CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER 118: FEAR

This line of reasoning proved one thing: Shinobu was utterly serious.

And it seemed she had already accepted the fact that wild boars had stolen her family’s flowers!

She now gazed at the two people before her, awaiting their answer.

How were they supposed to respond?

Both Sosuke and Kanae found the question too sudden.

And why were they being pressured to marry everywhere they went lately?

Jigoro had started it all. During their stay at his place, they were constantly urged to marry.

Now that they were back home, they found themselves in the midst of another marriage campaign.

The two exchanged glances. Shinobu’s words and expression conveyed the full extent of her seriousness.

Kanae’s face flushed crimson, while Sosuke scratched his head, chuckled awkwardly, and remained at a loss for words.

"You... say something!"

Shinobu glanced between the two of them. "You’re both getting on in years. Haven’t you ever considered this? Or did neither of you ever think about getting married?"

"Of course we have!" Sosuke immediately retorted, but after a quick glance at Kanae, he chuckled awkwardly. "How could we not have thought about it..."

Kanae’s face flushed crimson. She gritted her teeth, grabbed Shinobu’s hand, and pulled her away. In moments, the sisters had vanished from Sosuke’s sight.

"Huh?"

Sosuke stood alone, scratching his head in confusion. "Why did they both leave?"

He spun around twice, momentarily at a loss for what to do. Finally, he grinned foolishly and wandered back to his own courtyard.

Staring at the empty courtyard, Sosuke sat on the veranda, gazing blankly at the sky.

’Marriage, huh?’

’I never imagined that after transmigrating here, I’d be facing marriage in less than a year.’

’Thinking about it carefully, isn’t this too fast?’

’Kanae probably wouldn’t agree, right? After all, such a decision isn’t simple; it’s about spending the rest of our lives together.’

Sosuke asked himself, and he knew he wanted this—even yearned for it.

But hearing Shinobu bring it up felt strange.

It made it sound like marriage wasn’t a mutual desire between him and Kanae, but rather something Shinobu was forcing upon them.

’That’s awkward.’

’But if we’re getting married, shouldn’t I buy a house first? And a car? How much should the dowry be? We’ll need a marriage certificate, right? Have I saved enough for the down payment on a house?’

"Ah, I don’t think I have enough money."

Sosuke suddenly felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

But he quickly breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait, we don’t need to buy a house right now. We can just build one on the mountain later, like we planned. But... the Demons haven’t been eradicated yet. How can Kanae and I just run off to live in seclusion on the mountain?"

His mind felt like a chaotic whirlwind. Shinobu’s sudden outburst had completely derailed the steady train of his thoughts, sending it careening off course in an unknown direction.

Suddenly, his wrist began to itch. Looking down, he realized he had unconsciously brought Big Hammer back with him, and the hamster was now gnawing vigorously on his arm.

Sosuke lifted the hamster up. "Are you hungry?"

Big Hammer looked at him, then licked his cheek.

Sosuke couldn’t help but smile. For some reason, he felt inexplicably cheerful today, finding everything around him endearing.

He cradled Big Hammer in his arms, gently patting its head as he drifted back into a sea of random thoughts.

Even by lunchtime, his mind remained unsettled.

Across from him, Kanae seemed to be experiencing a similar state of mind. The two, who usually shared such easy camaraderie, now avoided even the slightest eye contact.

Shinobu was left speechless by the scene unfolding before her.

"Why does the atmosphere feel so strange?" she wondered, her suspicious gaze shifting between Sosuke and her sister, utterly perplexed.

This awkward tension persisted throughout the day and into the night.

Under a sky full of stars, Sosuke tossed and turned on the tatami mat, unable to sleep. He thought of Kanae, wondering what she was thinking at that moment, and then inevitably his thoughts drifted to Shinobu. He suddenly realized how abruptly the girl had brought up the topic, giving him no time to prepare.

’Couldn’t she have waited until I was ready?’ he thought. ’At least given me some warning?’

This agonizing uncertainty was unbearable.

"I can’t take it anymore! I can’t sleep at all!"

The more he thought, the more chaotic his mind became. Finally, he threw off the covers, sat up, opened the door, and stepped into the courtyard.

The frigid air rushed into his lungs, instantly filling his entire body with a chilling sensation.

Sosuke glanced up at the roof, then leaped effortlessly onto it.

"I’ve truly grown," he thought, looking down from the rooftop. "There’s no way I could have done this in the beginning."

The roof was icy, a layer of frost clinging to its surface from the bitter cold.

After a moment’s consideration, Sosuke decided against sitting. Instead, he crouched on the roof, gazing up at the starry sky.

He recalled the first time he had watched the stars with Kanae.

’Was I even more nervous back then?’

No... it wasn’t nervousness he felt now. It was a complex emotion beyond words—a mix of anticipation, tension, fear, embarrassment, and longing.

And likely many other emotions intertwined within.

’Wait... why am I afraid?’

Sosuke suddenly froze. ’What am I afraid of?’

He looked down at his hands. Hardened by forging and training, his large, calloused palms radiated strength, yet... they felt utterly inadequate.

’What am I afraid of...?’

He tilted his head back to gaze at the sky, a sudden emptiness creeping into his heart. Just as he was feeling lost, he heard the rustle of roof tiles. He turned to see Kanae standing there beneath the starry night, like a celestial maiden descended from the heavens.

She stood there, also looking at Sosuke, her eyes mirroring the same complex emotions swirling within him.

In that instant, Sosuke finally understood the source of his fear.

He was afraid that all of this was just a beautiful dream.

He was afraid that his hands, as they were now, couldn’t fully transform this dream into reality.

He was afraid that he couldn’t protect this breathtakingly beautiful girl before him.

He had indeed grown stronger, albeit through luck, having single-handedly slain a Lower Moon Demon.

But this growth was far from sufficient!

Becoming a Pillar was the goal Shinobu had set for him, but was that truly the end?

No, perhaps it was merely the beginning!

Sosuke’s gaze suddenly hardened. He stood up, walked to Kanae, and pulled her into his arms. "I will marry you, and only you! But before that, I must become stronger—so strong that no one, nothing, can ever shatter our happiness!"

The complex emotions in the girl’s eyes vanished instantly, her turbulent heart returning to order, transforming into relief and determination.

She nodded gently. "Mm."