◇◆◇
The wind was gentle.
The rustle of swaying trees.
The calls of distant birds.
"A perfect slow life," Minato muttered to himself.
In his hands, he held firewood. Over his shoulder, a hoe. No matter how one looked at him, he was nothing more than an ordinary villager.
"Heh..." He let out a soft laugh. "Doing farm work after defeating the Demon King... who would’ve thought?"
He grumbled to no one in particular, but he didn't hate it. In fact, it felt right.
"This is all I really need."
He leveled the soil as he looked up at the sky—a vast, empty blue. The battles, the missions—it was all over. This was his Otherworld Reincarnation. Honestly, he’d give it a perfect score.
"……"
Suddenly, his hands stopped. In the quiet moments, an image often flickered through his mind—a girl in a white habit.
"……"
He immediately shook his head.
"Sigh, so this is what heartbreak feels like."
He spoke the words softly, as if trying to convince himself. He had loved Nanalicia. No, he probably still loved her. But between the Hero and the Saint, there was that "Coupling Boost"—not to mention the reality of their status.
Nana was in the Royal Capital now. As the Saint, she belonged by the Hero’s side. That was fine. That was how things were meant to be.
"……"
He readjusted his grip on the hoe.
"Alright, let's get back to it—"
Just then, he heard it.
Knock, knock.
"……Hm?"
He turned his gaze toward his house. The sound of a knock—was someone at his door?
"I wonder who it is."
A visitor was a rare sight in such a rural place. He assumed it was one of the elderly villagers. He walked slowly, heading from the field behind the house toward the front entrance.
"Is there something you—"
The words died in his throat.
"……"
Standing there was a girl with swaying, pale purple hair and a smile he knew better than any other.
"It has been a long time," she said softly.
"Minato."
"……Nana."
Her name left his lips before he could think.
"Wh-why are you here? What about the Royal Capital? Don't you have work……?"
"I snuck away."
She said something absolutely outrageous with a casual air.
"No, no, no," Minato laughed in spite of himself. "Is it really okay for the Saint to skip out like that?"
"It is quite alright."
He wondered if it was truly acceptable for the country’s holy icon to be so flippant.
"……Besides, I have a more important reason for being here today."
"……?"
He tilted his head slightly. Nana took a step closer.
"Minato."
Her eyes were fixed straight on him. He felt a sudden, inexplicable tension in the air.
"Y-yes?" He found himself speaking formally.
"You said it, didn't you? That you wished for my happiness."
"Y-yeah."
Nana lowered her eyes for just a moment, then looked up again.
"Then, please marry me."
"……Huh?"
His thoughts ground to a halt.
"……Eh?"
Had he misheard her? No, she definitely just—
"……Could you say that one more time?"
"Please marry me."
Marry? Marriage?
This time, the reality sank in. He had just been proposed to by Nana.
"……"
He struggled to process the situation. Only the sound of the wind drifted between them.
"……U-um," he muttered, scratching his head. "No, wait, what? I can't…… I don't follow. What about the Hero?"
The question escaped him because it was the most logical obstacle in his mind.
"He has nothing to do with this."
"W-well, I suppose that’s true, but……"
"No 'buts'."
She was dead serious. Her expression didn't contain a trace of a joke.
"……"
"Wait, wait," he tried again. "You, about him—"
"No," she interrupted, shaking her head quietly.
"Honestly, listen to me." She let out a sigh, sounding as if she were lecturing him. She took a step closer, closing the distance until they were inches apart. "The one I love—the one I have loved from the very beginning—is you, Minato."
"……"
He was speechless.
"……But I," he finally managed to say, "I bought you. As a slave……"
He gave a wry, pained smile. Why was he making excuses when he was so happy? It was a guilt that had weighed on him for a long time.
"And," he added, looking away, "I know how he feels about you, too. So I should—"
"That has nothing to do with it, does it?"
She cut him off again. She didn't back down an inch.
"None of that matters one bit."
"No, wait," he said with a strained laugh. "Of course it matters."
"It does not," she insisted. Her voice was firmer than he had ever heard it. "This is my life. Who I fall in love with and who I choose to live with—I decide all of it myself."
Her jade eyes stared straight into his.
"You were the one who taught me that, weren't you, Minato?"
She smiled brightly, and her polite tone vanished. It was a habit of hers—whenever she got truly emotional, her speech became more natural.
"Minato."
She reached out and took his hand.
"I’ve heard all the reasons why you think you can’t choose me. But even so, I want you. You’re the one who saved me from hell, and you’re the one who shows everyone hope with your kindness."
"……"
"Is it because I was a slave? Am I not good enough?"
She looked slightly anxious, but her eyes never wavered from his.
A long silence followed. Finally, Minato spoke.
"……I'm sorry."
"……For what?"
"For everything. For how I've been until now." He let out a small, self-deprecating laugh. "There's no way a proposal from you wouldn't make me happy. I was just running away."
Nana’s eyes widened.
"……Thank you, Nana." He nodded slowly. "If you're okay with someone like me, then I want to walk through this life by your side."
"……!"
In that instant, Nana's composure shattered.
"Yes!"
She smiled more joyfully than he had ever seen.
"I look forward to it!"
"Yeah, me too."
Feeling embarrassed, he squeezed her hand back. Nana was crying, and he realized he was probably doing the same.
"Minato, I am so happy right now!"
Wiping her tears with her fingers, she beamed like the sun.
"Me too, Nana."
After that, the two of them shared a dazed, giddy laugh. Standing there in front of the door, they laughed together, savoring the overwhelming sense of happiness and relief.