Chapter 16 – I have a girlfriend (2)

 

“I have a girlfriend”

 

Starchis said with a shy but happy smile.

 

It was like he was a little shy to tell them, but he still wanted their blessings.

 

… It was as if time stretched indefinitely.

 

- Blink.

 

Luss blinked several times wondering what she just heard.

 

His words were so precise that she didn’t even think that she had heard them wrong.

 

… What?

 

But she couldn’t help but ask the question in her mind.

 

Like her, Lily and Vienna were frozen as well.

 

She wasn’t in the mood to care about them, but…

 

After an eternity of silence, Starchis opened his mouth.

 

“… What's wrong, Guys? Noona?”

 

Luss realized only now thanks to Starchis who noticed their strange behavior; he was hoping for some reaction.

 

Ah..!

 

Ah!!!

 

Ha… It was a joke.

 

Her body instantly relaxed.

 

She thought it was real… 

Crazy...

 

He joked around but they didn’t respond, so he looked cute now that he was embarrassed.

 

He became more lovable.

 

“Ha… Ah… Ha ha. Chis, you really surprised me. Why do you make such jokes?”

 

At her words, Lily and Vienna woke up.

 

Even their hardened expressions changed into beautiful smiles.

 

“Yeah, Starchis, I almost got fooled this time. Ahaha…”

 

“Why are you joking, you idiot! I was really surprised!”

 

But at their complaints, his expression slowly changed.

 

His little foolish expression that he had while looking at their reactions turned into a puzzled one.

 

Luss' heart also hardened in line with his expression.

 

'Ahaha… He must be fooling us...'

 

'No… Please… No…'

 

'Please… It was a lie… It was a joke…'

 

'Why are you making such a face? It was a joke. Right?'

 

They gave him a forced smile as if to let him have some fun and stop this joke.

 

But checking out their reactions again, he looked even more puzzled.

 

He must be thinking of them as strange for showing such small smiles and not laughing out loud at his joke... right?

 

He opened his mouth slowly.

 

“What are you talking about? What joke? I'm not kidding, I really have a girlfriend.”

 

A death sentence was handed down.

 

Power drained from Luss' legs and her eyes went blank.

 

Her whole body felt heavy, even standing upright felt like a mountainous task.

 

Luss couldn’t even see his expression anymore.

 

She was scared now.

 

She was afraid that seeing his expression might shake her belief about his words being a joke.

 

So she didn’t even raise her head, she just stared at the floor.

 

He said he really got a girlfriend.

 

Uh…?

 

Really…?

 

Ah… Was this a dream?

 

But she didn’t punch herself in the face to make sure it was a dream.

 

She didn't want him to think of her as strange even in dreams.

 

Instead, she bit her tongue inconspicuously.

 

Ah…!

 

It didn’t hurt.

 

Biting her tongue didn’t hurt at all.

 

Phew, this was a dream...

 

...It was a dream.

 

Thank god. Thank god.

 

However, one part of the body continued to hurt.

 

The pain in her chest wouldn’t go away.

 

It was… A terrible dream.

 

“That’s a lie!!”

 

Vienna’s voice woke her up.

 

“Recently you’ve only spent time with us!! It’s a lie!! You didn’t have time to meet new people!”

 

At her words, Luss' head turned around and looked at Stachis’ face.

 

But when she saw his face, she had to avert her gaze once more; it felt as if his eyes were asking, ‘I also know that, don't I?’

 

Even with her eyes averted, her ears waited for his answer.

 

Because she also agreed with Vienna’s words.

 

Yeah… Honestly, he shouldn’t have time. He was already too tired of meeting only them.

 

“How did you meet? Tell me! Can’t you? You can’t!”

 

Vienna was desperate.

 

Trembles could be felt in her strong, raging voice.

 

“Uh, that’s… So…”

 

A ray of hope shone through; he was hesitating.

 

Vienna also seemed happy and started to get excited.

 

“Look! You can’t tell because it’s a lie!”

 

“No, Vienna. It’s not…”

 

He scratched the back of his head.

 

“… I’m a bit shy.”

 

For an instant, as if cold water had been poured on them, they became quiet.

 

Even breathing was difficult. Her heart was beating too fast.

 

Instead of them who were standing still, this time Lily opened her mouth.

 

“… Shy... Hmm! Hmm! But… it’s as Vienna said… There was no time to meet. Maybe it’s someone you already knew? ...Is she someone we know?”

 

Lily’s voice trembled like a goat.

 

She spoke while clearing her throat several times.

 

It was a testament to how nervous she was.

 

“No. She is someone you don’t know.”

 

Starchis continued:

 

“And that… The time we met... when I dropped you guys at your houses, um… and then I went back to my house, then… we met at that time.”

 

He said he met her after he went back home. Leaving them at their houses... after their dates ended?

 

Starchis kept speaking words at intervals, making Luss frustrated.

