Pretending To Have a Girlfriend? Chapter 30

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Chapter 30 – Dinner (1)

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As the sparrows chirped in the morning, I declared confidently to Hyung, “I'll win.”

The dazzling sun shone on us, and my brother and I compared the fishes we caught overnight like kids.

There were several catches, fish of various sizes, but no detailed comparison was necessary. Even at a rough glance with sleepy eyes, my 7-year-old fish was the biggest.

"That's right. You won, Starchis," Hyung smiled, conceding defeat.

“This size has not been caught for a long time... No. It’s my first time. Right?”

“Oh, this is the first time.”

Hyung patted me on the back and said, “Looks like the B-class mission is lucky for you.”

I didn’t show it, but it indeed helped my slightly anxious mind.

I also felt a sense of pride and relief. It was my first time catching such a sizable fish.

I clenched my fists and nodded lightly.

He then surprised me by saying, “Time sure flies... You became the leader of a B-class party so soon.”

I wondered if his words were a little hasty. "Not yet. We have to finish the mission first to be a B-class party," I reminded him.

He looked at me quietly and said, "You're not going to die. So in my eyes, it's already a B-class party."

His words made me pause and ponder. It seemed that he actually believed in me and my ability to handle the challenges ahead.

“… Just don't be too confident because of my words. Then, everything will be fine.”

When Hyung cheered me up in a little serious tone, I couldn't help but ask a serious question as well.

"Hyung, what were you thinking when you took on your first B-class mission?"

“Well...”

I thought hearing his mindset of that time would help me too.

He paused and thought deeply before answering. "Hmm...I don't remember...?"

“You don't..?”

It was a little disappointing, so I replied in a small voice, and Hyung, perhaps sensing that, added an additional comment.

“Actually… I never got blocked until I became an A-class hunter.”

His comment didn't help much, but I appreciated his effort to share his experience and nodded my head.

I thought the topic was over, but suddenly, he licked his lips and spoke in a subdued voice.

“…But that’s not good either. In my overconfidence, I forgot how high the sky was.”

“…”

Hearing his quiet voice, I looked at my older brother. However, he was lost in his thoughts, staring at the river.

It was unusual to see Hyung, who always jokes around or always has a smile on his face, being so quiet and serious.

If Hyung was behaving like this... He must have remembered the failed S-class quest, which involved subjugating dragons, a rare and dangerous beast.

S-class quests were only issued when the target was a significant threat that needed to be eliminated. The gathering was no longer the objective; subjugation was.

A large number of precious A-class parties had attempted the challenge, and most of them had met their demise.

Unfortunately, my brother's party was no exception. No one survived the mission except for him, and even it was called a miracle that he had made it back alive. And as a tribute to his survival, Hyung was given the nickname: "Survivor" Stion.

Hyung hated that nickname. He began to act like a madman.

The word revenge was always visible in his eyes.

I knew then that my brother would do something crazy and die. Fortunately, in the end, he joined another A-rank party temporarily and subdued the dragon before returning to normal.

After that, he organized his own party again and only did safe missions, doable missions, and A-class and B-class party rescue missions. And he stopped attempting difficult missions unless it was to rescue another party.

My brother looked me in the eyes as if he had finished a long reminiscence and said.

"You always say it, Starchis. Life is the most important thing... You have made your own decision, so I won’t say anything more. But always remember what you yourself said and never get into a fight if you think you can’t win. Because, even if you want to run away when the fight starts, it probably won't work against monsters."

I tapped my brother’s arm to assure him.

"Okay, Hyung."

I was really thankful for his concern.

****

The day passed by with a good night’s sleep, and the next day arrived.

Today was the day to have dinner with my party members. And the most important thing for a successful dinner was the food.

At first, I was going to ask the inn owner, but I thought it would be better if I cooked the food since it was a meaningful event.

'Let's go.'

-Crick

I opened the door and left the inn. My destination was the market where I could buy groceries.

The weather was nice, and I felt my mood improve as I came out.

Earlier, to get rid of my anxiety and tension, I had already tried using meditation. Because as the party leader, I shouldn't show anxiety, but unexpectedly, it was this nice weather that helped me lighten my mood.

With a soft smile on my face, I started walking towards the market while thinking about what to cook.

Actually, I had some confidence in my cooking.

Because I lived alone for a long time, and even though the first floor was a restaurant, I often cooked and ate by myself.

