episode_0078

“Ah, Hannah Yeon’s trap!”

“It’s strong so it won’t die.”

Friday night, everyone is on fire.

We burst into Hanna Yeon’s house and sat side by side in the living room playing a game.

All four of us together.

We found a 4-player game at Hannah Yeon’s house, and as soon as we found it, we bought an additional controller.

“But it’s too heavy to come up?”

“Rope please… .”

Hanna Yeon, who fell into a trap pit full of blades, stood there blankly, stepping on the blades.

-1, -1.

Stamina that is lost only in small amounts.

As a warrior character who has devoted 72 years of training, his toughness is unparalleled.

“Wait a minute, rope… rope… .”

I took out the rope I had obtained by looting the imperial citizen’s house from my inventory. I didn’t loot it with any particular malice. I was on the verge of starvation after failing to clear the dungeon, and that house just happened to catch my eye.

“Hanna Yeon, take it!”

As the rope was lowered, the old man with white hair held it tightly.

Hey, hey.

As I keep pressing buttons, my blonde girl character starts sweating profusely as she pulls the rope.

Toouk─

-Ugh!

While pulling the rope and pulling it up, out of nowhere, the old man’s body fell headfirst onto the blade.

Hannah Yeon’s health is instantly cut in half due to the added fall damage.

When I turned my head to the side, I saw a pretty girl with black hair standing there with a dry expression, holding a long sword.

“Future, why did you cut the rope…?”

“I think my mom will fall too.”

Was it like that?

I was so focused on repeatedly pressing the buttons that I didn’t even realize that my character was being dragged in.

“Then let’s help each other.”

“I hate it when my stamina is low.”

If the weight of the person trying to pull is greater than the character’s strength, the hand holding the rope will be worn out and stamina will continuously decrease.

Certainly, there are no potions right now… and I have to part ways with Hanna Yeon here.

“Monsters will start to swarm you soon, so why don’t you just go down to the village and loot? Wouldn’t it be easier if you bought some better weapons?”

Narin, who speaks scary words in a refreshing voice.

In fact, it was Narin who suggested looting the homes of imperial citizens. There was no denying that it was efficient, but it was not something that could be done repeatedly.

Especially when the NPC hugs his family and cries, it breaks my heart so much.

“Ugh… How about earning money by doing something healthy instead of looting?”

“What are you talking about, honey? We’re not going to have a baby?”

Narin approached me stealthily, holding a pad. A mischievous smile filled her lips. Since we started playing the game, Narin has been feeling a little scary.

“Ah, making a baby?”

By the way, in this life, Narin and I became a couple.

At the beginning of the game, I lost all my money gambling, and Narin paid off all the debts I incurred, so I gave up my body and became Narin’s property.

I almost ended up a slave, but the gentle-hearted Narin allowed me to become her husband. Thanks to that, I am now a full-fledged priest who explores dungeons.

“That way, our reputation will grow, and money will continue to come in even when we grow old. The reason I want to plunder is because of my children, right? Because raising children costs money.”

However, as the game progressed, Narin became more immersed in the game itself than in life.

Since it was a game with a high degree of freedom, you could enjoy it as if it were real life, but Narin’s only goals were growth and efficiency.

“No, make the child with me.”

In fact, it would have been fortunate if, like Narin, the purpose had been clear.

“If you have an affair, you will get a lot of money.”

In the case of the future, it is difficult because you cannot tell where you are immersed.

An affair?

That’s not wrong. I don’t know why there’s a bonus for having an affair, but every action you do with the person you’re having an affair with gets a bonus reward of a certain amount.

For example, if you take a break from your affair partner, you will recover more physical strength, or if you do the same job, your pay will increase, or if you enjoy leisure activities, your happiness level will increase significantly.

“ It’s late, should I stop now and go to sleep? I don’t feel like going back to get the rope… .”

Unable to escape from making a child, I put down the controller and escaped to reality.

