Ch.193Chapter 193. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (4)

Chapter 193. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (4)

I examined the booklet created by the mysterious group called the Management Bureau once more.

It was to give a serious answer to Hanna’s question about where and what kind of work I wanted to do.

“…A supermarket. I’m thinking about a large supermarket.”

“A supermarket? Is there a reason?”

Hanna showed curiosity.

A reason, huh. There’s nothing particularly grand.

Maybe it’s because I’ve already tried working at a convenience store, so now I want to try swimming in deeper waters?

“Just because.”

I gave a vague answer and moved on, not wanting to share my embarrassing reason.

“Which supermarket are you thinking of working at?”

“Obviously the one closest to home. For an easy commute. So… around here?”

“…Should we do it together?”

Hanna carefully asked while looking at the supermarket I pointed to, then continued.

“I mean, I don’t have anything I want to do either… and it feels weird to just kill time alone at home. Besides, if we’re going to do this, wouldn’t it be better to do it together as returnee comrades?”

“Pfft. Listen to you talking about ‘returnee comrades.'”

I couldn’t help but laugh seeing her naturally use terms like “returnee” and “comrade” that aren’t commonly used in modern society.

“What, did I say something wrong? And ‘returnee comrades’ sounds better than ‘possession comrades.'”

“Won’t the people monitoring us appear right away if they hear this?”

I said while looking around.

Since I decided to live with all my memories from the other world, the Management Bureau must have put us under surveillance. With two returnees gathered, there must be two surveillance agents as well.

“Would they appear? It’s not like we’re plotting anything.”

Hanna gave me a look of disdain. With her red-dyed hair and aloof attitude, she looked quite rebellious.

Ugh. I want to flick her forehead.

“Still, shouldn’t we avoid bringing up things like ‘returnees’? There are other people around.”

“Other people will just think we’re talking about a game. And if they were going to show up, they would have done so already. They’re leaving us alone because there’s no problem.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Perhaps it’s because I’ve been living with the mindset of “considering everything” while pretending to be Loa Malak. To Hanna, I might seem like I’m worrying unnecessarily.

“Then let’s decide on this supermarket. Want to go check it out together tomorrow?”

Hanna tapped the booklet.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. We should check it out first before deciding. And if it seems good, let’s start next week.”

“Why next week?”

“I need to move to a new apartment.”

Apartment, right. Come to think of it, Hanna lives alone. She said she didn’t get along with her parents and became independent early.

Even when she returned to Earth from the other world, she only contacted them through text messages and phone calls instead of visiting them directly.

“Hmm.”

Hanna… she must be very lonely. The reason she wants to meet me and work together is because she’s lonely.

“Okay. Let’s go check it out tomorrow.”

I nodded. As Hanna said, we are returnee comrades.

We may not be as close as family members connected by blood, but I think we’re the next best thing. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call us sworn siblings.

Comforting Hanna’s loneliness is also part of my role as a “returnee comrade.”

I continued chatting with Hanna, whose expression had noticeably brightened.

***

“Ugh, my back.”

I massaged my lower back after moving all the fully packed produce boxes.

Ah, why did I suggest working at a large supermarket? What an idiot.

Large supermarkets typically have a high proportion of middle-aged women. They do hire men and women in their 20s, but the chances of men getting hired are low.

The job that physically fit men in their 20s who beat those low odds have to do at supermarkets is all too predictable.

It’s the extremely tough work that middle-aged women can’t do.

“This is basically manual labor.”

I’m exaggerating a bit, but it’s several times harder than working at a convenience store.

“Phew.”

Even my senior (?) who started three weeks before me let out a deep sigh.

“Good work.”

“You too.”

I exchanged the customary phrase with him and sat down in a chair. Since I finished faster than expected, I should be able to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Ah, to think I have to do this again in a little while. I feel like sighing.

If I were doing this alone, I would have quit immediately. That’s what I would have done if I hadn’t joined with Hanna.

Hanna, who struggles with socializing, is working hard at her customer service job. How could I, who suggested working at the supermarket first, quit because it’s difficult?

That would be utterly shameful.

After spending some time moving items around, today’s work was finally over.

“Your girlfriend is waiting outside. Go on.”

The oldest woman here, known as the “queen sister” for her good leadership, said with a chuckle.

“Is that so?”

Too tired to deny it, I just went along with it and left. If I said she wasn’t my girlfriend, they would just ask more persistent questions.