At one point in life, I also came to like the idea of cooking delicious food, so I worked hard for a while and that became the source of my confidence.

Well, first of all, my cooking was much better than Vienna's, so even if others weren't impressed, I was already sure to impress her today.

“Good day, Mr. Starchis.”

“Good day to you too.”

People who recognized me greeted me as they saw me. And I walked away smiling or waving in response.

While I did that, I also came up with what to cook today: Honey Beef Steak. Although it wasn't something that people ate regularly, it was perfect for a special occasion like this.

'Hmm, preparing some healthy side dishes with it should be enough.'

Perhaps because I was eating healthy food nowadays and was taking proper rest, while walking, I felt my physical condition was better than even last week. Confidence to clear the B-class mission gradually developed in my heart.

I wondered how Vienna, Luss, and Lily were doing. I hoped they were in as good shape as I was.

'Did I buy everything?'

I rummaged through the ingredients in the leather bag and checked them one by one.

“Bought, bought, bought… Oh, this is what’s left.”

It seemed like everything else was bought, only one thing was left: a beverage.

Even though we couldn’t drink alcohol because of the dangerous mission we would be participating in, it was a pity to just drink water.

I walked around the market again to find a refreshing drink or a beverage that was good for the body.

The market was bustling with people. Various merchants promoted their products in loud voices, while the customers struggled to decide what to buy.

Looking at such a lively place, I was walking with a smile on my face when someone tapped me on the back.

“..?”

Turning around, I saw a woman who looked familiar.

“Mister Starchis..?”

It was the woman who always waited outside the church whenever I visited it with Vienna.

But even though she seemed to be Vienna's close friend, I couldn't remember her name.

“…Carrie…?”

“It’s Casey.”

“Ah, sorry.”

I scratched my nose lightly in embarrassment.

“No, it’s okay. In fact, you never even asked for my name.”

She was right; we never talked. So, wasn't it a rather rare encounter?

Why was she here?

Since she lived in the church, there would be no reason for a saintess to cook or buy groceries. That was also why Vienna’s food tasted like that.

“I'll introduce myself formally, then. My name is Starchis.”

I stretched out my hand.

“Vienna's friend, Casey.”

She gently took my hand and shook it.

Then I spoke to break the awkward atmosphere.

“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“I know, right? What are you doing here?”

“Ah, today I came to prepare food to eat with other party members, including Vienna.”

I lifted my bag slightly and said, “And what about Miss Casey…?”

“I just came to buy some snacks to eat with Vienna… to cheer her up a little.”

Casey's shoulders slumped as she conveyed those words.

Cheer up? What did she mean?

“What’s going on with Vienna?”

I asked a little more seriously.

I had already accepted a B-class mission, but I couldn’t overlook it. If anything serious was going on with Vienna, I would have to postpone the mission.

Casey was startled at my serious tone and waved her hand.

“Ah! No! So… She looks a bit unwell, but she's eating a lot right now, so her body is healthy enough. Even now, I came to buy what Vienna said she wanted to eat.”

I nodded.

It was okay as long as she was healthy. Because one's mood didn't really matter in the battle.

'When a battle takes place, everyone is immersed in the situation and they can't even think about what their mood is like.'

'And some people feel nervous or anxious when they have to challenge something big.'

It seemed Vienna was like that too; she always pretended to be rough and strong on the outside, but on the inside, she was soft.

If someone said a bad word to her on the street, you’ll see a gloomy Vienna all day.

I decided to pay more attention to Vienna at dinner and said.

“I’m glad you told me. But are you sure her body is healthy?”

“Yes. You know how we can't eat when our body is sick...but she ate a lot…”

I had no imagination of Vienna who ate a lot, but I still nodded my head.

Even though the topic she brought up was important, I had my doubts. Because if Vienna was okay as she said, there was no need to bring it up, right?

And I had never been close to Casey or spoken to her, so why would she want to talk to me so suddenly? Unless she had a purpose for calling me, it didn't make sense.

So, I just kept staring at her to continue.

Casey said, loosening her throat.

“That… Mr. Starchis?”

“Please speak.”

“Recently, I heard from Vienna that you had a girlfriend…”

I was a little taken aback, wondering if my lie had spread this far.

I stiffly nodded.

Now, I had to lie to people I had never even talked to before.

“First of all, congratulations.”

First of all??

