Chapter 326: A Young Boy’s Thoughts
The Hamano family had a dedicated guest room for visitors. As the number one hero, Hamano Tsukasa frequently had guests and socialized with friends, so it was natural to have several guest rooms in their already large villa.
Even though she was now his girlfriend, Sato Shinichi couldn’t bring himself to do something as cliché as bring a drunken girl into his own room. So, under Aunt Mieko’s doting smile, he took the guest room key and escorted Kazumi to the guest room on the second floor.
Gently placing the girl on the bed, Shinichi carefully tucked in a corner of the blanket before he finally had the chance to sit down and rest. The girl’s weight was almost nothing to the young boy, but to avoid jostling his girlfriend, Shinichi had used his full strength to control his movements. As a result, Kazumi was now sleeping soundly and peacefully.
“I really never imagined…”
Reaching out and gently grasping the young girl’s small hand, Sato Shinichi couldn’t help but sigh. Even though he had imagined various scenarios in his mind, when it finally happened right in front of him, his heart couldn’t stop pounding wildly. The girl’s hand was small, small enough for him to completely hold with just a little pressure. The faint coolness and scent emanating from her smooth skin gradually filled his nostrils.
It wasn’t the first time he had been alone with his girlfriend, but each time, it was like the first time, making his heart race uncontrollably. As if playing with the most precious treasure in the world, Sato Shinichi gently toyed with the girl’s fair and soft hand, then looked up at Kazumi, who had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Kazumi slept soundly. The faint blush on her face, combined with her fair cheeks, made her look exceptionally cute. Her usually cold eyes relaxed due to sleep, giving her a touch of softness and charm. Girls always had the right to be unreasonable, and for his girlfriend, she had unlimited immunity for everything she did, always looking incredibly cute.
Even now, Sato Shinichi couldn’t understand why Kazumi was so unhappy about a game, but no matter what, coaxing her was the right thing to do. And, just as荞麦田 had teased him before, the girl, who was usually cold and aloof, looked incredibly, incredibly cute when she acted spoiled!
“Mmm–”
As if sensing the young boy’s presence, the sleeping girl stirred groggily. As if waking up to adjust her pillow, she turned her body, gripped Sato Shinichi’s arm, and then fell back asleep.
“……”
Seeing his girlfriend’s soft and clingy actions, Sato Shinichi indulgently let the little darling, who couldn’t hold her liquor, have her way. With his other hand, he gently brushed away her messy hair that had fallen onto her face, revealing her fair profile. As if thinking of something, the tenderness and love in his eyes slowly turned into a hint of loneliness, and the smile on his lips gradually calmed down, eventually turning into a silent sigh.
The young boy’s personality always gave people the impression of a hot-blooded idiot, but this didn’t mean Sato Shinichi was truly stupid. Having received a good education since childhood and being constantly instilled with values by the number one hero, Hamano Tsukasa, the young boy couldn’t be called foolish in any aspect.
Love always begins with love at first sight and eventually settles into the plainness of everyday life. The two were no different. After the hormones of their passionate love period gradually subsided, a hint of worry appeared in the young boy’s small head. Perhaps Kazumi hadn’t yet, after all, girls are always emotional, and based on what they’ve encountered, Sato Shinichi was still more mature.
Although he had already decided to protect this lovable girl for a lifetime, putting aside their current sweet romance, for their relationship to last, it wasn’t as easy as imagined. Perhaps such a thought was too rational, but wasn’t this also a manifestation of the young boy’s sincere love for the girl? Moreover, as a man, he should bear more. Sato Shinichi did not want to and was reluctant to impose such pressure on the girl.
Hamano Tsukasa and the other elders had a good impression of Kazumi. It was also fine that the girl’s parents had passed away early, and their relationship was progressing steadily. Coupled with his own family background and future development, logically speaking, Sato Shinichi shouldn’t have to worry about these matters. But the problem lay with the young boy himself. In front of this girl to whom he had given his entire heart, Sato Shinichi had always hidden the great secret of being a psychic.
Perhaps with the groundwork of training and goals, his identity as a psychic wouldn’t cause much surprise even if it were revealed to Kazumi. However, an ordinary hero and the number one hero, who had held the title of “Symbol of Peace,” were not the same concept at all. Hero saves the damsel stories might be countless in novels and anime, but the cruel reality is that it’s difficult for a beautiful girl who is a civilian to truly be with a hero. This was not only due to the difference in social classes, but the consequences of a powerful frontline hero having civilian family members would be dire. The woman would also need enough resolve to face immense death threats and pressure to be with him.
Although there were still hero-civilian family combinations among the current frontline heroes in the association, most chose to find their other halves within their own circles. And the popularity of heroes in the marriage market was inversely proportional to their abilities. Surveys showed that mid-tier and low-tier heroes with moderate work difficulty and high social status were actually more liked by parents, even more popular than government and police personnel.
His ability was strange, but Hamano Tsukasa said it was an ability that could change the world. Although the young boy didn’t quite understand, he was willing to work hard for the elder’s expectations to become a strong practitioner who could bear his burden. But the girl was different… He had no standing or qualification to ask her to accept such a situation. Having climbed out of darkness, Sato Shinichi was reluctant to let her bear such pressure. And wasn’t his current behavior no different from moral coercion in the name of “love”? What should he do if she was unwilling to accept him like this?
“Goodnight, Kazumi.”
Knowing that thinking about these things here was useless and would only disturb the girl’s rest, Sato Shinichi looked up and softly wished his girlfriend goodnight. Slowly withdrawing his arm from the girl’s embrace, he once again covered her kicked-off blanket, and the sorrow on his face was replaced by tenderness at that moment. He lightly moved away from the small chair by the bed, pushed open the door, and walked towards the outside.
Then, the door made a loud noise as if it had hit something.
“Bang.” “Ah!”
Confused, the young boy walked out of the room and saw Shun Muto covering his nose, having been hit by the door?
