Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Consolation
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The Spirit Master Dalboreum and the Mage Red Hot Chicken of the Red and White guild recalled the situation at the time as follows.
‘When she looked at me like that, I felt like a frog in front of a snake… I couldn’t even move a fingertip, you know?’
‘Her menacing presence washed over me, but I couldn’t do a thing. …Ah! What in the world happened that day!’
*
Chris was sipping wine, reviewing data on a hologram floating before her.
“Chris, are you working even at the get-together?”
At the voice suddenly coming from her side, Chris turned her head.
Her eyes fell upon a young man with a sharp expression.
He was Heo Jun-hyeok, a researcher at Klaus Capsule Corporation, her university classmate, and the tanker for Chris’s party. He was Death of Death.
“Ah, this capsule was just released to the market for the first time today. I need to continuously review the data.”
“Hmm, I’ve pulled a lot of data using that thing. …But I thought it wasn’t at the commercial stage yet?”
“That’s right. The most important part needs to be resolved… Creating sensations similar to reality isn’t the problem. The problem is controlling them.”
“Even in an age of such rapid scientific advancement, completely conquering the human brain is a difficult task.”
Chris and Death of Death nodded, lost in thought for a moment.
Then, Death of Death spoke first.
“Rain was truly amazing today.”
“Hehe, right? What are the limits of her abilities? With Rain, it wouldn’t be a dream for humanity to completely conquer virtual reality.”
“…How about asking Rain to cooperate? It would be a great help if she could pull data from the lab on a regular basis.”
Chris shook her head.
“Rain is… engrossed in ‘Astria Online.’ I don’t want to take up her time.”
“Hmm, is it a financial issue?”
“Well… that might be part of the reason, but I don’t think that’s all. Money isn’t an issue since I have plenty.”
Although Rain was currently under Chris’s care, she wanted to do as much as possible on her own. For Chris, that was a little frustrating.
“My money is her money.”
After muttering the complaint to herself, Chris soon waved a hand at Death of Death, dismissing him.
“Anyway, Mr. Lonesome Fighter, go be lonely by yourself over there. I need to finish reviewing the data.”
“Heh heh.”
Death of Death chuckled lightly, then tilted his wine glass and approached the window.
Not long after Chris had returned to her work, Beimerung approached with a puzzled expression.
“Huh, unni? Hasn't Rain been here?”
“I don’t know. Wasn’t she with you?”
“She disappeared while I was talking with the big guys for a moment. Said something about finding something to drink.”
Chris closed the holographic window she had open and looked around.
Rain was nowhere to be seen in the hall.
“Rain…?”
Chris and Beimerung hurriedly began to look around.
“Seopseobi, Go Seung-woo. Have you seen Rain?”
“Lee Jae-wook, where’s Rain?”
As everyone shook their heads, Chris and Beimerung heard a strange sound from near a table by the window.
“Ah… Ahh…”
“M-Ms. Rain. You shouldn’t do this…”
“Ehee.”
*Thump, thump, thump.*
Chris and Beimerung rushed to the other side of the table where the sound was coming from and discovered three women in a blind spot on the floor, hidden by the tablecloth.
Rain’s wheelchair was overturned.
And they were… tangled together, collapsed on the hall floor…?
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like me?”
“N-no, that’s not it! B-but… Ahh…!”
“I… I give up…”
“Hee, hee.”
Rain, on the verge of tears, let out a high-pitched cry from her small throat.
“W-what? Ms. Rain’s crying is so cute…!”
“Should I take her home and raise her? B-but Ms. Rain belongs to the Guild Master.”
Rain was lying on the floor, squeezed between Dalboreum and Red Hot Chicken, her arms wrapped around their waists.
Chris and Beimerung’s jaws dropped.
Of the two who were stunned, Beimerung was the first to move.
“Rain! Why are you lying on the floor like that! Ah, ahh! Dalboreum, what are you doing!”
“I-it’s not us! Ms. Rain is hugging us and won’t let go…!”
“Ah, it’s Beimerung. Oh, …ah, right.”
Rain tried to get up with a wide grin, but she collapsed again.
“……!”
Beimerung swallowed a scream and approached Rain.
Dalboreum and Red Hot Chicken had escaped Rain’s grasp, but they were still squirming on the floor. It seemed it would take some time for them to come to their senses.
As Beimerung drew near, Rain smiled brightly and threw herself into Beimerung’s arms.
Beimerung’s face was a mixture of ecstasy and bewilderment from Rain’s full-body tackle.
“Ahh…! Th-this isn’t the time for this! Chris, something’s wrong with Rain!”
“Hah!”
