I opened my mouth wide and looked around at the scenery.
“Whoa.”
“What do you think? Isn’t it nice to be out like this? The weather is perfect~!”
Chris smiled brightly, turning to me while pushing my wheelchair from behind.
“There are so many flowers blooming.”
“Spring and fall have become so short that this view is precious. We can’t miss such a good time.”
Today, Chris and I came out to see the flowers.
Not in the Continent of Astria, but in real-life South Korea.
Cherry blossom trees lined the road endlessly, like sentinels. The path we were walking on with Chris felt like a light pink tunnel. Various colorful flowers were visible here and there. Forsythia? Azalea? Hmm, I can’t tell just by their shapes. It’s not like I was ever interested in flowers anyway.
A decade of living alongside battles in the Continent of Astria. And now, my past life remained vaguely in gray memories. Regardless, I had no connection to flowers in either life.
But pretty is still pretty. Who would have thought I’d be admiring flowers like this? Am I becoming somewhat of a normal girl now?
“That place is starting to recover its environment too.”
“Yeah.”
Chris agreed with my casually spoken words.
The Continent of Astria.
A land of extreme cold.
I spent a long winter in the northern part of the Continent of Astria.
After the raid of the ‘Abyssal Tree,’ the magical winter vanished. Although the temperature remained low, fitting for a northern latitude, the environment was gradually returning to support a variety of flora and fauna.
“But, you managed to come out after all, huh? You were just roaming around the house.”
“We agreed to go out together sometimes, right? We said we’d travel too.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s true. …Ah! You’re not counting this as travel, are you!? If that’s the case, sis might be sad!”
“Chuckles, don’t worry. I’ll fit right in for the trip.”
I grabbed Chris’s hand tightly.
“Gah…!”
Fidget, fidget.
Chris’s expression quickly turned silly. She began to fidget with my small hand.
I watched her reaction with interest.
She looked like she was about to cry, then laughed, then got all goofy.
Really a fun sister.
“And I’ve also had some extra financial freedom.”
Steady YouTube income, ad incentives, selling legendary weapons, and raid dungeon bus customers. The cash and gold I had, after paying Chris back, were piling up in my bank account and inventory. Plans for my Sweet My Home were steadily progressing.
‘Astria Online’ was indeed a dream job.
“Now we’re in an era where economic activities happen in the metaverse too. Hmm, was it 20,000 gold? Hehe, I’ve got plans for all the money I got back from Rain.”
Wedding funds, mumble, whatever else.
“……?”
I looked curiously at Chris, who was grinning and muttering to herself, until I noticed a place bursting with flowers.
I tugged at Chris’s sleeve, urging her.
“Sis, let’s go over there.”
“Oh, there are so many flowers blooming.”
I could see people around the flower field. Some were spread out under the cherry blossoms, chatting with each other, while others were crouched nearby, enjoying the flowers.
“Oh my, look at that.”
“Gah…. Is that a doll? So cute! The hair color is pretty too!”
“I think I’ve seen them on TV, could they be a celebrity?”
“Who’s that behind? They look super pretty too!”
“But… in a wheelchair? Oh my, are they disabled?”
“Shh, they can hear you!”
I could hear everything, you know.
Feeling a bit flustered at the number of people and their whispers, I mustered some courage and wheeled myself toward the flower patch.
“Chris, the flowers are so beautiful.”
I smiled brightly between the tall flower stalks that reached my sitting height and looked back at Chris.
I could hear people around swallowing hard. By now, all the attention was directed this way.
“Ah.”
I felt my face heat up a bit. I had spoken a little too loudly.
And Chris?
She was staring at me with her mouth agape, looking dazed. It seemed like drool was about to fall from her slightly open mouth.
“……?”
Chris’s reactions are always so unpredictable.
It’s a mystery whether I know her or not.
“Whoa.”
Chris spread out a mat under a beautiful cherry blossom tree.
So that’s what she was holding when she got out of the car.
“Here, I brought something to eat.”
“Wow.”
It was kimbap. It was slightly crooked but vibrantly made; I could tell it was definitely Chris’s handiwork, not a robotic one.
Looking around, I noticed other people with simple snacks like us. I hope there won’t be any trash left behind.
“Huff, of course, you have to take your trash with you. Unless you want to get a fine. Plus, there are beautification drones flying around, you know?”
“Ah, right.”
I spotted drones flying occasionally nearby. Even in this nature, we could catch glimpses of life in the future.
