Chapter 19 – What Is She Doing? (3)

I went to a restaurant to have dinner with my brother.

It was a very upscale restaurant.

We both ordered food and started talking.

There was still a smile on my brother’s face.

“Ah, Hyung. I bought you a present. Because of you, now I have time like this.”

I gave my brother a handkerchief that I had bought on the street.

He took the handkerchief, looked it over from front to back, and put it in his pocket.

“It’s pretty. I’ll use it well. By the way, how did it happen?”

“That...”

“Uh?”

I poured water for my brother and frowned.

“Oh, right. Hyung. I’m grateful that the problem was solved because of you, but you weren’t fully right.”

“Okay? What went wrong?”

“You said it was because they like me.”

“I did.”

“So, just in case, I asked them 'Do you like me?' as you said.”

“Oh, you said that?”

My older brother was looking at me with an excited expression.

“What is 'oh'? they replied they don’t like me and that’s it. I almost became awkward with my close Noona because of you.”

Hearing that, his expression became bored, like a person who had lost his pulse.

“…Okay? That’s weird. But if they liked you, there is no reason not to say yes?”

“Look. They didn’t like me romanticly at the end.”

“Okay. So what next?”

“Next?”

“I mean, you have to explain the part where you said you had a girlfriend.”

“Oh right.”

“So… Um. Originally, I didn’t want to follow my brother’s advice”

“Okay... Then why the sudden change of heart?”

“I mean, originally I was embarrassed that I have to lie.”

“Okay?”

“But maybe it’s because I overworked myself by chasing after the party members, but during the battle, my strength got exhausted-“

“-What?”

This time, my older brother's expression crumpled.

Somehow he looked like an angry tiger.

Seeing him like that was a bit scary.

'Well, that’s A class for you.'

If I told him the whole story, maybe he would get angry, so I skipped the story casually.

“It’s okay. It was nothing.”

“Starchis, As I always said, always put safety first. It’s not just you, it’s the end if any of your party members lose their lives.”

“Okay. I’ll be careful next time, anyway-“

As I spoke, I carefully looked into my brother’s eyes. He looked uncomfortable, but as we talked, he seemed to be concentrating and claiming down. I let out a sigh of relief and continued.

“-At that time, I felt that I had to pay more attention to my health once I realized that my strength was weakened and it was dangerous. I'm not just to please the party members. So I trusted you and followed your advice, and it worked.”

“What was the reaction like?”

“You know my friend that wizard Noona? She just burst out laughing, saying, 'how long have you been friends with her?'”

“Ah. And what about that friend of yours... Was it Luss...?”

“Yeah, Luss... She sat down. I don’t know why. But if I asked why, the story would have gotten longer, and so I just ran away because I was afraid I would be found out.”

That word put a smile on my brother’s face again.

“Did you not hear anything when you saw that angry child sitting down?”

“What angry child, Hyung!”

He was casting a sinister eye, wiggling his little finger.

“Nothing, you continue the story.”

“Ah, even the wizard noona didn’t believe me, as a result! Again? I just spat out that it’s not her business.”

“No… Why were they so angry?”

I thought for a moment and showed the thumb of my left hand.

“Look. Luss also gifted me a matching friendship ring. Hyung, if you like someone, will you buy them a friendship ring?”

“It’s not like that. Did she buy it for you?”

“Uh.”

“Oh, it goes well.”

Annoyed, I was about to say something, but when I saw my older brother’s expression, I burst into laughter.

It was fun to tease him, but he looked like he was going to die.

“Okay. I only lose sometimes anyway, that’s it.”

My older brother nodded.

“Well, it’s definitely resolved.”

At that time, an employee in a waitress uniform approached us.

“Sir, The food is here.”

“Thank you.”

I reached out and tried to grab the bowl from her.

“Starchis.”

My brother called me quietly.

He was giggling again as if he had seen something funny.

He shook his head slightly from side to side.

Realizing what he was saying, I put my hand away.

Then the waitress neatly placed the food in front of me, took the silver lid, said hello, and disappeared.

When the waitress disappeared, the older brother began to laugh in earnest.

