episode_0043

After the play, we went straight to see the circus.

“Yuseong! What is that?”

Ceris was more excited than Kara. Seris pointed to a huge animal with a long nose.

“It’s an elephant. But there is an elephant here too.”

It was a bit surprising but disappointing. I wondered what a fantasy circus would feel like. If you look at the elephants, it’s not much different from Earth…

“Wow! Yoosung, look at that! How do you stand upside down with something that thin?”

Cerise was amazed at the elephant. The elephant stands on its trunk.

I don’t know either. What is that?

After that, many rare scenes emerged.

“Giant cat…”

The tiger said ssese.

“That’s a bear, right? Wow, bears can dance too.”

The three bears tap danced.

‘This is fantasy…’

More than ever before, I realized that this world was a fantasy.

Wow, he can do back tumbling too.

“Isn’t it so cute? Right?”

Cerise grabbed my sleeve and shook me wildly. Meanwhile, the gaze is focused on the animals. It looks like he was really immersed in it.

‘Kara’s hard work to find out was worth it.’

I looked back at Kara with a happy face. Kara had a blank face. I felt like I was thinking about something else, not watching the circus.

‘It’s been like this since the play. ‘Why are you doing this?’

Could it be that I was disappointed because the festival did not meet my expectations? I hope not.

“Kara, what’s wrong? Isn’t the circus fun?”

“Huh? Ah, isn’t it fun? and! Just turning sideways!”

I was about to point out her embarrassed attitude, but when she said she was turning sideways, I looked away again. The bear was doing ballet.

Oh my god..!

* * *

“It was a lot of fun. Right?”

On the way out of the circus, Cerise’s voice was very excited.

“So, Kara’s hard work was worth it. Thank you Kara.”

“Hehe.”

“Then it’s getting dark, so should we go back now?”

“Huh?!”

Kara looked at me in surprise. She blocked my path.

“You can’t go yet. I didn’t see the fireworks.”

“That’s right, there were fireworks. Kara, do you know of a good place to see the fireworks?”

“Yes! I know a good place to look. Let’s go there.”

Kara came out, grabbed Cerise’s wrist, and quickly dragged her away. I looked at Cerise for a moment and smiled. She laughed along with me.

“Kara, go a little slower.”

“You just have to go a little further.”

The place we arrived at following Kara was a hill away from the square. There were quite a few couples who were already famous.

“This is the best view.”

“Really?”

We took a seat in an empty seat. I leaned on the railing and looked at the night sky.

“That’s the dragon’s seat.”

Ceris pointed to the stars and introduced the constellations. I listened with amazement because it was different from Earth.

At that time, a small fireball went up through the dark night sky. Pow! A fireball exploded and beautiful fireworks appeared in the night sky.

“Wow…”

Seris and Kara let out a short sigh. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them, so I’m a little overwhelmed, but what do I think it’s like for them to see me for the first time?

I chuckled and turned my attention to the fireworks.

Various bright colors such as red, blue, and yellow sparkle in the night sky.

“Ah..!”

Kara, who was watching the fireworks in a daze, clapped her hands. It was an expression that reminded him of something he had forgotten. Kara looked at Seris and spoke urgently.

“Jeez, gelato! Sister, I want to eat gelato ice cream!”

“Gelato? What is that again?”

“It’s a famous snack in the Empire. They say they sell it at the top that comes every festival… Oh, there it is. That!”

Kara pointed to a stall with a long line. There were various types of ice cream on display at the stall.

“Sister, can you buy me some of that?”

“That one? The line is really long…”

“Sister~.”

Kara held Seris’ hand and cried out loud. Seris didn’t know what to do. The line is long, but I want to do my brother a favor. You’ll be confused.

told them.

“Let’s all go and stand in line together. Then you won’t be bored.”

“Huh?!”

Kara was visibly embarrassed. They took turns looking at me and the fireworks as if I didn’t want this.

…I get a strong feeling.

“Okay. My sister will buy it for you.”

Seris said, looking at Kara who was embarrassed.

“No, if we go together…”

“I think Kara wants to see fireworks. Yoosung, please stay by my side. I’ll be back soon.”

Before I could say anything more, Seris quickly left. I looked at her back in confusion. Kara took my hand and headed towards the railing.

“Oppa, let’s keep watching the fireworks.”

“…Okay.”

I watched fireworks with Kara. I hope it’s not what I thought. As I was looking up at the sky, Kara grabbed my sleeve.

“…Oppa.”

Kara hesitated, then spoke with a determined look on her face.

“I like it…”

She looked at me with wide eyes. Her face was red as the fireworks illuminated it. I asked, looking into her eyes.

“Kara, what you said was that you liked me as someone of the opposite sex, not as an older brother you know?”

“Yes…”

Kara nodded shyly.

I held back a sigh. Just in case something like this happened, I decided to go see Seris and go with her. You should have noticed when Kara’s eyes lit up in ‘Fireworks’.

