Chapter 83

“Phew.”

A puff of white breath escaped as I exhaled.

The weather was chilly.

The trees along the road had begun to shed their leaves, preparing for winter.

The season in South Korea was gradually transitioning into winter.

Almost a year now.

Since I had reunited with the continent of Astria, time had flown by.

My body hadn’t grown at all.

Technically, I was supposed to be an adult this year, based on the identity I acquired in this world. Since my body was initially created to resemble that of a six or seven-year-old girl, I didn’t know my exact age, even to this day.

Roughly calculated, my body’s age should be around seventeen or eighteen?

Regardless, I had thought I might grow a bit more, but it seemed this was as far as I would go.

Even in slightly cold weather like this, my frail body was already shivering. Though I had my coat on, the cold was undeniable.

*Swish.*

A hand that had been pushing my wheelchair from behind wrapped another coat over my body.

I buried my face into the collar of the coat.

The familiar scent made me feel at ease.

It was Chris-unnie’s fragrance.

I turned my head to look at Chris.

She was smiling softly as she pushed my wheelchair, carrying a bag of groceries in one hand.

It was a motorized wheelchair, so I could manage just fine on my own, but she always insisted on pushing it.

“Unnie, aren’t you cold?”

“Hm? Not at all.”

I stared at Chris for a moment.

She was still wearing the clothes she had on when she left work, having come to pick me up right after her shift ended.

Her white blouse stood out, contrasting beautifully with her bright red hair. Her hair wasn’t as long as mine, which reached my waist, but it was still quite long.

Her figure looked elegant in the blouse, emphasizing her feminine beauty—a stark difference from my own frail body.

Chris had once told me she liked white. She worked as a researcher at a capsule company, and I could only imagine how striking she must look with a lab coat over that white shirt.

She reminded me of a woman who defied the laws of time and space.

“Unnie, do you know ‘Christina’?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s... something like that.”

Thinking about an old sci-fi anime, my face turned a little red.

The memories from my previous life were still faintly there.

But at this point, I no longer felt that the person from my past life was me.

When did that identity fade away?

Looking back, it had been a long time.

This body, born on the continent of Astria.

A small girl’s body, barely six or seven years old, was the vessel that housed my soul and memories.

As the fragile child grew, the consciousness of my past life gradually vanished.

What remained was a timid, young girl.

Perhaps abstract memories of the soul couldn’t overpower the influence of a real body and brain. I wasn’t knowledgeable in neuroscience, but it seemed clear that the human body had the greatest impact on forming one’s identity.

During my time growing up in the church, what did I need to hold onto my sense of self?

Constantly fighting against the demons, watching priests and swordmasters disappear and be replaced.

No one to provide emotional support. In such a colorless environment, I pushed my body to its limits, accumulating mana, while struggling with identity confusion.

Until the church I grew up in was destroyed by demons, my development as a hero remained incomplete—both mentally and physically.

It wasn’t until I met my companions later on that the hero inside me began to grow.

But the hero died with those companions.

What was left was nothing but the remnants of an incomplete hero.

Just a weak-hearted girl.

“Rain?”

“Oh, yes!”

I shook my head vigorously and looked at Chris.

Being in this world tends to fill my head with all kinds of thoughts.

But the reason I hadn’t lost myself, the reason I hadn’t broken apart like scattered fragments...

It was because of this woman I had met on the continent of Astria.

The warmth of her presence grounded me, a comforting shade of red in my otherwise unstable world.

*Swish.*

A hand reached toward my head.

I squinted slightly, accepting her touch.

*Rustle, rustle.*

Her hand gently patted my head, and I felt a tickle in my chest.

All other thoughts faded away, and the cracks in my heart were mended.

Maybe this was what I needed.

---

“Ah~”

“Mmm…”

I looked at Chris with a slightly pouty expression.

“Chris-unnie… I can eat by myself, you know.”

“I already told you, this is just me being clingy.”

Chris smiled brightly and popped another bite of rolled egg into my mouth.

*Munch.*

Though I had complained, I still chewed the egg roll she fed me.

The seasoning was just right, and the texture of the finely chopped green onions was perfect.

Unnie was really good at making egg rolls.

“Now, eat some beef too, alright?”

“Okay, I like meat.”

Chris placed a piece of beef on top of my rice, and I scooped it up with my spoon for a bite.

My eyes widened in surprise.

It was delicious.

