Jetri hesitated, then gritted his teeth.

"Vya, I’m twenty-five this year."

"Hmm."

"I’ve never been in a relationship."

"Neither have I…"

"How is that the same?! No one wants me! No one wants you!"

"Not exactly…" A flicker of something unreadable crossed Vya’s face.

"Who’d even look twice at me when you’re around?" Jetri rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath.

"Uh…" Vya’s expression grew even more complicated.

"See?! See?! Even you’ve got nothing to say!" Jetri stamped his foot.

Truth was, he knew his single status wasn’t entirely Vya’s fault—well, not *entirely* entirely. Just… moderately.

Definitely not the deciding factor.

He was just venting, using Vya as an excuse to dump his dating frustrations.

He’d tried pursuing both women in their squad. Even made moves.

Result? He could’ve starred opposite the Dark Knight in Gotham.

Sticking around until after the Demon King’s defeat took superhuman shamelessness.

Only Jetri knew the special hell of sharing space with someone who’d rejected you.

Especially when Victoria kept avoiding his gaze. Especially when Lilith looked at him like he was trash.

Since the Demon King was gone, retirement sounded perfect.

Let those toe-curling memories of solving Delan Kingdom’s housing crisis fade away.

"Actually…" Vya shifted awkwardly. "I think someone *does* like you, Richard?"

"You mean that Succubus?" Jetri stared, incredulous. "She’s a *Succubus*, Valiant Hero! Sure, she’s got looks, but I’ve never even dated! Why would I pick someone who’s obviously been around the block?"

"True…" Vya’s expression turned utterly bizarre.

Jetri sighed. "Look, haven’t you seen those popular novels lately? The ones where heroes quit their squads and suddenly get swarmed with love interests?"

Weird how he kept stumbling on tropes from his past life here. Then again, photos existed in this world too.

Their tech tree was just… weird.

"Are there?" Vya blinked, puzzled.

"Plenty. Read some sometime. Point is…" Jetri walked beside him, voice firm. "I’m done. Unless the Demon King resurrects for a rematch, let me go."

They fell silent, stopping before a house. Stepping inside one after the other.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Each retreated to their own room.

Jetri owned this place. Being a transmigrator had its perks—even small-time hustles added up.

Why Vya lived here? That was a long story.

Simplified: They met at Brave Academy. By year two, cash-strapped Vya moved in.

Thankfully, Jetri’s nightmare of Vya bringing girls home never happened. But the parade of women visiting him? Pure acid in Jetri’s stomach.

Back in his room, Jetri shrugged off his clothes and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Already dreaming of countryside life.

A huge manor. Twenty young, pretty maids swarming him—"Master this, Master that." Ahh… just thinking about it was bliss…

With this utterly unambitious fantasy, Jetri drifted off.

---

In her room, Vya peeled off her outer layers. Unwound the tight cloth binding her chest, loop by loop.

She let out a long, shaky breath as the fabric fell away. Angry red and purple welts marked her skin.

It’d been manageable after graduation. Now? It was getting worse.

Vya—*Vya*—massaged the aching swell beneath her palms. Her other hand tugged free the ribbon holding her hair.

A cascade of bright gold spilled over her shoulders.

"What do I do…" She covered her chest with one hand, collapsing onto the bed. Her eyes, wide and lost, fixed on the ceiling.

"Richard wants to leave… but…" she whispered.

Her usually sharp features softened into uncertainty.

It wasn’t that she *wanted* to hide it from Jetri. But…

Vya remembered the time she’d almost told him—

"Chad," she’d asked on a sun-drenched afternoon under a café awning, "what type of person could you *never* accept in a relationship?"

Jetri wore his usual lazy outfit—plain tee, shorts. Vya, layered in androgynous elegance, looked effortlessly striking.

*Beautiful?*

The thought jolted Jetri. *Wrong! Neutral! Just… neutral!*

He quickly looked away.

Sunlight pooled around the umbrella’s edge, warm even in the shade. Like Vya’s smile—always hard for Jetri to describe. More ethereal than an Elf’s.

Vya’s loose top hinted at curves Jetri stubbornly ignored.

"Honestly?" Jetri stirred his coffee, gaze drifting down the street. "Someone who lies to me. That’d be hard to forgive."

Vya’s smile froze. Her hand flew to her chest. "I-I see…"

A chill cut through the warm air.

"Other than that? Anything’s fine," Jetri added casually.

*…Unless she’s gorgeous. Then I’d let her lie all she wants.*

His silent afterthought never reached Vya. Panic-stricken, she fled—muttering excuses, practically running.

Her retreating back looked lost. Like a stray dog with no home.

After that day, she stopped calling him "Chad." Switched to stiff formalities.

Yet her feelings for Richard Jetri made her subtly claim him in front of the Radiant Star Squad.

Of the four, only Jetri remained oblivious to his roommate’s secret.

Victoria and Lilith saw right through Vya.

Vya knew this life couldn’t last. Hero Squads were high-risk. She’d planned to confess on her deathbed someday.

Who knew the Demon King would fall so soon?

Every day since, she’d lived in dread—and hope.

Today, both shattered.

She didn’t remember falling asleep.

Waking up felt like hell.