Ch.267Side Story: Birthday Banquet – 2

I met with the former Sword Saint at a café near the Eternal Guild after a long time.

Since the guild headquarters was strictly off-limits to men, it had become an unspoken rule to use nearby cafés when female hunters from the Eternal Guild needed to meet with male outsiders.

I could actually enter the headquarters if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to make a fuss about it.

“You look like death warmed over, Yuseong.”

Kang Rahye, who had completely adapted to the speech patterns of this world, said with a slight smile.

Having become quite famous as a hunter by forming a party with Kang Yuna and clearing gates, the way people looked at me had changed considerably—from suspicion and doubt to admiration and awe.

“Do I look that bad?”

“Bad enough to make me wonder what happened.”

“I was kicked out here because they told me to leave while they prepare my birthday party.”

I kept my explanation deliberately vague since we were in a place with many eyes and ears. This way, it would sound like I was just kicked out while they prepared a birthday party at some rented venue.

Of course, Kang Rahye knew the truth. Her eyes widened slightly.

“Oh my, it’s your birthday, Yuseong? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I’m hurt.”

“I didn’t have time.”

“…I suppose that’s true. There was hardly any time to celebrate birthdays. For either of us.”

When she first came to Earth, we set her birthday as the day the gates appeared, so she truly didn’t have time to celebrate. As for me, my birthday in this world had already passed.

“Still, an arm was a fair price to pay. Birthdays come around every year anyway, so what does it matter?”

Kang Rahye waved where her right arm used to be. There were many rumors circulating about that severed arm. Most were jokes suggesting she had left it in another world.

But hunters who had awakened sword-related abilities offered serious analysis, citing her various habits as evidence that she was originally right-handed but had been forced to use her left hand.

“Isn’t it inconvenient?”

“I’m getting used to it.”

Her resolve not to restore her arm seemed firm. I wondered if she knew about all the wild rumors circulating about her right arm and eye.

“But isn’t this a good thing? If those kids kicked you out here, they must be preparing something substantial. It’s nice to receive grand celebrations.”

“I didn’t want such a large-scale celebration. I was planning to just invite a few people, eat some cake, and be done with it.”

“That doesn’t sound like you. You should think bigger. You deserve it.”

“…No matter how big I think, they’ll exceed my expectations.”

The main reason I was sitting here was because I had no idea what to expect. Whatever I imagined, they would likely surpass it.

My parents were so excited about my first birthday in 18 years that they seemed to have lost their minds, refusing to listen to anything I said. Diana and Trisha were also overflowing with enthusiasm to the point of explosion.

Those two were half-joking, but it was still all enthusiasm.

When I told Beatrice not to do anything, she agreed but started crying actual tears, which panicked me into giving permission. From what she said, those weren’t fake tears—she was genuinely sad.

“Are you that nervous?”

I gave Rahye a bitter smile in response to her question. But it seemed her question had a completely different intention than I thought.

“Then I can’t lose either. I should make an appearance after so long.”

“…What? What did you just—”

“I said I should make an appearance after so long.”

“…Why?”

I couldn’t help but be surprised. The Sword Saint, who had been missing for a long time, making a public appearance again—that would be enough to move even the Emperor. The name of the Sword Saint carried that much weight.

“I can’t just congratulate you with words, can I? Given our relationship.”

I heard hunters around us gasp as they eavesdropped on our conversation. They were probably letting their imaginations run wild.

But since I had cast a perception-inhibiting barrier, they would only remember vaguely hearing something, nothing specific.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course. I was going to be bored anyway since I don’t have any work for a while. I received an official notice asking me to refrain from activity for a while, with similar compensation. Apparently, I’ve been closing too many gates recently.”

“…”

Gates remain permanently until the boss is defeated. Conversely, this means that as long as the boss isn’t defeated, one can indefinitely harvest byproducts from the monsters that appear there.

In fact, most countries and top-tier guilds were managing numerous gates without closing them for this very purpose. That’s why the dungeon break calculation formula was developed.

Given that, gates targeted for subjugation should be ones that could be closed without issue…

“Just how many have you been taking down?”

“I don’t know. I don’t really keep track. No reason to remember each one.”

Kang Rahye smiled with her one remaining eye.

We spent the rest of our time chatting about various things, sharing what had happened in her world and what had happened in mine.

Of course, I cast a soundproofing spell from this point. Some hunters focused their attention even more on us, thinking we were discussing something secret, but none could penetrate my magic.

For those who were too nosy, I set off a mental explosion in their heads, causing them to faint and be carried away. After four people were carried out, the remaining hunters scattered, finally getting the message. About time.

“Soon there will be eight S-rank hunters.”

“That succubus becoming a Demon Lord—quite unexpected.”

The most surprising news for me was that Hunter Kang Rahye’s request for an S-rank evaluation had been officially approved, while the news that surprised her most was that Nika had ascended to become the next Demon Lord, wielding a demon sword.

