Full Moon, the Elementalist, and Red Hot Chicken, the Mage of the Red-White guild, reminisced about the situation like this:
'Receiving that gaze, it really felt like being a frog in front of a snake... I couldn't move a single finger, I tell you?'
'Her demonic hand containing dangerous energy was approaching, but I couldn't do anything. ...Aah! What on earth happened that day!'
* * *
Chris was sipping wine while reviewing data with a hologram displayed in front of her eyes.
"Chris, are you working even at an offline meeting?"
Chris turned her head at the voice that suddenly came from beside her.
Her eyes caught sight of a young man with sharp features.
Heo Junhyuk, a researcher at Klaus Capsule Corporation, her college classmate, and also the tank of Chris's party. Deathly Death.
"Ah, that capsule, it's the first time we've deployed it to the market. We need to continuously review the data."
"Hmm, I extracted quite a lot of data using that. ...But, I know it's not at the sales stage yet?"
"That's right. The most important thing needs to be resolved... Creating senses similar to reality isn't a problem. The problem is controlling it."
"Even in an era where science has advanced rapidly, completely conquering the human brain is still difficult."
Chris and Deathly Death nodded and fell into thought for a moment.
Then Deathly Death spoke first.
"Rain was really amazing today."
"Huhu, right? How far do Rain's abilities go? With Rain, even humans completely conquering virtual reality might not be a dream."
"...How about asking Rain to cooperate? If she regularly extracts data in the lab, it would be a great help."
Chris shook her head.
"Rain... is immersed in 'Astria Online'. I don't want to take away Rain's time."
"Hmm, is it a financial issue?"
"Well... Of course that reason might be there too, but it doesn't seem to be just that. Though money isn't really an issue since I'm here."
Though Rain is relying on Chris these days, she wanted to do as much as possible on her own. Chris was a bit dissatisfied with that.
"My money is her money."
Chris, who briefly complained to herself, soon waved her hand at Deathly Death and issued a dismissal.
"Anyway, Mr. Lonely Fighter, go chew on your loneliness over there. I need to finish reviewing the data."
"Hehe."
Deathly Death smiled slightly and approached the window while tilting his wine glass.
Not long after Chris started working again, Bae Merong approached with a puzzled expression.
"Huh, unnie? Didn't Rain come this way?"
"I don't know? Wasn't she with you?"
"She disappeared while I was talking with the big guys for a moment. She said something about looking for something to drink."
Chris lowered the hologram window in front of her and looked around.
Rain couldn't be seen in the hall.
"Rain...?"
Chris and Bae Merong started urgently looking around.
"Mr. Disappointing, Mr. Ko Seungwoo. Haven't you seen Rain?"
"Lee Jaewook, where's Rain?"
While everyone was shaking their heads, Chris and Bae Merong could hear strange sounds near a table by the window.
"Ah... Aah..."
"R-Rain-nim. You shouldn't do this..."
"Hehe."
Tap tap tap.
Chris and Bae Merong, who hurriedly went around to the opposite side of the table where the sound was coming from, discovered three women in an invisible blind spot on the floor hidden by the tablecloth.
Rain's wheelchair was overturned.
They were... tangled together and collapsed on the hall floor...?
"What, do you unnies not like me?"
"Th-that's not it! B-but... Aah...!"
"I... I don't know anymore..."
"Hee, hee."
Rain made a crying face and let out a shrill cry from her small throat.
"Wh-what? Rain-nim's crying voice is so cute...!"
"Should we take her home and raise her? B-but, Rain-nim belongs to the guild master."
Rain was collapsed on the floor sandwiched between Full Moon and Red Hot Chicken, hugging their waists with both arms.
Chris and Bae Merong's mouths fell open.
Among them who were in a stunned state, Bae Merong moved first.
"Rain! Why are you lying face down on the floor like that! Ah, aah! Full Moon unnie, what are you doing!"
"W-we didn't do anything! Rain-nim is hugging us and won't let go...!"
"Ah, it's Bae Merong unnie. Oh, ...ah right."
Rain tried to get up with a beaming smile. But she sat back down with a thud.
"...!"
Bae Merong swallowed a scream and approached Rain.
Full Moon and Red Hot Chicken escaped from Rain's grasp, but were still squirming on the floor. It seemed it would take some time for them to come to their senses.
As Bae Merong approached, Rain smiled brightly and snuggled into Bae Merong's arms.
Bae Merong made an expression mixed with ecstasy and bewilderment at Rain's full-body attack.
