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– ♫♬♫♬♫♬♫♬♫♬

The cold alarm blared in Lee Ye-rim’s ears. Mixed with irritation, she flailed her lower arms around to turn it off and then got up.

With drowsiness that hadn’t yet faded and an inexplicable headache, she squinted at the clock, and her eyes flew wide open in surprise.

It was now completely late afternoon. The alarm had been set to auto-repeat, going off and silencing from morning until now.

So that’s why my head hurts. Have I really slept this long? Yeah, it means the Demons Competition was that tough.

Lee Ye-rim went through the processing of thoughts for a moment and then stood up. Looking over at the desk beside her, she seemed to be contemplating something, shaking her head before taking her phone and flopping down onto the absurdly large sofa.

She knew very well that engaging in productive activities in such a state wouldn’t mean anything. It was still the weekend anyway.

Suddenly, she noticed the uniform hanging by the front door in the distance. The name tag pinned on the blouse bore her name.

Lee Ye-rim. It felt unfamiliar, as if it didn’t belong to her. For nearly two weeks, she had been called “Harris” far more often. Except for at school, her real name hadn’t been spoken at all, so it somewhat felt like “Harris” was her real name these days.

Still somewhat dazed, Lee Ye-rim tapped the Pazzk app. It was to check. After all, it would be a bit troublesome if she was the only one not doing anything.

However, she figured no one from the Bear Doll Family would be streaming. They had gained a lot, but the Demons Competition was a mentally and physically exhausting schedule.

… Or so she thought.

“tlgus123 has started streaming – 8 hours ago”

She saw the notification for Moon Si-hyun’s stream.

Surprised, she instinctively thought, “Doesn’t this sister ever get tired?”

‘……’

Suddenly, the image of Moon Si-hyun just before they parted last night flickered in her mind, and she fell silent.

“I don’t think she’d come to the gathering.”

She recalled the late night from yesterday.

The moment Sansu said, “When will we meet?” Moon Si-hyun had flinched. Then she remembered her vague, trembling voice in response to the questions seeking a definite answer.

If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t matter, but having seen Moon Si-hyun often, being sensitive, she could sense it.

Moon Si-hyun was definitely feeling awkward about coming to the gathering.

But the reason was…

“…… Hmm.”

Even after thinking it over, she couldn’t guess. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding on Lee Ye-rim’s part.

Even if she was shy, the gathering that was somewhat motivated by Lee Da-ram’s comfort had ended up being quite enjoyable.

‘The only difference between then and now is… there are three more men.’

… Yet, when she recalled their last meeting, Moon Si-hyun didn’t seem to have any particular discomfort around the men.

Moreover, it appeared she got along with San-deng, Cactus, and Sansu just fine.

On the contrary, there was a time when she heard that Moon Si-hyun was worried because of the men trying to approach Squirrel.

At first, she didn’t understand what that was about… but seeing the way Moon Si-hyun had gasped for breath in that moment, along with her expression and demeanor, it all made sense.

‘…… Then why? …… I wish she would come.’

Tap, tap, tap.

Rolling her eyes to the side, she tapped rhythmically on her phone with her slightly long fingernails.

It was a habit she had when she was deep in thought.

“…… Oh?”

Suddenly, a possibility struck her mind.

… Could it be.

… No way.

‘Did one of the guys confess to her?’

Thinking that, she felt as if the puzzle pieces were slowly coming together in mid-air.

That was the most plausible scenario. Looking at her behavior, if she were a guy, she could easily imagine it. Besides, her appearance was backed by their testimonies.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Suddenly, her previously gloomy head lit up. The unique “love circuit” possessed by a teenager awakening to love began to spin rapidly.

‘If that’s the case, then it can’t be Sansu, for sure. It must be one of either San-deng or Cactus. I can’t say for sure about Cactus, but San-deng… he’s a bit… unsettling.’

Tap tap tap tap.

‘No, no. If she’s saying she doesn’t want to meet right now, it must mean she was turned down after a confession. Then which one was it, San-deng or Cactus? Or is it some love triangle surrounding Si-hyun? Did the three of them fight? Argh, seriously, either one would be a waste. Wait, is there anyone who wouldn’t be a waste for Si-hyun?’

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap.

As the love circuit was about to take a strange turn.

“Oh?”

The bright UI of Pazzk on her phone suddenly went dark.

Her rapidly tapping fingers had accidentally clicked the notification for Moon Si-hyun’s stream, and viewing began.

