The Heavenly Demon Attends the After-Party (3)
Enry had never once felt confident that she would perform well in a team game. She had always been a bottom-tier player, and in team games a low-tier player’s confidence usually dragged the entire team toward destruction. In most tournaments her role had been that of a puppet, moving exactly as the high-tier players commanded. That was how it had been ever since she ruined a single competition with one mistake, and that was how it had to be. This tournament was different. The fact that she—who had only ever competed in Silver, or at best Gold—was now stepping onto the stage with Diamond attached to her name. The fact that people were finally showing interest in her after she had always been treated as something to avoid. The fact that she had been told to make her own judgments instead of simply following orders.
“Enry-nim. You’re doing great right now. So don’t get discouraged—it’s okay to trust your own decisions.”
“Exactly! If it weren’t for Enry this team would have collapsed ages ago, you know?”
“Enry. Have confidence. Who taught you, that you would hesitate like this? I never raised you to be so weak.”
The fact that she now stood in a position where she received trust from others.
Everything was different. And every one of those changes had begun with a single person. Ara. The person she had met by chance while hoping to make a friend she could see comfortably in real life. A person for whom the contradictory description of being elegant yet sometimes completely ridiculous fit perfectly. Because Ara had saved her. Because Ara had taught her about Apis. Because Ara had elevated every other member of the team. That was why Enry stood here now.
After finishing her deep breath, Enry opened her eyes. They had already secured two victories; one more win and the tournament would be over. When the team first formed, she could never have imagined a scene like this. Everyone who saw the newly created team had said the same thing: that team is finished, there’s no hope, it’s the worst team in history.
But what about now? After picking Dragon Hunter as usual and entering the game, her teammates appeared. Even though they had won twice, there was no excitement in their atmosphere. That was only natural—before they logged in, Ara had set an absolutely terrifying mood.
“Hwaryeong-nim. You really are scary.”
Bae Min-hwang chuckled as he spoke.
“Tell me about it. Thanks to her, all the hype I had until a second ago has completely vanished.”
Na-hee’s voice was slightly subdued.
“We’re in a good spot—can’t we at least show a little excitement?”
Nabi-rin complained in her usual tone.
“Still, what Hwaryeong-nim said is right. There’s plenty of time to get excited after we win.”
Bunny mediated between them all.
Watching the now-familiar team dynamic, Enry smiled before she even realized it.
“Enry-nim.”
At Nabi-rin’s call, Enry turned her head.
“What?”
“When the after-party date is set, make sure you capture Hwaryeong-nim and drag her there, okay?”
Her voice was playful, yet completely serious.
“Me?”
“You’re real-life friends, right?”
That was true, but could she actually force Ara to move? Enry recalled the sight of Ara effortlessly knocking out a grown man. No matter how she thought about it, she would probably be the one captured instead.
“It’s true my skills improved a lot thanks to Hwaryeong-nim, but I still need to land at least one hit on her.”
At Nabi-rin’s declaration that she would see that arrogant side in real life too, Enry simply smiled without answering.
“That’s enough chatter. The match is starting.”
“Already?”
“Let’s go! Time to meet Hwaryeong-nim!”
“Shouldn’t we be talking about winning the whole thing here?!”
How many people could have imagined this team making it this far?
On the day of the auction, people said it! That a first-time manager had made a mistake! That the worst team in history had been formed!
Their words were nothing more than prayers wishing for a miserable result!
Ordinary people cannot endure such curses! Even among professionals, few overcome that curse!
But look! At these people who have climbed from the bottom of the cliff!
There are no underdogs here anymore! The puppy that had been sprawled on the floor has grown into a beast and is baring its fangs at the championship!
Team! Those Who Want Revenge! They are writing a new history in the AS Tournament!
Today they have proven it! That there is no such thing as the worst team in this world! Only teams that others presumed to be the worst and gave up on!
Match complete! Those Who Want Revenge seize the championship of the 6th AS Tournament!
Will there really be an after-party?
“I’m thinking about it.”
I had said I would consider it if we achieved decent results, but since we came back with the championship I had to keep my word. I had no particular reason to avoid meeting people, so I figured I would simply spend one day hanging out with them and be done with it.
