98 – I Am a Bad Person – 5 –
It had been a while since I visited a bar.
To give me a gift for working hard, I walked eagerly to the store that held short memories.
A bar on the outskirts of the capital.
“The Grape’s Tavern.”
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“The Grape’s Tavern” was a restaurant run by a young landlady, known as a favorite restaurant of Yuria in the novel, where they serve delicious draft beer and dry snacks.
-Ding dong-
“Welcome~ to The Grape’s Tavern. Oh my!”
The landlady in the kitchen let out a gasp upon seeing the face of a regular customer she hadn’t seen in a long time. The owner greeted me kindly, saying it’s been a while. I waved my hand slightly and bowed my head to the owner.
“It’s been a while, owner.”
“It’s been so long. I thought you were dead.”
“To think that a promising young man like you could be mistaken for dead. I apologize.”
“Hoho, that just shows how happy I am to see you.”
I responded to the boss’s joke with a light laugh.
“I heard there was something to check in the water supply, so I came for a moment. Is there a seat available?”
“Of course~ If there isn’t, I’ll make one for you.”
The lady boss replied brightly. She had been especially kind to me ever since she chased away a troublemaker in the past, offering a lot of services.
As we chatted about each other’s recent news with bright smiles, the lady boss spoke to me, gesturing to a corner of the restaurant.
“But, aren’t you here with your friend?”
“Friend?”
“Yes. You two used to come here occasionally. She arrived first and took a seat.”
Friend… Who could that be?
As I, who had spent difficult academy days without friends, wondered if there was a person called a friend in my life, I turned my head following the lady boss’s gaze. In a corner of the pub, I could see a pink-haired woman drinking beer alone.
After taking a sip of beer and wrinkling her brow, she made an expression like, ‘Ugh… It’s bitter.’ I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the familiar sight.
Seeing my ambiguous expression, the lady boss asked cautiously.
“Should I prepare something separately?”
I shook my head, politely declining the boss’s consideration.
“No, thank you. I’ll sit over there.”
I walked lightly towards the corner where Yuria was sitting.
There were many good seats available, but I couldn’t help but laugh at Yuria’s choice of the secluded place. And the fact that someone who dislikes alcohol is sitting there. I kept smiling involuntarily.
*
“Why are you drinking alone? Like a tragic heroine.”
Yuria looked at me with bewildered eyes. In her eyes, partially obscured by the effects of alcohol, there was a frozen expression of surprise.
“Lica… rdo? How did you get here?!”
“Why would the most handsome and perfect man come to a pub? I came to drink.”
“What are you saying….”
Flustered, Yuria responded with a wry smile to my words. Though my words were sincere, I found myself laughing along with Yuria’s playful response.
Drunk. Carefully pulling out the chair, I sat down facing Yuria.
I had felt lonely drinking alone, so having a companion made me feel good.
With a bitter smile, I asked Yuria.
“Is it okay if I sit?”
“You’re already sitting.”
“If you say it’s not okay, I might run away.”
Yuria chuckled again and spat out words of affirmation.
“Sit.”
“Thank you. I almost drank alone, so I’m relieved.”
“And the lady…?”
Yuria glanced behind me and asked, but I shrugged my shoulders, answering, “The lady is fine,” resolving Yuria’s curiosity.
Having ordered beer and dried squid from the waiter, I stared fixedly into Yuria’s eyes.
Moist, teary eyes.
A gloomy expression.
Looking at Yuria’s sullen face just now, the thought crossed my mind, “The heroine seems to be crying all the time.”
Although descriptions of sadness were frequent in novels, seeing it in person was different. Something didn’t feel right.
Although it is a bright and hopeful romance fantasy novel that women readers enjoy, it is a story that only applies to the male protagonists.
The male protagonists are physically strong but each has their own shortcomings.
Yuria, on the other hand, is physically weak but fills the emotional void.
While this dynamic adds excitement to the novel, it may not be as pleasant for Yuria, who is directly involved.
It wasn’t that Yuria was weak. She possessed extraordinary healing magic talents that couldn’t be compared to her peers, and she was well-versed in sacred magic.
Mikhail, Ruen, and other supporting male characters were exceptional in every aspect. It was never about Yuria being insufficient.
It was just that her talents lay in a different field.
The same could be said for Hans.
I cautiously thought that Yuria must be feeling skeptical about her reality, where she only receives help but can’t do anything herself.
She received compliments from people around her.
But in reality, she felt useless because she couldn’t contribute anything.
