Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Later
“She really eats well.”
Marie stole a glance at Yuri, who was chewing her steak like a squirrel, her cheeks puffing out with every bite. Even while moving her fork, Marie’s eyes kept drifting back to her.
When did she finish all that wine?
It was strong, too.
The clear wineglass in front of Yuri only had the faint coral marks of her lipstick left behind. Marie stared at it for a moment before looking away.
“…Her tint rubbed off.”
At that moment, Yuri tapped her empty glass with her fingernail and spoke in a lazy voice.
“One more glass, unni.”
Her voice was lower than usual as she looked straight at Marie.
The moment Marie saw Yuri’s flushed cheeks and unfocused pink eyes, her heart pounded hard against her ribs.
Dangerous.
The warning rang through her head, but her mouth had already moved first.
“…Ah, okay.”
Before she realized it, Marie had emptied her own glass and raised her hand to call the staff over.
Two more glasses.
She took a small breath.
When the wine was placed on the table, Yuri picked up her glass and looked at Marie.
Their eyes met.
Slowly, Yuri’s lips curved upward, and her eyes narrowed into a smile.
A soft smile.
Just seeing that silent smile made Marie’s whole body stiffen.
I’m losing it.
Marie lowered her head and stabbed a mushroom from the pasta with her fork.
Pretending to fix her hair, she covered her burning ears.
It’s her eyes.
Every time those pink eyes met hers, alarms rang in her mind.
Danger. Danger.
But her body wouldn’t listen.
If anything, her eyes kept drifting back even more.
Marie chewed her mushroom and wondered if it was because of the wine.
Or because of something else.
But she already knew the answer.
So she forced herself to stop thinking about it.
Time passed.
Before either of them realized it, the table held four empty wineglasses each.
Yuri stared at Marie with heavy-lidded eyes.
Her pale cheeks were tinted red from the alcohol.
“Yuri, are you okay?”
“Mmm… I’m okay…”
Her words dragged out.
Her usual lively voice was gone, replaced by a soft, soaked, slurred tone.
“No, you’re not okay. You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk… I just feel all floaty, like I’m drifting on clouds.”
Yuri raised a finger and pointed at Marie’s face.
“Huh? Unni… why do you have two faces? Ah… or three?”
“We’re leaving.”
“Aw… I can still drink more…”
“No more.”
Marie helped Yuri up, calming her protests.
Supporting her swaying shoulders, she quickly guided her to the counter.
After paying, they stepped outside.
The cool night air felt refreshing against their heated skin.
“Mmm…”
Drunk, Yuri clung tightly to Marie’s arm.
Normally, Marie would have shaken her off immediately.
But seeing Yuri stumble like this, she couldn’t bring herself to.
“Sorry… my body keeps moving on its own. Let me hold your arm.”
“…It’s fine.”
Under the bright neon lights of the busy streets, the two walked close together.
People passing by began staring.
“Wait, isn’t that Jo Marie?”
“It is. Who’s that with her? Her little sister? They’re really close.”
At the whispers, Marie instinctively wrapped an arm around Yuri’s shoulders and pulled her closer.
Yuri looked up in surprise at the sudden pull, but Marie kept walking with a stiff face.
At the same time, Marie circulated mana through her veins.
Her blurred vision sharpened instantly.
The drunkenness disappeared like melting snow.
She glanced down.
Brown hair.
Yuri really doesn’t know how to clear alcohol with mana?
As they pushed through the crowd—
“Oh! Unni, sticker photos!”
Yuri pointed ahead.
Marie looked.
A bright, princess-themed self-photo booth stood by the roadside, glowing with ridiculous colors.
“Ahem.”
Marie pretended not to see it and kept walking.
But Yuri tightened her grip on Marie’s arm and started pleading.
“Let’s take one. Please? I want a photo with you…”
Her words were slurred, sticky with drunken affection.
Marie’s steps faltered.
Seeing those desperate eyes, she almost gave in.
