Chapter 21: Things That Never Change Part 7

“Actually, I didn’t buy anything extravagant when I went to the clothing store with my sister.

As she said, I already had plenty of similar clothes.

Honestly, I was glad that the selection consisted mostly of modest clothing.

Even if there were clothes with excessive exposure, I doubt I would have worn them.

It felt a bit odd that most of the clothes were skirts instead of pants.

Thankfully, there was an abundant supply of safety shorts, which was a relief.

The goddess must have taken my situation into account in her own way.

As a result, I always wore safety shorts whenever I wore a skirt.

Although the shorts were shorter than regular pants, they spared me from the uncomfortable sensation of only wearing underwear beneath a single layer of fabric.

‘How about this one?’

Unlike me, who didn’t show much interest in the clothes, my sister would hold various outfits against her body in front of me and ask.

‘It’s pretty.’

Yes, everything was pretty.

Part of it was because my sister was beautiful, but the fact was, most of the clothes she picked were of simple designs that genuinely suited her well.

Since the clothes were meant for a wedding guest, they couldn’t stand out too much.

From what I gathered during my research, wearing something that outshines or looks prettier than the bride, the wedding’s protagonist, isn’t likely to be received well.

I read a few anecdotes about people being mistaken for the groom’s ex-girlfriend, and I just accepted it as it was.

For men, no matter how much they dress up, it’s rare for them to be compared to the groom.

After all, standing out more than the groom in his tuxedo is no easy feat.

In the end, my opinion didn’t help my sister much.

Since I found everything pretty, it couldn’t really serve as a reference.

‘Then, I’ll go with this one.’

But even then, there’s always something that stands out as the best option.

I didn’t know exactly what constituted a proper wedding guest look, but I carefully chose the one that looked prettiest to me.

My sister decided to buy the outfit I selected.

‘It’s a good thing we came out together. If I were alone, it would have taken me much longer.’

As we left the shopping complex, she swung the paper bag in her hand and smiled.

I could have gifted her the outfit, but… that would’ve been presumptuous.

Though my sister and I had gotten closer, we were still just senior and junior part-time workers.

It was hard to gauge if exchanging small gifts was appropriate in our relationship.

… When I think about it, I’ve always been on the receiving end from her.

She would buy me all sorts of things just because she was a few years older—sometimes clothes, other times shoes.

She never told me the exact price.

I never tried to look it up either.

I was just happy to receive her gifts.

Thinking back, she’d always been like that since we were kids.

Back then, it wasn’t clothes or shoes but snacks, candies, and chocolates.

She always handed me things, saying it was because she was three years older than me.

Even when I reached middle school and became the age she was when she used to give me gifts, my sister was still the same.

She always walked a few steps ahead of me, offering help in various ways.

‘… Sorry, this must’ve been boring for you, right?’

When she noticed me walking silently, she asked with a slightly downcast look.

‘Ah, no!’

I quickly answered.

‘Not at all, it was fun.’

And that was the truth.

I couldn’t express how thankful I was to be walking alongside her.

If I hadn’t happened to step into that bakery and met her, I’d probably still be stuck in that house, alone.

I could only thank the goddess for her guidance.

‘It really was fun. Just coming out and walking with someone else…’

As I spoke, an old memory suddenly surfaced.

Come to think of it, this wasn’t the first time.

The clothing section of a large discount store.

I had been here a few times, guided by my sister.

Before that, I had come a few times with my mom.

Among those visits, the memory of coming here alone with my sister for the first time remained vivid.

That time, we hadn’t come to buy her clothes but to buy my shoes.

My sister had taken me there for my birthday, having made up her mind to treat me to something special.

Back then, she was a college student and had only recently started her part-time job.

Even then, seeing me quietly following her, she had asked the same question.

Without much thought, I had answered—

‘Just walking out like this… it feels nice.’

That must’ve been what I said.

After answering, I regretted bringing up such a personal memory.