I wasn’t sure which cut of beef this was, but it was probably expensive.

Back when I lived alone, the most luxurious meals I had were deliveries. But since moving in with Chris, I’d been eating high-end seafood and expensive meat regularly.

After grocery shopping and a walk in the park, we were having a rather late dinner tonight.

Once we finish eating, I’ll need to digest a little before showering and going to bed.

While we shared light conversation, Chris suddenly mentioned something offhandedly.

“This is only if you’re okay with it, but I’d love to go on a trip with you someday, Rain.”

“A trip?”

I paused mid-bite, surprised by the word Chris had casually thrown out.

“Yeah. Maybe to a scenic city, or the beach, or a famous domestic resort. Oh, an overseas trip would be nice too.”

“Hmmm…”

A trip, huh.

With Seulbi’s body?

There were plenty of beautiful places to see on the continent of Astria.

I didn’t need to travel with this inconvenient body in this world.

“I…”

I was about to refuse, but then I swallowed my words.

Rain, with a synchronization rate of 100%, could feel everything in that world vividly.

The pleasant sensation of water on my feet, the refreshing breeze, the temperature changes with each season.

But what about Chris?

Unlike me, ordinary users wouldn’t feel the same realism in Astria. No matter how well-crafted the world was, the limitations of their synchronization rate would be noticeable.

Thinking of Chris, I couldn’t insist on staying in the world of Astria.

I shouldn’t just think about myself.@@novelbin@@

Even with my weak body in this world, if I’m with Chris, it might be okay.

I steeled myself and opened my mouth.

“…Sure.”

“Huh? Really!?”

Chris, who had been looking sullen as she ate, immediately brightened up.

I firmly added a condition.

“But we can’t go if there’s a new dungeon opening or during early runs when bus prices are high.”

“Yes, of course! I’ll be busy when the new dungeon opens too!”

Chris pumped her fist and nodded enthusiastically.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her childlike reaction.

Was she really that excited about going on a trip with me?

“So, when should we go? Hmm, since you’re sensitive to the cold, winter might be tough... how about the summer beach? Or we could go overseas somewhere warm during the winter.”

“Maybe not overseas…”

I shrank back a little.

Going too far felt overwhelming.

“Right, right. Then spring might be best! Maybe not the mountains... the beach sounds perfect.”

“Unnie, you can pick. I’ll be happy as long as I’m with you.”

“Got it! Don’t worry about a thing!”

“It’s getting late, so I’ll head to bed now.”

“Okay! Sleep well! Hehe, I wonder if the Klaus Corporation has any resorts on the southern coast…”

*Vrrrrrr.*

Leaving Chris behind, who was smiling happily as she browsed for travel destinations on her phone, I wheeled myself into my room.

---

“Haaah.”

I sighed quietly as I prepared to shower.

Even though it was just a short walk in a wheelchair, my body felt a bit tired.

Seulbi’s body really was too weak.

It would’ve been nice if I could use Rain’s body here too.

I undressed and entered the bathroom connected to my room.

*Shhhhhh.*

Switching my wheelchair to shower mode, I let the warm water run over my body and glanced at the bathtub.

My bathroom had both a shower booth and a large tub.

I wanted to fill that tub to the brim and soak in it, leaving only my head above the water.

A half-bath wouldn’t be enough. I wanted to immerse my entire body.

But my small, weak body made that difficult.

Since my legs didn’t have much strength, if my upper body slipped, I’d end up fully submerged in the large tub.

I could try holding onto the edges, but it would still be uncomfortable.

Maybe I should ask Chris to help me bathe…

---

After a quick shower, I lay on the soft bed and checked my phone.

The only messaging app I had was the one linked to *Astria Online*.

That was all I needed. I could communicate with the most important person—Chris—with this app.

**[Onmyoji 'Chris' (Offline)]

**

- *Rain, sleep well! Let’s run the bus together tomorrow!*

- *Thanks, Unnie. You sleep well too :)*

Smiling, I exchanged a brief conversation with Chris before closing the chat.

I noticed a flood of friend requests on the main messenger page.

Shaking my head, I hit “Decline All.”

But then…

“Huh.”

One didn’t go away.

---

**[Direct Message]**

**[Hana Games Corp. Team Leader Han]**

**[To ‘Drizzle Rain’]**

---

*Thump.*

My heart raced.

A message from the company that runs *Astria Online*.

Sent to Rain.

What could it be?