I am back – Chapter 134

Is it because my older sister is always by my side every day?

The seizures that used to occur several times a week have now almost subsided. They haven’t completely disappeared, as I still occasionally wake up trembling in fear, but the fact that my sister is in front of me allows me to close my eyes and fall asleep again.

For me, my sister symbolizes that I have ‘returned.’

Whether I was left alone upon coming back here or while my companions were by my side, I often felt like an isolated being in this world.

After all, I had already died once. I experienced an event that ordinary people would never face; a far-off reality that would be hard for anyone to believe if I told them about it.

I thought of myself as an alien in this world.

Yet, that doesn’t mean I could shake off the fear I felt in Irrelaysia. Things got a little better after my comrades arrived, especially after Arna began to help me, but I still couldn’t properly grasp how much the other world had improved.

I had died over there too.

I know in my head that I defeated the Demon King. But I have not seen with my own eyes that Irrelaysia has found true peace.

Even if the Demon King has been defeated, remnants of his army could still linger.

Or some extremists from the Demon Race might commit acts of terror.

It would be nice if simply taking down one Demon King could magically make the world peaceful, but Irrelaysia is not a storybook world; it is a real place. Countless people live with differing opinions, and because of that, peace won’t be maintained effortlessly.

Always preparing for the worst-case scenario may be advantageous for survival in the battlefield, but it’s not a great habit when leading a normal life.

However, ever since reconnecting with my sister, I’ve been able to think positively.

All my comrades, who fought alongside me risking their lives, are by my side, and I can confirm feelings with my beloved sister, whom I cherish.

So, isn’t it okay to think a bit about a bright future?

“Is something good happening?”

My sister asked that as she watched me smile to myself while looking out the shop window.

Lately, she had been around almost all the time. So much so that she would mostly know whatever I was doing, making this question somewhat unnecessary.

But that was what I liked. Even if the conversation held no significant meaning, sharing it together with her was what mattered. Every little exchange and gesture helped us understand each other better.

“No, it’s nothing special. Just thinking.”

It was actually hard to express my feelings with words.

To explain everything, I would have to share far too many stories. Yet, if I condensed it, my feelings wouldn’t be conveyed properly.

How should I describe this comfort, this peace?

As I lost myself in thought, my sister smiled.

Was she thinking the same thing as me?

I hoped so.

*

“So… your friends are coming tomorrow, right?”

Young Miss Ga-young asked us, seemingly a bit tense.

“Yeah. Friends I live with will come. They’re all good people, so there’s no need to be nervous.”

“I-I’m not nervous!”

But while she said that, Ga-young’s expression showed she was quite tense.

It was understandable.

To prevent her from being too flustered upon meeting them for the first time, I showed her a photo taken with my comrades. It was a picture my sister had taken of us gathered together in the living room.

And it seems my comrades did look a bit foreign to Ga-young.

“There’s no need to worry. You won’t have to use a foreign language in front of me. They’re all Koreans.”

“You mentioned that last time!”

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten either. But I simply repeated it because she seemed too anxious.

Though, to be honest, it might not have just been their foreign appearance making her anxious. She might have felt nervous about meeting my part-time job senior’s acquaintances.

And tomorrow, we wouldn’t merely be going out for fun; we were going to volunteer. There would be plenty of other people aside from my comrades. While they weren’t on an intimate level for introductions, there would still be plenty of uncle and aunt types who casually spoke to strangers.

Suddenly increasing the number of familiar faces can be quite nerve-wracking; especially since these were much older people and not peers.

“Well then… um.”

There wasn’t much more I could say. I had told her what I could.

“I-I will do my best!”

Ga-young shouted with both hands clenched after I interrupted my speech.

But no, I wasn’t leading this volunteer work.

The truth is, I was following my sister, and my comrades were following me. So really, this was more like something I should say to my sister rather than to Ga-young.

But my sister just smiled at Ga-young like that.

… I wondered if I was like that on my first day of volunteer work?

Too scared to ask, I decided to keep that thought to myself.

*

Ga-young lived quite far from our bakery, so the three of us decided to meet in front of the bakery to go together.

If we were merely going out to have fun, it wouldn’t matter much if we arrived at different times at the meeting place.

But since we were going to volunteer now…

If it were simply a job with fixed working hours, arriving early would just mean waiting until work time, which would pose no issues.

But volunteer work doesn’t operate like that; it’s much less rigid.

Since it’s done without monetary expectation, whoever arrives first will start working first.

If Ga-young were to arrive alone beforehand, she would have to volunteer among strangers at the church.

And even though I was a hero who had once caught the Demon King, it would still be a terrifying situation that could turn my face pale.

Well, there wouldn’t be a reason for volunteers to intentionally shun and bully one person, but simply mixing in with older individuals like that isn’t overly pleasant.

Even so, if Ga-young were to arrive late alone, that would also be a bit awkward.

We wouldn’t think anything about it. And I suspect the other volunteers wouldn’t say anything either, nor would the Pastor make a fuss.

However, just the fact of arriving late while others were working would be enough to make one feel uneasy.

“Uh, your friends…?”

“Oh, we decided to leave separately.”

When Ga-young, who had arrived in front of the bakery earlier than us, asked, I casually replied.

I thought it would be better to give her some time to calm her mind before we arrived at the church instead of suddenly throwing her into a group of strangers right away.

And it seems our assumption was correct, as Ga-young visibly relaxed.

Maybe she wasn’t used to facing people?

Thinking back to when she first came to the bakery, I considered that could be a valid thought.

“You’re fine. They’re all good people.”

When my sister told Ga-young that, she quietly nodded. I was a bit worried as her face seemed somewhat pale.

If she was truly struggling, it would be alright to let her rest a bit. I didn’t think anyone would get upset over that.

… But I’m not sure why I’m having such a hard time now when I’d done well at the bakery before.

There seemed to be numerous circumstances behind her tension… but as she said, I decided to wait silently until she opened her mouth.

So, we gathered in one place and set off for the church.

*

On our way to the church, I spotted someone on the bus.

It was a somewhat familiar stranger. At first, I didn’t remember their face and didn’t particularly pay attention to them.

But seeing them cheerfully smiling while gazing out of the window brought back a memory from deep inside my mind.

As I looked outside, a woman was smiling and waving her hand.

The man got off the bus with a joyful expression.

He ran towards the woman, and they lightly embraced one another.

Then they linked arms and laughed brightly.

Only after witnessing that did I recall I had seen a similar scene while riding the bus before.

The two of them looked more harmonious than before. No, it might just be my misperception, and they could very well be different individuals than the ones I saw back then…

… But who cares? No one would say anything even if I thought so.

So, I decided to believe that those two had come together. After a long crush, the man and woman had become lovers.

Just like my sister and me.

When I turned my gaze, I saw my sister smiling as she observed the two.

I hoped that my sister and I were thinking the same thing.