Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Cheering Her Up
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Munch, munch, munch.
Glance after glance.
I sat at the kitchen table, stuffing cold chicken into my mouth while stealing glances at Chris.
I hadn't microwaved it, but it was surprisingly okay. Chicken doesn't lose much of its flavor when it's cold, as long as it hasn't been in the fridge.
Chris, sitting across from me, still didn't look too happy. With a completely crestfallen expression, she mechanically chewed on her chicken.
Crunch, crunch.
"Gasp."
I flinched in surprise.
Why does her chewing sound like that?
Looking closely at Chris's face, I saw she was crunching down on the very bone of the drumstick.
Does Chris like eating the bones?
The meal felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.
It was so uncomfortable.
Why had our normally peaceful mealtimes become like this?
Why was Chris so dejected?
I actually knew the reason. It was all my fault. Chris had come home early for once, but instead of spending time with her, I'd neglected her to play by myself.
It might have been a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but I felt a little angry myself.
In truth, I had nothing to be ashamed of.
Whatever I did with my own time was none of Chris's business.
Who is she to me? My guardian?
"Hmm..."
On second thought, she was my guardian.
Even though I was an adult, my body was in this state, and life would be very inconvenient without Chris's help.
Munch, munch.
She was still chewing her chicken with that downcast expression.
Fortunately, she didn't seem angry. Still, I needed to cheer her up.
"Umm..."
I finished off the chicken in my hand, my cheeks puffed out, and fell into thought.
What could I do to lift Chris's spirits?
First, I should just be honest about what I was doing.
'I spent all day playing with another girl instead of you. We patted each other's heads, held hands, and even hugged.'
"Gasp."
I broke out in a cold sweat.
I had a strong feeling that saying that would be a very bad idea.
Okay, Iseulbi. Calm down and analyze Chris's personality first.
We've known each other for almost a year now.
Chris likes me a lot.
She always wants me by her side, but she doesn't try to stop me from doing things.
But what is our relationship, anyway?
A close older sister and younger sister?
Actually, it feels a bit different from that.
Chris wanted to have me all to herself. She was extremely wary of my contact with others, regardless of their gender.
Come to think of it, it wasn't much different back when I was the Hero.
All the women around me reacted similarly to Chris. Saintess Elena, Melissa... Though, of course, Igraine was a bit different.
So not just a close older sister and younger sister.
Then, I guess we're *very* close older and younger sisters.
I nodded, convincing myself.
The way Chris looks at me must be similar to how I look at Nagi.
Let's think about the things Nagi did for me that I liked while playing with her recently.
She'd come running over with a bright smile. She'd squirm and make cute gestures.
I think there was a word for all these actions.
'Acting cute.'
My mouth fell open.
If I act cute, her mood will improve?
But how do you even act cute in the first place?
Throughout my past and present lives, I don't think I've ever acted cute. ...Probably.
When I'm in Rain's body, I feel younger. It might be possible then, but for Iseulbi, with the perfectly normal mindset of an adult woman, to do something like that?
Chris, who had been eating with her face almost in her plate, looked up and gave me a puzzled look.
"...Rain, what are you doing?"
"Ah!"
Chris's question brought me back to my senses.
I'd been lost in thought for too long.
Nodding to myself, breaking out in a sweat, my mouth hanging open. I must have looked like a total weirdo.
"A-ahem. It's nothing."
It seemed my mind was clear enough to talk now.
I wasn't sure, but I figured I should just do something Chris would like.
Whirr.
I put down my chicken and wiped my hands clean with a wet wipe. Then I maneuvered the wheelchair I used as a chair over to Chris's side.
*Click.*
And I stuck close to Chris's side.
"......?"
Her face seemed to be covered in question marks. Her sullen expression didn't change completely, but her body flinched, so it seemed I got some kind of reaction.
"Chris."
I pressed myself as close as I could to Chris's side and looked up at her face.
Filled with apology and affection.
"Hah...!"
Chris gasped.
Oh, there's a reaction.
That's the sound Chris makes when she's in a good mood.
Remembering what Nagi used to do, I squirmed a little from side to side and continued in a voice full of remorse.
"I'm sorry I couldn't spend time with you today, even though you came home early."
