Chapter 111 - Birthday Party (1)

Yun was terrifying when he was angry.

Even after we had cleaned up the party hall and were heading down to the Badger sleeping quarters, I had to apologize again. I knew I had been in the wrong, but I hadn't expected him to get this angry, so I was a little surprised.

Had he actually been worried?

... No, surely not. He was obviously angry that his test subject had nearly fallen to a pointless death.

At any rate, the seniors dragged me along and shoved me into the Badger lounge.

"Drink and drive, and you're on disciplinary probation for three years," Richard said firmly. "And if you get a prison sentence for retaliatory driving, you're dismissed."

The lounge was packed.

Still, I somehow squeezed in and went to sleep. It was a dark place, reeking of alcohol and filled with loud snoring. It wasn't comfortable, but I was so tired that falling asleep wasn't difficult.

It wasn't a deep sleep.

* * *

I dreamed.

I was standing on a rooftop with Ray, looking down at the city. A brilliant nightscape spread beneath our feet. Cars filled the roads despite the late hour. Pedestrians looked like tiny dots.

The year was drawing to a close.

["What do you think?"] Ray asked, his golden eyes curving into crescents. ["Isn't it beautiful?"]

I turned to look at my comrade.

My longtime comrade-in-arms. He had always resented how, no matter how much time passed, he still looked somewhere between a boy and a young man. He no longer wore his favored silver armor. He dressed like the people here. Right now, he was wearing a well-fitted navy pinstripe suit.

He liked suits. He had never told me why, but it was probably because they made him look older.

["You mean the suit? It looks good on you."]

["They do a damn good job making these, at least. Shame I probably won't get many chances to wear one."]

["... What are you talking about?"]

["You know."]

Carols rang out below us.

["You understood what Kyle said, too."]

The world we had lived in had collapsed.

Not many had escaped. Neither Kyle nor I had thought we would survive. We had concealed our unease because we had so many people to lead, but when we plunged through the open portal, we hadn't expected to set foot on solid ground again.

It was only natural.

But we had arrived on Earth.

It was beautiful in astonishing ways.

["We can do it this time, too."]

Ray walked lightly over and patted my shoulder. His short, spiky white hair fluttered in the winter wind.

["We always have."]

["You fully support Kyle's position, too?"]

["Of course."]

The comrade who had fought back-to-back with me smiled, his eyes sparkling with his characteristic confidence.

["What's wrong? This isn't like you."]

Ray squeezed my shoulder.

["Don't worry. We definitely have the advantage."]

["That's what Kyle thinks."]

["The day will come when we can laugh about all the hardship we went through."]

His eyes curved as his bright smile widened.

["Let's come back here with smiles on our faces."]

That day never came.

I woke, wiping away tears.

The lounge still reeked of alcohol. I hauled up my body, heavy with lingering intoxication, and took in the seniors, each lost in sleep.

White winter light streamed through the half-open blackout curtains.

It was Christmas Eve.

* * *

I visited Heshy's house that evening.

As he'd said, it wasn't far from headquarters. It was a wooden house right at the foot of a mountain, with several bare trees standing in the yard.

Naturally, there was a basketball hoop out there.

Heshy's father, who I was told was a three-star general, greeted me with a kindly smile.

"Look after Heshy for me."

His white hair was neatly swept back, and he carried himself with a soldier's resolve as he led me into the living room.

"He's a good boy at heart, but he has a bit of a temper. I imagine life in an organization won't always go smoothly for him."

"I don't think you need to worry too much. I hear he's earned a good reputation among the seniors so far."

"This is my little brother!"

As I gave my polite reply, Heshy came out from farther inside the house with his blond younger brother.

"Luke Lyle! Luke, this is my colleague, Hilde. Say hello."

Unlike Heshy, his brother was quiet.

He gave me a small nod, looking shy, and I bowed my head in return. We exchanged a brief, rather formal conversation. Thank you for selling me the scooter so cheaply. I'm glad it's serving you well; please let me know if it breaks down. That sort of thing.

Once that brief conversation was over, Heshy dragged me upstairs, saying he would show me his room before dinner.

I blinked as soon as I stepped inside.

"Why do you have so many shoes?"

That was my first impression.

"Do you actually wear all these?"

"I rotate through them."

"This is insane. A single pair costs a fortune."

The sight of all those shoes, neatly arranged in every color imaginable, was shocking.

I was even more overwhelmed when he gave me the exact year of release every time I picked one up and asked. He was this serious about them?

"You're not exactly normal yourself."

"It's like you and your games."

He spoke casually, carefully returning the Jordan high-top in his hand to its place.

"I like games well enough, too. Just not as much as you. Seriously, if you'd gone into esports, you'd have become an overnight star."

Dinner was excellent, just as Heshy had promised.

His father and Luke had put their considerable skills to work. I chewed the perfectly cooked barbecue, thanking them again and again for the invitation and the wonderful meal.

They were a picture-perfect family. A devoted, respectable father. An eldest son with leadership qualities. A prudent, thoughtful younger brother.

Their mother had apparently gone to her childhood home to visit their maternal grandmother.

Naturally, the white-haired general asked about my parents.

"I'm not sure."

That was the truth.

"I've never seen my parents' faces."

Instead, I had grown up in a monastery.

Recently, I had recovered a faint memory of running through a spacious temple, helping the priests. It was all so long ago now that I couldn't remember the details. Still, my childhood memories weren't bad. I had probably been a war orphan.

