I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 621

"Did you have fun?"

"Ah, it was way harder than I expected. Especially on the way back in the car. Sitting and driving was really tough since the passenger and driver's seat don't have tail holes... But aside from that, it was fun."

"Your expression shows it. I saw Iris laughing and having fun on the broadcast earlier, so I guess the reaction was better than expected?"

"...Yeah."

"Good job."

Click.

With that sound, the familiar door opened automatically, and as usual, the employer appeared, someone I was so used to seeing now that it almost felt like my vision had imprinted them.

Harmonie and Dice, entering as if they were in their own home, were as cheerful as ever. They seemed completely unconcerned, as if it didn’t matter whether their bodies had changed or not.

Beyond the front door, the large glass window showed the view of Seoul under a thick blanket of night, and I— Iris— glanced at it for a moment before turning my gaze back to Eugene.

...I knew. These days, he was paying much more attention to me.

But,

"...Ah, oh."

"Doesn't it feel good?"

"No, it’s just... I was a little surprised."

"I’ve gotten used to it, since those guys are always sticking around. I’ll stop patting your head if you don’t like it."

"Th... that's not it."

...I never imagined I’d be in the position of having my head patted like this.

And rather than dislike it, I didn’t even realize I was smiling... It had only been about two weeks since my body changed, and what in the world was happening?

My eyes glanced at the full-length mirror in the hallway, and the reflection staring back at me was... unmistakably different. My ears were bright red, and the skin of my face looked like it was sculpted from pure milk, already tinged with pink.

This was truly insane.

Of course, I was caught immediately.

"Eugene, you’re making that look, just like the heroine who just realized the concept of love in a comic."

"Couldn’t it just be the suspension bridge effect?"

"...I guess so?"

"Don’t think too much about it. You’ve had a fun experience today, so maybe your mind is just a little more uplifted. Or maybe it’s just that with your body changing, your emotions have become a bit more intense than usual."

...That made sense, right?

After the Stella Universe tour ended, I drank a few strong drinks at a nearby bar, so maybe that was affecting me too. That’s what I decided to think.

After taking off my shoes and stepping inside, I entered the room Eugene had prepared for me a few weeks ago. Inside, there were several special packaging bags left there. Clothes that Harmonie and Dice had bought for me. Olivia's brand, apparently.

I realized that the "same-day delivery" was actually real, and as I sat down to unpack, Eugene quietly entered.

"I heard you visited Olivia’s store today... or should I call it her brand? Anyway, I hear Mina and Yerin were also concerned about your condition. They hope you like the gift."

"Well... I always like gifts. But... I've never really gotten gifts like this before, so I guess it's just a bit overwhelming, in a way."

"Olivia... her designs are usually unisex, so you can wear them casually. When she comes to Korea, I’ll introduce you to her."

"...Teacher, I think I finally understand why everyone calls them the 'Biyam Cartel.'"

"See, it’s all out of goodwill."

...Goodwill, huh?

Wait, maybe it’s the problem of too much goodwill? That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I didn’t know how to refuse, so I just nodded with a blank expression.

Anyway, Eugene, who quietly sat next to me and looked at the clothes inside the package, soon left again.

A quiet atmosphere settled, and it was about time to wash away the fatigue of the day.

"Hoo..."

Swish, swish.

The clothes, which had been wrapping my body like armor, fell one by one, and the body that I knew but no longer seemed like mine was reflected in the mirror.

I had been seeing this for the past two weeks, getting used to it little by little. But to be honest, I couldn’t say I was really familiar with it yet.

I stepped into the shower and pulled the handle up. Water poured from the ceiling and walls. It wasn’t just a shower. It was literally hot water falling from the ceiling and walls.

I let out a breath, feeling the exhaustion and dust, all sorts of thoughts flowing away through the drain. When my eyes were closed, it almost felt like all of this was a lie.

I had heard once that the meaning of 'adjusting' was when it no longer hurt when you faced reality.

But could that feeling of separation from the reality I once lived in really be called pain? If it is pain, how can I solve it? If it’s not pain, can I say I have adjusted?

Shampoo, conditioner, body wash... And then, I carefully sat down on the chair placed in the shower.

Until a moment ago, I was facing the unspeakable anguish that I couldn’t talk about to anyone, but now, from this moment on, it was time for complete mental relaxation.

Scritch, scritch.

