I am back – Chapter 152

Arna’s words made me pause for a moment, but soon enough, the atmosphere became quite cheerful.

I wasn’t too worried when Ga-young met her friends. I had seen them volunteer together once before, and more importantly, Pia, who was almost always helping out with volunteer activities, had already worked with Ga-young once.

No matter how introverted a child might be, they can’t remain awkward with people they see so often. Especially if there’s someone continuously chatting and being friendly.

Of course, it felt far-fetched to think that Pia would ever be seen as an older sister. Maybe it would take a few more years for that to happen?

“Ga-young will be here soon.”

And that meant it was also time for guests to start arriving. One of the reasons we ended up helping out Ga-young was definitely due to the influx of visitors around this time.

“Should I clear the seats?”

Dana asked, but my sister shook her head.

“There’s really no need for that. Your presence isn’t exactly going to limit the guests.”

There were indeed quite a few customers who would come and sit for an hour or two before heading out. However, there wasn’t any significant issue at the shop because it wasn’t a full-fledged café.

It was more of a ‘bakery’ that also served as a café. Typically, most people just bought items and headed home.

“Is that so?”

Plus, there was only one table occupied by my friends. There was another inside the shop, and although it was too cold to use it now, there were actually tables outside as well.

So, there wasn’t really a need to worry and clear the space.

“Still, I guess people’s eyes will be on us.”

This wasn’t a completely empty neighborhood. It took some time to walk, but the bus would easily take you to the nearby bustling area. Occasionally, people from that busy area would end up here.

But that didn’t mean there were many foreign customers. While they occasionally showed up, they were few and far between.

The area was under redevelopment, and apartments were being built nearby. Unless someone had a relevant reason to live here, such as my sister before we met again, most wouldn’t bother hunting for a room to rent.

There were also workers who could come from the construction site, but the entrance was quite a distance from here. Since it required a long walk, not many would go out of their way to visit.

Anyway, what I wanted to say…

With several foreign-looking companions sitting in the store, each with different hair colors, it naturally drew attention, right?

“If that’s the case, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve grown used to being in the spotlight.”

“I didn’t want to get used to it, though.”

Dana agreed with Kalia’s words.

…Well, that was true. We were a hero party after all.

It wasn’t just because we were a hero party that we attracted attention. Commoners, unlike nobles, often lacked access to information, so news about heroes mostly circulated as casual word of mouth. If our looks were more on the ordinary side, people wouldn’t glance our way at all. They would’ve simply seen us as the kingdom’s stationed soldiers.

Yet here we were, with stunningly beautiful companions, along with Pia whose hair colors were quite distinct by their world’s standards, and myself, an elf with an exotic appearance.

Kalia and Dana would also hesitate to be called ordinary; Kalia was the daughter of a high-ranking duke’s household, and Dana was the kingdom’s strongest mage. Both always carried themselves confidently, so anyone who exchanged even a few words with them would often assume they were nobility.

Well, Dana didn’t particularly enjoy such looks.

“But there’s nothing we can do about it. To explain things to Ga-young, we had to come here.”

Dana shrugged in response to Pia’s statement.

“That’s true. And what I said was in the past tense. It’s not like I’m still struggling to adapt. After all, our names have spread far and wide; hiding is no longer an option, is it?”

Dana’s expression hinted that she didn’t seem to mind being busy on the other side of the world.

Except for Kalia, who bolted from her own home, everyone here was passionate about what they did. Kalia might lack enthusiasm toward her duke’s family, but she was very sincere about her position as the captain of the knights.

Soon, everyone would be returning to their positions in the kingdom. Arna seemed to be contemplating whether she would return to the elves’ domain or not.

“It’s not like us getting busier will prevent us from hanging out with you.”

Dana seemed to read my expression and immediately said.

“I mean, one day you might find one of us sprawled out in your living room, so don’t be surprised. You guys are welcome to come visit us too. I’ll make sure we make that happen. Don’t you trust me?”

“Nah, I trust you.”

I responded with a smile and Dana beamed proudly.

“……”

Before we knew it, my sister had silently wrapped her arms around me.

“Well, anyway.”

Kalia, who had been resting her chin in her hand while listening, spoke.

“We’ll step back once we relay our message. I think we had some things we wanted to do afterward.”

And because Kalia flashed us a cheeky smile, my sister and I quickly dashed behind the counter, blushing like crazy.

*

Just as we expected, Ga-young arrived not long after.

“Huh?”

Upon entering the shop and spotting my companions, she visibly froze for a brief moment before exclaiming,

“Oh, hello!”

She quickly bowed her body towards the four and greeted them. Kalia raised her hand slightly, while Dana and Pia waved lightly. Arna merely nodded her head.

After greeting her companions, Ga-young turned back to me and my sister immediately.

She looked puzzled, wondering what was happening, but it seemed awkward for her to ask outright… or at least that was the look on her face. I mean, it would sound a bit rude to ask the shop owner, “Why is that guest here?”

Though I hadn’t done any part-time jobs, being alone with the employer felt more awkward than having familiar company nearby. Even if I thought the other person was nice, it somehow turned into a strange barrier when it came to having a conversation.

While meeting separately wasn’t an issue, being together often made things awkward. Even if we typically shared coffee in a café or had a meal, if it was in a different place, it became uncertain how to behave. Not speaking wouldn’t be polite either.

“Oh, we just came for a moment to relay some information.”

Noticing Ga-young’s expression, Kalia spoke up. Before I could say anything,

“Just a moment… Siyun and A-yun will be away from us for a while.”

She blurted it all out in one breath.

“Huh?”

In that instant, Ga-young looked perplexed, having not fully grasped Kalia’s words.

Then she looked back at us.

My sister and I exchanged glances for a brief moment and then spoke to her again.

“What she said is accurate. We will be away for a while. We will likely have to close the shop during that time.”

“Away for a while?”

Ga-young seems to struggle to comprehend the situation and replied. I quickly added on.

“Yeah. But we’ll be back. It’s not permanent.”

“……When?”

Ga-young asked, sounding a bit anxious.

I recalled Ga-young mentioning wanting to say something to my sister. From her perspective, this sudden announcement must have felt like a bolt from the blue. Instead of simply gathering herself to respond, it probably felt like her time had been drastically cut short.

“Let me repeat, we will be back. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“…….”

At my words, Ga-young went blank again.

“How long will you be gone?”

“…….”

Well.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure. The more there were things to resolve in the kingdom… No, in Irrelaysia, the longer it would get pushed back.

Both my sister and I had every intention of returning. There were precious people here, and just because we came back didn’t mean we wouldn’t be going to Irrelaysia again.

But still, that might not be very reassuring to Ga-young.

If the shop were to close for several months, it could go under.


If it went under, I couldn’t work part-time, and even if it didn’t, there was no guarantee that our thoughts wouldn’t change after that ‘few months’.

So, she’d probably be incredibly anxious.