It’s the same for Narin and Mirae, how can they talk about having children so casually?

No, am I weird? Am I weird for not being able to see child-making from a pure perspective?

“Hmm… Is that so? Oh, Sister, you’re finally dead. You can save it after you’re reincarnated in the cathedral.”

While we were bickering about who we would have children with, Hanna Yeon, who had been left on the edge of a knife and was constantly taking damage, ended her life.

[Would you like to be reincarnated? Y/N]

※Caution: All items and funds held will be lost.

If we don’t reincarnate anyway, we’ll retire from the game. That means we’ll have to continue to be spectators until we all die.

[Choose a reincarnation discount.]

Hanna Yeon naturally pressed YES. I also didn’t like the way she was forced to grow up by ageing right after she first chose it. But we felt much more comfortable because Hanna Yeon became stronger in such an abnormal way.

“Sister, you can reincarnate as my child with Sister Haru. But to do that, we have to go to the inn first… . Huh? Sister Haru, where are you going?”

Narin teleported the character out of the dungeon and looked at the screen that contained my character among the four sections of the screen.

But my character was already moving.

“Oh, no, I’m not going… .”

In fact, I had completely let go of the controller.

“I’m better than that looter.”

The culprit is the future.

The future has forcibly taken me there using the capture item.

“Just count the stains on the ceiling and you’re done.”

When I came to, I was already on a bed in an inn, and the black-haired girl, my future character, was leaning a long sword against the wall and taking off her top.

“Okay, sleep… .”

What the… This game is rated 15 and above! What kind of features does it have?

“I want to do it randomly.”

While the future character, wearing bandages instead of a bra, climbs into bed, Hanna Yeon chooses the character she will reincarnate into.

[I am reincarnated as the third princess of the imperial family.]

The grandfather is reconstructed as a character with blond hair that reaches down to his waist and a somewhat aloof aura.

During this time, the character’s characteristics were revealed through guidance messages.

[The Third Princess of the Imperial Household has the highest magical talent among players in the game.]

As described, his intelligence and mana are extremely high. They are nearly five times higher than mine, which started out as a back-alley vagrant and became a priest.

[Incurable diseases result in penalties to basic status. Players who cure incurable diseases are granted great wealth and fame.]

Plus, it has a heart-pounding setting.

“The muscular old man who couldn’t control his own body turned into a sickly princess… .”

I felt somehow deprived and didn’t want to play the game any longer.

I want to be reincarnated too… .

Of course, I don’t want to kill the character I raised with affection.

“Wow… That was fun. Are we going to do it again tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Still, it was the most rewarding and enjoyable activity I’ve done recently. I originally liked games. In particular, this game, ‘Life is Beautiful’, is a game that the world has never seen before.

“Then… I’ll meet Tachibana and come back in the evening! We can have dinner together.”

“Yeah.”

I would love to spend all day at Hanna Yeon’s house, but unfortunately I have a prior engagement tomorrow. But tomorrow isn’t the only day I have left.

“Good night, Hannayeon. Have a nice dream, Narin!”

“Yes, have a good night, too, Sister.”

After exchanging brief greetings and leaving Hanna Yeon’s house, the still cold night breeze greeted me.

A comfortable temperature that is just right for cooling your face.

You were more into the game than I thought.

“Future, was it fun?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t bad.”

Fortunately, it seems that Mirae was also having fun. After all, Mirae was the strongest person after Hanna Yeon, who had raised her abilities through abnormal means. So if you ask me if it helped me progress through the game, honestly, it wasn’t…

“But I can’t stand you continuing to be absorbed in games?”

As I was leaning against the hallway wall and staring blankly into the dark alley, Mirae hugged me from behind and whispered.

“Let’s finish what we couldn’t do before.”

My skin, which was starting to get cold, felt ticklish as the breath of the future touched it.

