I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 238 – Day of Fly

───Beep beep beep!

“…Ugh.”

In the room, which was so dark it could be described as matte black, I automatically woke up to the sound of the alarm filling the living room. My head and body felt heavy. The shorter my sleep, the more it was like that. My body desperately wanted more sleep, but it wasn’t time yet.

Rrrrr. When I drew the blinds, a faint light seeped through the veranda. It was still the peak of dawn, far from sunrise. The light might have been moonlight. That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

With a click, a faint light filled the living room. Instead of turning on the ceiling light all at once, I chose to use mood lighting to reduce the strain on my eyes. It was time to wake those who were still clinging to my tail as if it were a blanket, one by one.

Slap slap.

It’s wake-up time.

“Whyyy do we have to get up so early…?”

“Come on, wake up. We have a long way to go.”

For those who wouldn’t listen, a little punishment was in order.

As I slapped their butts with my tail, they squirmed and hurried to get up. Like we were at some sort of training camp, they neatly folded their blankets and put them away in the closet, spraying deodorant generously. Since we wouldn’t be coming back home for about a month, it would be troublesome if the smell lingered.

After pushing the suitcase to the entrance, everyone took turns showering. Harmony went first. Of course, it took at least 30 minutes for her to finish, so Dice and I both fell asleep on the sofa. The only reason my unconsciousness ended was thanks to the person who finished showering and woke me up.

“…Teacher, Yoo Jin! It’s your turn to shower!”

“Ugh… is it my turn already?”

“What do you mean already? It’s been 30 minutes.”

Leaving Dice, who was still sound asleep, behind, I entered the shower room, half asleep. The cold water I splashed on myself with all my strength brought me back to my senses. Of course, I made quite a fuss with an “Eek!” but it definitely woke me up.

After spending about 25 minutes, I came out, having thoroughly dried even my tail. The scene outside was miserable. Both Harmony and Dice were sprawled out, sleeping on the sofa. Since it was Dice’s turn, I poked her thigh to wake her up, and she started grumbling and shaking her head.

She quickly curled up and went inside when I threatened her with the idea of showering with her clothes on.

“It’s already 5 o’clock. Once Dice is out, we’ll have to start the broadcast.”

I quickly logged into the chat to make an announcement.

At 5 AM, 400,000 viewers were going wild because I hadn’t shown up yet. Fortunately, after fixing a message on the broadcast screen and launching the drone cam for a brief greeting, they calmed down.

Since this was the first broadcast after officially revealing that I was an awakener, I waved my tail as a sort of service, and donations began pouring in. I also saw comments mentioning how I hadn’t dropped from the top search term even at dawn.

I wondered how I should react to this, but whatever. It wasn’t like I had ever worried about such things before.

“Hello, everyone. Seeing you like this… well, it’s not particularly new. Honestly, even though it was just an avatar, it didn’t differ much from my actual body, so standing in front of you now isn’t burdensome.”

-Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin!

– Are you crazy? Revealing your face and leaving it on for six hours? Are you crazy? Revealing your face and leaving it on for six hours? Are you crazy? Revealing your face and leaving it on for six hours? Are you crazy?

– Waaahhhhhh I’m going to roll around and throw a tantrum

– Wow, you’re so pretty, noona hahaha

– Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail! Armpits! Tail!

Though there were quite a few comments crossing the line, I decided to let it go since everyone was excited.

Also, personally speaking, despite my memories of another gender, I preferred female partners – perhaps due to my years of active service in special forces, where toughness was essential. Maybe that’s why.

The point is, I could understand their feelings. Besides, the chatbot would automatically cut off any seriously inappropriate comments, so I didn’t worry too much.

With a click, the bathroom door opened. Dice emerged, her body wrapped in a large towel. Of course, the drone cam didn’t show that. It wasn’t that crazy.

The current time was 5:23 AM. Having passed November and entered early to mid-December, the nights were long, and the days were much shorter. The sun wouldn’t rise for quite a while. I just hoped that the 400,000 viewers hadn’t stayed up all night.

As we finished dressing and prepared to leave, it was almost 6 o’clock. A signal linked to the apartment gate popped up in the air. A large limousine bus was waiting at the entrance of the apartment. It was really time to leave.

When Dice was finally ready, it was 5:53 AM. As we turned off the lights in the house and walked to the entrance, the lights turned on. Inside the suitcase were the drone charger and the drone cam floating behind us.

This guy would probably be the only one from our home to experience America.

───Clack!

“…Wow, it’s already chilly in the hallway. What are you going to do, Yoo Jin?”

“Be quiet.”

“Ouch!”

Talking nonsense as soon as we stepped into the hallway, honestly.

When I bonked her on the crown of her head with my tail, the chat exploded again.

-Wow, what a reward hahahaha

-I can’t believe I’m seeing this in reality! I can’t believe I’m seeing this in reality! I can’t believe I’m seeing this in reality! I can’t believe I’m seeing this in reality! I can’t believe I’m seeing this in reality!

-I really wonder what it feels like to get hit on the head by a snake tail hahahahaha

-That Dice girl hahaha

-Am I dreaming right now?????????????????????

As we took the elevator down, the wind started blowing fiercely.

Walking a hundred or so meters through the freezing wind, we reached a large bus glowing a faint yellow under the streetlight. There was no one inside. It was a bus chartered just for the three of us.

A hologram appeared above my wrist, and the door automatically opened. Normally, a driver should be sitting in the driver’s seat, but no one was there.

It was an unmanned vehicle. Recognizing the hologram automatically, the interior lights turned on, revealing a spacious area with perhaps only a dozen seats.

There were plenty of seats, and the extra space, which could have accommodated more chairs, was equipped with small convenience facilities and a refrigerator.

It seemed a bit excessively high-class for merely a one-hour ride to Incheon Airport.