Laying down the mat, enjoying lunch amidst beautiful scenery, faint memories of my childhood in my past life surfaced and disappeared in a flurry.
“Somehow, it feels nostalgic.”
“Huh? Nostalgic about what?”
“Ah, nothing.”
I shook my head, dismissing the images that had popped up in my mind.
It’s something unrelated to me now.
There were times I suffered from an identity crisis between ‘that’ and me, but now I’m just ‘Rain’ and ‘Lee Seulbi.’
Chomp.
I raised my chopsticks and took a bite of kimbap.
“It’s delicious.”
“Right? I made it early in the morning!”
Chris puffed up her chest proudly.
It’s hard to define the taste of kimbap. The pickled radish’s tang, the ham flavor, the taste of rice, the savory sesame oil, and the seaweed all blend together to create a mysterious flavor. Maybe Koreans like mixing things in their food, just like bibimbap? But hey, it must be tasty for such foods to exist.
Chomp, chomp, chomp. As I kept eating kimbap, Chris, watching me lovingly, suddenly changed the subject as she looked around.
“Isn’t this amazing?”
“Ueh?”
I made a strange noise with my mouth full of kimbap. Gulping it down, I asked Chris.
“What do you mean?”
“Even though we can see much more beautiful scenery in virtual reality, people still come out like this to enjoy the real world.”
“Ah.”
That was for sure.
There were families out enjoying the day, and couples relishing the view.
“Reality is probably the issue. Even with our current technology, there’s a limit to syncing with virtual reality.”
“…….”
“You’re one who makes virtual reality feel more real. But seeing this sometimes makes me think. If everyone starts to live in a vivid virtual reality and turns away from the real world, what will happen to this world?”
I silently took a bite of kimbap.
Reality.
Something I had been missing.
Something I couldn’t find here.
Something I had rediscovered in the Continent of Astria.
They are different from me. I felt reality there, but I couldn’t find it here.
What about now?
Having finished all the kimbap, I took a sip of water and lay down on Chris’s lap.
Whoosh.
A gentle spring breeze wafted through. The pink cherry blossom petals softly settled on my white hair. Chris’s gentle hand brushed the petals away as she stroked my hair.
This place is okay for now.
Enjoying Chris’s touch, I slightly lowered my half-closed eyes.
I looked at my legs.
Whirring.
Riding back in Chris’s car with my wheelchair.
Maybe because I had been thinking a bit much, I had gone silent since our conversation under the cherry blossom tree.
“……?”
Before I knew it, Chris had fallen silent too. I turned to look at her.
Chris was gazing at me with a worried expression. Did she sense something was off with my mood?
I took a deep breath and pouted.
“Sis, why does your face look like that?”
“Huh? What’s wrong with my face?”
Chris hurriedly touched her face. Her pretty features twisted in all directions. I burst out laughing at Chris’s funny appearance. Haha!
“Sis, your face is hilarious!”
“Oh, uh, really? Ugh!”
Chris wiped her nose and grinned sheepishly. From this angle, she looked downright silly. Where did that charisma from when she was the raid leader go?
With her face crack becoming a distraction, my unwanted thoughts faded away, and I effortlessly maneuvered my wheelchair.
Ding-ding, ding-ding.
Chris’s phone rang, and she pulled out her smartphone.
Buzz.
A hologram of an adorable female wizard with pink hair floated in the air.
Chris tilted her head and spoke to the hologram.
“Bae Merong? What’s going on? Direct video call from in-game, huh?”
– Sis! Sis! There’s an event happening in the Elf Forest! …Is that Rain behind you?
“Bae Merong sis.”
The hologram Bae Merong mischievously grinned at me, peeking from behind Chris.
– What’s this? Are you two on a date? Flower viewing? Sis, you’re being bad. You didn’t call me!
“U-uh, cough! Rain took me out for fun! …W-wait, do Rain and I look like we’re on a date? More importantly, what’s going on? An event?”
While Chris blushed slightly looking back at me, she quickly inquired about the matter.
– Someone representing the Alparion Empire’s emperor has come to visit the Elf Kingdom, and it seems to be a special event.
“An event?”
– They’re looking for raid members from the Abyssal Tree, from Perfume to Third Class. The Hong Baek raid, No Name, and the Skada raid.
Chris and I exchanged glances.
The Alparion Empire? An event happening?
Suddenly?
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