Kenji stepped onto the balcony, the night air cool against his skin. Haruka stood near the railing, her arms folded, golden eyes reflecting the moonlight in quiet contemplation. She hadn’t moved since walking away, as if the world around her was just background noise.
For a mont, Kenji simply stared. How had it co to this?
Even after Fubara’s words had shattered his illusions, even after realizing how deeply his past had shaped him—apologizing was still terrifying.Not because of pride, but because what if—just what if—he had hurt Haruka in a way that couldn’t be undone?
Taking a deep breath, he approached.
"Haruka."
She didn’t turn.
"Do you have a mont?"
Still, silence.
Kenji clenched his fists.
"Please, just hear out."
Finally, she sighed, shifting slightly.*"Kenji, if this is another half-hearted apology, you can save it."
Her words hit harder than any blade.
"No, it’s not. I promise,"
Kenji leaned against the railing, his gaze drifting toward the stars. The last ti he had been this vulnerable, he had been standing before Yuji and the rest—the ones who cast him aside.l
"I realized sothing today." His voice was quieter than usual, steadier.
Haruka remained silent, but he knew she was listening.
"You were right about . I’ve spent years convincing myself that becoming an adventurer was my choice—that I did it for myself. But deep down?" He exhaled sharply. "I was chasing ghosts."
Haruka finally turned her head, her pink eyes sharp but no longer cold, instead, it held a slight inquisitiveness in them.
"Ghosts?"
*"Yuji. The others. The people who betrayed . You see Haruka, I’m not from this world,"
As she heard those words, her eyes widened in shock. Did she just hear him say he wasn’t from this world.
Kenji’s grip tightened against the railing, as this was the first ti that he was telling soone else about this. It was a bit overwhelming.
" We were transported into this realm as heroes. It was also the day that I realized that my best friends just used to get higher in the company ranks. But when we were transported into this world, I thought that there was a chance to turn things around, until the revelation that I was actually a mistake. An unwanted rag-along, as the rest of the team were A rank and above with legenday classes, while I was there only F rank Animal Tar,"
"I didn’t just want to prove them wrong—I wanted to be them. I wanted to be strong like them, respected like them, important like them. Even after they threw away, I kept following their path."*
Haruka’s brows furrowed.
"Kenji..."
"I was blind," he continued, his voice carrying sothing strange—sothing broken. "And because of that, I kept making mistakes. I kept shutting people out, kept proving my worth over and over, like I had to earn my place. Like being abandoned once ant I would always be abandoned."
The words hung between them, heavy, real.
"I hurt you because of that. I hurt you because—" Kenji inhaled, his voice steady despite the emotions clawing at his throat. "Because part of still believed I had to do everything alone. That if I relied on anyone, I’d just be weak again."
Haruka’s gaze softened, but she didn’t speak yet.
Kenji sighed, finally turning to look at her directly.
"But I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want to keep pushing away the people who matter to , just because of my past." He hesitated, then forced the words past his lips. "I don’t want to push you away anymore."
Haruka studied him for a long mont.
Then—finally—she exhaled.
"Kenji."
This ti, there was no anger in her voice anymore.
"You are an idiot."
Kenji blinked.
"Excuse ?" Was my apology still not heartfelt enough for her?
She sighed, turning fully to face him.
"You really thought I wanted so shallow apology?" She shook her head. "I wanted to understand you. I wanted to know why you kept fighting, why you keep pulling away, why you act like trusting people is a curse instead of a blessing."
She stepped closer.
"And now, I finally do." She said, a smile creeping up her face.
Kenji swallowed.
"So... does that an you forgive ?"
Haruka gave him a rare, amused smirk.
"I don’t forgive stupidity. But I do forgive you."
Kenji let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.
---
For a mont, they simply stood there, the night air wrapping around them, the stars watching silently overhead.
Then, Haruka spoke again.
"Next ti, don’t just push away when things get hard okay? You have nothing to lose, and no one to prove"
Kenji nodded.
"Next ti, I won’t, I promise."
She crossed her arms, eyeing him.
"You swear it?"
Kenji let himself smirk just a little.
"I swear it."
Haruka studied him for a mont longer, then sighed, shaking her head.
"Alright. Then I guess I have no choice but to stick with you."
Kenji chuckled.
