# Side Story (22)
"What is your resolve in approaching this marriage?!"
At my father's words, the Hero Party panicked and racked their brains.
Honestly, I'm curious too.
What are they thinking, wanting to marry me?
"Please share your resolve. Hero Party."
"Mister! This isn't the time for jokes! Please stay quiet!"
Luna was working her brain hard.
What resolve did she have when she proposed marriage to me?
In this tense moment, Luna's mouth opened and her voice leaked out.
"I, I will! Spread the Hero's descendants! Throughout the world! T-That's why I'll marry you, Mister!"
"Oh my."
"Good grief..."
Sighs emerged at the meeting between families.
Luna had just made it up on the spot, throwing out a desperate answer.
Father stared quietly into Luna's eyes, then nodded.
"...To spread your children. That touches on the essence of humanity. Long ago, humans were born for the purpose of reproducing offspring."
"That's right! Of course I understood that essence and said—"
"No."
Father suddenly cut off Luna's words in the good atmosphere.
He interrupted Luna, who was about to become confident, and said:
"However, that era has already passed. Was it Luna?"
"Y-Yes! Father!"
"Is your true purpose in marrying my son really to spread children? If so, there are other men, aren't there? Why my son?"
"Th-That's..."
Even though she's the Hero, can't she withstand the pressure from her partner's parents?
Luna hesitated, reluctant to answer.
However, she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted confidently:
"Because I like Mister! I've never even thought about any other man besides Mister! I-I'm going to marry Mister!"
*Clang—*
A loud cry echoed through the restaurant.
Even the small voices coming from other rooms were buried by Luna's voice, and silence flowed for a moment.
*Isn't this public execution...? Are they trying to kill me?*
My face automatically turned red.
However, Father seemed pleased with Luna's bold declaration, nodding with a satisfied smile.
"You should have said that from the start."
"Huh?"
"It's better to speak honestly from the beginning. Talking about some grand cause of reproducing descendants made you look suspicious from a father's perspective. Even if you're a Her...o? from another world, you don't seem to have normal thinking."
"Ha, haha... No way! I'm always normal, Father!"
She's not normal, though.
Anyway, Luna got through it well.
Father seemed pleased with Luna's positive attitude too.
"Then, next is... was it Hare?"
"Y-Yes...! F-Father...!!"
Hare answered with a trembling voice.
Even Hare seemed nervous.
So, what was Hare's resolve in approaching marriage?
"What intentions do you have regarding marriage?"
"I, I... u-um... well..."
Hare was stuttering.
*Is she too nervous? I should have given her some calming medicine.*
I didn't know Hare would be this nervous.
Father seemed to feel sorry for Hare, who couldn't speak due to nervousness, and spoke in a gentle tone:
"Take your time. And speak honestly."
"H-Honestly... you mean...?"
"Yes."
"Th-Then honestly..."
Honesty.
Hearing those words, Hare began pouring out her resolve.
"I, I want to live peacefully with Mister for over 100 years, over 1000 years... wh-when Mister makes breakfast in the morning... I'll help with Mister's cooking beside him... and Mister will take my lips... a-and while having such a happy daily life... Mister will love me more than the other girls... and I want to show that I love Mister the most—"
"...No, that's enough. Stop there, child."
"Y-Yes..."
As expected of my father.
He cut her off at the right time.
I almost had to listen to Hare's passionate speech all day.
*She wasn't nervous, she just had too much to say.*
Anyway.
Father, having glimpsed Hare's resolve.
He nodded again and approved of Hare's and my marriage.
"It's my turn next, Father."
"...I'm getting tired too, but. Yes, go ahead, Saten."
*Sip—*
Saten took a sip of tea and conveyed her resolve in approaching marriage.
"I don't want much. An environment where I can see Mister every day and continue my research. That's all I need to be happy."
"Hehe, how modest. What kind of research are you talking about?"
"Research about business. I researched coins in the past and failed, and I tried to research stocks too. Unfortunately, Mister said no. So I'm planning a business to make money."
"...I see, and the reason for making money is?"
