I am back – Chapter 97

I returned in a slightly dazed state, and one of my friends was waiting for me, not having fallen asleep.

They were probably excited about the story I would bring back… although, that wouldn’t be the only reason. This person usually stayed awake for quite a long time.

We usually took turns sleeping.

The environment we were in was not one that allowed for long stretches of sleep, anywhere from six to eight hours at a time. So instead of setting a short sleep schedule, we arranged to have someone stay awake while the others slept, keeping watch.

If we couldn’t sleep soundly for long, it made sense to take turns to ensure that someone was always alert.

In other words, there were often days when it was rare to get any sleep at all.

If we retreated, there was definitely a forward base for the army, and we could also receive supplies. Sometimes, not only our party but also the kingdom’s knights would assist us when necessary.

However, that wasn’t always possible. Sometimes, we were too far to return to the base, or the enemy base was located too far away, or there were places we hadn’t scouted yet. The thought of not being able to sleep lingered in our minds.

So, it felt strange for us to be sleeping at this time. Of course, that didn’t mean we deliberately only slept four hours a day.

Well, considering those aspects, the four of them were watching me with subtle anticipation.

…Whether they knew or not that I came from another world, they were comrades who had heard stories about my older sister multiple times.

It wasn’t strange for them to be interested in my love life.

However, I still felt a bit embarrassed being looked at with such eager eyes.

Kalia was grinning playfully at me. Dana had a slight blush on her face, pretending to be disinterested but glancing my way, while Pia smiled broadly, as if saying she had been waiting. Arna looked at me and smiled gently.

The fact that they were all in the living room, not their own rooms, clearly indicated they had been waiting for my story with bated breath.

Well, when I had received a text message earlier, they had all reacted positively.

“I-I’ll go wash up first!”

Feeling a little embarrassed as I confidently stepped into the center of them, I said that and hurried off to my room.

*

After showering, I made sure to dry my hair, put on my pajamas, and then headed to the living room.

My comrades were waiting for me in exactly the same position as when I returned home earlier.

“…….”

At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to get away without discussing what happened today.

Not that I had planned to keep it to myself, but still, it was an embarrassing matter.

Slowly, Pia’s smile was turning from a cheerful grin into a mischievous smirk, so I decided not to stall any longer and quickly took a seat in the empty spot in the living room.

“Well then.”

As I sat down, Kalia opened her mouth.

As if she were the representative of this gathering, Kalia leaned slightly towards me, a smile on her face.

“So, what happened? Did you have a proper conversation with your ‘sister’?”

“Ah, yeah.”

I nodded.

We had definitely talked.

I felt like I had stepped on a landmine a few times and crossed invisible lines here and there, but ultimately, I thought it went pretty well.

No, it was good.

My sister had clung to me as if she was almost about to kiss me…

Suddenly aware, she straightened up and went back inside the house.

I wonder why that was.

Did I smell like alcohol?

……Hmm.

Thinking about the alcohol smell made it rather lucky that the kiss didn’t happen. If I reflected on her words, it would have been our first kiss.

Having a first kiss that smells like alcohol… is that too much of a non-manly thought?

As I recalled my sister’s face which had been so close, almost touching my own, my face flushed again.

“Wow.”

Pia turned red as she looked at my face. Wait, what the heck was she thinking?

“How far did it go?”

Then Pia shot that straightforward question.

Hmm.

I knew that Pia had been living under the Church’s protection since childhood. That might have fueled her sexual curiosity. Still, nobles did have relationships before marriage without anyone knowing.

Moreover, both Kalia and Dana sometimes wore slightly revealing dresses depending on the occasion. Kalia was a noble by birth, and even though Dana usually wore a robe, she wouldn’t stick to that black robe at a ball.

In contrast, Pia was always dressed in a rather stuffy saint’s outfit, regardless of the time and place. Her clothing was beautifully designed, but it covered her skin completely.

…So when everyone else was in typical pajamas, it was probably no coincidence that Pia was wearing short pants. Moreover, the top was loose enough that if she stood up, it could easily look like she wasn’t wearing anything on her lower half.

If the Goddess saw that, she would probably freak out. Not that she would force anyone to dress a certain way, though.

“Um, well, first off… I asked her out on a date….”

I paused there, unsure if it was really a date request or not.

No, ultimately it turned out to be a promise for a date. We weren’t officially dating yet, but I still held onto the hope that seeing my sister’s behavior, it might lead to one day.

After all, dating wasn’t just for lovers.

We made plans to go to the amusement park together — what would happen afterward was uncertain, but we made that promise. To me, it felt like a big win.

So, well, let’s just say that. In reality, it was just a casual conversation about the amusement park, and my sister merely confirmed it.

“Eek!”

Pia’s reaction was priceless.

She covered her cheeks with both hands, her eyes sparkling.

Did she always enjoy such stories? …Oh, it seems she did. Whenever I talked about my sister and me, Pia had been the most frustrated.

Though she didn’t have any relationship experience herself.

From a Korean perspective, the word “date” was a loanword, but somehow Pia and the rest of the party reacted with interest as if it wasn’t a big issue in translation.

Right. It wasn’t just Pia who had no dating experience.

Arna had just reached adulthood by Elf standards and hadn’t been particularly interested in romance before that.

Kalia had been burdened with all sorts of proposals since childhood, but had chosen the path of the sword, while Dana had been focused solely on magic research in the Magic Tower since she was young.

Upon reflection, I was the only one among us who had the clearest experience with something akin to ‘romance’.

It was a stretch to call the moment I held my sister’s hand when we were little as ‘romance’ but, you know.

“And? And?”

Feeling a bit pressured by the stares suddenly focused on me, I spoke in a small voice.

“While we were drinking, my sister seemed a bit tipsy, so I decided to walk her back home.”

“Were you in a leaning position?”

Kalia asked curiously.

“…Yeah, well, kinda.”

“And?”

Dana prompted.

“I supported her and got her back to her house—”

I paused for a moment.

Hmm.

Should I really say I almost kissed my sister?

No, well, in the end, it would probably come to light… Besides, who knew what might happen when I go on a date with my sister later down the line?

I hesitated for a moment before saying, “I just saw her off like that.”

“……”

Silence fell in the living room for a moment.

“…Is that it?”

After a long wait, Kalia asked.

I nodded.

Seeing everyone relax as if they had all been holding their breath, the atmosphere in the living room eased up instantly.

I had seen that look a few times. Like when everyone was tense thinking a rustle in the bushes indicated danger, but then a rabbit pops out, and everyone collectively relaxes.

Though it was surprising that a rabbit survived even in such polluted soil.

Still, just then, we had caught that rabbit and thanks to Pia’s divine power, we purified it appropriately to make it our dinner.

“What on earth were you expecting?”

I said to my comrades, who were completely sprawled out.

“I thought relationships in this world would be more intense than in Irrelaysia; so I was kind of hoping…”

Kalia said. Had she watched a drama on TV or something?

Not that there aren’t some love stories like that.

“Even so, it was our first time actually spending time together.”

I countered.

“But you two have been spending time together up till now. At work.”

Pia said, seemingly incredibly disappointed.

“……”

Well, I had nothing to say to that. After all, I had indeed been spending time with my sister.

…Thinking about that made me realize how my inner personality was someone who liked my sister since childhood but never actually expressed those feelings.

Even my current relationship with my sister might not have happened if she hadn’t approached me first.

As I reflected on that, I felt drained.