I Don't Want to Give Her Away
I don’t want to give her away.
“Hello. I’m Roen, Glinis’s son.”
The regular Youth Association meeting was being held at the village hall, doubling as dinner. When I bowed and greeted everyone, only three of the youths present clapped. One was Ilena, one was Malkuth, and the last was a face I’d never seen before.
“Hmph……”
Gebura and Hesed made no effort to hide their discomfort. That was preferable, at least, since Tiphereth had turned her head away entirely.
“Clap. Now.”
At Ilena’s gritted-teeth command, the three finally clapped, albeit reluctantly.
Despite its grand name, the Youth Association had fewer than ten members. One Demon King, four Demon Legion Commanders, four humans including the newcomer, and Malcolm, who had yet to arrive.
“Hey, nice to meet you. You’re the one Glinis always talks about!”
The unfamiliar youth extended his hand with a hearty laugh. He was a solidly built young man with a gruff voice.
“My name is Dimitri. Mind if I ask your age?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Oh! Three years older than me? I’ll call you hyung from now on!”
“Hyung……?”
“Yes! Please speak comfortably, hyung!”
His presumptuous attitude lacked formality, but it wasn’t unpleasant. His wide, unreserved smile revealing slightly yellowed teeth was actually rather likable.
“Sure, Dimitri. Take care of me. By the way, is this everyone in the Youth Association?”
“No. Malcolm hyung and Kana haven’t arrived yet. Malcolm hyung’s family is bringing the food today.”
“Kana? Malcolm’s little sister? She’s still in the village?”
“That’s right, hyung.”
In a human village’s Youth Association, there were four humans and five demons. It could hardly be called normal anymore.
“So the people here are basically all of them.”
“Can’t be helped! There used to be a few more a few years ago, but they all left for the city. Just like you did when you were young, hyung.”
“You, though—Dimitri—I’ve never seen your face before. What brought you to such a remote village?”
“Ah, the opposite of those who left. I got sick of city life. Haha……”
Dimitri spoke lightly, but I could sense there was a story behind it. Especially that unusually well-trained physique. I knew exactly what kind of body that was. A warrior’s body.
“Then why did you come back, hyung?”
“Same reason as you. To hide from the world’s noise.”
“Haha, looks like we already have plenty in common, hyung! I look forward to getting along!”
When the large Dimitri laughed heartily, the sound echoed through the hall.
“Ah, they’re coming.”
In the distance, two figures approached leading a donkey piled high with bundles. One was Malcolm; beside him was the petite Kana.
Reaching the front of the village hall, Malcolm’s eyes lit up when he saw me.
“Well, look who it is. Roen, the runaway?”
“Long time no see, Malcolm.”
I took the large food bundle he handed over first.
“Heard you came back. But you’ve changed completely after twelve years, huh?”
“You too. You’ve become a proper young man. And……”
Kana, standing beside Malcolm, looked up at me.
“Kana, long time no see too?”
“Wow! It really is Roen oppa?”
“Of course. I remember your face, but you don’t remember me?”
“How could I forget!”
While my arms were full, Kana suddenly threw herself at me in a tight hug.
“Aack……!”
“I missed you!”
“Y-yeah. I missed you too, Kana.”
At that moment, a chilly voice came from beside us.
“Kana, could you let go of Roen for now? The food’s going to spill.”
“Okay!”
At Ilena’s words, Kana obediently released me. Ilena’s gaze toward us seemed somewhat unusual, but fortunately it wasn’t as displeased as when she’d hung Malkuth upside down.
While the male youths including me carried the food, Kana stuck close to my side and chattered nonstop.
“Oppa’s grown so much. You were already taller than me before, but now you’re even bigger?”
“You’ve gotten smaller, then.”
“Ugh, I didn’t get smaller, okay? I grew taller too! I’m twenty now!”
Good grief. Kana, eight years younger than me, was already twenty.
“From the way you talk, nothing’s changed since twelve years ago.”
“No! I’m a proper lady now! A, la, dy!”
Kana poked my elbow, just hard enough not to hurt.
Malcolm tried to play a mischievous prank on his sister.
“Kana, are you bothering Roen the moment you see him? You know the reason he left the village was because of you, right?”
“Huk, really? Is it true, Roen oppa?”
“It’s true. Even after coming back, I was planning to hide so you wouldn’t find me, but since I got caught, I guess I’ll have to run back to the city.”
“No!!”
Kana flailed wildly at my joke, then clung to me again.
