Ch.64Your sister

# 64. Your Sister

“No, well, first…”

“Don’t tell me. You’ve been sleeping together in one tent this whole time?”

“That’s… true, but. I mean…”

The physical therapist, looking appalled, took one step back, then another. She seemed to be misunderstanding something, which was frustrating since I had just barely managed to patch things up after that embarrassing situation, only to have to explain this now.

‘One tent’ – this wasn’t my choice!

Just then, Sax, who had been setting up a tent, approached us.

Sax, are you coming to save me?

“Oh, yes! We’ve been sleeping in the same tent since day one!”

“Hey! How can you say it like that?”

“Hehe.”

No, you weren’t!

I smacked Sax on the head as she laughed stupidly and stuck her tongue out at me. Making jokes even in this situation… typical of her, I suppose.

Fortunately, the real savior, the great Yebeop Nojeong, appeared and explained the reason.

“So… it’s all for convenience and efficiency?”

“That’s right. You wouldn’t know since you haven’t experienced it, but no matter how well you set up a tent and prepare the floor, it gets surprisingly cold. Body heat maintenance isn’t just a nominal excuse – sleeping close together really helps a lot. Plus, there’s a huge difference between having to protect one location versus two when something happens.”

The physical therapist narrowed her eyes. She seemed to be trying to accept Yebeop Nojeong’s logical explanation, but then she’d look at Sax snickering on the side or me fidgeting awkwardly, and her thoughts seemed to waver, thinking, ‘That can’t be all there is to it.’

‘Yebeop Nojeong is right! A hundred times, a thousand times right!’

I was anxious that Cutjukyeora or Sax might say something unnecessary.

“Today has been full of surprises. Strange message rushes, being dragged to an unfamiliar place, body swapping, using unfamiliar skills like a game character… compared to all that, party members sleeping in the same tent isn’t such a big deal. Right?”

“Right!”

That doesn’t seem right, Yuri.

“Still, I’m a bit… you know. Besides, isn’t that tent meant for 3-4 people?”

“If you exclude one person on watch duty, it’s essentially four people-“

“I’d like to sleep comfortably, at least when I’m sleeping. Isn’t there another way? I could sleep alone.”

I agree, completely agree.

Though I’ve gotten used to it now, honestly, it was never comfortable. I couldn’t toss and turn freely, and as any man would understand, there was the embarrassing morning… phenomenon in certain body parts.

Sure, it was warm because of shared body heat, but sleeping in the same space with three women was like a daily challenge to suppress my desires. It became even more difficult as days passed, with Cutjukyeora and Sax increasingly trying to snuggle up against me or rub against me subtly.

It wasn’t that I disliked my party members, but that was one thing and this was another.

This was an opportunity.

Besides, I completely understood the physical therapist’s position.

She might be pretending to be okay with it now out of necessity, but she probably wouldn’t want to sleep pressed up against others. At least not now.

“I’d rather sleep alone-“

“It can’t be helped! Then Subin unni and Soyu unni can sleep in the second tent! Ta-da!”

But Sax intercepted before I could finish speaking! She was blatantly revealing her devious intentions.

“Hey! Who decided that? Logically, I should sleep alone and the rest of you should sleep together!”

“No way, no way. If we’re dividing tents, we should distribute our combat power as evenly as possible, and for body heat maintenance, a 3-2 split is better than 4-1. I considered all that before speaking! Surely… oppa, you weren’t thinking something strange, were you?”

Look at Sax with that smirk on her face.

The problem was, if you removed the speaker and just looked at the words, it sounded quite reasonable.

But there was still a flaw in her logic.

“Hey, that’s not an even distribution of power at all. You’re putting the paper-thin Sorcerer and Arc Bishop in one tent?”

“Still seems several times better than you sleeping alone.”

I was immediately shot down.

Why is Sax so strong?

Is this what they call feigning weakness while hiding strength?

But I couldn’t give up here. If I couldn’t directly achieve what I wanted, I should at least disrupt what Sax wanted!

“Oh really? Then, setting aside me sleeping alone, you agree to changing the members in each tent?”

“No! How did you reach that conclusion?”

“And we should hear what unni thinks. Unni?”

“Oh, yes.”

Seeing both Sax and Cutjukyeora, who had been watching from the side, flustered, it was clear their ganging up on me had been a joint effort. I turned to the physical therapist who had been standing by like an observer.

“Since it’s come to this, it seems impossible for me to sleep alone. Would you be okay with two people, including yourself?”

“…Well. If that’s the best option, I’ll accept it.”

I clenched my fist. Half successful.

