of you look good."

"Ugh... You're deflecting again with something vague..."

"Honestly, I wish you'd keep showing it just to me from now on."

"...What?"

"What...?"

"Iris, Yurina."

I took their hands.

"Can you stay by my side from now on?"

"......"

"......"

A heavy silence descended.

Iris and Yurina tilted their heads toward each other, whispering back and forth.

"A confession? This is a confession, right?"

"I think so?"

"So we were just asking which swimsuit suits us better, and suddenly Dale confesses to us?"

"That's right..."

"Is this what they call the 'swimsuit effect'?"

"I've never heard of that term in my life..."

"Alright. From now on, I’ll wear swimsuits instead of a nun’s habit. Kind of like bikini armor."

"…You think the Holy Kingdom will let that slide?"

Iris and Yurina were so confused by the situation that they started talking nonsense.

I stifled a laugh and stood up.

"I'm not asking for an answer right now. I know how ridiculous what I just said sounds."

Just as I needed time, they would need time as well.

"Let's head back."

We turned away from the moonlit beach and headed toward the lodging.

* * *

Back at the lodging.

I gathered the party members and Professor Elisha to reveal Yurina's true identity.

"So... Yuren… no, Yurina? This is... hah... What is going on...?"

"...I can't believe it."

Berald and Camilla wore shocked expressions.

"Hmm. So that's why I always felt something off whenever I saw Cadet Yuren."

Professor Elisha folded her arms, nodding as if everything finally made sense.

And then there was one more person.

Juliet stared at the pendant in Yurina's hand, swallowing hard.

"Yuren... No, Yurina. Does that pendant have a function that lets you transform into a woman too?"

"......"

Yurina ignored Juliet’s fiery gaze and bowed her head toward the gathered companions in the room.

"I'm sorry for deceiving you all this time."

At her sincere apology, Berald shook his head in response.

"No, Yurina. I'm sure you had your reasons, right?"

"I agree. I've heard of similar cases in noble families that place importance on bloodlines."

Berald and Camilla tried to console Yurina.

"Hmm. But if the school finds out, Cadet Yurina might be in some trouble."

Professor Elisha frowned, looking like she had a headache.

If the school were to find out, it could lead to her failing the year—or in the worst case, expulsion.

Even if it had been forced upon her by her parents, enrolling under a false identity clearly violated school rules.

"I’ll do my best to keep this from reaching the school."

"Thank you, Professor!"

Yurina's face lit up as she bowed to Professor Elisha.

She finally found joy in attending school and didn’t want to be kicked out.

"But until you graduate, you’ll have to continue living as 'Yuren'."

"That’s fine. I’ve been doing it all this time anyway."

Yurina gave a faint smile, as if to say there was no need to worry.

"As long as my precious people know the truth, that’s enough for me."

"Haha. So, I’m included in Cadet Yurina’s 'precious people'? I’m honored."

Professor Elisha chuckled and nodded.

"By the way, it’s quite fascinating... Does the pendant change things like your body shape and hair color too?"

"Yes. I’ve heard it’s an incredibly rare magical artifact."

Yurina put the pendant around her neck.

A blue aura enveloped her, her hair turning gold, and her chest—previously prominent—flattened like a man's.

Watching Yurina transform back into Yuren, the party members gasped in awe.

As everyone marveled at the pendant hanging around Yuren's neck, Berald suddenly had a revelation.

"Oh! So that’s what it was!"

Berald clapped his hands, as if something finally clicked for him.

He turned to Camilla, nodding as if he now understood everything.

"Camilla, you can be honest with us."

"...Honest about what?"

"Haha. It’s no use pretending! The reason why you're so flat-chested is because you're also using a transformation artifact, right?"

BAM!

Camilla’s magic-infused fist slammed into Berald’s solar plexus.

Berald flew through the air, crashing headfirst into the floor.

"Hmm."

I looked down at Berald, twitching like a bug on the ground, and nodded.

"He deserved it."

And so, the curtain fell on our short summer vacation.

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