No matter how slow I am, I can tell that this situation is very unnatural.
Dusik is so obviously trying to drive a wedge between Eve and me.
“Dusik.”
“Yes, older sister!”
Seeing that bright, smiling face, it’s a bit awkward to tell him to step aside. Maybe I’m just overthinking it.
“Uh, Dusik.”
“Yes, older sister!”
“Can you go and bring Kabe?”
It’s almost time for kindergarten, and we need to pick up Kabe. If we’re too late, she might start wandering around looking for her mom.
“I-I’ll go get her.”
I guess I wasn’t the only one who felt the atmosphere was getting weird. Eve awkwardly smiled and left to bring Kabe, leaving just me and Dusik in the room.
“Dusik.”
“Yes, older sister!”
“Why are you…”
“Huh?”
“…Never mind, it’s nothing. You worked hard today.”
He did work hard. He went back and forth between the hotel and the association several times to manage the minions, and he stayed here on standby in case of any emergencies.
“Ah, it’s nothing. You worked the hardest, older sister. How was your first battle, even if it was just a mock battle?”
It felt like playing a game, so it was fun. But saying that probably wouldn’t resonate with Dusik.
“Well, as the boss, I felt a strong sense of responsibility.”
Wow, that’s so cheesy, older sister! I expected that kind of reaction, right? Hahaha, I thought I’d laugh.
But Dusik’s reaction was a bit different. He clasped his hands together, looked at me with sparkling eyes…
“You’re really something, older sister… Taking care of your subordinates… Like a mom…”
Wait, is that how it’s interpreted?
“You worked hard too, Dusik.”
When I patted Dusik’s head, he twisted his hands and even his neck, clearly enjoying it. I didn’t know he’d like it this much. I should’ve done it more often. I didn’t expect him to be this happy.
“Phew. What should we do for dinner tonight? Should we ask Eve to treat us?”
“Ah, no!”
As if the happy expression was a lie, Dusik panicked and waved his hands. He even spread both hands like a fan, which was quite a sight.
“I’ll make something delicious for dinner tonight!”
“But the kids should eat something delicious too, right? Since we worked hard today.”
“I’ll take care of that too…!”
“That’s a bit too much.”
How are you going to handle 27 servings by yourself, Dusik? That’s a bit too much.
“Well, it shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, here she comes. Kabe!”
“Mommyyyyy!”
Kabe came running, toddling along. This kid, what if she falls?
“Come slowly, slowly! Mommy’s not going anywhere!”
I crouched down and held out my hands, and Kabe quickly ran into my arms. She must’ve played a lot because a faint, tangy smell of sweat rose from her hair.
“Eve, did Kabe have fun?”
“Uh… well.”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No, not exactly.”
“Magical Girls have been around for a while now, so there are married ones among them. Ah, of course, not all Magical Girls are lesbians. That’s obvious.”
“Uh, you don’t need to explain that part.”
Where would you find a group where all members are homosexual? I think I heard something like that existed in the West a long time ago, but anyway, it’s probably not the case now.
“Anyway, so the children of those Magical Girls and the children of regular employees are all taken care of together at the kindergarten.”
Employee benefits are amazing.
“Of course, there are quite a few boys among them.”
“And?”
“Well, our Kabe is quite pretty.”
That’s true.
“So the boys seem to have taken quite an interest in Kabe.”
“And then?”
“One of the stronger boys, since Kabe was wearing a dress, thought it was a princess dress.”
“Yeah.”
It’s a common story, but when boys are young, they’re too shy to say they like a girl, so they express it by teasing her… something like that.
Probably most people know this story, so he lifted her skirt.
Usually, girls would cry at this point.
They’d cry and run to the teacher or look for their mom.
“But Kabe didn’t cry and just stared at the boy.”
“Oh my. And then?”
As I held Kabe and patted her bottom, she rubbed her face against my chest and giggled.
“And then, oh my.”
-How dare you!
She slapped the boy’s cheek.
“What?”
Isn’t that a line from a historical drama? “How dare you!” Oh my, “How dare you!”
“Kabe, did you really do that?”
“Yeah. He lifted my skirt. He’s a bad boy.”
“Eek, where did you learn that? You shouldn’t say that…”
“Mommy says it to Keru.”
Oh, she learned it from me.
“Ah, anyway, you shouldn’t say that. And you shouldn’t hit your friends…”
“But he’s not a friend. He lifted my skirt. He’s not a friend.”
“Well… that’s true…”
I’m telling her not to hit her friends, but honestly, it’s not very convincing. I’ve punched people at the police station and destroyed buildings, after all.
“Anyway, I apologized, offered to take him to the hospital, gave him money for medical expenses, and even left my business card in case anything happens. So it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright.”