Rahye no longer seemed to have any aversion to the term “Demon Lord.” That made sense, considering she had cut off her right arm as a symbol of no longer dwelling on the past.

—Bzzzzzz…

Around the time I was telling her what Karna wore as a swimsuit during our school trip, my smartphone vibrated. The screen displayed “Yuna’s sister.”

“Just a moment. Yes, Yuna. What is it?”

—Where are you, unni? I don’t see you on the first floor of headquarters.

“I’m at that café we always go to.”

—A café? That’s unusual for you. You said you never go to such places alone.

“I’m with Yuseong right now.”

—What? With that Kang Yuseong? Why would you two be meeting… Alright. I’ll head over there.

She was the complete opposite of her gentle and even fragile older sister from the other world. I thought she might get along well with Trisha.

After putting down her smartphone, Rahye made an “Ah” sound as if she’d just had a good idea.

“Wouldn’t it be fun to invite Yuna to that world too?”

“That person?”

“Yes. Is that not possible?”

“It’s not impossible. I’ve already asked her several times if she wanted to see that world. She refused every time.”

“If you tell her it’s for your birthday, Yuna will find it hard to refuse. I’ll help too. She’d be absolutely shocked to see how they’ve prepared for your birthday over there. What do you think? Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“…Come to think of it, that’s not a bad idea. Let’s do it.”

Immediately convinced, I asked Kang Yuna if she wanted to come to my birthday party in the other world as soon as she arrived.

At first, she seemed reluctant, but when Rahye said she would come too, Yuna started to consider it. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she urgently whispered to me.

“Wait. How could you mention that in front of Rahye unni? Are you crazy? Wasn’t it supposed to be a secret?”

“She said you already told her.”

I started the lie we had prepared, though of course it would work because she was from that world.

“…Huh?”

Yuna froze. Her lips flapped meaninglessly before finally forming words.

“I… I told her? When?”

“Last time when you came over completely drunk.”

“…Really?”

Her eyes turned to Rahye, silently begging for denial.

But when Rahye nodded, confirming it, Yuna’s blank expression turned to one of dejection as she glanced at me nervously and offered an apology.

“I’m… I’m really sorry. I had no idea this would happen… I’m truly sorry…”

“I win, Yuseong.”

“How should I… What? You won? Unni, what do you mean?”

Yuna stopped mid-apology and looked up. She stared in bewilderment at Rahye and me, who were barely containing our laughter.

“Wow. I’m impressed, Kang Yuna.”

“Impressed by what?”

“We planned this together.”

I explained the truth. We had pretended that she revealed the secret while drunk, and we had a bet: if Yuna brazenly denied it, we would let it go, but if she sincerely apologized, we would reveal the truth.

As someone who prided myself on being able to objectively evaluate Yuna on Earth, I could tell her apology just now was completely sincere. I had lost the bet, having wagered she would be brazen about it.

“…”

After a moment of blank staring, Yuna charged at me with a face like a demon, swinging her fists.

“You! Bastard! How! Could! You!”

“Hey, we both did it! Why are you only hitting me?!”

I took the punches without resistance. She had apologized sincerely, so I was in the wrong.

“You absolute jerk.”

Even after roughing me up for a while, Yuna wasn’t satisfied. She sat down with trembling fists and downed the iced tea I had been drinking in one go. The ice cubes cracked savagely.

“…So, if I didn’t tell, then you did? You just told her? What happened to me being the only person you could trust, which is why you only told me?”

The questions came like machine gun fire. At this point, it seemed safe to reveal another truth.

“It doesn’t matter. Rahye noona is from that world.”

“Ah, I see… Wait, WHAT?!”

Yuna, who had been about to accept this explanation, let out a shriek as the realization hit her belatedly.

I think she reacted similarly when I told her I had been possessed and returned. I guess people really don’t change.

“Now then…”

After sending Mira to Earth, a rather serious meeting was taking place in the club room.

Thanks to Mira pouring money and magic into the spatial manipulation, the soundproofing of the club room surpassed even that of high noble estates. Plus, it was spacious and large, making it an ideal venue for meetings.

“Let’s each share what we plan to give the child as birthday presents. At the very least, we should prevent overlapping gifts among ourselves.”

Erestica said with a smile while gently stroking her lower abdomen.

“For reference, I plan to let the child call me ‘baby mama.’ That’s the biggest gift for his birthday.”

“Pfft?!”

“What did you say?!”

“Ba-ba-ba… baby…?!”

Collective gasps of shock echoed throughout the room. Karna and Leona froze with their mouths open in panic, and even Laura and Elisier couldn’t hide their surprise.

Seeing their chaotic reactions, Erestica laughed lightly.

“I’m joking. Relax.”

“…When you say it, it doesn’t sound like a joke at all.”

Latina muttered with a sigh, and no one contradicted her.