A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol. 1 Page 18

  “Um, that about sums it up.”

  “Ha… I swear, you are the most troublesome big brother ever.”

  “Considering how everything is troublesome to you, that doesn’t really mean much.”

  “Whatever. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

  “Not really,” Alex said, though Gabrielle seemed to have other ideas.

  “Alex and I are also getting married! Isn’t that great?”

  Alice raised an eyebrow as she stared at Gabrielle. When it became blatantly clear that the alien princess was being serious, she turned an incredulous gaze to Alex.

  “Is that so? Marriage, huh? Should I congratulate you two on your nuptials?”

  “W-we’re not really getting married,” Alex tried to say. “I’m just protecting Gabrielle from her suitors so she can marry who she wants.”

  “What are you talking about? Of course we’re getting married.” Gabrielle rubbed her cheek against his, sending tingles down his spine that he attempted to ignore. “I’ve decided that I’m going to marry Alex!”

  “You don’t even understand what being married implies!”

  “Yes, I do. It means Alex and I get to stay together forever!”

  “There’s a lot more to it than that!”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, um, w-well, like, you know… stuff.”

  “No, I don’t know. What kind of stuff are you talking about?”

  Within his mind, Alex conjured images of something else that came with marriage, something that every male thought about more often than not: Making babies—or rather, the act of procreating. In other words, sex.

  “Hey, Bro, why is your face all red? Are you thinking pervy thoughts about your new bride?”

  “I’m not thinking about that at all!” Alex denied in a squeaky voice. “Don’t even joke around like that!”

  “Pervy thoughts?” Gabrielle parroted, looking confused.

  Alex panicked. “Don’t listen to my sister. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

  Gabrielle looked back and forth between the two, her head swiveling from one to the other, showing her confusion to Alex loud and clear. She fortunately decided not to pursue this line of questioning, which was good because he didn’t have the foggiest idea how to explain these things to her. He didn’t want to extrapolate on what acts of passion and eroticism was to a girl who clearly didn’t know what those things were.

  “Well, okay.”

  “Heh-heh,” Alice chuckled. “I have to admit, even though it’s really troublesome, I think you two make a good couple.”

  While Alex tried to hide in his shirt, Gabrielle’s eyes sparkled ecstatically. “Do you really think so?”

  “Oh, yeah. You two go well together. You’re both troublesome, so of course you’d make a good couple.”

  “You say troublesome too much,” Alex muttered darkly.

  Gabrielle hugged Alex tighter, making him groan in discomfort as his wounds from the battle with Azazel still hadn’t healed. It didn’t help that this particular alien princess could give Heracles a run for his money in the strength department.

  “Yay! Did you hear that, Alex? Your sister said we make a cute couple!”

  Alex’s smile felt awfully strained. “Yeah, I heard.”

  “I’m so happy!”

  As the night wore on, the trio eventually branched off and retired to their rooms. The sun had set. Darkness had descended. Mars City did not have a moon, so there was no celestial body for sunlight to reflect off.

  As he lay on his bed, reflecting on the circumstances surrounding his life, Alex couldn’t help but feel like his troubles had only just begun. Call it a hunch, but somehow, he knew that his situation would only get more problematic from here on out.

  And yet, for some reason, I can’t find it in myself to regret what’s happened.

  Yes, he didn’t regret agreeing to protect Gabrielle, or agreeing to become her groom—even if they were only pretending to be engaged so she wouldn’t have to marry against her will. Even if he had only known the alien princess for a short time, he understood her. He understood her thoughts and feelings so well it scared him. What’s more…

  We’ve bonded. In the almost three days that I’ve known her, she’s become closer to me than anyone else—sans my sister.

  That night, as Alex fell asleep with a smile on his face, a few last-minute thoughts penetrated the hazy fog that clouded his mind.

  Dad, are you watching me right now? Are you proud of me? Have I stepped onto the path of becoming a hero like you?

  Even if he hadn’t, Alex knew he would never regret agreeing to protect Gabrielle. And that was because…

  … I want to protect her innocent smile.

  Afterword

  If you've managed to get through all the way to the end of his story and are now reading the afterword, then congratulations! You are one of the chosen few who've read my book!—well, I hope a lot of people have read this, but even if only a couple do, I'd still be happy.

  This is one of the many light novel-esque book series that I've begun writing. I suppose it's not unusual. While I love a good fantasy or sci-fi novel, there's no denying my love for anime, manga, and Japanese light novels. I've been a fan for years. Recently, I've begun consuming more light novels than I have regular western novels. I guess it's only natural that my writing would reflect this.

  Before I go off on a tangent, I would like to take this moment to thank my illustrator. XuanHanNin is someone who I met on Deviantart, and she's done an outstanding job of making my illustrations. I feel a little guilty because I couldn't give her much direction during the process. All I could do was find references and say “something like this, but different!” I don't think it helped much. Despite that, she's done an amazing job making my cover and manga illustrations. I truly hope she'll be willing to work on me for the other books in this series.

  I would also like to thank Dominique. This is my proofreader/editor. They were the ones who turned my sludge pile of garbage into a legible piece of literature. Without her, this story would have never gotten off the ground.

  It's been five years since I wrote and published A Fox's Love, my first novel. I feel like I've improved a lot since then. Not only does it feel like my writing has expanded and become, well, better, but I also think I've gained some more confidence as an author. This is thanks to all of the wonderful people who've bought my books, read them, and told me they're amazing. Without all of you, I'd never have amounted to anything, much less an author. Than you!

  I know it's selfish, but as a closing statement, I would like to ask if the people who read my book would be willing to leave a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, or whatever website they bought this book at. It's certainly not a requirement, nor a demand, but it would help me a lot if you could do this.

  Thank you.

  I hope you'll all give the second volume of A Most Unlikely Hero a try when it comes out!

  P.S. Someone once mistook the title of this series for A Moist Unlikely Hero, which I found hilarious.