Chapter 27 – Losers (4)

Luss' face went pale.

“…Until tomorrow..?”

She repeated what he said with her own mouth… As if the words would change.

So… Starchis was saying that he would meet Elza now and that the meeting would not end until tomorrow…

The gears in Luss' mind were working extremely fast, pondering the meaning of the word ‘tomorrow’.

If one stayed up all night with their friends, it could be assumed that they partied the whole night; either danced, drank, or just played some games.

If one stayed up all night with their family, it might be something because of a long, honest conversation.

But if one stayed up all night with their lover… only one thing would come to anyone's mind;

S*x.

Luss asked him again, wondering if she had heard it wrong.

“So… You mean you’ll be with your girlfriend until tomorrow?”

“…Right?”

Starchis couldn’t look Luss in the eye. He felt like he was lying for no reason.

After all, it was not his girlfriend that he was going to meet, it was his older brother.

On the other hand, in Luss’ eyes, it seemed that Starchis was shy. The expectations for the first experience seemed to be visible at a glance.

Luss felt as if the needle was being stabbed deep into her heart… over and over again.

"Haha. Chis, you don’t have to lie like that just because it’s hard to spare me some time. I can meet you next time... Yeah, I think it must be something urgent, right?”

“No, Luss. As you always said, we are best friends. Why wouldn't I want to meet you? I'm really not lying; I honestly won’t be home until tomorrow.”

Starchis didn’t want to give the impression that he hated Luss.

Luss, however, felt as if her legs would loosen at any moment; There was no way to misunderstand this time.

Even if she had comforted herself that his previous remark of ‘my girlfriend was delicious’ was just a slip of tongue, this time, his words could not be interpreted otherwise.

Starchis looked at the sky anxiously. The evening sun, which had been orange, was getting darker little by little.

‘Hyung, please wait.’

“Anyway, that’s it. Luss, I’ll go. It’s time for my appointment.”

“Hey, hold on!”

Luss grabbed his arm as he tried to go again.

But she couldn’t figure out what to say.

She didn’t know what excuse she could make to stop him from going.

Starchis, who waited for a while with his arm held by Luss' unusually strong grip, spoke.

“Luss? Tell me fast. I have to go.”

Eventually, Luss decided to speak directly, without being able to find any good excuse.

“That… Chis… Can’t you just not go this once?”

“...Uh?”

Starchis didn’t understand what Luss was talking about. Actually, even Luss didn’t know what she was talking about. It was just her mouth moving on its own.

“What do you mean, Luss?”

“Just this once... Can’t you break your promise just once and go home?”

Luss knew that if she let him go now, he would have his first experience.

Consequently, If he left now, Luss’ dream to experience their first experience together would be shattered.

‘Give me one more chance.’

Luss prayed fervently.

“Yes? Okay, Chis? Please?”

In her earnestness, Luss even showed aegyo to the best of her abilities that she normally never showed.

[Note: In South Korean Culture, aegyo means to act cute or the ability to look cuter.]

“Just break my promise and go home?”

“That’s… Yeah…”

Starchis was shaken by Luss’ desperate look, but he didn’t want to follow her words to go home, especially when there was no apparent reason.

Also, the reason he couldn’t hear Luss, in particular, was that this might be his last meeting with his brother before entering the B-class dungeon. And he was also looking forward to fishing.

As desperate as Luss was, Starchis didn’t want to break his promise.

First, Starchis snapped his arm from Luss' strong grip and said:

“Luss, you know that makes no sense, right? How can I just go home?”

For Starchis, time was running out.

“I don’t know why you want me to go home, but I don’t have time to talk now. Go in and rest. See you next time.”

-Tuk-tuk. 

He patted Luss on the shoulder twice and smiled. Then he turned around and walked away without regret. 

With hurried steps, he disappeared from Luss' view soon after.

Luss couldn’t stop him.

She just stared at the back of Starchis as he left.

Luss couldn’t believe he had left her so easily, even when she had put down her pride and begged him.

As the back of Starchis’s head disappeared from view, her eyes widened in a daze.

'Starchis would now spend the whole night with another woman: he would not be the same,' Thinking that, whatever strength was holding her together in front of Starchis vanished from her body.

The reality that she was deprived of his first experience she had always dreamed of finally settled in Luss' mind.

***

I walked with hurried steps and then started running after a few moments.

It was because I knew I was already behind schedule when I left home, but meeting Luss made me even more late.

With quick steps, I ran hurriedly to the restaurant, while cross-checking its address which was written on the back of the note.

.

.

.

“Hyung!”

I called out to my brother loudly at an upscale restaurant where everyone was sitting politely.

Hyung jumped up from his seat and shouted too.

“Hey man! Starchis! Why are you so late!”

People were shocked and looked at us alternately.

Then, feeling the eyes on us, we lowered our heads here and there and apologized.

Then, I approached my brother’s seat and spoke to him in a voice that matched the atmosphere of the place.