But whatever it was, I was very tired, so I sat in the seat labeled “Yoo Jin.” Naturally, the chair had a hole in the back to accommodate my tail, so there was nothing to get in the way of moving.

“Ah, this is so nice….”

“…I thought about doing some sort of talk, but I’m so tired….”

“…Would you like to watch a sleep stream? It’ll only be about an hour.”

-Of course, hahaha

-I took a day off just to watch this. Let’s go!!!!!!!!!

-Are you ignoring us now, hahaha

-These guys are 24/7 ghosts, it doesn’t matter what you stream

-Of course, hurry up and sleep, we’ll chat amongst ourselves hahaha

How considerate.

As soon as I sat in the chair, my body sank into it. After fixing the drone cam to the wall and lying down as close to the bed as possible, my vision started spinning. The heater’s warm air dispelled the chill inside the vehicle.

As the three of us waved at the glittering cam, my vision faded to black.

-[Notification: Arrived at Incheon Airport Terminal 2.]

-[Notification: Have a pleasant trip.]

“…Sleeping made things a bit better.”

“First-class and business-class passengers need to go to the A section’s premium check-in counter.”

“Let’s buy some donuts and snacks! There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts here!”

“Oh, seriously.”

What am I going to do with these idiots?

Anyway, the ceiling was high, and the air was warm. It felt more like a huge luxury department store than an airport. Everything on the floor reflected the light from all directions, making it a bit blinding.

Even though Incheon Airport was bustling from the morning, as we lingered near the first-class check-in counter, a neatly dressed staff member approached and started providing guidance.

As soon as we were detected by sensors, the entrance opened, and the serene interior, reminiscent of a modern palace, greeted the three of us.

Three airport staff members attended to us individually.

“Please sit comfortably. We’ll assist with your luggage

and check-in. Would you like some refreshments? We have chocolates, cookies, various kinds of coffee, soft drinks, fruit juices, and sparkling water available.”

“Just chocolates, please.”

“Understood.”

Three luxurious chocolates were placed on a tray.

Unfortunately, unlike the bus, the seats here didn’t accommodate my tail, making them somewhat uncomfortable, but there was no major inconvenience.

Dice seemed familiar with it, having experienced it once last year, but Harmony just kept blinking and exclaiming, “Oh….”

Anyway, there was no longer any need to carry our luggage. As soon as the check-in was completed, the staff guided us to the security check area exclusively for first-class passengers.

“The drone will be returned after attaching a GPS patch. You must end the broadcast before departure.”

“Understood.”

If Sirkins were here, he might have joked, ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve gone through security checks and traveled abroad.’

The drone went through various checks. They confirmed the serial number, purchase history, and receipts. They also checked if any hidden parts were inside – well, rather, they made sure there weren’t.

If it had been confiscated at this point, it would have been unfortunate, but oh well. If it was impossible, there was nothing I could do about it – but fortunately, after investing about 10 minutes, the security check was completed.

“Yes, it’s done. Have a nice trip.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Haha, it’s fine. Thanks to you, I got to experience scanning a tail.”

People sure do love tails.

Anyway, the departure procedures were completed. I didn’t worry much since I had a U.S. passport.

Then, the part of the airport routine I had been most looking forward to arrived.

The first-class lounge.

“Wow.”

“A lounge with beds….”

It was a separated space that seemed to have transplanted the first-class cabin of an airplane. Each seat was equipped with butter, bread, jam, and cutlery. I never imagined I would visit a place like this while alive.

Of course, tens of thousands of viewers, watching the scene through the drone cam currently filming the first-class lounge, probably felt the same way.

-Wow, hahahaha

-Shock) A snake tail appears in the first-class lounge

-Caught on camera: Staff looking bewildered hahaha

-Fact) Only Dice and Harmony are unfazed

-Come to think of it, Dice looks exactly like her avatar hahaha

As soon as I sat down, about four staff members rushed over.

One attended to Dice, one to Harmony, and… for some reason, two attended to me. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t really mind. The only slight inconvenience was that none of the chairs had holes for my tail, but asking for that would have been crazy.

Unless the majority of people in this world had tails.

Still, the fact that everyone remained professional without showing it was admirable.

“Nice to meet you. Yoo Jin, Seo Ye-rin, Min Ah… your tickets have been confirmed, and you can use the designated seats without any issues. The breakfast available in the lounge this month is abalone porridge, and in addition, various snacks, cakes, salads, and unlimited alcoholic beverages are available.”

“Then please give us the breakfast. How about you, Dice?”

“Ah, me too. Min Ah?”

“Me too!”

“Then, breakfast for everyone, please.”

Thus, we had our first breakfast around 7 AM.

Porridge with a whole abalone in the center, delicious short ribs, fruits and salad, kimchi, and poached eggs. It was quite luxurious for breakfast.

Dice was surprised, and Harmony was astonished at the taste of the breakfast, which was naturally quite good.

As everyone was diligently eating, Dice opened her mouth quietly.

It wasn’t directed at me but at Harmony.

“When we get on the plane later, they’ll serve so much food you’ll feel like bursting, so eat moderately here. Yoo Jin, you can eat as much as you want here.”

“You’ve completely adapted now.”

“Who wouldn’t, eating tens of thousands of won worth of food per meal.”

-They’ve met numerous times already hahaha

-Wow, the breakfast quality is top-notch hahaha

-Hey, chew and swallow even if it’s porridge hahaha

-Professor, are you an astrophysics professor? Because it looks like there’s a black hole in your stomach

-This person is devouring three servings of porridge in the morning hahaha

The food was delicious, and after finishing one bowl, I ordered another. After eating that as well, I got more food from the lounge buffet.

Living with a high-calorie expenditure lifestyle is tough.