“Sis Sasha, come sit over here.”
I took in the scene as I walked over to Derek.
The others had clearly been very busy while we were gone. The warehouse was dimly lit by lamps, and a crude but spacious wooden table sat in the middle. Little decorations scavenged from the general store added to the atmosphere.
I’ve always wanted to experience something like this…
It wasn’t exactly a formally planned, high-society ball, but I couldn’t help but feel a little flutter of excitement.
As I sat down, someone poured a milky-looking juice into the empty glass in front of me. There was no way they had makgeolli in this world, so what was it?
“It’s broth,” Derek explained. “Sis Bliss simmered it over a high flame all morning.”
“Oh, really? Did she add salt and pepper?”
“Yes. She said the seasoning is perfect.”
I was actually a little touched that she’d gone to all that trouble for me.
Sipping the broth from the transparent wine glass, I discovered it was absolutely divine.
“Kira’s set plenty of traps out there, so don’t go worryin’,” Grandpa Jeremy said. “Boy’s quick with his hands, I’ll give him that.”
“Hahaha! Thank you for recognizing my works of art, sir! You’re a man who truly knows quality! Have another drink!”
“Oh, don’t mind if I do.”
“Woo, Bliss… what kind of magic did you use on this? How can stew taste this good?” Rob exclaimed.
“Yuck! Don’t talk with your mouth full. You’re spraying it everywhere!” Derek cried.
“Quiet, kid. Here, eat this.”
Everyone looked positively giddy, clearly relieved to finally unwind. I was happily savoring every single dish Bliss had made.
“Anyway, Sasha. What’s with the ribbon in your hair?” Rob asked, his mouth stuffed with food.
I’d almost forgotten about it. I reached up and toyed with it.
“This is…”
Should I say I just found it on the road?
“It was a gift from me. Pretty, isn’t it?” Yoan cut in.
“From you, my lord? Don’t I get a present?” Rob asked.
“Why would I get you a present? Have you lost your mind, Rob Pitt?”
“Wow… My lord, you’ve really changed. You used to have such an adorably precious personality when you were little.”
“How would you like me to shut that trap of yours?” Yoan asked, smiling icily as he picked up a steak knife.
“The best way to shut a trap is with booze! Booze!”
“Ew, old man! You’re splattering again!” Derek yelped, starting to get up before sinking back into his seat. He apparently decided to just endure it, probably thinking he was acting as my human shield.
He was so cute I had to give him a piece of my meat, which, coming from me, was the highest form of praise.
The party, which started just as the sun was setting, went late into the night.
I hadn’t planned on drinking, but Grandpa Jeremy and Rob kept insisting, so one glass of wine turned into two, which somehow turned into three bottles and fourteen glasses of beer.
But despite the sheer volume I’d consumed, I was surprisingly sober—aside from the fact that my bladder was so full I had to keep running to the restroom.
Apparently, my purification ability also worked on alcohol. Who knew?
“S-Sasha… you, hic… okay?” Rob slurred.
“I’m fine.”
“How c’n such a li’l thing hold her liquor so well? Hic.”
“Says the lightweight.”
“A lightweight? A… flightweight?”
“...”
“Bwahahaha!”
“Keep it down. No matter how good the traps are, it’s still dangerous to be this loud.”
“Heyyy, Miss Sashaaaa. Are you dissing the performance of my artistic creations?!”
Good lord, this whole group was a mess. Turns out their drinking habits were absolutely terrible.
Grandpa Jeremy had wisely taken his leave when he started feeling tipsy, and Bliss, who’d worked the hardest all day, had nodded off and disappeared at some point.
All that remained was Derek, who was underage and only sipping juice; Yoan, who seemed slightly drunk and had gone quiet a while ago; and the two town drunks.
I’d faced down a horde of zombies without breaking a sweat, but this was suddenly exhausting.
I gnawed on a piece of jerky and turned to Derek, who was still faithfully by my side. “Derek, aren’t you tired? Go on to bed. I’ll deal with these two disasters later.”
“I’m okay. I’ll stay a little longer. This is my first time at something like this… so I’m enjoying it.”
His honest and pure confession tugged at my heartstrings.
Come to think of it, I’d never really had a long conversation with Derek, either.
Ignoring the two loudmouths and the nearly-unconscious Yoan, I turned my chair to face him.
“Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“Something I want to talk about?”
“Yeah. Anything at all. Stories from your past, how you’re feeling right now, whatever.”
I didn’t want to deliberately dig up his pain, but I wanted to help lighten the load he was carrying all by himself.
