An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"You're the only one who can do...that!"

Yue seems to have both magic and love plug-ins, and the speed of the barrage wall and magic bullets has increased significantly at once.

While Hajime still had many flaws, whether in the use of his two pistols or the prosthetic arm powered by direct mana, even with his "Limit Break" technique, he was gradually unable to withstand Yue's attacks. His perception, not to mention his judgment, was already exceeding its limits. Even monsters from the Abyss couldn't use so much magic simultaneously, which probably contributed to Hajime's lack of combat experience. This battle was indeed good training.

Yue gradually shortened the distance. The lustful vampire princess stretched out her hands, fired magic bullets, and licked her lips as she moved closer. Although she was staggering due to lack of magic power, she looked like a ghost.

In many ways, Hajime was inspired to not lose, but Yue, who relied on love to break through the limit and unleash this meaningless skill... was unstoppable!

Just like that, finally...

“Damn it, stop it, ahhhhhhhh!”

"...But I refuse."

Shi failed in his counterattack, even though it was a mistake that could be corrected quickly. However, the vampire princess would not let go of that opportunity. She rushed forward in one breath, hugged Shi, and captured him.

Then--

"...I won. Now, I'm going to start."

“Hey, wait—ah—!!”

The red magic that was originally blowing violently dissipated due to reasons different from the limit, and the barrage of various colors also left magic residues in the air, as if dissolving and disappearing.

The captured abyss monster also updated its defeat record today. In fact, if Hajime had simply given up on attacking and instead avoided Yue, he should have been able to escape Yue's clutches, but he didn't do that, which probably speaks volumes about Hajime's feelings towards Yue. To put it bluntly, Hajime was completely unable to resist Yue, mentally rather than physically.

The sound of grilling meat spread along with the fragrant aroma.

The location is the kitchen of Oscar Orcus's secret base, the rock house. True to his skill as a wielder of generative magic, Oscar's kitchen is filled with practical artifacts, making one wonder if it could be a modern kitchen.

In that kitchen, Hajime was grilling a giant steak with a frying pan in one hand, while Yue, with her hair tied into a ponytail, was beside him, wearing a pure white apron with ruffles that she had sewn herself, preparing a salad and grilling fish.

This salad is made with crops grown in the fields of Oscar's secret base. Apparently, a growth-promoting artifact is buried underground. Plant seeds from the treasure vault, when planted, grow to edible size in just a week. However, activating the artifact requires a tremendous amount of mana, so without Hajime and the others, it wouldn't be possible to use it continuously.

Hajime sprinkled pepper and salt (which were also kept in the treasure vault) on the roasted meat until it had turned the right color, while looking at Yue who seemed to be humming a song in a good mood.

Her soft and fluffy golden hair swayed, and her snow-white neck could be seen below. The hair scattered at her hairline felt inexplicably sentimental. The reason for this feeling might be that the afterglow of the "rest" just now still lingered.

The word "newlywed wife" popped up in Hajime's mind for no reason. "What am I thinking?" He shook his head, dumbfounded by himself.

Perhaps noticing what Hajime was doing, Yue tilted her head and looked at him suspiciously. Then, as if to hide something, Hajime turned his head away. A mischievous smile instantly appeared on Yue's lips, and she cutely pinched her apron with her fingers.

“…Does it look good?”

“…It’s very beautiful.”

Seeing Yue even spun around, Hajime couldn't say anything negative, so he frankly expressed his approval. Although Yue had asked the question herself, her cheeks flushed, her long eyelashes trembled, and she looked shy. The joy of receiving praise made her even more eager to serve.

"...Would you like to just wear an apron?"

Shi's body suddenly felt a shock. "Is she going to wear the legendary costume?" Shi said with a trembling feeling, and turned his eyes to Yue. Yue was shy, playing with the hem of her apron with her fingers, looking at Shi pitifully, and chasing after Shi.

Feeling the danger of falling into 'rest' again if this continued, Hajime shook his head. Yue wasn't particularly disappointed, but instead said, "Use it as night combat equipment," but Hajime decided to ignore it.

While they were talking, the meat was grilled, and Hajime and Yue took their seats at the dining table. They placed the food on the crystal-clear table and sat on the soft sofa. Incidentally, although there were two sofas next to the table, Hajime and Yue sat side by side, or rather, Yue would never sit anywhere other than next to Hajime. She seemed to insist on sitting next to Hajime no matter what.

