Because It Looks Fun

Upon arriving at the Jealousy Association, the team leader stared at me with open suspicion. "What brings you here?"

"I figured there might have been another information leak like last time, so I came to check."

"......"

When I shrugged, the team leader averted his gaze. Apparently at a loss for words, he changed the subject immediately. "Ahem. Seems like the two of you got pretty close while you were in Jeju Island."

"Yep! Our darling has such a pretty face that I just can't help but like her!"

Mi-ji wrapped her arms around mine and pressed herself close, openly showing affection. The team leader let out a long sigh at the display.

"It's nice that you're so friendly, but please try not to cause any trouble. We're the ones who have to clean up the mess."

"Okey-dokey."

Once he had confirmation, the team leader handed a document to Mi-ji. I tilted my head slightly and read it too. The papers were filled with information concerning China.

"What's this? China?"

"Yes. A massive Chinese submarine has been detected in Korean territorial waters."

"......!"

I was genuinely startled. China? For a split second, an anxious thought flashed through my mind. It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠couldn't possibly be because of what I'd done, right?

"That's exactly why we're in such a headache."

"Then shouldn't it be as simple as telling them to leave?"

Mi-ji was right. It was fundamentally wrong for a foreign warship to be discovered operating as a submarine in Republic of Korea waters. Had the nation's power weakened that much while I was away?

The team leader sighed again. "The problem is that it's on a rather ambiguous boundary line. It's awkward to raise an objection, but it's also awkward to just let it slide..."

"Ah..."

I exhaled, finally understanding. They wanted to protest but didn't want to look petty doing it.

Suddenly, the Eastern and Western Continents from the other world came to mind. Back then, I'd run myself ragged trying to mediate between two countries that hated each other. There were times I genuinely wanted to kill both emperors. They were supposed to be fighting the Demon King, yet they kept bickering and causing chaos. In the end, I resolved it by smacking each of them on the head once. Thankfully, that was enough.

"Do I really have to handle this? Can't you just send any hunter or mercenary?"

"I'd love to, but Korea doesn't really have any mercenaries or hunters who specialize in underwater exploration."

Awakeners with aquatic abilities were extremely rare. That was why they were turning to Mi-ji—the only returnee with genuine underwater exploration capabilities.

"Just so you know, we'll compensate you generously. Please accept. I'd rather not get chewed out by the higher-ups."

"Hmm..."

Faced with the team leader's exhausted expression, Mi-ji rested her chin in her hand and appeared to be deep in thought. There would be no real downside to refusing, so she was obviously going to turn it down...

"It looks fun, so I'll do it."

"......?"

For a moment I wondered if I'd heard wrong. It looks fun, so what?

Whether I was confused or not, the conversation moved forward at lightning speed.

"Whew, what a relief. I was worried you might refuse."

After accepting the request, Mi-ji followed the team leader toward the conference room. While I stood there spacing out, Agent Ji-woo stepped up beside me.

"Miss Mi-ji really hasn't changed at all."

"Is she always like this?"

"Hehe, I figured you might want to know, so I prepared this ahead of time. Here's her personnel profile."

Ji-woo flapped the papers with a confident grin. Her thorough ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠preparation was impressive.

'So that's the vibe.'

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now had a rough grasp of her personality and abilities. I still couldn't imagine how someone like this had served as a royal guard for a mermaid princess in the other world.

As I finished reading the profile, Ji-woo turned to me. "Will you be participating? If you want in, I'll speak to the team leader for you."

"......"

It was a difficult decision. This involved national diplomacy, and the other party was China—an overwhelmingly heavy opponent.

Just to be sure, I asked, "What happens if this gets exposed?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it, but in the worst case, it could escalate into an all-out war. Boom, just like that."

"......"

It left me feeling uneasy. Having encountered all kinds of people in the other world, I knew this type usually made critical mistakes at the worst possible moments. It was time to read the future.

The moment I closed my eyes, something appeared. Combining the words that rose in my mind produced an absolutely ridiculous result. A sigh escaped me automatically.

"Ha... Count me in too."

I was getting tired of this. Why did my peaceful life keep running away from me?

"Understood. I'll let the team leader know."

By the time we finished talking, the meeting on the other side seemed to have ended as well. Mi-ji emerged from the conference room with the team leader.

"Darling, we're done!"

Looking delighted that everything had gone smoothly, Mi-ji hugged me tightly. We left the association and headed straight home.

"When are you planning to leave?"

"Tomorrow night! It's going to be so much fun!"

Her bouncing steps made it obvious how excited she was. She seemed to be wishing for tomorrow to arrive immediately.

'I just don't get it...'

Accepting a mission that could cost her life simply because it looked fun was something I couldn't comprehend.

'Well, with a personality like that, it's no wonder she gets herself killed by enemies.'

***

When I opened the soundproof booth door, Ha-im and Rona were still sitting there with their hands in the air. It was a little surprising.

"Oh, I thought you'd have lowered your hands while I was gone."

"Lying to you never works, Unnie. So we have no choice but to keep them up."

Rona's situational awareness was sharp, as usual. On the other hand...