“According to your logic, Yuri, the most suitable person to share a tent with Soyu unni would be either you or Seyeon. Who’s going?”

“That’s… wait a minute!”

At my question, Cutjukyeora grabbed Sax’s arm and dragged her somewhere. Meanwhile, Yebeop Nojeong crossed her arms and snorted, while the physical therapist let out a hollow laugh.

“I can see right through them.”

“Right? They give me such a headache.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

While the physical therapist and Yebeop Nojeong engaged in some kind of subtle battle, Sax and Cutjukyeora returned.

“So?”

“Soyu unni. Is three really impossible?”

“Why suddenly three?”

“Let’s just have me and Seyeon unni sleep with you! How about it!?”

Good grief.

I could only hold my forehead.

They didn’t want to be separated from me, but since the tents had to be divided, they tried to send Yebeop Nojeong away.

And they were concerned about becoming competitors for my affection if only one of them got to sleep in the same tent as me.

So as a compromise, they suggested both of them sleeping in a different tent from me.

Their algorithm was so transparent… their hearts were so pure and transparent, yet I couldn’t bring myself to be harsh with them, which made the situation quite awkward.

That’s when Yebeop Nojeong spoke up.

“If I can’t and Seonghyeon can’t, and we have to choose between Seyeon and Yuri to sleep with unni, why not take turns? I think that’s the best compromise.”

While I thought it was indeed a wise solution worthy of Yebeop Nojeong, I suddenly felt a wave of reality hit me, wondering if we really needed to discuss this so seriously.

‘Right. At this point, what does it matter who I sleep with? Surviving is what’s important.’

Having attained enlightenment, I left the women to figure it out among themselves and resumed cooking.

The heated debate (mainly from Sax) despite Yebeop Nojeong’s mediation was halted by my call to eat first and talk later.

“Mmm!! This is it! Oppa’s cooking is the best in the world!”

“I-I agree.”

“Is that so? Eat plenty.”

“Yes!!”

“Yes!”

Is this what it feels like to be a big brother or a father?

Regardless, seeing them enjoy the food made me happy.

**

After dinner.

The tent I would be using wasn’t the original one, but the newly set up second tent. And I’d be sharing it with just the physical therapist.

‘I thought Yebeop Nojeong’s compromise was pretty good, so what happened during their discussion to lead to this?’

No one would tell me more, so I couldn’t know, but despite getting what I had hoped for as a second-best outcome, being alone in a tent with the physical therapist made me feel suffocatingly awkward.

‘Was the tent always this big?’

It was exactly the same size as the first tent. I’d shared a tent with just one other person before, but perhaps because the person was different, the tent seemed too large and desolate.

I sat at the edge near the entrance, while the physical therapist sat at the far end, both of us with our backs turned, sitting in silence.

“Um, you won’t have to take watch duty for a while.”

“Thanks.”

“Yes.”

Her cold, short answers made me afraid to speak again. Perhaps because we were in an enclosed space, her feelings seemed more apparent.

“Don’t mind me and get some sleep.”

“Ah, yes.”

Even in this situation, she was thinking of me first, showing her kind nature, but how could I not be concerned?

I awkwardly lay down and gathered courage to speak again.

“Um… unni.”

“Yes?”

“I heard you were a Pilates instructor. And a YouTuber too.”

“That’s right.”

No wonder her body was amazing in a different way from Sax… what am I thinking?

I hastily banished the lewd thoughts from my mind.

“Were you perhaps a devout religious person?”

“No. Completely non-religious.”

“Ah, I see. I was wondering if it might be related to your skills.”

“Even if I were devout, since the object of belief would be different, it might actually be more of a hindrance, I think. Just my opinion.”

Oh.

That’s true.

It was just conversation born from awkwardness, but it shattered one of my preconceptions.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you? Afraid I might do something unpredictable.”

“Well, that…”

“Where’s that straightforward party leader now?”

“I can’t deny it completely.”

“I see.”

There was a rustling sound. The physical therapist, who had been sitting with her back turned, was turning around. Though it was dark, I felt our eyes meet.

“If you respect me, if you consistently keep your promise to do your best to climb this tower… I won’t troll. I need to survive too. I want to get back as quickly as possible.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m just… trying to think of this as a trip with friends. If I don’t think of it that way, every minute, every second becomes unbearable.”

I had nothing to say. Because of that, silence hung in the air for a moment—

Thwack—

“Ah!”

“So, do well.”

Suddenly, the physical therapist’s flick hit my forehead.

“I’ll evaluate you every day.”

And then her fingertip traced something on my forehead.

*Command authority…?*

“Right?”

I nodded vigorously. I heard a very faint laugh.

Your sister. I’ll do well.