Chapter 509

Rudeus has a bad habit of relying on the strong; of course, this isn't to say he fawns on the powerful, but rather that the reliable big brother image Broly projects is simply too excellent, causing every loop's Rudeus to form a considerable degree of dependent psychology.

Then, this leads to the other party clearly not having the previous loops' memories, yet always doing similar things right before the loop's reversion time point is about to arrive.

That is, he will come over with a very low posture to request that Broly, in the next loop, must come find him again.

The fiftieth loop's Rudeus is no exception either; just as he was carrying the pizza flatbread his mother made, arriving at the front door of Broly's house, he noticed a hometown girl sitting on a swing chair woven by Broly-san's own hands, under a tree in the courtyard that was reportedly planted by Dragon God Orsted thirty years ago.

"Miss Nanase, classmate Nanase, big sister Nanase..."

By the time Nanahoshi Shizuka came back to her senses, Rudeus had nearly shaken the bamboo basket in his hand right into the girl's face.

"Ah, it's Rudy."

Nanahoshi Shizuka leaned back, nearly falling off the swing; fortunately, Broly had made this swing chair large enough back then.

"What are you spacing out by yourself for?"

Rudeus asked somewhat strangely.

"Nothing."

Nanahoshi Shizuka hurriedly shook her head in denial.

"Cut the lies; your current appearance is practically telling everyone that you have something on your mind."

Rudeus put the bamboo basket to the side and sat down on the grass.

"Go on, tell me; although I may not necessarily be able to help you solve your worries, maybe I can use some not-very-useful words to comfort you slightly."

Nanahoshi Shizuka: "..."

"What, we've known each other for nearly two years, and you still can't trust this hometown acquaintance of mine? If that's the case, it really hurts my heart a bit."

Rudeus spoke these words in an aria tone, and used rich physical movements to express the appearance of being wounded inside.

A bit goofy, but it also let Nanahoshi Shizuka's heavy mood relax slightly.

Honestly, Nanahoshi Shizuka's initial impression of this hometown acquaintance from the same world wasn't good.

Of course, this doesn't refer to the issue of Rudeus's previous life image being poor.

Rather, Rudeus once revealed a lecherous expression looking at her, and it just so happened to be discovered by Nanahoshi Shizuka, so that's why the impression was bad.

However, after getting along for nearly two years, Nanahoshi Shizuka discovered that, excluding the two flaws of lustfulness and lewdness, Rudeus is actually a not bad person.

He would comfort her when she was disappointed, and actively provide help within his ability when she encountered difficulties.

This kind of goodwill has more or less already broken free from mere hometown fellowship, but it isn't some kind of liking either; it's more like Rudeus, this person, has a similar people-pleasing personality.

Although what he expresses may not necessarily be the other party's true heart, as an object of confession and a friend, he is absolutely qualified.

So, Nanahoshi Shizuka merely hesitated a moment, then decided to speak of her troubles.

"Rudy, do you know that this world's time will revert to the past, and we cannot retain our current memories?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka put on a serious face and asked.

"Eh, just that?"

Seeing her serious appearance, Rudeus thought the other party was going to say something very serious, but the result is the time reversion matter?

"What 'just that', isn't this still serious? Our lives can actually be redone~"

Nanahoshi Shizuka was somewhat dissatisfied.

"Sorry, sorry, it's just that this matter, I actually already knew long ago."

"Eh, you knew?"

"Of course, did you think Broly-san has reincarnated for how many loops, and I became his little brother how many loops ago?"

"How come you still have a look like it's an honor?"

"Cough cough, this isn't important; in short, not long after I reincarnated into this world, I knew about this matter."

Nanahoshi Shizuka opened her mouth, somewhat unable to organize her words; after a while, she asked: "Then can you also retain your current memories after time reverts?"

"Can't, what about it?"

"Ah, can't, then aren't you afraid?"

"What am I afraid of?"

"The matter of the current you about to disappear."

"No, it's not disappearance, but a redo."

"Isn't this the same? Both have no current memories?"

"Not the same; disappearance is the person being gone, while a redo is doing it one more time.

See, I've already made preparations for the matter of the loop about to restart."

Rudeus picked up the bamboo basket beside him, and spoke of his plan to use his mother's delicious flatbread to bribe Broly-san, requesting the other party to continue coming to know him in the next loop.

"Is it useful?"