"What? Why?"

How should I handle this rude little brat? I wanted to smack her, but I barely held back. Still, the fact that she'd kept her hands raised the entire time was rather admirable. This much punishment seemed sufficient.

"I've vented enough now. You can put your hands down."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

I'd been a bit angry about their attempt to dress me in a bunny girl outfit, but they hadn't actually done it. Besides, after going out and coming back, my anger had already completely faded.

Rona watched my expression carefully as she slowly rose from her seat. A hint of mischief stirred inside me.

"Wow... You actually stood up when I told you to stand."

"Unnie!"

"Kidding. You can go now."

I waved my hand dismissively. Rona let out an indignant "Hmph!" and left the house.

Ha-im also stood up, reading the room.

"Whew, my arms nearly fell off. I'll head to my room then..."

"Hey, you don't have any plans tomorrow, do you?"

"......?"

My sudden question made Ha-im look at me with suspicion.

"Out of nowhere? I don't have any, but..."

"Then come with me somewhere tomorrow."

"What for?"

"Well..."

"Dinner's ready!"

Mrs. Kim's voice rang out from the kitchen just as I was about to explain. We set the conversation aside and headed to the kitchen for dinner.

We couldn't tear our eyes away from the spread on the table. Bulgogi, japchae, seafood pancake, sanjeok skewers, three-color namul, and all kinds of luxurious side dishes were laid out in a feast.

"Whoa..."

"What's going on? Is today some special occasion?"

"What are you talking about? We eat like this all the time."

"......"

The claim that we normally ate this well made me slowly reorganize my memories. Unfortunately, no such recollections existed.

While I was lost in thought, Mrs. Kim turned her attention to Mi-ji.

"Are you our daughter's friend?"

"Yes! I'm Kwak Mi-ji!"

"Good. Treat this like your own home and make yourself comfortable."

Mrs. Kim greeted her with a warm, gentle smile. Mi-ji immediately sent a message saying she was sleeping over. It made me a little anxious, but there wasn't much I could do about it, so I simply sat down and started eating.

Mrs. Kim kept stealing glances at Mi-ji as she asked questions.

"You're not... some kind of rental friend, are you?"

"Cough!"

The unexpected question made me choke. This demanded a protest.

"What kind of question is that?!"

"You've never brought a friend home before."

"I didn't bring her! She did!"

I pointed at Ha-im. Besides, calling her a friend felt ambiguous. This kid was the only one showing one-sided affection.

I glared at my damn housemate. Mi-ji immediately hugged Ha-im protectively.

"Don't scold our baby. She's the benefactor who told me your streaming schedule."

"Ugh, when did she become 'our baby'?"

"Just now. She's younger than me, so she's a baby."

"......"

When I made a dumbfounded face, Mi-ji started jumping to ridiculous conclusions.

"Are you jealous? Do you want to be called baby too..."

"No. Don't. If you say it, you're dead."

I cut her off with a serious warning before she could finish, but it was useless.

"Playing hard to get, ba—... Mmph!"

I quickly covered Mi-ji's mouth. Someone younger than me calling me "baby"? My inner Confucian principles refused to accept it.

Continuing this conversation would only drain me further, so I ate quickly and retreated into the soundproof booth.

The moment I launched the game, Mi-ji—who had followed me in—clung tightly to my back.

"Darling, I came over to play with you and you're just going to keep gaming?"

"Yep."

"Hing, that's so mean. I even brought UNO and Halli Galli so we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could play together all night..."

She grabbed my shoulder with an incredibly pitiful expression, but it had no effect on me.

"You can play with Ha-im."

"What's the fun in just two people playing? Let's do it together~!"

She stuck close to my side and whined, but my decision didn't waver.

"No."

"......"

At my firm refusal, Mi-ji bent forward at the waist inside the booth and stayed put.

"I'll stay right here until you play with me..."

"Do whatever you want."

I turned on the computer and tried to connect to VR, but she rushed over from behind and blocked me.

"No! You have to keep talking to me even while you're playing!"

"......"

This was more annoying than dealing with an actual girlfriend. Still, fighting over something so childish felt stupid, so I simply logged in on the computer instead.

Mi-ji still looked unhappy, but she seemed to have given up. She sat on the floor again and watched me play.

"Shall we begin?"

"Sure."

The moment the man's voice came through the speakers, Mi-ji's eyes widened. She shot me a fierce glare. I had no idea why, but I ignored it and kept playing.

"This pattern really is tricky, as expected."

"Yes, I believe the probability of it appearing in the next raid is quite high."

I analyzed next month's raid patterns with the paladin while Mi-ji's expression grew progressively darker.

"Watch the right side."

"Yes. The next pattern includes a charm effect, so please be prepared."

Time flew by without us noticing. It was nearly midnight when Mi-ji stood up with tears in her eyes.

"...Hic, darling is such a player!!!"

"......?"

With tears scattering behind her, Mi-ji burst out of the soundproof booth and ran straight into Ha-im's room.

It left me a little bewildered, but I continued the game with the paladin anyway.