Following the awakening, we receive invitations to a banquet in our honor, an official welcome to us, the newfound heroes. The air buzzes with excitement as the royal banquet begins. The hall is ornate, bathed in the golden glow of countless chandeliers. Long, luxurious tables are laden with a plethora of exotic dishes, the aroma tantalizing.
King Alaric stands, raising his goblet, “To our newly arrived heroes! May your bravery and strength lead us to victory against the forces that threaten our world!”
The room erupts in cheers, echoing his sentiment. The atmosphere is festive and fun.
Hiroshi and Takumi are at the center of attention, surrounded by nobles and warriors, all eager to hear more about their divine blessings. Hiroshi, with his Inferno Sovereignty, and Takumi, the wielder of Zephyrus’ Command, have become instant celebrities, symbols of hope in this fight against the corrupted deity.
Yumi and Hana, however, sit quietly. Hana, with her innocent eyes, plays with her food, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of the situation, while Yumi appears lost in thought, her fingers absently twirling a strand of her hair.
I decide to approach her.
“Are you not enjoying the banquet?” I inquire.
“No, It’s just…” Yumi replies, “I’ve been thinking about what I should do from now on, should I go back to our world, or should I stay. I don’t even know if they ever need me or not, since my divine blessing is not that impressive compared to the guys.”
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s a bad divine blessing to be honest, it’s quite amazing.” I reply.
Yes, despite her blessing being deemed inferior, I believe it is actually a great ability to have. Being able to talk to plants means being able to gather more information. And if I want to find my Anna, getting all the information I can get is the key. Thus, if possible, I really want to recruit her to my team.
“But you also need to think about it carefully,” I advise her. “Do you really want to stay? Or you want to go back. You have your family at home, don’t you? Shouldn’t they be very worried right now?”
“Actually, I'm not sure…” Yumi's voice suddenly breaks. And then, she tells me everything about herself.
A few years ago, Yumi's mother left her to be with another man. And from that point, her father became an alcoholic. He’s now just a miserable, depressed man. Thus, she had to work to provide for him. Because of that, she didn’t have any friends at school. She didn’t have any people who wanted her there or cared for her either. Just a few days prior, she even wanted to take her own life, but wasn’t able to go through. After all, she still had her responsibility with her dad. Even though he has become such a horrible person as he is now, he's still Yumi's dad, and she still love him. Basically, she don’t know if he can survive without her…
“Oh, I’m so sorry…”
I have no idea that Yumi's background is this sad.
“It– it’s okay…” Yumi says, yet suddenly breaks into tears. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!... I don’t know what’s going on with me… I– I just….”
And at that moment, all of her suppressed stress and bottled-up emotions find their escape. She chokes on her sobs, crying unrestrainedly.
All I can do is sit silently by her side, offering my arm for support.
Everyone has their struggles, don’t they? No matter how many times I look at Yumi, I never could have imagined what she has been going through. She seems to be very cheerful on the outside, but inside, there’s so much pain, so much darkness.
Yet, after a while, the girl finally manages to calm herself. She rearranges her hair and musters up a smile again.
“That aside, what about you, Jack? Are you planning to go back?”
“No, I’m staying here.” I respond without any hesitation.
“Heh? But it seems like you have a very good life back there!”
And she isn’t wrong. To the casual observer, I must seem like a very successful man, with every aspect of my life sailing smoothly. I maintain a fit physique, I wear nice and expensive clothes, I make billions. I perfectly fit the stereotype of the top 0.001% guy that every woman wants. But here, people think that I’m just a useless guy with no divine blessing. Thus, from Yumi’s perspective, there’s no reason for me to stay.
And I can’t really say that I need to find my sister, can I? Well, it’s not like I really can’t, but I just don’t want to at the moment, not yet. I need to keep my secret for now.
So, “I just love to stay,” is what I say instead. “This is a fantasy world. You know, ever since I was a child, I’ve always fantasized about being in a world like this. And now, there’s a whole new realm waiting for me to explore, with magic and all. How can I say no to that?”
“Haha, I see,” Yumi smiles. “You’re quite something, Jack. It’s amusing how we seem to be polar opposites.”
Yes, polar opposites, I understand what she means. I appear to have everything, while this girl seems to have nothing.
“But you know,” I continue. “I think we are similar in some ways.”
“Huh? How so?”
“You think I’m amazing, yet I think you are amazing too. So we are both amazing people, right? I believe people shine the brightest when they are facing tough situations. And the way you’ve continued to battle against your circumstances has genuinely earned my respect.”
Yumi's eyes soften, her lips curving into a humble smile. "Thank you," she murmurs.
“And you know what?" I continue. "There’s one more thing that I think we share.”
“Huh? What is it?” she tilts her head.
“I’ll share it with you some other time." I reply, leaving an air of mystery.
Yes, basically, I didn’t have everything either.
Money?
Fame?
Hot women?
They all meant nothing.
Without my sister Anna, anything I have is utterly meaningless.