I can see Hanna. She was peeking out as if trying to see if I was coming, but when she spotted me, she quickly hid.

“Really now.”

I already saw her, what is she doing? This isn’t hide and seek.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go get dinner.”

Hanna, pretending she hadn’t been waiting for me, casually fiddled with her smartphone as she spoke.

“What do you want to eat?”

“There’s a new Japanese restaurant over there. How about sukiyaki?”

“Sukiyaki? What’s that?”

That’s quite a unique name.

While I was in the other world, Japanese food seems to have become popular. Not knowing Japanese well, I find it troublesome.

“It’s similar to shabu-shabu. It’s…”

Hanna averted her gaze slightly, then hesitantly extended her hand. She was signaling me to hold it.

“Shabu-shabu sounds good.”

I smiled and took her hand. It was small and soft, like a hand that hadn’t experienced any hardship.

Well, it was the paladin’s artificial body in the other world that experienced hardship, so that’s not wrong.

“…Let’s go.”

Hanna, holding my hand, took the lead.

I suppose what the queen sister said wasn’t entirely wrong. We’re not dating, but we are kind of seeing each other.

We’ve been spending a lot of time together, and I’ve noticed the signs for a while.

Whenever I talk with other female coworkers in their 20s, Hanna’s gaze changes noticeably.

Is it because we’re comrades who experienced the demon apocalypse that not everyone could?

Somehow, we naturally ended up like this. Though for now, we’re just at the hand-holding stage.

While waiting for our food at the Japanese restaurant:

“Huh?”

Hanna, who had been checking her smartphone briefly while chatting with me, let out a strange exclamation.

“UltraSans, look at this.”

She preferred calling me by my nickname rather than my real name, and held out her smartphone for me to see.

“What is it, NotACatfish?”

“I’ll kill you, seriously. Call me Hanna.”

It’s a case of “when I do it, it’s romance; when others do it, it’s an affair.” She calls me by my game nickname herself.

“Just look at this quickly~!”

At Hanna’s urging, I checked the smartphone.

“Hmm?”

I was also surprised by the unexpected content.

[‘Surviving as Paladin’ Game Fan Meeting Announcement]

What is this?

“Look here.”

At Hanna’s gesture, I checked the organizer.

[Dina Silverstein]

Dina? Could it be?

“This must be Princess Dina, right?”

Hanna said excitedly.

“Well… probably?”

I turned on my smartphone to check the information.

Dina Silverstein. American woman in her mid-20s. Heir to the Silverstein Group.

The Silverstein Group is a private military company, and one of the top ten at that.

Heir to a private military company… that’s a fitting background for Dina.

“Hey, look at this! I think it really is Princess Dina!”

Hanna showed me that Dina Silverstein had no public activities for two years.

When everything lines up this well, it’s hard to deny. Is Princess Dina trying to organize something like a “possession veterans association”?

“…Won’t the Management Bureau intervene?”

I can’t help but worry again.

“Are you on about that again? If they were going to intervene, they would have stopped it before the article came out. UltraSans, you’re too fearful.”

“Tsk.”

She might think I’m too fearful, but there’s a reason for it.

Actually, I had a nightmare again yesterday. Charon, that bastard, came through a dimensional gate and turned Earth into a wasteland.

– UltraSans! Jester of Loa! There is no paradise in the place you fled to! The place you’ve reached will also become a battlefield!

As usual, Charon spewed his bullshit to scare me, but the pattern changed a bit.

– Kyaak!

This time, he attacked Hanna instead of me.

– Watch helplessly as your woman dies! Loser!

Lakye, who had become a zombie, raised his meteor sword high to behead Hanna. Even though I knew it was a dream, I was so terrified that I wet myself.

Getting repeatedly smacked on the back by my mother afterward was just the cherry on top.

Having these nightmares over and over again, I can’t help but think:

‘What if the surviving Charon is wreaking havoc in the other world?’

‘Should I have stayed in that world and eliminated Charon too?’

It was just lingering attachment, but hard to shake off.

If Charon is really alive and attacks the Tribal Federation, destroying it… I would go mad with emptiness and regret.

I’m not showing it to Hanna now, but if this continues, I’ll get worn out too.

…Would attending this game fan meeting disguised as a possession veterans gathering and hearing others’ stories give me some peace of mind?

“It’s next weekend in America! Let’s go together!”

Unaware of my thoughts, Hanna was all smiles.

“Okay.”

I smiled back and agreed. Hoping that meeting would bring peace to my mind.