Chapter 73

[KechapMayoMustard – So who’s that girl with the sky-blue hair?]

[Kuririri – Is she a sister? Wow, Hae-un and Chae-a are cute, but this little one is super adorable too.]

[FurryLover – Nine tails! Cuteness times nine! And those ears!]

Though occasionally some strange chats would pop up.

Mostly, they were friendly comments, so I let out a sigh of relief thinking it was fortunate.

But then Yuna, standing nearby, tilted her head in confusion at my actions.

I looked at the curious Yuna for a moment, pondering, then explained what it all was.

“This is called broadcasting… You can talk to an incredible number of viewers like this.”

Upon hearing this, Yuna glared at the phone, drooping her ears while addressing me.

“Yuna’s not stupid. I know we watch this and can’t talk.”

Apparently, she thought I was teasing her.

I quickly waved my hands at her reaction and pointed at the chat window.

“No, really… Viewers can actually talk to us through this!”

After I repeated the same thing several times, Yuna tilted her head again, looking at the phone before saying,

“Something keeps appearing quickly.”

Thankfully, it seemed she believed me.

Pointing at each finger, I continued explaining to Yuna.

“This is how people communicate.”

At this, Yuna’s eyes sparkled as she wagged her nine tails and asked me,

“But where are the people? I don’t see them.”

Her question left me frozen.

I had no idea how to explain telecommunications.

While I was trying to figure out how to phrase it, Chae-a confidently stepped forward and declared,

“I know!”

Yuna’s eyes lit up as she turned to look at Chae-a.

Chae-a then proudly explained how it worked to Yuna.

“You write letters on paper and send them, and then the pigeon uncle delivers them! We just send these letters via this little box!”

Although I tilted my head in confusion upon hearing this,

It apparently made sense to Yuna, as she wagged her tail happily and nodded.

‘I guess I’ll leave it at that.’

Since the truth wasn’t necessary right now, I decided to enjoy the moment along with Chae-a and Yuna.

Just as I was thinking this, Yuna asked us seriously,

“But how does the pigeon uncle send letters through such a small box?”

Chae-a thought about it for a moment, giggling mischievously as she replied,

“The pigeon uncle sneaks in secretly… Right? Isn’t that how it works?”

Then, pulling out a pigeon from behind the phone…

Wait, what?

“Co-co?”

What the heck is going on?

As I stared in shock at the pigeon suddenly popping out from behind the phone,

Yuna gasped in amazement, her eyes sparkling.

“That’s amazing! The pigeon uncle is incredible.”

She wagged her tail rapidly, like a great adventurer making a discovery of the century.

As I watched Yuna and the pigeon silently observing us, I started feeling like my mind was breaking.

But then the chat messages began flooding in rapidly.

[GuguGuguGugu – Gugugu? Gugu?]

[TapTap – Hahahaha, is it really pigeons delivering messages?]

[Kurikuri – Wait, where did you even get that pigeon from?]

[GradStudentWanted – Oh noooooooo, don’t touch it, it’s dirty. Let it go outside immediately. No, I’ll come over right away.]

Anxious messages kept coming in.

Realizing pigeons were considered unclean in this world, I started to worry.

Meanwhile, Chae-a released the pigeon, saying,

“Alright, see you later…”

“Guguk.”

The pigeon saluted Chae-a before opening the window with its beak and flying off.

Thinking I might be dreaming, I stretched my cheek when someone rushed in urgently.

“Kids!”

Recognizing Han Arin’s voice,

I wondered why she had rushed in so anxiously, only to see her pull out hand sanitizer and wet wipes while casting a spell.

She began cleaning our hands, but realizing it wouldn’t suffice,

Sighed and said,

“Anyway, since I have laundry to do anyway, let’s take this opportunity to give you kids a proper bath. How about we head to the bathhouse?”

At the mention of the bathhouse, Chae-a reacted first.

Clasping her hands together, she showed immense excitement before shaking them up and down, begging,

“Chae-a wants to go to the bathhouse super bad. I want to see a huge palace…”

“Palace? Ah, you mean the exterior. Alright, let’s check it out this time.”

