I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 228 – Her Identity

“Yoo Jin, do you know that?”

“What?”

“Your face looks a lot more relaxed than before.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Hehe.”

On November 3rd, the final scrimmage for the Championship headed towards its conclusion.

There had been numerous ups and downs, and accordingly, my winning streak, which had never missed first place before, sharply declined. To be more precise, while I still occasionally won first place, the frequency had significantly decreased.

In truth, I had already anticipated this, so there was no shock. However, that didn’t mean I could leave it unattended.

After the first game ended, I considered the advice I received from my former task force colleagues and seniors, and included personal analyses on how to improve after each engagement.

So, as I continued to rack my brains over it, Dice sneaked up and added a comment.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

‘I guess I can’t hide it.’

Was this what they called a woman’s intuition?

Even though I hadn’t intended it, I didn’t realize I was expressing my emotions and actions so openly that others could easily notice. But still, I didn’t know. Maybe others besides Dice hadn’t noticed yet-

“Even if it’s not me, a few others have already noticed that you’ve become softer than before. Were you aware of that, Yoo Jin?”

“…Ugh.”

There was no point in denying it.

Regrettably, it was just as she said. Having come this far, I had no intention of denying it… what should I say. Unlike others, I am quite bad at hiding my emotions.

Usually, since my emotional fluctuations weren’t that significant, people didn’t pay much attention. However, if I experienced something exceptionally good or sad beyond that, I couldn’t hide my feelings. Regrettably, my tail’s movements played a part in that.

It’s not like it wagged furiously like a dog’s, but still… Anyway.

Wait a minute.

Did that mean everyone already knew?

“…During the debriefing, how was my tail?”

“Everyone was only looking at your tail. It was fluttering much more than usual.”

“Ugh….”

This is driving me crazy.

It’s clear why I have no ties to places other than the strike team – like the HUMINT sector. Not that I was considering it anyway… But there was a reason I always lost at poker on my days off in New York.

After a bout of frustration, I felt a bit more at ease. Given that I’d already shared more with Dice than with others, it would probably be better to talk about it briefly. With her level of intuition, she could probably guess why I was acting like this.

Taking a small breath, I added.

“…I met my old team members. Since they welcomed me just as warmly as before, I felt relieved, I guess.”

“I thought so. Unless someone has a really bad attitude, they’d welcome a good person like you, Yoo Jin, after a long time. You didn’t part on bad terms with your colleagues, right?”

“That’s right.”

“See?”

Dice also looked quite pleased. She said that seeing me in a good mood made her feel good too. I wondered if this was the contagious nature of laughter or something like that, but I had more to discuss.

It was about the scrimmage.

Dice spoke first.

“Although I came here last year too, it really seems like this is where you should be, Yoo Jin. Looking back now, I wonder if it was necessary to go through KSM and the Asia qualifiers.”

“Haha. Then, how about you, Dice? Do you feel you’ve earned your spot this year?”

“Thanks to someone sitting next to me.”

She nodded lightly.

Like a talkative baseball player rehashing old stories, Dice’s own story, which I had heard before, unfolded again in a slightly different form.

Several results from last year’s scrimmage floated before my eyes. Unsurprisingly, they were quite unimpressive compared to now. She herself described them that way.

Having grasped an opportunity not to repeat the past, she now spoke candidly.

“We didn’t do well, did we? And it wasn’t just me; the average performance of the Korean team last year was like this. It wasn’t exactly a green light. More like a yellow or even a red light.”

“….”

“Back then, I didn’t know anything. The year before, only one or two people from Asia went, and the rules weren’t well established. Everything was a mess. I didn’t know how to interpret the results or how to improve.”

Crumple.

Gripping it tightly, the crumpled paper was thrown into the trash, disappearing forever.

Adding that it was no longer something to worry about, Dice continued her story, albeit haltingly.

“Well, that’s just how it was. It’s different now. Last year, I was just trying to survive, but now I aim higher.”

“That’s a good mindset.”

“I still remember you saying we’d make it into the top ten, so I’ll hold you to that. Thanks to someone, this place is now a learning ground instead of a burden, so I’ll take full advantage of it.”

“Haha.”

“Whenever or wherever, before you meet your old teammates, please organize a curriculum. I know you have your schedule, and I can’t expect you to always be available, right?”

Smack.

To show I understood, I lifted my tail slightly and tapped her back. However, it seemed to trigger something as Dice’s eyes sparkled while she watched me pondering over an effective and quick curriculum.

Sensing she had something to say, I looked at her. She spoke as if she’d been waiting.

“Speaking of which, I received a gift recently. Want to see it?”

“There’s only 30 seconds left until the last game, let’s see it later.”

“Ah, it won’t take long. Just 10 seconds?”

“…Alright. Show me.”

With that, Dice started preparing something enthusiastically.

I moved a bit to get a better angle to see what she was doing. While I spent time guessing what she might have prepared.

Suddenly, her skirt bulged.

“…………?”