“Boss.”
“Whoa, you scared me! Dusik, you surprised me. Why did you transform all of a sudden?”
“Should we gather the kids? I let them rest for now, but it’s getting late.”
Looking at the clock, it was already past 6 PM. Their bodies must’ve cooled down by now, and after moving around so much, they must be hungry.
“Eve—”
“Yeah, I made a reservation. Let’s go.”
I gave a thumbs up to Eve, who was awkwardly smiling.
“Mommy, you shouldn’t drink alcohol. Okay?”
“Yeah, I won’t.”
“Mommy, if you drink again, you’ll cry in the bathroom again.”
“Cry in the bathroom? Me? Why?”
“Daddy doesn’t know about that?”
The restaurant Eve reserved was still a Korean beef restaurant.
In front of the grill.
This time, the tables were divided, and the largest table was occupied by me, Eve, and Kabe.
“Mommy, last time you drank a lot, you cried in the bathroom. Aunt Dusik was hitting your back.”
“Ah…”
Eve nodded as if she understood.
You pathetic woman.
I had nothing to say to Eve, who was speaking with her eyes.
“Here, have a drink.”
“Is this a challenge?”
“I’m fine with alcohol.”
“Here.”
I poured a glass of soju. I wanted to have a drink too, but if I started now, one glass would turn into two, and two into three…
“Older sister, have a drink.”
A soju glass suddenly appeared in front of me. Dusik was smiling brightly, holding out the glass.
“Ah, Dusik. I quit drinking…”
“You worked hard today, so one drink won’t hurt. Just one. Kabe, tell Mommy to have just one drink. How about it?”
Under Dusik’s persuasion, Kabe tilted her head and thought for a while, then smiled.
“Okay! Kabe allows it!”
“See, Kabe says it’s okay. Eve, older sister, it’s fine, right?”
“Huh? Uh… well, it’s fine, right…?”
Eve isn’t strong-hearted enough to say no to that bright smile. Dusik probably knew that too.
Ugh, I’m cornered.
I guess I have no choice♡
Taking the glass, the cheerful sound of pouring soju makes me feel good!
“Don’t give her alcohol…”
After finishing the payment, Eve started scolding Dusik, who was carrying Yoon-Woo on his back in his transformed state.
“It’s fine. When else would the boss get to drink like this? Besides, as the association head knows, the burden of battle on the Mogmog Group’s Mother-Body is too great. She needs to recover her mental strength like this.”
“Well, that’s not wrong.”
Eve approached Dusik and looked up at him. In his transformed state, Dusik was nearly 30cm taller than Eve.
A light silence fell between them. The minions were also gathering in small groups to return to the hotel, and before they knew it, only Eve, Kabe, Dusik, and the Mother-Body, who was sound asleep on Dusik’s back, remained in front of the dining hall.
In the dark night, neon lights flickered aimlessly.
The bold shouts of drunkards and the sweet voices of touts trying to lure them blended together in the night, and the moonlight cast a cold, silvery light between Eve and Dusik.
After staring at Dusik for a while, Eve finally moved her lips.
“Well, I think it’s fine. It’s possible. At least she didn’t make a fool of herself in front of Kabe like last time.”
“Yes.”
“Then, let’s go in. Kabe, you have to hold your uncle’s hand tightly. Okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. Bye! See you tomorrow!”
“Association head, are you heading home now?”
“That’s the plan. I have to run around with you guys tomorrow, so it’s going to be busy.”
“Tomorrow too?”
Did the Mother-Body not mention it? Well, there wasn’t really time for that. Then, it’s not my place to say anything, so Eve just waved her hand and left without a word.
Her figure melted into the darkness.
“Uncle.”
“Yeah.”
“Mommy, is she okay?”
“Of course. Mommy’s fine.”
“She’s not hurt?”
“Oh, no, she’s not hurt…”
Did she wake up? But the steady breathing sound suggested otherwise. Dusik, with one hand holding Kabe’s hand and the other adjusting Yoon-Woo on his back, started walking.
“Kabe.”
“Yeah, Uncle.”
“Mommy is a good person.”
“I know.”
“She’s too good for our organization.”
“Too good? I don’t know what that means. But Uncle.”
“Yeah.”
“Our Mommy is the best in the world. The most beautiful, the most awesome, the best in the world.”
Dusik looked down at Kabe as he walked. Kabe also looked up at Dusik. The unmistakable uncle and niece pair smiled at each other.
“Yeah, Kabe’s right. Mommy is the kindest, prettiest, and the best in the world.”
“Uncle too?”
“Yeah, Uncle too.”
“Hehe.”
A rather long Saturday. That’s how this Saturday passed.