Ch.1111. No, Not Like That

When the warm scent of spring had already colored the streets, only a cold current flowed between Shiro and me.

Since she had called my name and we had been making eye contact for several seconds, I couldn’t easily open my mouth.

‘What are you trying to say?’

Even at a glance, I could tell that Shiro’s expression was quite different from usual.

Rather than her characteristic calmness, there was a hint of tension.

Even after the food arrived, there was no conversation for a full 5 minutes.

As she continued to remain silent, I was starting to find it difficult to wait. I mean, I was going crazy with curiosity.

“…I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but Ms. Shiro, your necklace is really pretty.”

I broke the silence first.

A necklace with a silver frame and what looked like a sapphire embedded in it.

It had caught my eye when we first met, but sitting face to face in this small space, it seemed particularly radiant.

“…Ah, yes.”

She glanced down at her necklace and grasped it with her left hand.

I think she did the same thing when those raiders mentioned it. Is holding her necklace just a habit?

In cases where someone has such a habit, there might be trauma involved, so it’s probably better not to pry.

‘How can I get her to open up?’

Shiro still had no intention of speaking.

Just as I was becoming convinced of this thought,

“This necklace is the most precious thing I own.”

Surprisingly, she spoke first.

“Is that so? It certainly suits you well.”

“…Thank you.”

Come to think of it, she did say in the first Labyrinth that she wasn’t exploring for money.

Maybe she’s financially comfortable enough to afford such a necklace.

‘Though she doesn’t seem like the type to spend money frivolously either.’

Judging by how she seemed to be visiting this restaurant for the first time, she appeared to be the frugal type in her daily life.

“…Haa.”

After a brief silence, Shiro let out a short breath.

Then she put down her fork and looked directly into my eyes.

“Adel, I can’t seem to lie in front of you.”

“What?”

Before I could even be surprised by her unexpected words, she continued.

“At first, I was going to pretend I was familiar with restaurants like this… but actually, this is my first time. You noticed, didn’t you?”

“…”

It was a sudden confession of honesty.

“…How long have you known?”

“Since you mentioned the necklace and were contemplating what to say.”

“I see.”

Does that mean she saw through all my actions?

She really is a perceptive person.

“Aren’t you going to ask why?”

“…Should I answer honestly?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you might be embarrassed if I asked. There are situations where it’s better not to ask, right?”

Even someone who appears cold can sometimes show childlike aspects.

If she had done it simply out of a desire to look impressive, she would be embarrassed if I asked for the reason.

“…I’m not particularly concerned about such things.”

“Then that’s good.”

When I responded like that, Shiro calmly met my eyes.

Ah, I’ve interrupted the conversation.

“Then, what’s the reason?”

“I wanted to appear somewhat reliable.”

“…What?”

Was that really the reason?

“You invited me to join your party.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“If we’re going to be companions, I wanted to be someone you could trust a little.”

“…”

“I must seem strange to you.”

An infinitely cold expression looked at me.

Since the emotion conveyed in that expression was indescribable, I could only stare at Shiro’s face.

Her hair, as if covered with ice-cold eyes. The purple jewel that seemed to pull you in deeply if you stared at it.

For some reason, my heart ached.

“…Ms. Shiro, you’re not strange.”

Looking at her reminded me of the cold I felt when leaving the Labyrinth and being placed in the square.

“And since you’re telling me the truth, it makes me trust you even more as a party member.”

“…”

A frozen expression stared at me.

Relationships are like seasonal winds; when winter comes, they can instantly make the air cold.

And that chilled air doesn’t easily melt away even as spring approaches.

Because people don’t easily forget the seasons that have passed.

“Ms. Shiro.”

I showed her an awkward smile and asked once more.

“Would you please form a party with me from now on?”

To that, Shiro answered with her usual expressionless face.

“Yes.”

It was an expressionless face that left no room for objection, but I thought that perhaps the cold jewels trapped in her eyes were smiling.

“Good.”

After all, the air frozen by the long winter’s cold makes us wear long-sleeved clothes even in spring.

I was just waiting together for summer to come.

***

We left the restaurant and walked down the street.

Even though it was well past 9 o’clock, the heat of the streets showed no signs of cooling down.

As we walked through the spring streets, Shiro unconsciously muttered.

“It’s warm.”

While I was briefly wondering how to respond, she turned her head to the side.

“How about you?”

It wasn’t just warm. Walking through the crowded streets was enough to make one feel hot.

“Me too. The weather seems nice.”

“Indeed.”

We continued walking for a while, exchanging trivial conversation.

Savoring the spring that had finally arrived, and trying to remember the spring that would soon pass.

However, one thought disrupted that atmosphere.

‘But it feels a bit off not having had any alcohol.’

Wasn’t today supposed to be the return of heroes, with alcohol and women at the ready?

Moreover, as we were enjoying the festival-like atmosphere of the streets, I felt a lack of energy.

We had just been at a restaurant, but I hadn’t properly rested since coming out of the Labyrinth today and had been outside the whole time. I wanted to go somewhere and sit down.