The priests had taken me from my dying parents and raised me with love.

I told him this, substituting priests and nuns for the temple priests.

The kindly-looking general listened quietly.

"You've grown into a fine young man."

"Thank you," I replied to his gentle words.

The unconditional affection I had received back then really had given me a solid foundation in life.

"I grew up loved."

The general smiled faintly at my little boast.

Naturally, we played basketball after dinner. My skills couldn't hold a candle to Heshy's, but there was no need to worry: the basketball-obsessed bastard even knew how to play with a newbie like me.

He went so far as to praise my skills, saying I was excellent for a beginner.

How flattering, even if he was only being nice.

"Join the club."

"Sorry."

I flatly rejected the suggestion he slipped so naturally into the conversation.

"I'm planning to join the gaming club."

"I hear there isn't one."

What an unfair world.

I slept in the guest room.

It was a small, warm room with a cozy blanket. In that utterly unfamiliar yet somehow comforting place, I slept without dreams. I was glad I hadn't dreamed. Lately, my dreams had made me afraid of the night.

A Christmas Eve spent falling asleep amid gentle human warmth.

My visit ended with an exchange of Christmas gifts the following morning.

"Aaaaargh!"

Heshy dropped to his knees and howled at the gift I held out.

"How did you get these?! How did you get these?! How did you get these?!"

"Calm down."

I tried to soothe Heshy, who looked ready to faint over four NBA tickets with a head-on view of the court.

"I logged on when sales opened and paid for them."

"How the hell did you get these seats?!"

"You just have to click fast."

I laid a hand on the kneeling Heshy's shoulder.

"Play enough games, and your clicking skills are bound to improve."

Then I added solemnly,

"My friend, gaming has benefits like these, too. So how about playing some games with me?"

My sales pitch was rejected on the spot.

What a heartless bastard.

* * *

I returned to the cabin at lunchtime on Christmas Day.

Without setting a foot outside, I opened the presents people had sent and replied to messages. Several seniors had kindly sent me gifts.

Ami had sent me a gaming keyboard and cartridges for a farming game and a theme-park management game. Heshy had given me a pair of sneakers, and Tom had sent me a mulled-wine kit. There was a voucher for an upscale restaurant from Bobby, a coffee-chain gift card from Iho, and a capsule coffee machine from Achille.

Riccardo had sent a smart-looking wallet, and Ska had given me a sleek Zippo lighter.

Spitfire's gift was a box of cigars, while Sukhoi had chosen a bottle of Ballantine's 30 Year Old.

And Colton...

... Was this a car key?

"This is driving me crazy."

It was even the same brand as the car of Colton's I had crushed with a truck before.

"Is it going to blow up on me someday?"

Of course, I didn't have the guts to refuse the gift.

I carefully set down the sleek car key. There were exactly two people whose gifts I dreaded opening. Time to check the other one's.

Suppressing my fear, I opened Yun's present.

Surprisingly, it was perfectly normal.

"... Something tells me this is ridiculously expensive."

It was a watch.

"He wouldn't listen even if I said I'd return it."

He had remarked before the social gathering that my wrist looked a little bare.

Unable to bring myself even to try it on, I closed the luxurious box. Then I checked the final present.

It was from Yehyeon.

[I will return this to you now.]

That was what the card said.

[Merry Christmas.]

This little stone came from my world.

A small, hard piece of blackstar stone. Something I used to hone my blade.

I held it in my hand for a long time before getting up.

I carefully put away my gifts. After finding a place for each item, I sat down in front of the beanbag. I sent everyone messages of thanks, then started playing a game. I didn't want to waste a rare day off.

Especially since I would have to face Jaeyeon tomorrow.

I intended to give Yehyeon his combined Christmas and birthday present tomorrow, too.

* * *

That was a truly excellent roguelike.

I woke feeling refreshed, thinking this, and spotted someone humming.

A woman with fine blond hair neatly braided down her back.

She was busy in the kitchen. Eggs, coffee, bacon, and potatoes sat on the counter.

My ingredients.

I stared sulkily at her back.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw me get up.

"Sleep well? How would you like your eggs?"

I walked into the kitchen, kneading my neck.

"Sunny-side up. Don't let the yolks cook through. And put soy milk in my coffee."

"Soy milk?"

I was approaching Jaeyeon sulkily, ruffling my hair, when the open refrigerator door closed to reveal a sad-looking Yehyeon. I jumped.

"I don't think there's any soy milk."

"Commander!"

Wait.

Jaeyeon had dragged him here.

My superior, whose eyes held a mixture of resignation and sorrow, took out the milk and asked,

"Would milk be all right?"

"Yes. That's fine. I like Americanos, too. But I distinctly told you I didn't want you being so formal with me... No, more importantly, what brings you to this cramped, shabby place so early in the morning...?"

"I told you I'd throw you a party!"

The moment Jaeyeon turned to us with a bright smile, the oven chimed.

DING!

The loathsome creature bounded cheerfully over to the oven and pulled out an enormous roast chicken.

"I baked a cake and brought it, too!"

Enough.

My protests went unheeded, and a few minutes later, we were seated around the cabin's round dining table.

A cake far too large for three people, roast chicken, and assorted other dishes.

Cloudy steam rose from the warm latte made with milk.

Yehyeon and I stared glumly down at the table.

Candles crowded the surface of the cake.

"Now, time to blow out the candles!"