"...What do you intend to do, Hugo?"
"What do you mean? You heard my answer, didn't you? I appreciate Setsuna's offer, but I'm not taking it."
Once Setsuna finished her explanation and the girls had left, Hugo answered the question posed by Marcos, who had remained behind.
Hugo offered a wry smile to Marcos, who was watching him with a dead-serious expression, and continued.
"It’s true I’ve been brooding over things since the incident. But dating or getting engaged to someone just to secure a position or status isn't what a hero does. At the very least, I’m not going to start a relationship with Setsuna for a reason like that."
"...I suppose so. I expected as much from you."
Though they hadn't known each other long, Marcos felt he had a firm grasp on Hugo’s character. Hugo wasn't the type of man to enter a strategic engagement with someone he’d just met simply to gain a social standing that would keep others from looking down on him.
Yet, Marcos also realized how much this whole ordeal had been weighing on his friend, and his expression darkened.
(I thought he’d been looking gloomy just because Fee was in the hospital... I had no idea he was agonizing over this...)
Setsuna had called Hugo a kind man. Marcos agreed with that sentiment; in fact, he believed it wholeheartedly.
It was that very kindness that had allowed Hugo to accept Marcos as a friend, despite the fact that Marcos had once antagonized him and even endangered his younger brother. Hugo grieved the misfortunes of others more deeply than most and gave his absolute all to bring a smile to everyone’s face. That was the Hugo Clay Marcos had come to know.
Up until now, Hugo had endured every ounce of malice directed his way, accepting it as the natural consequence of his past mistakes—yet another testament to his kindness.
However, Fee's injury had introduced a seed of doubt. If his own bad reputation was the reason his brother had been hurt, then the same tragedy might strike again unless he cleared his name.
Marcos regretted not noticing Hugo’s internal struggle sooner, but Hugo himself seemed to have found some clarity after the confrontation with Setsuna.
"Like Setsuna said, I was worried that my being 'trash' would put Fee and the rest of you in danger. It really got to me. But... using status to silence people just feels wrong. At the very least, the heroes I admire would never do something like that. Besides—"
Hugo trailed off, his hand moving as if to adjust the brim of a hat he wasn't currently wearing.
Picturing the image of a mature, adult man—a far cry from his own immature, half-baked self—he shared the Hero's Teachings with Marcos.
"...In a long life, there are times when you have to lean on a power stronger than your own. But if you make that choice because you’ve surrendered to your own weakness... then you lose the right to be called a hero. If I used Setsuna’s influence, silencing the people who call me trash would be easy. But using your position to manipulate others is no different from what Egos did. If I sink to his level, I won't be Fee’s hero anymore. That's why I refused."
"Hmph...! A typical answer from you. But what about clearing your reputation? Are you just giving up on that?"
"It's not that. I know being labeled a piece of trash isn't doing us any favors. But if a hero starts bragging about his own deeds, that’s a problem in itself, right? Besides, I don't help people because I want thanks or a better image... Man, being a hero is tough. I'm really stumped."
Watching Hugo cross his arms as he grappled with the problem through trial and error, Marcos felt the man was true to himself. Setsuna’s sudden arrival had been quite the jolt, but it seemed to have served as an effective form of shock therapy.
"Well, for now, I’ll just focus on getting strong enough to protect Fee if anything happens again! That means special training, and lots of it!"
"What a muscle-brained conclusion. Truly the logic of a fool."
"Hey, don't say that! I’m counting on you and Melt, too. I don't plan on carrying everything by myself!"
"Heh... You certainly are a smooth talker when you want to be."
Thanks to the potent medicine that was Setsuna, Hugo had finally stopped hanging his head and started looking forward again.
While Marcos was grateful to her for that, he also began to worry—quite seriously—that a formidable romantic rival for Melt had appeared. He let out a thoughtful murmur.
"Hm? Come to think of it, where did all the women go?"
"Huh? You didn't hear? Ann mentioned something about wanting communion in the nude, so she took them all to the female dormitory bath."
"How on earth did the conversation lead to that!?"
Marcos shouted, his voice echoing in the room. The logic was so nonsensical that he couldn't help but yell.
While he fretted over what that particular group of women might be doing at such a time, as for what Melt and the others were actually up to...?