"Alright, let's eat..."

“Yeah, come on, Hajime.”

Looking at the delicious barbecue in front of him, Hajime's expression seemed to be ready. Yue also looked at him with concern. So, under Yue's watchful eyes, Hajime began to gnaw on the meat...

“Ugh… Ugh.”

Hajime groaned, his body stiffening. Not only did his tightly closed lips seem to be biting into the flesh, but his teeth seemed ready to crush it. His trembling hands revealed his abnormality. Even so, Hajime bit down on the prepared meat, desperately enduring the "pain" that intensified with each bite. Light, worried, gently stroked Hajime's back and handed him the cup of sacred water.

"Honestly, I've been taking this for a month now, and it still hurts... How strong is that damn snake?"

That's right, Hajime was eating the flesh of Hydra, the final trial of the Orcus Great Labyrinth.

Since waking up that day, Hajime has been eating Hydra's flesh at mealtimes. Based on past experience, monsters eaten once should stop growing, yet Hajime's body seems to be growing even amidst the pain. The fact that other monsters have no effect on Hajime suggests Hydra's strength is truly unique.

"...Hmm, that one is truly a different monster. I think it must not be Oscar's own creation, but a collaborative work with other 'Liberators'."

"Yes, our victory was achieved thanks to the convergence of several normally impossible factors. Could it be that this Abyss dungeon is designed to require conquering other dungeons? Without learning one or two Age of Gods magics, conquering it would be extremely difficult."

Just as Hajime said, even if he had eaten monster flesh and made his body stronger, it would be extremely difficult for Hajime to defeat Hydra.

One of the reasons for his victory, needless to say, was the weapons Hajime had created. Railguns, bombs, and other weapons, disregarding the capabilities of the human body and possessing excessive destructive power. Without those weapons, if Hajime had fought with ordinary swords or magic, he would surely have been unable to defeat it due to insufficient offensive power.

Furthermore, if we were to single out a significant factor, we'd have to mention the sacred water. Without it, Hajime wouldn't have been able to reach the lower levels. Hajime likely died on the first floor, either from the wounds inflicted by the Claw Bear or from the petrification by the Basilisk on the next floor. Afterward, he relied on the sacred water to survive several fatal attacks.

And finally, the key factor was Yue. She could ignore chants and magic circles, casting the highest-level magic imbued with all her own magical energy. It was this ability that allowed her to compensate for Hajime's high power but lack of a wide-range attack, successfully driving away numerous monsters, including Hydra.

In other words, the reason why Hajime was able to conquer the labyrinth of the abyss was not so much due to his physical performance, but rather because he relied on weapons with excessive power, potions with excessive recovery, magic plug-ins with excessive annihilation power, etc., because he had the help of these external factors, this was the biggest reason.

Soon, after Hajime had finished eating Hydra's flesh and the pain in his body had subsided, he was finally able to start eating normal food. He ate the fish and vegetables that had flowed in with the groundwater with relish.

"Even though I used to eat monster meat, this kind of food is also very delicious, but..."

"...Hmm, it's still bland compared to normal food."

Hajime said this with a slightly regretful expression while chewing his vegetables, and Yue agreed while eating his fish.

Shiji was from Earth, a country with advanced food culture, while Yue was from the royal family. Both of them had tasted all kinds of delicious food, so they couldn't help but complain when they ate simple dishes that were just grilled, boiled, fried, and sprinkled with salt, even though they knew there was nothing they could do.

“…I’m sorry, Hajime. If I had learned more cooking methods…”

"No, Yue, you don't need to apologize. You're a royal. I've never heard of a princess cooking, so I'm embarrassed. I should have at least learned the basics."

Because they are royals and because they are high school students with little interest in cooking, both of them cannot cook for these reasons.

Yue was quite frustrated that she couldn't cook for her lover. She pouted and thought, it would be great if the teacher could teach her how to cook instead of just teaching her night skills.

Seeing Yue's expression, Hajime scratched his cheek and said to her:

"Well, my mother is very good at cooking, so just ask her to teach you."

“!…Hmm, hmm! I’m really looking forward to cooking with Hajime’s mother.”

