Chapter 62

Some time passed, and I realized it was morning.

I lazily listened to the sound of sparrows chirping from outside when slowly rising up…

At my side, Chae-a was cooing at Somtul, catching my eye.

Seeing her so peacefully made me feel oddly calm. As I watched over her, someone gently knocked on the door calling out to me and Chae-a.

“Hae-un, Chae-a! It’s your sister!”

Hearing the voice, it seemed like Seorin. The moment I heard Seorin’s voice, I tried calming down my wagging tail and told her to come in.

“Hae-un’s already awake? Good job.”

As soon as Seorin entered, she smiled brightly and dropped a giant backpack onto the floor with a meaningful look.

“Let’s have as much fun as we can today, got it?”

With those words, I felt my tail wag even faster than before as I nodded. Then, Cha-ea, who had turned into a lion, rubbed her eyes and slowly rose, meeting my gaze with a grin.

“Let’s sleep…”

She flopped back onto the bed. So, I gently shook her body to wake her up.

“Five more minutes… Chae-a wants to sleep more.”

She mumbled baby talk and fell right back asleep.

Since we still had some time before departure, I decided to let her rest a bit longer and left her be.

*

After washing our faces, changing clothes, and having a quick breakfast, we stepped outside the association with bright smiles.

There wasn’t any special reason; it was just that the morning sunlight was warm and radiant.

‘Somewhat feels like we’re going on a trip.’

Or maybe we actually were?

I tried suppressing my uncontrollable laughter with a “hem hem,” when Han Arin, who came along to protect us, chuckled broadly and addressed us.

“Young ones? Follow my instructions. First rule: don’t follow strangers.”

Following quickly for efficiency, I mimicked her instruction but Chae-a tilted her head in confusion and asked,

“They might give you something yummy. Why shouldn’t we follow them…?”

Seemingly stumped for a moment, Han Arin froze with a dazed expression, crossing her arms. She quickly regained her composure and explained why following strangers was dangerous.

“If you follow, scary people might bother you and call you bad names.”

“Chae-a doesn’t like scary things…”

“Then you shouldn’t follow them, right?”

Upon hearing this, Chae-a nodded quickly, and Han Arin sighed in relief.

“Second rule: if you want to go somewhere, always hold my hand.”

On hearing this, Chae-a’s eyes sparkled before turning her attention to me with a mischievous grin.

“Got it!?”

“…?”

Confused by what seemed odd, I hesitated. Then, Seorin standing beside me quickly corrected her.

“Sister in A-rin’s instruction includes only me and A-rin.”

“But Chae-a also considers Hae-un as her sister!”

“Uh… technically true, but this is a different situation…”

Chae-a tilted her head again, seemingly confused, but then lost interest quickly and grinned.

“Got it…!”

Definitely understanding now, Chae-a grabbed my hand firmly, and I resolved to guide her well. Meanwhile, Han Arin cleared her throat and announced the final rule.

“Lastly, every hour, give me a cheek kiss. That’s all. Got it?”

“…?”

Though I wanted to argue, Han Arin had already lifted me up playfully, making it impossible to object. Feeling somewhat accustomed to this position, I enjoyed the comfort while Seorin continued the conversation.

“So, where are we heading today? The amusement park!”

Upon hearing this, I blinked dumbly at Seorin. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect her to suggest starting off with the ultimate destination—the amusement park.

While contemplating this, my tail wagged furiously. Then, Chae-a voiced her concern.

“What do we do? Chae-a doesn’t have money… They said we need lots of money to go there! And Chae-a doesn’t have that kind of thing.”

Looking at the check slightly sticking out of Chae-a’s squirrel pajama pocket, I thought about revealing the truth but decided against it, not wanting to destroy her innocence.

Standing nearby, Seorin picked up the check and showed it to her.

“Look, Chae-a! You’re super rich!”

