When I cautiously called her name, the hooded girl dozing in front of my dorm suddenly jolted awake.
"You bastard…! Ah—no, Dale! Where the hell have you been?!"
Iris shot up to her feet and marched toward me, her brows furrowed and cheeks puffed in frustration.
"I messaged you so many times!"
"Oh."
I belatedly turned on my Hero Watch.
Sure enough, a storm of notifications from Iris lit up the screen.
"I heard from Professor Jade that you got a permit and went to the outdoor training zone! You disappeared after that!"
Well… yeah. If it had been any professor but Professor Jade, nicknamed the Student Killer, I might've said she was overreacting.
But from her perspective, a known lunatic gave me permission to wander into a danger zone, and then I vanished without a word.
She had every right to be worried.
"It's okay. Nothing happened."
"For someone who says that, what's with your clothes?!"
"Ah…"
I looked down.
Torn sleeves. Shredded fabric. Scuffed pants.
'Right. The Blessing of Revival only heals the body… not the outfit.'
At least I'd managed to wash off the demon blood before coming back. Small victories.
"I, uh… rolled around in the mountains a bit."
Even to me, it sounded pathetic.
"…Rolled around?"
"Yeah. The item Professor Jade wanted was in some rough terrain."
Iris squinted suspiciously, then sighed and grabbed my wrist, tugging me toward the door.
"Open up."
"…Isn't it risky for you to be seen going into the men's dorm at this hour?"
"That's why we need to go in quickly before someone sees! Do you know how hard it was sneaking here without Camilla noticing?"
I gave in with a shrug and unlocked the door.
The interior of my room greeted us with its usual depressing blandness. Compared to her luxurious dorm suite, mine looked like a supply closet.
I barely stepped inside before Iris gave another sharp command.
"Now. Take off your clothes."
"…What?"
I blinked, frozen.
Iris's face instantly turned crimson.
"Y-your shirt! I need to check if you're hurt!"
"Oh. Right."
"Geez! If you don't take it off, I'll do it myself!"
That's not exactly a threat...
No, focus.
"Okay, okay. I got it."
I pulled off my shirt and stepped closer. Iris's gaze turned serious as she examined my body.
"No visible wounds…"
"I told you, I'm fine."
"That doesn't mean anything. Heroes' bodies can mask injuries well. You might have internal damage."
She placed her hand gently on my chest, her mana softly pulsing through her fingertips. The light from her Stigma glowed faintly, seeping into me.
It felt warm—like broth on a cold day, slowly spreading comfort through my exhausted body.
"This should take care of any internal bleeding."
"I would've recovered on my own anyway."
Flick.
She lightly tapped my forehead with a disapproving frown.
"I told you to stop saying things like that."
"Right, sorry."
"Got it? Don't treat your body like it's disposable. Even if you're tough, even if you come back… pain still hurts."
"..."
A distant memory tugged at me.
"Don't treat your body so carelessly."
"What's the big deal? I'll just revive if I die."
"But you still feel the pain, don't you?"
Ah. That's right.
You were always like this.
Back then… and now.
Unchanging.
Always the one worried about the people around you—even when you were the one suffering.
Always… you.
"…Dale?"
"..."
"…Are you crying?"
I blinked and quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
"No, it's nothing."
An awkward silence settled between us.
Then—
"Ahem!"
Iris cleared her throat and straightened, shifting the air.
"Anyway! The reason I messaged you was something else!"
Right. I'd completely forgotten she'd come here for a reason beyond panicking over my vanishing act.
"What is it?"
"Do you have time this weekend?"
"…I think so. Why?"
"Would you… like to go out with me?"
I froze.
She wants to go out with me?
Of course, it wasn't exactly a "date" yet—but the thought alone sent a flutter of warmth through me.
"…Where are we going?"
"That…"
She hesitated, suddenly shy.
I couldn't help but grin.
Where does she want to go?
Valhalla City's theater? A cozy café? A new restaurant?
She does love food. Maybe a famous buffet?
Honestly, it didn't matter.
As long as I got to spend time with her, it could be in a dumpster for all I cared.
There's no way she'd want to go somewhere ridiculous like…
"…Dale, have you ever heard of the Ant Hill?"
"...What?"
She wants to go to the Ant Hill?
Weekend morning.
I woke up earlier than usual and finished my mana training routine — though no one else would recognize it as training. Afterward, I stood in front of the mirror.
"Hmm."
Same thought as always when I saw my reflection.
"I'm pretty decent-looking, right?"