Uuu. My own little Ara is stepping out into the big wide world.
“I’m not your doll, you know?”
That’s true, but…
It wasn’t as if I was going somewhere without her; it was no different from going out to play together. I had no idea why she was reacting like that.
Ignoring Enry’s complicated muttering, I got off the bus and started walking home. These actions felt completely natural now. Repeating similar routines every day had made them second nature. At this point I could probably walk between school and home with my eyes closed. Well. Since I could perceive everything through qi sense even with my eyes shut, the statement was meaningless anyway.
“Excuse me!”
I had reached the building and was about to step inside when the security guard called out to me. We usually exchanged casual greetings, but he had never called me over before. Had something arrived? Had the storage cabinet I ordered last time to hold the dolls finally come?!
With that thought I asked Enry for a moment and hurried over, but what the guard handed me was a small box that fit easily in one hand.
“Is this all?”
“Yes. Nothing else came for you.”
Had I even ordered anything this small?
Did a package arrive?
“Yes.”
What is it?
“I don’t know. I’ll open it when I get inside.”
The moment I reached home I opened the box. Inside was a hairpin. It looked exactly like the one my mother had given me when I was young.
Ah. The Apis company had said they would craft and send this as a reward. They hadn’t given an exact date, so I had pushed it to the back of my mind. It seemed today was the day.
Receiving the hairpin in reality did not stir much emotion. It was, after all, only similar in appearance to the one my mother had given me. Besides, I had worn this same style until I was sick of it in the other world.
What was inside the package?
“A hairpin.”
The Apis tutorial clear reward?
“Yes.”
It finally came?! Take a picture and send it!
I photographed the hairpin in my hand and sent it, only for Enry to complain immediately.
Not that!
“Huh?”
I had sent the photo because she asked for one, yet she said that wasn’t what she wanted. Then what exactly did she expect?
Obviously I meant a picture of you wearing the hairpin, Ara!
So that was it? She should have said so from the beginning.
I sat at the dressing table, set the phone down, and used both hands to arrange my hair. It still seemed a little short for the hairpin, but with some effort it could work. After fiddling with it for a while I managed to put it on. It looked decent enough, though I couldn’t tell whether it actually suited me. After all, I had never worn a hairpin with short hair before.
Now that it was in place I simply needed to take a photo and send it. Not being able to see the camera screen made the process rather awkward. It would be convenient if I could look at the screen while taking pictures.
After struggling through the process and finally sending the photo, Enry let out a laugh.
Ara. Do you really not know how to use the selfie camera?
“Selfie? What is that?”
You seriously don’t know?! How can someone in their early twenties not know that?!
Well, that was because I wasn’t actually in my twenties. My ID might say so, but my real age was many times greater than Enry’s. Even I considered myself old enough to be called a geezer.
Following Enry’s careful instructions, I adjusted the phone’s functions step by step. Soon I was able to take photos while watching the screen exactly as I wanted.
Indeed! What I had found inconvenient, others had apparently found inconvenient as well and created a solution for.
Wow. It really suits you! It would look even better if you weren’t wearing a hoodie, though!
“What’s wrong with a hoodie?”
It was comfortable, loose enough that I didn’t need to worry about appearance, and had pockets for carrying things. I couldn’t understand what was supposedly strange about it.
Ara. You’re planning to wear that same hoodie to tomorrow’s after-party, aren’t you?!
“Of course?”
I hated having to dress up just because I was meeting people. What made those people so important that I should care about my clothes? They were faces I might never see again after tomorrow anyway.
That won’t do. I can’t let other people see Ara looking sloppy.
“Sloppy?”
What was so bad about my usual appearance? My hair was neat and my clothes were proper—calling it sloppy seemed excessive.
It can’t be helped. I’ll come over tomorrow and coordinate your outfit myself!
“Huh? There’s no need for that.”
No! This is something I want to do, so don’t worry about it!
I hadn’t asked for her opinion, but whether she liked it or not made no difference to me. I was the one who disliked it. If she came here she would definitely make me wear all sorts of bizarre clothes!
I’ll be there tomorrow for sure!
“Don’t co—”
Enry said only what she wanted and hung up.
…Sigh. Maybe I should have just skipped the after-party altogether.