I am back – Chapter 221

Celebrating the arrival of a new year is the same in both this world and the other.

And by sheer coincidence, the passage of time in both worlds is also alike. A year consists of 365 days, with leap years, and a day has 24 hours. Those 24 hours aren’t perfectly equal, so occasionally adjustments need to be made, making a year about one second longer. Of course, this discrepancy is corrected scientifically on this side, while in Irrelaysia, it’s done magically.

Thus, we had no major worries about celebrating the new year. Whether we celebrated here or there, it wouldn’t make a difference.

“Alcohol.”

Kalia remarked while looking at the expensive liquor on the table.

Honestly, I don’t know much about alcohol. I just nod along when I hear about years of aging or prices of bottles.

In fact, alcohol was one of those things, like coffee, that I couldn’t quite grasp the reason for consuming… But humans are animals that adapt, aren’t they? As I kept drinking, the aroma started to stand out, and I somewhat understood why people sought out ‘delicious’ drinks, particularly those who worked hard or lived in cold regions and craved strong liquor.

I still didn’t outright love it, though.

To be honest, compared to alcohol or coffee, I still preferred good old sweet carbonated drinks, making me feel rather childlike.

Yet, I suppose that the rare ‘I want to drink’ moments could be a sign that I’ve grown up.

“I wish you’d seen Siyun’s first time drinking.”

“How many times are you going to tell that story?”

I shot a sideways glance at Kalia, who was saying this to my wife. And she wasn’t wrong; it was a story that had been told several times already. It wasn’t like every time we had gathered, we hadn’t had drinks.

Every time, my wife had sparkled with excitement while listening to my tale.

The battlefield can sound romantic to those who have never experienced it. Instead of a world where guns are fired, it is a realm where brave heroes wield shining swords, making it even more alluring.

When sharing stories with my family, I deliberately went about telling them that way.

I didn’t want to share the painful parts.

Nevertheless, my wife did end up hearing some of the darker stories. My mom had seen videos of me fighting, after all.

Everyone was smart enough not to bring gloomy tales into the conversation during such moments. Even if everything we had gone through together was quite dark.

Nonetheless, the stories of drinking together at the tavern were much brighter than those from the battlefield, but the problem was that most of them were from the year I first encountered Irrelaysia.

And having just turned an adult, I had embarrassingly caused a lot of trouble back then.

“Why? It’s a fun and good story.”

My wife, having already had a few glasses of the expensive wine—clearly looking like some fancy powerhouse—was clinging to me, exhaling sweet-smelling breath. Though she was wearing loose clothing, her softness, felt through that thin fabric, made the situation a bit awkward for me.

Moreover, she already had her face leaned against mine, looking right at me.

Every time she spoke or breathed, her gentle breath tickled my cheek and earlobe.

“Uh, uh, wait a second. We’re in front of Mom…”

Right. Friends aside, we were indeed in front of Mom. She was comfortably tilting her glass and looking our way with a smile.

“Isn’t this nice? It’s great for a newlywed couple to be so close.”

“Ah, Mom!”

“If you’re trying to say that having two daughters means you’re my real daughters, you should know I don’t mean literally by saying such things. When I call A-yoon a daughter, it’s obviously metaphorical.”

Seeing Mom say that while her cheeks were a bit flushed, it seemed she was lightly tipsy.

“Of course! That doesn’t mean I don’t love A-yoon!”

“Mom, come on.”

That statement wasn’t from me; it was my wife.

“Indeed! Indeed! It’s a good thing for newlyweds to get along! A harmonious family!”

“Indeed! A harmonious family!”

Dana cheered first, then Pia echoed her.

“No, everyone…”

“Well, don’t be too harsh.”

Kalia said while pouring the glittering golden liquor. It was said to be brewed by elves. Naturally, it was known to be highly intoxicating, aged for an extremely long time, yet it didn’t have a burn that choked the throat. Surely, magic must have been used at least once during its brewing.

“It’s a good day, so what harm is there in letting everyone relax a bit?”

Neither Dana nor Pia were particularly known to get drunk easily. They used to drink enough to fill the whole table at the tavern. However, given the high potency of liquor served in such an ambiance, it was inevitable that they fell under its influence.

Watching Dana and Pia singing a song they couldn’t even understand while shoulder to shoulder, I was relieved to be in this apartment. Otherwise, we’d certainly have received complaints about the noise from the neighbors.

More than that, if they were going to sing, I wished they would at least sing the same song. With everyone belting out different songs, there was nothing to be said.

“Still, I’m glad the soundproofing is good here.”

Arna commented.

“If the door was even slightly thinner, A-yoon and Se-yeon sleeping in the room would have woken up.”

Just hearing Arna say that made a cold sweat run down my back.

In each child’s bed, there was a microphone meant for them. If the kids woke up or something went wrong, I’d have to rush to them immediately.

Noticing me looking at the speakers near the sofa, Arna chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be listening. If anything happens, I’ll let you know right away.”

“…Thanks.”

I was grateful that there were still two sane people around.

“Mmm.”

My wife, who had been hugging me, clung closer. Her body warmth was so vividly strong that honestly, the clothes separating us didn’t seem to hold any significance anymore.

“…”

Seeing the chaos before me, I was really glad Ga-young had said she would come tomorrow.

Would everyone make it through the night safely and welcome the new year like this?

“…”

As I seriously pondered this, my wife tightened her embrace around me. Honestly, it wasn’t that strong. Unlike me, who had the body of a hero bestowed by the goddess, my sister’s body was merely ordinary.

No matter how hard she worked out, her strength couldn’t surpass mine. Moreover, my wife didn’t really do strength training. She joined me for morning runs, so her stamina had indeed increased since we first met.

“Mmm.”

Hearing my wife mumble, I suddenly felt irritable.

I embraced her tightly and buried my face into her chest.

“Ugh!?”

Ignoring my wife’s startled squeal, I kept her tightly wrapped in my embrace for about five seconds before letting go.

Phew, the breath escaping my wife’s lips brushed against my nose. The scent of alcohol still lingered faintly.

When she lifted her face, it was flush with a rosy color, and her eyes were slightly glistening.

Honestly, I was momentarily captivated by that expression.

“Since there are many rooms left, why not go for a stroll together?”

“…Are you drunk too?”

Yeah, I must be drunk.

Seeing my slightly reddened face, it seemed Kalia was also tipsy.

“Eh!? Third? Are you going to have a third child?”

“If this is the case, we might as well go for a fourth!”

“What are you talking about!?”

Just like that, Dana and Pia’s unexpected interruption snapped me out of my momentary feelings.

“Mom thinks having a fourth child would be fine. I’ll help wholeheartedly.”

“…”

I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my face with one hand.

My wife was still wriggling in my arms, while the sane ones—Kalia and Arna—were simply watching us with amusement.

“…”

Alright, let’s all wake up sober.

*

Should I be thankful or not? We were able to welcome the new year together. The only ones who fell asleep before the clock struck were A-yeon and Se-yeon. They had both been sleeping for quite some time.

After holding out for about another hour and having a few more drinks, my sister, mom, Pia, Dana, and I all ended up asleep.

Until then, Kalia, Arna, and I, who had sobered up enough to maintain our senses, quietly moved everyone into their respective rooms before cleaning up the messy living room.

Then us three sat down and chatted casually as we waited leisurely for those who had fallen asleep to wake up.

I held a slight hope that my wife might remember the turn of the year.