Pretending To Have a Girlfriend? Chapter 23

Pre

Chapter 23 – Each Of Their Struggles (2)

It had been a few days since Luss last heard about Starchis' girlfriend, and now the day to go to the dungeon again had arrived.

As a result of this, Luss had recently developed a new habit of approaching individuals with pink hair whenever she came across them during her walks outside.

She even checked their eyes, and if their eyes were pink too, she started talking to them.

“Hello? The weather is good.”

“… Uh? Yes… The weather is… Nice.”

Most of them were embarrassed, but she didn’t mind.

“I am Luss.”

Most of the time she held out her hand and told them her name. A customary gesture that often led to an introduction. With a hesitant response, her opponent took Luss's hand, and the two exchanged names.

“I am EL…”

'EL?'

Reflexively, she put power in her hand.

“Ah!”

At her opponent's sudden startled reaction, realizing the force she put in was too much, she relaxed her hands.

“Ah…! Sorry. I didn’t mean to do this.”

“Ah… No. It’s okay. You’re strong… I’m Ellis.”

It wasn’t Elza, so the conversation became just a normal day’s conversation with that person.

Luss didn't know why she got this new hobby.

It was true that she wanted to see Elza once. But even if she did find her like this, she hadn’t planned what she was going to do next.

Maybe meeting her might be the end of her plan.

Of course, she heard an explanation about her looks, like, what was her outward appearance? That how she looks: Pink hair, pink eyes, moderate breasts, and moderate height.

However, there was a big difference between actually seeing and hearing.

So maybe that was what she was doing; Just who her enemy was? What kind of person did she have to be to seduce Starchis? Is she really a good person?

Luss was curious about all of those things. And she also had a feeling that if she wandered around like this, she might be able to meet Starchis on the way.

Because when she asked Starchis to introduce her to his girlfriend, he said absolutely no.

It had been a while since they met, but Starchis was still not ready to introduce his girlfriend to his friends yet.

Maybe her ugly heart was caught.

She wanted to be with Starchis because it was nice to be on a date with him.

Luss didn’t plan it, but maybe when she met the two of them, she could emphasize and boast about her relationship with Starchis without even realizing it.

No, maybe because, although she had known him longer, she had already become a loser.

But in recent days she had slowly come to terms with it.

She was a step late. Even if she regretted it, it was true.

Even if she didn't admit it, it didn't change the fact. Many first experiences would be taken away, and maybe the opportunity would never come to her again.

Starchis now had a lover.

Still, she had to look ahead. She didn't know what to do, just like now when she saw the pink hair and started talking to her.

****

As I had to go to the dungeon tomorrow, I entered the hunter's guild to receive a mission.

“Hello. How are you doing Mr. receptionist?”

“You’re here, Mr. Starchis. I had a good time.”

A male receptionist greeted me.

After the Kingboar Incident, our bond deepened.

When I arrived, he took out some papers.

“Are you going to the dungeon?”

“Yes.”

“Now, look at these.”

And he handed me three or four documents.

As I slowly looked around, the receptionist started talking.

“Mr. Starchis, your face has improved a lot.”

I answered with a smile while keeping my eyes glued to the document.

“Really?”

“Yes. Did something good happen?”

“Thanks, It's too because of you.”

“Yes? What have I done…”

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow, saying ‘don't you know?’.

In response, two of his eyebrows were lifted upwards, giving an ‘ahh’ expression.

“Thanks for the advice. It definitely helped.”

A few days ago I learned from Mr. receptionist how to lie better.

Honestly, I thought that was why I was able to invent many lies when my party members barged into my room.

“It wasn’t much advice, but what-?”

“-But that helped me a lot.”

“Haha, then I’m glad. This… I guess I’ll have to drink something expensive when I get a drink later?”

At the receptionist's joke, I laughed and said.

“Please. And, yes. I will go catch Tiwit scorpions today.”

“Ah, is that so? Party ‘Maenbal’… Yes. Received. Wait...”

He stood up from the spot where he wrote something on a piece of paper. Then he walked over to the box in the back and pulled out a small round bottle from inside.

He handed me that bottle and said.

“Here, fill up the venom of the Tiwit scorpion in this and bring it back.”

****

On the day of entering the dungeon:

Arriving at the meeting place, I was warming up and swinging my tonfa.

The feeling was strange but in a nice way.