And then, finally.

[Hey!!! You son of a b*tch!! Hey, are you doing this on purpose? Why are you dropping your staff and running at Si-hyun?!]

[…… I don’t even know. My body… just moved first… maybe…?]

– Sparkle

[No way, the heck does that even mean…?]

[But… the heart of a supporter was conveyed, right? Right, Si-hyun?]

– Sparkle

[…… Uh, um… um. Thank you, Cactus.]

“……”

I thought I was watching alone, but unexpectedly, it was San-deng and Cactus’s voices I heard.

And rather, their conversation felt even closer than before.

“……”

Lee Ye-rim felt a sudden pang of embarrassment all by herself.

*

―――

Moon Si-hyun’s stream

―――

Wow, this is seriously crazy.

Sweet – Ahn Nam

It’s honestly a crush, lol.

I really think he’s out of his mind.

Crazy sweet, really.

I can see San-deng getting mad, lol.

Cactus: Moon Si-hyun’s affection level + ♥100! (H scene available)[Message deleted.]

I feel like my teeth are going to rot, Cactus…

A much-needed suggestion to observe Moon Si-hyun from the VIP seat, lol.[Laughter]

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Oh, the manager’s here, run away!

Is that Squirrel?

What’s going on?

(Emoticon with a zipper on its mouth)

It’s Harris.

But hey, Harris, how do you know what an H scene is?

―――

The moment I saw the giant swinging a mace, I felt death closing in. Still, Cactus and San-deng could handle the low HP enough, so I felt at ease dying.

… But then, behind me, Cactus’s scream.

It was a typical Cactus scream, so it wasn’t a big deal as I resurrected near the spawn point.

– … Are you okay?

Right next to me was Cactus, showing off his shining teeth.

And.

[Ally (San-deng) has died.]

Came the notification, and then there was San-deng.

… Eventually, San-deng, who had been dazed, abruptly turned to Cactus, unleashing a stream of curse words unlike him.

I hardly knew what had happened in the moment I died, but as I pieced things together… it seemed something had gone wrong on Cactus’s side.

Still, after barely comprehending the situation, I quietly scolded Cactus and finally calmed San-deng down, and we managed to take down the purple giant without issues.

It appeared that getting caught by a rock fragment was a bug. As I simply raised my ankle to evade another large rock fragment, there was no issue.

… However, another problem arose.

– Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

[…… Hey.]

[……]

– Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

[…… Are you sulking?]

[……]

– Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

―――

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Are you sulking? lol.

I can understand, though, the encountering unfair treatment in this game.

Damn it, San-deng, this is your karma, lol.

―――

“……”

The warrior in front of us raced ahead, hunting the field’s monsters without a word.

I stealthily glanced at his expression. His lips were pursed downwards. He quickly turned away from sight though.

… It was clear that even a well-made VR game allowed for real-time expression. Though his fierce warrior face looked fearsome, I could easily recognize his feelings now.

… Surely… he must be hurt.

I understood completely.

From my perspective, the tanking role in this game wasn’t exactly favored. It felt as if all the hardship fell on the tank.

… Moreover, to be honest, Cactus seemed especially more… um, shall we say, playful this time.

“…… Hmm.”

*

Night fell. It was a few minutes of a campfire to recover health and energy.

San-deng, Cactus, and Moon Si-hyun sat around the campfire, staring blankly at the flames.

… San-deng quietly exhaled deeply.

… He had gone through quite a lot right before that.

Protecting his allies, taking hits from monsters, he had delved into darkness alone. There were times he faced death and moments he almost died.

And now, the three of them shared idle chatter during their break.

[But honestly, the tank…]

Then, the conversation shifted to Fiore. Cactus took the lead.

Now familiar with the tank and support positioning debate between San-deng and Cactus.

San-deng opened his lips to rebuke but ended up smiling lightly.

They didn’t need to broadcast to enjoy conversations like this together.

And since he was an adult, he couldn’t maintain a sour mood forever.

Additionally, every time Moon Si-hyun did something, he found himself amused hearing, “You’re so smart.”

Thus, it was time to shift to half-honest, half-joking remarks.

“Hey, you don’t know how tough it is being a tank, do you?”

… However, as soon as he said that, he felt a bit melancholic.

… Perhaps it was because today’s game had been particularly… the tank’s treatment was a bit severe.

