I placed my bags down after thinking like those kinds of kids and organized my things.
Stretching my body, I relieved my poor shoulders that had been pressed down by the bag straps and opened the top of both bags, announcing what was inside.
“Now you can come out.”
“Oh, is that the arrived black sword?”
Peeking out from each of their bags, the two mascots pushed their stuff aside and poked their heads out.
Like tenants being guided to see a house for rent, they started exploring the hotel as if it were their own home.
Following those two, I navigated through the hotel room, spotting the pristine white bathtub in the clean bathroom.
Compared to the bathtub at home, which often gets stained due to difficulties in cleaning it regularly, the hotel’s bathtub even made a squeaky sound.
Even though I had no specific thoughts, it had a certain magic that made me want to soak in it.
Similarly, there was Shiyeon rolling around on a pure white king-sized bed.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Looking at the empty space on the bed that Shiyeon wasn’t covering, I let out a groan like an elderly person as I placed my hands on my waist and struggled to sit up.
Like a snake slithering, I gradually laid myself atop the soft bed.
Pushing down with my soles and stretching my legs out with thrusting power…
In the end, I ended up sticking my head almost at the center of the bed, feeling drained.
Then, Shiyeon, who was already sprawled out on the bed, looked over at me and said with a light smile,
“Hehe, you look like Grandma Mary.”
“Today, I’ll be Grandma…”
Thinking it would be nice to take a nap like this, I flipped my body over, only to see Shiyeon’s mascot fluttering in front of my face like a fly.
It seemed like it wanted to continue the conversation, abruptly throwing out a question.
“By the way, what do they do at that event…?”
“Haven’t you been with Shiyeon a few times?”
Whenever Shiyeon would say she was going somewhere with her friends when we were younger, I would always join them. Yet, the sea serpent gauge seemed unaware of that.
Feeling a contradiction from the question, I ended up asking in return, and Shiyeon answered for me.
“I used to hide it in my bag all the time during elementary school because I was afraid of being found out…”
“Oh, really?”
Shiyeon had been worried for no reason back in her elementary school days.
It seemed she was trying to be careful, but when it came to the mascots’ ‘pretending to be objects,’ they were quite talented.
If similar dolls were lined up, it wouldn’t be easy to distinguish my mascot unless they were actively beaten.
After Shiyeon made that excuse for her, she immediately looked up at the ceiling and explained step by step to the sea serpent what the event was.
“There’s Comic World, which features various games, comics, and animations… They also sell magical girl goods and have cosplay!”
‘Magical girl… there’s that too, huh?’
Thinking back, when something got popular, even if it was an overseas case, cosplay and related memes became active without hesitation.
The word ‘magical girl’ crept into my mind, which hadn’t thought of anything beyond games, comics, and animations in the midst of the event.
So, is it possible that we could see our own cosplay when we visit?
‘That’s a little… unwelcome…’
The thought of how I might appear in the eyes of others made me uneasy, considering how images of bank robbers circulated freely.
After lying around lazily, I sprang up and walked toward the bag I had set down.
I plugged in the charger I took from the bag into the outlet on the wall near the bed to create a comfortable environment to rest in the hotel.
After pulling out my clothes to change into, I realized it was already 5 PM.
It was a bit early for dinner, but with the meals starting to mix up since the start of the holidays.
It wouldn’t make any difference if I ate an hour or two early, so leaving the mascots in the room, I stepped out onto the street to find a restaurant.
“Chinese, beef specialty, pork cutlet, Korean, snacks, soup…”
I recited the list of nearby restaurants marked on the map app, looking for a reaction from Shiyeon.
There were places serving Indian or Western cuisine a bit further away, but…
I intentionally skipped over that part as it would require a bit of a walk.
Among the restaurants I mentioned, it seemed there was nothing she felt inclined to choose, as Shiyeon showed no enthusiasm for any of them.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Hmm, wherever Mary wants to eat!”
Well, I dunno, anywhere is fine.
Usually, I do have my preferences, but when I can’t think of anything specific, that’s my answer.
However, this time, Shiyeon completely passed the choice on to me.
She really didn’t have a particular desire it seemed.
In that case, it was time to straighten out the ambitions I’d bent for her until now.
My opinions that I had always given up at the crossroads of choice, claiming it was for Shiyeon’s sake.
After walking a short distance out of the accommodation, the appetizing smell made my steps stop.
“Let’s eat here.”
The chosen restaurant was a Chinese place that I hadn’t eaten at in a while.
“Another black bean noodles?”
Remembering that Shiyeon also recently had Chinese food, she even added the word ‘another’ when asking again.
If you ask why I chose that place out of so many restaurants…
“It’s close.”
That was literally the only reason I could give.
I couldn’t exactly have the food delivered to my room from the hotel.
As for taste… well, it was just okay, nothing special.
Still, it was somewhat better than the steadily average Chinese restaurants.