 

She wanted to quickly prove that it was a lie and relieve the core of her heart.

 

She genuinely glared at Starchis for the first time.

 

Anger at the fact that she might have lost him ate away the fear that this behavior might really lose him.

 

“Chis, tell me quickly. How did you become friends?”

 

“So, after I took you to your houses, I met her from time to time.”

 

Starchis said while avoiding her eyes.

 

It was always like that when she was glaring at him.

 

It didn’t seem like he had changed, but still, he seemed very distant now.

 

Starchis was the same, but now he was not her Starchis.

 

She was puzzled.

 

'Why don’t you just tell me it was a lie?'

 

Was she getting angry?

 

'Ugh, Chis, I’m so mad at you.'

 

'Please… Please chis…'

 

She spoke even as she felt that things were going strangely.

 

“You said you met every now and then after taking us home? Chis, do you think that makes sense? I’ve never seen her contact you, so how do you make an appointment and meet her!!”

 

Her voice was getting louder and louder. She shouted at him for the first time.

 

“Why are you so angry… we just ran into each other every time I went home. Really.”

 

He was still avoiding her eyes.

 

“So… Ha, does that even make sense, Chis..!!”

 

As if pleading, she asked him to tell the truth.

 

He hesitated for a long time and then, 'ah!' he, for the first time, turned his head to face them.

 

He looked at them with those clear, loving eyes and said.

 

“… Could it be fate?”

 

Luss' boiling anger cooled down at once.

 

A very cold wind began to blow in her heart.

 

Her chest area hurt as if someone had stabbed it thousand times; physical pain was felt.

 

'No no…'

 

'What did '... Could it be fate?' mean?'

 

'What are you talking about...

Chis, your fate is with me.'

 

As they continued to remain silent, Starchis spoke again.

 

“So… I met her for the first time on my way home after dropping Vienna at the church about two weeks ago…”

 

“… two weeks?”

 

Starchis hesitated at Luss' interrupting words.

 

Even if it was a dream, this was too much.

 

2 weeks ago was the first meeting?

 

She laughed even in this situation.

 

The laughter sounded terrible and weak as if she was drained of strength.

 

“Chi… Chis. Say it again. The first meeting was two weeks ago…?”

 

“Aha… Ahahaha.”

 

Lily, like Luss, burst into laughter with dead eyes.

 

Seeing them like that, he gulped down his saliva.

 

“That… Yes. What, is there a problem… ?”

 

The problem was, of course, a lot.

 

6 years.

 

It had been 6 years since Luss met Starchis.

 

She had known him for a lot longer than Vienna and Lily.

 

6 years...

 

It had been 6 years since she left her back to him, shared joy, shared sorrow, sympathized with him, made achievements, and made memories.

 

When it had only been 6 months since she met him, she realized she was already in love with him.

 

When it was the second year, she started calling him Chis.

 

It wasn’t until 4 years ago that she hung out with him all day.

 

It wasn’t until the fifth year that she hugged him and crossed arms with him.

 

She had liked him before anyone else.

 

She had loved him longer than anyone else.

 

But… he said her place as his lover was taken away by a bi*ch who had only been with him for two weeks…?

 

Her everything, her treasure, her heart, just in 2 weeks…?

 

Luss couldn’t help but laugh.

 

She didn’t understand.

 

She could barely resist the prospect of that kind of laughter turning into a Banshee's cry.

 

What was the time they spent together…?

 

Just two weeks were enough for that bi*ch to go ahead of her who had spent 6 years with him?

 

Her legs gave out and she squatted down.

 

“Uh..! Luss, what is it? Are you okay?”

 

“…”

 

She couldn’t answer.

 

Now all that could come out of her throat was the sound of a cry.

 

Even if she didn’t want to believe it, he didn’t put an end to this joke.

 

No joke was this long.

 

Reality began to grip her more and more and tears spilled out of her eyes.

 

She bowed her head and buried it in her lap.

 

“Luss, why… Um…”

 

That sweet voice couldn’t be hers anymore?

 

“Guys, Noona. Well… I don’t know why the atmosphere has become like this, but it’s time to go back. I’ll go back first and deliver the horns, so let’s part ways here. It’s been a while since we’ve been separated for such a long time… But see you in 5 days?”

 

Briskly, coldly, quickly, he went out of the dungeon gate first.

 

He who always comforted her when he saw her like this, left her alone for the first time.

 

Luss felt as if he was going away from her... towards his lover.

 

****

 

Haah!!!

 

I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

 

I thought I was caught several times.

 

But was it a success in the end...?

 

I was not sure, but given that I got 5 days of vacation, wouldn’t it be a success?

 

When I decided to lie, I just planned to say I had a girlfriend, but I didn’t think about the details to add after that.

 

And sharp questions flooded in.

 

First:

 

Vienna’s question, 'when did you have time to meet?' was a strong attack.

