Strategy Meeting – 4

“Did you hate it that much?”

“……”

Seol-ah wouldn’t meet my eyes. She kept her mouth tightly shut, expressing her dislike with her entire body.

“It wasn’t weird at all. It’s not like I asked you to say something inappropriate, just making such a fuss over ‘oppa’.”

“Be quiet.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Seol-ah poked at the salad that had arrived as an appetizer with her fork. She took a deep breath and asked.

“Do you really want to be called oppa that much?”

“When you put it that way, it makes me sound like a pathetic older man who doesn’t act his age.”

Like a creepy old man who forces someone more than 10 years younger to call him oppa instead of ajussi. This time, I asked her:

“But why do you dislike the term ‘oppa’ so much? It’s not that strange a term. It’s not like I asked you to call me ‘orabeoni’ or something.”

“Wow, if you had actually asked me to call you that, ugh…”

Seol-ah shuddered as if even a thousand years of love would freeze over. I agree that “orabeoni” would be quite uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use that term in real life.

She leaned back in her chair and began to explain why she had an aversion to the term “oppa.”

“Well, it’s really not a big reason.”

“There’s no such thing. If it feels significant to you, then it is significant.”

Where in the world is there an insignificant reason? What seems trivial to one person can be life-changing for another. Seol-ah seemed to gain confidence from my words and continued speaking more comfortably than before.

“When I was a freshman, there was this military-returned student who kept pestering me. No matter how many times I rejected him, he kept sticking to me, telling me to call him oppa. When I kept refusing completely, he spread weird rumors about me in the department.”

“What a complete lunatic.”

There’s always one of them. Those returning students who, controlled by their nether regions, reach out to freshmen here and there. But spreading strange rumors is really too much.

“Well, jerks like that exist.”

“Whenever I hear someone asking to be called oppa, I keep thinking of that jerk…”

Seol-ah lowered her head. The atmosphere became somewhat solemn. I tried my best to change the subject.

“Well, let’s drop that topic! This place is delicious. Did you find this place yourself too?”

“We’ve only had salad so far.”

Seol-ah said with a look of disbelief. Although I could argue that salad can be delicious too, my fork was still completely clean, without even a drop of dressing. She chuckled.

“You don’t need to be so considerate. In the end, it was that jerk who got a bad reputation in the department. It’s not like I have trauma or anything like that, I just find it unpleasant and uncomfortable.”

“Oh, was it that obvious?”

“When you suddenly change the subject and say the place is delicious without even picking up your fork once, did you think you wouldn’t get caught?”

I put down my fork and laughed awkwardly. By now, I should admit that I’m fatally inept at hiding my true feelings.

“So hurry up and eat. Or should I feed you?”

“No need.”

Seol-ah joked, bringing her fork toward my mouth. What a childish prank. I pushed her hand away.

In that moment, I was gripped by an indescribable, terrible premonition. True to the expression “a chill down the spine,” I could feel goosebumps rising along my backbone.

A cold aura, strong enough to be called killing intent, was felt from the side. I slowly turned my head, maintaining the posture of pushing her hand away. With a creaking sound that would be aptly described with onomatopoeia like “kigigik,” in front of my eyes was:

“Mikhail. Hello?”

Hestia stood there with a smiling face.

The clinking sound of tableware flowed between the three of us. A suffocating atmosphere. Seol-ah and I were only watching Hestia cautiously. Seol-ah silently moved her lips widely. I feel like my skill in reading lips, or what they call lipreading, has been improving lately. If I went on a variety show, I could win the full set of dinner, indoor sleeping, and breakfast with points to spare.

I read her lip movements. Say something? Easy for her to say when it’s not her problem. I also opened my mouth wide and conveyed, No way.

Since this was my first time seeing such a chilly Hestia, I had no idea how to deal with her. She was sitting quietly next to me, cutting meat with her knife without saying a word. She seemed to be putting more force into her cutting than usual, as I could see the tableware creaking.

While we were earnestly playing this game of silent screaming, Hestia set down her utensils with a thud. Seol-ah and I remained frozen, waiting for Hestia’s words.

“So, what were you two doing?”

Hestia was still smiling the same bright smile as before. But people who smile when angry are usually the scariest. Aren’t figures like the Joker much more chilling than B-movie villains? Not that Hestia is like the Joker, but the creepiness was comparable.

They say that when people fake a smile, only their mouth smiles while their eyes don’t, and that’s exactly how Hestia was smiling now. Her mouth corners were thinly twitching as if she was forcibly raising them, while her eyes remained cold.

“Well, we had something important to talk about…”

“Miss Lily, please be quiet.”

