Baekdo gulped down the last rib as a snack to accompany her drink.
-Gulp, gulp.
A stream of beer trickled down below the sharp jawline of her fair skin.
I, too, downed a shot of soju while watching Baekdo's face.
Indeed, she looked pretty as always.
Of course, I didn't feel lustful. Her personality was naturally abrasive.
Her slender fingers seemed to perfectly fit a small-sized ring. Her chest was large enough to have captivated many hunters' hearts.
'Well, I'm not planning on doing anything.'
It happened by chance last time. I was not sure about our chemistry. I probably wouldn't do such a thing again.
Baekdo was Baekdo. She disliked me, and it's hard to imagine her liking me.
It's unlikely that it would happen.
Unless I drank like last time and suddenly lost control.
'I'm controlling my drinking well now, so it's fine.'
I sip soju while looking at Baekdo's face.
Baekdo was just that kind of girl.
She was so pretty that drinking with her made the alcohol go down smoothly.
That's why we drank well together, bickering all the while, yet neither of us had any intention of dating.
Simply put, she was a pretty friend with benefits.
One drink, two drinks. As we continued, Baekdo seemed to notice my gaze and frowned, asking,
"Why do you keep looking?"
"Just looking makes the drink go down easier."
"…Annoying."
"Excuse me?"
"Just knowing you're looking at me is irritating."
What a forced complaint.
Baekdo, influenced by the alcohol, puffed her cheeks and crossed her legs in dolphin shorts. Despite her strength, she was not very big, so she could manage that pose.
Baekdo took a sip of her drink while looking at my face.
I wondered what she was thinking.
Her relaxed eyes scanned me from head to toe before her pink lips left the mouth of the beer can.
"…Huh. I think I understand that feeling."
Maybe she felt the same way I do.
I went to the kitchen, took out a beer glass, and mixed soju with beer.
I urged Baekdo, but she hesitated a bit before timidly offering her beer can.
"Drinking makes you feel lighter."
"…Yeah."
"How great would it have been if it had always been like this? What's the deal with that cursed water?"
"…I hate it."
"Why?"
-Clink-
Though not the crisp sound of glass, the aluminum and glass made a neat noise on their own.
Baekdo poured the beer into her mouth and then exhaled the remaining breath.
Her lips curled up slightly, showing she was feeling good.
"…Back in the day, I fell into a river while trying to pick peaches."
"Oh, a story from the past? When you were a child?"
"Yeah."
Could that be the reason behind her strange aversion to water?
I continued to sip my drink while listening to Baekdo's story.
Hearing about the unknown past of someone I knew was always enjoyable.
"Fell into a river? What happened?"
Baekdo, her face flushed from drinking, handed me another beer.
I opened the beer and handed it back to her.
"…That's all."
"That's it?"
"The peach I was trying to pick was a water peach. That's why I hate it."
"..."
"Well! And it's true that water peaches taste bad!"
Baekdo shouted, embarrassed by my pitying look.
Her small face hidden behind the beer cans she held with both hands was quite adorable.
It was interesting to see her small face covered by beer cans over her nose and mouth.
"Just asking… what made you like rockfish?"
"Because they're delicious."
"Hehe. That's so you, Master Baekdo."
-Glug-
I sipped the drink. A sweet and salty piece of bulgogi.
Baekdo, without realizing it, kept staring at my face and sipping her drink.
"Is it drinkable?"
When I lightly teased her, Baekdo, perhaps feeling embarrassed, raised her voice dramatically and started blathering.
"Heh, ahem. Third-rate disciple's face is quite a sight… it goes down well."
"Of course. It's this face, after all. No, wait. It's my real face now, so it's not really thanks to the status window."
"…Weird talk. I vividly remember when you were ugly. What do you mean, 'it's your original face'?"
"Well, that's how it is."
-Glug.
After exchanging those words, we both took sips of our drinks, stifling a laugh with a loud "Krrr."
"Here. Quickly."
Baekdo pulled out another can of beer for me.
"Aren't you drinking a lot today?"
"So what? It's the last time."
"Uhm, that's true."
Click- After pouring the drink, Baekdo took three big gulps of beer.
Then, she put the beer down on the desk with a flourish and burped cutely as if the alcohol was taking effect.
"End…"
Without realizing it, she covered her mouth with the back of her hand, her face flushing.
The back of her hand was severely scarred.
Now that I thought about it, it was a wound I hadn't been able to heal when my power had run out.
"That scar. How did you get it?"
"You don't need to know."
"Should I guess?"
Although she might not remember me, her memories of the past probably hadn't changed much.
Baekdo smirked and put a chewy piece of squid in her mouth. I like it too.
"Go ahead. Even if it's just a guess, it'll be trivial."
I raised my index finger and said seriously,
"Did you get cut by a sword while trying to protect Cheondo?"
"…!"
Baekdo's eyes widened in shock, her jaw dropping enough to reveal the bright red squid inside.
"And that was during an external invasion, right? While you were at Spring Peach Blossom."
"…"
"Ahhh, close your mouth. The chewed-up mess might pop out."
"Phew, what a mess!"
Baekdo hurriedly closed her mouth and swallowed what she was chewing, then filled her mouth with beer.
She then glared at me subtly, seemingly not liking my guess.
"So, was I right?"
"…You were wrong."
Pride was a thing.
I shrugged with both hands spread. Baekdo got annoyed, put down the beer can, and scrunched up her nose.
