The gemstone's pale-blue glow gradually faded.
Bell tucked the red bracelet into his sleeve, leaving no visible trace from the outside.
Perhaps it was because the two of them were alone in a somewhat cramped room, or perhaps it was because Ryuu had been worried for so long and finally relaxed, but her cheeks were flushed a shade of red different from the bracelet's.
"I didn't expect it to fit this well. Ryuu-san, did you measure my wrist when I wasn't looking?"
Bell moved his wrist slightly. It did not hinder him at all.
He had originally planned to wear the bracelet and pendant in daily life, then leave them at home when exploring the Dungeon.
But now, it seemed wearing both would actually help him resist monsters' toxins.
"It was only a coincidence..."
Ryuu replied with her face red.
Taking note of Syr's lover's body measurements was absolutely a boundary-crossing act that went against her sense of propriety.
"Hmm, when did you note it down? By the spring? Or when Evilus self-destructed?"
As if he had not heard Ryuu's explanation at all, Bell continued listing his guesses on his own.
Although he only mentioned the scenes, the details of what happened were still vivid in his mind.
Those were shameful memories born of necessity, memories that had to be sealed away.
"C-Cranel-san, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied. Please don't say any more..."
Ryuu chose to yield.
For her, the current situation could be called being attacked from both sides.
In front of her was the boy who often disturbed her thoughts, and outside the door was her friend waiting silently.
Normally, Ryuu would have ended the topic of [Abnormal Resistance] and quickly fled this place.
Whether to avoid suspicion or because of the heat in her cheeks, everything was urging Ryuu to leave the boy's side.
But Ryuu did not do that.
"Cranel-san, I want to understand you more deeply."
Following the thoughts in her heart, Ryuu blurted out what she was thinking.
"....."
Bell looked at the elf girl.
Ryuu's hair had gradually grown longer. Perhaps others could not tell, but Bell, who knew the truth, could see that at the roots of those fresh-leaf-like green strands was a gold no one else knew about.
That tiny change seemed to speak of the change in Ryuu's state of mind.
If he set aside reason, then hearing her say she wanted to understand him more deeply would certainly have made Bell's heart race.
But he knew that, when it came to relationships between men and women, Ryuu was simply a little naturally oblivious, much like Ais.
This was not a suggestive remark. It was an extremely serious attempt to communicate.
"....."
Just as Bell expected, after only a single second, Ryuu belatedly realized what she had said, and her cheeks turned bright red.
"Did that mean you want me to take off my clothes so Ryuu-san can have a careful look? I don't mind, but..."
To ease Ryuu's embarrassment, Bell deliberately twisted her words.
"Ugh... Cranel-san, you misunderstood. I only want to know about your past."
Ryuu quickly replied.
She understood that the boy would not do anything offensive.
That joking remark instead helped Ryuu escape the embarrassment of her careless words.
The two of them had gone through countless incidents together by now, yet Ryuu still knew nothing about the boy's past.
Where had he come from?
Why did he long to be a hero?
Why had he come to Orario alone to make his way?
What about his family?
What about his friends?
There were countless things she wanted to know.
Ryuu knew very well that, as Syr's friend, these were details she should not pry into.
But after their trip to the Pantry and after witnessing the boy fight the Black Goliath alone, Ryuu could no longer suppress the curiosity and excitement in her heart.
If she was going to ask, it had to be now.
Because she had received Syr's permission. Even if she pried into the boy's privacy, it would be all right.
If she delayed it until the next time they were alone, it would only bring Ryuu guilt and a sense of immorality.
"I see. I know Ryuu-san's past, but I haven't told you about my own experiences. That really is a little unfair."
Bell answered with a smile.
Ryuu had told the boy many things, from the reason she left her hometown to the mysophobia that troubled her...
She had not even hidden the tragedy of her past.
So Bell telling her about himself in return was only natural.
To keep Ryuu from paying too much attention to the current situation and turning into a helpless mess, Bell tried his best to move the topic away from relationships between men and women.
It would be one thing if Ryuu simply ran away, but if she did what she had during training and mercilessly brought down a judgment kick just because Bell saw the motion of her leg, that would be another matter entirely...
Incidentally, because that punishment had been so forceful, Bell had instead seen the details of her athletic shorts. Ryuu had never forgotten that to this day.
"Cranel-san, were you just imagining something unnecessary?"
Ryuu had a feeling that the boy's gaze had drifted slightly.
"..."
Bell smiled helplessly.
Why was this elf girl so sharp at times like this?
"Ryuu-san, to be honest, I don't remember my past all that clearly myself."
Bell brought the topic back on track.
He had been kicked away by Ryuu several times and could still remember the details from those moments, so why was he unable to recall some things from long ago?
Bell did not dwell on it.
He had once asked Airmid-san about it, and the answer he received was that it was definitely not some kind of illness.
Perhaps something had happened to him, or perhaps he had simply forgotten the past like most people did.
"I come from the distant mountains north of Orario. It was remote, but in autumn, the place would be surrounded by a beautiful sea of rice."
Bell put aside his unnecessary thoughts and slowly spoke of his origins.
When he said that he and his grandfather had depended on each other, with no parents by his side, a shadow appeared on Ryuu's face.
Although she had already expected it, hearing the truth still made Ryuu ache for the boy.
When Bell spoke of his dream of becoming a hero, his crimson eyes shining with light, Ryuu was also moved by that pure longing and smiled along with him.
When Bell brushed over his harsh training with a bright smile, Ryuu's expression grew complicated, as if she felt sorry for him, and as if she had once again resolved to support him.
"In the end, when my grandfather left me too, I kept my promise and came to Orario alone to make my way."
Bell spoke of the beginning of his story.
Although he had doubts about the news of his grandfather's death, before accepting Falna, he still went to the Dungeon and fulfilled the final promise he had made with his grandfather.
"To have raised you into such an outstanding person, your grandfather must have been a truly great man..."
Ryuu murmured softly.
"He wasn't nearly as proper as you imagine...?!"
Bell's voice gradually lowered, and his brows furrowed.
Education had a great deal to do with a person's character.
That grandfather who was always shouting about how much he wanted to flirt with girls, how had he raised Bell into the person he was now?
One inconsistency appeared before his eyes, and more gaps followed after it.
In the end, when exactly had his dream of becoming a hero begun?
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