Chapter 3: My best friend is seriously messed up.

My best friend is seriously messed up.

I, Anna Reinne, have a best friend.

Her name is Rinaria—no last name, which makes me think she’s from the countryside or something.

Everyone calls her Rina, and she has a childhood friend.

That guy, Yousrid—or Yous for short—also doesn’t have a last name.

The one thing you’ll notice about them right away is how ridiculously good-looking they are.

Yous gets showered with praise, called things like "young noble," but Rina’s no slouch either—she’s known as a peerless beauty.

Apparently, she has a faint trace of elf blood, which might be why she’s stuck with a petite frame but eternally flawless looks.

It’s downright infuriating how she can act like a total brute yet still come off as the perfect, delicate beauty.

Still, Rina and I go way back—ever since I became an adventurer.

It all started when Rina, who’d become an adventurer just a little before me, ended up showing me around the dungeon city I’d traveled to in hopes of starting my own career.

Back then, she was even tinier than she is now, looking every bit like a kid—so imagine my shock when I found out we were the same age.

Later, thanks to her introduction, I joined her party—Bronze Star—and after a lot of hard work, we eventually climbed our way up to A-rank.

Since S-rank adventurers are basically global legends, A-rank is effectively the top of the food chain.

Turns out, we’re kind of a big deal.

And of course, Rina’s no exception.

"Lucky Fairy" Rinaria.

That’s her alias.

For some reason, the girl has absurd luck—or more accurately, an uncanny knack for turning the tides in her favor.

When fighting a boss, she’ll snag the last hit. When backed into a corner in a gamble, she’ll pull off some insane comeback.

That kind of ridiculous clutch factor—that "she’s just built different" vibe—is Rina’s trademark.

Combine that with her looks, and you get the "Lucky Fairy" moniker.

But make no mistake, her actual skills are the real deal.

The way she dances across the battlefield, weaving swordplay and magic together, is exactly why people call her a fairy.

The key thing to remember is that Rina isn’t just strong—she’s also got that infuriating, almost cheating level of clutch ability on top of it.

Naturally, she’s crazy popular among fellow adventurers.

Especially with the guys—half of them are probably head over heels for her.

I mean, she’s approachable, weirdly carefree, and acts familiar with everyone.

On top of that, she’s loyal, kind, and even has this innocent side to her—basically, she’s a walking checklist of everything that makes guys fall hard.

"Maybe I actually have a shot with her?"

"Wait, does she like me?"

Yeah, she’s that kind of woman—the type who unintentionally leads men on.

You’d think that’d make her hated by other women, but surprisingly, not really.

Because Rina is undeniably strong.

Sure, adventuring is a meritocracy, but let’s be real—there’s still a gap in how men and women are perceived.

In most worlds, women are expected to pick magic over swords.

But Rina? She grabs a blade and charges the frontlines right alongside the men—and honestly, women love that about her.

Back when I was still a rookie mage, I used to idolize the way she’d cut down monsters left and right.

There’s another reason women don’t resent her, though.

She’s already taken.

Rina and Yous have been together since before they even became adventurers.

Early on, when they were still unknowns, people treated them like a package deal—everyone just assumed they were a couple.

Looking back, that might’ve been a misunderstanding, but even now, it’s common knowledge among adventurers that Rina and Yous are an item.

Yous is handsome—ridiculously handsome.

He’s considerate, popular with women—in a profession full of roughnecks, a guy who gets called a "young noble" is a rare breed.

But above all, he’s with Rina.

Yous has very clear boundaries—he’s never rude to women, but he never lets things get too personal, either.

Once you realize that, it’s like admiring a celebrity from afar—like crushing on an actor who’s already married.

Sure, some guys still go all-in, but most don’t bother.

Because of that, Rina’s seen as a "safe" idol for women to admire—someone who won’t steal their men.

A convenient figure to look up to, in a way.

Honestly, the men are the ones who get more intense about it.

Rina’s male fans have a tendency to actually fall for her, which is way messier.

Thankfully, me, our party leader, and especially Yous quietly handle those situations behind the scenes, so Rina’s never been in real danger.

—Me?

Well, I’m just a third wheel in all this.

Yous is a great guy—if Rina weren’t in the picture, I might’ve seriously fallen for him.

I do like him that much. Heck, there was a time I did have feelings for him.

But at the end of the day, Yous and Rina are practically two halves of one whole.

Trying to wedge myself between them? Pointless.

That said, there’s one glaring problem here.

Rina refuses to admit she’s in a relationship with Yous.

According to her, they’re not a couple. Not lovers, not spouses—nothing.

Excuse me? What kind of delusional crap is that? I oughta smack her.

Wait, no—bad. A proper lady shouldn’t say such things.

Rina throws around language like that all the time, but unlike her, I’m a refined woman.

Being lumped in with that brute would be an outrage.

Anyway, Rina stubbornly insists she doesn’t like Yous.

"She really needs to stop joking around."

