Chapter 95
A hazy smoke billowed beyond the cliff, as if dark clouds had gathered.
The blue sky suddenly turned ochre.
“Is that… a sandstorm?”
I shielded my eyes and carefully observed what lay beyond.
At first glance, it didn’t seem very threatening. Like it wasn’t a big deal? Sure, the dust would be bad for the lungs, but couldn’t I just quickly get inside a building?
As I was thinking this and about to turn around, a fierce wind struck, pelting my entire body with sand. Each grain of sand accelerated like being hit by blades.
“Ugh!”
As I hurriedly hunched down, my face turned pale.
It was as if only the ground and storm existed in the world, with a stark boundary line drawn between them.
The sandstorm was getting closer and closer.
“Gasp. I, I need to get back…”
But my body wouldn’t listen and kept staggering. It was hard to even maintain balance and stand straight.
How is this possible? I hadn’t dawdled for that long, yet already…
“Ah!”
The flying sand made my skin sting, my eyes difficult to open, and my throat dry. I couldn’t get my bearings at all.
Covering my face with both hands trying to endure, I flailed and fell face-first into the sand. The swirling sand covered my body like a lid.
‘I, I need to get up…’
As I tried to rise, my feet sank deep into the soft sand.
‘Desert Oasis Cocktail Bar’ had its safety rating upgraded to ‘Low’.
It was no longer at rock bottom, sure. The building was sturdy, and there were no roaming monsters nearby, but I had wondered why the rating was still low….
‘It’s because of natural disasters!’
Damn system. Moving the bar to a place like this? Are you trying to kill me?
“Why are you just lying there even after I brought you medicine? Take it and rest.”
When I was burning with fever and suffering alone, he came and brought medicine—I was secretly grateful.
It was the same in the ‘Retirement God’ dimension. When I put on a fire show to earn money for makgeolli, he lost his composure and worried about my hands.
‘I thought he was genuinely concerned.’
I must have thought more favorably of Shu than I realized, given how betrayed I felt now.
“!”
As the wind grew stronger, my body became increasingly buried in sand. The thought that this sand might become my grave sent chills down my spine.
Am I going to die like this? I couldn’t move my body anymore.
‘Well, nothing can be done about it.’
Resignation seeped into my heart. Humans are powerless in the face of natural disasters, aren’t they?
I curled up, seemingly accepting the danger that had befallen me.
‘But isn’t this a bit unfair?’
Suddenly, a feeling like defiance surged up.
Dying alone in a desert… felt a bit lonely.
I didn’t want to die like this. I desperately cleared away the sand and stretched out my fist with all my might.
At that moment, something touched my body.
What is it? Before I could be surprised, my body was lifted up like a radish being pulled from the ground.
This wasn’t the violent wind of the sandstorm acting on me. Rough hands had lifted me into their embrace.
“W-who…”
I barely managed to speak, and an unexpected—or perhaps expected—voice responded.
“Why the hell are you rolling around here in this crappy weather?”
It was Chris.
Hearing that voice, tears welled up in my eyes from relief. But I hid such signs and responded curtly.
“When I went out… it was clear! The sky was bright blue.”
“Still, when something feels off, you should’ve run straight away.”
Chris took slow but steady steps, one at a time, never stopping.
Despite facing the wind’s resistance and the hazy dust blocking his vision, he didn’t stop walking.
“I did run. But my feet kept sinking in.”
“You give up too easily. You should fight until you die.”
“There’s no point in struggling against impossible…”
Ack. Just saying a few words filled my mouth with sand. When I coughed, even more sand got in.
“You have plenty of time, opportunities, and possibilities.”
“Did you come here to lecture me?”
My voice came out a bit sharp. I was grateful for being saved, but I could do without the lecture.
That one sentence filled my mouth with sand. Ptooey!
“Keep your mouth shut. Close your eyes and cover your ears. Sand will ruin your body.”
“Ah, but Chris…”
“I’ll keep quiet too.”
“But I can’t close my eyes…”
“Shh.”
That was the end of our conversation. Every time I tried to say something, Chris would cut me off curtly.