Just one picture.
That should be fine, right?
But the stares around them were still constant.
After a short moment of thought, Marie sighed.
“…Later.”
Yuri pouted immediately, but Marie gently led her away.
They left the noisy neon streets behind and entered a quiet road lined with trees.
The loud city sounds faded.
Only the sound of insects remained.
As they walked slowly under the streetlights, Yuri muttered softly.
“I really… have so many things I want to do with you, unni.”
“Like what?”
At Marie’s question, Yuri rolled her eyes, thinking carefully.
“Hmm… I want to go hiking together. Rent a pretty pension house and grill meat together. Try fishing at least once. Take those sticker photos we missed. Go to an amusement park. Ride on planes and ships. Just… everything.”
She smiled faintly.
“I want to do everything in this world with you.”
Marie went silent.
They were such normal wishes.
Simple.
Small.
And somehow that made her chest ache.
When Marie didn’t answer, Yuri’s confidence shrank.
“You don’t want to do those things with me?”
Her voice weakened.
“…It’s okay if you don’t.”
Marie looked down at Yuri’s drooping head and sighed softly.
“It’s not that.”
“Not that?”
Yuri repeated.
Marie carefully removed Yuri’s arms from her own.
For a moment, Yuri thought she was being pushed away.
Her shoulders shrank.
But then—
Marie’s warm hand gently wrapped around Yuri’s small hand.
And their fingers interlocked tightly.
“Later.”
Marie’s voice was low.
“Later, we’ll do all of it.”
Yuri’s face immediately bloomed into a beautiful smile.
“Maybe I don’t even have to wait until then.”
She squeezed Marie’s hand.
“Just holding hands like this already makes me really happy.”
Silence settled between them.
Yuri stared at the ground before speaking carefully.
“Do you know something?”
“A secret.”
“What secret?”
Marie opened and closed her free hand nervously.
What was she about to say?
Her mouth felt dry.
After a moment, Yuri tightened her grip and spoke.
“I was actually a boy before. When I was young. Before I awakened.”
“Oh. I see.”
A short reaction.
Marie had known that for a long time.
“That’s it? That’s your reaction? I used alcohol to gather courage for that.”
“Well…”
Marie shrugged.
“There are people in this world who shoot missiles from their bodies. People with blades for arms. Compared to that, yours is pretty normal. At least you didn’t turn into something like a praying mantis.”
Yuri blinked.
“…When you put it that way, I guess you’re right.”
She scrunched her nose and laughed.
Marie stared quietly at that expression, pressing a hand against her chest.
“…But why tell me now?”
Yuri’s voice softened.
“I was scared.”
She smiled bitterly.
“That if you found out later… maybe you’d hate me.”
Marie frowned.
“For something like that?”
“Was it really that small to you? I was worrying all by myself.”
“Yeah.”
Marie nodded.
“It’s small. Really nothing.”
“…I see.”
“Let’s take a taxi. I’ll take you home.”
“…Okay.”
Not long after, the two sat together in the backseat of a taxi.
Until they arrived, only the radio played.
And outside the window, the city lights passed by.
At least that’s what it looked like.
In reality, Yuri was secretly staring at Marie’s reflection in the window.
Even in the darkness of the taxi, Marie still looked beautiful.
Yuri scratched her cheek and quietly looked away.
Eventually, the taxi stopped in front of Yuri’s old apartment building.
Yuri stepped out but lingered by the entrance, reluctant.
“I’ll go in after I see you leave.”
“No.”
Marie gently pushed her forward.
“Go inside first. I’ll leave after I see you enter.”
Yuri shook her head stubbornly.
But in the end, she climbed the stairs.
At the door, she opened it halfway and looked back at Marie.
Then she waved once—
And went inside.
Marie stood there for a while, staring at the now-empty entrance.
Yuri’s voice still echoed in her ears.
“I want to do everything with you, unni.”
Marie slipped her hands into her pockets and quietly started walking.
Later.