Chapter 10

“Aaah, my… MY PHOENIX!”

Peter Pan’s eyes brimmed with tears. The kid lifted the shattered remains of the phoenix with trembling hands. His gaze, filled with despair, soon transformed into uncontrollable rage. Peter Pan abruptly stood up, his face contorted with anger as he glared at me.

“What is this?! Do you even realize what you’ve done?!”

“Huh? You’re seriously mad about this?”

“Of course! How dare you…!”

“Whoa~ acting so grown-up there, Peter Pan.”

“Huh?”

The word ‘adult’ seemed to douse his fiery anger like cold water. Still, it was clear that beneath it all, Peter Pan was just a prideful kid. I casually leaned back and spoke.

“You know what the difference between kids and adults is? Kids don’t take responsibility! That’s for adults only! So in our country, kids can do anything they want—steal cars, cause accidents, or even commit terrible acts without consequence. I just acted like any normal kid would, but getting mad over this and demanding accountability? That sounds like something an adult would do, huh?”

“Uh, well, is that… really?”

Peter Pan’s eyes darted around, clearly confused by my persuasive rhetoric. He truly was just a kid through and through.

“You get it, right? Yelling at me goes against your own Neverland rules! You’re acting like an adult! Isn’t Neverland supposed to be the dream land for kids? If you keep this up, it’s super disappointing. This doesn’t feel like a place made for children at all.”

“No, no! Neverland IS for kids! And… and I’m not actually mad! It was just a joke!”

His words claimed it was a joke, but his expression betrayed suppressed anger due to wounded pride—a classic tell of a child.

“Yeah~ thought so. Doesn’t make sense for the King of Neverland to lose his cool over something so small, y’know? And speaking of which, aren’t there plenty of bikes around here? Don’t you, as king, have way cooler bikes than that one?”

“Well, yeah! Of course! Definitely!”

Lies. Peter Pan avoided eye contact, whistling nervously while looking elsewhere—the textbook behavior of a fibbing kid.

“Oh, really? Can you show it to me now? I promise I’ll ride it carefully this time without breaking it.”

“Right… right now?”

“Yeah, now.”

“Ah, well, see… it’s kinda inconvenient right now. It’s being meticulously maintained, so I can’t just pull it out. But… tomorrow! I’ll definitely show you tomorrow! So let’s all go home and rest since the sun’s setting already! Right, kids?”

Peter Pan turned to the group of children who happily agreed.

“True! We can see it tomorrow. I’m tired and sleepy anyway!”

“Yeah, let’s head home! The sun’s almost down, so it’s time to go back!”

Though the sun hadn’t fully set yet, it was obvious there were no other bikes. Likely, only some old, broken-down ones existed.

“Alright then, Mama will take Siyoo home! I’m heading off to sleep since I’m exhausted!”

Peter Pan gathered the bike fragments, used Magic Powder to fly away, vanishing into the sky. The kids watched him leave before exhaling deeply in relief. They glanced at me warily before heading home.

“You’re insane! We told you NOT to provoke Peter Pan! Trying to soothe him wasn’t even enough; what were you thinking?!”

Cassandra yelled furiously at me.

“Crazy? More like everyone else here.”

“What?”

“That’s right. Look around—shoddy houses, buildings barely standing, no proper food because there are only kids here. Sure, you play ‘mom,’ but even then, the environment remains dire. This isn’t a paradise for kids; it’s a chaotic mess because of them.”

“…”

Cassandra bit her lower lip tightly, her clenched fists trembling. She closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath, then gazed upward, scanning the skies as if checking for Peter Pan nearby.

“Hmph, I don’t know whether to call you bold or just plain weird. Never seen anyone rile up Peter Pan quite like you. Anyway, we shouldn’t talk here. Let’s continue this conversation at your place.”

Cassandra’s retreating figure seemed angry at first glance, but deeper emotions simmered beneath—a lifetime of suppressed feelings.

How long has she been trapped here?

Guided by Cassandra, we arrived at a house that looked more like a battered cardboard box somehow still holding together. The musty smell inside was overwhelming, containing nothing but a tattered bed.

I sat on the bed beside Cassandra, feeling oddly awkward. She fidgeted with her hands before speaking cautiously.

