26

The main quest was considered completed, so from now on, I could just relax and enjoy.

Aside from dark beer and snacks, Dayoung had brought various treats from around the house.

She even took out the soju that had been carefully stored in the fridge as a bonus.

"Heh heh, Demon Lord Shifullyun. You've really become a total bastard."

Wooong!

A frog doll, which was poking the Demon Lord trapped in the sanctuary with a wooden chopstick whose origin was unknown.

And a black smoke orb trembling with anger.

I heard that the Demon Lord in the world Dayoung was summoned to was a fragment, they said.

Even if it's shattered, is it still the Demon Lord? I never thought it would be scheming like this.

'How strange.'

I, too, was once summoned to another world as a hero, but the scene before me was definitely a spectacle I could never get used to.

Is there any other Demon Lord who has faced such humiliation? It felt like there was a huge gap between the Demon Lord I had defeated and this one.

Moreover, that skinny frog doll seemed to have been localized in a rather strange direction, which made it feel extremely out of place.

'Was there ever a hero party member who spoke like that?'

Well… maybe it was because the most important matter had been resolved, or because I felt at ease, but I was feeling more generous about everything now.

***

Opening a can of dark beer, I took a sip, the smooth coating on my throat and the sharp, tingling sensation slowly lifting my mood.

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Oh, it's fine. This much is okay… By the way, isn't your drinking pace pretty fast, Dayoung?"

"I'm fine, really."

Perhaps feeling a little embarrassed, she quickly emptied her remaining glass.

I was sure she had said that she could drink as much beer as she wanted back at the convenience store.

The beers we were holding were the last cans we had bought from that store.

'Is she already drunk?' It's cute.

As we sipped our drinks, I watched the frog doll tormenting the Demon Lord, and Dayoung let out a sigh.

When I looked more closely, I noticed her eyes were moist with tears.

"Now that I think about it, it's ridiculous."

"Isn't it? After all the effort I put into broadcasting, I ended up with nothing because of a failed project."

'Was everything she had worked for being denied by some illogical fate?'

Now that I think about it, she probably felt like the most unjust person in the world.

She had been a successful and promising streamer, but after being summoned to another world, she had spent two years there and returned with nothing, having lost all her future prospects.

She tried to restart her broadcasting career, but she had spent almost a whole year tangled up in this disaster.

Naturally, she was exhausted, angry, and overwhelmed by all kinds of emotions.

So, a question suddenly came to mind, and I asked.

"Why do you continue being a streamer, Dayoung?"

"It started with curiosity, but then, as I kept doing it, I found broadcasting to be fun."

It was surprisingly simple.

At first, she was nervous and trembling, but later, she enjoyed it.

She also liked making money.

The interaction with viewers gave her comfort.

It was the kind of story you'd expect from a streamer whose career had gone well.

When she returned to Korea, she said she couldn't find another path.

Her studies were delayed, and going back to school was difficult.

The main reason, however, was that she needed income immediately.

"My mother is in the hospital. It's been months… and the situation isn't great, so I didn't have time to prepare and ended up streaming again. Right? What could a 20-something woman with a middle school education do to earn money? In the end, I almost died from a failed project… Ugh, why am I crying?"

"Dayoung, I'm here for you, you know."

"It's worse because you're here."

At Dayoung's blunt remark, the frog doll, now frustrated, began poking the Demon Lord again with its chopstick.

After hearing her story, I realized that her situation was much worse than mine.

While I had struggled as a hero in another world, it was nothing compared to what Dayoung had gone through.

However, I had received the proper reward and returned, so things had worked out in the end.

On the other hand, all she had left was nothing, and the only thing she had gained was that winged green frog.

'This could have been dangerous.'

Although the power of heroes was suppressed by the laws of this world…

'If she were to choose self-destruction, she could probably wield a hero's strength for at least one day.'

If Dayoung's heart had been broken, and if that Demon Lord had somehow parasitized her body with a miraculous chance…

It could have resulted in a major disaster.

Normally, with a hero's strong mental resilience, she'd be able to resist, but that didn't mean she was invincible.

Now that I thought of it, I realized that the Demon Lord had to be killed quickly.

I pointed my finger at the Demon Lord, who was being humiliated by the frog doll in the sanctuary, and said.

"Hero Death Beam."