It is my mistake.

I knew that Cerys and Kara had feelings for me. That is, not as a good acquaintance, but as a person of the opposite sex.

It must be a good thing since these two are pretty women and have uncharacteristically kind personalities. That is, if their crush was ordinary.

The affection these two people have for me is a slightly twisted affection.

Cerise’s affection for me.

I feel good about her because I carried her burdens. He was afraid that if I left he would have to carry that burden again, so he tried to hold on to me, and that only made his liking for me grow.

Of course, I can carry her burden. But I can’t accept her fake affection. Because it’s so miserable.

Kara’s case is a bit similar.

Kara has an inferiority complex to Seris. I don’t know if it’s small or big. But I do know that her crush stems from her inferiority complex.

Even if we accept such twisted affections, the results will be disastrous. Maybe the current relationship will fall apart.

I don’t like that.

I am quite satisfied with my current relationship.

tell jokes

We suffer together

back to back

I like our current relationship like that.

I don’t want to ruin it.

So I will reject Kara’s confession.

“Kara.”

“Yes…”

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

Kara lowered her head and looked at the floor. Her shoulders tremble slightly. It was hard to watch. As I was looking up at the sky with heartache, Kara asked in a trembling voice.

“…Why? Why not? Because I’m stupid..?”

“Kara, don’t say that even as a joke.”

“Then? Why doesn’t it work…”

“Kara, you are still young. What I’m doing now is just the wanderings of my youth. Someday…”

“No! I am also an adult who had a coming-of-age ceremony!”

Kara shouted. Feeling the gazes of those around me, I sighed softly.

“Kara, your feelings right now are just a small illusion. I feel like I like someone I’m comfortable with…”

While trying to persuade her, I stopped talking. It was because of the water droplets falling on the floor.

“No… no…”

* * *

Kara, a 20-year-old girl from the countryside.

She is naive at best and stupid at worst. And she already knows that.

-Hey, hey, he’s an idiot. Don’t put it in.

-Why is she so stupid… If Seris were our child…

When I was young, I heard it from girls my age in the village and from my parents. Every time I heard those words, my heart ached. Still, in her foolish way, she tried to be loved.

-Hey, do you like Ceris?

-Si, noisy! If I tell him, will he hit me?

-Oh, Cerise, are you helping your mom with her work? How can he be so good…

…No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t loved as much as my older sister.

Perhaps that was why she fell in love with adventure stories. Because the adventurers in adventure stories were all cool and popular. She admired them and wanted to become an adventurer.

Time passed.

As she grew up, she gradually became an attractive woman. The eyes of men who looked at her changed, and the village elders also praised her, saying that she had grown up well, taking after her older sister.

-Kara, I like that! marry me!

I also received a marriage proposal from a man. It was something I couldn’t have imagined when I was young.

But she refused.

Because I knew it.

-Are you confessing to Kara? Well, she’s pretty too. But isn’t Ceris better than Kara?

-You idiot, that’s a tree you can’t climb. If it’s Kara, wouldn’t I be able to do something?

The reason they chose her was simply because she was a tree that her sister couldn’t even look at. That she is just a deteriorated version of that tree.

No matter how hard she tried, how pretty she became, and how nice she acted, she was compared to her older sister.

My sister and I are not related even a drop of blood.

But it wasn’t that she hated her sister.

Rather, I liked it.

-Kara, let’s sleep together.

-no. My sister keeps hugging me when she sleeps.

-I won’t hug you.

-…really?

-Yes, I promise. Now little finger.

-Promised…evil!

-Got caught! Where are you going to escape?

-Sister, you’re a liar!

-that’s right. My sister is a liar.

Because her older sister truly liked her, unlike other people. Maybe he cared for her more than his parents.

Still, liking my sister and being jealous were two different things. Her jealousy grew every time she witnessed her sister receiving favors that she did not receive.

As my love and jealousy for my sister grew, a man visited the village.

A man who came to the city.

He was an amazing man. Because even though I saw her older sister, I paid a lot of attention to her. He was completely different from ordinary men.

So it was fun to be with him. Since we were together, I developed a liking for him. That crush grew into love.

As I fell in love, my fear grew.

I wonder if he might end up with her older sister. Looking at my sister’s reaction these days, it seemed like she was interested in him too.

It was devastating news for her.

So I confessed.

I feel sorry for my sister, but I wanted to have him before he was taken away.

But his reaction was actually cold.

The moment she saw that face, she realized.

That it was a car.

That he’s not interested in her or anything like that.

It’s natural. Who would choose her over her much prettier older sister? She was also stupid.

Tears came to my eyes.

He quickly lowered his head and hid his face. A woman who cries after being dumped. He’s like an unsightly villain from an adventure story. I didn’t want to be remembered by him like that.

She asked him, trying desperately to hold back her tears.

Why can’t you do it yourself?

He said.

Your love is just an illusion. That’s not real love.

It was absurd.

