Chapter 64

I was standing there dumbfounded, staring at the little girl in front of me who had tears welling up in her eyes…

Shaking my head to regain focus, I blew on her forehead and used my healing abilities.

They say my healing powers are superior to the average kind, so a minor injury like a bumped forehead should heal quickly.

“…”

The little girl in front of me was still rubbing her forehead with both hands when suddenly she bowed deeply and thanked me.

“Thank you very much.”

Though her voice and expression seemed indifferent, the tears streaming down her face made it clear she was in pain.

As I watched her, I thought for a moment, then decided to do the same thing others had done for me. I slowly opened my mouth.

“Does it hurt?”

In response to my question, the girl just shook her head as she stared at me blankly.

Not sure what to do, I gently stroked her forehead and said:

“The pain will go away…”

“…”

I’m not sure if it actually worked, but I’ve seen Han Arin do this a few times – rubbing the spot and saying the pain will disappear.

The little girl blinked rapidly, then looked up at me with wide eyes and said:

“It really doesn’t hurt anymore.”

She then looked up at me with shining eyes, her animal ears perking up as she wagged her nine tails… Wait, nine?

I blinked in confusion. The animal ears could be a headband, but nine tails? That’s definitely strange.

As I processed this, the girl clung to me and started rubbing her tails against my face in an affectionate manner.

Trying to seek help from others, I realized everyone was just watching with amused expressions, making it clear my attempts would be futile.

“Is she a fox spirit? I’ve never seen one before.”

“Indeed, who would have thought we’d encounter a creature straight out of history books.”

The girl, who looks about five years old like Chae-a, didn’t evoke any sense of danger despite being a new species.

‘Or maybe it’s because she’s a safe species?’

As I pondered this, Perseus and Han Arin’s amazing abilities came to mind.

“Huh… What’s your name?”

At my question, the girl perked up her ears and replied indifferently:

“Iuna.”

“So your name is Yuna. My name is Haeuni.”

“Yuna?”

It sounded like she misheard my name.

Shaking my head, I corrected myself: “Hae-un.” Hearing this, Yuna finally nodded understandingly.

As I contemplated what to do with Yuna clinging to me, Chae-a approached us holding a small chocolate bar.

“Hae-un’s friend is also my friend! Here, take this!”

Yuna looked down at the chocolate, tilting her head in confusion.

“What is this?”

“Mo-ya-yo?” What does that even mean? She must have mispronounced “What is this?”

As I chuckled, Chae-a confidently explained:

“Eating this will make you feel better!”

“Feel jo-a?”

Upon hearing this, Yuna stared at the chocolate, her ears perking up as she shook her head vigorously.

“Black things are spoiled. You shouldn’t eat them.”

“!?!”

Chae-a looked shocked at the claim the chocolate was spoiled and turned to me with pleading eyes.

Deciding I needed to intervene, I spoke up:

“It’s fine, the chocolate isn’t spoiled.”

Yuna looked at me skeptically, blinking innocently.

“Hae-un doesn’t know because you’re young. Food can spoil.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s dangerous.”

Wait, why is Chae-a agreeing with that?

As I stood confused, Han Arin watched us with a soft smile.

“The chocolate is fine, you can eat it. Try it.”

Upon hearing this, Yuna glared at Han Arin before hiding behind me.

“… Adults are scary.”

Why is she covering my face too?

As I tried to move her tail blocking my view, Seorin interrupted our musings with a comment about tails.

Han Arin tried to reassure Yuna:

“You don’t need to be scared of me. I’m a good adult.”

“But bad adults always say that.”

“Well… But I really am good. Right, Hae-un?”

Trying to nod in agreement, I realized Yuna’s tails were still in the way.

Turning to Chae-a for support, Han Arin received an unexpected response:

“Yeah, that’s true. A-Rin is nice. She pets my head and pinches my cheeks… But cheek-pinching hurts. People who cause pain are bad people, so A-Rin might be a bad person too!”

Thus, through a stream of unconscious logic, Han Arin became branded as a bad person.

This caused Yuna’s caution to double, and she almost ran off while clinging to me.

“Everything’s fine. A-Rin really is good.”

Thanks to Seorin’s intervention, the situation was defused. For some reason, Yuna trusted Seorin’s words more.

Despite resolving the issue, Han Arin looked quite dejected until Chae-a asked for a hug, which instantly cheered her up.

Even as they bickered about returning to headquarters and contacting the association, their antics brought a smile to my face.

As we returned to the association, medical personnel in white gowns awaited us.

Remembering my own check-up when I first arrived, I tried to send Yuna over without hesitation.

However, Yuna quickly shook her head and clung tightly to my back, refusing to go.

Thinking she’s afraid of adults, I considered her earlier statement as Han Arin watched us.

“Sorry, Hae-un. Can you accompany Yuna for her examination? She seems to be scared of everyone else.”

Receiving permission to join her, I comforted Yuna by petting her head repeatedly.

“Don’t worry, they’re not bad people. And I’ll be here to protect you!”

To this, Yuna perked up her ears and wagged her nine tails.

“It’s okay. I’ll protect Hae-un instead.”

“Huh?”

Isn’t it obvious Yuna is the younger one here?

Looking around for support, I only received nods and comments about how mature I was being.

Stunned by this injustice, I opened my mouth wide in shock.

Seizing this opportunity, Yuna confidently dragged me toward the medical team.

“Having an older sister must be nice for Hae-un, huh?”

Hearing this from somewhere, I decided to sulk later as Chae-a suddenly burst into tears and clung to me.

“Pet me too…”

Realizing she felt left out while we were focused on comforting Yuna, I stroked her cheeks to calm her down.

Yuna wrapped Chae-a in her tails, which seemed to soothe her as she smiled through her tears, hugging both our tails contentedly.

Just as I finished calming Chae-a, my phone buzzed. Pulling it out with difficulty, I read the message:

[Grandma Leseia – The present for the child is ready. I’ll come to the association later.]

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