"I-It's okay! Did something happen? Were you farming for currency or something? You should have told me if you were short on gold. ...No, Rain doesn't need to report everything she does to me, of course. Hehe!"
Chris's mood seemed to have completely lifted. She grinned broadly, her face flushing slightly.
I tilted my head.
Why did this happen?
I stared at Chris's side, where my body was touching hers.
Does Chris's anger just melt away when I touch her?
I pressed myself a little closer to Chris's body.
*Snuggle.*
"Huugh...!"
Chris's mouth fell open.
Come to think of it, I slept in the same bed with Chris once when I was sick. She seemed to be in a fantastic mood that morning.
It seemed like if we slept together today, her bad mood would completely disappear.
I whispered softly in her ear.
"Let's sleep in your room tonight."
"Ah... Aah..."
Chris let out a moan.
"...Pink?"
After washing up and entering Chris's room, I saw a pink blanket on the bed. I giggled at the sight.
Such a girly color choice. Chris has a cuter side than I thought.
"E-ehem."
Chris seemed to have finished washing up too. Dressed in her pajamas, she cleared her throat, pointedly looking elsewhere.
Gently.
Chris lifted me from the wheelchair and laid me down on her bed. Then she lay down beside me.
I stared at the face of the woman lying next to me.
In the faint glow of the nightlight, Chris's face seemed a little flushed.
Chris stared at my face for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"P-pfft! Honestly, what am I even thinking?"
"......?"
After shaking her head vigorously for a moment, Chris pulled the blanket up to my neck and began to pat my back.
"Sorry, was my expression scary earlier?"
"Y-yeah. A little."
Honestly, it was very scary. In some ways, even more so than facing a powerful demon.
"I'm sorry for not paying much attention to you lately. I've been raising a newbie."
"A newbie?"
"Oops."
I lightly covered my mouth at Chris's question.
I'd let it slip without thinking.
Just like with Nagi, it seems I'm not the type who can hide my thoughts. Then again, I never used to have long conversations with people, and I never had anything to hide.
In truth, there was no reason to hide it. Since it was already out, I decided to confess everything.
"Yes. Astria Online's age rating was lowered to 12+, right? So, there was a situation where I couldn't hunt the other day..."
Lying in bed with Chris, I began to tell her all about my adventures with the young swordsman, Nagi.
Pat, pat.
Chris roared with laughter when she heard about the Safety Guard incident where milk came out of a monster. She gulped when I told her about Nagi facing the Black Wyvern alone. She listened to my story with a variety of reactions, all while continuing to pat my back with one hand.
Chatting with Chris like this was very enjoyable.
I realized I'd rarely had time like this with Chris before bed. I was always so busy with Astria Online. I should have made time for this in the real world more often. No, I can just start now.
"I see. You should have just told me sooner."
"W-well. It's just that."
How could I possibly say, 'I didn't think you'd take it well if I told you I was neglecting you to play with another girl.'?
I didn't know why, but it felt like I was doing something wrong to Chris.
"It's fine. You were just playing with a younger kid because you thought she was cute, right? And you must have admired her for wanting to run a dungeon by herself."
"Yes, exactly. It was like seeing my old self."
Nagi is amazing. What other newbie besides me would even think of soloing a 4-player elite dungeon?
"...And you said that girl, Nagi, has a pretty high synchronization rate. So that's what you were asking me about the other day."
"Yes. I got curious after seeing her."
"Hmm..."
Chris fell into thought. What was she thinking about? As a virtual reality expert, she was probably analyzing the case.
I gazed at her face.
Cherry-like lips. Sharp eyes with a hint of green. Her red hair, which I loved, was spread like threads across the pink blanket. I even liked her pensive expression; it was so cool. She looked like a beautiful researcher fighting against an evil organization across time and space.
Looking at Chris's beautiful face calmed my heart. And it felt good.
She's such a precious person to me; I really have been too much lately.
Tomorrow, I'll go on an adventure with Chris in Erin's Gorge.
As I quietly gazed at Chris's face, I felt my eyes slowly closing.
I'm sleepy.
Feeling Chris's hand patting my back, I fell into a deep sleep.