 

I was embarrassed because I knew that I indeed didn’t have time to meet any lover.

 

And even when I came to my senses and tried to answer the question, I couldn’t come up with a good excuse.

 

Even if I tried to think about when was the time I could meet my imaginary girlfriend… I couldn’t come up with an answer at first.

 

Certainly, I had always been with them lately.

 

With the excuse of being shy and turning my eyes here and there, I finally found the only time I was alone; when I went home after dropping them at their places.

 

I remembered that moment and immediately spat it out of my mouth.

 

And at that moment, the second attack came.

 

It was Luss: 'Does that make sense without sending a letter or deciding a prior time?' even then, it wouldn't make sense as the time was never fixed.

 

I didn’t know why my party members asked such sharp questions only when they were against me.

 

As Luss said, it didn’t make sense.

 

Did I always meet with her on the way home after dropping them off in the middle of the night?

 

Even when I never sent or received a letter?

 

So what I came up with was to blame it on fate.

 

I didn’t believe in fate at all, but it saved my life.

 

The last lie I told was that it had been only two weeks since we met.

 

No matter how much I thought about it, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been convinced.

 

If I said she was a girl I had known for a long time, then 'why had they never met her before?' they would have surely asked it.

 

But at my words of knowing her only for two weeks, the expressions of all the party members changed simultaneously.

 

I thought my words must have been wrong. They must have caught on to my lies.

 

…Although Lily Noona's reaction was pleasantly funny.

 

But then, Luss squatted down, and the atmosphere became so cold I became sure that something was clearly wrong.

 

I had been through that situation many times, and I always comforted them. But... Not this time...

 

I just ran away.

 

'… Was it the right thing to do…?'

 

After thinking about it, I thought as I kneaded my palms because of my habit.

 

Okay, why should I wonder if it was good or right or whatever?

 

I just wanted 5 days of vacation.

 

If they questioned me next week and I got caught, then I would have to unfortunately ask my brother for advice.

 

But if I wasn't caught, I should just try not to be caught.

 

But thinking about it now, I wondered how long this lie could last.

 

I was not the type to lie well anyway.

 

'I really needed the skill to lie well, or something...'

 

I thought while I went to submit the King Boar's horns.

 

****

 

A pleasant male receptionist smiled at me.

 

I handed him the horns.

 

“Ah! You are here. Mr. Starchis, it looks like you had an easy time?”

 

“Uh? It wasn’t easy… Why did you think that?”

 

It reminded me of the moment when I was hit by King Boar.

 

I looked at the receptionist.

 

It was all thanks to this man that I did not fight the Tiwit scorpion.

 

I had to thank him for that.

 

But he interrupted before I could open my mouth.

 

“Ah…! Got a party problem again?”

 

“No, no. It’s not a big problem.”

 

I waved my hand.

 

“Ah, that’s right… I’m glad. No, I thought you finished the quest easily because there was a big smile on your face.”

 

Oh...

 

I put my hand to my face. As he said, there was indeed a smile on my face.

 

True, I was excited, but did I involuntary show it like this?

 

To be honest, I got a whopping 5 days of vacation, how could I not be happy?

 

I didn’t know how long it had been since I didn’t have to worry about the schedule for the next day.

 

But if it showed up like this, maybe I was not good at lying at all.

 

“Ahaha… Other good things happened. By the way, about that...”

 

“Yes…?”

 

“Thank you for suggesting me another quest. As you said, there was something wrong with my body. It was fortunate that it was a King Boar… If it was a Tiwit scorpion, it would have been a big deal.”

 

The guide digested my words and smiled.

 

Then he stroked his chest and let out a deep sigh.

 

“Really. It was Fortunate... Otherwise not just Starchis, but the entire 'Meanbal' party...” He stopped midway.

 

“Let’s have a drink later... For saving us.”

 

“I will not decline.”

 

I shook hands with him and asked a question that came to my mind before leaving.

 

“Oh, and?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“This may be a strange question, can I ask it?”

 

“Yes, ask.”

 

“Do you know how to lie well?”

 

He raised one eyebrow.

 

“How to lie?… That’s a strange question for sure.”

 

He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

 

“Hmm… There are many types of lies. I guess it depends on what lie you’re talking about.”

 

“Ah… Is that so…?”

 

I felt like I needed to be a bit more specific to ask for advice.

 

I leaned over to him and covered my mouth with one hand and whispered.

 

“You won't tell anyone?”

 

“… Yes. Why would I gossip about something like this?”

 

I thought about it once and asked.

 

“So… It’s a lie like saying that something exists that actually doesn’t exist .”

 

“Oh~.”

 

He nodded.

 

As if it was a very simple question, he answered in a very comfortable voice.

 

“If that's the case, what would you have done if that thing really existed? Do you think you can imagine it? If yes, then behave as if it exists.”

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