The weapon felt so light. It was the exact opposite of last week.

Last week felt as if I was sleepy and my whole body was heavy. But now my body was like a feather.

It was like putting down a weight attached to my body.

The guilt about the lie that remained was blown away a little more. I felt more like it was the right thing to do.

Wouldn't it be possible to challenge even the B-class mission in that condition?

Now, wouldn’t it be possible to get out of C class and promote to a B-class party?

I thought I should see today's progress and then decided.

There was one more thing that was as strange as my body. My party members were late.

I sat down and waited for them.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t late for the appointment. However, the three usually arrived and waited for me. But now they were nowhere to be seen.

By the time I was thinking about what had happened after waiting for such a long time, Vienna approached me from afar.

It had only been a few days, but it felt like a long time ago.

As I saw her, I waved to Vienna.

“Vienna, are you here? It hasn’t been long, but it seems like it’s been a while.”

“… It’s been a while.”

A blunt answer came back.

Yes, this was Vienna.

“What about the other two? Do you know anything? They are not late, but they are later than usual?”

“… I do not know.”

Vienna answered again as if she was bothered.

She slowly walks up to me and sat right next to me.

I looked down at her, wondering why Vienna was behaving like this.

She didn’t say anything.

I tried to imagine what it would be like if Elza, who did not exist, saw this situation.

A boyfriend who sat close to another woman for no reason.

Um… That’s not good.

I just distanced myself one step to the side.

Vienna, who hadn’t responded so far, glanced at me as I moved.

I was sorry that she seemed to be paying attention to someone who was doing it for an imaginary person.

Vienna then stood up, yawning, and went to rock right next to me, sitting down on it.

It had been a long time since I had seen her yawn.

“Vienna, are you sleepy? Didn’t you get a good rest?”

She glanced at me again and replied.

“Yes. I’m sleepy Starchis. Come over here and lend me your shoulder.”

“Uh?”

“I’ll sleep until the others come.”

As I looked at her without answering, she added one more word.

“… Please. I am sleepy.”

She felt a little different than usual. Asking like that always made me weak. She always came out strong, but every time she came out weak, I felt she like really needed it.

But I finished thinking in my head. It was not a big deal, but once many gathered insignificant things, it became something big.

We will have to reduce this in the future.

“No, Vienna.”

She frowned at my answer.

“You are sleepy. Then sleep here on the rock?”

“...?”

“I have a girlfriend now. Just lay there and sleep.”

“You can just land me you shoulder. It doesn’t mean anything!”

“I can’t.”

“…”

Vienna's eyes, which had been frowning more, loosened up and drooped. Then she turned her back on me and curled up on a rock to sleep. She was like a little wounded animal.

This time, Lily noona was walking from afar.

Her eyes didn't look brighter than Viennas either.

'Why is everyone like this?'

“Noona, didn’t you sleep?”

“Starchis. It’s been a while. And did you sleep well?”

She didn't look good at all. Looking at her like that I couldn’t even open my mouth. And before I could speak to her, she asked me first.

“Did you try on the clothes I bought you back then?”

“… Oh, those clothes?”

I hadn't worn them. There was no time for me to wear pretty, decorated clothes that I would wear when I go to meet my girlfriend.

It was all about resting at home or going for a walk in loose clothes.

I couldn’t have tried it on without actually meeting my girlfriend, after all.

“No. I haven’t worn it yet. I didn’t have a chance.”

“Have you not met your girlfriend since you received the clothes?”

“No, that’s not the case… But such expensive clothes are meant to be worn on special occasions.”

“… A special day? I gave it as a gift to wear on a regular basis…”

“I'm taking care of them a little. It is an expensive gift after all.”

She was silent for a while, then slowly nodded her head.

“…Still, if the clothes are still in the box, take them out. They can wrinkle like this.”

“Yes. I will do that.”

Lily noona first glanced at Vienna who went to sleep, then she sat down nearby and began her meditation.

And finally, Luss was seen in the distance.

'All gathered now.'

As soon as Luss arrived, I gathered the party members and said:

“Come on, guys. Today is Tiwit Scorpion. And looking at today’s result, I was thinking of taking on a B-level challenge… “

****

It had been a few hours since we entered the Tibet scorpion’s territory.

The first reaction we had been waiting for came.

- Doo doo doo

The ground vibrated.

Everyone was ready for battle in an instant.