I grabbed the soft brush from the corner of the shower and gently rubbed it along my white tail.

Since my body changed, and after Eugene had gathered Harmonie and Dice in his home, one of the first things she told me was how to take care of my tail.

Not too often, but because dirt can easily get stuck between the scales, it’s necessary to brush it with this kind of brush every two to three days, even if not every day.

The vibrations transferred from the brush touching the tail.

That dry ASMR or white noise. For some reason, just listening to it made me feel at peace.

Eugene said, "I’m not sure, but brushing your tail might provide you with some mental care." And it was true.

"...Until just now, I had to face a woman's body, but when brushing my tail, it's different."

Should I like this or dislike it? I couldn't decide yet. It wasn’t a woman’s body, but a snake's tail, which would never be disliked by those who liked Eugene.

The tail wriggled the way I wanted it to, moving slowly, sometimes almost floating in the air. Gently placing it on my thigh, I slowly brushed it.

I could say for sure. This, I really liked.

Ten minutes passed, then twenty.

My mind, which had been boiling in so many ways, finally cleared, and I looked at the mirror feeling much better.

Just a week ago, I was filled with worries about how I would live, but now, about two weeks later, such thoughts were slowly fading.

Maybe after another week, even the thoughts that had been washed away with the shampoo foam wouldn’t even come to mind.

What should I call this feeling?

"...I’m glad I can love this body."

I wiped off the water dripping from my body and headed to the drying room.

As soon as I sat down, the air from all sides began to dry my body, and after about five minutes, I was completely dry. Returning to my room, I put on my sleeping clothes.

The pajamas hanging on the wall. The snake pajamas Eugene wore during the Third Final Championship.

'...The vibration inside the house has noticeably decreased, so I guess everyone except Eugene must be lying in bed now.'

Thinking that, I put on the pajamas. As soon as I wore them, I felt the soft texture and satisfaction.

What should I say? Thinking that Eugene wore them once... Maybe I shouldn’t say it like that. Doesn’t this make me a real pervert... Or maybe it's already too late?

In that case, I might as well pray for repentance before bed.

Sleepiness slowly started to settle in.

So many things had happened today, but I was slowly getting used to it... Maybe once I get more used to it, I can meet my parents, friends, and fellow editors and thumbnail makers without any problems again.

That’s how it’ll be... Right?

Soon.

'...I’m always grateful, Teacher.'

I was so thankful that he helped me learn to like myself again.

Maybe this is faith. If so, I might really be able to call myself a goddess. With my vision fading to darkness and the ceiling lights turning off, I fell asleep, thinking that thought one last time.

And—

"…I don't know when you’ll come, but anyway, you're coming soon. It's the end of the world. The end. This crazy shark."

Meanwhile, Eugene, receiving a personal message from Lorentina, shook his head.

The shark’s madness and drive were beyond his reach.

It was summer.

"Have you ever done World Building?"

"...World Building? That sounds familiar."

"Eh, really...?"

"Salus, I told you. The god’s mind is 99.5% Dark Zone and 0.5% Glory and Honor."

"Anyway, Sonia, I’ll reserve the shrimp twist for later."

"Whoops, I’m sorry—!"

• Hahaha, no way, this person has never done World Building.
• If you open the Biyam brain, you’d probably just see 'Dark' on the left and 'Zone' on the right. Hahahahaha.
• That actually makes sense…!
• This is ridiculous hahaha

...World Building?

The word felt unfamiliar as I tried to roll it around in my mouth. I shook my head, trying to forget it, but a faint memory began to surface. I definitely… had heard of something like that in a VR game. What was it? I didn’t look into it much, but one of the top 10 games was supposed to be a sandbox game with a lot of freedom. It was probably that one.

Hearing me, Evelyn quickly brought up a game video in front of me, and we spent some time watching it. How should I describe it? A non-square survival sandbox game. That’s how it felt.

Hmm.

'...Considering that this world is essentially copying several past platforms and games under different names, the original name of this "World Build" game must have been that.'

You know, the game with the title that sounds like the "philosophical autobiography" written by that guy with the toothbrush mustache.

It seemed like a VR game, kind of like a mix of that and a game made by Todoki Hawa. Anyway, I pushed those random thoughts aside. This game had many servers with modes that didn’t exist in vanilla.

Among these servers, there was one dedicated to streamers, or more specifically, to broadcasters only, and the maid cafe I mentioned earlier was built inside that very server.

