“Ugh.”
I let out a groan as I raised my body from the capsule.
I clutched my shoulder and shuddered at the pain that still seemed to linger inside my body.
Thump thump, my heart is beating hard but faintly.
Whirr. Click.
While I was gritting my teeth and fighting the pain for a moment, I heard the sound of machine wheels from outside, and the door opened.
I hurriedly swallowed the medicine brought by the housekeeping robot, along with water. It’s medicine with pain relief and stabilizing components prescribed from the hospital last time. Medicine in the future era takes effect quickly and has almost no side effects.
The pain swirling inside my body gradually weakened, and my body started calming down.
“Phew.”
I feel drowsy. I’m already sleepy from the drug effects that kicked in quickly. Is there a sleeping pill component in it too?
My body is covered in cold sweat. My clothes are soaked.
I should wash up. I should eat dinner too.
Still, I’m glad I didn’t get a nosebleed this time.
I lightly touched my face.
A languid smile had appeared on my lips.
I definitely felt good.
Today, I got what I needed to get from my past self. Though it’s conditional.
But there was a problem.
Flop flop.
I waved my arms lightly while sitting in the capsule. Then I slumped my body.
“I have no strength in my body.”
Thanks to the drug effects, the pain has subsided a lot, but it’s hard to get up.
In the past, even if I had no strength in my body, I would have forced myself to get up with every last bit of energy.
This is all because my hungry spirit has disappeared. I’m not desperate enough to whip my aching body and risk my life to earn gold, and my body isn’t sending out danger signals frantically like before.
And if anything happens, I can go to the hospital quickly. In this future world, you get better if you go to the hospital, and you get better if you take medicine. Even without holy power like that of saints or priests. Ah, Sister Elena. I’m sorry. I don’t mean you weren’t needed.
After apologizing inwardly to my companion for a moment, I tried to raise my body again.
Struggle struggle.
Knock knock knock.
Just then, I heard a knocking sound from the door.
“Rain~? Can I come in?”
It’s Chris unnie.
There was a slightly worried tone in her voice.
“Ah, just a moment.”
Struggle struggle.
I tried to raise my body again.
And gave up.
“…Come in.”
Click, pitter patter.
Chris opened the door and checked my condition, then approached quickly with a slightly flustered expression and hugged my body.
“Rain, are you okay? Oh my…! Look at all this sweat! What happened!?”
“I-I’m fine.”
I lowered my head slightly and avoided Chris’s gaze.
“What do you mean fine! You’re even trembling! Sh-should we go to the hospital?”
“I’m fine.”
This time, I said firmly while looking into her eyes.
Pause.
Chris’s actions touching every part of my body stopped for a moment. She lowered her hands and sighed.
“Haah, okay.”
And looking into my eyes, she sent a stern gaze.
“If unnie judges that it’s really dangerous, I’ll drag you to the hospital regardless of your opinion then. Got it?”
“…Yes.”
I answered with my head bowed deeply. Chris hugged me.
I overdid it without telling her. It’s clearly my fault.
The fact that Chris rushed over as soon as I returned to this world means that Chris was constantly monitoring Rain’s connection status through messenger even while Rain was trying the ‘Ice Spire Tower’.
I didn’t want to worry Chris unnie, but did I end up making her worry even more instead?
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for.”
“For many things.”
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
I wanted Chris to just enjoy this beautiful Astria continent as a game.
Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to explain to her. It’s enough for just me to be bound by the remnants of my companions and immerse myself in the mission.
From the perspective of people in this world, I’m just a mentally ill person who can’t distinguish between virtual reality and reality.
The process of regaining my past power. The pain that accompanies it.
While receiving her unconditional kindness, hiding that secret I can’t tell.
At the same time, grateful for her consideration in not asking about the circumstances.
For a while, I repeated apologies while being held in Chris’s arms.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
After staying still in Chris’s arms for a while, my body calmed down a lot. The pain had almost disappeared too.
Certainly, there’s benefit to maintaining my body healthy while receiving her care since living with Chris. If I had experienced this level of pain with my weak body from before, I might have already collapsed with a nosebleed dripping.
My body is fine now. But there was a problem.
I detached my face from Chris’s embrace and slightly frowned while touching my clothes.
“It’s a bit damp.”
“Right? Can you wash up? If it’s hard, should we just change your clothes and lie down for a bit?”
Strength still doesn’t enter my body well, but it’s not to the extent that I can’t shower. Still.
“Hmm…”
I feel languid and uncomfortable. I want to take a full bath rather than a shower.
I think I’d feel much better if I soak my whole body in the bathtub.
Since I’ve already acted spoiled, should I ask for a bit more?
I stared at Chris.
