Chapter 11. Summer and the Sea (4)

…There was. A magic potion that makes embarrassment disappear.

Well, it’s not really ‘magic.’ If anything, it’s closer to biochemistry, or human physiology.

That’s right. It’s alcohol.

Still, I’m a person with a conscience, so I at least gave Ria a warning.

“Ria, don’t drink too much.”

“Umm.”

Since Ria had made a big mistake once before, she looked at the cans placed in front of us with great difficulty.

The cans don’t look that dangerous. In fact, judging by the colors, they look like they’d be okay to drink. Pink and light green. One has a peach drawn on it, and the other has a grape.

It was a type of alcohol called Chuhai, which actually has a low alcohol content and a fruity, carbonated taste.

It’s a dangerous drink with a low alcohol content and a sweet taste that masks the alcohol smell, making you keep drinking until you’re completely drunk.

“Ah, it’s okay if you don’t drink it at all.”

I said to Ria.

“Ria, you’re not good with alcohol…”

I said with a slightly worried expression, but Ria narrowed her eyes as she looked at me.

And seeing that expression, I smiled inwardly.

Ria has a strong sense of pride. I had read it in the novel, but after spending a considerable amount of time together, I figured out that Ria doesn’t like being told she’s weak.

“…”

Ria picked up a can, opened it, and took a few gulps.

“Are you okay?”

“Hey, I can drink beer, you know?”

When I asked with an exaggeratedly worried expression, Ria said that with a look of wounded pride.

“Ah, really? That’s fortunate.”

I said with a bright smile.

It seemed Ria had noticed I was teasing her, but she didn’t seem inclined to back down easily.

‘This much is okay,’ she might be thinking?

Seeing the two of us like that, Lee Si-yoon, Han Yu-ri, and Gloria had expressions of slight bewilderment, but well, it didn’t matter to us anymore.

*

Since we came to the sea, we drink alcohol and eat meat.

The facility Ria rented was originally used by the Hunter Association. Since it’s a place where employees come for training, it actually seemed too spacious for just us.

However, we felt a bit guilty about running around and messing up all the space, so we decided to use only two rooms on the first floor.

They were nice rooms with balconies overlooking the sea.

The reason for having two rooms for this many people is, of course, Lee Si-yoon. He was the only male.

Well, even so, it’s unlikely that Lee Si-yoon would sleep alone in one room. It’s a romantic comedy novel, after all.

Considering the personalities of the three people, they wouldn’t cross the line, but it’s obvious that the two who have just become adults will somehow end up in Lee Si-yoon’s room.

“Si-yoon?”

“Uh, yeah?”

And we didn’t just choose the rooms. It would be a waste to come all the way here just to stay in the rooms, wouldn’t it?

At Ria’s request, we secured a space where we could grill meat. This place is also quite large, but again, it felt too wasteful to use it all, so we decided to just use a corner spot for ourselves.

I went over because I felt sorry seeing Lee Si-yoon grilling meat all by himself, and Lee Si-yoon seemed a little flustered.

In fact, Lee Si-yoon had been flustered from the moment he came here until now. The fact that all the girls his age were wearing swimsuits while he was the only male must have been the most bewildering.

If I recall Lee Si-yoon’s thoughts as described in the novel, Lee Si-yoon actually liked it inwardly. He just didn’t act on it because his personality was too gentlemanly.

Originally, the Saint would have fallen for Lee Si-yoon at this point too.

He awakened his powers, bravely fought on the front lines, and diligently helped the Saint whenever she performed rituals.

However, now, if you were to pick the most awkward people with Lee Si-yoon, it would be Ria and me. The two heroines who were most physically involved in the original work had stepped aside.

Although it was only a little, I felt sorry.

In a sense, it was like stealing two great fortunes from the protagonist.

“Shall I help you a bit?”

With that apologetic feeling, I asked.

“I know how to grill meat, at least.”

I had grilled quite a bit in my past life. When attending company dinners, I inevitably had to grill. Even if there were only people of lower rank around me, it felt a bit awkward to just hold chopsticks and eat meat.

“Oh, really?”

Lee Si-yoon’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Well, I had the opportunity.”

I decided to gloss over it vaguely. If anything, it’s not like I had no opportunities. Nuns do have things like picnics, after all. Even if they are picnics enjoyed within the church.

“Here, here, hand me the tongs and go over there with Yu-ri…”

“Hey!”

