CH 57

“Is Haishin-sama going to do a stream today?”

“I don’t know… but I want to listen!”

“Oh, Haishin-sama! Please bless us with your voice today too—”

“…”

Kanata dragged his mouth down in exasperation. 

He had been away from the group of women and was walking around the small village for the first time in a while when he stumbled upon a bunch of youths going crazy over Haishin.

He hadn’t noticed it when he first entered the village, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he felt more than just happy about Haishin’s newfound fame; he also felt a sense of complexity.

“Oh, hey Kanata!”

His childhood friends recognized him instantly. They had spent their youth together in this small town, roaming the fields and hills.

“It’s been a while…”

He smiled as they surrounded him with questions about Maria and Alphana.

But inevitably, the conversation turned to Haishin.

“What do you think of Haishin-sama, Kanata?”

“Of course, he’s amazing! I’m a huge fan!”

“Look at this. I even went out and bought his shirt!”

They were talking about Haishin as if he wasn’t there but entirely somewhere else, discussing their admiration for him without any hint of suspicion or doubt.

While Kanata had no lack of desire to be famous and bask in the attention, seeing how much his old friends had changed made him feel a little uneasy.

(… Calm down, Kanata! Just think of them as fans and the ‘cost of fame’ as trivial!)

He let out a small breath and managed to calm down slightly.

Although he had prepared high-quality equipment with Maria and the others to help him stream from anywhere in the carriage, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared at the thought of hearing a joyous roar throughout the village as soon as he began streaming.

“Well, I guess I’ll be going now.”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s talk again soon!”

They left, chattering excitedly.

Kanata watched them go, then headed towards the village chief’s house.

“Oh, Kanata, it’s been a while.”

“Long time no see, Village Chief.”

He was an elder with a stooped back but seemed surprisingly energetic and not yet ready to get called to heaven.

“Oh Kanata, I am a fortunate man, you know?” 

“What for?” 

“Well, for being able to meet the Saint concerned about the village.”

“Ah…”

Kanata knew about it too, and he thanked Alphana for it. 

Although it should have been easy to just listen to the story, Kanata felt deep gratitude and obligation for actually taking action.

Alphana was truly worthy of being called a Saint for her compassion, and Kanata wondered if she acted so quickly because of him.

(… I mean, how much of a good person is Alphana?)

Of course, Kanata was grateful not only to Alphana but also to Maria and Mira, but Alphana’s kindness had really touched him.

She couldn’t have known everything about Kanata’s circumstances, but the fact that she accepted Kanata by using examples from another world was truly a lot.

“Phew, I’m just too blessed.”

“What’s the matter?” 

“Huh?”

As Kanata turned around in response to the voice from behind, something covered his eyes. He could tell that it was probably a hand covering his eyes, but he also felt the sensation of someone pressing their body against his while doing so.

“It’s Alphana, right?” 

“Oh, you knew it was me?” 

“Of course.”

It was such an easy problem to solve just from her voice alone. 

When she removed her hand and turned around, Alphana was indeed there.

“You seemed lost in thought… Are you okay?” 

“I’m totally fine. What about Maria and Mira?”

Apparently, Alphana was the only one who had slipped away, and Maria and Mira seemed to be enjoying their work.

“Maria seems to really enjoy working in the fields, and Mira went out to hunt monsters again.” 

“They’re really having a blast, huh?”

“I think they’re both enjoying it so much because it’s something they wouldn’t normally experience.”

Kanata had wondered what would happen since there was no entertainment or facilities like in the capital, but if they were really enjoying themselves, then it was fortunate.

Alphana seemed to enjoy working in the fields and promised Maria they would plant crops together. 

“As a saint, I have never done such a thing before… but if I had not been recognized as a saint and had lived as a commoner, this could have been another way of life.”

It was the same for Kanata.

If he did not possess magic, he might not have even gone to the academy, and there would have been no culture of live streaming since he would not have engaged in activities like Haishin.

Moreover, he might not have met these girls.

“There may have been a future where I quietly spent my days in this village without meeting Alphana and the others… or something like that.”

“That’s true… but.”

Alphana held Kanata’s hand. 

She wrapped both hands around it and continued to speak while looking straight into Kanata’s eyes.

“I can say this because I have already met Kanata-sama, but there might have been such a future. In a world without Haishin-sama, perhaps there would have been no future where you and I would meet… but now, I can confidently say that I absolutely do not accept such a future.” 

“… Alphana?” 

“I am already drawn to Kanata-sama. Now that I know this feeling, now that I know Kanata-sama… I don’t want to think about a world where we don’t meet, even as a possibility.”

She sounded desperate.

Kanata was startled by her words, but he agreed with Alphana.

“Now that I know the joy of being Haishin and the joy of being Kanata, I can’t imagine anything else. A world without Alphana and Maria… I don’t want to imagine it either.”

“Exactly. Ufufu ♪”

“What’s so funny?”

Alphana’s smile was somewhat suggestive, and Kanata’s heart skipped a beat, but he tried to maintain his composure as he asked. 

Alphana released his hand and leaned in, resting her body against his chest.

“Huh… Alphana?” 

“You’re nervous… aren’t you, Kanata-sama?”

Alphana pressed her ear to his chest as if listening to Kanata’s heartbeat and then looked up at him and said, 

“I’m feeling nervous too… Please put your hand on my chest.”

“Uh, umm…”

Kanata hesitated for a moment before Alphana took his hand and placed it on her chest. 

He could feel her heartbeat throbbing against his palm, passing through the soft, plump sensation.

(What is this fluffy feeling? It’s dangerous…)

Kanata felt an overwhelming heat spread throughout his body, from his head to his toes. 

He started feeling nauseous, but then he heard a voice that snapped him out of it.

“Kanata-kun~? Alphana~?”

“Oh my…”

“Uh…”

Alphana and Kanata quickly separated.

Maria had called out to them, and it seemed she had been looking for them.

“Oh, there you are.”

It didn’t seem like Maria had caught them in a compromising position, so she approached them like always.

“Kanata-kun, your face is really red?”

“Oh, is it maybe a fever?”

“That’s not good! You need to rest!”

“No, no! I’m fine, really!”

In the end, Alphana returned to her usual self, Maria joined them, and the three spent time together.

“I love farming. It’s amazing seeing the crops we worked hard on grow and ripen with our sweat and effort.”

“Oh, so that means we’ll have to come back here during harvest time, Kanata-sama?”

“Kanata-kun!”

“Yeah, I’d love to visit again.”

They both smiled brightly as they said this.

Thus, it was decided they would visit again someday, possibly with Mira.

(… Things might get worse by then.)

Kanata knew the Haishin craze would grow bigger, but he didn’t mind anymore.

He decided to keep streaming without fear, starting today.