“Da-eun.”
“…”
Zap—
Da-eun stared at intently. I was sure she had heard since I said it right to her face, yet she simply stared back without saying a word.
“Da-eun.”
“If you call ‘Unnie (Big Sis) ,’ I’ll answer you~”
“…”
“…Just kidding! Don’t look at like that….”
Da-eun said with an awkward laugh, though her face was full of disappointnt.
‘Unnie…’
It’s not a title I can’t call her.
Back when I appeared briefly on Da-eun’s stream to help her out, she had called “Unnie.” Since calling her “Da-eun” as usual didn’t feel appropriate, and calling her “Joanie” felt even weirder, we agreed to go with “Unnie” during the broadcast.
Before the stream started, I practiced calling her that a few tis to avoid ssing up. She was absolutely ecstatic.
Honestly, what’s so great about being called “Unnie” that she’d get so excited…?
Seeing her grinning from ear to ear made wonder if I should just start calling her that all the ti.
‘Nope. Impossible.’
I quickly shook my head.
I guess you could say it just didn’t feel natural in my mind or on my tongue.
It’s not that I couldn’t say it if I had to—I just didn’t want to.
“Da-eun.”
This was already the third ti I had called her.
The saying goes, “Third ti’s the charm,” so I let it slide the first two tis. But if she didn’t answer now, I couldn’t guarantee what I’d do next.
Fortunately, Da-eun finally responded on the third call.
“What’s up?”
“Um…”
I’d finally gotten her attention, but now that it was ti to say what I needed to, I wasn’t sure how to start.
Seeing struggle to find the right words, Da-eun tilted her head curiously.
Then, her eyes narrowed as if she had figured sothing out.
“…Seeing you hesitate like this… Could it be—?”
Grab!
“Did you fall for soone?!”
“…Wh
What are you talking about?
That’s what I wanted to say, but I couldn’t get the words out.
Da-eun had grabbed both my shoulders and started shaking before I could.
“What kind of scumbag dares to—! No way! Kana, you’re too young to be in a relationship!”
“L-let go of …!”
“This Unnie doesn’t want to see you suffer because of so bad guy!”
It wasn’t exactly dizzying, but the way she shook made it impossible to speak properly. My words ca out long and distorted, like a video playing at the lowest speed. �
‘This is annoying.’
Amid the blurry, shaken view, that thought passed through my mind.
If she didn’t stop soon, I was ready to kick her shin.
As if sensing my growing annoyance, Da-eun stopped shaking just in ti.
Her survival instincts were truly sothing else.
“So, who is it?”
“…What do you an, ‘who’?”
“The guy who’s trying to win you over.”
“You know there’s no such thing, so stop spouting nonsense.”
I had no plans of dating anyone, but first, I needed to correct her misunderstanding.
“And what’s this about being ‘too young’? I’m practically an adult by this world’s standards.”
“Which also ans you’re not quite an adult yet! You still need a guardian to protect you. Especially soone like you, Kana—you need to be extra careful.”
“Why?”
“Because of your looks… Ahem! That’s a secret!”
“That’s basically just saying it outright, isn’t it?”
There’s no law that says, “You can’t date until you’re an adult.” I didn’t need to look it up to know that.
Even with my incomplete mories, I still had enough common sense to figure that much out.
…Then again, can I even trust what I know with my incomplete mories?
That doubt flashed through my mind for a mont but quickly disappeared.
The real issue wasn’t my mories—it was that Da-eun had started spouting nonsense again.
“I don’t even go outside, so what would I know about relationships?”
“My, my, Kana. That’s such an outdated thing to say. Do you know how many people et online and even get married these days? Humans are capable of forming deep connections without ever eting in person.”
“…”
Her tone was strangely infuriating.
“Of course, the failure rate is higher compared to eting in person. And the chances of encountering weird people are also higher. That’s why I’m worried.”
“Worried about what?”
“I’m worried you might have t soone strange online… I know you don’t go outside, but I can’t see what’s on your phone. Not that I want to.”
“That’s such a useless worry.”
There’s a phrase for this kind of thing.
When people fret unnecessarily about things like the sky falling or the ground sinking.
“Are you talking about baseless fears?”
“Ah, that’s the one!”
“Kana, you really know everything. So smart!”
I brushed off Da-eun’s over-the-top reaction.
“Let’s end the jokes here.”
As I’ve already said, even Da-eun knows that I don’t have a boyfriend or anything of the sort. She’s just rambling for the sake of it.
“A joke?”
“…”
…Probably just a joke.
“Hmm.”
But, now that I think about it, Da-eun’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
Not about dating, or boys, but about eting soone online.
It wasn’t exactly a lie.
Though, that’s assuming Silia Online counts as the “internet world.”
From the perspective of soone from Earth who knows nothing, it technically is.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and this saying fit the situation perfectly.
“The Greatsword Chick… Yuki. You know her, right?”
“Huh, what?”
Da-eun’s eyes grew wide with surprise, as if she never expected to ntion that na.
“Why are you suddenly bringing up Yuki?”
“Suddenly?”