Only then did Chris snap out of her stupor. She hurried over to Beimerung and carefully took Rain into her arms.
“Heehee. It’s Chris.”
Nestled in Chris’s arms, Rain purred and smiled with her eyes.
Chris gasped.
It was utterly bewitching.
Rain then began to rub her cheek against Chris’s face.
“Unni, I like you so much.”
*Nuzzle, nuzzle.*
Chris felt her mind go blank.
“Ah…!”
But she was strong.
She shook her head vigorously and collected herself. Then she asked Red Hot Chicken and Dalboreum about the situation.
“Wh-what happened? Why is our Rain like this?”
“Th-there.”
Dalboreum, who had been twitching on the floor, raised a trembling hand and pointed to an empty bottle on the table.
It was…
“Fruit soju…!”
Chris carefully held Rain in her arms and went up to the hotel room on the fifth floor.
“Eung. Unnii. Unnii.”
“R-Rain, stop! No, don’t stop. Th-that’s not what I mean. …Eek!”
All the while, Rain kept purring and nuzzling against Chris’s body.
Chris could finally let out a sigh only after she had laid Rain down on the bed.
“Hah, Rain really can’t handle her alcohol.”
“Eung…? Al’cohol…?”
After gazing lovingly at Rain’s dazed eyes for a moment, Chris tried to pull her hand from behind Rain’s back.
But Rain seemed to have no intention of letting her go.
“Ah.”
*Poof.*
Chris’s face was buried in Rain’s embrace.
At the same time, Rain’s unique, fresh scent pierced Chris’s nose as she was held.
“Gasp!”
Chris’s eyes widened as she took a sharp breath.
She gritted her teeth and tried to pull her face from Rain’s chest.
“Heehee, unni. Where are you going?”
“Uh, uh, uh.”
But just then, Rain pulled on the arm wrapped around Chris’s neck.
*Flump.*
Chris collapsed onto the bed. She ended up pressing Rain down with her own body.
“Ah… Ahh…”
Chris stopped all resistance and, with glazed eyes, surrendered herself to Rain.
*I’m going to die here today.*
Rain moaned as she nuzzled every part of the now-still Chris, burying her face in her chest.
Then, suddenly, she started to whimper.
“Hee, hee.”
“…R-Rain? Why are you crying?”
“Why… why am I like this? Something’s wrong with me.”
Chris suddenly came to her senses.
Of course, Rain becoming more affectionate was a good thing for Chris, but this was certainly strange.
‘Rain’ was wary of people, but she also laughed easily like a child.
‘Iseulbi’ was quite mature. She didn’t show her emotions much.
But drunk ‘Iseulbi’ was far more childlike than ‘Rain.’
It was as if the alcohol had blown away every mature part of her.
“It feels like… the strange thing inside me is gone for a moment.”
“A strange thing?”
“Eung… I don’t knooow. I just want to be held, I want to whine. I’m not a child. …Or am I? Hmm… if you count from when I was born back then.”
Rain started fiddling with her fingers, pondering something.
Chris smiled faintly.
Then she lay on her side and cradled Rain’s face in her embrace.
“Why? What’s so strange? It’s okay to act like a child.”
“Hee, hee. But.”
Rain’s soft cries slowly turned into sobs.
“…Ugh.”
Chris’s chest began to get soaked with Rain’s tears.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Rain…?”
“Mister Ain. Melissa. Elena. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Because I’m a soul with strange memories. Because I’m a strange Hero who couldn’t mature mentally, I couldn’t do it right. But that’s just an excuse, isn't it? Why did it turn out this way? Where did the Supreme God go? But the Astria Continent without my comrades…”
Rain sobbed, spouting words that were impossible to understand.
“…Igraine. Where are you? You said elves don’t die forever. That you can live on as a spirit. …Please.”
“What… what’s wrong?”
“I just ran away, didn’t I? To the world in my past life’s memories. In truth, wasn’t that continent the place where I was meant to live? Where am I?”
“Rain!”
She had to calm Rain’s drastic emotional shift.
Chris pulled Rain’s face from her chest and gently looked into her eyes.
“…….”
Rain stared blankly at Chris with tear-soaked eyes, then broke into a brilliant smile.
“But still… I’m glad that in this world, I have you, Chris.”
Unable to say a word, Chris could only gently stroke Rain’s hair.
Rain gradually found her calm in Chris’s arms.
Her crying began to subside, and soon it was replaced by the sound of peaceful breathing.
Chris quietly stroked her hair until Rain fell into a deep sleep.
“…….”
What had made Rain so sad?
Chris had no way of knowing.
*Still, I hope she was able to let it all out in my arms.*
And so, their night deepened.