Her words and face seemed like it was a bad thing.

“Yes. Thank you.” I nodded again and gestured for her to continue.

“By the way…”

However, she hesitated, fidgeting with her next words. As if it was something hard or embarrassing.

It might even be bad news, so I prepared my mind. I was worried even more because I didn’t know what kind of person Casey was and I couldn't predict what was going through her mind.

After a while, she spoke cautiously.

“…I do not want to be presumptuous… But please don’t push Vienna away too much.”

“..Yes?”

Push Vienna away?

I knew roughly what she was talking about. It must be because I no longer made appointments to meet her separately.

“These days, Vienna hasn’t gone out to meet Mr. Starchis, right? Maybe that’s why Vienna is bored. She bothers me so much, haha..”

Casey said with a smile.

Looking at it now, her face even looked a little emaciated.

'Well, it can be annoying to have someone near you whom you don’t normally have.'

'Especially if you are close friends living together.'

However, even if I understood her circumstances, I couldn't accept her request. Because I had already refused Vienna once while making an excuse, and if I accepted this request now, Vienna would know I was lying.

“I’m sorry. My girlfriend hates seeing me alone with another girl. If you want me to hang out with Vienna alone... Maybe I'll do it once or twice later... But not now.”

“...If being with her alone is the problem... Then is it okay if I go with you too? It’d not be just the two of you alone then, but it'd be like you are going out with friends.”

Casey looked at me with straight eyes and asked. She even seemed a little desperate.

I was a little surprised.

She said that Vienna was annoying, so why would she do this?

In fact, her proposal was not bad. As I always thought, I couldn’t avoid Vienna, Luss, and Lily for the rest of my life. So as long as I could spend the right amount of time together, I was happy too.

So, I was shocked to be offered a proposal that would ease the burden of lying. Also, with Casey, who looked quite reasonable and seemed to be wanting to help a friend, I felt like I would be able to lessen the burden on my body a little too.

“… Mr. Starchis?”

When I hesitated for a long time to answer, Casey asked first.

“I’ll ask my girlfriend once, and then I’ll tell you.”

In the end, I delayed my answer.

“…Yes.”

Even though Casey looked a little sullen, I fixed the leather bag and asked:

“Then… See you later?”

“Yes. Oh, And Mr. Starchis.”

“Yes?”

“On the B-class mission… Please take care of Vienna.”

Casey, who looked worried about her friend, spoke hesitantly.

Was it because she was also a saintess?

'No. If it’s an acquaintance, everyone will be like that.'

“Don't worry. I'll keep everyone safe.”

I spoke confidently to reassure her.

****

-Trudge

The route to Starchis’ house, which always stirred Vienna's heart with excitement, felt somewhat distinct today.

It might be because she had cried on this road a few days ago.

Despite this, the thought of meeting Starchis later made her heart race with excitement.

Vienna hated it. She couldn't help but feel that she had fallen for Stachis too deeply.

Of course, she had no intention of going back to the time when she wasn't in love with him. But right now, she couldn't help but whine because she was in so much pain.

As Vienna looked up, she saw Starchis's inn. But before going to his room, she still had work to do.

Vienna approached the innkeeper cautiously and said.

“… I’m sorry.”

“Oh, lady… But… What are you sorry about… ?”

Vienna wiggled her hand. She seemed to be having a hard time speaking.

“That..! Not too long ago… Ignored you when you spoke…”

“Ah~ then? Ah, it’s okay. There must have been a situation.”

Glancing at the innkeeper, Vienna realized her face was full of smiles.

She was grateful that the innkeeper accepted the apology so easily, but she didn’t think she could express that. She briefly bowed her head to greet her and went upstairs to Starchis’s room.

Climbing the stairs made Vienna slightly out of breath, and memories of the nightmare from a few days ago started to haunt her.

'What if I heard that sound again?'

She began to pray, hoping that she wouldn't hear anything strange.

‘Please don’t let there be any strange noises… Please…’

As she prayed, she arrived at Starchis' door in no time.

Fortunately, unlike then, no sound could be heard, but her heart still did not stop.

She took a deep breath, moved her hand back and forth a few times, hesitated, then knocked on the door twice.

-knock knock

Though, these knocks were quite gentle. Unlike before, she didn’t have the strength to knock on the door harshly.

Her heart continued to beat.

Her ears continued to buzz.

And-