It was only natural for Da-eun to react this way, not knowing what I went through during my recent visit to Silia.
Even I thought my decision was impulsive, so I could understand her reaction.
“I owe her a favor, and she’s in the sa line of work. While we don’t interact often—”
“So, you’re not exactly friends, but you know each other?”
“Yeah. I’d say she’s a fairly close acquaintance. Of course, that’s just how I see it. Yuki might think differently.”
She might consider closer, or not as close…
Da-eun added her own perspective.
“Still, recently, she’s been watching my streams more often because of you, Kana. Doesn’t that an she sees you as pretty friendly?”
“…?”
“She said she was completely captivated by your swordsmanship.”
“Oh.”
I nodded in acknowledgnt.
“That’s nice.”
“…? So, why are you suddenly bringing her up?”
“Can you call her over?”
“…Call her over?”
“Yeah.”
“Where to?”
“Here.”
“Oh.”
Da-eun made a sound of understanding, mimicking my earlier reaction. She rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
“So, you’re asking if I can bring Yuki to our house?”
“Yeah.”
To be honest, I could call Yuki myself.
If I t her on Earth, I’d have to explain so things anyway, which would reveal a few truths I’d been keeping hidden.
Inviting Yuki here wouldn’t cause any problems, but I chose not to do it because this isn’t my house.
As soone living as a guest in soone else’s ho, inviting another guest without the host’s permission felt wrong.
Complete role reversal.
I didn’t want to beco soone so shaless.
As I finished that thought, Shin Da-eun’s lips, which had been chattering nonstop while I was lost in my own mind, suddenly stopped.
‘Ah.’
I could feel it.
Rather than resisting the urge driven by instinct, I imdiately covered my ears.
“What in the world are you talking about?!!”
The lion’s roar that erupted from Da-eun as soon as my small hands covered my ears was deafening. Once again, my intuition hadn’t failed …
“…Ugh.”
Unfortunately, even this makeshift solution wasn’t enough to block Da-eun’s powerful roar.
My poor ears…
***
A silver-haired woman lifted her head.
A strange scene unfolded before her eyes.
“There’s sothing interesting for here?”
A sudden ssage.
To be more specific, an unexpectedly abrupt ssage.
And the content? It lacked any sense of effort or courtesy.
‘There’s sothing that might interest you, Yuki.’
…Really?
Even for soone as detached as her, wasn’t that far too lacking in effort? If it had been anyone else, they might have dismissed it as a phishing scam or an attempt at manipulation.
But this woman—Yuki—was unlike most people in many ways.
“This is amusing.”
That was why Yuki had agreed so willingly to Shin Da-eun’s invitation. If there was sothing genuinely intriguing, then that would be good. And if it turned out to be a trap or led to trouble, well, that would be fine too.
Her way of thinking was purely driven by curiosity.
Though her recent involvent with Silia Online had sowhat tempered her restlessness, Yuki still harbored an ingrained boredom that gnawed at her constantly.
It also reflected her confidence—no matter what happened, she would handle it.
Yuki strolled through unfamiliar streets as if they were familiar.
…
Every ti the sunlight danced across her shimring silver hair, heads turned to follow her. Gazes full of admiration and envy bore down on her.
She was fully aware of the attention, yet her expression didn’t change in the slightest.
‘Because I’m used to it.’
It wasn’t the first—or even the hundredth—ti she’d experienced such stares. From the mont she’d co of age and started standing out, such reactions had beco a daily occurrence. She’d long since stopped paying them any mind.
It was partly because she just didn’t care.
Gracefully avoiding a man nervously approaching her, Yuki found her destination with ease, thanks to the conveniences of modern technology.
“So, this is where they live.”
Strictly speaking, “sophisticated” might have been a better descriptor—
But Yuki had no intention of correcting her own impression. She walked forward confidently.
When the security at the gate asked her purpose, she answered simply, “An invitation.” After a brief verification process, she was granted entry into what seed like an impregnable fortress.
‘…What a hassle.’
Her interest was beginning to wane.
Still, having co this far, she didn’t want to waste the effort. Clinging to the dwindling embers of her curiosity, she stepped into the elevator.
Arriving at the designated floor monts later, Yuki stepped out and stood before the door.
Without hesitation, she pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong.
The familiar, cheerful chi announced her presence.
“Yes, I’m coming~!”
The voice from inside was one she recognized well.
Though it was Yuki’s first ti eting Da-eun in person, she showed no signs of nervousness. Was it because watching Da-eun’s broadcasts had created a sense of closeness?
If soone had asked Yuki, she would have imdiately shaken her head.
Her deanor stemd purely from her personality.
As Yuki waited briefly, small footsteps approached the door.
‘She’s small.’
Just from the sound of her steps, Yuki could estimate Da-eun’s foot size. Even considering she was a woman, her feet seed exceptionally petite.
While Yuki pondered this observation—
Clack.
The door swung open.
And there, peeking out, was a head topped with bright pink hair.
A girl, shorter by several handspans compared to Yuki, tilted her head back to look up.
“…?”
As their eyes t, Yuki’s face montarily froze, her expression blank.
—
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