Chapter 242: What Do You Think of Him, Shuna

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Novice Town.

XXX Tavern.

Isaac was preparing to close up for the night after watching the last of his patrons leave. Then…

He heard the soft ding-a-ling of the bell above the door.

“Sorry, we’re closed for the night. Please come back tomor—”

But when he saw who it was, he froze mid-sentence.

“Yo,” she greeted casually, raising a hand.

“Sh-Shuna?!”

Standing in front of him was someone he hadn’t expected to see.

She had even changed her outfit—swapping out her usual attire for something different. Well, it was autumn now; perhaps she had finally realized that the cold wasn’t something to take lightly.

But what surprised him even more…

This Shuna was someone he had never seen before.

She still looked as healthy and full of energy as ever, but there was a weariness in her expression. Not the kind of fatigue that came from traveling, but something more like the exhaustion of someone who had been emotionally wounded.

If Isaac remembered correctly…

She had left with that boy—the one he’d been waiting years to see again. Allow him to call him a “boy,” because in Isaac’s eyes, that young master was still just a kid.

And it wasn’t just any departure—it was one she had carefully orchestrated. She had “pretended to be drunk” so he would escort her—surely that had been an act, right?

Isaac had even witnessed the aftermath: the young master’s little maid came looking for him, and Shuna’s old teammates showed up as well. Meanwhile, that pair of lovebirds had disappeared somewhere to enjoy themselves.

But now…

“Hmm, my train just arrived. I’d like to grab something to eat and maybe have a drink. Given our friendship, that’s not a problem, right?” Shuna asked casually.

“No problem at all. Wait… train? What train?”

“The fastest and most convenient mode of transportation these days. It’s just a shame you have to hop on when no one’s looking—it’s a bit of a hassle,” she said, scratching her head.

Isaac immediately sensed something was off.

Her first words hadn’t been an explanation of her current situation—especially not the question he most wanted to ask: Where was the person who had been by her side?

“Alright then, what do you want to drink? We’ve got plenty left over—business has been slow ever since the dungeon here disappeared.”

“Chaos—no, just give me your signature cocktail,” she said after a brief pause.

“Hmm?”

The way she started to order the same drink as that boy but then quickly changed her mind… Isaac couldn’t help but feel there was something ominous about it.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Shuna stared at her drink without saying much. Unlike before, when she would return from adventures and chat with him about all sorts of things, she remained quiet.

Alright, Isaac thought. He had seen enough to piece things together.

“You…”

He hesitated for a moment.

“Did you get dumped?”

“…Eh?!”

Shuna had just taken a sip of her drink when she heard those words. She barely managed to swallow it without spitting it out.

“…Maybe. But… I… I didn’t even confess, so… so technically, no,” she muttered, staring at her glass as if it held all the answers. Her tone and expression were tinged with frustration, as though she were trying to convince herself as much as him.

This…

This was unmistakably the look of someone who had realized they didn’t stand a chance with the person they liked and had come to drown their sorrows while putting on a brave face!

—How could this happen?!

—How could someone as invincible, adorable, and assertive as Shuna possibly lose?!

—Could it be that boy is actually some heartless player?!

“You… you didn’t say anything, but I can already tell from that pitying look on your face, old man. I never agreed to you acting like my father, so stop worrying about me like one!” Shuna snapped.

“Alright, fine. So… tell me everything? We’ve got plenty of drinks here,” Isaac offered.

“Hmm… do you believe in ‘fate’?” Shuna asked suddenly.

“Nope.”

“Well, that kills the conversation.”

“Fine, fine—I believe in it. Happy now? Go on.”

Shuna twirled her glass with her long fingers. Her nails had grown quite long—it seemed she hadn’t trimmed them in some time.

“I wanted to make a move… but I realized that the parts of him I like might overlap with something buried deep inside him,” she said cryptically.

“Don’t speak in riddles; I’m too old for that,” Isaac replied bluntly.

Shuna scratched her head in frustration.

“If it were him, he’d understand exactly what I mean!”

“Then why don’t you tell him?”

“Hmph… Anyway, at first, he felt like someone living both in control of and controlled by his own ‘fate.’ Like a ‘scalding stone’—warm and passionate toward others but with a core so hard you couldn’t figure out what he truly wanted.”

“…Do all you smart people talk this way?” Isaac muttered.

Shuna shot him a glare.

“Fine, keep going,” he said quickly.

“We… we went through some things. Let’s just say he brought it upon himself—I won’t comment further. But after that, I saw something ignite in him—a hope for living in the present. It was like that stone had been cracked open just a little,” Shuna explained as she raised her glass and held it up to the light, letting the red liquid catch the glow.

At this point, Isaac still hadn’t heard what he most wanted—or dreaded—to hear: confirmation that Shuna had been outright rejected.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that what you wanted?” he asked.

“It is. Until… I realized something else,” Shuna said as she set her glass down.

“The fear he has toward me—later I figured out it stems from his fear of fate.”

“……”

“Old man, you remember how I told you I’ve always been incredibly lucky? Like I have some kind of halo where everything I want or try to do succeeds on the first attempt?”

“Yeah… like a protagonist?”

“He seems to have noticed something about me—about my identity. And so he keeps trying to learn about my past—as if he’s comparing it to some ‘fate’ he has in mind,” Shuna said with a sigh before downing the rest of her drink in one go.

“He doesn’t need to say it out loud—I can feel it. To him, I might be an obstacle in his plans. So… to avoid getting in his way, I came back here—the starting point—in the same way I left.”

“……”

To be honest, Isaac didn’t fully understand how Shuna had “failed,” nor did he grasp why the other party might have rejected her.

“Let me put this in terms I can understand: so you confessed and got rejected?”

“No—I rejected myself before he could figure out my feelings and ran away.”

“…Are you really Shuna?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Do I look fake to you?”

“The Shuna I know would face challenges head-on—she’d go on the offensive and take charge! She’d throw herself at him and leave him no room to escape!”

“…Do people really see me that way?” Shuna muttered under her breath.

“So what’s his ‘important business’ then?” Isaac asked curiously.

Shuna pushed her empty glass toward him, signaling for another drink.

But Isaac placed his hand over the rim of the glass, refusing to pour more.

“Don’t get drunk. Just tell me.”

“Ugh… If my brilliant mind is correct, he’s probably heading to the capital… to confess to Princess Treya—the one who’s been searching for him all this time,” Shuna said begrudgingly.

“???”

—So he really is just some scumbag playing around with everyone’s feelings!

“Every time he mentioned it, his face would light up with that same ‘master of fate’ expression—as if he were preparing for his grand comeback. It reminded me of adventurers playing chess—the look they get when they think they’ve got everything under control… only to get checkmated in an instant~”

“You sound pretty bitter about this, Shuna.”

“A little. But honestly? I can’t imagine him losing,” Shuna admitted as she picked up her empty glass and stared at the single drop left at the bottom.

“If he does lose… maybe it’ll crack open his shell a little more.”