Chapter 16 – I Got a Girlfriend. (2)
“I have a girlfriend”
Starchis said with a shy but happy smile.
A little shy to tell us, but in such a way that we want blessings.
… It was as if time stretched indefinitely.
Blink.
I blinked several times wondering what I just heard.
His vocalization was so precise that I didn’t think I had heard it wrong.
… What.
I couldn’t help but ask the question in my mind.
Like me, Lily-san and Vienne were frozen.
I wasn’t in the mood to care about them, but…
After an eternity of silence, Starchis opened his mouth.
“… What, kids? Sister?”
I realized thanks to Starchis who noticed us.
I was hoping for some reaction.
Ah..!
Ah!!!
Ha… It was a joke.
The body just relaxes.
I thought it was really… Crazy.
We joked around but we didn’t respond, so it’s cute that we’re embarrassed.
He became more lovable
“Ha… Ah… Ha ha. Chis, you really surprised me. Was it a joke?”
At my words, Lily and Vien wake up.
Even their hardened expressions change into beautiful smiles.
“Sir Starchis, I almost got fooled this time. Whip… Whoop…”
“Why are you cheating! You were really surprised!”
But at our words, his expression slowly changed.
From the little foolish faces that looked at our reactions
It turns into a puzzled expression asking what that means.
My heart also hardens in line with his expression.
Ahaha… It was fun enough.
No… Please… No…
Please… It’s a lie… It was a joke…
Why are you starting to make that face?
Smile again Check out our reaction again.
In that ridiculous joke
Think of us who don’t laugh as strange.
He opened his mouth slowly.
“What are you talking about? What a joke. No kidding, it really, really looks like it.”
A death sentence is handed down
Power goes out My eyes go blank.
My legs are shaking. My whole body is heavy.
I couldn’t see his expression anymore.
I was scared now. When I saw his face again, I saw him in his face.
I’m afraid I can’t find a joke.
I guess he’s really, really, really saying he’s got a girlfriend.
I couldn’t even raise my head, I just stared at the floor.
Uh…?
Really…?
Ah… Is this a dream?
He didn’t ugly punch me in the face to make sure it was a dream.
I hope he doesn’t think of me as strange even in his dreams.
Instead, he bit his tongue inconspicuously.
Ah…!
It didn’t hurt.
Biting my tongue didn’t hurt at all.
Yeah this is a dream
It was a dream.
Thank god. Thank god.
However, one part of the body continues to hurt.
The pain in my chest wouldn’t go away.
It was… A terrible dream.
“That’s a lie!!”
Bien’s voice woke me up.
“Recently we’ve only met each other!! It’s a lie!! You didn’t have time to meet new people!”
At her words, her head turned around and looked at Stachis’ face.
But when I saw his face, I had to avert my gaze once more.
His eyes were asking, ‘I know, did you know?’
Even with my eyes closed, my ears waited for his answer.
Because I also agreed with Bien’s words.
Yeah… Honestly, I didn’t have time.
You’re tired of meeting only us.
“How did you meet! Tell me! Can’t you? You can’t!”
Bien was desperate.
Moist moisture rose in her strong, raging voice.
“Uh, that’s… So…”
A ray of hope shines through.
He was hesitating
Bien is also happy and starts to get excited.
“Look! You can’t tell because it’s a lie!”
“No, Vien. It’s not…”
He scratches the back of his head
“… I’m a bit shy.”
For an instant, as if cold water had been poured on, Bien and us became quiet.
Even breathing was difficult.
My heart was beating too fast.
Instead of me standing still, this time Lily-san opened her mouth.
“… Embarrassing hmm! Hmm! Even if… It’s as Bien said… There was no time to meet. Maybe it’s someone you already knew? Is this someone we know?”
Lily’s voice trembled like a goat.
She speaks and she clears her throat several times.
It was a testament to how nervous she was.
“You are someone I don’t know.”
Starches says
“And that… The time we met, when I took you to everyone’s house, um… When I went to my house, then… We met at that time.”
You said you met after you took us?
You said you met after our date ended?
Starchis keeps putting his words at intervals, feeling frustrated.
I want to quickly prove that it’s a lie and relieve the core of my heart.
I genuinely gladed at Starchis for the first time.