"Yes, yes. Of course."
"Yeah, like you would know!"
I knew more than she probably expected.
Baekdo was the one who had cried on my clothes there. It was also Baekdo who had urged me to leave because she was worried about my taking over Cheondo's place.
Of course, I had a reason for bringing it up.
I extended my right hand toward Baekdo.
"Let me see your hand."
"…Why."
"Come on, just give it here."
"No. I don't want to shake hands with an idiot. You're just going to harass me again. You think I don't know? Idiot."
"This woman… Just give it here."
"…I said no!"
Suddenly,
Baekdo yelled, but when her hand was caught, she relaxed, powerless.
If it was going to be caught anyway, she should have just given in from the start.
It was fortunate that her disgust towards me had decreased by three levels because she had been drinking.
I slowly concentrated my power into my fingers. Soon, a green vitality flowed from my index finger.
"…"
I brought it close to her palm.
Healing scars was impossible with my old powers, but with my current self, who had endured the torture of Cheonma hundreds of times, it was certainly within reach.
"…What. Magic? It's useless. That thing was cursed."
"I know. But I'll still try."
"…Really."
As I dismissed Baekdo's words, her lips trembled.
She bit her lower lip and muttered to herself in a very soft voice.
"…Why are you doing this, really?"
Gently rubbing the scar with her fingers, Baekdo made a faint nasal sound.
She carefully soothed the ends of the long, torn scar, allowing my power to penetrate and transform the underlying tissue as if renewing it.
The scar, which lacked any fine hairs, had discolored slightly and was the only imperfection on her otherwise delicate and beautiful hand.
"Okay, that's enough. I get it, so take your hand off quickly."
"Eh, come on. Don't you trust me?"
"How can I trust your darn face!"
-Sliding.
The scar began to heal slowly.
Should I say it was healing? It's so neat that you'd believe it was just overlaid as the discoloration of the skin tissue dissolves.
"…Huh?"
Baekdo inhaled sharply.
The unsightly part on the back of her hand disappeared, and soon her skin returned to its pristine white, sprouting fine hairs.
It was now even softer and prettier.
As I stroked her fingers, the back of her hand, and her palm in turn, I chuckled and told her,
"It worked."
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty that I hadn't been able to heal it back then.
It was a gamble I had tried half-heartedly, but it seemed my healing power had grown quite well.
"…Stop touching it!"
Baekdo raised her tone and pulled her hand away, then stared blankly at her own hand.
She stroked the back of her hand with her own hand and, not believing her eyes, brought her hand close to her face several times to check.
"…Ah."
"Awesome, right?"
"…It really is. It was supposed to be a lifelong scar."
After repeating her voice of surprise, Baekdo still fiddled with her hand and then dropped both hands under the table.
"Even an idiot has his uses, I guess."
That's harsh.
But I understood . That's just how Baekdo was.
If she had said she was moved, it might have cooled me off.
I raised my drink again.
"So? Was my guess wrong earlier?"
"…Don't know."
Baekdo pursed her lips, looking strangely pure.
She glared at me several times, then sighed and lifted her beer can.
Cheers.
The beer foam flowed, falling onto the table, adding a sloppy ambiance.
"..."
-Gulp, gulp.
The ambition filled me with intoxication. I was also feeling elated for the first time in a while.
Perhaps I was adapting to living in the present rather than the past.
"It's strange."
"Huh?"
Baekdo alternated her gaze between the beer can and me, tilting her head.
"…I usually don't drink much."
"Was that so? You always drink with me."
"That's why it's strange, you idiot."
"..."
Perhaps a bit more drunk than before.
Her manner of speaking gradually reverted to the old Baekdo, becoming more casual.
That's more honest, right?
"I drank heavily when the leader and dad died, but otherwise, I got annoyed and didn't drink."
"Ah, a story from the past. Who is the leader… never mind, it's a sensitive topic, let's not talk about it."
"Yeah."
"But why do you drink with me?"
"I told you, I don't know. Didn't you hear me say it was strange earlier?"
I did hear. Wasn't that strange?
Baekdo's cheeks reddened further in response to my question.
"…Strangely, it goes down well with you."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. It's weird."
I sipped thoughtfully.
'The leader died?'
That's not what my status window showed.
Was it a feigned death? Or… did the World Tree mess up again and fabricate memories?
I found out while drunk, something I was planning to ask about when their memories returned.
'Well, that's that.'
The present was the present, let's have a drink while looking at reality.
I reassured the puzzled Baekdo and raised my glass again.
"It's good if it goes down well. From now on, just drink with me."
"…Yeah. No."
"Why?"
"When I drink with you. I don't know. It just annoys me."
"Forget all that and drink. Come on, lift your glass—cheers."
-Cheers!
Baekdo reluctantly took a drink under my urging.
"…It's just annoying. When I drink, you look like a damn dog."
"Dog? That's a bit…."
"Don't know, damn it."
Before taking a sip from her beer can, Baekdo muttered nonchalantly.
"…Thanks anyway."
Her eyes, as white as pure innocence and as gentle as a tamed husky, were sharp yet soft.
The wide shirt she was wearing slightly exposed her undergarments and armpits as she leaned with the intoxication.
She didn't seem like someone who had lived in the martial world but more like a mysterious girl.
Baekdo, while drunk, was surprisingly similar to my ideal type.