I took a weapon from my waistband and held it in my both hands.

Luss had a shield and a sword,

Lily noona and Vienna stood behind us.

“Lily noona! Find it!”

Lily noona's eyes glow blue at my call. And she looked at the floor.

Soon, she moved around busily as if she had found something.

“Left… No, Starchis! Right!! 3 seconds!”

As soon as I heard her words, my body responded.

I threw my body and swung the tonfa to the floor at the exact moment when the 3 seconds were up.

Then, I hit the scorpion that jumped out of the ground.

To be precise, the tongs came out first.

A power struggle between me and Tiwit scorpion also took place in an instant.

Normally, Tiwit scorpions jumped out of the ground into the sky, then burrow into the ground again as soon as they fall, so its rhythm must be cut off.

It was only possible to subdue the monster once its attack pattern was cut off and it was not allowed to go back into the ground.

Tiwit’s scorpion couldn’t fly away from my attack and it defended it was.

The upper body was exposed - where its outer armor was - but the lower body was still hidden under the ground.

- Bang

“…?”

And I found out one fact when I hit it with my tonfa was that body was definitely full of energy; it wasn’t just because that's how I felt. Circumstances proved it too.

In the past, when I challenged it with this kind of strategy, if I hit the Tiwit scorpion coming up from the ground, I had to step back from the power struggle that followed, but now I didn't have to do that at all.

Rather, I thought I could push it further.

-‘How did this happen…’

But on discided to think about it later, I put more strength into my weapon and pressed down on the Tiwit scorpion.

-..Kkudeuk

A strange liquid oozed out, and the shell of the hard tongs was cracked and shattered.

I was surprised that the hard shell was broken so easily, but it was an opportunity.

'Luss.'

Without saying a word, as soon as I thought about her in my head, Luss jumped out and stabbed the cracked claw.

“…Why is this already broken..?!”

Luss asked in a bewildered voice.

She penetrated its black pincers, and then she cut one of the scorpion’s pincers, moving her sword in a wide circle.

The opportunities came unexpectedly early:

The poisonous tail was still in the ground, one side of the pincer was severed, and the momentum was broken; so it was time to attack.

“Everyone! Attack!”

Vienna cast a spell to buff Lily noona before noona could complete her attack spell, soon Lily noona attack the Tiwit scorpion’s body.

When the effects Lily noona's magic was finished, Luss and I attacked the Tiwit scorpion together, and we repeated the process of falling out and re-entering and striking the Tiwit scorpion in line with Lily noona's attack.

“Keureuk… Kiik…”

The power left the body of the scorpion and finally, it died.

That was how we finished our first Tiwit scorpion hunt.

Faced with a dead scorpion, the first prey we caught so easily, we stopped.

Because no one understood the current situation.

To some extent, Tiwit Scorpion, one of the strongest C-class monsters, collapsed helplessly.

And most of all, the reason this situation was able to come true was that I, who had attacked to cut off the attack pattern of the Tiwit scorpion that came out, was not unable to cut off its attack pattern, so instead, I drove the scorpion into the ground and prevented it from coming out altogether.

Luss broke the silence.

“Chis… What happened?”

I was curious as well.

Does taking rest make such a big difference?

“… Did you eat a lot of delicious food with your girlfriend?”

Vienna said curtly.

But my head was complicated.

I was going to watch it for a while today, but if this was the case… If this was the case, wasn't it really possible to take on a B-class challenge?

“… Yes? Did you like it, Starchis?”

I was happy, but I was also worried about the future.

It was said that C-class parties who challenge B-class missions mostly got annihilated. But I guess all C-class parties didn’t attempt it because they were actually confident that they could do it.

But what about us?

Can we do it?

Can I have such a confidence?

Making a mistake in this judgment can cost lives.

I had a lot of time to think about it, but still, catching the Tiwit scorpion in this way gave me a sense of confidence, so I was thinking about it now.

“Was it good to eat a lot of delicious food with your girlfriend..?”

Vienna asked me as my head was spinning.

“… Yes? Did you like it, Starchis?”

It had become a habit for a long time to always answer them, and eventually, my mouth answered without even thinking.

“Uh… yes… My Girlfriend… Uh…was delicious.”

“Uh?”

“Yes?”

“What? Chis?”

Hearing their loud and bewildered voices, I came out of my troubled head.

Well???

Oh!

Then only I realized what I had just said.