Even without that, the conversation would have ended anyway. The sandstorm grew stronger and swallowed all sound.
But with our bodies pressed together, I could occasionally feel Chris panting.
‘Even standing is hard enough.’
When a strong gust hit, Chris, who had been enduring, fell to his knees.
“Damn it.”
But he immediately got back up. He took steps before his feet could sink into the sand. Moving forward one step at a time.
‘And he’s carrying me too.’
Unlike me, Chris didn’t know the meaning of giving up. His willpower was so strong it made me wonder if we were really the same species.
‘No, to be precise, it’s more like a fierce attachment to life.’
He was a different type from me. So from Chris’s perspective, I must be incomprehensible and frustrating.
This type, so tenacious and full of enthusiasm, was somehow… not compatible with me.
Like Eve, the protagonist of ‘Regression Lady’.
She was so different from me that it was hard to empathize.
But…
‘On the other hand, I find myself admiring those qualities.’
I silently gripped Chris’s clothes. He glanced down at me briefly before hurrying his steps.
Jingle.
As soon as we entered the building, Chris’s knees buckled.
“Chris…”
Just as I called out to him, his body swayed and fell forward.
I expected to hit my head as he fell while holding me, but though something firm touched me, it didn’t hurt.
‘Huh?’
What touched my head wasn’t the hard stone floor but Chris’s arm. Even while falling, he had protected my head.
“Haah…”
Chris exhaled roughly after kicking the door shut.
Having used all his strength, Chris’s body was covered in sweat and dust.
‘Heavy…’
Chris had fallen while still holding me, leaving me pinned beneath him.
I had enough conscience not to tell him to move. I quietly stayed put, figuring there wasn’t much I could say to someone who had completely exhausted themselves.
‘This is taking a while….’
I started to worry. He wasn’t dead, was he? Concerned, I lightly poked him with my finger. At the touch, Chris flinched.
“Damn it. Every time, I can’t help but notice—you really know how to pick the worst spots to settle down.”
Chris propped himself up on one hand and raised his upper body. His tired face looked down at me.
‘Ah.’
I swallowed hard. Somehow, looking up at Chris from this angle felt more awkward than when our bodies were pressed together.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No.”
“That’s good.”
Hearing my answer, Chris stood up completely. He was wearing black clothes today, now patched with dust.
I got up too and dusted myself off. But there was surprisingly little dust.
“…..”
I stopped dusting and stared at Chris. There was no need to add a pointless ‘could it be.’ I was clean because Chris had shielded me with his entire body.
‘This isn’t the time.’
I half-ran to bring Chris some water. He drank it almost in one shot.
“Go wash up. Sand dust is harmful to your body.”
“What about you?”
“I need to check the door gaps. Have to block anywhere sand might get in. Clean air is precious.”
Chris was already examining the doors and windows.
“Huh? It’s fine even though this is completely open? What kind of magic is this? Such a strange cocktail bar.”
He probably hadn’t even caught his breath properly yet.
“Anyone would think you’ve experienced sandstorms before.”
“I have.”
“Really?”
That was unexpected. Given his fair skin, he didn’t seem to be from the desert. How did he end up experiencing a sandstorm?
“Ah! Are you perhaps an adventurer? Something like that?”
“No…”
Chris tore tape with his mouth and stuck it to my door gap before continuing.
“You could call it a devil’s prank.”
“Sounds like you had bad luck.”
“Yeah. Bad luck. An extremely bad one.”
Chris chuckled at my words and headed for the back door. As I stood quietly following him with my eyes, he turned towards me.
“You’re probably still out of it, huh?”
“Uh, yeah… Honestly, I am. My head’s all foggy….”
“That’s normal, so don’t worry. Just go wash up. Boss, you’re a mess right now.”
Chris turned back around sharply and tore tape to stick on the door gap. Only the sound of tape ripping broke the silence.
‘But, saying it like that…’
I kept watching Chris while thinking.
‘It makes it sound like Chris being fine right now isn’t normal.’
As I stood still, reluctant to leave, Chris spoke casually without looking back.
“Or what, want me to wash you? Our boss needs so much looking after.”
🥂
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