Chapter 78 – 77 – Lies (5)

Faint memories I had forgotten begin to surface. I was tormented by futile hope, unable to face reality, and ended up running away. I struggled to find meaning in living here.

Diana. Irian. Carsilla.
I sought comfort by relying on them, merely averting my eyes from the shattered pieces of hope.

“Yurian?”
“Ah, I’m fine. I’m okay.”

As my head gradually clears, a chuckle escapes me. The realization that I was such a weak-willed person, and yet, the pathetic struggle to gather the shattered fragments of hope and piece them back together.

Am I allowed to hope again? Or will I once again… writhe in endless pain? Suddenly, I felt the warmth on both my cheeks and the clear gaze.

Now… I’m not alone. I’m not alone, so it’ll be okay. I… can hope, right?

“Thank you.”
“Thank you… What’s with the sudden thanks?”
“I feel like I’ve escaped a delusion, thanks to you. Until now… I couldn’t see any hope, so I was collapsing. Without realizing it, I guess I was giving in to despair.”
“I see. That’s a relief, really.”

Even so, I had to tell her the harsh reality, to that beautiful face that was smiling brightly.

“But keep this in mind. The end of this quest… the Demon King’s situation might not mean returning to reality.”
“……No way.”
“At least, you need to be prepared to endure it. Both of us… we were too extreme. To adapt to this place, we were both taking too extreme of an attitude.”
“You’re just realizing that now? From the start, you were all over the NPCs, treating them like people.”
“You should learn from that. You keep too much distance from people.”
“Because they’re NPCs. What’s the point of getting attached?”
“It’s okay to get attached a little. You’ve been living like that for a year, so that’s why you’re like this.”
“What? What’s wrong with my personality!”

Cha Hyewon’s beautiful face, slightly furrowed, was right in front of me. The moment our eyes met, I unknowingly moved my face closer.

“……What are you doing?”
“……Uh-huh. Nothing.”
“You were just trying to kiss me, weren’t you?”
“……No.”
“Pfft, ha! You’re such a pervert. You’re thinking about kissing at a time like this? Thinking about it? Ugh, you human.”

Ah… I’m crazy. I hate the instinct that made me try to kiss this woman. I chuckled and let go of her hand, and Cha Hyewon, who had moved away and sat down, was smiling mischievously. Look at that, that annoying smile. I really want to smack her.

“I have a guy I like. Who do you think you are, trying to take my first kiss?”
“You said he’s an office worker? At that age, it’s your first kiss?”
“……Well, it’s, my first love, so.”
“Hmm.”

So she’s a pure love type. Unexpected.
Cha Hyewon, who was somehow blushing, glanced at me and then muttered in a small voice.

“K-kisses are a bit much… but a hug is okay.”
“……What nonsense are you spouting?”
“N-not in a sexual way! You know, for mutual comfort! F-friendship! A friendship hug!”

Then, she suddenly stood up and spread her arms wide. As I stared blankly at her, her face was turning redder and redder, like it was about to explode. She’s going to start steaming from her face at this rate.

“……L-let’s do it later.”

Seeing her quietly sit back down and clear her throat made me burst out laughing. Oh my, she’s cute, so cute.

“That was pretty funny just now. If I had recorded that and posted it on Facebook, it would have gotten a good reaction, don’t you think?”
“……Ugh. Facebook? Seriously, is this a generational gap? Who uses Facebook these days?”
“……Ahem.”

Back in my day, Facebook was the best SNS, did it change in the meantime?
We avoided each other’s gaze and then burst out laughing almost simultaneously. It feels strangely comfortable. Whenever I talked to others, I always had to be on my guard, but I didn’t need to do that when talking to Cha Hyewon.

Just being able to talk without complicated thoughts made me feel so liberated. As we shared modern stories and drank, it became more enjoyable than I could have imagined. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this cheerful.

“Oh, right. So what are you going to do about separating from the Saintess? It’s weird if you suddenly separate. Is there any way?”
“There is a way. I was going to tell you anyway, but do you know there’s an underground waterway beneath this city?”
“Underground waterway? No.”

She just shrugs her shoulders with a nonchalant face, I want to smack her.

“Sigh. What can I expect from you? Aren’t you half an NPC yourself?”
“……I, I haven’t played many games.”

Her face was flushed as she grumbled while sipping her drink. Is she drunk, or is she embarrassed? Looking at her, she doesn’t seem to particularly like games, so how did she find and decide to play such a niche game?

“Okay, so that means you should treat me well. Call me ‘Oppa’.”
“Are you crazy? Maybe ‘Uncle,’ but ‘Oppa’? Be honest. You’re in your 40s, right?”
“……Do you want to die? I’m a vibrant early 30s.”

Look at those suspicious eyes. I want to smack that annoying philtrum, just once.

“Well, whatever. So what about the underground waterway?”
“…The underground waterway itself is a dungeon, but there’s a hidden dungeon beneath it. It’s called the Tomb of the Ancient Ruler, and it’s quite lucrative. The problem is that the difficulty is a bit high… but that’s okay if you and I go together.”
“Oh… you’re a game expert, as expected. A walking strategy guide. It’s amazing that you remember all that. So?”
“Let’s leave Diana there. It’ll take at least a week. Honestly, I don’t think it’ll have much of an effect….”
“Hmm? How? If it’s a dungeon, she’ll try to go with you even more.”
“That’s why I need your help.”