Anger that he might have lost him eats away the fear that he might have lost him.
“Chiss, tell me quickly. How did you become friends?”
“So, after I took you to your house, I met you from time to time.”
Starchis said while avoiding his eyes.
It’s always like that when I’m glaring at you.
It doesn’t seem like people have changed, but I felt very distant.
The Starchis is the same, but it is not the Starchis.
I was puzzled.
Why don’t you still tell me it was a lie?
Am I so angry?
Chis, I’m so mad at you.
I mean release it quickly. Please… Please chis…
I spoke even as I felt that things were going strangely.
“You said you met every now and then after taking us home? Chis, do you think that makes sense? I’ve never seen him contact you, but how do you make an appointment and meet him!!”
My voice is getting louder and louder. I shout at him for the first time.
“Why are you so angry… I just ran into each time I went home. Really.”
He was still averting his eyes.
“So… Ha, does that make sense, Chis..!!”
As if pleading, I ask him to tell the truth.
He hesitated for a long time and then, ah!
I turn my head with a look.
He looks at us with those clear, loving eyes and says.
“… Could it be fate?”
My fire-like anger cools down at once.
A very cold wind blows in my chest.
My heart hurt as if someone had hit it and passed it by.
Physical pain was felt.
No no…
What are you talking about..
Chis, you are my destiny.
What does that mean now
As we continue to remain silent, Stachis speaks to himself.
“So… I met him for the first time on my way home after taking me to Bien about two weeks ago…”
“… 2 weeks?”
Starchis hesitates at my interrupting words.
Absurd horses appear endlessly, biting tail after tail.
So much so that I can’t keep my mind off of it.
Even if it’s a dream, this is too much
2 weeks ago was the first meeting?
I laughed even in this situation. Laughter that was terribly drained of power.
“Chi… Chis. Say it again. The first meeting was two weeks ago…?”
“Aha… Ahahaha.”
Lily, like mine, burst into laughter with her dead eyes.
Seeing us like that, he gulps down his saliva.
“That… Yes. What, is there a problem… ?”
The problem is, of course, a lot of dirt.
6 years.
It’s been 6 years since I’ve had Starches.
I’ve known him for a lot longer than Bien and Lily.
It’s been 6 years.
It’s been 6 years since I left my back to him, shared joy, shared sorrow, sympathized with him, made achievements, and made memories.
It was when it had been 6 months since I met him that I stopped talking to Stachis.
I fell in love with him in the first year.
In the second year, I started calling him Chis.
It wasn’t until 4 years ago that I dated him.
It wasn’t until the fifth year that I hugged him and even crossed his arms.
I liked you before anyone else
I’ve loved you longer than anyone else.
But… You said your lover’s place was taken away by a bitch who had only been with Stachis for two weeks…?
All of me
My treasure?
My heart?
In 2 weeks…?
I couldn’t help but laugh.
I didn’t understand.
I could barely resist the prospect of that kind of laughter mingled with crying.
What was the time we spent together…
Was that enough time to be pushed back in two weeks by that bitch?
His legs gave out and he squatted down.
“Uh..! Russ, what is it?”
“…”
I couldn’t answer
Now all that could come out of my throat was a cry.
Even if you don’t believe it, he doesn’t put an end to this prank.
No prank was this long.
More and more reality gripped me.
Tears spill out of your eyes.
I bowed my head and buried it in my lap.
“Russ why… Um…”
That sweet voice can’t be mine anymore?
“Guys, sister. Well… I don’t know why the atmosphere has become like this, but it’s time to go back. I’ll go to the requesting office and deliver the horns, so let’s break up here. It’s been a while since we’ve been separated for such a long time… But see you in 5 days?”
Briskly, coldly, quickly, he went through the dungeon gate and out first.
He who always comforts me when I see him like this leaves me alone.
I felt as if I was leaving my side and running towards the lover.
****
After!!!
I wiped the sweat from my hands.
I thought I was caught several times. Did you hear it?
I’m not sure, but given that I got 5 days of vacation, wouldn’t it be a success?
When I lied, I just planned to say I had a girlfriend, but I didn’t think about the details after that.
Sharp questions flooded in.
First
Bienne’s question, “When did you have time to meet?” Was a strong attack.
I didn’t think to answer because I was embarrassed that I knew I didn’t have time to meet them.
