Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 74 - Love at First Sight 2

When I opened my eyes, something felt unbelievable.

I actually survived.

The inn ceiling — the one I'd stared at so many times I'd grown sick of it — looked warm now. Almost comforting.

"Ugh..."

Something was pressing down on my right hand.

I pulled it free and tried to push myself up from the bed.

Then a voice reached me. Gentle. Male.

"Teacher, you're awake?"

He said it and moved without hesitation, steadying me, helping me sit upright.

I looked at the face in front of me. Gentle features. The kind of face that matched my taste a little too well. And that word — Teacher, unlocked something, and the memories came flooding back all at once. My mouth fell open on its own.

Teacher. Among every student I'd taught, only one could have grown into someone who looked like this.

"Rudy...?"

"It's me. You've worked hard, Teacher."

He said it quietly, and then he hugged me. Just like that.

My heart lurched into a sprint. I could feel the heat rising to my face.

On instinct, I pushed him away.

"I... I smell awful. Monster blood and... sweat."

Rudy just smiled. Like being pushed away didn't bother him at all.

He really had grown up. The student whose talent had once made me feel something uncomfortably close to jealousy, that same student had saved my life, more than ten years later.

Is this something out of a storybook? A Demon Race and a human, falling for each other across the age gap?!

Wait, what does Rudy even think of me now? Aaaah, no, stop. What I should be thinking about is how to save Zenith. I can't afford to be lost in this right now.

While I was still tangled up in my own head, a girl with green hair came through the door, carrying food.

She and Rudy were laughing about something. I couldn't absorb a word of it.

Green hair.

Right. She was Rudy's childhood friend. Sylphiette. I'd partied with her once, back in the day. She'd changed so much.

She used to have this closed-off quality, like the world wasn't welcome. Now there was nothing but warmth. A warmth that existed entirely for Rudy.

The way the two of them talked was effortless. Natural in that easy, intimate way that only came from years of being exactly that close. Rudy was handsome. Sylphiette was beautiful. They looked right together.

Even with the green hair, he must really like her.

Sylphiette left the room, and I stared at nothing for a while after she was gone.

"Teacher?"

"Ah... Rudy. I think I can get up now. I want to take a bath first."

"Wouldn't you rather eat something first?"

"Mm... bath first. I can't eat anything with this smell on me."

"Alright. Let me help you."

He got me to my feet, gathered a change of clothes for me, and walked me all the way to the bathroom.

Then he stopped at the door.

I went inside. He was still there when I looked back.

"Rudy? Why are you standing there?"

"If you need anything, just call for me."

I opened my mouth. Closed it again.

Normally this would have made my face burn from embarrassment. But Rudy's expression held nothing like that. He wasn't looking at me the way a man looked at a woman. He was just... attentive. Careful.

Well. With a figure as unremarkable as mine, it would be stranger if he did have other thoughts.

Sylphiette wasn't exactly curvy either, but she looked mature. Grown. Not like me. I still looked like a child.

I stepped into the bathroom with that cheerful thought for company.

Under the water, my mind wouldn't leave Rudy alone.

Aaah. Honestly irritating.

I finished washing, changed into clean clothes, and stepped back out.

"Teacher, some food now?"

"Mm."

Rudy walked me back to the room. He even offered to feed me.

I said no. That was a level of embarrassment I wasn't prepared to survive.

I sat on the bed and ate while Rudy talked, his experiences over the past years, delivered lightly, like he was being careful not to worry me.

"You've worked hard, Rudy."

I reached out and ruffled his hair.

He didn't pull away. He just smiled, the same way he used to.

Even if he makes my heart do that... in Rudy's mind, I'm still just his teacher. The one he respects. That's all.

Knock knock.

Rudy got up and opened the door.

It was Mr. Paul.

Paul poked his head in to say hello, then pulled Rudy into some discussion I couldn't quite catch. Probably something about the labyrinth exploration.

A few minutes later, Rudy came back and settled in beside me.

"Teacher, we're planning to resume the dive in about a week. You should focus on resting. With Sylphiette and me in the party now, they're not short on mages."

I stared at him.

Was I just... optimized out of the roster?

No. I knew that wasn't it. They were worried about me. I understood that.

But there was still a small, stubborn irritation sitting in my chest. This didn't feel right.

"Rudy. I can continue exploring."

"Teacher... Father said that people who've had life-threatening experiences in the labyrinth sometimes develop a fear of it. You don't need to push yourself."

I reached out and pressed one finger to the tip of his nose.

"Rudy. I said I can continue."

He laughed, the helpless kind.

"How can a student not listen to his teacher? I'll talk to Father. In the meantime, finish your meal."

"That's better."

So I won. Technically.

Though now that I thought about it, pressing my finger to his nose like that, was that maybe a little too familiar? A little too... frivolous?

I could feel my dignified teacher image crumbling in real time.

After the meal, Rudy collected the dishes. Then he came back and sat down beside the bed again.

All of this attention made me feel faintly guilty. Honestly, I was mostly recovered already. It had only been mana exhaustion and poor nutrition, nothing serious. No real injuries.

But.

This feeling was nice.

...There's no rule that says a teacher can't fall for her student. Is there?

If I'd already confirmed this was love at first sight, then I needed to be proactive. Even if the odds of Rudy feeling the same way were slim.

Ah, but first things first.

"Rudy, are you married?"

"Hm? Not yet."

Yes.

"I see~ In that case, would you come to the market with me the day after tomorrow? I need to restock on potions and a few other things."

"Of course."

Under the blanket, I quietly made a fist. I kept my face very still.

Alright. That had to count as a pretty significant first step.

➤ Next: Love at First Sight 3