Hearing Hajime's words, Yue's eyes sparkled with anticipation. She and Hajime's mother sat side by side in the kitchen, learning from her as they cooked, while Hajime and his father watched from the living room. Then, she'd feed them the food they'd cooked together, and hear them exclaim, "Delicious!"

It was a happy scene that made her heart leap with joy just by imagining it, and Yue's usually expressionless face gradually revealed a full smile.

"Yeah, in that case, breakfast and lunch will have to be left to Yue. My mother only cooks dinner... I usually just grab breakfast and lunch."

"... Yeah, leave it to me."

Hajime's mother, a famous shojo manga artist, spent her mornings sleeping and her afternoons working, leaving her with no time to cook. Hajime, too, often stayed up late at night, playing games or helping her parents with their work. In the mornings, she was extremely sleepy and barely ate a proper breakfast.

However, if Yue is willing to learn how to cook and cook for him, then there is no greater luxury in the world than this. A bento made by a beautiful blonde girl... This is something that I could never imagine in Japan.

(…No, I’ve eaten a bento made by a beautiful girl before. It was semi-forced, but I was so uncomfortable I don’t even remember the taste.)

Even though he didn't know what life would be like after successfully returning to Earth, the thought of opening Yue's bento at school and enjoying it with relish made Hajime a little itchy. However, he suddenly recalled a memory from the distant past that rolled back to him.

It was at school. Hajime had finished his lunch as usual and was about to take a nap when Shirosaki Kaori came over with her own lunch box to give to Hajime. Just like the day she was summoned, Kaori invited Hajime, who had been unable to escape due to his sleepiness, back to the school. With a rather firm attitude and a smile, she dropped a bombshell of words.

Just like that, she shared her lunch box with the stiff-faced Hajime. Of course, if those guys in the class ate the food cooked by her, who was called the school goddess, there was no way they would remain silent, so Hajime had rejected her at the beginning... And seeing Kaori packing up her lunch box with a lonely and sad expression, it goes without saying that the murderous aura in the class became even more boiling.

Going forward is hell, and going backward is also hell, so at least I should respond to her kindness. So Hajime made up his mind and accepted Kaori's lunch box.

Seeing Hajime sweating profusely while eating the bento he made himself, Kaori's face broke into a smile. For some reason, Kaori's expression at that time appeared vividly in his mind.

At this moment, a chill suddenly ran down Hajime's spine. Startled, he returned to reality from his memories and looked to his side, only to see Yue's indescribable expression.

“…Hajime, who is that woman?”

"..."

"How did she know?" That question must have been a foolish one. It was called woman's intuition. Excuses were useless in the face of one of the seven wonders of this world. It wouldn't work, not at all, because it cut through everything.

"...It's one of the classmates I mentioned earlier."

"...Is she the woman who caused Hajime to fall off the cliff?"

"Well, if you trace it back to the source, maybe that's correct..."

Hearing Yue's words, Hajime showed an indescribable expression. Yue ignored Hajime and asked in a very calm voice without any intonation:

"...Haha, have you ever eaten that woman's cooking?"

"Well, it's just the situation."

"……Is it tasty?"

"I don't remember exactly... I think it must have been delicious, since her cooking skills are also very famous."

"……Right."

Yue stared at Shi, then fixed her gaze and leaned forward slightly.

"moon?"

“…She knows something about Hajime that I don’t, and she’s made food for Hajime herself. She holds a place in Hajime’s heart that Hajime suddenly remembers… I envy her.”

"That's really direct. No, wait, why are you coming closer?!"

Yue approached and wanted to cover Shi's body, but Shi pushed her slender shoulders and tried to stop her.

But Yue's reaction was...

“…Yeah, I want Hajime to be all me inside.”

"No, no, what happened with Shirasaki was just a coincidence..."

"...It's okay, it won't hurt you, just a little rest."

“How many times have I told you! Your lines are basically what a boy would say to a girl! And they’re spoken by a pretty awful man! Have some self-respect, you lecherous vampire princess!”

Yue pouted, trying to kiss Hajime, but Hajime pushed her back, shouting, "Don't think I'll always give in! I'm a Japanese who says no!" This was a strange assertion. It was, after all, a man's sense of ambition, pride, and a reluctance to be constantly subdued—a pointless resistance. The root of this mentality was probably the idea that he was pure and could easily overcome a woman's temptations, a chuunibaku value, though he certainly wouldn't admit it.

