I Was the Heroine, and in the Sequel, Even Though I’m a Mob, All of My Stats Are Maxed Out

Past and Future 1

I couldn’t put it into words, but it must be some kind of miracle that Alvin-sama came to think that way.

If Alvin-sama’s world had changed for the better because of me,  I couldn’t be happier.

“I love Nina more than anything. I would do anything for you and I’m willing to give you everything.”

I probably couldn’t measure the depth of Alvin-sama’s affection. His affection was so straightforward that I think this might be what is called “unconditional love.”

Since my mother’s death, I had never felt so much affection from anyone. My heart felt warm and full from his attention.

I also strongly felt that I wanted to take good care of him, too.

“T-Thank you very much. I’m really, really happy to hear that from Alvin-sama.”

“Really? I’m glad it’s not a nuisance.”

My heart skipped a beat again when Alvin-sama smiled at me.

But at the same time, I felt a little uneasy about something.

Grasping back the warm hands that had been holding mine before I knew it, I stared into his eyes and opened my mouth.

“Also, I like being with Alvin-sama. I want to continue living with you from now on.”

──Why didn’t he say, “I want to live with you”? Such a question came to mind and won’t go away.

Even though I knew that he was probably just not saying it in words, it seemed as if Alvin-sama thought that he wouldn’t be in my future, which made my heart tense.

Eventually, Alvin-sama smiled, said, “Thank you,” and hugged me.

“I’m sorry…. I’m really hoping for that, too.”

I didn’t know what the apology was meant for or what his words really meant, but I was relieved that he agreed with me.

My heart kept beating loud and fast as I was hugged tightly.

“A-At any rate, Alvin-sama, please pay more attention to your diet and sleep. I heard you were pretty lax about it.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. I think it would help if Nina ate every meal with me and slept with me every night.”

“…. Geez.”

After I glared at him weakly, we looked at each other and laughed.

──I had a feeling that I would soon find out the name of this warm and restless feeling that filled my heart.

◇◇◇

“I heard you told Erica the other day about the good old days. I was offended when she said, ‘I knew you’d always been a good person, Owen-san.’”

“In reality, Owen is always a good person.”

“I don’t think so.”

A few days later, I was summoned to the magic tower to have tea with Owen.

These days it wasn’t unusual for us to chat over tea like this. Sometimes Theo and Lara also joined us.

“I’ve been relying on Owen since the beginning, and you’ve been a great help to me. Thank you very much.”

“That’s good to hear, even though I had an ulterior motive.”

“Yes, yes.”

Owen wasn’t shy about saying such things as he sipped his tea elegantly.

It was the same as always, and I said, “Don’t joke about it all the time,” teacup in hand.

“It wasn’t a joke.”

“…. Eh.”

“I liked Nina a lot.”

Suddenly being told such a thing, I was stunned and almost scattered hot tea around. Please wait. 

When I looked up, I saw his crimson eyes gazing at me earnestly. I couldn’t say “stop joking” to those serious eyes.

Owen often told lies and jokes, but being the gentleman he was, he always made sure we knew he didn’t mean it.

That was why I knew immediately that his words just now weren’t a lie. I quietly put my teacup on the saucer for the moment, then took a deep breath and looked up at Owen.

“You really didn’t notice it at all. As expected.”

His eyes softened and brushed his bangs back. With just that one gesture, he exuded an extraordinary sex appeal.

“H-How long have you been…?”

“I thought you were really nice and cute from the beginning. It was around the time Alvin started liking Nina that I became aware of my own feelings.”

In other words, it must have been about halfway through the story. Of course, I didn’t notice it at all, and I only thought of the occasional pick-up line as a greeting from him, who was a womanizer.

“Above all, I was really touched by the fact that you completely changed Alvin. Maybe that’s what made me fall in love with you all over again.”

“F-Fall in love…”

Even if it was something that happened in the past, if he said that directly to my face, I would still feel embarrassed.

“I thought I’d changed my attitude toward Nina quite a bit since then, but you didn’t notice that at all, huh?”

“Yeah. After the West Tower event, everyone suddenly became overprotective of me. I thought it was probably because all of you were worried about me…”

“Ah, yes, Theo was like that. And not only us, but Dirk also got impatient and changed his attitude. From Nina’s point of view, it was as if everyone had suddenly become kinder.”

‘We were too funny, weren’t we?‘ Although Owen laughed, I was at a loss for a response.

Dirk confessed his feelings to me, so I already knew about his feelings, but I was still quite shocked that Owen was also serious.