… Or maybe it was due to the fact that he felt sorry as San-deng led three relatively low-tier players in the Sky Realm and suffered through a lot.

Whichever it was, or even if it was both, it was not the emotion or sentiment to voice out loud.

Though he had just felt annoyed at Cactus, it was just like he could laugh it off now.

He simply had to wait for this adult-like feeling to evaporate.

… At that moment.

[…… I know.]

That gentle voice, gently breaking the sound of the crackling fire, could be heard.

A voice similar to Moon Si-hyun’s.

… However, due to the mood of the lively flames, her voice felt even warmer.

San-deng slowly tore his gaze from the campfire to look ahead.

“……”

There she was, still seated cross-legged with little change in expression.

Her eyes and lips curved gently.

She was smiling bashfully at him.

[…… I know how quietly hard you’ve been working in the competition.]

[…… And here too, I know how much you’ve sacrificed.]

“……”

San-deng merely gazed blankly at her expression dancing in the flickering fire.

*

San-deng quietly stepped forward.

He was much closer to the two now than before.

“……”

He began to feel a bit embarrassed about how unfamiliar he had felt just moments ago.

He continued to escort Moon Si-hyun and Cactus faithfully, proceeding on their adventure without a word.

While Cactus earnestly pleaded with Moon Si-hyun to understand the troubles of being a support in the Current Realm, he misinterpreted San-deng’s silence as “Maybe he’s sulking again.”

And then, dozens of minutes later, after defeating the purple giant, there appeared a large door. Gamers instinctively sensed it was a gateway to the next stage.

So, just as San-deng was about to step forward.

[…… Hey? I think I see something over there. A box… maybe?]

“…… A box?”

… The voice from behind pointed at a large bush beside an immense tree.

[It’s shining, you see?]

“…… It’s not shining… but I’ll just go check it out.”

San-deng went on ahead to clear away the bush.

… Then.

“…… Oh?”

Indeed, there was a treasure chest.

– Clunk

San-deng opened the treasure chest.

… And then.

– Bam!!

He slammed it shut.

[…… What’s going on?]

Adding to the sound of slamming the chest, Cactus rushed over.

“……”

[Why are you not responding? Why did you close it? … You punk, punk…… Did you hide something amazing? Like a holy sword? If it shines, it must be something like that, right?]

… Speaking playfully, he…

As San-deng let go of the chest lid, beaming in delight as he eagerly checked the contents.

[…… Hey. Break it.]

His tone changed abruptly.

San-deng and Cactus nervously glanced back at the equipment that had been in the treasure chest.

―――

‘Fairy’s Short Sword’

Attack: – 333

Defense: – 333

This short sword was left behind by a fairy who loved this forest, for its fateful person who couldn’t stay here due to circumstances.

When you gather all 83 fairy daggers placed throughout the fairy forest, the light will allow passage here.

Special ability: Summons forest animals that resided in the gnarly hole each time it is used. There are no special effects, however.

―――

… Objectively, or even trying to view it as positively as possible, it was trash close to nuclear waste.

On top of being incredibly hardcore, this game was starting to inflate the performance of the equipment as they progressed, and now here came a weapon with negative stats.

Moreover, it wasn’t even a throwable weapon.

It was a weapon that could be permanently equipped.

… Which meant.

[……]

“……”

A single, yet certain notion sent chills down their spines.

[Hey. Damn it, throw it away quickly. This is really not good.]

Even Cactus said that without a laugh this time.

San-deng nodded and opened his equipment window.

Then at that moment.

[…… What did you get?]

The gentle voice that felt like it resonated in the chest echoed again. Surely, it was a voice echoing with a sense of purpose.

… But.

“No way!?”

[No, no, no! There’s nothing! Ugh! It’s trash! Throw it away fast.]

“Y-yeah. Let’s throw it away quickly.”

San-deng hastily opened his equipment window, trembling fingers hovering over the ‘disassemble’ button for the Fairy’s Short Sword.

However.

Moon Si-hyun’s voice was now heard far away, perhaps near the dungeon entrance corner.

[…… Hmm.]

“……”

[……]

Now, San-deng’s right ear and Cactus’s left ear.

Moon Si-hyun’s whisper echoed like a soft whisper.

[…… You’re sure it’s nothing? I definitely… saw the light coming from here.]

“……”

[……]

For some reason, neither of them could even move a finger.

Time stretched on, feeling like an eternity.

[Let me take a look too.]

[You both… please detach your hands from the chest you’re closing.]

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