“Um, I want to take a bath. But it might be a bit hard alone.”
“A bath?”
“Yes. I want to soak my body in water and take a full bath.”
While a shower or half bath is fine, a full bath is difficult to do alone with my inconvenient body.
The biggest problem is the size of the bathtub. It’s unnecessarily wide compared to my small body.
Even if I stretch out my short legs, they probably won’t reach the other side.
If my upper body slips during the bath, I might thrash around in the tub and drink a lot of water.
But if Chris helps, I should be able to do it comfortably.
“Can you help me take a bath?”
Chris’s eyes widened.
Splash splash, drip.
After confirming that the large bathtub was filled about 3/4 with water, I turned off the faucet.
Splash splash, I lightly stirred the bathwater with my hand. The temperature is just right too.
I smiled brightly.
I can finally take a full bath.
“Grrr! Did you want to repay the debt that quickly! Fine, I’ll go along with it! I took a sedative too! I’ve grown up too! Did you think I’d just keep letting myself be taken advantage of!!”
“…?”
I heard Chris growling from outside the bathroom.
Chris unnie, you’re unusually noisy today.
“I’m all ready.”
Click.
“Grrr!”
Chris entered the bathroom growling. Her momentum is incredible.
But as soon as she stood in front of me, her eyes soon became hazy and she melted.
Chris, who was twisting her body like a shy girl, carefully lifted my naked body from the wheelchair and moved me to the bathtub.
I felt her hands touching my bare skin tremble slightly.
Splash.
Warm water pleasantly enveloped my entire body.
I opened my mouth with my eyes closed tightly and let out a sigh.
“Ahhh… This is paradise.”
“Paradise? Hehe, you sound like a little old lady.”
“I’m neither little nor old.”
Chris laughed with a slightly reddened face. I looked at her and smiled brightly too.
I made a slightly pouty expression with just my head above the water.
“The tub is wide, so we could bathe together.”
“…Unnie really can’t handle that.”
Chris complained while turning her face slightly.
I tilted my head.
Even in the faint memories of my past life, there were things like public bathhouses. Now I’m clearly female.
Is women bathing together not a common case in future lifestyle?
I washed my body and washed my hair too.
Chris washed my long silver-white hair with gentle hands.
Today Chris rolled up her pants and sleeves like a bathhouse attendant and took care of me. She even applied body wash foam on my body. Every finger joint, every nook and cranny, gently.
Refreshed and fluffy, I changed into pajamas and lay down on the bed.
Chris lay down next to me and patted me. I expressed my gratitude to her.
“Unnie, that was really nice. Thank you so much.”
“Is it okay to skip dinner?”
“Just for today… I’ll skip it…”
My eyes closed right away.
I definitely overdid it today, but I took a bath that felt just as good.
It seemed like I would return to my usual state after a good night’s sleep.
Pat pat.
Even with Seulbi’s inconvenient body, it might be a little okay in these arms.
Feeling Chris’s pats, I buried my face in her embrace and soon drifted off to dreamland.
Between the boundary of reality and virtual.
* * *
Breathe breathe.
Pat pat.
Chris patted Rain who was falling into deep sleep while listening to her breathing.
And whispered her name in her ear.
“Sleep well, Rain.”
A small wounded bird that flew into her arms at some point.
A secretive small bird that constantly seduces Chris with her nightingale-like voice and delicate gestures.
Chris fell into thought while patting Rain.
“Was the Ice Spire Tower hard today?”
Rain wouldn’t have been defeated by the likes of the 9th floor ‘Ice Ogre King’. She would have gotten through the 9th floor without trouble and conquered the tower with the power of Astaroth that Chris gave her as a gift.
The smile full of a sense of achievement that Rain had on her lips all day today. She must have obtained new power at the end of the Ice Spire Tower.
But Rain’s condition today was definitely bad.
Did she experience great pain at the end of the tower?
If it’s something that could defeat Rain, it’s not something an ordinary user could handle. Did something go wrong?
It was hard to imagine there would be a being that could hurt Rain in ‘Astria Online’.
Rain’s synchronization rate and psychological state. She was clearly accepting Astria Online as reality. That would be the process of Rain, who can’t find meaning in life in this world, confirming her existence in virtual reality.
Chris wanted to make Rain smile brightly anywhere.
But Rain outside of virtual reality was still floating.
Even while in Chris’s arms, her gaze always wandered somewhere a little far away.
“I wish she would rely on me a bit more.”
Rain was clearly relying on Chris, but she was hiding something deep in her heart.
What is Rain’s motivation for wanting to become stronger even at the cost of great pain?
Will the day come when Chris learns Rain’s unspeakable secret?
As the night deepened, Chris’s worries deepened too.