Phakin!

The Demon Lord, who couldn't even scream before disappearing into a golden laser shot from my finger.

"Dammit! Why did you kill it already, you idiot."

When the toy disappeared, the frog doll began to complain like a child.

If someone saw this, they'd think you were the Demon Lord.

Though most of the conversation centered around Dayoung, it helped wash away the awkwardness between us like the ebb of the tide.

It's true that a person can find comfort and renewed energy just by venting about their struggles.

With alcohol already involved, I didn't think there was anything to hold back anymore.

Somehow… as we talked about this and that, I started to think that, as fellow heroes, this kind of openness was really fine.

"Dayoung, may I ask how old you are?"

"Huh? I'm twenty-one this year."

"Ah, I'm twenty-two…"

Actually, I'm older than that, but it felt more appropriate to give my age based on my current identity.

Since she was younger, I could say it without hesitation… and so these words slipped out.

"Should we drop the formalities?"

At my response, Dayoung blinked rapidly with wide eyes like a startled rabbit before puffing out her cheeks and complaining.

"We're already not using honorifics."

When things got awkward and I didn't know what words to use, alcohol seemed to be the best solution.

Seeing Dayoung casually drop the formalities, I realized that alcohol makes everyone more honest, and it's the most convenient cheat code.

Of course, it could be harmful if overdone.

She was munching on a piece of beef jerky, looking like a carnivorous squirrel.

It was only after we reached this point that I found myself observing Dayoung more closely.

Her smooth black hair lightly brushed her shoulder, and her big, bouncy eyes had a youthful, almost teenage quality that was endearing.

She looked like the kind of girl who would be popular in school, the type to trigger a protective instinct in boys.

'This was the kind of face that might be popular among otaku,' I thought.

However, the vibe between us was a bit different from the usual hero formation, and there was a slight gap between virtual reality and real life, even though I had already known this from watching her streams.

'Was this something intentionally staged?'

At that moment, our gazes met in the air.

As I was lost in thought, Dayoung was likely lost in her own too.

She absentmindedly stroked her beer can before suddenly asking, out of nowhere:

"Can I call you 'unnie' (older sister)?"

"Oh, of course— wait a second…"

The response I had in mind lingered in my mouth before I swallowed it back.

"Unnie? Oppa?"

Suddenly, my brain stumbled over the issue of how to address each other.

'There had been countless times when people referred to me as 'unnie' or 'a woman,' but could I really let Dayoung call me that?'

'If my body is like this, does my mind follow it as well?'

'If so, what happens to the memory and mind from before I was summoned to this world?'

If someone asked me whether I had ever thought of myself as a woman…

'No.'

In a short span of time, my mind was overwhelmed with various thoughts.

The silence didn't last long, though, as the alcohol gave me the clarity to answer right away.

I didn't want to lie.

This had to do with my true self, not anything else…

"Call me 'oppa.'"

"…Why?"

I was surprised by how calmly she asked.

"I'm a man."

Dayoung tilted her head, clearly confused.

It seemed like she didn't immediately understand, her mind buffering for a moment.

Finally, she frowned and seemed to blame herself for not getting it.

"There's no man with such a voice and chest. Oh, wait…"

Her face twisted slightly, and her voice wavered.

I could easily imagine what she was thinking.

"Did you have gender reassignment surgery? Are you transgender?"

"No. I didn't have surgery. I've completely changed. My body is fully female."

"Ah…"

Dayoung seemed to roughly understand from my answer, though her expression was hard to describe.

It wasn't that she was disgusted, but the awkwardness was too much to overcome, even with alcohol.

As a result, I found myself making an awkward explanation.

"When I was summoned to this world, I received the goddess's blessing, and my body ended up changing to be exactly like hers. They said it can't be fixed. Isn't it funny?"

"Oh, right. I see."

She seemed to accept it as if she were hypnotizing herself into agreeing, giving up on logical understanding.

Maybe it was the alcohol helping her come to terms with it.

'Or perhaps it was a form of escapism?'

At that moment, the frog doll—Pepe—flew over, making a face and wiggling its mouth.

"Heh heh, what kind of chaos is this? All the heroes are insane. I wonder if Dayoung here is overflowing with gender sensitivity?"

Kkang!

This time, my chopstick hit Pepe, the frog doll, on the head.