Chapter 109

“Ria woke up in the morning with a splitting headache.”

It seemed she had drank way too much yesterday.

Still, the first can had been fine. The type of alcohol she had wasn’t really that flavorful, and she didn’t feel much of a buzz until she finished one.

This was the complete opposite of how she felt when she drank at the Dwarf Kingdom.

If there was a problem—

“…Ah.”

Right. The problem was that she got a bit too carried away after just one can.

It was low-alcohol, so of course there were a lot of such drinks. Besides chu-hi, there were things like beer too.

Ria racked her brain to slowly recall her faint memories. The clearest memory was—

Her hugging Anna while dragging her away from Lee Si-yoon.

“…”

What on earth was she thinking?

Until just a little while ago—well, saying “a little while” is a bit misleading. If she were to be precise, it would be more correct to say “months ago.”

So, until months ago, Ria was rooting for the relationship between Lee Si-yoon and Anna.

After all, Anna was clueless.

She had lived her whole life in the church and received education there. Naturally, her sexual knowledge was lacking compared to others.

Though she had some semblance of sex education, she never had the opportunity to date anyone. Besides, there wasn’t a single guy around her.

In some sense, Ria wasn’t that different, but the difference between thinking “I can date anytime” and “I can’t even have that chance” was huge. At least Ria knew how to talk to guys.

So, she supported them. Somehow, she felt that if it were Anna, she would just like from afar, without ever thinking of saying she liked him.

Moreover, looking at the current situation, Anna might end up being tied to the church for life. Ria felt guilty about that too.

Would it be better if she dated before that happened? Wouldn’t Anna be happier if she were to date someone she truly liked? She hated the idea of choosing a future without even considering such scenarios.

…And, for the very same reason that she felt guilty, Ria had taken Anna away from Lee Si-yoon yesterday.

There were already two girls around Lee Si-yoon. Moreover, in Ria’s eyes, there were other girls aiming for him as well. She felt it every time she entered the Hunter Association building.

Lee Si-yoon himself wasn’t really at fault, but still, pushing Anna into such a situation felt wrong. A pure girl who knew nothing about romance wouldn’t be able to avoid getting hurt in that environment.

“…”

Really, was that the case?

Ria seriously contemplated whether she had truly taken Anna away for that reason.

Wasn’t it really just her worrying that Anna might drift away in another direction?

Could it have been the same feeling she experienced when she saw blood flowing from Anna’s hand in the Dwarf Kingdom? The fear of someone taking Anna away from her for good.

When anyone gets a partner, the time spent with friends tends to decrease. In fact, it’s quite common to bring your significant other when meeting friends. Then, at the very least, the relationship Ria built with Anna would change a bit.

That’s only natural. She certainly thought so.

But why did she feel uncomfortable thinking about that? She had never felt that way towards friends she had known for years—

“…”

Ria hugged the blanket tighter.

“Ugh.”

And then came a sound from the blanket. It was a groan, like something was being squeezed tightly.

“Wha—?”

“…Huh?”

No, that definitely wasn’t the blanket. It’s normal for warmth to transfer from skin to skin when hugging a blanket, but blankets aren’t this soft and squishy to begin with.

It couldn’t have been narrow enough to hug with two arms like this. The middle sank down, but it wasn’t solid.

“Ah.”

And Ria recalled one more time that moment when she drank the alcohol.

Her face flushed. It couldn’t have just been because of the warmth radiating from the other person’s chest.

As she slowly raised her head, she found Anna’s face, slightly pale but wearing a soft smile like a saint.

“Did you sleep well, little Ria?”

Ah, surely that saintly expression was just put on for fun.

Mostly to tease Ria.

*

I don’t particularly care for the smell of alcohol. Especially not the smell of someone who has been drinking, that’s even worse.

Who would like that anyway?

A person’s unique scent, especially when mixed with weak summer sweat from someone who hasn’t showered properly, is not likely to leave a good impression on anyone.

But here’s the thing.

It was a little strange, but Ria’s scent didn’t bother me that much.

I didn’t mind the feeling of being tightly hugged by her. Ria is… yeah, she’s Ria.

Even setting aside the fact that she’s pretty or has a nice body, Ria is Ria. She’s now a bit far from the heroine of the novel “Lee Chae-eun.” I hardly ever call her that name to begin with.

She laughs well, is honest, keeps teasing me, and most importantly, she protects me with her life even in the most dangerous moments.

It’s not that easy to dislike someone like that. In fact, now I’m starting to feel like I wouldn’t even care if I found a reason to dislike her. At least Ria seems unlikely to end up with Lee Si-yoon.

…

Even if that possibility existed, I don’t think I could hate her. I probably would never say I outright hated her like the saintess from the original story.

Unfortunately, even after 15 years since I came to this world, I’m still a guy on the inside.

That’s why I feel a slight pang of guilt about this situation. Ria is acting this way because she trusts me completely.

If you were to ask me if I had any ulterior motives, I’d have to lie.

“Mmm.”

As Ria stirred, her body felt a little ticklish. I chuckled lightly—

“Ugh.”

And then I let out a sound as Ria squeezed my waist tightly—no way, this isn’t the time to express it that casually—

No, wait, wait, wait!

This really hurts! It’s not only that; my waist feels like it could crumple like a straw! Thinking it over, Ria had the power to swing a sword with those strong arms and chop a monster’s neck off. We’re talking about strength that crosses the line of mere “being strong as a human.” We’re talking pure “fantasy” strength.

If all that power was focused on me, could my waist withstand it?

“Wha!?”

As I contemplated whether to smack Ria, her body twitched. It seemed she finally realized what she was hugging when she heard my sound.

With her face flushed red, Ria hesitantly raised her head.

Before our eyes met, I was already grinning at Ria.

Of course, it was a fabricated smile.

Seriously, couldn’t she back off for just a moment?

…

Well, anyway, even if I wanted to escape, my strength was a bit lacking. After all, yesterday Han Yu-ri laughed at me, and Glaria looked at me like I was something weird while I had to sit like a doll on Ria’s lap.

…

Okay, fine.

But still, a bit of resentment was stirring within me.

I’ll be sure to have some fun with this all day today.

This time it was my sister who caused this, Ria.

Feel free to take it sweetly.

*

“What’s wrong, Ria?”

I moved the tube towards Ria as I waved my hand like I was shooing a fly.