And even when he quickly came to his senses and tried to answer the question, he could n’t come up with a good excuse.
Even if I try to think about when there will be a moment when I can meet my imaginary girlfriend…
I couldn’t remember at first.
Certainly, I have always been with them lately.
As a result of buying time with the excuse of embarrassing and rolling my head again, when I broke up with them.
I remembered that moment and immediately spit it out of my mouth.
And at that moment, the second attack came.
It was Russ. Does that make sense How did she always meet.
I don’t know why my party members ask such sharp questions only when they push me.
As Russ said, it didn’t make sense.
Did you always meet that person on the way home after taking them off in the middle of the night?
Even if you never sent or received a letter?
So what I thought was fate.
I didn’t believe it, but it just saved my life.
I believe in destiny.
The last lie I told was that it’s been two weeks since we met.
No matter how much I thought about it, they wouldn’t have convinced me.
If we say she’s a girl I’ve known for a long time, why has she never met us before?
Seemed to ask
That said, we’ve only been dating for a week, but if we say we’re dating, uh… It just doesn’t seem like something
I don’t know if it’s similar, but he said it’s been 2 weeks since he met.
But at the end of these two weeks, the expressions of all the party members change together.
I thought I said something wrong.
I wonder if I caught a pod of lies.
…Although Lily’s sister was pleasantly funny.
After that, Russ squatted down, and the atmosphere became so cold that I felt like I had done something wrong.
I’ve been through this situation many times, and I always comforted myself
Not this time.
Just ran away
Write… Is it good…
After thinking about it, I thought as I kneaded my palms like a habit.
Okay. Why do you wonder if this is good?
I just want 5 days vacation.
If you check next week and get caught, then ask your brother for advice,
If you haven’t been caught, you should try not to be caught.
But thinking about just now, I wonder how long I can last.
I’m not the type to lie well, and I need something.
A skill to lie well, or something.
I thought about it and went to the commissioning office.
****
A small male guide smiles at me.
I handed him the horns.
“Ah! You are here. Mr. Starchis, it looks like you had an easy time?”
“Uh? It wasn’t easy… Why did you think that?”
It reminds me of the moment when I was hit by the King Boar and flew away.
And look at the guide.
It is all thanks to this man that I did not fight the Tiwit scorpion.
I have to say thank you.
But the guide made a fuss about my words again.
“Ah…! Got a party problem? I made another mistake like this…”
“No, no. It’s not a big problem.”
I shook my hand.
“Ah, that’s right… I’m glad. No, I thought I finished successfully because there was a big smile on my face.”
Oh
I put my hand to my face. As he said, there was a smile on his face.
I was excited, but did this show up this far?
To be honest, I got a whopping 5 days of vacation, how could I not be happy.
I don’t know how long it’s been since I don’t have a schedule for the next day.
If it shows like this, maybe I’m not good at lying.
“Ahaha… Other good things happened. By the way, over there.”
“Yes…?”
“Thank you for living. As you said, there is something wrong with my body. It was fortunate that it was a King Boer… If it was a Tiwet scorpion, it would have been a big deal.”
The guide chews on my words and smiles.
Then he stroked her chest and let out a deep sigh.
“Really. Fortunately, the. Not just Starchis, but the entire Barefoot party.”
“Let’s have a drink later. I will repay the price of my life.”
“I will not decline.”
I shook hands with him and asked a question that came to my mind before leaving.
“Oh, the guide?”
“Yes?”
“This may be a strange question, can I ask it?”
“Yes, ask.”
“Do you know how to lie well?”
He raises one eyebrow.
“A lie?… That’s a strange question for sure.”
He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm… There are many types of lies. I guess it depends on what lie you’re talking about.”
“Ah… Is that so? Write…”
I feel like I need to be a bit more specific to ask for advice.
I leaned over to him and covered his mouth with one hand and whispered.
“Can’t you tell anyone?”
“… Yes. What am I supposed to do by saying something like this?”
I thought about it once and asked.
“So… It’s a lie like saying that there is something that doesn’t exist.”
“Oh~.”
He nods.
As if it was a very simple question, he answered in a very comfortable voice.
“If that was the case, what would you have done if there had been? Do you think you can imagine it and put it into action?”