Besides, since I have already accepted it, it is obvious that all of this is just empty resistance.

The proof was that, in the month since Yue's attack on the bathhouse, although Hajime had been continuously putting up a hollow resistance, he had never been able to stop Yue's offensive so far.

For example, during the training of "breath masking" and "breath perception", something happened.

Hajime hid himself, and Yue searched for hours, unable to find him. Faced with the darkness of the abyss and the feeling of being alone in it, Yue burst into tears, feeling loneliness and longing. "Hajime—where are you?" Yue cried helplessly, rubbing his eyes in a childlike voice. Despite Hajime's strict training, Yue immediately interrupted his training and rushed out.

In a sense, if you say it was a defeat, it was indeed a defeat, but the real defeat came after that.

After the training, Yue went into a very spoiled state for several days. She launched an offensive that needed no introduction, but the end result was always Hajime exclaiming "Ah——!!".

In addition, when Hajime was working hard to train, refine and develop bullets and new weapons, Yue was also by Hajime's side making insufficient clothes - re-tailoring Oscar's clothes or clothes using monster skins - but whether it was Hajime's clothes or his own clothes, Yue always confirmed Hajime's preferences one by one.

Then, she would wear the finished clothes and hold a fashion show limited to Hajime... Yue had a hard time at first because she was not used to tailoring, but as she accumulated experience, her tailoring skills gradually improved. When she was able to make more complex clothes, Yue finally took action and started making night battle clothes for adults.

Yue put on those clothes, and although they were clothes she had made herself, she still seemed shy. Even so, she continued the fashion show as usual. Seeing Yue like that, it goes without saying that he almost lost his mind. And seeing Hajime's reaction, Yue lost his mind in turn, and Hajime was shocked by the "Ah——!!" It was self-evident.

When they went fishing in the river, Hajime finally cried out "Ah——!!" when he saw Yue wearing a swimsuit made with the clothes.

Since their first bath in the bathhouse, bathing together had become a tacit understanding. Every time, when Yue wanted to take care of Hajime, Hajime would give in to her request and ask her to wash his back, and then, unwilling to just wash his back, Hajime would always end up screaming "Ah——!!". It had become a habit.

Speaking of becoming a habit, Yue would regularly suck Hajime's blood, becoming intoxicated every time, becoming even more beautiful and attractive as a result, and it was a common occurrence for her to just make Hajime exclaim "Ah——!!"

Basically, Hajime always managed to maintain his integrity, but...

Lately, he didn't know what he wanted to do, and the number of defeats he suffered without any resistance was increasing.

This time was no exception. The rational army in Hajime's heart, the man's face army, encountered Yue's infinite passion and love, just like an ant swallowed by a tsunami, and was about to be washed away by the torrent.

With a fiery breath that threatened to burn, Yue uttered a fatal word, swinging it like a holy sword to slay the demon king.

"...I want to kiss you, please."

"!"

His lover's eyes moistened, and he pleaded directly, which Shi couldn't disobey. As if his life force had been sucked out of him, Shi relaxed his entire body. However, Yue, whose love for Shi was not only off the charts but even showing signs of a bug, certainly wouldn't let this opportunity slip by...

“Oops, oops—”

"Let's start."

Not to mention the hollow cries of a man, “Ah——!!”, coming from a room somewhere in the secret base.

The monster born at the bottom of the abyss has a zero percent chance of winning against a mere girl.

Under the gentle artificial moonlight hanging from the ceiling, Hajime, who had tasted defeat today, lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, spending a leisurely time. The vampire princess, with a calm expression on her face, naturally nestled in his arms.

Yue slightly turned her face, which was resting on Shi's chest, to peek at Shi's expression. Shi had his eyes closed, and although he was not asleep, he was in a relaxed state close to sleep.

Yue couldn't help but stare at Hajime, her consciousness shifting to the fiery emotions within her chest. That heat seemed to consume her entire being, causing her pain while also bringing her the exact opposite sense of comfort. Yue gently exhaled a fiery breath, venting a little of that passion.

For the moon, the beginning is a miracle.

Yue would never forget the vibrant crimson that was seared into her heart that day. Whether it was the three hundred years of confinement or the despair she experienced during that time, she could forget all of it if she thought of it as a journey to meet Hajime. Thinking of the warmth of the place she had finally reached, and the happiness they would share from now on, she could discard the past as a painful memory.