I am back – Chapter 113

“Can we go back, sis?”

I asked in a worried voice.

“Uh, yeah…”

She said that, but her voice didn’t sound very confident.

We hadn’t gone to a tavern, but meat restaurants usually serve alcohol.

Of course, when I visited a meat place in this world, I wasn’t old enough to drink. Naturally, I had never shared a drink with my sister either.

But now, both my sister and I were adults. So… essentially, if it’s something we can legally do in our country, we could pretty much do anything.

It became natural to order alcohol.

After the last time, when my sister ended up a bit tipsy with two large mugs of beer, I thought it would be fine to just grab a couple of bottles and share.

That thought wasn’t entirely wrong, so my sister didn’t get completely drunk like last time.

Still, that didn’t mean the alcohol didn’t hit her.

“We have plenty of time, so let’s take a break.”

My sister’s face was still flushed. She wasn’t staggering, but judging by her heavy breathing, she didn’t seem comfortable.

Does my sister actually enjoy alcohol?

Honestly, I never thought of alcohol as anything great. I vaguely understood why people drank, but if you asked me if it was truly delicious, I would shake my head.

Kalia likes alcohol. She liked all kinds of wine without discrimination. According to her, she only drank quality wine, but there was no time to distinguish between high and low quality while wandering the battlefield. It was good enough to get wine produced in bulk for the front-line soldiers, and as a result, Kalia ended up drinking a mix of everything.

Pia surprisingly holds her liquor well and can handle strong spirits without caring about the type. It’s not just because she’s a Saintess that she can tolerate the toxicity in alcohol. While she isn’t forbidden from marrying, clergymen are generally expected to lead a chaste lifestyle regarding carnal pleasures, but this is a community that allows for some indulgence outside of that.

Growing up among female clergymen, Pia often drank the various kinds of alcohol they made.

I had heard that clergymen in monasteries and convents in Irrelaysia often study how to brew alcohol. Well, when cooped up like that, they’d likely need something to alleviate their boredom.

Dana and Arna didn’t particularly enjoy drinking.

They matched the mood when everyone was drinking, but they weren’t fond of alcohol itself. The Mages in the Magic Tower thoroughly avoided becoming intoxicated, fearing that they might start rambling about their visions while under the influence.

Elves also drink fruit wine, but Arna personally wasn’t one to enjoy alcohol.

The common ground between me, Dana, and Arna was that we wouldn’t drink unless someone else urged us to.

However, my sister usually opted to drink when we were in a situation where we could.

It made me wonder if, regardless of her tolerance, she just liked drinking.

But that was fine.

“I’m sorry.”

As we sat side by side on a nearby park bench, my sister apologized to me.

“What’s there to be sorry about?”

“If I was in better shape, I could have wandered around much longer. Just like this morning…”

“Whether walking or just sitting here, it’s the same, right?”

“….”

At my words, my sister pursed her lips.

Hmm, she didn’t seem to completely agree with me.

It was genuinely night now.

The sun was gradually retreating, as if it had some urgent appointment, and the time it showed its face was diminishing.

Honestly, it was starting to get a bit chilly to be wandering around outside. I could handle the cold, but that didn’t mean I liked it. What’s worse is that I underestimated the autumn weather and stepped out without my outerwear.

And my sister, despite feeling warm now from the liquor, would start shivering the moment the buzz wore off.

Meeting in the morning and hanging out until evening was enjoyable, but the problem was that we had already roamed around so much in the morning and afternoon that I couldn’t think of any new places to go. We’d already been to a café in the afternoon and wandered around a building too.

But I didn’t want to part ways with my sister.

I wondered if she felt the same.

“….”

I swallowed. It seemed my sister didn’t hear me.

I questioned if mentioning it was appropriate, but then again, I felt there was a justification for it.

I was tired of moving around, and if I didn’t want to part ways…

There was one way.

“Um, sis.”

“Hmm?”

As I called her, my sister, leaning against me, answered. She had her eyes closed. She looked so relaxed that I thought she might fall asleep like that.

“If, um, you can’t think of anywhere else to go…”

I swallowed again and carefully spoke up.

“The place nearby is my house…”

Right, she already knew I lived around here.

Moreover, there weren’t any houses around here that could be called “cheap.” They’re all pricey anyway, so I didn’t think she’d be that surprised if I showed her my place.

If it were just my sister and me, I might have hesitated a little. After all, something might happen inside.

But here, I was with my four companions.

With six people, including my sister and me, nothing suspicious should happen inside.

“….”

My sister didn’t reply.

Seeing her reaction made my heart drop.

What if my suggestion sounded weird?

Oh, and we weren’t even officially dating yet. I mean, it felt like we were beyond friends, but we hadn’t definitively labeled ourselves as lovers.

Despite being the same gender, I was sure we both had those slightly romantic feelings for each other.

In this context, suddenly inviting her to my house at such a late hour could come off as strange.

“I-I mean, the house has friends too! I, uh, just thought since you looked tired, it might be nice to spend some time at home together…”

“I want to go.”

Just as I tried to salvage the situation by floundering with my words, my sister replied like that.

“What?”

Caught off guard by an unexpected response, I looked at her, and she had lifted her head to look at me directly.

There was a resolve in her straight gaze.

“I really want to go.”

Even without raising her voice, I could hear her clearly.

“Um…”

Seeing my sister act like that threw me off guard, and I momentarily lost my words.

“Ah, yes!”

I finally collected myself enough to respond.

*

I should tell my companions.

We didn’t head straight home right after that conversation, so we had a little time.

I couldn’t go to my house empty-handed, so I suggested that we buy some food and drinks while we were at it.

Considering the time, if we went over now, there was a high chance we’d end up staying overnight, which meant we’d need a toothbrush for my sister too.

While stopping by a nearby convenience store to pick out a few things, I was able to text my companions.

Once again, the first to reply was Dana, who was the most fluent in Korean and adept with electronic devices.

A cat was giving a thumbs-up with a serious expression.

It looked like a warrior guarding the backs of its comrades on the battlefield, making me feel relieved.

After all, with those four, there shouldn’t be any problems.

There wouldn’t be a need to prepare anything else. They weren’t the kind to mess up my house anyway. In fact, I was grateful that they kept it so clean, even in places I couldn’t pay attention to…

As I thought that, my mind wandered to the state of my room.

Basically, we all gather in the living room. We don’t usually intrude into each other’s rooms. If it’s absolutely necessary, we might enter, but there’s a level of privacy that needs to be respected.

In the battlefield, without personal space, it’s easy to feel stressed without realizing it. There are things you want to do but can’t, and even if things aren’t to your liking, you have to accommodate each other as much as possible.

So when we spend time in each other’s rooms, unless it’s really necessary, we don’t intentionally disturb each other—that’s the unspoken rule here.

… I racked my brain trying to think about the state of my room. There shouldn’t be any major issues, but typically, problems arise in areas you tend not to notice.

What if I tossed my clothes around carelessly in the morning? What if my blankets were all over the place?

What if it looks messy to my sister?

“I bought everything.”

“Oh.”

While I was lost in other thoughts, my sister was at the register.

“It’s fine. I’m the one inviting you over, so I’ll pay.”

Before I even mentioned money, my sister blocked me from saying anything.

In the convenience store bag she was holding, a large bottle of beer and even a bottle of soju were visible.

…..

Will that be… okay?

Why do I feel so uneasy?