At drinking parties, Rina always scans the room first, spots Yous, then starts drinking while stealing glances at him from a distance—and she dares claim she doesn’t like him?

After battles, she always rushes to Yous first to confirm he’s unharmed—and she dares claim she doesn’t like him?

When walking, she absolutely refuses to yield the spot to Yous’s left—and she dares claim she doesn’t like him? (For the record, Yous is left-handed.)

Despite radiating "I’m obsessed" energy 24/7, Rina insists it’s all nonsense. As a bystander, it’s equal parts amusing, frustrating, and downright ridiculous.

Now, what about Yous? Well, he seems to hold back around her.

Their dynamic usually goes like this: Rina proposes, Yous approves. If there’s an issue, she adjusts and re-proposes; if not, he gives the final nod. It’s not like she bulldozes over him—but Yous never initiates.

Watching them feels like observing a decisive young lady and her ultra-competent butler. Or maybe a ruthless CEO and her sharp-witted secretary. Honestly, this "no-nonsense with men" attitude is probably why women adore her. (Though some guys mistake it for "I want her to pamper me"—big miscalculation. Rina dumps deadweight instantly.)

Anyway, Yous clearly prioritizes Rina’s will above all. To outsiders, he might seem indecisive—but I disagree.

To Yous, Rina is the absolute priority. If she vetoes something, he’ll discard it no matter how much it benefits her. That’s his core: unwavering devotion.

…Kinda makes you admit defeat, huh?

Bottom line: They’re 100% mutually in love.

The only snag? Rina, for some reason, refuses to acknowledge it.

If you confront her, she’ll spout nonsense like "I don’t think in terms of gender" or "I’m not interested in romance." Irrelevant. Love doesn’t need logic—she likes Yous, period. Her resistance is pure stubbornness.

That said, forcing the issue would be just as selfish, so we’ve settled for spectating from the sidelines. (Though alcohol does loosen our tongues—blame the booze and camaraderie.)

Which brings us to that night: after relentless teasing, we finally succeeded in shoving Rina onto Yous’s lap.

Props to our leader for the assist—Rina’s slip-up helped, but the execution was chef’s kiss. (A tad dramatic, but effective.)

Then came the rarity: Rina made Yous chug his drink.

Yous isn’t a heavy drinker—he knows his limits and sticks to them. Unlike someone present.

Yet there he was, face beet red. Rina, what hellish brew did you feed him?!

Before we could investigate, Rina collapsed. Yous panicked and carried her upstairs to her room.

(We always rent out an entire inn for the party when staying in town, so Rina’s room is fixed.)

The next morning, Rina strolled down looking unbothered, ordering a light sandwich for breakfast—only for Yous to follow and prostrate himself before her.

Yous. Prostrating.

This is the man who never goes beyond a bow, no matter how grave the apology.

A first in my life. Our leader and I froze in shock.

Rina definitely did something.

We cornered them for answers—

—And Rina casually dropped the bomb:

"We crossed the line."

"Crossed the line." Became intimate. Did the deed. Call it what you want—they mated.

The kind of breathless, ahahn-worthy act my "experienced" self would classify as decadently adult.

…Except Rina was a virgin.

I know—we visited a unicorn’s temple together two weeks ago. Certain… circumstances confirmed it.

Yet here she was, obliterating that status under alcohol’s influence—then reacting like she’d been bitten by a dog. Not normal.

Turns out, it hit her way harder than expected.

Rina genuinely lacked awareness of her own gender. I’d always thought her "carefree" vibe was just personality, but this? This explains everything.

Now I just pity Yous. If it took this for him to finally act… well, that’s its own tragedy.

Either way, the root issue runs deep.

Rina doesn’t just say she "doesn’t see men as men"—she literally can’t. And if she’s lived her whole life like that, especially beside Yous… no wonder he hesitated.

This isn’t something either could’ve solved alone. Maybe this incident will spark change—

—Or so I thought, until Rina barricaded herself in her room.

Worried, I might’ve eavesdropped.

(Not my fault! She’s the one acting suspicious!)

What I found:

Rina, face buried in blankets, kicking her legs like a flustered child.

"Guess it worked as a trigger after all."

"Who knew Rina even had this side to her?"

But all those thoughts vanished the moment I realized one thing—

I found it... cute.

...Huh? What the hell? That was really Rina?

Rina—of all people—being cute?

The same Rina who tramples over gender norms like they’re trash? The same brute who headbutts social graces into oblivion?

No, no, but—seriously, what was that?! What kind of creature even is she right now?!

Oh no oh no oh no— I don’t have a single lesbian bone in my body, but something about this is pulling at me.

Wait, is this more of a... pet thing? Like, the urge to hug her and ruffle her hair? That I can understand.

...No, that’s not it either.

Because then it hit me.

Staring at that adorably flustered Rina, I suddenly thought—

"Wow... she’s this cute, but she’s not a virgin anymore."

...I sound like a damn old man!

Apparently, my brain short-circuited from the sheer absurdity of it all.