There was a moment in the novel when Yuria’s emotions about the current situation were depicted. A time of confusion about her own worth in complex relationships.
She was bullied since the first year.
Hans became corrupt.
Now was the time when she felt disillusioned about her own incompetence, as she only relied on the male protagonists for help when a crisis struck.
That’s why I had a slight idea about the worries Yuria harbored.
But it could also be something else, of course.
I cautiously brought up the topic to Yuria, who had a melancholic expression.
“It must be very difficult, right?”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
“Just studying and academy life seem tough for you. Because you haven’t sacrificed your grades like me.”
“…It’s manageable.”
Yuria replied with a bitter expression.
Although she spoke with a firm voice, almost as if saying not to mind, the melancholy expression on her face revealed the stress related to her studies.
Hoping Yuria would smile, I spoke with an unfortunate expression.
“Just trust this face like me. It’s thrilling.”
Yuria responded with a smirk.
“Do you really know how unfortunate I am?”
“I didn’t say to be unfortunate.”
“Pfft! What’s that supposed to mean, really…”
Despite thinking that Yuria was relieving her distress, it seemed not to be of much help.
With a bitter smile on Yuria’s gloomy face, I shifted the conversation to lighter daily matters.
“Did you enjoy the tteokbokki today? I made it with extra care as a special order.”
Yuria answered, gulping down beer.
“It was incredibly delicious.”
With a wrinkled brow, Yuria, who was weak to alcohol, quietly muttered, ‘Ugh… it’s bitter.’
‘Too much drinking is not good.’
As the novel depicted getting drunk after three beers, I smiled, worried about Yuria’s excessive drinking.
“I’m glad you liked it. I worked hard on it. It’s not my familiar kitchen, so I ended up using salt instead of sugar, but well, since it tasted good, I’m relieved.”
“…What was that about.”
“I mean it’s delicious.”
…”
Yuria bowed her head at the simple words without any intersection.
With a voice slightly trembling, Yuria cautiously asked me,
“Do you do this for anyone?”
Yuria’s earlobes, as she bowed her head, were turning red. Perhaps due to exceeding the drinking limit of beer, I lowered my head, looking at Yuria’s blushing ears.
“I don’t give the tteokbokki infused with my soul to just anyone.”
“Then why did you give it to me?”
“Because you’re a precious friend?”
…”
Yuria’s earlobes became even redder.
‘But it seems like I shouldn’t feed her anymore.’
I had anticipated a lively drinking session, but it seemed that if things continued this way, the tragic spectacle of Yuria, now becoming a drunkard, would unfold.
Seizing the opportunity as Yuria lowered her head, I carefully moved the beer glass next to her to the corner.
-Swish.
Yuria, who was watching my hand hiding the glass at the corner of the table, with a suspicious look.
Leaning on the table with a chubby expression, Yuria puffed up her cheeks with wind and said to me,
“Why are you hiding it?”
“…I didn’t do anything.”
“Lies.”
I awkwardly chuckled as I handed a beer glass to Yuria.
Yuria, who had inflated her cheeks with air, looked at the beer glass that had returned to her. She chuckled awkwardly and then gulped down the remaining beer.
Wiping off the foam on her lips, Yuria frowned and said, “Ugh… it’s bitter.”
I tilted my head in response to Yuria’s appearance. “Someone who’s not good with alcohol taking a one-shot. Admirable.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
-Sip.
Yuria, with a flaw in her pride in drinking, looked at me intently.
“I’m doing this because of someone…”
Interrupting Yuria’s arrogant tone at the end of her sentence, I replied with a small laugh, “By any chance… did you know you got scammed today? You got an extra 10 gold.”
“?”
Yuria looked at me with a confused expression.
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“… Really?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
Unintentionally exposing the scam, I scratched my head, and a bright smile appeared on my face.
“I might get caught by the Imperial Army like this.”
“…”
“I will inform the boss about the service.”
I was at a loss for words at Yuri’s cold expression.
An awkward atmosphere filled the air.
As more people gathered at the bar, Yuri and I raised our glasses.
One drink.
Two drinks.
As Yuri’s gaze started to lose focus, I felt uneasiness.
“Sigh…”
Yuri let out a heavy sigh and spoke.
“Ricardo.”
Not using formal language.
Yuri spoke informally.
With a smile, I responded to her careless demeanor.
“Why are you calling me?”
“Well, you see…”
Yuri hesitated for a while, then opened her mouth.
“Do you hate me?”