Yuna perked up at the word ‘palace,’ wagging her tail furiously as she looked at Han Arin.

Of course, at that age, princesses and castles were immensely popular, so it was natural she’d love palaces too.

As I was thinking this, another person rushed in anxiously.

“Hae-un!”

Judging by the voice, it was Seorin.

Seorin burst in, looking flustered, raised her hand and asked,

“Where’s the pigeon?!”

To which Chae-a proudly answered for her,

“The pigeon uncle left! Of course, he’s busy.”

“Eh?”

Realizing the pigeon was gone, Seorin seemed to calm down, letting out a sigh of relief before collapsing onto the floor.

Spotting Han Arin awkwardly laughing nearby, Seorin seemed to understand the situation and nodded.

Han Arin then made a suggestion to Seorin.

“I’m planning to wash the kids’ clothes and give them a bath. Want to join us?”

At this, Seorin hesitated slightly, smiled awkwardly, then nodded.

* * *

This world often deviated from the common knowledge I knew.

And usually, those deviations were somehow tied to ‘mana,’ leading to unexpected surprises in unexpected places, like the current situation.

The hunter-exclusive bathhouse inside the association.

As soon as we entered, tiny golems started attending to us, providing all sorts of conveniences.

Even that was astonishing, but what was more surprising was…

‘There’s water without any faucet…!’

Thanks to water flowing from mid-air, things that shouldn’t exist normally, like Bluetooth showers, the association’s floating public bath, and indoor hot springs (not outdoors, but magical), existed here.

Stunned by the cultural shock, I stood there blankly until Chae-a jumped around excitedly and exclaimed,

“Wowww! This must be for adults…!”

“Adults?”

“Yeah! I heard places like castles have amazing things like this!”

I agreed that the bathhouse was impressive and nodded, when Yuna wagged her tail furiously, her eyes sparkling, pointing somewhere.

“That… Is it real?”

Turning my gaze toward where she pointed, I saw a polar bear sitting dejectedly on a block of ice in a tub.

Looking closer, I noticed the sign above read “Lukewarm Cold Bath.”

‘Doesn’t lukewarm contradict cold…?’

As confusion washed over me, Yuna perked up her ears and told me,

“Yuna also wants to play with the bear. Bears and dinosaurs are great.”

Though Yuna seemed thrilled to meet the bear, I told her it might be dangerous, so she stayed by my side.

Deciding to visit that area later for Yuna’s sake, I noticed Seorin handing us baskets.

“We’re going to wash clothes, so put everything in here. Once you’re undressed, follow Auntie Arin.”

With that, Chae-a quickly stripped and ran towards Han Arin.

Eager to enjoy the bath, I was about to follow suit when…

“…Scary. But I love dinosaur pajamas.”

Yuna, unwilling to part with her dinosaur pajamas, peeked at me nervously, shaking her head.

Seeing this, I gently patted her head, repeating that it was okay, until she finally mustered the courage to take them off.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been to a bathhouse.’

Deciding to relax and enjoy the bath despite the fluttering heart, I moved forward with Yuna.

*

There was one more peculiar aspect about the bathhouses in this world:

Everyone entering wrapped themselves in towels.

Han Arin explained,

“Hunters often come here exhausted, and sometimes fall asleep while bathing. Since falling asleep in such a tired state can lead to accidents, many hunters wrap themselves in towels as a precaution.”

Still unsure how towels related to danger, I wore a puzzled expression until Han Arin added more details.

“These help regulate body temperature, and if the user falls asleep, they automatically float upward, carrying them to a safe place. Plus, they provide automatic shampoo and body wash, and even clean magic…”

Impressed by all these features, I wrapped the small towel given to me around my body when…

“Let’s hurry!”

Chae-a grabbed my and Yuna’s hands, tugging us along eagerly.

Seeing Chae-a this excited was a first for me, and it lifted my mood too.

Suddenly, something on Chae-a’s shoulder wriggled, poking its head out and starting to speak.

“Earthworm earthworm.”

“…?”

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