Just as I was trying to create an opportunity, I heard someone shouting from afar.

Both Lee Si-yoon and I flinched and were startled.

Turning my head, I saw a beautiful woman with a red face and red hair approaching us with long strides.

The nun in the beautiful dress ran straight towards me-

“Ria, what’s wrong!?”

She grabbed both of my cheeks.

“What are you doing right now?”

What am I doing?

I was just trying to help a bit since Lee Si-yoon was grilling meat alone.

Ah, of course, Gloria and her maid cannot eat meat. Last time, I thought they might be able to eat it since they ate french fries fried in chicken oil, but it seemed they ate it only because they were so hungry that they couldn’t even smell it.

Now, they were eating lettuce dipped in ssamjang with a crunch, away from the meat.

Han Yu-ri had gone to get drinks from the refrigerator for a moment.

“What am I doing?”

I asked back in surprise.

“I thought you seemed to be working alone, so I was just trying to help…”

“You, if a Saint does that, it’s a big problem.”

Huh?

What is it, why are you acting like that?

Ria, whose face had turned bright red and her eyes were narrowed, seemed to be about to take her hands off my face-

“Ri, Ria!?”

She then pulled me in and put her arm around my shoulder.

It wasn’t just a casual arm around the shoulder; her arm was too strong. In an awkward position between a headlock and a side hug, I stood with my back hunched forward.

“Ria, just a moment-“

“Hey.”

“Uh, yeah?”

When Ria called him, Lee Si-yoon blinked and answered.

“You, don’t get too close to her.”

“Uh, yeah.”

It seems he could only answer like that from the beginning, so Lee Si-yoon nodded.

“She’s- she’s a nun, a nun. Someone who will become a Saint. Do you know that?”

“Excuse me, Ria, you seem to be repeating the same thing over and over again!?”

I shouted, feeling my back bending further forward.

If this continues, I’ll really get a headlock!

Ria’s strength is immense. If she really squeezed, it would be incredibly painful.

Even if I tried to push her away with my arms, Ria’s drunken body wouldn’t budge.

“Excuse me, Anna seems to be in some pain.”

“In pain? Hmph.”

At Lee Si-yoon’s words, Ria’s arm loosened.

But before I could escape, Ria’s hand simply moved from my shoulder to my waist.

Pulling me close by my waist, Ria dragged me away from Lee Si-yoon.

“Excuse me, Ria, I understand. I was wrong. I won’t say you can’t drink anymore.”

“You shouldn’t do that.”

But it seemed Ria didn’t hear my words and looked at me with a serious expression. Although it was the same words, the atmosphere was slightly different.

I was momentarily speechless.

Even drunk, Ria is Ria. She is someone I personally trust immensely- at least, the person I trust the most in this world. Someone I could risk my life for if necessary.

Beautiful, capable, and thoughtful.

At first, there were parts that made me feel strangely jealous because she seemed so perfect, but the more I spent time with her, the more I realized she wasn’t a perfect superhuman.

As often depicted in the novel, Ria also had her scars and worries.

And, I am included in those ‘worries.’

How many times have I told Ria to trust me, yet how many times have I walked into danger myself?

I’ve also been seriously injured instead of Ria. In the Dwarf Kingdom last time, if Ria hadn’t pulled me out, the wounds on my hands would have been much larger.

Since they were wounds that even holy power couldn’t easily heal, it could have been truly dangerous.

“You told me to protect you, right?”

Hiccup.

Ria said with a small hiccup.

“…”

“You told me to trust you, right?”

“…Yes, I did. I trust you, Ria.”

“Yes.”

At my words, Ria nodded and replied.

And then, while holding me, she sat down on a chair with a thud.

The posture was awkward in many ways. Placing me on her lap, Ria hugged me tightly in her arms.

It was a little hot. Along with the smell of alcohol, a sweet fruity scent also wafted from Ria’s breath.

I had also drunk a little alcohol earlier. If anything, I probably drank more than Ria.

With the mild intoxication, the smell of alcohol, and the fact that Ria’s body temperature was slightly warmer than usual.

Somehow, I felt like I was getting a little drunk too.

“Okay, Ria. I’ll trust you.”

“Yes.”

Ria nodded and tightened her grip on my arm. And she pulled me closer into her embrace.

“Okay.”

Actually, as she said that, Ria’s voice sounded even more relieved.

I smiled slightly and remained tightly embraced in her arms for a while.