I am back – Chapter 108

“……I’m sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”

Arna said with an incredibly awkward expression.

What Arna meant was that the length of life as understood by humans and that understood by elves is different.

Although Arna had adapted a lot to human ways of thinking while spending time with us, there were still moments when she applied that differently during personal discussions. After all, it was her own subjective experience.

Yet, ironically, the fact that Arna spoke like this was also evidence that she had been somewhat influenced by human thinking. If it were the Arna from not long ago, she would not have even considered that we might be of marrying age and would treat us completely as children.

For humans, “age” becomes a tangible feeling with each passing year, but for elves, even a century can just be “some part” of a “person.” By Irrelaysia’s standards, if a human hasn’t married for ten years, one might think, “Ah, there must be some really sad reason for that.” On the contrary, if an elf hasn’t married for ten years, the response would be, “So what?” They have more than enough time to spare.

“……Well, you really don’t need to apologize that much.”

After a moment of silence, Kalia finally spoke up.

“We’ve spent five years solely focused on capturing the Demon King. We shouldn’t compare our time to that of ordinary people.”

“Exactly. Besides, I have tons of stuff to do. I don’t even have time to be worrying about something like marriage.”

Dana said decisively and distributed a piece of bread onto our plates.

“That’s right. It’s not like any of us have someone we like, so we have more than enough time to think about it. For now, things will remain peaceful.”

During that time, having many children was encouraged to maintain the population, but now there was no longer a need to do so. Since there was no need to spend resources on war, there would be plenty of hands available for the time being. Once the economy started to stabilize, early marriages might no longer be a trend.

“Yeah. In this world, life is just beginning.”

I chimed in.

At twenty-five, I’m just about to graduate from college and begin my working life. Being a man means it usually takes even longer due to the existence of the military.

So, I thought there was no need to worry too much.

“The future is something that even a Goddess cannot know. We just need to focus on the present.”

Pia said that way.

Her outfit was from Earth, and the background we were sitting in was a luxury apartment, but perhaps it was because I knew she was a Saintess.

There was a strange persuasive power in her words, and we couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

*

After a simple meal, we stepped outside.

In truth, the amount we had eaten for breakfast was utterly insufficient for my usual appetite. I assumed it was the same for all my companions.

“Make sure to eat something delicious with that person.”

Dana’s words made it seem like she had intentionally prepared a meager meal to ensure that I would go out with my sister for a proper meal—

It appeared she overlooked the fact that the amount we consume is quite different from what average people eat.

Typically, Dana was meticulous about keeping track of everything, but sometimes she made mistakes in these small details.

I couldn’t really express all my gratitude for Dana’s kindness, though.

Still, there was more than enough bread for us to last for a little while.

……Though I did stop by a convenience store and buy another piece of bread to munch on while walking.

As I got closer to the meeting place, my heart pounded.

Even though I had seen my sister’s face every day, meeting her for work and going on a date were completely different stories.

I had all sorts of thoughts about what to do, but by this morning, they all faded from my mind. As the moment approached to see my sister, my heart raced so fast that my mind went blank.

Still, I wasn’t overly worried. I sometimes found myself caught in a fog like this, but when faced with my sister, I recalled how to start a conversation and how to behave.

“Ah.”

Even though I had left a bit earlier than the appointment time, my sister was already standing there.

From a distance, I spotted her in a white t-shirt and skin-tight jeans, topped with a thin coat.

“Sis!”

Before I could think about it, I shouted out that way.

It was a sign that I could barely hold back the urge to call her “noona,” proving I hadn’t completely lost my rationality.

But it seemed that my practice simulation from last night had helped.

Hearing my voice, my sister looked my way and smiled lightly while waving.

There were quite a few people around. It seemed some had already come out to queue at the entrance. Among them were couples with young children and pairs of lovers.

There were also same-sex friends or lovers, though I couldn’t tell the difference. However, there appeared to be more girls in those instances. Or perhaps that’s just how it seemed to me.

Perhaps due to the subway entrance being directly connected, even with some distance left to the amusement park entrance, the atmosphere felt a bit different from typical subway stations. The brown and beige neatly decorated floor and the food kiosks visible along the way seemed to have a consistent design that showed they put quite a bit of thought into it.

My sister was waiting among those.

Despite the fact that countless people were passing by, my sister stood out clearly in my vision.

Not paying attention to anything else, I walked straight towards her.

“Hey—”

As I approached her, my initial greeting was suddenly cut off.

“Ah…”

It was because I’d lightly hugged her as I got closer.

“……”

“……”

Um.

I had just said that when I meet my sister, I remember what to do, but I think I need to retract that statement.

I ended up making a blunder right after we met.

For a moment, I stood there in shock, feeling cold sweat trickling down my back, but then,

Hehe, I heard the sound of her laughter near my ear.

And my sister wrapped her arms around my back.

“……”

Um.

I think I need to reconsider. It seems I made a rather wise choice by getting to meet my sister this way.

After a brief embrace, I stepped back. No one around us seemed to care at all. To them, it probably looked like a lighthearted hug between friends rather than something romantic.

My sister looked at me silently with a smile.

“So, how was breakfast?”

“Yeah, I had a light one before coming out.”

I tried to keep the conversation going, to which my sister responded gently.

“I, I had the same.”

“I see.”

And only then did I realize that my sister had both my hands in hers. We were holding hands while facing one another.

It seemed the people around us didn’t find it awkward at all.

……Wait.

Why was I paying so much attention to others?

After all, there probably wasn’t anyone here who knew us. A college friend of my sister could happen upon us, but… I thought the chances of that were extremely low.

Looking around, I couldn’t spot any teenagers. That was expected, as Wednesday is right in the middle of the weekday.

Though it’s a famous amusement park, it wasn’t overly crowded. I had sensed the same on the last visit with my companions.

“Then, shall we go?”

My sister said, with a look that seemed ready to burst into laughter. Caught glancing away instead of meeting her gaze, I think I was exposed… no, I must have been caught since we were facing each other.

I felt a bit flustered.

It wasn’t that I wanted to challenge my sister, but for some reason, I felt that way when looking at her. I had held her hand and even hugged her from the side, yet…

In face-to-face interactions, it made me feel endlessly shy.

When I considered that my sister was before me, it made me feel like this.

Did she notice that difference?

My sister’s brisk steps, leading me forward, felt quite lively.

Little by little, I began to hear voices of people. More and more people appeared around us, blending music and the announcements of amusement park staff through the microphone.

It felt like we were crossing over into a different world than the quiet everyday life I shared with my sister.

“……Ah.”

The sight of my sister’s back as she walked ahead looked strangely youthful.

It reminded me of the sister I remembered from my childhood, making it seem like she hadn’t aged a single day since then. As if she hadn’t changed at all. She looked like the sister from those times when she had always been a few steps ahead of me.

Yet I had changed so much.

My heart felt a little heavy.