Chapter 102

Yuna was lost in thought, though I couldn’t tell what she was thinking about.

But judging by the look of realization on her face as she stared at Chae-a, it seemed like she’d gained some great insight from Chae-a’s interview.

“Surely she doesn’t think interviews should be done THAT way… right?”

A sinister thought bubbled up, but I quickly shook my head to dispel it. But just as I did…

There she went, doing exactly what I’d worried about.

“So this time, Yuna will ask the question! Haeuni, can you eat three ice creams? Yuna’s too full to eat anymore, BUT if you melt it, you can drink it like a beverage! With extreme effort, you might even be able to!”

I could only stare blankly with a “Muaang?” expression on my face as Yuna spoke.

Then snapping out of it, I firmly replied:

“You can only eat ONE ice cream.”

At this, Yuna blinked innocently before ruffling my hair and speaking in a somewhat smug tone:

“Haeuni’s still little, so it can’t be helped.”

It seemed she’d concluded that since I didn’t eat much ice cream, it must be because I’m young. Though I wasn’t entirely sure, Yuna wagged her tail excitedly while looking at me with glee.

—

After our brief interview practice, we gathered together to give feedback on what we’d done.

“Growth only happens when you get feedback after finishing something. So big sis, why don’t you go first?”

Han Arin began sharing her thoughts, laced with her usual values, pointing out areas for improvement.

“I personally wanted Ha-un to cross her arms and make an ‘Hmph!’ sound during the interview, but alas, that didn’t happen.”

“…?”

Was this really feedback or just her personal preferences?

As I stared blankly at Han Arin, she blatantly ignored my gaze and continued spilling out her desires.

“Oh, and I also wanted to see her tie her hair into twin tails and shake them around. And asking if she’s cute…”

“Onee-san… Uh, *gulp*. Hmm.”

Just as Han Arin was passionately ranting…

Seorin beside her moved her lips as if trying to say something but decided against it.

Noticing this, Han Arin paused mid-rant, seemingly realizing how she looked, and gave an awkward smile.

“A-Anyway, you can ignore all that. Just focus on this: Confidence is key during interviews. Sit up straight, keep your shoulders back, and look forward—most of the time, that’ll do the trick.”

Thinking back, I realized I had been slouching and feeling shy during the practice. Resolving to sit up straighter and project confidence next time, I nodded.

Next, Seorin gently patted my head and gave her own simple feedback.

“Haeun is already cute, so everything’s fine! Even mistakes are okay! Actually, they’re even better!”

“… Seorin.”

“But Onee-san said it too!”

While the two bickered, Chae-a and Yuna nearby exchanged glances before mimicking their feedback as best they could.

“Haeuni has a cute tail too! You can grab it like this and bring the tail along! That would work well for the interview!”

“And if scary questions come up, just roar ‘KRAAAHHH’ and that’ll do!”

Scary questions probably mean uncomfortable ones, right?

I nodded and agreed to try that, which seemed to satisfy them.

“Haeuni is perfect now…!”

“As her big sis, I feel so proud.”

With that, they declared it was okay to leave, giggling as they stood up and addressed me.

“Shall we go play now? Chae-a wants to dance and play with balls!”

“Me too!”

Realizing we were on the same page, the three of us giggled and headed toward where the balls were.

—

The announcement of the new mana circulation method happened surprisingly fast.

There were likely various reasons, but two major factors stood out: Han Arin’s status as the 7th-ranked hunter and her influence, plus…

“The fact that our world’s cutest girl, Ha-un, came up with the basic idea played a huge role.”

Speaking so rapidly he skipped spaces between words, Perseus sounded almost dragon-like in his authority.

“Just like how dragons without limits blindly supported this research, ensuring its swift passage.”

“Of course, the content of the research itself is solid. The method you proposed, Han Arin, addresses hunters’ chronic issue of slow mana recovery in the simplest way possible.”

“Yeah, sure. I know that.”

“It’s not about how amazing you are—it’s about how amazing Ha-un is.”

“I agree with that… but hearing it from you makes me irritated.”

