Chapter 128

Fried, seasoned, soy sauce.

The chicken includes four pieces, boneless.

Excluding Juwon, who is eating the finely chopped boneless chicken, each of us can have one leg, leaving two pieces remaining.

While sitting and tearing into the chicken, Uncle Dae Han throws a question at Shiyeon and me.

“How are both of you doing in school? It must be a bit different from elementary school by now.”

While Jiun would ask about school life, Uncle Dae Han is inquiring about studies.

It seems adults tend to ask the same questions of students.

So far, we are managing to stay in the mid-upper range academically.

I scratched my head lightly with the back of my chopsticks and gave a moderate answer.

“Not bad…”

“It’s hard.”

“Right, you’ve got to stay sharp starting from middle school.”

“Come on, really, talking about school while kids are eating.”

With a sharp slap, Jiun’s palm struck Uncle Dae Han’s back.

With an “Ouch!” Uncle Dae Han’s previously hunched back straightened up.

‘That’s a serious training, huh.’

With a back-smashing followed by dinner continuing.

Anyway, it’s a bit much for two middle school girls and one baby to each have a chicken.

After somehow finishing about half a chicken, I leaned back on the sofa, exhaling heavily.

As I was barely catching my breath, Juwon, who had somehow finished his share of chicken, waddled over.

“noona…!”

“Yeah, yeah, not calling me ‘sister’ anymore, huh?”

I tucked my hands under Juwon’s armpits, lifted him, and sat him on my lap, bouncing him a little.

It feels like just yesterday he was a little thing with weed-like hair, now just placing him on my thighs makes me feel his heavy weight.

Seeing this makes me realize how quickly kids grow up.

“Speaking of which, isn’t Juwon’s birthday around now…?”

“Wasn’t it just yesterday?”

Upon hearing “yesterday,” I felt a pang of guilt.

Without knowing the sisters had missed celebrating his birthday, Juwon was happily bouncing on my lap.

“Oh no, I let it slip…ugh.”

No matter how young he is, once he starts bouncing around with all his weight on my thighs, it hurts.

I grabbed Juwon under his armpits again, lifted him high into the air, and set him down onto the rubber puzzle floor while saying to Jiun.

“We’ll cover the meal today.”

My fingers rummaged through my wallet to find two 50,000 won bills.

But for some reason, Jiun’s hand stopped me.

“No, no! I can’t take anything from you. Later, when Juwon goes to kindergarten, we’ll take care of that.”

Kindergarten, kindergarten…

Is Juwon going to kindergarten when we’re in our second year of high school?

Isn’t the price of kids’ toys ridiculously expensive even now?

Honestly, paying for the meal seems like a better deal.

I couldn’t voice such a shallow thought and just tilted my head while resting my hands on my belly, leaning against the sofa.

As soon as I set Juwon down on the floor, he immediately rushed over to Shiyeon.

“Yak! Yak yak yak!”

“Ppyah!”

Despite how annoying it is to entertain Juwon, Shiyeon was still playing with him, holding her mouth to her clothes and blowing on them.

Even in their sleepy state, the kids were boundless in energy, and I was completely drained from trying to keep up with their demands for playtime.

While we were playing with Juwon, Jiun was packing the leftover chicken into boxes.

As I contemplated going home, I was able to take the nearly intact box that originally held a whole chicken, now filled with fried, seasoned, and soy sauce chicken.

“Yawn… For breakfast tomorrow, I’ll just heat up these leftovers.”

“Yeah, since Gom and Baemi will eat too…”

I had totally forgotten about the mascots while playing with the small one.

Oh right, I thought there was a lot, but by morning it’ll be gone.

What did you say?

“Baemi?”

“Masco, that’s what I call it.”

Repeating such a unique nickname prompts Shiyeon to explain its meaning.

It’s not the Baemin thing, right?

I guess since I’ve been saying “sea snake” so often, Shiyeon is using the end part as a name.

Is this similar to how we call the bear mascot Gomtaengi?

Honestly, that’s close to derogatory.

Maybe it’s just that I’ve gotten so accustomed to calling it this way by now.

Returning to Unit 202, Room 402, our comforting home.

I entered the password and returned to a neat sanctuary with no pending household chores.

With no smartphone, the two mascots were huddled together watching TV.

Though their figures were obscured by the sofa backrest, they were the only two possible beings watching the TV in a dark house.

I shook the bag containing the chicken box, making a crinkling noise.

“Hey kids, eat some chicken-”

“Whoa, Chicken!”