"Tested useful; after all, this loop he came to find me when I was still in the infant period, and according to Broly-san, every time I would come to entrust him with this matter."

Speaking to here, Rudeus thought of something, and said to Nanahoshi Shizuka: "Right, according to Broly-san, the reason he took you in was still because of me from several loops ago, who actively requested it of him."

"Uh, thanks."

Nanahoshi Shizuka blanked for a moment, recalling that Broly really had said similar words, and thanked the boy sitting on the grass before her.

"Huh, only that kind of thanks?"

Rudeus asked somewhat unsatisfied.

"Then what kind of thanks do you still want?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka also felt verbal thanks seemed a bit not enough.

"Haha, then, please, Miss Nanase, give me one strip of your worn, unwashed, original-flavor PC."

Rudeus clapped his hands, truly making an inch-given-mile-taken request.

"Slap~"

As expected, this guy's forehead got slapped by Nanahoshi Shizuka.

"You want to die!"

Nanahoshi Shizuka roared somewhat angrily, then rubbed her palms, only to find it hurt.

"Hiss, I was just joking, did you have to hit me that hard?"

Rudeus held his forehead, tears coming out.

"Is that how you joke?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka's aura weakened, truly worried she had overreacted.

"Uh, sorry, I joked too much, I apologize, okay?"

Rudeus's voice also weakened, because it wasn't entirely a joke, carrying a bit of his sincere expectation.

"ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh, I really envy your carefree type, this guy who doesn't worry about time reversal at all, such a relaxed mindset."

Nanahoshi Shizuka rested her chin on her hand, unable to help sighing.

"I think you're bringing trouble on yourself, can't you rely more on Broly-san? As long as he's willing to look after us, even if we no longer have our current memories, in the next loop our days definitely won't be worse than this loop."

Rudeus's heart was quite broad.

"But, I'm really worried, worried that this loop's desire to go home, researching anti-summoning magic by any means, might not be thought of by next loop's me, and even less likely to be realized!"

Nanahoshi Shizuka was still very worried.

"That's simple, you just directly ask Broly-san, request him to help guide next loop's you to produce the desire to go home, and continue researching anti-summoning magic, isn't that fine?"

Rudeus said as a matter of course.

"Or rather, do you not trust Broly-san?"

"That's not it."

Nanahoshi Shizuka shook her head, having lived under the same roof for nearly two years, she could still tell what kind of person the Saiyan boy was.

It's just, this is like someone telling her there is an afterlife after death, and the afterlife will be better—not having died, one cannot prove the afterlife will be better, and having died, one cannot prove the afterlife definitely exists.

And this kind of thing isn't solved by trusting Broly or not; even if Nanahoshi Shizuka is willing to trust Broly, she just can't control the anxiety in her heart, and this also counts as something that varies from person to person.

"I do have a method."

Rudeus said.

"What method?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka's eyes brightened, and she hurriedly asked.

"Crystal Palace."

"Huh?"

"Teacher Roxy and the others can also retain loop memories, and that's all because they joined Broly-san's Crystal Palace. If you want to retain loop memories, you just need to join Broly-san's Crystal Palace too, isn't that fine?"

"But isn't that becoming the other person's wife?"

"What's the problem with that? Broly-san is powerful and reliable, becoming his wife isn't bad at all, right? If I were a girl in this life, I might even want to become his wife."

Rudeus said as a matter of course, but only then did he realize Nanahoshi Shizuka is a transmigrator from the modern world; polygamy isn't something modern women easily accept, and before reincarnating into this world, he had also seen that she had someone similar to a boyfriend by her side.

"Is it because you can't accept polygamy, or because you already have a boyfriend you like in the modern world?"

Pausing, Rudeus then asked Nanahoshi Shizuka, who was staring speechless because of what he just said.

"Ah, I don't have a boyfriend!"

The girl subconsciously retorted.

"Huh, isn't that boy who argued with you at the traffic intersection in your previous life your boyfriend?"

Rudeus asked somewhat surprised.

"You mean Shinohara Akito? That's just a childhood friend I grew up with."

Nanahoshi Shizuka explained.

"The atmosphere between you two in your previous life really looked like a couple quarreling. Sorry, I misunderstood."

