Once Again, A Self-Introduction
“Once again, I am Rienaeira. It’s a bit of a tongue-twister, so please, just call me Riena.”
“Then I’ll call you Riena-chan! I’m Hasumi Kana—Hasumin works just fine.”
“Understood, Hasumin-san.”
Riena and Hasumin exchanged polite bows, each dipping her head with quiet grace.
“Wait, Riena, isn’t that kind of odd? Adding -san to a nickname?”
“I think it’s fine. It’s all about embracing personality, right?”
“Well, it’s definitely… unique.”
“And besides, Riena is basically a nickname too, isn’t it? So if it’s ‘Riena-chan’ and ‘Hasumin-san,’ I’d say we’re even.”
“Hmm… not sure that logic really holds up.”
“Hero-sama, I typically address others with -sama or -san, so please don’t trouble yourself over it.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s right. And if you two are okay with it, then it’s not really my place to interfere. Oh, and just so you know—it was this Riena who brought me to this world.”
“Oh wow, really?”
“And Hero-sama spent five years defeating the Demon King Kanan, saving Orphermaus in the process. I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve done.”
“Haha, no need to thank me.”
“You two seem pretty close. Or rather… weren’t you both kind of into each other for a while?”
The moment the small talk ended, Hasumin dove straight into a bold question.
Then again, that’s why we met today—no point pretending otherwise.
“Yes. But after seeing the true love between you two, I was finally able to accept how I feel.”
“Sorry, Riena. I couldn’t return your feelings.”
“No, no, please. There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Hero-sama. …Though I won’t lie—it still stings.”
“Orphermaus… right? Is there really no way to get back to your original world?”
“As things stand, no. I’ve tried countless times, but the transfer spell just refuses to activate.”
“So there’s some kind of cause behind it?”
“The technique for transference is extraordinarily delicate. It demands exact precision and an enormous amount of power—it’s an ancient, forbidden art. And in this world, the goddess Athena’s influence is somewhat diminished, which makes things even more difficult.”
“I see…”
“Still, I knew all that before coming here. I was prepared, so please, don’t let it weigh on you.”
As I listened to Riena’s explanation, a quiet question formed in the back of my mind.
“Hey… is Athena’s influence really that weak in this world? Because all of my Hero skills still work exactly like they did over there.”
Not once have I felt like my skills lost any potency.
I’ve been using these powers for five years straight.
If anything had diminished, I would’ve noticed it right away.
“That’s likely because Hero-sama is special. Every one of your blessings was granted at the highest possible level.”
“Makes sense.”
I guess in every way that matters, I’ve always been Athena’s special case.
And yet, despite everything she’s given me, I can’t help but feel guilty—I don’t have much real faith in her at all.
Honestly, that kind of devout passion just… doesn’t really exist in me.
It’s not like I don’t believe in her. I’ve heard her voice through divine revelation. She’s given me power.
But if you asked whether I feel anything like Riena’s devotion… then no, it’s not quite the same.
Well, anyway—my paper-thin faith isn’t the issue here, so let’s just set that aside for now.