I turned my face to different angles, a satisfied smirk playing on my lips.
Of course, that annoying voice of reason in my head had to chime in: "But what if you compare yourself to Yuren?"
Yeah, let's not do that.
"My hair looks neat after yesterday's trim."
I'd also borrowed a respectable outfit — courtesy of my generous "friend," whom I mildly extorted. Everything was in place.
'A date with Iris, huh.'
We'd been on dates in my past life. But this was the first since I'd returned to this younger self — as cadets, before all the blood, loss, and regrets.
"Guess I should head out now."
With anticipation building in my chest, I made my way to the meeting spot.
Standing there, waiting in the cool morning light, was Iris — dressed modestly yet beautifully in the priestly robes of the Holy Nation.
And next to her was...
"...What's with that look?"
"..."
Camilla. Wearing her full armor as if ready for war.
"...Why are you here?"
"Why? To escort the Saint, of course."
"...Sigh."
Right. Of course Iris wouldn't be allowed to leave the school alone — not when we were going to Ant Hill, one of the most dangerous slums in Valhalla City.
"Hmph. Did you really think you'd be going on a solo date with the Saint?" Camilla crossed her arms, glaring like I'd insulted her ancestors.
"Why did she have to show up this morning...?"
I glanced at Iris, whose shoulders were slumped in defeat. Her expression screamed 'I tried to sneak out and got caught.'
"Saint, didn't I tell you never to leave school grounds without an escort?!"
"But Dale's with me."
Camilla scoffed. "As if a mere cadet like him could protect you—"
She paused, face freezing. Right, she remembered.
The last time we clashed, she couldn't even draw her sword before collapsing.
She cleared her throat and quickly looked away. "...Ahem. Still. If anyone finds out you left alone, I'll be in deep trouble."
"...Fine. You can come too, Camilla," Iris said with a sigh.
"By the way... if you're heading to Ant Hill, are you going to that place?"
"Yes," Iris replied.
"Haa. Saint, you're really... impossible."
Despite her words, Camilla's tone softened. She looked more resigned than annoyed.
"Why~ Camilla, you like going there too, don't you?"
"Hmph. Who said that?"
"You get more excited than anyone when we're there."
"I—I do not!"
"Hmm~ Are you sure?"
Their banter was oddly warm. Familiar. As if they'd done this many times.
"...Where exactly are we going?"
"Hm? The Saint didn't tell you?"
"No."
Camilla turned to Iris, as if asking permission to reveal the secret.
Iris smiled mysteriously and shook her head. "Let's leave it as a surprise."
A surprise, huh.
Even with all my past-life memories, I had no idea what she was planning.
'Well... I guess I'll find out soon enough.'
At least she wasn't taking me to a Demonic Cult hideout in Ant Hill. Probably.
"Oh, right! We need to buy something first!" Iris said.
"What is it?"
"Ramen."
"...Huh?"
And with that unexpected request, my first quasi-date with my old lover — after reincarnation — officially began.
Ant Hill.
The largest slum on the continent. A place so infamous that even Valhalla's city guards pretended not to see what happened there.
Though we weren't headed for the worst part — just the second-worst. Slightly less crime, marginally better odds of survival.
Our destination?
An orphanage funded by the Holy Nation, nestled on the outskirts of despair.
"Kyaaah!"
"Iris noonaaaaa!!"
"Kids! Quick! The noonas are here!"
"Camilla noona! Can you grab my hair and spank me again? Just once?!"
"We thought you forgot us!"
The moment we stepped through the gate, a flood of children rushed toward us like a dam had broken.
Their small faces lit up with laughter and wild excitement.
"You little rascals! Didn't I tell you to stay inside?!"
An elderly priest shouted sternly at the stampeding horde.
"Gah! The priest is here!"
"Scatter!"
The swarm disbanded in an instant, fleeing like startled ants.
"Sigh. Really now..."
An old priest, robed in the vestments of the Seven Stars Church, walked up and offered a deep sign of the cross.
"I apologize, Saint. It seems my teachings have... not yet reached their hearts."
"Hehe, no, Father Antonio. Seeing them so lively makes me happier than anything."
Iris's gentle smile bloomed with sincerity — a warmth untainted by formality.
And as I stood there, watching her surrounded by laughing children, a memory bubbled to the surface.
"You always volunteered, even when no one asked you to."
"Why wouldn't I? They're just kids, Dale."
She hadn't changed.
Not in that past life, and not now.
Always giving.
Always shining.