Chapter 14

“Can’t eat because you don’t have money…? What kind of talk is that?”

Han Arin expressed her confusion to us, her pupils visibly trembling dramatically.

I was pondering how to clear up the misunderstanding while staring at Han Arin when suddenly…

Chae-a chimed in with a bright smile, continuing the conversation.

“If you don’t have money… even if your stomach hurts, you can’t eat and also can’t buy clothes!”

It seems she overheard just a snippet of my conversation with Seorin, leading to some tangled conclusions.

I shook my head, making gestures to negate her statement as I tried to clarify, but…

“… Is that so?”

Han Arin’s expression hardened seriously, leaving me momentarily startled. It felt like something serious might happen if left unchecked.

‘Then, before something happens…’

Deciding to quickly mend the situation, I flailed my hands towards Han Arin whose demeanor was gradually darkening.

“T-That’s not it…”

Even though I shouted as loudly as possible, it seemed my voice wasn’t reaching her as her expression remained rigid.

At that moment, a passage I had read long ago popped into my mind.

[The reason Han Arin was called a monster was twofold:

An overwhelming amount of mana and an otherworldly focus that no one could penetrate.

These were her unique abilities far beyond what others could even hope to match.]

In short, once she was absorbed in something, she wouldn’t notice even if someone carried her away.

While I was pondering what to do, Chae-a beside me grinned and said:

“This looks delicious! Don’t you think so, Contractor?”

“Hmm!”

“If you think so too, Chae-a will earn lots of money and treat you! Chae-a can work hard giving water!”

Though extremely grateful, I felt this wouldn’t help snap Han Arin out of it.

Silently stroking Chae-a’s head, I crawled under the chair.

‘… My legs are too short.’

Despite my short stature causing quite a struggle, I eventually succeeded, nodding to myself.

I grabbed Han Arin’s legs tightly.

“Master! Please come back to reality!”

Calling out to her fervently brought no response.

Considering whether to bite her calf, I hesitated due to gratitude, debating intensely when suddenly…

Seorin’s request for me to call her “older sister” came to mind.

With that thought,

Would Han Arin like being called older sister too?

But…

‘… No matter how I think about it, it’s embarrassing!’

My face turned bright red, unable to control my restlessness, preventing me from speaking.

After pausing briefly amidst the burning sensation on my cheeks and ears,

Deciding it would be better to resolve things before bigger issues arose, I managed to squeak out a small voice calling her.

“… Big sis.”

At those words, Han Arin flinched.

Not understanding why it worked but feeling relieved it did, I called out again.

“Sis… please come back to reality…”

Embarrassed to lift my face,

As I lay there contemplating hiding in a mouse hole,

“Zia?”

Han Arin’s voice reached me.

Her pained tone drew my gaze upward involuntarily,

And I saw her teary expression.

Making eye contact,

Han Arin finally snapped out of it, looking wistful yet calm before quickly changing expressions and pulling me into an embrace.

“I’m sorry, dear. Sis was just thinking about something.”

“Uh-huh…”

“So, have you decided what you want to eat? Of course, you don’t need to worry about money. There’s a rule in this world where adults should treat kids to good food for free.”

Afraid saying it’s fine would lead to more misunderstandings,

I pointed at the strawberry smoothie, which seemed safest.

Watching this exchange, Chae-a nearby,

Blinked her eyes and started laughing happily after choosing the same thing.

“The same!”

Apparently, for Chae-a, enjoying something together with me was more important than eating something delicious.

Finding her cute, I tried to stroke her head and return to my original spot,

But…

Kook!

Han Arin’s tight hug prevented me from succeeding.

“Wha, Whunternim.”

Flustered, my speech got all jumbled.

Thankfully, it wasn’t ‘nunim’ with an extra ‘i’, so I sighed in relief while fidgeting nervously when…

Han Arin smiled gently and spoke to me.

“You should call me ‘Sis’. Try following along, Arin Sis.”

“…”

Too embarrassed to say it.

As I bowed my face deeply to signal refusal,

Han Arin, seemingly unwilling to push too hard,

Smiled teasingly and spoke.

“Hmm, what to do? If you don’t call me Sis, I’ll have to keep hugging you like this.”

Hearing this, I glanced around at the people watching us and smiling warmly,

Feeling even more embarrassed by their amused gazes,

I slumped in resignation, covering my face with my palms and reluctantly uttering that mortifying title again.

“… Sis.”

“Hmm? Who’s calling? Can’t hear you clearly.”

“A-Arin Nee.”

Embarrassment made my tongue twist.