“Sorry, I ran into Luss on the way… “

“That old friend…?”

He paused for a second.

“Yeah, my best friend. Let’s sit down, Hyung.”

My brother and I sat down.

“Hyung did you order the food?”

“Of course, and now even if you don’t like it, it’s your fault. By the way, what did you say when you guys met?”

My older brother had a mischievous smile on his face for some reason when he asked that. Though not minding that smile I told him what happened with her.

And after hearing my explanation, his smile turned to full-blown laughter. 

“Hyung, you always have a lot of fun when you hear about my lies, don't you?”

Hyung stopped his laughter and grinned at me.

“No, no… It’s just that I find it funny when those three are tricked.”

“But what is fun in that?”

Hyung waved his hand in dismissal at my question and changed the topic.

“So, how are you doing nowadays?”

Oh right.

I needed to talk with him about the B-class mission. It was also a good opportunity to receive some advice.

“Hyung…”

“…?”

“I’m going to accept a B-class mission in a few days.”

At my words, my older brother’s smiling face changed to a serious one. He stared at me for a while, then nodded his head slightly.

“… Okay. I knew you would do it someday...”

“I thought you’d get angry and stop me.”

“Because I expected it.”

Hyung took a sip of water and continued.

“But why now? Do you have the confidence to survive? If you’re just trying to get promoted without thinking, I’ll stop you.”

I indeed had some confidence.

I was a little embarrassed to tell Marshall, the receptionist, but in front of my brother, I couldn’t help but brag about it.

“There's a reason I decided to take on the challenge now. Hyung… not too long ago when I hit the Tiwit scorpion, its upper armor broke in one blow.”

But Hyung didn't seem surprised.

“Uh? Doesn’t it break when you hit it?”

He just looked at me with a doubtful expression.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue.

Even if I wanted to brag, it seemed it was impossible to do so against an A-class hunter.

“Ugh, I really don’t feel like explaining…”

Only then did he let go of his doubtful expression and smiled a little.

“It’s not like that. It's been a long time so I really don’t remember. But in conclusion… You mean you’re confident?”

He raised his hand horizontally and waved it slightly.

“Just like that?”

Then, Hyung took another sip of water and said without looking at me.

“… Okay. If you said you were confident just because of that, you would be scolded by me.”

“…it's not like I'm too confident; I’m scared too. There are party members whose lives will be in danger because of my decision, after all.”

“If that is the case then it's good… So, what are you going to challenge for B Class mission?”

There was indeed a monster that I selected after agonizing all day and listening to the strategies and characteristics of various monsters. It was called:

“…Kumdo monkey.” 

On a scale of intelligence, Kumdo monkeys were more intelligent than common monsters but were slightly less than humans.

One thing common among every Kumdo monkey was that they all wielded swords, and used unique swordsmanship with the help of body proportions that were different from humans.

But the most annoying thing about these swords monkeys was that they moved around in groups.

To put it simply, I was going to challenge a party made up of monkeys who use swords.

A single Kumdo monkey would be classified at about D-level, but there was no such thing as a single Kumdo monkey. Hence, the mission was ranked as a B-class mission.

“Kumdo monkeys… I think it's a good choice for the first B-class mission. So… to complete the mission, do you have to bring their leader's sword?”

“That's right.”

An important item that could be obtained from this monkey party was their swords.

It was because the swords they wielded were permeated with demonic energy for a long time and became demonic swords. And even among them, the leader’s sword was of the best quality and there was a lot of demand.

While I was talking with my brother about that, someone approached us from the side. At first, I thought he was an employee, but upon closer inspection, I realized he wasn't.

He was adorned in luxurious clothes and had a neat posture. His appearance exuded profound charm, and a white beard covered his face, adding to his distinguished appearance. The palpable nobility emanating from him was undeniable.

As I cautiously looked at the man approaching, my brother also turned his head.

The man spoke first.

“Aren’t you Stion, the leader of the A-class party ‘Ade’?”

Unlike when Hyung faced me, he answered with a distinctly hard and charismatic face.

“… Who are you?”

I was surprised by the reaction of my brother.

He looks like a noble, can you speak rudely like that?

But the noble didn’t seem to mind either.

Rather, he first stretched out his hand to Hyung and said,

“I'm the head of the Nisty family, ‘Count Hian’.”

Hian Nisty… I had never heard about him before.

But I didn’t feel like it was a place for me to speak so I just stayed quiet.

But as if Hyung had recognized the name, he raised his eyes.

“Hian Nisty... Is that you?”

Then he grinned and took the middle-aged aristocrat’s hand.

“You know me.”

“Of course, I know you; Most of the quests I usually solve come from the Nisty family, after all.”

Hian chuckled.

“It's the same for me.”

“By the way, is there something urgent? As you can see, I’m having dinner with my younger brother… ”

Hyung once again said something that could be considered rude.

And once again, Count Nisty reacted like it was nothing.