- Hahahaha...

I tasted it.

“It can’t be helped. This is my first time in a place like this.”

“So if I tell you to buy it in the future, follow me. Mmm, delicious. Eat a lot. This time I'll pay for it.”

As my brother said, the food tasted different.

There was another reason that appeared for lying to the party.

I wanted to become an A-class hunter and eat something like this at every meal.

“Oh, by the way, you’ll have to pay more attention to lies in the future.”

My brother told me while his head was still stuck to the food.

“I know. So, I learned how to lie, well not too long ago.”

My older brother shook his head.

“Nope. You don’t know Starchis. If you had known, you would not have worn a friendship ring.”

“Uh?”

I pondered over his words and thought about them.

That’s right. If I had a real girlfriend, She would hate just matching my friendship ring with another girl.

“Care more. If you want to rest comfortably for a little longer.”

“Okay.”

“When you go home, take the ring off and put it in your pocket.”

I nodded. After all, there was nothing wrong in listening to my brother.

“Thank you, Hyung.”

I said with a grin.

“Love you. My little brother.”

****

It was night. 

The time for everyone to go to sleep.

After the Starchis Treaty was broken, Lily, Vienna, and Luss arrived at the Starchis’ inn.

The reason was to ask questions about Starchis’s lover.

They couldn’t believe the first time he told them that he had a girlfriend, so they just asked him how they met, but it was not the answer which satisfied their doubts.

There were two unnatural points.

The first was how she met Starchis every time he went home, The second was how and why did they start dating after only two weeks.

In fact, it wasn’t that it was only unnatural, it was also the fact that they didn’t want to believe him.

One could have met every time by chance, and if the mind was right, one could date in 2 weeks.

Anyway, they were prepared to meet him face-to-face and talk about his girlfriend.

It was very clear that he would be hurt.

But what if Starchis’s lover was a flower snake that was aiming at something of him...  if that was the case and they could enlighten him, they were willing to bear the wounds.

“Starchis! Open the door!”

- Thump thump thump

“Chis, we’re here. Could you open the door for a minute?”

- Knock Knock

“Starchis? We have something to tell you.”

Each of them stood in front of his door in a different way and knocked on the door.

There was no response even after knocking for a while.

As they shook the dorm, an old man came out from the next room.

“Ah, man. Let me have some fu*king sleep-“

“[Mute.]”

When Lily cast the spell on the old man who just opened his mouth, he panicked and hurriedly entered the room after being frightened by three women who stared at him.

“Hey! Why don’t you open the door!! … Are you ignoring us just because you have a girlfriend…?” Vienna said and finally knocked on the door again and again with her hand instead of words.

- Thump thump

“Girls! It's too noisy at night! What is it… Aren’t you the pretty girls who are always with Starchis?”

The inn lady appeared and talked to them.

“I’m sorry. I have something to talk to Starchis about.” Luss answered her.

The inn lady blinked her eyes.

“That young man isn’t here now.”

“…Yes?”

“He went out to meet someone.”

At the same time, a chilly aura enveloped the inn lady.

“Oh. Why is it getting cold all of a sudden… Huh?”

The eyes of the three women who looked around were unusual.

The inn lady, feeling unbelievable anxiety that the building might soon be blown down, quickly told them.

“… Uh, he will be back soon. Starchis. There’s no one in the restaurant on the first floor, so why don’t we wait there..?”

The inn lady felt very sorry for Starchis.

Maybe Starchis had run away from them but giving in to their power, there was a feeling that she had sold him out.

‘I’m sorry young man…!’

The inn lady closed her eyes and ran away.

****

“Ha~ It feels good!”

Drunk with alcohol, Starchis was on his way back to the inn.

The friendship ring was now in his pocket, as his brother had said.

Starchis enjoyed his drunkenness while dancing.

People might think he was crazy, but he didn’t care.

Because he was happy.

Arriving at the inn, he entered with a big greeting.

“Madame! I’m here!”

And the next scene he saw, made him sober.

'No, am I drunk?'

'They can’t be here at this moment.' 

