Jiyu and Yumi were super close friends. They had been childhood friends since kindergarten. At 10 years old, Jiyu and Yumi knew other kids too, but they didn’t really hang out with them.
Anyway, their class didn’t even have 20 kids. It was natural for groups of 2-3 to stick together. Who knows what would’ve happened if the class split up, but so far, they’d always been in the same class. Then one day, a green-haired girl named Hana transferred into Jiyu and Yumi’s class.
The boys in the class couldn’t help but gasp. She was way prettier than most child actors. She looked like she could become a celebrity any second. Everyone was totally overwhelmed by her looks. It was hard to even talk to her. She looked like an angel from another world.
Hana ended up sitting next to Jiyu and Yumi and quickly became friends with them.
She was a bit clueless at times, but most importantly, she smelled amazing. Not just a smell—it was more like a fragrance. Whenever they caught a whiff of the scent wafting from Hana, they felt calm and at ease. It was like being wrapped in a warm hug from their moms.
After Hana joined Class 1, the classroom turned into a cultural exchange hub. The fragrance that filled the room became the reason kids from other classes started visiting often.
“Whoa, what kind of air freshener is this? It smells amazing! It’s like stepping into a lush forest.”
“Right? I feel so relaxed whenever I come to Class 1.”
That was Hana’s magic. She was basically a human air freshener. Of course, the scent disappeared quickly if she wasn’t around. So, in the mornings before she arrived, the classroom didn’t smell like anything. But the moment Hana walked in, the room was instantly filled with her fragrance.
“Hana, can we go to your place today?”
“Of course!”
Hana, who had been playing with her dinosaur robot, nodded at Jiyu and Yumi’s request. Hana didn’t live alone. And just like her extraordinary looks, her living situation wasn’t ordinary either.
“Whoa! Hana’s place is the best, as always.”
“Totally.”
Jiyu seemed clueless, but Yumi was different. She was really curious about what Hana’s parents did for a living. Even after becoming friends, she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Asking about someone’s family background wasn’t something you did unless you were super close.
She wondered what kind of circumstances led to Hana living in such a high-tech building. Most people would think of apartments or houses when imagining where regular folks lived. Or maybe villas.
But Hana lived in a building. The property value alone must’ve been insane. Yumi had seen Hana’s older sisters around a lot, but she’d never seen her parents. Heck, she wasn’t even sure if Hana was human. With that mysterious fragrance, maybe she wasn’t. Or maybe she was a young hunter who’d gained some kind of power.
“Let’s go up, guys!”
In front of the unusually fancy building entrance, Jiyu, Yumi, and Hana stepped inside. They’d been here before, but it always made them pause. As they entered the building’s lobby, some unusually buff security guards greeted them. These guys looked like they could compete in bodybuilding competitions.
Their massive builds would’ve scared any timid kid. But Jiyu didn’t care. She waved her hand energetically.
“Hi, oppas!”
“Jiyu’s here!”
“Yumi’s here too!”
They knew our names. Probably because we were Hana’s friends. We could enter the building without any security checks. Other people had to show their IDs. The group headed to the elevator—the one Hana could use.
After pressing the button, the elevator doors opened. We went up to the 10th floor, where we met some office workers.
“Jiyu and Yumi are here? Go play in the room. I’ll bring you some snacks.”
Maru, one of Hana’s older sisters, was super kind. Actually, all the women working here were pretty and kind. It made sense why Hana was so spoiled. With so many doting sisters, no wonder she acted like a little troublemaker.
When Jiyu and Yumi entered the room, they saw dinosaur stickers plastered on the walls. Dinosaurs were one of Hana’s favorite animals.
“Hana, what’s this?”
Jiyu was staring at an illustration hanging on the wall. Hana puffed up with pride.
“It’s a special gift I got when we went to see a movie last time! It’s the mascot from *Little Magician Lumi*!”
“Oh, it’s the mascot? No wonder it looked familiar!”
Hana’s room was full of surprises.
The room looked like a mix between a girl’s and a boy’s room from the same era. The goods of the Little Magician Lumi and posters with illustrations made it seem like a girl’s room, but the PlayStation and other game consoles scattered around made it feel like a boy’s room too.
Hana, holding a Switch, said,
“There’s a fun new game out! I bought it so we can play together when Jiyu and Yumi come over!”
She was holding a famous Japanese game console. It was a game filled with cute characters. I heard somewhere that when a new game pack comes out, people line up to buy it…
And so, Hana, Jiyu, and Yumi were happily playing with the game console. Nothing beats gaming when it comes to having fun together. And this game wasn’t just for hardcore gamers. It was a lighthearted game that anyone, young or old, could enjoy. Honestly, even elementary school kids could easily play it.
“Hey guys~ Let’s eat some fruit!”
Hana’s older sister came into the room carrying fruit. It was watermelon and strawberries that Hana had grown. They were fruits you couldn’t resist. Jiyu raised her hand in excitement. It might have been her favorite food.
“Maru, you’re the best!”
“Thanks for the food!”
Jiyu and Yumi put the game console down and started eating the fruit. Hana joined in too. Come to think of it, I wondered what Hana’s parents were like. I’d never seen them before. Of course, it felt a bit awkward to ask directly, so Yumi’s curiosity always ended up in a maze. Judging by Hana’s looks, her parents must be incredibly good-looking and beautiful.
It was impossible to know that Hana wasn’t human but a monster from the Gate. It was still a secret, after all.
—
Starlight Food officially started selling milk. They decided to take their time with selling the milk itself. They planned to conquer the processed milk market first, where imported milk dominated.
They started with the cheese market, which most people loved. The domestic cheese market share was less than 2%. Everyone was eating imported cheese because it was cheaper. Almost every store that used cheese was probably using imported cheese.
But then Starlight Cheese appeared. A big change in the cheese market was inevitable.
The price was competitive with imported cheese, and most importantly, the taste and flavor were far superior.
—
“Boss? What kind of cheese is this? Did we decide to switch from the usual cheese?”
Park Min-soo, a part-timer at the pizza shop, asked. If it were a franchise store, they couldn’t just change suppliers like that. But since it was a local pizza shop, they could make changes.
The boss replied,
“Yeah. Starlight Food just released this new cheese, and it’s really good.”
“Oh, it’s from Starlight Food? Then I approve.”
Park Min-soo knew the reputation of Starlight Food well. He was a regular at Idaya, which used Starlight Coffee Beans. At least the taste of Starlight Food’s products was guaranteed. After all, Starlight Food wasn’t just some small business—it was the top food company in the country.
So Park Min-soo went on making pizzas as usual. It wasn’t like the cooking process changed just because they were using Starlight Cheese. But the boss had a different idea.
The boss set up a big sign in front of the store. It read, “Pizza made with Starlight Cheese.”
“Boss, where did you get this?”
“Ah, Starlight Food sent it over, asking us to use their cheese. They even paid for the ad.”
Starlight Cheese wasn’t satisfied with just TV ads.