Bluebery
Following the awakening, we receive invitations to a banquet in our honor, an official welcome to us, the newfound heroes. The air buzzes with excitement as the royal banquet begins. The hall is ornate, bathed in the golden glow of countless chandeliers. Long, luxurious tables are laden with a plethora of exotic dishes, the aroma tantalizing.
King Alaric stands, raising his goblet, “To our newly arrived heroes! May your bravery and strength lead us to victory against the forces that threaten our world!”
The room erupts in cheers, echoing his sentiment. The atmosphere is festive and fun.
Hiroshi and Takumi are at the center of attention, surrounded by nobles and warriors, all eager to hear more about their divine blessings. Hiroshi, with his Inferno Sovereignty, and Takumi, the wielder of Zephyrus’ Command, have become instant celebrities, symbols of hope in this fight against the corrupted deity.
Yumi and Hana, however, sit quietly. Hana, with her innocent eyes, plays with her food, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of the situation, while Yumi appears lost in thought, her fingers absently twirling a strand of her hair.
I decide to approach her.
“Are you not enjoying the banquet?” I inquire.
“No, It’s just…” Yumi replies, “I’ve been thinking about what I should do from now on, should I go back to our world, or should I stay. I don’t even know if they ever need me or not, since my divine blessing is not that impressive compared to the guys.”
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s a bad divine blessing to be honest, it’s quite amazing.” I reply.
Yes, despite her blessing being deemed inferior, I believe it is actually a great ability to have. Being able to talk to plants means being able to gather more information. And if I want to find my Anna, getting all the information I can get is the key. Thus, if possible, I really want to recruit her to my team.
“But you also need to think about it carefully,” I advise her. “Do you really want to stay? Or you want to go back. You have your family at home, don’t you? Shouldn’t they be very worried right now?”
“Actually, I'm not sure…” Yumi's voice suddenly breaks. And then, she tells me everything about herself.
A few years ago, Yumi's mother left her to be with another man. And from that point, her father became an alcoholic. He’s now just a miserable, depressed man. Thus, she had to work to provide for him. Because of that, she didn’t have any friends at school. She didn’t have any people who wanted her there or cared for her either. Just a few days prior, she even wanted to take her own life, but wasn’t able to go through. After all, she still had her responsibility with her dad. Even though he has become such a horrible person as he is now, he's still Yumi's dad, and she still love him. Basically, she don’t know if he can survive without her…
“Oh, I’m so sorry…”
I have no idea that Yumi's background is this sad.
“It– it’s okay…” Yumi says, yet suddenly breaks into tears. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!... I don’t know what’s going on with me… I– I just….”
And at that moment, all of her suppressed stress and bottled-up emotions find their escape. She chokes on her sobs, crying unrestrainedly.
All I can do is sit silently by her side, offering my arm for support.
Everyone has their struggles, don’t they? No matter how many times I look at Yumi, I never could have imagined what she has been going through. She seems to be very cheerful on the outside, but inside, there’s so much pain, so much darkness.
Yet, after a while, the girl finally manages to calm herself. She rearranges her hair and musters up a smile again.
“That aside, what about you, Jack? Are you planning to go back?”
“No, I’m staying here.” I respond without any hesitation.
“Heh? But it seems like you have a very good life back there!”
And she isn’t wrong. To the casual observer, I must seem like a very successful man, with every aspect of my life sailing smoothly. I maintain a fit physique, I wear nice and expensive clothes, I make billions. I perfectly fit the stereotype of the top 0.001% guy that every woman wants. But here, people think that I’m just a useless guy with no divine blessing. Thus, from Yumi’s perspective, there’s no reason for me to stay.
And I can’t really say that I need to find my sister, can I? Well, it’s not like I really can’t, but I just don’t want to at the moment, not yet. I need to keep my secret for now.
So, “I just love to stay,” is what I say instead. “This is a fantasy world. You know, ever since I was a child, I’ve always fantasized about being in a world like this. And now, there’s a whole new realm waiting for me to explore, with magic and all. How can I say no to that?”
“Haha, I see,” Yumi smiles. “You’re quite something, Jack. It’s amusing how we seem to be polar opposites.”
Yes, polar opposites, I understand what she means. I appear to have everything, while this girl seems to have nothing.
“But you know,” I continue. “I think we are similar in some ways.”
“Huh? How so?”
“You think I’m amazing, yet I think you are amazing too. So we are both amazing people, right? I believe people shine the brightest when they are facing tough situations. And the way you’ve continued to battle against your circumstances has genuinely earned my respect.”
Yumi's eyes soften, her lips curving into a humble smile. "Thank you," she murmurs.
“And you know what?" I continue. "There’s one more thing that I think we share.”
“Huh? What is it?” she tilts her head.
“I’ll share it with you some other time." I reply, leaving an air of mystery.
Yes, basically, I didn’t have everything either.
Money?
Fame?
Hot women?
They all meant nothing.
Without my sister Anna, anything I have is utterly meaningless.
Bluebery