"What I've realized living in this world is that money is power. If you have money, you can do anything. That's why I want to make money."
"...I'll have to take back what I said about being modest. Please don't cause any trouble."
Saten's thinking wasn't exactly healthy.
Still, perhaps because she showed that she was thinking of me.
Father approved of Saten's and my marriage.
Father seemed to have his own standards, but every time he heard the Hero Party's resolve, those standards seemed to keep crumbling.
*Now that I think about it, he just seems to be trying to maintain his dignity.*
A father's dignity only comes once in a lifetime.
I decided to just let it pass.
"Only you remain, Estia."
"Yeah! I'm here!"
"...How bold, speaking informally."
"Thanks!"
Estia arrived at a crisis from the start.
Did Father's mental state reach a crisis?
He blinked as if dizzy and asked:
"Why do you want to marry my son?"
"Because I like Oppa!"
"If you liked someone else, would you marry that person?"
"Is Father stupid? That 'like' and this 'like' are different! I like Oppa more!"
"...I'm not stupid. I'm curious about the reason. Why do you like my son more?"
At Father's gloomy question.
Estia answered lightly:
"Because that's how I feel! And Oppa lets me have good dreams! He's comfortable like a cloud!"
"...I see. I understand everything. I approve of you too."
With an expression that showed he didn't understand at all.
Father had no choice but to nod and accept Estia's resolve.
Still, hearing the Hero Party's sincerity like this gave me a new feeling.
"So that's how you all think of me. I'm touched."
"Of course! You don't know how much I like you, Mister! Hehe!"
"But, Luna."
"Yes?"
"What you said at first. That wasn't sincere, right?"
The tremendous plan to spread the Hero's descendants.
My hands and feet didn't exactly tremble at that terrifying plan.
But I wanted to hear the truth from Luna's mouth, so I asked.
At my question, Luna whispered quietly:
"H-Half is correct... and half is wrong...!"
"What?"
"J-Just know it like that! It'll be better for your peace of mind...!"
What does that mean?
Like a nurse warning before giving a shot, Luna said something suspicious to me.
I tried to think about what it meant, but given the situation, I couldn't ponder deeply.
Our meeting between families was still ongoing.
"We've heard each other's resolve and received permission for marriage... shall we eat?"
"Yes, well said. My son. It would be good for everyone to eat comfortably."
At Mother's words, the atmosphere of the meeting softened.
The Hero Party relaxed accordingly.
Except for Luna, whose gaze was fixed on Mother.
"Wh-Why me...?"
"Luna."
"Y-Yes? Mother?"
"Do you know how much your card bill was last month?"
"U-um... 400,000 won!"
Luna answered confidently.
But Mother shook her head.
Luna's answer was wrong.
"Add one more zero to that."
"...What? Th-That much came out?"
"Yes, 4 million won for food expenses. Because someone eats very well."
*Whoosh—*
At Mother's words, Luna turned her head and shouted:
"Traitor!"
"I only told the truth."
"Th-Then you're a con artist!"
She's just throwing everything at me.
"Luna."
"Y-Yes!"
Luna straightened her back at Mother's words.
To such Luna, Mother said with a smile:
"Those who do not work shall not eat."
"What does that mean!"
"If you're going to use that much on food expenses, it means you should do some work. So, if my son opens a restaurant..."
It would be good for you to work there too.
At Mother's words, Luna despaired, and I despaired too.
*Luna... at a restaurant...?*
She's generally good at basic tasks.
But I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling.
However, it would be good for Luna to learn about the world while working here.
I didn't particularly object to Mother's suggestion.
But unlike me, Luna was:
"I-I have to work...? I won't be able to watch dramas...?"
Engulfed in a sense of despair.
Meanwhile, I whispered to Hare sitting next to me:
"Hare. Next time, find some restaurant dramas on the internet. Something Luna would like."
"Y-Yes! Mister...!"
That despair should be resolved with a drama set in a restaurant.
Anyway, if we're just looking at the results, today's meeting between families ended well—we ate delicious food, heard each other's marriage resolve, and had a good outcome.
"All's well that ends well..."
Now only graduation and marriage remained for us.