I am back – Chapter 129

It was definitely Ga-young, whom I had seen just two days ago, but for some reason, she felt strangely like a long-lost friend today.

Maybe it was because everything that happened from yesterday until this morning felt like an eternity. Though it was just a day, the density of events crammed into that one day was incredibly high.

Well, that doesn’t mean people look unfriendly or anything.

In fact, having a proper job was a first for me since returning to this world, but I had held something similar before.

Being a hero… well, if you consider that a job, then that was a job too.

Spending every day on the battlefield, no matter how divine the body granted by the goddess may be, it starts creaking here and there.

It’s not just my body creaking; my mind also starts to lose its edge, and the exhaustion builds up, making fighting itself a challenge.

The kingdom was well aware of this fact too, so they periodically pulled us back to allow for some good rest.

Those rest periods usually lasted quite a while. Sometimes they were as short as a few days, and other times they extended to several weeks. It’s tough to gather strength and establish a front line if you just keep charging forward, so taking breaks occasionally was beneficial for the overall situation. Especially since we had strong bodies and powerful divine protection, but regular soldiers didn’t share that luxury.

We didn’t often rest in major cities; usually, it was in small villages or military outposts near the front lines, but having fought against the demon king’s army while witnessing all sorts of horrors on the battlefield, we were grateful for whatever we received. The facilities couldn’t be called top-notch, but the people around us, excluding those ignorant local nobles we seldom encountered, did their best to treat us well.

After several weeks of resting like that, I inevitably found myself thinking sometimes.

Ah, if I get too immersed in this peace, will I be able to fight properly again when I return to the battlefield?

While feeling such fears, I knew the rest in front of me wouldn’t last forever, so I did my best to relax and let my body loose. I focused on recovering my condition, only training minimally.

And then I was thrown back into the battlefield.

Every time I took a break, I worried about whether I could adapt again upon returning to the front lines, but as soon as I was thrown into the midst of battle, I adapted in an instant.

Those memories of fighting on the battlefield didn’t disappear, and the habits ingrained in my body weren’t something I could forget.

So, it’s like this. Worrying about losing the ability to work while taking a break is as ridiculous as worrying in the summer, “Will winter really come?”

Moreover, to emphasize once again, we only had one day of rest a week. So if anyone should be worried, it’s Ga-young, who gets to rest three times a week on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

“……”

And Ga-young was looking at us with a strange expression.

“Is something wrong?”

My older sister asked carefully, but Ga-young tilted her head and said,

“It seems more like you sisters have something going on.”

It didn’t feel like an overly probing question. Her voice sounded genuinely curious.

And it was also a rather sharp question. A lot of things had happened between my sister and me.

Honestly, I found it a bit awkward.

It wasn’t that my sister and I starting to date felt weird; it was the fact that “hiding the fact that we’re dating” felt awkward.

From the start, I had no intention of boasting about it or getting cozy in public, but still, it felt rather necessary to avoid showing such a sight in front of others…

Lesbian couples are quite conspicuous.

And who knows if someone might stir up trouble.

Objectively, I didn’t really know much about that side of things, so it’s not like I had a clear answer.

Anyway, while I couldn’t say for sure if someone would cause trouble, I believed there were definitely people who would look at us unfavorably. My sister and I shared that thought, and we both agreed it could even include Ga-young.

And Ga-young was included in those surrounding people.

If we were just doing paper work in our room, it would be a different story, but for now, we were running a bakery. If rumors spread among the locals, it could impact our sales.

It wasn’t about the money; I just didn’t want to give up on the bakery that had been running well.

I hoped that my sister, who liked coffee, could keep working in something related. Even though she lived a rough life during the time I was gone, she later managed to invest effort into running the bakery somewhat successfully.

If this bakery was my sister’s dream, I wanted to protect it.

So I tried to hide it to some extent…

But I didn’t know how to go about that effort.

Do I just make sure not to touch? But if that’s the case, how do I distinguish between moments when it’s natural to touch and when it’s not? If I became conscious of avoiding contact, the atmosphere would become really weird. If there are several people behind the counter, it’s totally normal to touch while moving, but if I try to avoid that…

And so, endless questions lingered, ultimately leading to a situation where Ga-young thought there was something off between us.

“Mmm…”

Seeing us unable to respond, Ga-young crossed her arms and tilted her head. Her eyebrows formed a delicate frown, slightly furrowing as she scrutinized us.

Just a while ago, it was amusing to think I felt competitive towards this kid, but now it felt silly. Yet, I still didn’t understand why she was working here.

However, I had to admit that Ga-young, who worked here with her usual bright attitude, had been quite helpful to us.

“How strange.”

“Isn’t it just your imagination?”

I casually asked.

“Are you possibly fighting?”

Hearing my words, Ga-young asked with a serious expression, causing me to snicker in response.

And seeing my reaction, Ga-young seemed a bit reassured, her expression softening.

“No, it’s just. If it’s not, I apologize.”

“No, it’s just that feelings can sometimes seem strange that day.”

“Right?”

After Ga-young let out a small laugh at my sister’s words, she turned around and went back to work.

My sister and I exchanged breaths for a moment, looking at each other.

Man, dating sure isn’t easy.

…It was hilarious that I was already saying this from our first date.

*

“Ga-young.”

I changed my clothes first and, while my sister went inside to change, I took the opportunity to speak to Ga-young.

“Yes?”

Ga-young, lost in thought while gazing out the window, flinched at my sudden call and turned towards me with an awkward smile, as if she felt a bit embarrassed.

“It’s strange to ask this now, but…”

I paused, plunging back into thought.

Was it really right to ask this?

After a brief moment of contemplation, I concluded that it would be better to ask in advance.

To avoid misunderstandings, one must understand the situation anyway.

The probability was low…

So, I mean, it’s really a very low probability, but still, there might be a chance Ga-young liked my sister.

And if that was the case, I thought it would be better to let her know about our relationship with my sister.

If there was a possibility that Ga-young liked my sister, then knowing that we were dating wouldn’t be a big problem after all. Given our similar circumstances, I thought she might keep the secret, that sort of thing.

Of course, I’d have to see how the situation plays out before revealing it.

I had let my thoughts drift for too long, and I found that my words had formed a rather long silence.

Ga-young tilted her head and looked at me, so I managed a bitter smile before asking her.

“Could I ask why you ended up working here?”

“Yes?”

Ga-young’s eyes widened at my question.

Was she surprised by my sudden question?

“You live a bit far from here. My sister didn’t post a part-time job ad online.”

In fact, I had already mentioned the reason once.

That I had something to tell my sister.

Whether or not that was actually a confession, I wouldn’t know until Ga-young brought it up herself.

“That is…”

Ga-young’s expression became extremely hesitant.

A moment of silence fell between us.

After pondering for a bit, Ga-young finally opened her mouth.

“Does it seem really strange not to say anything?”

It did seem strange. Depending on how much one asked, it might differ for different people.

In reality, the reason wasn’t only because Ga-young liked my sister; it wouldn’t matter much either way.

It wasn’t jealousy or anything like that; it was more that… it could lead to a convoluted conversation.

“No.”

Still, I didn’t want to force this child, who wore such an expression, to share if they didn’t want to.

Well, as for wanting to confess to my sister, it would surely be better to leave it as it is.

“If it’s hard to say, you can tell me later. You had something you wanted to tell my sister, right?”

“Yes.”

Ga-young nodded, and there was some determination behind that expression.

I had seen that expression before.

It resembled one often worn by soldiers heading to battle.

It’s laughable that I compared this situation with memories of the battlefield, but I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.