“Pretty run-down, huh?”

“Beyond run-down—it’s horrifying.”

She chuckled faintly.

“Hehe, yeah. Felt the same when I first got here with my little sister.”

“You had a sister?”

“Yes. She was with me when Peter Pan kidnapped us. Eris, a cute troublemaker three years younger than me. Ten years ago, we were snatched unexpectedly and thrown into this nightmare. All we wanted was to escape ASAP. Other kids felt the same, and some even openly defied Peter Pan.”

Ten whole years stuck in such a wretched place. It’s astonishing anyone kept their sanity.

“What happened to those who defied him?”

“After being dragged somewhere by Peter Pan, they vanished. Only the scared kids remained.”

“Just this one tiny kid keeping everyone in line?”

“It’s the Magic Powder. Peter Pan uses it to control the kids with its mysterious power. No one dared oppose him.”

So it was the Magic Powder after all. Thinking about how this pint-sized brat manipulated everyone using it made my blood boil.

“You mentioned Wendy earlier. When I came, Wendy was already playing mom here. She was mature and strong, guiding confused kids well. My sister Eris adored her and stuck by her side every day. Then the incident happened.”

Cassandra struggled to continue, her face contorted in anguish.

“Wendy secretly tried to steal Magic Powder to escape, but Tinker Bell caught her. Everyone involved disappeared. Luckily, I wasn’t part of it.”

Her tear-filled eyes reddened. I asked gently.

“Did your sister disappear too?”

“…Yes. I searched everywhere for her and the missing kids, but couldn’t find them. That’s why I insist on keeping Peter Pan happy. He may seem pure, but behind his back, he’s cruel. Don’t end up disappearing forever because you pissed him off.”

“Nope.”

My firm response made Cassandra jump up angrily.

“What did you hear?! There’ve been countless kids like you! Peter Pan drags away anyone who displeases him! Do you even know what awaits you if you recklessly provoke him?!”

“Not reckless.”

“Huh?”

Cassandra laughed bitterly.

“Still think finding Wendy and escaping is possible? I spent ten years searching in this damn place for my sister! Even after all that, I found nothing. What makes you think you can succeed where I failed?!”

“Did you search EVERYWHERE during those ten years?”

She hesitated.

“N-not exactly, but I searched as much as I could without alerting Peter Pan and Tinker Bell! The kids were terrified too, so I had to hide my actions from them! Every night, I scoured every accessible spot!”

“So you didn’t check where Peter Pan and Tinker Bell sleep, right? Hard to search thoroughly while avoiding everyone’s attention. Especially at night. But now, they’re likely absent.”

“What?”

“I bet Peter Pan left his post.”

“But he said he was going to bed!”

“Not really. He’s just a proud kid. I deliberately poked at his pride—especially about the bike. Think about it: you guys can’t even cook properly, so there’s no way you built that bike yourselves. Clearly, Peter Pan stole it from outside. And judging by my guess, he doesn’t have another one besides that ridiculous Phoenix. Am I right?”

Cassandra’s pupils widened in shock.

“Yes… I’ve never seen another bike. So your demand for a new one was…?”

“Exactly. To lure him out and seize the chance to find Wendy now. Plus, Tinker Bell probably fought with Peter Pan and isn’t at their hideout either. This is the perfect opportunity. Not bad planning, right?”

Even though it was spur-of-the-moment, it might work thanks to Peter Pan’s oversized ego.

“No! That’s NOT a good plan! I knew this would happen!”

This wasn’t Cassandra speaking. Her mouth hadn’t even opened. The voice came from under the bed.

Tinker Bell emerged dramatically, sprinkling glittering dust as she crossed her arms defiantly.

“I heard everything! How dare you plot this treachery! I’ll tell Peter Pan immediately! You’re finished! You’ll suffer terribly… KYAAAK!”

A school uniform blazer enveloped Tinker Bell. Trapped and flailing, she repeatedly crashed into the wall. At that moment, I confirmed it—her dust wasn’t Magic Powder! Without hesitation, I slapped her with my hand like swatting a fly.

“KYYYY!”

With a single cry, Tinker Bell plummeted to the ground unconscious. I grabbed her with the blazer and gave Cassandra a thumbs-up.