Confidently shaking her head and crossing her arms, Chae-a replied,

“Chae-a knows she’s smart… This isn’t money… Money is round and hard!”

She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a 10-yen coin, showing it to us.

“It looks like this.”

Then, treating it like a treasure, she carefully placed it back into her pocket and continued.

“This is a precious item Chae-a found while exploring under vending machines! Of course, bottle caps are treasures too!”

After fondly patting her treasure-filled pocket, she tugged at Han Arin’s hand with a whine.

Seeing this, Han Arin cleverly persuaded her.

“Although it costs a lot to go to the amusement park, it’s okay if you have a friend there. Luckily, my friend has invited us, so we can go for free!”

With that, Chae-a looked at Han Arin with anticipation. Han Arin chuckled and suggested we set off.

***

This world was almost identical to Earth in most aspects.

Literally speaking, stores and buildings from Earth mostly existed here too, and trends were similarly popular.

‘Except for the existence of mana compared to Earth…’

While it may sound like the same world when described, upon closer inspection, the structure was vastly different.

‘Flying horses! Gigantic trees! Hunters moving at incredible speeds!’

Impossible things on Earth became ordinary here, turning unimaginable sights into delightful experiences around me.

Amidst the dizzying array of interesting and stimulating sights, Seorin held me close and asked,

“Is there anything you’d like to see? We can visit right away?”

“Nya!”

“Alright, let’s see… Shall we start with animals first?”

The word “animals” sparked my curiosity. After all, seeing Somtul and Kamangi already hinted at the existence of peculiar creatures. I was excited to see what other strange beings awaited us.

Unicorns or dragons, perhaps? Whatever it was, I was thrilled at the prospect.

Seorin pointed to a bulletin board and smiled slyly.

“Hae-un, look there. There’s a list of unusual animals.”

Curious, I examined the board.

—

[Ranking of Unusual Animals]

1st – Platypus

2nd – Pegasus

3rd – Shadow Fish

—

The top rank seemed odd. Staring at it, I wondered if it was accurate, tilting my head in confusion.

Han Arin nodded knowingly, explaining,

“Indeed… Platypuses are weird. They’re mammals that lay eggs, have no teeth, and their milk oozes out like sweat.”

Now that she mentioned it, they were quite strange. Blinking blankly at the label for platypuses, I tilted my head again.

[Help me…]

Suddenly, an odd ringing echoed in my mind. Was the platypus talking to me? Confused, I paused as the plea repeated.

‘Hallucination? Or a genuine request for help?’

Unable to figure it out, I scanned my surroundings for the source but found nothing unusual.

When I informed Han Arin,

“A voice sounded in my head… twice?”

She took my statement seriously, adopting a grave expression. Since I’m known for honesty, dismissing it wasn’t easy. Still cautious, she checked my forehead for fever and questioned Seorin,

“Did you hear any requests for help?”

Despite various checks, no clear answer emerged, leaving her pondering deeply.

‘Maybe I imagined it?’

Just as I considered dismissing it, the voice returned.

[Top floor of the blue building…]

Such specific directions made ignoring it difficult. Pointing it out to Han Arin and Seorin, I noticed a tall blue clock tower in the center of the amusement park.

‘Could it be there?’

With no other blue rooftops visible, I closed my eyes in thought. Deciding it was worth checking, I pointed it out. Han Arin and Seorin nodded and approached cautiously.

*

Arriving at the clock tower, Seorin looked around and asked,

“Hae-un, is this the place?”

Uncertain myself, I couldn’t respond. Han Arin smiled faintly and reassured us,

“Kids, don’t get too serious. Let’s just check and move on.”

“But… how do we enter?”

Han Arin grinned and offered a solution.

“Just ask someone we know.”

With that, Seorin called someone briefly.

“Hey. Can you open the door to the amusement park’s clock tower?”

Wondering who she was talking to, I tilted my head. Han Arin laughed and revealed,

“The owner here is Perseus. Didn’t you know?”

---