"Aah...! Th-this isn't the time! Chris unnie, something's wrong with Rain!"
"Huh!"
Only then did Chris break free from her stunned state. Chris hurriedly approached Bae Merong and carefully took Rain into her arms.
"Hmm. It's Chris unnie."
Rain in Chris's arms purred and smiled with her eyes.
Chris swallowed a gasp.
It was truly captivating.
Rain soon rubbed her cheek against Chris's face.
"Unnie, I love you so much."
Rub rub.
Chris felt dizzy.
"Ah...!"
But she was strong.
She shook her head vigorously and gathered her wits. Then she asked Red Hot Chicken and Full Moon about the situation.
"Wh-what happened? Why is our Rain like this?"
"Um... there."
Full Moon, who was twitching on the floor, raised a trembling hand and pointed to an empty bottle on the table.
It was.
"Fruit soju...!"
Chris carefully carried Rain in her arms and came up to the 5th floor hotel room.
"Mmm. Unnie. Unnie."
"R-Rain, stop! No, don't stop. Th-this isn't. ...Eek!"
Even then, Rain purred and rubbed her cheek against Chris's body.
Only after laying Rain on the bed could Chris let out a sigh.
"Haah, Rain is completely weak to alcohol."
"Mmm...? Al-co-hol...?"
Chris, who had been looking lovingly at Rain's dreamy eyes for a moment, tried to pull her hand out from under Rain's back.
But Rain didn't seem to want to let go of Chris.
"Ah."
Hug.
Chris's face was buried in Rain's bosom.
At the same time, Rain's unique fresh scent pricked Chris's nose buried in Rain's chest.
"Huk!"
Chris swallowed a gasp and widened her eyes.
She gritted her teeth and tried to pull her face out of Rain's embrace.
"Hmm, unnie. Where are you going?"
"Uh, uh, uh."
But then Rain pulled on the arm wrapped around Chris's neck.
Thud.
Chris ended up falling onto the bed. She ended up in a position of pressing Rain down with her body.
"Ah... Aah..."
Chris stopped all resistance and entrusted her body to Rain with dazed eyes.
I guess I'm dying here today.
Rain, letting out moans, rubbed her cheek all over Chris's body that had stopped moving, and buried her face in her chest.
Then, she suddenly started whimpering.
"Hee, hee."
"...R-Rain? Why are you crying?"
"Why am I like this? I'm strange."
Chris suddenly came to her senses.
Of course, Rain becoming more affectionate was a good thing for Chris, but it was certainly strange.
'Rain' is wary of people, but also smiles well like a child.
'Lee Seulbi' is quite mature. She doesn't show much emotion either.
But drunk 'Lee Seulbi' was much more childlike than 'Rain'.
As if the alcohol had blown away all her mature parts.
"It feels like the strange thing inside me is gone for a moment."
"Strange thing?"
"Mmm... I don't knooow. I keep wanting to hug and whine. I'm not a child. ...Am I? Hmm... If you count from when I was born then."
Rain started pondering something while wiggling her fingers.
Chris smiled brightly.
And lying on her side, she held Rain's face to her chest.
"Why, what's strange. It's okay to act like a child."
"Hee, hee. But."
Rain's small crying sounds gradually changed to sobs.
"...Hic."
Chris's chest started getting wet with Rain's tears.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Rain...?"
"Uncle Ain. Melissa unnie. Elena unnie. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Because I'm a soul with strange memories. Because I'm a strange hero who couldn't grow mentally, I couldn't do it properly. But, that's just an excuse, right? Why did it become like this? Where did God go? But, an Astria continent without companions."
Rain sobbed and uttered incomprehensible words.
"...Elaine unnie. Where are you? You said elves never die. You said they can live on as spirits. ...Please."
"Why, why are you like this?"
"I just ran away, right? To the world in my past life memories. Actually, wasn't that continent where I should have lived? Where is this place?"
"Rain!"
Rain's sudden emotional change, it had to be calmed.
Chris pulled Rain's face away from her chest and quietly looked into her eyes.
"..."
Rain blankly looked at Chris with tear-filled eyes, then smiled radiantly.
"Still, I'm glad Chris unnie is in this world."
Chris couldn't say anything and could only quietly stroke Rain's head.
Rain gradually found stability in Chris's arms.
As Rain's crying began to subside, it soon changed to peaceful breathing sounds.
Chris quietly stroked her head until Rain fell into a deep sleep.
"..."
What was Rain so sad about?
Chris couldn't know.
Still, I hope she could pour it all out in my arms.
Their night deepened like that.