Sometimes, sharing a burden makes it a little lighter.
He seemed to understand my intention. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke carefully. “You have parents, don’t you, Big Sis?”
“Uh? Me?”
The question came out of left field and totally caught me off guard.
After a second of trying to figure out how to answer, I gave a short reply. “I did.”
“Oh… Do you have any memories of them?”
“They’re faint.”
It wasn’t that they were completely gone, but whether it was a side effect of the reincarnation or something else, my memories really were blurry.
There were no special moments or deep emotions left. It was as if my mind was preparing me to fully embrace this new life.
My calm answer seemed to make it easier for Derek to speak. “I asked about you first because I thought it would be too much to just start talking about myself.”
“Derek. You’re still a kid, and kids are allowed to lean on adults.”
“What does it mean… to lean on someone?”
“It means trusting them, letting yourself be a little needy when things are tough. You don’t have to overthink it.”
“Is that really okay? Are people usually that generous with other people’s problems?”
“Well, not everyone. But I can promise you that everyone here will be generous with you.”
“…That’s something to be thankful for.”
Derek fell silent, his fingers fidgeting in his lap.
I didn’t push him, just waited.
A little while later, he began to speak in a calm voice. “Not all abandoned children grow up unhappy, but… I was unlucky.”
He told me about the life he’d lived and the misfortune he’d endured.
To say he was simply “unlucky” was a massive understatement. From the moment he was left in a basket as a baby, his life had been a series of hardships.
Derek had always been alone, unable to trust anyone.
“So when this all happened, I almost thought it was a good thing. My life was already just surviving day to day with no dreams or hope, and now everyone else was suffering the same misfortune. Of course, I know that’s a wrong way to think.”
The boy who’d been as prickly as a hedgehog had only put up his spines to protect himself. He had no one else to do it for him.
In that sense, it was a good thing Derek had joined our group. Everyone here was adult enough to look after one more person.
“And old man Rob… I don’t actually dislike him. I know he worries about me and takes care of me.”
“Mmm, well… whatever you do, don’t tell him that. He’ll be way too thrilled.” The last thing I wanted to see was Rob gloating.
Derek finally burst out laughing at that.
“Anyway, Derek. Thanks for telling me your story.”
“No at all. I’m just sorry for dumping such a heavy story on you.”
“Sorry for what!”
“Sis?”
“I told you before, right? It’s okay for kids to lean on adults.” I said, spreading my arms wide.
I would have hugged him myself, but I was terrified I’d misjudge my own strength and crack a rib.
After a moment of hesitation, Derek carefully stepped into my open arms and hugged me tight.
“You have more days ahead of you than behind you. We have to survive. Let’s survive and be happy.”
“…Okay,” he whispered.
For Derek’s sake, I was determined to solve this whole mess and let him live a normal life.
“Hey! What are you two doin’! Me too! I want a hug, too! Bwahaha!”
“O-oh, me too… may I join?”
The two drunks staggered over and threw their arms around Derek and me. The four of us, all tangled up together, felt almost like a family.
But the overpowering stench of booze was becoming more than I could bear.
I hoisted the stumbling Rob and Kira over my shoulders and unceremoniously dumped them in their room.
Derek, who had trailed after me, hesitated at the door. I figured he probably didn’t want to sleep in a room with two drunk guys.
“Want to sleep in the living room? I can stay in the shop.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll sleep in the shop. The sofa looked pretty big.”
“Still, isn’t it a little dangerous for you to be on your own?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m fast, remember? If anything happens, I’ll come straight to you.”
Derek grabbed his blanket from the room and headed for the door connecting to the storefront.
“Good night, Sis Sasha.”
“You too. Sleep well, see you tomorrow.”
With everyone else off to bed, the silence was almost deafening—quieter than it had ever been, even when we were hiding from that one pack of zombies.
“Phew. Now all that’s left is Yoan.”
I went back to the warehouse and found him sleeping peacefully in the same position as before. I went over and called his name, but he didn’t move an inch.
So much for being a light sleeper; turns out once he was out, he was dead to the world.
I clicked my tongue and tried to carefully piggyback him, but I couldn’t get the angle right without help.
“Well, no choice then. Count yourself lucky I’m a zombie.”
I swept Yoan up effortlessly into a princess carry. It was still awkward, but at least his legs weren’t dragging on the ground anymore.
I carried him to his room, laid him on the bed, tucked him in, and then walked out into the living room.
Finally. Time to enjoy some quality me-time.