Unusually, Hestia cut off Seol-ah’s words. Seol-ah obediently closed her mouth at her words. Hestia’s gaze flew toward me.

“Mikhail? Please tell me directly. What exactly were you two doing? What were you doing, smiling so amicably at each other and trying to feed each other?”

Alright. Be confident. It’s not like I was doing anything that would make Hestia catch me red-handed, so there’s no need to act like a criminal, right? We genuinely had something important to discuss, and since we were out together, we went to a café and had a meal… That just now was just a misunderstanding. Hmm? To others, does this just look like a date?

“I’m sorry…”

I shrank dramatically. Regardless of how I think about it, doesn’t this look a bit strange to others? Moreover, the content of that important conversation was also something I couldn’t honestly tell Hestia.

Hestia, with her arms crossed, said to me with a very dissatisfied expression:

“Why did you do something to be sorry for? What are you sorry about?”

Wow, I never thought I’d directly hear such a line in my life. In response to Hestia’s “what are you sorry about?” attack, I patched together the most plausible combination of words:

“For canceling our appointment without telling you and for having a meal with Baroness Adamas.”

“Do you think that’s why I’m angry?”

But that is why you’re angry! I looked up at Hestia with an aggrieved expression. However, neither her crossed arms nor her expression showed any sign of softening.

“Do you really not know why I’m like this right now?”

Experiencing this firsthand, I understand why it has such a notorious reputation. I can’t think straight. I just apologized with my head bowed.

“I’m sorry…”

“Why did you do something to be sorry for, then?”

Is this déjà vu? A chiasmic structure? Ouroboros? I’ve seen these often in novels. I distinctly remember the next line should be “what are you sorry for?”

“What are you sorry about?”

Wow! That’s right. There’s no way I’d be dropped into this world without being given any ability. Now I see that I have the power of regression. What are the activation conditions? When do I go back to?

“Mikhail. Are you perhaps thinking about something else right now?”

“No, no, no! Of course not.”

Let’s stop escaping reality. I quietly endured all of Hestia’s anger. She fired at me incessantly.

“Mikhail, honestly, I don’t mind that you postponed our appointment. It’s not like you did it arbitrarily; you did it out of concern for me, telling me to rest well. Having a meal with Miss Lily? That’s fine too. What’s strange about having a meal with a friend?”

Pausing briefly, Hestia suddenly thrust her face close to mine.

“But I can’t tolerate you postponing your appointment with me and making an appointment with Miss Lily.”

What on earth is she saying? Is it like, “It’s okay to call me a pig, but I can’t stand being mocked for being a pig” or something? Hestia sighed at me, who was wearing a dumbfounded expression.

“I hate it when someone else takes priority over me.”

“I’ve told you before. You’re always the best to me.”

Hearing my words, Hestia seemed to soften a bit, uncrossing her arms and gently twisting her hair.

“Hug me.”

“Huh, here?”

Hestia said nothing and opened her arms. Lately, it feels like Hestia has been demanding affection frequently. While I don’t mind this change, doing it in front of others is a bit…

“Won’t you do it?”

At Hestia’s urging, I silently gave her a slight hug. Her body trembled faintly and then stopped.

I slightly pulled back my waist at the soft sensation pressing against my chest. Hmm, it’s no joke. A size that fits perfectly in my arms and a motherly love that doesn’t.

Honestly, this doesn’t seem like a normal situation. Is this what they call separation anxiety or something?

I whispered slightly in her ear.

“Were you anxious?”

“Be quiet.”

“You know this is our first hug, right?”

Holding hands, kissing (albeit while drunk), and hugging. We’re steadily making progress.

Hestia said nothing and rested her face against my chest.

“Ahem, are you finished now?”

“Kyaaaa!”

At the sound of a fake cough from the side, Hestia screamed and jumped away. Seol-ah looked at Hestia and me with an exasperated expression.

“Has your anger subsided?”

“Miss Lily.”

“I almost thought I was invisible to you two.”

Hestia, who had belatedly come to her senses, sat down and snapped at Seol-ah.

“My anger may have subsided, but I think you owe me an explanation.”

“I thought Mikhail would explain, but it seems he didn’t. I followed him to help buy a gift for my friend.”

Seol-ah lied without even wetting her lips. She even had the composure to carefully wink at me, who was staring blankly.

“For something like that, you two seemed too friendly earlier. You were even trying to put your fork in his mouth.”

“Oh my, that’s a misunderstanding. There was nothing like that.”

“Were you trying to stab him with it then?”

Hestia and Seol-ah locked eyes. Why are they both so scary?

“Is that so? Then I’ll join you too. I’m free today anyway. Wouldn’t three people be better than two?”

Hestia soon took a step back and opened her mouth.

Seol-ah frowned.