Chapter 52: Dale Han’s Secret Private Life (1)

After that fateful reunion with Yuren, my days became so overwhelmingly busy that the phrase “too busy to breathe” didn’t even begin to cover it. It was full of classes, assignments, and other things. Moreover, every evening, I met with Berald and Yuren to teach them hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship, all while carving out time for my own training in between.

I was so hectic that I thought I would drop dead. Not that it mattered, because if I did drop dead, I would come back pretty quickly. However, the Blessing of Resurrection could not restore my mental fatigue.

God, I just want a break. How blissful that would be!

I thought.

More than anything, I wanted to lie in bed all day, sprawled out, doing absolutely nothing. Just imagining myself napping in the warm spring sunlight pouring through the window made me swallow dryly. My thirst for rest scorched my throat as I forced myself to sit up in bed, barely holding on to my sanity.

“Phew! I’ve got things to do.”

It being Saturday, I had no classes or meetings with Berald or Yuren today. However, that didn’t mean I had nothing on my plate.

“First, I should go see Professor Bastion.”

I glanced down at the square box in my hand. Inside the box was the mana enhancement elixir Yuren had given me. It wasn’t particularly useful for someone with high mana reserves, but for someone like me, whose mana was barely more than a flea’s fart—well, maybe a rat’s dropping, since I had improved recently—it was actually a pretty solid item.

I could just take it as is, but now that I had it, I thought it was better to ask Professor Bastion, an expert in magic alchemy, if there was a way to boost its effectiveness.

“I should probably talk to Jules next.”

After I had visited Yuren’s private training room the other day, my desire to have one of my own had grown tenfold. Ever since that sparring match with Assistant Instructor Vincent, I had been getting way too much attention. It was no wonder Yuren and the other top cadets all trained in private rooms.

The attention was starting to interfere with my training. Every time I set foot in a public training ground, people swarmed in like I was a monkey in a zoo. Who could focus under those conditions?

I opened Jules’s contact on my Hero Watch. “Guess I should send him a message first.”

I fired off a text.

Dale: I need to talk to you privately today. Are you free?

He replied right away.

Jules: W-what do you want to talk about?

Dale: I’ll tell you when we meet. I’ll message you again soon.

Jules: O-okay. I’ll wait.

Renting a private training room wasn’t cheap, but since I was holding a certain weak spot of Jules’s in my hands, he wouldn’t have much of a choice.

I opened the album on my Hero Watch, thinking,

Let’s check if I still have the photos.

“Gah... My eyes, damn it.”

Right there was a photo of Jules dressed in drag, striking a sultry pose. While I had taken it for leverage, just knowing this thing existed inside my device made my soul wither.

I decided that if I managed to squeeze, no, borrow some money this time, I’d delete all of these. It was probably time to let him go. This and the previous borrowings were probably enough as payback for all the torment he gave me in my past life.

“Alright, time to get moving,” I said, pulling my exhausted body off the bed.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“

Huh

?” I wondered who would come at this hour?

I tilted my head in curiosity and opened the door, only to be greeted by a scowling Iris. “What brings you h—”

Iris stormed in before I could finish, grabbed me by the collar, and exploded with fury. “You bastard!”

“W-what’s going on?”

Grinding her teeth, she glared at me. “

Ha

! You really don’t know?! Why haven’t you contacted me for the past few days?”

“Well, you told me not to for a while.”

“So, you just don’t contact me? Seriously? Do you have no social awareness?!” She pulled my cheeks outward and stomped in frustration. “

Ugh

, forget it. It’s my fault for expecting anything from you.”

With a huff, she let go of me and eyed my outfit. “Are you going out? It’s the weekend.”

“

Ah

, yeah. I was just going to swing by Professor Bastion’s lab—”

She gave me a sharp look, like she was interrogating me. “You’re going to work again, aren’t you?”

“Not exactly. I just have a small favor to ask,” I replied.

“Still, that means you’re not resting, right?”

“Well... I guess not.”

A thick vein popped up on Iris’s forehead. She grabbed my wrist and said, “You’re coming with me to Valhalla City today.”

“Wait, what? Out of nowhere?”

She flashed a bright, almost threatening smile. “You’re not thinking of saying no, are you?”

“I’ll get ready right away.”

Yeah, no doubt about it, I would have to visit Professor Bastion the next day instead.

***

Iris and I headed for Valhalla City, the massive urban city that surrounded the Hero Academy.

I asked, “By the way, where’s Camilla?”

“I snuck out without telling her.”

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Is that... okay?”

“With you around, I don’t need a separate bodyguard, right?” Iris flashed a dazzling smile and gave me a playful wink. “You better not rat me out to her later, okay?”

At her completely nonchalant response, I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle, thinking,

Well, fair enough.

“Got it. So, are we visiting the orphanage?” I asked.

“Nope. I have a special place I want to go with you today.”

“What is it?”

She proudly held up two tickets, each stamped with a bold fist emblem. “

Tada

! Look at this! They made a movie in the Republic based on the story of Iron Fist Ryu Jin-Sung!”

“

Ahh

!”

Now that I recalled, she did say once that her favorite among the Great Five Heroes was Iron Fist Ryu Jin-Sung.

