Chapter 66

I sensed something was off and grabbed Adam’s arm.

At first, he didn’t move. Only when I pushed harder did he finally budge.

“What was that guy earlier? He’s not even senile or anything!”

“It’s fine. I’ve heard that kind of talk a lot.”

I hurriedly left the bookstore, making a show of how upset I was, as if daring him to see it.

Adam rarely got angry. Even in situations where an ordinary person would flip a table in fury.

He hardly ever showed emotion to begin with.

Moments like this made him seem like a doll created solely to slay the Demon King, and it hurt my heart.

I guess it was my fault for pushing him so hard since he was young.

It was all my fault.

After some thought, I decided to prescribe him a very special treatment.

I spread my arms wide.

And then nodded at Adam, who was once again just watching quietly to see what kind of stunt I’d pull this time.

“Hero.”

“…?”

“Come here.”

Adam didn’t seem to get it and took a step back.

He should’ve caught on by now.

But this wasn’t the time to scold him—it was the perfect moment to give him a warm hug.

Just this once, I gave him a gentle smile and explained kindly.

“It’s a warm human hug.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Hey!”

Before he could refuse any further, I hugged him first.

Rather than giving a hug, I ended up being the one clinging to him.

I could feel how tense he was.

His tension transferred through to me too. It felt like two stiff logs awkwardly pressing together.

I quickly said what I had in mind.

“You don’t have to listen to what anyone else says.”

“…”

“Because you’re free now, Adam!”

Still hugging him, I looked up and beamed brightly.

He’s the hero who killed the Demon King—what’s with all the heavy thoughts?

I didn’t want to burden his already busy mind with new worries, especially when there was a festival to enjoy today.

“Isn’t that right?”

“…Yes.”

Adam stared down at me.

Then he gently placed his hands on my shoulders and moved me away.

And just like earlier, he stared off at the spot we had passed before, clearly unable to focus.

“Just a moment.”

He left those words behind and disappeared.

‘…Don’t tell me my hug of love was too overwhelming?’

It was a hug of friendship with not even a speck of ulterior motive!

I just wanted to offer a bit of warmth to this people-weary hero who’d lost faith in humanity.

There was seriously no personal agenda.

…Seriously.

Wait—could it be that just one hug was enough to give away my feelings?

“Herooo! It’s a misunderstanding!”

If that’s what he thought, I had to clear it up right away.

Otherwise, Adam’s heart, which had just barely opened up, might slam shut again.

Love—no, friendship—is an open door, Hero!

“Ugh.”

Just as I was about to run down the hill after him, a sharp pain made me grimace.

“Ah, come on.”

I had been trying to ignore it, but my ankle had been aching for a while. Looked like the skin was scraped worse than I thought.

In the end, I couldn’t go up or down, and just stood there awkwardly, waiting for Adam.

“Hero?”

That’s when I saw him climbing the hill, and in his hand was a box I hadn’t seen before.

“Eve. I told you to stay put, and you still couldn’t help yourself.”

How did he even know I moved?

Feeling like a kid caught sneaking around, I averted my gaze.

Adam let out a small sigh and knelt in front of me.

He took off my shoe, revealing a scrape on the back of my heel.

With a faint grimace, he pulled out a new pair of shoes from the box and slipped them on my feet.

‘So that’s why he ran off—he went to buy shoes.’

I had tried to hide the pain, but he acted like he’d read my heart.

Even such a small gesture from him made my face flush uncontrollably.

* * *

Seriously, she was someone who required constant attention.

I had felt something off about her behavior earlier, but only realized later that she had injured her foot.

Even though she had clearly been in pain for some time, she’d pretended nothing was wrong. Once I became aware of it, I began noticing every little thing she did.

Adam recalled how Eveline had hidden her pain from him and let out a quiet sigh.

He had only wanted to give her good things, but in doing so, he had ended up hurting her.

Adam took off his coat and laid it on the ground. Eveline, who had been testing her now more comfortable foot, finally realized the gesture and sat down.

She seemed awkward receiving such kindness. Blushing, she pulled out the basket she had brought with her.

“Hero, try one!”

“…Did you make it?”

Adam only looked silently at the sandwiches neatly arranged in the basket.

Suspicion swirled in his eyes.

“Nope, Ben made them!”

“Ah, I see.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Adam took a bite. Eveline followed his lead, picking up a sandwich of her own, but paused, caught in a strange mood.

‘Why do I feel so annoyed?’

She couldn’t pinpoint it, but she was definitely irritated.

Adam had never eaten more than two bites of anything she had made.

Remembering that made her a little emotional.

But then she pictured Ben’s face, and Adam’s as well—and it made sense.

‘Even I wouldn’t eat something made by me if I had Ben’s level of skill.’

Yeah… that’s true.

Knowing how skilled they both were, her little fit of jealousy melted away.

Ben had made these sandwiches for their outing to the Founding Festival.

She felt a bit bad for leaving him out to eat with Adam like this, but the sandwiches were melting in her mouth, the perfect companion to a festival day.

The basket that had been filled to the brim with sandwiches emptied in no time.

As they sat on the hill eating, the sun began to set.

“The sky’s turning red,” she murmured.

“So it is.”

Eveline quietly looked up at the sky.

She gazed down at the streets, now even more crowded than in the morning. The colorful lights and decorations dazzled her.

“What are you thinking about?”

Caught up in the enchanting scene, Eveline muttered without realizing it.

“I was just thinking how happy I am that you asked me to come to the festival with you.”

At those words, Adam looked slightly surprised—then smiled gently.

“Then I’ll have to work harder to make it more fun.”

“I’m already having a great time!”

She meant it completely.

Eveline had been excited long before they even left the house.

It was the first time Adam had ever been the one to ask her to go somewhere.

He probably hadn’t thought much of it when he suggested it, but it made her happy all the same.

Then, one by one, lanterns began to rise into the sky from somewhere nearby.

Others were floating theirs down the river.

Everyone was surely making wishes.

Eveline, who never missed a chance for these things, jumped up from her seat.

Her foot pain was the least of her concerns now.

Adam glanced worriedly at her foot, but she dashed down the hill in the shoes he had bought her.

And just like a student who forgot their supplies, she ran back up and grabbed him too.

“Hero! You need to make a wish too! Hurry!”

“Understood. Let’s go slowly, Eve.”

Adam, though slightly reluctant, let himself be dragged along.

Eveline hurried down and bought two small white lanterns from a child selling them from a basket, handing over some coins.

They were clumsy and tiny, likely handmade.

But Eveline was delighted.

She had bought one for Adam too and ran over to where he was waiting.

Using his tall figure as a landmark, she moved toward him through the crowd.

But the tide of people going the opposite way jostled her left and right.

In the end, the moment she got close enough, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

It was a precaution—if they got separated in the crowd, they wouldn’t be able to release their lanterns together. Worse, she might lose him entirely.

Adam looked down at the hand holding his wrist, then quietly followed her.

He was tall enough that he might have been fine, but Eveline was small. If she got lost in the crowd, he might not be able to find her again.

He had been wondering what to do when she suddenly came to him—that had been unexpected.

Adam felt the small warmth in his hand.

It felt like something that could vanish at any moment.

And with it came a quiet, inexplicable unease.