Though the two humans had chosen such a nearby restaurant for efficiency…
Shiyeon suggested going to a hamburger joint for the mascots’ sake, so the secret was that we ended up walking much further.
After returning to the accommodation, I made sure to boast about it unabashedly.
“So, those two beasts should bow their heads in gratitude.”
“Lady Shiyeon, I am eternally grateful.”
“Really? Thank you!”
The gomtaengi, who could at least match the surrounding atmosphere, went beyond bowing its head to prostrating in front of Shiyeon on the bed.
In contrast, the sea serpent’s response was somewhat lackluster.
Yet, I decided to take significance from the fact that it expressed thanks and brushed it aside appropriately.
After having a decent meal and a walk, I noticed the dark navy color beginning to stain the streets.
As the artificial streetlights and building lights started to fill the area instead of the sunlight from the sky.
There were rustling noises coming from the kitchen.
The two mascots were shoveling hamburgers and fries into their mouths, using their whole bodies.
I wondered if they could eat the bread and meat in one bite?
As those thoughts came to mind, 8 PM struck.
It may have seemed a bit early to close my eyes on the bed compared to usual, but…
There was the pressure of needing to line up since at least 6 PM.
Even if I wasn’t sleepy, I had to sleep.
Soaking leisurely in the bathtub before getting out and then planning to fall asleep on the soft bed.
I rose from the bed where I’d been fiddling with my smartphone and reached deep into the bag to pull out some clothes.
“Hey, are you going to wash up, Mary? Me too!”
Just then, for some reason, Shiyeon also got up and said.
“Ugh? What are you talking about? Go wash up first.”
Stopping my footsteps as I was about to head to the bathroom to yield first, Shiyeon started taking off her clothes one by one, heading to her own bag without letting me say anything.
“What’s wrong with that? We’re both girls!”
“Huh.”
Even if I let out a breath in exasperation, I still turned on the hot water after first stopping the bathtub’s drain for Shiyeon who appeared eager.
Feeling the temperature of the rushing water with my hands, I waited for the water level to rise.
Thinking about how long it had been since we had washed up together, I brought my fingers to my chin.
When did she start being able to wash by herself?
It didn’t seem to be when she was in the lower grades of elementary school.
From the time Shiyeon started showering alone, we hadn’t really washed up together.
So, it had to be a good few years.
In the past, the bathtub used to be large enough for two persons to sit facing each other, but now we had to sit in a large hotel bathtub close together.
I felt it was a bit nostalgic, but I could definitely feel that quite a bit of time had flowed by unexpectedly.
“Go ahead first.”
After splashing water at each other playfully while drying off, it was time to get into the bathtub.
I thought it would be better for my smaller frame to go in after her, and I proudly handed Shiyeon the honor of the first bathing.
“Ahhh.”
The temperature of the water seemed just right as Shiyeon carefully dipped her feet, then seamlessly pushed her body into the bathtub.
As she sunk in, the water began to rise significantly.
However, it didn’t overflow, and felt quite full.
Then it was my turn to get in.
Having already checked the temperature with my hand, I sat down in the tub in the same direction as Shiyeon without any delay.
“Phew.”
After being the second to slip into the water, I let out a refreshing sigh.
The water spilling over the tub made a clear sound as it gushed out.
The suitable temperature, along with the water filling the tub, provided a pleasant pressure on my body.
A gentle feeling of pressure against my chest felt somewhat claustrophobic, yet I quickly forgot about it in the warmth that surrounded me.
My long hair floated or sank in the water, giving the impression of seaweed.
Instead of the hard sensation of the tub for a backrest, there was Shiyeon’s soft body, which felt like clay.
Between her shoulders and shoulder blades was a subtle feeling, low yet comparably high mountain range compared to mine.
The physical difference that began from the two soft, doughy cushions.
Standing naturally at the sight of Shiyeon’s more advanced physique, thoughts began spiraling in.
‘We’ve been eating the same foods, living in the same house…’
Same environment, same food, similar nutrients.
Yet, there was a distinctly different growth disparity.
Is this the power of genes?
Leaning my head back, I gazed with an indifferent expression at Shiyeon’s face.
Whether viewed from a woman’s perspective or a man’s, she was adorable.
‘Well, if that’s what I got from them…’
“Why?”
I let out a deep breath while thinking about Shiyeon’s biological parents, whose names I didn’t even know.
After a while of silently staring, my deep exhale caught Shiyeon’s attention, and she tilted her head, questioning.
It seemed like speaking the truth could potentially hurt her.
“Nothing, just…”
I said it was nothing and tried to deflect, but…
“What was that? You were going to say something!”
It rather seemed my attempt to stay quiet sparked her curiosity further, as Shiyeon hugged me tightly from behind and began to press further for feedback.
A day spent in a hotel costing 240,000 won per night passed by so noisily.