Hmm.

"I see."

"...Isn't your reaction a bit too calm?"

"True, but you haven’t really told me what you want from me, have you? I remember Iris mentioning the maid cafe, so I thought it might be about that, but I could be wrong."

"Ah, that’s right. It’s today, so... if you have time, would you like to come see it?"

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone’s gaze shifted to Iris.

Naturally, she quickly turned her head and avoided my gaze. Of course, it was unnecessary to mention that her earlobes were bright red.

And at the same time, a... invitation was subtly extended. There was writing all over it, but in summary, it was a "streamer invitation." So this was how you got in.

It wasn’t hard to activate, and thus, my next destination would be a new game I had never accessed before.

As I synchronized with the server, the conversation continued.

"I thought Eugene would have been invited by someone else by now. Surprisingly... Kato, Limit, Stone, and Hotteok are already in."

"Considering the image I have with those guys, I can guess why I didn’t get an invitation."

"Ah..."

• Hahaha, seriously, are you inviting a 'living weapon' to the server? Hahahaha.
• Biyam’s image is basically a walking tactical weapon. Hahaha.
• True, though.
• Seriously, who would invite him into a server full of only rookies? Hahahaha.

...Rookies?

I wasn’t quite sure, but anyway, this didn’t seem like something I needed to focus on right now, so I waited a few more seconds. The server’s real-time user count was about 700, and I heard it wasn’t as stable as Dark Zone.

How long did I wait?

"...Oh."

A massive plaza filled with people appeared before me.

However, I couldn’t make out much of what was around me, and the reason was simple.

Vrooooom!

Vrooooom!

• [Notification: Streamer <Eugene> has connected to the Arcadia server for the first time.]
• [Notification: <Eugene>’s server connection streak is now 1 day.]
• [Notification: We could not find a greeting message for <Error-<Eugene>>. We hope you have a pleasant time in Arcadia. // This message is displayed only once.]

"...What is this?"

• What’s an error??????
• Don’t the greeting messages change depending on the number of subscribers? Hahahaha.
• Current living weapon’s "YourSpace" subscriber count is 67.95 million.
• Even if you combine all the subscribers in this server, they still can't compete with Biyam, hahaha.
• Hey, don’t say that!!!!

...Now I understand why viewers were calling me a "rookie," and what was going on around me.

At the same time, streamers—dozens of them, all with unfamiliar names—started gathering around me like a swarm.

In a hurry, I tried to look for the people who had logged in with me, but—

'...No one!?'

Sonia, Evelyn, and Salus had all vanished as if they were smoke.

Iris had mentioned that she would wait nearby in the plaza to guide me, but seeing how the crowd had gathered, I realized it would be hard to find her now.

But that’s not all—

"Why is my name showing in rainbow colors—whoa!"

"Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene! Eugene!"

"Everyone, come over here! The great being has arrived!"

"Eugene, is she a goddess? She’s a goddess! Biyam Punch!"

It was absolute chaos.

Thankfully, no one asked for my autograph like in reality, but what was all this cheering competition? Why were they all shouting my name out of nowhere?

Just as I began to feel dazed from all the raw handshakes I was getting,

Someone grabbed my hand.

Thud!

"...!"

The familiar sensation.

If someone could cut through this crowd and grab my hand, there could only be one person responsible. I quickly dismissed the unnecessary thought of it being Dice or Harmonie and let myself be pulled in the direction of the hand.

Like a fish caught on a fishing line, I was swiftly pulled through the crowd and into a less crowded area. And, as expected, there stood Iris.

"...Why are you in a maid outfit?"

"Because I’m a maid, master."

Ack. No, I had heard that the maid cafe tour was scheduled, but suddenly?

Somewhere along the way, Iris had changed how she addressed me and her mannerisms, and as she gracefully spun around, she lifted the sides of her maid skirt and curtsied.

"Iris Beatrice, your Ladies Maid guiding you to the Maid Cafe, Snake Heaven, will now greet you."

"...Okay."

• Hahahahaha, Biyam’s speechless, hahaha.
• Wow, I’ve never seen Eugene go speechless before, hahaha.
• I wonder how much emotion is packed into that single 'Okay.' Hahahaha.
• Isn’t Iris originally a girl? Hahahahaha.

I had so many things I wanted to say, but I just shut my mouth.

Acting major, indeed.