"I wouldn’t have it any other way."
And under the silver glow of the moon, a bond was reforged—not just in words, but in truth.
•••••
The balcony was still bathed in soft moonlight, the air thick with quiet understanding between Kenji and Haruka.
And then suddy—the door slamd open.
"MASTER! I HAVE RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE!"
Kenji barely had ti to react before Fubara burst into the room, arms spread wide, his robes flowing dramatically behind him as if he were so victorious warlord.
Leo, Leia, and Pheia jumped in shock, then imdiately burst into laughter, their tiny forms bouncing with excitent as Fubara struck a pose of sheer exaggerated triumph, as if he had just won a large and ritorious competition.
Haruka sighed, rubbing her temple at this sudden distraction. She was just getting her thoughts in order after Kenji had told her that there was another world, so this sudden distraction Imdiately caught her off guard and annoyed.
"What now, Fubara?" Kenji asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Fubara grinned.
"A cooking duel, of course!"
Imdiately he heard that, Kenji knew what he ant, and this imdiately made him groan.
"Absolutely not. There’s no way i’m doing that again!" Kenji said resolutly. While he had been with Fubara, this shaless old man would occasionally challenge him to another cooking duel, so as to once again reclaim his title of master in the cooking arts. But as always, Kenji would just make a simple al from his original world and would make Fubara cry out in defeat.
Eventually, Kenji got tired of it, as he would keep disturbing him almost every day for a challenge, soon making Kenji frustrated by the idea of a cooking challenge.
Leo gasped as he heard Kenji’s response. He had thought his dad’s would have Imdiately agreed, as he loved to tell them stories of how much of a great cook he was, occasionally getting them a bit annoyed also.
"What?! Dad, you have to do it!"
Peia crossed her arms.
"You always talk about how good your cooking is, so prove it."
Leia, wide-eyed and eager, simply grabbed Kenji’s sleeve and shook it relentlessly.
"Cook! Cook! Cook!" They said simultaneously, hyping him up into accepting the challenge.
Kenji sighed deeply, staring at Haruka in hopes of so kind of escape, but she rely raised an eyebrow, amused, as she turned her head to the side, not wanting to get tangled up in this ss.
"Looks like you’re cornered." Fubara said, grinning from all ears.
Kenji sank into his chair in defeat.
"Fine. But when I win, I want absolute silence about this event for at least a week."
Fubara ackled,"HA! As if you could defeat a second ti, Master!"
•••••
The arena: Kenji’s modest kitchen.
The judges: Three rciless six-year-olds and one highly amused fox-woman.
The stakes: Fubara’s pride.
Kenji rolled up his sleeves.
Fubara slamd a pot onto the counter.
"Let the flas of destiny decide!" Fubara exclaid, lightening the fire.
---
Fubara worked with intense focus, ingredients moving in a rapid blur—fresh fish, rare spices, delicate sauces.
Kenji? Cool, collected, deadly precise.
He boiled noodles, carefully seasoned chicken, and crafted a peppered sauce with the kind of mastery only a true legend could wield.
Oil sizzled. Knives sliced. Steam rose like battle smoke.
Leo, Leia, and Pheia watched like awe-struck spectators witnessing an ancient rivalry reignite.
Haruka? She was enjoying every second of this ridiculous battle.
---
Soon, the plates were set.
The judges took their bites.
The room fell silent.
Then...Leo slamd his hands onto the table.
"Dad wins!"
Leia took another bite, thoughtful.
"Definitely Daddy."
Pheia? She had already finished Kenji’s al and was reaching for more.
Fubara fell to his knees, grasping the edge of the counter dramatically.
"CURSE YOU, MASTER! HOW DO YOU ALWAYS WIN?!"
Kenji smirked, leaning back.
*"You were never going to beat , old man. Tis have changed, the old should retire" he said mockingly with a quick grin.
---
Haruka chuckled softly as Fubara pretended to weep, dramatically clutching his apron as if mourning his lost glory.
"One day!" he wailed. "One day, I shall defeat my master!"*
Kenji rely sighed, shaking his head as the children cheered his victory, their laughter filling the house with warmth.
Tonight, there were no battles to fight, no burdens to carry—just family, laughter, and a rivalry renewed in flas and flavor.