Lily, Vienna, and Luss were waiting for him on the first floor.

Even when he rubbed his eyes, they were still there.

Their appearance seemed like he was not particularly welcomed.

The atmosphere was very heavy.

‘Why are they here?’ Stachis thought.

Starchis, sensing that it will be a nuisance, tried to lighten the mood.

“Uh?! Who is this? Are you my party members? What the hell… What are you doing here…”

But it didn't help at all.

No matter how brightly he spoke to them, their faces showed no signs of brightening, so he lost his energy.

They ignored Starchis’ words and asked.

“Starchis, where have you been?”

“What are you doing now, Chis?”

“Hmm. Sniff Hmm!”

Lily just used her nose and said nothing.

'Did she catch a cold?'

‘How long have they been waiting?’

He couldn’t predict why the hell they would have waited so far.

So he just decided to answer their questions.

-‘Oh, by the way, You will have to pay more attention to lies in the future.’ Suddenly his brother’s voice echoed in his head.

‘Can I say I went to see my older brother?’

When he met his girlfriend, he said he didn’t have time for 5 days, so he couldn’t say that he had met his brother.

“I met my girlfriend-“

He spoke calmly to them

“-Why are you coming so late!!”

Lily screamed and cut him off.

It was the first time he saw her like this.

She seemed a little angry.

Starchis was so embarrassed that he couldn't answer anything, but she suddenly changed her expression in surprise.

“Oh, I mean… It could be dangerous… ”

He was dumbfounded.

“Noona, when I dropped you home, I was late then too.”

He finally got impatient and told the truth a little bluntly.

“That, is it? Whoops.”

Then, this time, it was Lily who had changed her expression completely like she was in manic depression, was delighted.

Starchis did not understand.

Lily thought that she was way ahead of Stachis’s girlfriend, and her mood improved a little.

“Ha… Came in and tell me.”

Starchis shifted his steps towards the room.

The other three women also followed him.

Entering the room Starchis was surprised.

A tidy room greeted him.

‘Oh right. I did clean the room.’

He was surprised even though he had cleaned it up himself.

It was quite a new environment for Starchis, who had always been used to dirty rooms.

But Starchis wasn’t the only one surprised.

Three party members entered the room and looked around.

“S, Starchis!! Why is the room so clean!”

Vienna, who hadn’t even said hello, suddenly had a seizure and asked Starchis.

Starchis pondered again.

‘I cleaned it up because I had time left.’ He wanted to say.

‘Hey, did you have a break? Don’t do the cleaning, instead meet me!’ But this answer would come out, so he didn't say it.

Starchis, unable to give up on his free time, put his guardian angel in front.

“My girlfriend cleaned it up.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lily slumped helplessly on the bed, and Luss collapsed on the chair.

Vienna stood still like a statue.

“Have you already… brought her home?”

It was Luss who asked the question.

Starchis thought about her words.

‘Was it a little unnatural? Hmm, but what do I do with what I already spat out?’

“Well… That’s what happened.”

He thought Luss would find out if he met her eyes, so he turned his head and replied.

“Guys, what would you like to drink?”

Lily muttered on the bed.

“…That’s what happened?… What happened?…What is it?”

“… Noona, what’s going on?”

Lily was taken aback by Starchis’ words to her.

“Oh, no.”

This time, besides her, Vienna mumbled.

“… You didn’t let me take out the trash…”

Starchis seemed to be losing his mind already.

‘Why are you muttering all this? By the way, what is Vienna talking about?’

Starchis searched through his memories of her and eventually asked Vienna.

“Vienna, what are you talking about?”

“The day I asked to go to an orphanage! When I tried to clean it up at dawn!”

Starchis remembered only then.

‘Ah, then?’

It was because it seemed like shameful trash would come out that he didn’t want to find out.

But even this couldn't be said truthfully.

Vienna screamed this time.

“You told me not to touch your things, and it’s uncomfortable!”

It was time to call on his guardian angel once again.

When he was a bit at a disadvantage.

He smiled and told her...

...Lightly as a joke.

“Ah, Vienna. Are you and my girlfriend the same?”

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