“Ah, I just wanted to say hello. I am always grateful for the good condition of the commissioned product.”

“Okay? I’m glad you think so. Well, nice to meet you too. I'll see you-“

“-Dad!”

A sweet voice suddenly interrupted Hyung's words. My eyes followed the source of the voice and saw the silhouette of a woman in the dimly lit place. She was peeking out her pouting face from behind Hian.

“What are you doing, Dad?”

“Rose..! I told you to wait!”

A bewildered voice came out of Hian’s mouth. Dignity disappeared like an illusion, and only gentleness remained on his face.

It was like watching my Hyung: Dignified in front of others, but a fun brother in front of me.

And that woman also seemed to be Hian's family member, perhaps his daughter. Glancing at her…

… Uh?

My eyes widened.

Pink hair, pink eyes, moderate breasts, moderate height. Objectively, she might be slightly less in terms of appearance than Luss, Vienna, or Lily Noona, but she had a cute charm, which was unique to her.

I’d seen girls with pink hair and pink eyes several times, but this was the first time I’d ever seen someone who fit the Elza of my imagination so well.

Above all, this figure…

I remembered it: It was the figure of the noble lady who came to visit the inn I lived in a few days ago to enjoy the common people’s food.

I turned to Hyung in shock, who also rolled his eyes and glanced at me in bewilderment.

We then talked with just eye gestures.

‘Starchis, isn't she the same as the imaginary girlfriend you made up?’

‘Hyung, your expressions...’

“Ah.”

Hyung changed his expression to a blunt one again.

“Hey, Hian. Who is behind?”

Then he asked with a low dignified voice.

“Umm…!”

Hian let out a moan as if Hyung had just discovered his hidden treasure, then let out a deep sigh.

“…My daughter.”

He finished his speech briefly, but suddenly his daughter introduced herself.

“Hello! My name is Rose Nisty!”

She looked very cheerful person.

The stiff atmosphere collapsed in an instant.

“Rose..! Be quiet!”

But Hian berated her.

We didn’t know how to react.

I was a bit embarrassed for no reason.

I felt like my lies had come true and it stabbed my conscience. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but it felt like I was lying about this woman in front of me - Rose Nisty - that she was my girlfriend. I couldn't help after all; she resembled my imaginary girlfriend so much. 

Hian said hastily.

“That said… goodbye, we’ll not disturb you anymore then. Oh, before that.”

This time he looked at me.

“It was nice to meet you too. Did Stion say you were his younger brother?”

When he held out his hand, I shook it and answered.

“Yes, I'm Starchis.”

“Nice to meet you, Starchis.”

Rose also naturally offered me a hand to shake. But Hian grabbed Rose’s arm.

I finally understood what those two big bodyguards meant when they said ‘the master is overprotective about the young day’ when Rose Nisty came to the inn that day.

Seeing our confused faces, Hian quickly came to his senses.

“Ah, that… I’m sorry. It’s because my daughter is weak. It’s hard for her to touch anyone as she gets sick pretty quickly.”

Even though he said that Rose looked quite healthy.

“We’ll leave now. Well then, have a good time.”

Hian spoke hastily and quickly fled, dragging his daughter with him. But even as Rose Nisty was being dragged along, she waved at us.

…No, it was more like she was waving her hand specifically at me… Or was I misunderstanding?

“Haah.”

I came out of my thoughts at my brother's sigh.

“You didn’t make 'Elza' after seeing her, did you?”

I sighed too.

“Hyung should know that's not true.”

The fortunate thing was that even though she looked the same as my imaginary Elza, the name was different...?

I wondered if such a coincidence even made sense. 

'But if she also had 'Elza' as her name, I would have been in big trouble.'

I didn't even want to imagine what would have happened then. 

Shaking my head, I asked Hyung about the question that was lingering in my mind from the start.

“Ah, Hyung. But he is a count, so can you speak so plainly? What if he thinks it’s rude?”

Hyung was looking at the place where Count Nisty and Rose Nisty stood a few minutes ago, but at my question, he turned to me.

“Hmm… you don’t know, but your Hyung has a higher social status than that of a count.”

“Eh?”

“Just think about it, whose number would be more in this country; Nobles with Count as their status or A-class party leaders?”

“…”

“Besides, how precious would my power be to a country that relies heavily on gathering goods from the dungeons.”

Was Hyung such a great person?

“Hyung, then you’re saying that you can talk to the nobles that way and it's normal?”

“Even if you just become a member of an A-class party, you have such privileges. And I am the leader.”

Then he suddenly laughed mischievously. It was as if he was saying, ‘This is how you brag.’

****

Luss finally stopped.

Luss, who had let Starchis go away and was dragged unknowingly by her legs, was sad, half-dazed, and had no idea where she was going.

And now her legs had stopped.

“…”

She raised her head slowly… to see where her legs had brought her to.

And in front of her eyes, Luss could see the door to Starchis’ inn.

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