She’s giving me a suspicious look. I took a sip of my drink to hide the corners of my mouth that were trying to curl up.

“You remember what I said before? About the guarantee.”
“……Guarantee?”
“Yeah. I asked you to vouch for Carsilla at the Magic Tower.”
“Oh, oh… did you?”

She’s acting like she’s hearing this for the first time. She’s subtly leaning back in her chair, is she that against the guarantee? No, I know guarantees are a big deal in modern times, but… there shouldn’t be that much of a burden here.

“Okay. Let’s make a deal. I’ll do one thing, you do one thing. How’s that?”
“……That deal is me vouching for you, right?”
“Of course. If you vouch for me, I’ll do as you say. Deal?”
“Hey. No matter how you look at it, this is a loss for me. I’m doing this for you, you know? Don’t you think it’s too unfair?”

Ugh, she’s so picky. Should I try a different approach?

“Have you ever seen that child’s eyes? Don’t you feel like you want to do something for her when you see those bright, sparkling eyes?”
“No. Not at all.”

……What a heartless woman.

“Okay, listen carefully. We need an excuse to separate from Diana. Understand? That’s why I need your guarantee even more. Think of it as entrusting Carsilla to the Magic Tower for education. Do you think that little kid can live alone?”
“…I think she could.”
“Uh-uh. Our little one is still a baby. She’s too young. So, she needs someone to take care of her, right?”
“That’s the Saintess?”
“Exactly. If I’m the dad, then Diana is like the mom.”
“……You’re kidding me.”
“So, are you not going to do it? Do you want me to stay cooped up in the temple and enjoy a leisurely life?”
“…Fine. I’ll do it. That damn guarantee.”
“Great. Negotiation complete.”

After that, it was a continuous drinking session. After 16 long years, being able to talk freely without having to think too much, enjoying good drinks and food with someone, both of us became unusually relaxed.

“So, I’m telling you, try separating. Don’t avoid it. Do you want to live here forever? You need to find out your name, your real name.”
“Honestly, I don’t really want to go back, but… yeah. I need to remember my name. I don’t know if separating from Diana is the way to do it, though.”

Huh? The wine is all gone. What kind of alcohol is this? I took a swig from the bottle and it was incredibly bitter.

“Hey, what is this? Is this vodka?”
“I don’t know. I don’t drink much. I just told them to bring all the expensive alcohol. Vodka… I’ll try some too.”

She snatched the bottle I threw and took a sip, her face immediately contorting. Pfft, look at that face. How does the vodka taste?

“What is this, so bitter… Ugh… it’s too bitter.”
“That’s what adult drinks are like. Now, cheers.”

Her flushed face is quite pretty. Is it because she looks like my ideal type from back in modern times? Or is it the alcohol?

“Oh, right.”
“……What now? You’re making me nervous.”
“You know, I introduced you to the kids as my childhood friend?”

Somehow, the candle wicks were almost burned out, and it was getting darker. The amount of light flickering on the table decreased, and one by one, they went out, and darkness fell, but neither I nor she paid any attention to it.

It’s a bit of a shame that Cha Hyewon’s face, which was barely visible in the flickering candlelight, was now completely hidden in the darkness.

“Our kids were saying, ‘You were friends before the age of seven, how can you even remember? How close are you?’ So, I kind of… blurted something out.”
“What did you say?”

Cha Hyewon, who was asking in a languid tone, was seen picking up her glass again. Hmm. It would be nice if she could just go along with it with the help of the alcohol.

“That you were my fiancée.”
“Cough! Cough, cough! F-fiancée? Me?”
“……Yeah. Just play along.”
“No, shouldn’t you have discussed that with me? What’s with blurting it out like that and then just telling me?”
“That’s why I’m asking you. I’ll listen to you too. You’ll do it, right?”

I can’t see her expression, but I can definitely feel her bewilderment. But what can she do? I already said she’s my fiancée. I guess she’ll just have to go along with it. I took another sip of my drink and leaned back in my chair, feeling drowsy.

Hmm… Was it because I was too intense with Diana? Or because I drank alcohol without fully recovering from my fatigue? I feel so languid and sleepy.

“Hey. Hey, Yurian. Are you falling asleep?”

I was too lazy to answer, so I just leaned back in my chair blankly. Then, I heard the sound of a chair being dragged, and the sound of someone getting closer. Then, a pale face suddenly appeared in the darkness right in front of me. …Scary. It looks like a ghost with just a white face floating in the dark.

“What? You’re not asleep.”
“Why? Were you going to try to kiss me while I was asleep?”
“You’re crazy. Is that all you ever think about?”
“Don’t you think about it too? We might die in the dungeon, you know?”
“……We won’t die.”
“We might. So, how about a kiss?”
“……Get lost.”

Huh? I think she hesitated just now. And seeing her face still so close, I felt like she might agree if I pushed her. ……Let’s not. I’m not that much of a scumbag.

“Okay, then let’s just hug.”
“…Whatever.”

Even though I couldn’t see her expression, she seemed embarrassed, and I couldn’t help but laugh. What is she, Irian? Such a prude.

“Wow… you’re really smiling slyly.”
“Hey, that’s rude. Sly? I’m a person with nothing to be ashamed of.”

Hmm. Cha Hyewon’s figure was excellent. As expected.