Rudeus said, then asked again: "So, do you have feelings for him?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka: "……"

【Ah, this embarrassed look is completely an admission, the feelings of a childhood friend grown up together, damn it, why didn't I have a childhood friend in my previous life, nor in this life?!】

Rudeus roared in his heart, while on his face he pursued the question: "Miss Nanase, please speak, tell me if there is or not!"

"You guy, why are you so gossipy about my affairs?!"

Nanahoshi Shizuka got somewhat angry from being pursued, and shouted loudly at Rudeus.

"I'm not helping you think of a way? I need to understand your private emotional state to give you advice."

Rudeus explained, but he was actually just gossiping about Nanahoshi Shizuka, this former active high school girl's private emotional state.

"Okay okay, then I'll tell you, there is a little bit, is that enough?"

Nanahoshi Shizuka shouted somewhat blushing, and Rudeus nodded satisfied.

"Then, Miss Nanase, is it because of this reason that you reject becoming Broly-san's wife?"

Rudeus asked.

"There is part of that reason."

Nanahoshi Shizuka did not retort.

"Then, Miss Nanahoshi Shizuka, I ask you again: is the affection for the childhood friend grown up with in the world before this transmigration more important, or the memories of this loop more important?"

Rudeus asked this, somewhat feeling like an emotional judge, which gave him a pretty good experience.

"Can't both be very important?"

"Can't give a vague answer; that's not convenient for my judgment."

"Then the memories of this loop are a bit more important."

Nanahoshi Shizuka thought for a long time before giving this answer.

After all, her fondness for her childhood friend was just a part of her life in the world before transmigration, but if she couldn't even return to her original world, what difference would it make whether that fondness existed or not?

In her life in her original world, besides the childhood friend she was fond of, there were other more important people, such as her parents, family, school friends, and so on; compared to those, her fondness for her childhood friend was probably just so-so.

After Rudeus forced her to make a decision, this was how Nanahoshi Shizuka thought, and this was how she answered.

Of course, retaining loop memories didn't necessarily mean she could return to her original world, but at least the probability of returning would be much higher, and it wouldn't make her feel too anxious now.

"So that's good, that means you're willing to become Broly-san's wife in order to preserve your loop memories, right!"

Rudeus pronounced judgment.

"Ah, I didn't say that."

Nanahoshi Shizuka hurriedly said.

"Then do you have any other problems? As a girl from the modern era, is it that you can't accept polygamy?"

Rudeus looked at her again.

Nanahoshi Shizuka thought carefully; if it were her from before transmigration, knowing that a man was actually dating multiple women at the same time, she would definitely give him the scumbag evaluation.

Let alone a man marrying multiple women and living together; such a marriage would definitely not be happy.

But after coming to this world and being taken in by Broly's family, the other party's family situation was not as unfortunate as she imagined; instead, the family members were all very harmonious, and everyone got along well.

So, whether one was happy or not had nothing to do with polygamy itself; it mainly depended on how the family members managed things. Broly's family managed things very well, to the point where it seemed that even if an outsider joined in, they should be able to integrate into this family and live together very harmoniously.

"That's not exactly it."

Nanahoshi Shizuka thought for a while, and after arriving at the answer that she herself actually could not accept something like polygamy—an answer that even surprised her—she shook her head at Rudeus.

"So, is there any other problem?"

"Seems there's no problem."

"Then it's settled. Your heart's matter is solved; go find Broly-san, tell him you want to retain this loop's memories, and beg him to let you join the Crystal Palace."

Nanahoshi Shizuka felt something was off, but she also felt Rudeus's logic had no flaws; she indeed was willing to make sacrifices to retain her own memories.

"Haha, you want to join my Crystal Palace and become my wife? No way!"

Until, Nanahoshi Shizuka endured her shame, came before the Saiyan boy, and made her request to join the Crystal Palace and become the other party's wife, but was somewhat disliked and refused by the Saiyan boy, only then did she realize where she felt something was off.

Joining the Crystal Palace wasn't just about her being willing to become the other party's wife and having that resolve; the other party also had to be willing to accept her as a wife.

"Ah, why, Broly-san, is it because Miss Nanase isn't pretty or good-looking, or is it that she's not the type of girl you like?"

Rudeus asked in confusion, and Nanahoshi Shizuka also looked over; although she didn't mean to boast about her own appearance, after all, she was a girl.

Broly showing her an attitude of not being interested, and even somewhat disliking her, really did make her care a bit.