“No, you can’t go! You’re not allowed to leave again!”
Malcolm, my same-age friend, and Kana, the cute little sister I used to dote on. Being welcomed so warmly felt pretty good. It finally felt like I had returned.
But……
“Kana, I like that you’re welcoming Roen warmly. Still, you shouldn’t bother him later, okay? The food’s going to spill. Let go now, hm?”
Ilena’s voice was even chillier than before. The Legion Commanders, who knew their superior’s mood from that tone, froze, but Kana, oblivious, spoke nonchalantly with a sly tone.
“Aww. Ilena unni, stop showing so obviously that you like Roen oppa.”
“Wh-what……?”
“You only ever talked about Roen oppa! Every question you asked was about his old stories too.”
What was this now? Ilena had only talked about me to Kana and asked about my past?
When I glanced at Ilena, she was huffing with a bright red face.
“Ka-Kana! Be quiet!”
“But we haven’t seen each other in so long! I’m happy too!”
Kana clung even tighter to me right in front of Ilena. Then, after claiming a seat first, she patted the spot beside her and called out.
“Roen oppa! Here, sit next to me!”
“Sit there? Where……”
The village hall table was divided into two sides. On one sat the four Legion Commanders, all glaring at me with terrifying eyes. On the other sat the humans.
“Th-then I’ll do that.”
To breathe comfortably, I had no choice but to sit beside Kana. After taking the seat to her right, I called Ilena, who was still standing, to the seat on my left.
“Ilena, come sit here too.”
“Me sit there too?”
“No, Roen. Could Ilena sit over here?”
It was Malcolm who called her.
“Next to Malcolm?”
“Yes. We need to season and divide the food, and Ilena’s skills are good after all. I’d appreciate the help.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll help!”
At the request, Ilena sat beside Malcolm without hesitation instead of the seat next to me.
‘What is this strange feeling.’
Ilena immediately began helping Malcolm divide the food. It was just dividing food, yet watching the scene made my heart feel strangely complicated.
“Pfft……”
Kana’s suppressed laughter snapped me back to my senses.
“Why are you laughing like that, Kana?”
“Shh. Put your ear here.”
When I leaned in, Kana grabbed my face without hesitation and pulled it toward her mouth.
“Actually, our oppa likes Ilena unni. So he sneakily made her sit next to him.”
“I-is that so.”
It was a fact I already knew. But since Ilena was actually helping Malcolm divide the food, I couldn’t say anything. Stepping in would only make things look strange.
“So, is it true? That you were coworkers with Ilena unni.”
“Yeah. But I didn’t know Ilena would be living in this village.”
“Ilena unni is really amazing. But it seems fitting.”
“Fitting?”
“Oppa is handsome. Even when you were young, the signs were there, and sure enough.”
Hearing the compliment so openly made my own face flush.
“Kana, you’re as straightforward as ever, whether before or now.”
“Hehe, but I can’t stand stuffy things? Even right now!”
Kana suddenly stood up and approached Malcolm’s side, forcibly pulling Ilena away.
“Huh? Kana, why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“Unni, go sit over there. This is our family’s cooking, so I’m better at mixing it!”
“Ka-Kana……!”
Malcolm’s face was full of regret as he called her name, but he couldn’t win against his younger sister driving Ilena away with a plausible excuse. His shoulders drooped helplessly as he let her go, and Kana mercilessly scolded him.
“Oppa, why did you suddenly lose all your strength? Put some energy into it, some energy! Don’t you know cooking is about the touch?”
Thanks to Kana, Ilena, now seated beside me, smiled at her.
“I can’t stop her.”
“You and Kana are close too, Ilena?”
“Yeah. There’s probably no one in the village who dislikes Kana. She followed me warmly even though I hadn’t been here long.”
“Ah, but you know.”
I asked playfully.
“Is it true that you talked about me every day?”
“Ugh, I couldn’t help it, could I? Because the reason I came here is you.”
“Ah……”
I understood exactly what she meant—that she had come here because of me. But perhaps because it was right after feeling complicated watching her sit beside Malcolm, an involuntary pleased smile escaped me.
“Kyaaak, the seasoning splashed on my clothes! Malcolm oppa, where are you looking while doing that? Get your head straight!”
“S-sorry, Kana.”
When Kana pressed him, Malcolm, who had been looking our way, hurriedly turned his head.
Malcolm, a good friend I’d been close with since childhood.
But……
Now, for some reason, I didn’t want to give Ilena away.