Thinking this embarrassing memory would stick with me for a long time, I covered my eyes with my palms when…

Han Arin, clearly delighted by my address,

Rubbed her cheek against mine vigorously before placing me next to Chae-a again.

“Then let’s order dessert? Boss, we’ll have a strawberry smoothie and…”

Han Arin began ordering smoothly.

Finding comfort in tail-wagging while settling down,

Suddenly, Han Arin pointed to a menu with about ten items and charged ahead.

“Everything from here to here, please.”

“Yes, understood!”

Apparently, this had happened before,

Because the boss didn’t hesitate, smiling broadly as they took the order.

Startled, I stopped wagging my tail and blinked,

When Chae-a latched onto me and started nibbling on my tail.

Ang nyang nyang.

A ticklish sensation spread through my tail.

Letting Chae-a have my tail,

I rubbed my heated cheeks in circles, trying to calm down when…

“Here are three strawberry smoothies.”

The drinks arrived faster than expected.

Looking at the large, appetizing smoothies,

I wondered if I could finish them all,

When the boss kindly placed children’s cups and straws aside and smiled warmly.

“Enjoy your meal.”

The most cheerful-looking boss hummed a tune and went back into the kitchen.

Gratefully bowing at his retreating figure,

Chae-a suddenly stood up and exclaimed,

“Wooowaaaah!”

With an incredibly excited voice, she plunged her face directly into the cup, sticking out her tongue repeatedly.

Startled by her actions, I tried calming her down and pulled her back,

When Chae-a tilted her head, looking at me,

Then smiled brightly, pointing at the cup and spreading her arms wide.

“This… tastes this good! You should eat too, contractor! Got it!?”

She seemed even livelier after eating something delicious.

Wiping her face with a tissue,

I calmly explained,

“You shouldn’t eat like that.”

“Woof?”

Confused, she looked at me,

Gesturing with her hands to express her curiosity.

“Like this with doggy friends…! Ah! Also with hamster friends!”

“Umm… That’s…”

Her overly innocent questioning made it hard to explain social norms, etiquette, or human virtues, leaving me flustered.

While I was pondering what to do,

Chae-a, seemingly realizing something,

Shone her eyes brightly and spoke to me.

“… I get it! Eating this way makes it taste better, right? You’re really smart, contractor!”

“Yup? Woof.”

With that, Chae-a carefully observed others,

Inserted the straw into the drink, and sipped it slowly.

Seeing her look like a hamster, I found her adorable,

When she took a sip and gleefully told me,

“Wooowaaah. It tastes this good when drinking this way!”

Relieved she liked it, I giggled,

When the boss conveniently brought out the snacks ordered by Hunter Han Arin.

The amount looked impossible to finish at once,

But Han Arin smiled contentedly and told us,

“Eat as much as you want, kiddos. Let me know if it’s not enough.”

Hearing that, despite feeling embarrassed, I thought I should fulfill my duty as an adult and bowed deeply.

“Thank you very much.”

Seeing my bow, Chae-a followed suit,

Smacking her head on the desk and saying, “Thank you.”

“Well, eat plenty.”

It seemed Han Arin’s mood improved significantly.

Looking at the cake in front of me, I cautiously picked up the fork,

But struggled due to short fingers and weak finger strength.

“My, it’s heavier than expected.”

Having no choice, I switched to a child-sized fork,

Gripping it tightly and attempting to cut the cake when…

Chae-a grabbed the cake with her hand and held it out to me, smiling brightly.

“Eat lots!”

Taking the cake into my mouth, I resolved to teach her various things.

“I have plenty of time.”

There’s no need to rush.

Knowing that pushing too hard would only backfire,

I decided to proceed step-by-step and smiled at her.

*

Still having small stomachs,

We couldn’t touch 90% of the snacks, so

We decided to take the leftovers to the training ground.

Carefully moving the dessert box in my arms so it wouldn’t fall,

Beside me, Han Arin worriedly asked,

“Do you really not need any help from sis?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay…”

To others, my posture probably looked unstable.

To show I was fine, I straightened my back even more and approached the entrance of the training ground,

Where the security uncle opened the door wide without stopping us.

“It’s the secret room!”

Chae-a, happy to enter a place she couldn’t before, jumped around telling me.

As I smiled at her,

Walking forward to watch Seorin train,

“Ha-eun!”

“Kyaaaaaah, what is this real life?”

“Wow, she looks so cute. I want to have a daughter.”

The moment we entered the training ground, unintentionally drawing the attention of everyone inside.

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