My sister looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

‘Ah, um, I mean… It’s been a while since I’ve gone out like this, so it felt nice…’

Ah, I messed up.

I was just repeating myself.

What was I trying to emphasize by repeating it?

… If Kalia had seen this, he would’ve burst into laughter.

The guy who led the charge on the battlefield, stuttering like this? He’d definitely say something like that.

When I’d been flustered by a noblewoman’s flirtation, Kalia had said something similar.

But my sister soon erased her surprised look and gave me a soft smile instead.

‘Is that so? That’s a relief.’

Thump.

My heart raced.

Because back then, she had said the exact same thing.

‘Then…’

But the words that followed this time were—

‘Shall we get something to eat?’

Yeah, that’s what she had said back then too.

Not just once.

Even after that, she often took me around, claiming it was because she earned her own money.

She always tried to pay when we ate out.

Although I managed to insist on splitting the bill most of the time, I could never win against her stubbornness on important days like birthdays.

… She wasn’t even a full-fledged adult yet—barely a student who’d just entered adulthood by name.

‘… Yeah.’

Many things had changed since then.

My sister was now several years older than she had been back then.

So was I.

Though our appearances hadn’t changed much, we were no longer students.

In the past five years, she had graduated from college and gained experience in the working world.

Now, she was working at a bakery.

I wasn’t sure of her exact position or salary, but at least to me, she seemed at peace.”

“I’ve been in another world for the past five years.

In that place, I was able to achieve many things.

I couldn’t save everyone, but I thought I did my best.

Though there wasn’t a moment I didn’t regret, thinking of the things I managed to protect gave me strength.

Will there ever come a day when I can tell my sister about this?

… Probably not.

Such a day will never come in my lifetime.

‘What should we eat? What do you like?’

I searched my memory.

What did I like? What kind of food did I enjoy back then?

While I was pondering, my sister glanced around for a moment and then looked down at her smartphone.

It was still only 2 PM.

‘Did you have lunch?’

‘Ah, no.’

In fact, I had eaten before coming out, but I answered that way intentionally.

I didn’t want to miss having lunch with my sister.

Besides, even if I had already eaten, I could easily eat more.

‘Then…’

My sister thought for a moment and said,

‘How about spaghetti?’

Ah, right.

We ate spaghetti back then, too.

Honestly, I didn’t find it particularly delicious.

I could eat almost anything, and I didn’t mind tomatoes or ketchup, but the tangy taste of tomato spaghetti sauce wasn’t something I was accustomed to.

Still, since it was something my sister had generously bought for me, I couldn’t say it didn’t taste good.

It wasn’t something I couldn’t eat, so I diligently twirled my fork.

Perhaps my sister thought I liked spaghetti because of how I ate it, and she bought it for me a few more times after that.

As I ate it repeatedly, I gradually got used to the taste.

Though I couldn’t say I ever truly liked it, I enjoyed it because I could tell my sister liked it so much.

‘How is it?’

My sister glanced at me and asked.

‘It’s good.’

I answered without hesitation.

‘Really? I know a good place nearby. Let’s go there.’

She grabbed my wrist and pulled me along.

Her hand was warm.

Ah, come to think of it, it had been a long time since I felt that warmth.

It seemed like she wasn’t aware, but this was the first time since I returned to this world and met her again that we had touched.

My heart raced again.

The heart that had been trained to stay calm even when facing the demon king’s commanders,

The heart that remained steadfast when charging into the final battle against the demon king, now beat uncontrollably just because my sister held my hand.

It felt good.

I was so glad to be here.

The neighborhood we lived in no longer existed.

The bakery we cherished as part of our memories was gone.

Mom was no longer at home, and my appearance had changed far too much.

My sister had grown a bit more mature as well.

But amidst all that, there were things that hadn’t changed.

Some things remained, waiting in place until I returned.

My sister was still kind, still considerate of others, and still close with the friends she had back then.

She still visited the same stores she often went to and still loved spaghetti.

Those unchanged aspects felt as though they had been waiting for me.

And because of that, I was happy.