“Ms. Shiro, do you like alcohol?”

With that, I opened my mouth.

It’s customary to drink when forming a party, and today was the day we came out of the Labyrinth.

“I don’t dislike it.”

Shiro seemed to take it positively.

“Then, I know a bar. Would you like to go there? You introduced the restaurant earlier.”

“Sure.”

Thanks to her ready agreement, we immediately headed to our next destination.

The only winery-cum-wine bar in the Labyrinth city.

It has a good atmosphere and the prices are reasonable compared to other premium alcohols.

And, the owner is someone I know.

After walking for a few minutes, we entered a relatively quiet street compared to the area near the square.

It was relatively quiet, but not completely devoid of people, making it a good level for casual strolling.

We arrived in front of a three-story building with a sign that read [bar-winery].

‘What a mess of a world setting.’

Every time I see fantasy mixed with English and Korean, I feel cognitive dissonance.

Well, that’s because the original game was like this.

Anyway, we entered the building.

-Ding.

The bell attached to the door rang.

The interior was in the typical form of a bar.

A long table stretched out in a straight line, with several round chairs placed in front of it.

Shiro seemed slightly puzzled as she entered, perhaps because it was her first time in a long, narrow bar.

“Unusual structure, isn’t it? Let’s sit here.”

I led Shiro to a secluded spot.

Beyond the table, a black-haired woman in a white shirt was cleaning glasses.

Even though the bell had rung when we entered, she either didn’t know we had arrived or was ignoring us, as only the end of her neatly arranged ponytail swayed slightly as we watched her from behind.

…I should just call out.

“Ms. Rio, are you busy?”

“Heek-“

-Crash!

“…”

She dropped the glass and slowly turned around with a dumbfounded expression.

“Adel, it’s been a while. Who’s this person next to you? Could she be your girlfr-“

“Ms. Shiro is just a colleague, and changing the subject because you’re embarrassed won’t help.”

“Adel, shh. Be considerate.”

Was she embarrassed about making a strange sound and dropping the glass?

“There’s no one else here, so what’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“Isn’t the person next to you a person?”

She looked at Shiro and retorted.

“Ms. Shiro doesn’t care anyway, right?”

“Yes.”

Shiro nodded indifferently.

“See?”

“You’re being particularly confrontational today. Just tell me what you want to drink.”

I should stop teasing her now. This person can be quite scary when angry.

“Hmm. It’s not a day I want to get extremely drunk, so I’ll have something moderate. Ms. Shiro, what would you like to drink?”

“The same as you.”

“She says the same, Ms. Rio.”

She showed a satisfied smile, turned around, and began contemplating while looking at the display case.

Rio Paleote.

A person I got to know through Sherry’s introduction a while back. She’s said to be half-elf, half-human.

Apparently, her father was human but had black hair, which is why she looks like that.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while.’

Almost 3 months? Until I found a fixed party, I used to come in and out of here every day and mooch some drinks.

She always fed me wine that she claimed was aged in a new way, which was really kind of her.

While I was briefly lost in memories, Shiro gently poked my shoulder with her finger.

“Yes?”

“…Adel. What’s that?”

She pointed at the wall beyond me.

Looking in the same direction at the wall, I saw a flyer with a yellow background.

“That’s a strange promotional material. It doesn’t look like something worth seeing.”

“I see.”

Fortunately, Shiro didn’t show any further interest.

‘Why is this still up?’

The flyer was actually my job posting.

She had put it up when she offered to help me find a fixed party, but why hadn’t she taken it down yet?

“Ms. Rio.”

“Yes?”

I whispered to her as she placed wine glasses in front of us.

“Why haven’t you taken down the flyer?”

“Because the design is pretty?”

“?”

I’ve never met someone like this before.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“…Don’t other people ask who the porter is?”

“They don’t ask. Besides, not many people come here anyway.”

Well, she wasn’t running this business for money.

She was originally from an elven noble family, so she had plenty of money, and the alcohol in the display case came from the magic factory in the basement and on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building.

I think she said that with a time ratio of 7:1, it takes only 3 years to make whiskey that’s been aged for 21 years.

“I envy you for having so much money.”

“Should big sis give you some money? If you work here 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, you’ll get 600,000 Ars a month.”

She always tried to entice me like this whenever I visited, but I absolutely shouldn’t do it.

With a time ratio of 7:1, 5 real hours means being trapped in the basement for a perceived 35 hours.

I’d literally die from overwork.

“Come on, I told you I’m not working here.”

I moved away from Rio and raised my voice loud enough for the person in the next seat to hear.

It might be okay for a very short time, but if we talked just the two of us for too long, excluding Shiro, it would be unpleasant.

“Ah, I’ll explain to Ms. Shiro too. It was roughly about employment. Ms. Rio has been threatening me to work here since a long time ago.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

With that, Shiro looked at Rio and said.

“Sorry, but this person has agreed to stay with me.”

“…”

Rio’s eyes widened and she looked at me with a brightened gaze.

“…Really?”

No, damn it, if you say it like that.