I am back – Chapter 77

In the end, I couldn’t choose a birthday gift.

It wasn’t that I had never received a gift before, but I had never actually selected one either.

The reason was simple. I believed that gifts were not something you chose for yourself, but rather something someone else wanted to give you.

To me, choosing something meant not receiving a favor but just asking someone to buy me what I wanted.

Perhaps because of this, I was clumsy when it came to choosing something.

If I had to choose, how much should I pick? How far should I decide what I really wanted?

I had a difficult childhood. I thought there was always a limit to what I could expect from someone who gave me a gift, and wanting more than that was out of the question.

So, I was always satisfied when my mom piled up chocolate pies instead of buying me a birthday cake.

Because I knew she was always doing her best for me.

I understood well that it wasn’t that my mom didn’t want to buy me a cake from the bakery.

“One day, I’ll earn a lot of money and buy you a delicious cake,” she always said when I was enjoying the chocolate pies she made.

I thought refusing that would hurt her, so I always nodded with a smile.

And my mom kept her promise.

When I became a high school student, around the third year, our family situation improved a little. A few better welfare policies were implemented, and at least I could worry less about food expenses.

Studying hard without attending an academy helped raise my grades too. My older sister, who went to college first, also helped.

So, on my birthday, before the college entrance exam, my mom made a big effort and brought home a cake.

It was a franchise bakery cake with whipped cream and fruit on top.

That cake was incredibly delicious.

*

After I lost my life in an unfortunate accident and crossed over to Irrelaysia, my companions remembered my birthday.

It was a different world in another universe, with different names for the seasons, holidays, and various celebrations, but it still seemed like a year was mostly 365 days long, and a day was 24 hours. I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or if there’s some other reason, though.

Because of that, I could state my birthday clearly.

The twenty-first day of the tenth month.

“Of course, on your birthday, you have to eat well.”

Kalia said that as she prepared a feast that made the dining table creak. Of course, Kalia herself didn’t prepare it. That was a story from when we visited the Duke’s territory.

Unfortunately, that one time I received such treatment happened only because it coincided with my birthday, and aside from that particular occasion, we never had the luxury of celebrating our birthdays.

We were either lying in ambush near the enemy or waiting for support from our allies while opening up a new infiltration route.

Even during that time, I didn’t forget the date. That was something very important. If we couldn’t communicate with our allies in real-time, we had to move according to a pre-scheduled plan. That made the dates extremely important.

From today until that day, we would go this far. If we couldn’t meet the allies there, we had to go in what direction by when. Allies would wait until a certain point.

That’s how I planned everything, so I never forgot a birthday—

“Happy birthday, Hero.”

Because of this, I occasionally received small congratulations.

When I was outside as a night watchman, and I felt someone tapping on my back, turning around revealed Kalia smiling at me.

“Take a break from your night watch today. You should sleep well on your birthday.”

“But my birthday is tomorrow…”

“Today is the day in between today and tomorrow. And don’t worry. Pia said she would take over the watch tomorrow.”

“…Okay. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s not something you should be saying for coming from afar to help us. One day, I will surely repay this debt.”

Of course, I wasn’t the only one who got to sleep comfortably on my birthday.

All party members are equal. Even if I’m the Hero, that title is just a position I hold, not a rank that gives me the right to inconvenience others.

On the battlefield, nerves can be frayed, and that discomfort can make anyone irritable and angry. So, if anyone tries to assert their specialness, the party might crumble from within.

That wasn’t the only reason, of course.

The fact that none of us could do anything for anyone on their birthday applied to all party members as well. Whether it was the owner of a magic tower, a saintess chosen by the goddess, or a representative elf, having nothing on the battlefield is natural.

Because of that, we reinforced our bonds by considering and looking out for each other, little by little.

If we couldn’t avoid it or couldn’t enjoy it, the solution was to each take a step back.

*

“So, that means…”

Pia said with a big smile on her face.

“Please let me properly celebrate this time!”

“Hmm…”

But because of that, I felt a bit taken aback by Pia’s words.

Having never thought about wanting something from others, I didn’t have anything to choose from.

“Uh, can I ask one thing?”

“Yes, please ask!”

At my words, Pia nodded several times. Sitting on the floor instead of a sofa made her look rather unique. In Irrelaysia, everything was western-style, and it was common to wear shoes in the house, but Pia had quickly adapted to Korean life, sitting on the floor without a care, rolling around.

Arna, the elf, also surprisingly showed no objection to sitting on the floor. After all, even though she had an aristocratic appearance, she seemed completely unbothered by sitting on the dirt ground. Perhaps because she lived in the forest as an elf.

Kalia didn’t seem to mind lying on the ground while training, even as a noble, though she preferred sitting in a chair at home.

The magic tower had a hard floor, and Dana often sprawled on that floor, researching various things. Sometimes, she had no place to put the books and piled them on the floor, or her own spot was taken over by books left on the chair.

Come to think of it, I remembered Dana had chosen a room without a bed when she first came here.

…Well, if I think about it like that, it’s weird to say that the party members have any real issues with the current situation.

I still don’t know why I’m here, but…

“In Irrelaysia, does the birthday person choose the gift?”

“Um, no… I don’t think that’s really common…”

After my straightforward question, Pia tilted her head for a moment.

“Well, it’s fine. I don’t mind whatever I receive.”

“But…”

Seeing Pia flustered by my words, Dana raised her hand.

“Here’s my opinion.”

That was the way we shared opinions when we gathered together. Everyone had their own way of doing it, but the common factor was that everyone raised their hand above their head.

As we all turned to look at Dana, she lowered her hand and presented her opinion.

“We’re not fully adapted to this world yet, and we don’t really know what you liked in this world. So, at the very least, I wish you could give us a hint.”

“Hmm…”

This time, I groaned.

I had certainly told Dana about this and that, but I had never shared what I wanted or what hobbies I had in this world.

…Moreover, I didn’t have any particular hobbies. If I had to say, it would be following my sister around, but saying that sounds a bit odd.

I didn’t have the money to do anything extravagant at home.

I read books borrowed from school, and sometimes had the TV on, but our TV was old and couldn’t even properly show cable channels.

I didn’t find books particularly interesting. I just read them to kill time.

Since I got my smartphone relatively late, I didn’t even have the luxury of listening to music while walking around.

“…Sigh.”

Looking at the four of them who were still staring at me, I scratched my head.

“…Well, I don’t really know either.”

I said this while sitting in the remaining spot on the sofa.

“You don’t know?”

Dana questioned me again. The remaining three had looks of disbelief on their faces.

That was understandable. A reply of not knowing to a question about what you enjoy would naturally create that reaction.

“Well…”

I hesitated for a moment before I let out a small laugh.

Yeah, there’s no reason to hide my past now.

I had already talked about my sister and mom several times, so there was no reason to avoid talking about my poverty.

I gradually came to that conclusion and slowly opened my mouth.