I was angry.

It’s okay to kick her. It’s a little… no, a lot heartbreaking, but it’s okay.

But I hated him so much for saying that her heart and love were just an illusion.

“No… no…”

A voice mixed with tears came out. Even if it seemed ugly, I wanted to correct what he said.

“It’s not an illusion, I really like it…”

“Kara…”

“I smile when I see my brother’s face…”

I feel at ease when I talk to him.

“I’m happy when my brother holds my hand…”

When he strokes my head, I feel like I have the world.

“So… So don’t say that. Don’t say it’s an illusion.”

I raised my head and looked at him.

He is looking at her with wide eyes and a surprised face.

She said, crying.

“I like it… I like it. I really, really like it… Jo, ugh… I like it… Tsk..”

Tears burst out. Kara rubbed her eyes with her palms. A slightly rough hand grabbed her hand.

It’s a hand that’s somehow familiar and warm.

Kara removed her hand from rubbing her eyes. He is looking at her with a complicated face. He seemed a little happy.

“Why are you crying? Your pretty face will be ruined…”

He wiped her tears with his hands. The touch was so good that she cried even more because she thought she might never feel it again.

I cried.

“Oh my…”

He stopped wiping away my tears. He pulled her into his wide arms.

Warm and solid.

She hugged him tightly and tried to stop crying.

He whispered into her ear.

“…Are you really okay with me?”

Did I hear wrong? Kara pulled away from his arms and looked at his face.

He was smiling slightly.

why?

Why does the man who kicked her suddenly say something like that? She didn’t understand.

Because she didn’t know.

Her tearful, sincere confession touched his deficiency.

The lack of affection.

She nodded desperately. Because the reason didn’t matter.

“Yes! huh!! I like you oppa!”

“But Kara, you are pretty, so there are men better than me…”

“No! I like you… no, I love you!”

“…Okay. Thank you.”

His small smile became a bright smile. He took her in his arms again and stroked her head.

“Thank you for loving me. I’ll love you too, Kara.”

“Really? It’s not a joke, right? If it’s a joke, I’ll be angry. I’m going to be really angry. I will never forgive you for the rest of my life.”

“Why are you playing around with something like this? Really. I love you Kara.”

love you.

At his one word, she felt like the tears that had once filled her eyes would burst out again.

‘Oh, no!’

But now is not the time to cry.

Isn’t there a reason why you decided to confess while watching fireworks?

She took a deep breath and stopped crying. I got out of his arms and faced him. I grabbed his face.

“…Kara?”

I brought my face to his puzzled face.

On the day Sieghart confessed in front of the fireworks, Esica kissed Sieghart.

With my vow to love only you for the rest of my life.

His and her lips met.

It was her first kiss.

* * *

“Welcome. What flavor would you like?”

“What does it taste like?”

A street vendor pointed out gelato one by one and explained its taste. Seris looked at them and thought seriously.

‘What kind of flavor do Kara and Yoosung like?’

I do not know. Wouldn’t it be better to ask what flavor you would like?

Cerise looked at the line standing behind her. It was long and far away. The thought of standing there and waiting for that again made me dizzy.

“Hmm… Then, please recommend the three most delicious things.”

“Hmm… When you say something delicious, it’s mint chocolate, mint, chocolate flavor.”

“Is that so? Then please give me three of those.”

Seris handed over 30 copper for the ice cream. It was a price she wouldn’t have dared to pay in the past, but her arms didn’t shake as she paid.

‘Because I can make money again.’

I became an adventurer and my profits increased. It’s incomparable to before. Thanks to this, she learned how to spend money.

‘Thanks to Yoosung.’

Because of him, I wasn’t too afraid of the dangerous adventures.

“Huh? But since it tastes delicious, why are there so many leftovers?”

There were obviously a lot of people in front of her.

“It’s so popular that I brought a lot of it.”

“Ah~”

Seris also agreed with the street vendor’s words. If it’s popular, it’s natural to bring a lot.

-Pfft…pfft…

“..?”

Ceris turned around at the sound of laughter coming from behind. No one was smiling.

‘what?’

The laughter continued until the ice cream was received and left. Seris felt bad because it felt like the laughter was laughing at her.

She walked toward her companions holding mint chocolate, mint, and chocolate ice cream.

‘What flavor will the two of you choose? I want to try something called mint chocolate. If we can’t decide, let’s share a bite.’

Cerise walked with a sigh. The first festival I enjoyed in my life was so much fun. So much so that I wondered if I could enjoy it like this.

‘Yuseong asked to come again next time.’

He also said he would dress me in expensive-looking armor. Doesn’t that mean we’ll always be together in the future? That’s almost…

Suddenly cheering was heard.

-Wow, you are young.

-We had times like that too.

-Hwiyu~! Goes well!

At the center was Yoosung and her younger sister, Kara, kissing with fireworks in the background.

“Ah..?”

Gelato ice cream fell on the floor.