Iris said, “It’s been out for a while now, but... I really wanted to watch it with you.”

“Fine by me,” I replied.

“The theater’s not too far.”

“Where is it?”

“Just a short walk into downtown. It’s right there.”

A movie theater, huh?

I thought.

“This is actually my first time going to one,” I told her.

“

Huh

? How? You’re from the Republic, yet you’ve never been to a theater before?” she asked.

“I just never had the chance.”

To be more accurate, it wasn’t that I didn’t have the chance; it was that I couldn’t afford to go. During my days as a cadet, I lived on a pitiful government stipend, and after graduating, I was constantly deployed to the war-torn southern front as a mercenary. Culture and leisure were luxuries I couldn’t even imagine.

“Have you been before?” I asked her.

“I took the kids from the orphanage a few times.”

“Oh? Then I’m counting on you to guide me.”

Iris thumped her chest confidently and took the lead. “Of course! Just trust me!”

Eventually, we arrived at the theater. The film’s title, as she mentioned, was “Iron Fist: The Beginning of the Legend.” It sounded a bit lazy, if I was completely honest. The poster plastered on the theater wall showed a bald, bearded, muscle-bound man roaring with both fists clenched. For the record, there was no historical record suggesting Ryu Jin-Sung was bald.

I let out a dry chuckle at the odd poster in the corner, wondering why they would make a perfectly normal guy bald, when Iris tugged me.

She said, “This way, Dale.”

“Huh? Isn’t that the opposite direction of the entrance?”

“It is. But first, we grab some snacks.”

“

Ooh

, you can eat during the movie?”

“Of course! It’s a crime to go to the movies without popcorn,” she replied.

Iris expertly navigated to the concession counter and, without a moment’s hesitation, ordered a couple’s set. She had definitely seen the word “couple,” yet didn’t even flinch. Smiling ear to ear, she marched inside with the snacks.

As we ate the popcorn, she asked, “How is it? Tasty, right?”

“Yeah, but we’ve eaten more than half already, and the movie hasn’t even started.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be! Popcorn is meant to be eaten before the movie starts.”

She plucked a piece of popcorn and held it up to me. “Here. Say

aaaah

.”

“I can eat it myself.”

“

Ahhh

, please.”

“Yes, ma’am!” I replied.

Like a baby bird being fed by its mother, I opened my mouth and let her feed me. As I chewed, the lights dimmed and the movie began. The film itself was a light action flick, nothing you would call a masterpiece.

It told the tale of Ryu Jin-Sung, a stranger from another world, who endured grueling training to earn the title of “Iron Fist.” Aside from the bizarre creative decision to make him go bald after three years of training—he had hair when he started—the movie more or less followed the version of events I learned from textbooks.

Other than some decent action scenes, there wasn’t much to praise. Still, Iris seemed completely absorbed in the movie, her eyes sparkling and fists clenched in excitement.

Watching a scene, she said, “Come on! Get up!”

Heh. She’s really getting into it, huh?

I thought.

At another scene, she said, “Yeah! That’s right! Smash those bastards’ skulls in!”

She was probably a bit too into it, but it wasn’t like the theater was packed. As she had mentioned, the film had been out for a while, so there were hardly any other people around. That was kind of nice, actually. Due to it, we found it easier to relax.

While Iris muttered things like “Break his spine in half!” or “Tear off all his limbs!” next to me, I watched her with a fond smile. Honestly, she was more entertaining than the movie.

Afterward, we grabbed a light meal in a nearby cafe, chatted over coffee, and took a walk in a nearby park bathed in the warm glow of spring sunshine.

Stretching my arms wide, I leaned back on a bench and let the sunlight wash over me. Ever since I had returned from the future, my days had been a whirlwind. I hadn’t even considered slowing down, let alone taking a real break.

I can’t remember the last time I relaxed like this

,

I thought.

Sitting beside me, Iris looked at me and said, “Dale.”

“Hmm?”

She patted her thigh. “Lie down here.”

“Y-you want me to lie there?”

“Yup. No one’s watching anyway.”

“But still...”

Before I could finish protesting, she gently pulled me down to rest my head on her lap. “

Tsk!

Hurry up and lie down.”

The softness beneath my head was heavenly. She gently stroked my forehead, looked up at the sky, and said, “Isn’t the weather just perfect today?”

“The weather?”

“Yeah. A gentle breeze, not a cloud in the sky.”

I followed her gaze. Above us was the vast, unblemished blue sky. Actually, with how close I was to her, I couldn’t even see her face properly because her body blocked the view. The overwhelming sensation from her lap lingered in my mind.

I couldn’t help but mutter, “Wow, it’s huge! I mean, uh. It’s nice. Really nice.”

“What’s huge, exactly?” She narrowed her eyes, demanding an answer.

“I-I mean... Well, you see...”

While I fumbled, sweat forming on my brow, she reached out and gently pinched my cheek. “Pervert.”

Then, with a mischievous grin, she took my hand and pulled it toward her chest. “If you’re that curious... Want to touch it?”

I was shocked. “Excuse me?”

Dear Saintess, please don’t say things like that. Because if you do, I just might say hell yes.