The house had settled into a quiet hum of nightti warmth, the echoes of laughter and friendly rivalry fading into the stillness.
Kenji gently tucked Leo, Leia, and Pheia into bed, their tiny forms nestling beneath soft blankets, exhaustion finally claiming them.
"Sleep well,you little monsters."
Pheia murmured sothing inaudible before imdiately dozing off, while Leo and Leia barely mumbled their goodnights before turning away, lost to sleep.
Kenji smiled slightly, brushing back a stray strand of Leia’s hair before finally standing and exiting the room.
The house was peaceful now.
But that peace wouldn’t last.
---
Kenji sank into the worn-out armchair, stretching his legs as Fubara and Haruka settled onto the couch across from him.
At first, there was nothing to say—just the quiet crackling of the fireplace, the distant howl of the wind outside.
Then, Kenji spoke.
"Fubara... have you ever heard of the Crimson Veil?"
Imdiately, the atmosphere changed, as it seemlike one had just dropped a bombshell.
Fubara’s playful smirk vanished, his posture stiffening ever so slightly, as he sat up in his seat, with his back now properly straight.
Haruka’s gaze flicked toward him, pink eyes narrowing just by a fraction.
The air felt heavier.
For a mont, Fubara didn’t answer.
Then, slowly, he leaned forward, clasping his hands together.
"What do you know about them?" he asked, voice lower than ever. Kenji was sure he had never seen Fubara in such a hushed state before.
Kenji crossed his arms.
"Not much. Just that they’re dangerous, and apparently, they had bandits guarding a mine full of dreadiron. Other than that? Nothing."
Fubara exhaled through his nose, rubbing his chin.
"You’re lucky, then. Most people who ask about the Crimson Veil don’t live long enough to regret it."
Kenji didn’t flinch, though Haruka’s expression turned serious.
"That bad?" Kenji asked.
"Worse," Fubara murmured.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling as if recalling old mories.
"The Crimson Veil isn’t just so gang of criminals, Kenji. They’re an organization—silent, patient, and deeply embedded in places most wouldn’t expect. So say they control entire cities from the shadows, pulling strings that even kings fear to acknowledge."
Kenji frowned, his mind shifting to the bandits he had fought in the mine.
"Then why would they bother controlling sothing as minor as bandits in a mine?"
"You think dreadiron is minor?" Fubara scoffed. "Kenji, dreadiron is one of the few materials capable of withstanding the power of divine entities. If the Crimson Veil was collecting it, then it wasn’t for profit—it was for sothing far worse."
Haruka finally spoke, her voice cautious,"But what?"
Fubara hesitated.
"That... I don’t know."
Kenji narrowed his eyes.
"You seem to know a lot, but you don’t know their motives?"
Fubara shook his head.
"That’s the thing, Kenji. No one knows. The Crimson Veil doesn’t flaunt their goals like so overconfident warlord. They move in silence, in secrecy, leaving behind only whispers and corpses. And if soone does know? Well..."
His fingers drumd against his knee.
"Let’s just say they wouldn’t be around to share that information."
Kenji felt a slight chill crawl up his spine.
For the first ti since hearing their na, the Crimson Veil felt like a real threat.
Not just a bandit group.
Not just a gang.
Sothing more.
Sothing bigger.
Sothing far beyond what he had expected.
The fire crackled softly, flickering shadows dancing along the walls.
Kenji exhaled, rubbing his temple.
"So what you’re telling is, I just pissed off a cult that operates in complete secrecy, collects dreadiron, and possibly holds more power than I realized?"
Fubara smirked faintly.
"Yeah, pretty much."
Kenji groaned.
"Fantastic."
Haruka was still watching Fubara carefully.
"But you’ve encountered them before, haven’t you?"
Fubara’s smirk faded again.
"I’ve seen things. Heard things. Never directly crossed them, but I know when soone’s gone too far. You?"
Haruka’s gaze darkened.
"I’ve heard whispers, too. Nothing concrete. But if they truly are after dreadiron... that ans whatever they’re planning, it involves sothing powerful."
Kenji leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"Then I better start figuring this out before I end up on their list."
Fubara chuckled dryly.
"You might already be on it, Master."
Kenji scowled.
"You’re really bad at making people feel reassured, you know that?"
Fubara winked.
"It’s a gift."
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