"Being asked so sincerely by the Sword Princess of Orario… most men wouldn't be able to say no."
Hajime smiled.
Anyone in his shoes would struggle to turn her down.
Hearing this, Ais's eyes lit up.
Lefiya, still blushing, also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was going to accept.
But then—
"Your offer is sincere. And what you're willing to trade is certainly not lacking…"
"But—I refuse."
Hajime abruptly rejected her request.
"I, Sakamoto Hajime, take particular joy in saying 'no' to people who think I have to say yes."
"...Eh?"
Lefiya froze.
Someone actually refused Ais-sama!?
Even after she offered such generous terms!?
"..."
Ais's gaze dimmed. Her energy plummeted.
"Is it because the price wasn't high enough?"
She asked, still not giving up.
"No," Hajime replied, shaking his head.
"It's not that at all."
"I just don't want to trade. And besides, even if I told you how I got stronger… you wouldn't be able to use it."
How did Hajime go from being an ordinary person to becoming this powerful?
The answer, of course, is: by relying on himself.
But that "self" came from different versions of him across various worlds.
Thanks to this cheat ability, he was able to attain his current strength.
That's why, even if he told Ais his method of getting stronger, it would be useless to her.
After all, Ais had no way of finding countless versions of herself across different dimensions.
What Hajime said wasn't wrong.
But to others, it sounded like he was just making excuses.
"Even if I can't use it, that's fine," Ais said stubbornly. "If you tell me how to get stronger, I'll find my own way to make it work!"
Clearly, she didn't believe there was any method she couldn't adapt.
Even if it required a special bloodline, and she couldn't use it directly, she could still learn from the concept and improve bit by bit.
Step by step, until the small gains accumulated into a major transformation.
That's how Ais had always moved forward.
So this time, she wasn't willing to give up easily.
Hajime, on the other hand, didn't want to keep going in circles with her.
The core of his power came from the convergence of countless versions of himself across the multiverse. Without that foundation, there was no way to replicate his method.
Besides, he still had to head home and get his stats updated by Hestia.
So he waved his hand, showing no interest in continuing the discussion.
"I already told you—you can't use it. No matter how much you insist, it won't help."
"Besides, it's been so long since we last met. Are you really so sure that I was just an ordinary guy back then?"
With that, Hajime packed up his stall and got ready to leave.
"But—!"
Seeing that he was about to leave, Ais couldn't help grabbing the hem of his clothes.
She had finally found a possible way to grow stronger. She didn't want to let it go.
At that moment, Lefiya stopped her.
"Ais-sama, you don't have to go this far! Anyone watching would think you're confessing to someone!"
"And honestly, I think this gentleman might be right. You two only met briefly a while ago. Maybe he wasn't ordinary back then. Maybe he just happened to level up recently, and the strength increase looks more dramatic than it really is."
Truth be told, Lefiya didn't think Hajime had shown any overwhelming surge in power.
Ais might've just underestimated his previous strength and overestimated the recent improvement, causing a misunderstanding.
"…Lefiya…"
Hearing Lefiya's words, Ais stared blankly at her.
"Did I really remember it wrong?"
She tilted her head, beginning to doubt her own memory.
Though Ais was strong, she didn't have perfect recall.
When she met Hajime a month ago, she'd been more interested in his fried rice than in his abilities. She hadn't paid much attention to his strength.
So, after hearing what both Hajime and Lefiya said, she started to think—
maybe she really had misremembered things.
Maybe Hajime already had decent strength a month ago, and just recently leveled up, making his growth seem more significant than it was.
It wasn't impossible.
As Ais returned from her thoughts, she opened her mouth to say something—
only to find that Hajime was already gone.
The fabric in her fingers had disappeared.
Seeing Ais come back to her senses, Lefiya quickly said:
"Ais-sama, a lot of people are watching us. Let's head back."
Being shy and introverted, Lefiya wasn't used to being stared at like this.
More than that, she felt the crowd's gazes were… unusual.
"…Alright."
Ais thought for a moment and nodded.
Since Hajime had already left, there was no point staying.
She didn't know where he lived. Even if she wasn't ready to give up, she'd have to wait until tomorrow.
The two girls turned around and began walking back toward the Loki Familia's base.
What neither of them noticed was—this was a busy commercial district.
Many people had seen Ais bowing and asking Hajime for guidance.
That Ais—the Sword Princess loved by the gods, praised for her divine-level beauty—had actually bowed and pleaded with a man.
And even after being clearly rejected, she'd still held onto his clothes.
Only to be coldly left behind.
The sheer drama of the scene sent rumors exploding throughout the district.
—"Sword Princess Ais was rejected by a mysterious man!"
—"Ais was dumped and left in tears!"
—"Shocking! Ais begged a mysterious man who coldly turned her down—twice! Is this a tragedy of twisted human nature or moral collapse?"
The rumors grew more and more exaggerated.
Until they were completely out of control.