Perhaps because we were hugging in the hallway, or perhaps because of the mood of the night, I couldn’t keep my body still even though our skinship was no different than usual.

“What, what… .”

What I couldn’t do earlier… .

I wasn’t doing anything in particular?

“Make a child.”

I felt like my mind was disconnected from reality.

Did I hear that wrong?

As I turned my head, creaking like a broken robot, the future kindly spoke again.

“Child… ….”

“What are you talking about!”

I escaped from the embrace of the future, my whole body shaking, and ran inside the house, sticking my head out slightly.

“Sleep outside today.”

He stuck his tongue out and closed the door.

And then I opened it again in less than 10 seconds. I was afraid I might catch a cold.

* * *

Swaaa …

I opened my eyes startled by the sound of rain.

Rain pouring down as if there was a hole in the sky. It’s pouring down so much that you can’t even see a gap between the drops.

“Haaaum… .”

It only rains when I have to go out.

I stretched and tossed in the bed, which felt quite spacious since I was using it alone, and got up, groaning, and headed to the kitchen.

Turn on the TV and have a glass of cold water.

The news reported that heavy rain was expected until 3 p.m.

Well… I guess it would be better to meet tomorrow.

I went into the future room with that thought in mind.

“You were up?”

“It’s raining a lot… I’m scared, Mom… .”

The future came to me with open arms.

“What should I have for breakfast?”

I ignored that future and told him the reason why I came into the room. It was obvious that if I played around with the future’s pranks, I would end up lying in bed without even eating breakfast.

“Toast.”

“It’s the weekend, so it’s okay to have rice.”

To be honest, it’s hard to make breakfast on weekdays. Not only is there limited time to prepare it, but it also requires a lot of work compared to toast.

“I just like eating toast and spending a little more time with my mom.”

The future said so and hugged me.

I guess I’ll be hugging you in the end.

I walked to the kitchen unsteadily, still in Mirae’s arms, and began preparing breakfast, forcibly unwrapping the arm around my waist.

Eggs on bread. Today, I’m going to go fancy and add ham and cheese. I’ll make a salad and scramble the eggs to make them fluffy.

After preparing the ingredients and placing the bread on the frying pan, I sat down at the kitchen table with my cell phone in hand.

I should call Tachibana.

Thurrr─ Thurrr─

[The connection failed and the call was transferred to voicemail… … .]

The ringtone, which would normally have ended before the first ring, continued on until the voicemail notification came on.

“Are you still sleeping…?”

I tilted my head and went into CocoaTalk.

And I found Tachibana’s contact information, which didn’t even have a profile picture, and created a new chat room.

This is my first time sending a CocoaTalk message to Tachibana. I’ve only ever talked to Tachibana on the phone.

[Tachibana, don’t you want to meet tomorrow? It’s raining too much today.]

What is this that makes me so nervous?

As if leaving footprints at first sight, I wrote a message very carefully in the empty chat room.

And then, because I thought I might have spoken too formally, I added an emoticon with a question mark floating over Chuchu’s head.

“Mom, don’t you smell something burning?”

As I was thinking about the message I had sent, with my phone face down on the table, Mirae, who had gone into the room, came back out into the kitchen, sniffing.

smell of burning….

I’m going.

A smell that is both delicious and unpleasant, making you feel uneasy.

“Oh, ah! Bread!”

A thick cloud of smoke was rising from the frying pan.

Startled by the unexpected campfire, I quickly put out the fire and checked the condition of the bread.

“It’s a shame… .”

The front side didn’t look like it was at all damaged, but the back side was burnt to a level that was beyond repair.

“Mom can’t live without me.”

As I was throwing away the bread with a blank expression, Mirae came back with a new bread with a proud smile on her face.

If things continue like this, Mom’s position will be threatened. We cannot neglect her future activities.

“I should buy a toaster or something.”

So let’s spend money.

‘Because raising children costs money.’

It was a morning when Narin’s teachings touched my heart.