As always, Han Arin and Perseus started bickering the moment they met. Realizing the futility of their argument, they both sighed and quickly got to the point.

“Anyway, I’m a bit worried. With all the attention and scrutiny, there’s a chance someone might target Ha-un.”

“Malice fueled by boredom, jealousy, or greed.”

Though such malicious individuals may start off few in number, their actions tend to inspire more malice, leading to a dangerous cycle. Concerned about young Ha-un being hurt by such negativity…

Perseus chuckled lightly and dismissed the worry outright.

“You’re thinking too short-term.”

“What?”

“Did you really think we wouldn’t prepare for this?”

With the arrogance of someone who’s spent countless years enduring baseless hatred, Perseus continued.

“We plan to invest massive amounts of capital and time to counteract this. Public opinion can be buried or changed if you push hard enough.”

“Hmm?”

“And by the way, do you even know how many law firms we have under our control?”

Upon hearing “law firms” instead of a mere legal team, Han Arin sensed a hint of madness in Perseus.

Living too long must’ve driven him insane, she thought, shuddering slightly. Watching her reaction, Perseus added one final comment.

“Besides, most dragons have an excess of time these days. They call us the Time Bill Gates now.”

“…?”

Deciding Perseus was getting weird again, Han Arin stood up and distanced herself from further involvement.

Initially, he seemed like a noble dragon hunter, but the more she interacted with him, the more he felt like a rich, powerful, talented cousin who was just… kinda dumb.

“Still, he IS reliable…”

Despite finding him foolish, she couldn’t deny his dependability. As she sighed, Perseus glanced at her and briefly added:

“Half of that was a joke.”

Meaning the other half was serious. Reflecting on how much more preparation he might’ve made beyond what he revealed, Han Arin let out a hollow laugh. Watching her, Perseus smiled smugly as if saying, “Trust me.”

—

A few days later, I found myself staring helplessly at the pristine white dresses laid out before me.

This was because I’d just learned the shocking truth—I had to WEAR these dresses for the official announcement event.

Even though I generally dislike such things, I stared blankly at them and internally protested.

“No matter what, isn’t wearing a dress just a bit too much…?”

Even after conceding a hundred times, I knew this was utterly unacceptable. Shaking my head repeatedly to emphasize my refusal…

Surprisingly, Han Arin, Seorin, Chae-a, and Yuna ALL insisted I wear one.

“This will make you look SO pretty! Everyone will faint from how adorable and lovely you are!”

“That’s right. Big sis really wants to see you in this. Could you please try it on?”

“Woof! Let’s wear it with Chae-a! If we wear it, Haeuni will become a princess!”

“That’s right. It’ll suit Haeuni perfectly!”

Being pressured by four people left me dizzy. While I was okay with animal pajamas, there was no way I’d accept a dress. Still, I kept shaking my head…

Until Chae-a and Yuna kept thrusting the pure white children’s dress in my face, leaving me no choice but to surrender.

“…Embarrassing.”

How embarrassed was I? So much so that even my tail was wriggling behind my back, trying to hide itself. The level of shame and embarrassment was palpable.

Rolling up into a ball like a pill bug, I trembled while hugging my tail. Watching this, Han Arin picked me up and chuckled teasingly.

“If you keep that up, the dress will get wrinkled, so you need to stand up straight.”

She had a point, and knowing the dress was expensive…

I reluctantly nodded, deciding to stop curling up and settled for just hugging my tail.

“But you’re so cute. I mean, sending you off to marriage would be… no, absolutely not. You’re staying with big sis forever. No marriage allowed.”

“…”

“Anyway, today we’re going to find the dress that suits you best. Just try them on once each, okay?”

Once each? Something about that phrase felt off, but was it just my imagination?

Deciding I must’ve misheard, I attempted to put on my animal pajamas again…

“Earthworm Onee-san said this one looks the best!”

“Also, Mungmung and NyaNya approve!”

Thanks to Chae-a and Yuna grabbing their favorite outfits one after another, I ended up being tossed around like a leaf in the wind, forced to try on dress after dress.

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