As soon as I entered the house and shouted out, the food-loving Gomtaengi was the first to appear from inside the sofa.

I casually dropped the chicken box in the bag on the table, and Gomtaengi and the sea snake, having straightened up in the bag, took the chicken box out on their own.

At times like this, it’s like we’re in perfect sync.

Leaning into the bag where the boxes were taken out, Gomtaengi casually asked.

“Isn’t there chicken radish?”

“You don’t eat greens, remember? There aren’t any left.”

“Too bad.”

As I contemplated giving him a light whack on the back of his head, my fist lowered.

I haven’t been venting grievances but it seems like my fist often rises nowadays.

Yeah, I guess it could be disappointing.

“Didn’t you bring cola separately?”

“Aw!”

“Gah!”

As Gomtaengi’s lament continued, I fell back briefly before charging my fist again.

He hit the table, bounced up, and fell out from the dining table.

He certainly had a big belly.

Letting Gomtaengi bounce away like that was one thing, but I had told them to clean up what they eat.

“Eat moderately and make sure to throw away the bones in the regular trash.”

“Sure, I’ll do that!”

After entering the room, closing the door, I took off my gray long-sleeve shirt and sweats that I had loosely thrown on and searched for my weights in my underwear.

I tend to look for all kinds of exercises at home that don’t make noise.

Of course, once I transform into a magical girl, I become invincible, but I can’t neglect my physical condition before transforming.

Unless I could live while transforming like those guys from over there, but for now, Korea doesn’t work that way.

To put more power into my punches this time, I need to keep exercising.

“Haah.”

With a short sigh, I took a break from exercising.

After repeatedly lifting and dropping a 10 kg dumbbell several times, the area above my elbows began to shake.

In terms of basic strength, I once again felt the stark difference between boys and girls.

Despite this topic being about losing weight, it’s frustrating that my body needs to do more exercise.

Even without moving a single step, beads of sweat began to form.

My hair was already cut short enough, but even that felt uncomfortable against my bare skin while exercising.

“Mary, what are you doing with the door closed?”

Shiyeon peeked her head through the slightly opening door.

Seeing me covered in sweat, she blinked her eyes.

“I’m exercising, why?”

“Ah, it’s nothing!”

Shiyeon, gazing at me as I stood virtually naked except for my underwear, quickly fled to her room.

Why is she making such a fuss like that between girls, not a guy?

After letting out a hot breath, I grabbed a bundle of underwear and headed for the bathroom.

When I washed my sticky body with water hotter than my sweat, an indescribable freshness enveloped me.

“Ahhhh….”

While Mary was enveloped in the refreshing sensation after exercising, the high-ranking officials of the monsters gathered in one spot after a long time.

Currently excluding the Maker from the monster development room, who has been transferred to another spaceship, the other four high-ranking officials were gathered together.

Medic Tentacle, the recovery room officer.

Asura, the spaceship repair officer.

Shield Lion, the training facility officer.

Gate Keeper, the transmission room officer.

The fact that they rarely gather in one place is solely due to one reason.

A meeting based on directives from higher-up than themselves.

The one to start the discussion was Asura, who has eight arms and is the spaceship repair officer.

“Alright, a formal notice has come down from above…”

“Haah…”

Without even hearing what it was about, Shield Lion sighed first.

It was clear that a good outcome was not likely to accompany such rare gatherings.

It was merely a matter of the magnitude of the absurdity; what ridiculous situation would it be this time?

The high-ranking officials began to worry.

The first to speculate about the upper management’s notice was Gate Keeper.

“Aren’t they sending some weird monster claiming to be the captain again?”

“Ah… No, it’s not that.”

Asura lightly dismissed Gate Keeper’s prediction.

Then, he scratched the back of his head with his uppermost two arms, continuing to talk without knowing what he was saying.

“In summary, it says… Instead of mindlessly hitting and fighting, try to launch invasions through activities other than combat.”

“Huh?”

The first to blurt out a shocked sound was Medic Tentacle.

There was disbelief in his voice as he seemed to think, ‘Now, after all this time?’

Who do you think has been making them fight and brawl up until now?

“They say our combatants need training to adapt and that we should establish bases for monsters somewhere on Earth, anywhere would do.”

At Asura’s continuation, the other monsters also placed their hands on their heads.

The survival time of monsters that arrived on Earth averages less than an hour—what are they talking about?

Establishing a base on Earth?

Far beyond disbelief, this operation provoked even a sneer.

“Ha ha ha… what the hell.”

“Is this another absurd theoretical operation that comes from sitting at a desk….”