Of course, from the back. For a moment, my brain froze.

Even in VR, what was this? Unable to contain my curiosity, I was about to speak, but then.

A snake tail, similar to mine, popped out from her rear!

“Phwoop-!”

“Ta-da! Look at this!”

The color was different. All yellow. Probably inspired more by a yellow ball python than an anaconda… Wait, why am I analyzing this?

More importantly, why is it wriggling so naturally?

“No, this is….”

“How is it? Isn’t it pretty? I didn’t ask for it; a fan made it for me personally. Harmony probably got something similar—Whoa, why are you reacting like that! Yikes! Don’t tell me you’re going to chase me for identity infringement—Ahh, don’t come after me!”

“Hold still! Who told you to wear that thing!”

“Yikes, run away!”

-[Notification: The game will start now.]

Whether it was intentional or not, the last game of the day began like that.

As the polygons scattered and the environment reconstructed around us, I resolved to finally pull off a shrimp hold on Dice today.

How much time had passed since then?

“Go and take off that tail!”

“Ugh!”

Clang!

With a clear sound, Dice was struck by a metal pipe and ejected to the lobby.

Who told her to wear something like that, so embarrassing.

Early November.

The colorful autumn leaves that had covered the streets were disappearing one by one, and people began layering cardigans or light coats over their long sleeves. It was a different season from October, where the sun occasionally felt scorching, now at the doorstep of winter.

As many people prepared to wrap up the year, there were those who didn’t.

Five individuals received their performance reports. The scrimmage results that would never be disclosed until the final championship ended. Data that only the person and related parties knew, a coveted item for anyone interested in AP.

Of course, as the term implies, no one actually managed to obtain it.

The time of harshness for viewers was approaching.

“Isn’t anyone going to spill the beans? At this rate, we’re all going to wither away….”

“If I wake up a thousand years later, the first thing I’ll ask about is Yoo Jin’s military career and this year’s scrimmage results.”

This kind of joke surfaced over a hundred and fifty times a day.

Especially severe this year, naturally because of a certain someone with a snake tail who had burst onto the scene like a comet, turning everything upside down.

Appearing suddenly in just a few months, dominating not only Korea but also the world in the most popular AP soloing category. There was no need to recruit anyone else. Like ants to sweets, like bees to honey, people were drawn in.

Of course, once they came, if they didn’t get what they wanted, chaos ensued, but what could you do. Yoo Jin gave no answers and never promised any, yet people still came.

In essence, though it wasn’t intentional, it resulted in ‘You chose this, so endure it,’ which was realized.

And the aftermath continued to burn without end.

Specifically-

“So, we’ve managed to bring in some of the busiest people in Korea today, but it’s truly regrettable that we can’t ask the most curious questions.”

“Haha….”

“It’s not that answering is completely impossible. We’ve received guidelines from the team, so we’ll do our best to say what we can.”

“That’s a very promising response to hear.”

Appearing on TV programs where even the MC openly expressed curiosity, illustrating the crazy current times.

Such pointless thoughts passed through Dice’s mind, but what could she do. Unlike the independent snake-tailed someone who had cast off all worldly bonds and constraints, those appearing here were all under the influence of their respective teams.

SSM Entertainment.

If it were SSM Gaming, it would be different, but it’s Entertainment. Entertainment. It meant dabbling in all sorts of things. Besides games, they were also known for their entertainment management business, recording, and music production. Ironically, the latter was originally the main business, but the game business became so successful that….

As a mere gamer, one wouldn’t know much about the company’s structure, but appearing on programs that seemed completely unrelated was a different story.

Anyway, after recalling the guidelines from SSM, I thought about what I could say. After a brief exchange of glances, I nodded. The speaking role was given to me this time.

“While we can’t disclose specific figures, what’s certain is that all of us received significantly improved performance reports compared to last year, thanks to someone whose name I can’t mention.”

“Haha, you mean that person. I’ve heard the name. It would have been nice if they were here today, but they’re not. Any particular reason?”

“Well… that person shows up when they want and doesn’t when they don’t. They’re not part of a team like us. Kind of a…extremely free spirit. There’s a reason they’re called an anaconda.”

“Really a wild avatar to match their behavior. But Dice, I heard you recently received a similar avatar data through SNS. You’re not going to become as free-spirited as them, are you?”

“Aha.”

As I manipulated the avatar, a tail wriggled behind me.

Ignoring the bewildered expressions of some people, I put it back and spoke.

“Unfortunately, when I showed it to Yoo Jin, she told me to take it off immediately. I got whacked with a metal pipe.”

“Haha, quite the identity. Well, in that case, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Identity, indeed. Though it’s not only applicable in VR.

The conversation naturally headed in that direction.

“So, usually what does Yoo Jin do while the other players are appearing on programs? Personal practice?”

“Um….”

A brief silence.

Then I spoke.

“She’s probably running PVE missions right now.”

At that moment, everyone present looked puzzled, but what could I say.

I couldn’t understand her either.