Chapter 372

The trip from Fukuoka to Tokyo took about 3 hours by Shinkansen.

The journey itself was quite smooth.

Before boarding the train, I had a quick lunch at a ramen shop near the station and then slept for the next 3 hours on the train.

After checking into the hotel, Adella and I decided to share the same room.

While I was unpacking in the cool breeze of the air conditioner, Adella, now dressed in a yukata, began pestering me.

“Unpack later and change quickly, Unnie.”

“Where did you get that? Did you buy it?”

“No, it was in the closet here. Go ahead, open it.”

A yukata that fit my body perfectly was hanging on the hanger.

If you think about it for even a moment, it feels rather odd.

Aren’t the clothes provided in hotels generally based on adult body types?

“I told them in advance when I made the reservation, to prepare it specifically for a 6-year-old’s body type. Hehe!”

“Hey! Even if I’m small, I’m not that tiny!”

“Isn’t 6 years old the age when you haven’t even started elementary school yet?”

“How tall do kids nowadays get? If you don’t believe me, you can search it. Anyway, there’s an onsen bath on the 13th floor of this hotel, so hurry and change. I heard it’s crowded after dinner.”

Adella sneaked up behind me and ripped my T-shirt off.

“Wait, I have to tell Dad first—”

“Hey, I already told him everything on the way here. I made this hotel reservation myself! Just come over without worrying. Wow, it fits perfectly! Clap clap clap, it looks great on you!”

I was pulled out so hastily that my obi nearly came undone midway.

The hem of the yukata fit just around my ankles.

It didn’t drag on the floor nor did my calves show.

At that moment, I received my first shock.

“Is this really how short I am?”

Leaning against the corner of the elevator, I searched for the average height of a 6-year-old.

“116 cm, it’s pretty close to my height…”

That was my second shock.

Adella’s eyes turned into crescent moons as she glanced at my search.

“You—”

“Hehe. Someone else is getting on, shhh! Look ahead.”

The elevator stopped on every floor.

Other guests were wandering around the hotel in yukatas just like us.

The newlywed couple right in front of me had really long arms and legs.

I had never heard being small in my previous life, but it left a bitter feeling.

Before going into the onsen, I quickly rinsed in the shower and came out wearing the yukata again.

There were almost no people using the bathing facilities right now, and it seemed like everyone I had seen earlier was heading to the restaurant.

“Should we go to the outdoor rocky bath?”

Adella grabbed my wrist and walked quickly.

We dipped our feet and legs into the steaming onsen water.

I casually read a sign with information that the onsen water contains a lot of ingredients good for health.

Even in the ’50s, pseudoscience continues to live strong.

“Ah, so refreshing! I’ve been enjoying this all alone. Did you enjoy traveling solo, Unnie?”

Adella said while splashing water with her feet.

“What are you talking about? I just caught a few matches in the international exchange tournament, did some sparring, and spent the rest of my time at home.”

“Oh my, there was real madness there. Coming overseas and all you did was sparring…?”

“It was fun. It’s an event where talented kids from all over the world gather. I couldn’t imagine it back in the day.”

“Haha, what do you mean back in the day? You’re just a 9-year-old brat.”

“Yeah, and you’re just one year older.”

Adella was being childish, but I couldn’t let myself become childish too.

To gather my thoughts, I slapped my cheek.

“Has anything happened back home?”

“We talked on video call every day.”

“It’s different when you hear it directly.”

“Not much happened. Just that Dad worried a lot about you.”

Adella said while smiling.

“I decided to give it a good push this time. I might get busier from now on, and I can’t keep bringing Dad along forever.”

“Oh, a rebellious phase, huh?”

“No way!”

“But isn’t that a bit too impulsive for that?”

“I won’t deny it. But if you don’t pay attention to time, it just slips away. I don’t want to miss opportunities when they come.”

It’s true that I felt a bit anxious.

Having been absorbed in the peaceful routine of life, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something right now.

It’s obvious, but the clock of terrorist organizations doesn’t stop just because I’m young.

I can’t help but ponder what my best course of action is right now.

“I need to quickly become a high-ranking mage and establish a clan. To increase the clan’s influence, I need fame. There aren’t many ways to gain fame in a short period. The image of the first year determines future growth speed. Funding is lacking for now. I’ll have to rely on connections. The employment market in Korea is heavily influenced by foundations and clans. It would be ideal for international talents to come through. The international exchange tournament is an opportunity that I must seize. As for support? Government project bids, business 5th industry tasks. What are the core projects of the clan? Human genome analysis, design of the Demon Lord’s horn structure, minimizing power loss in power plants.”

Then what if I encounter Valpurigis before I become an adult?

What if I come into conflict with them sooner?

The moment such thoughts crossed my mind, I fell into the endless cycle of image training.

Eighteen-year-old NaeMe, seventeen-year-old NaeMe, sixteen, fifteen… eleven, ten.

Next year, next month, next week, tomorrow.

And today’s moment, right now.

What would their fighting style be like, how many would they be, and how far could I deal with them at my current skill level?

Only after gaining the confidence that I can win in every moment can I finally feel relief.

If image training doesn’t work, then I wouldn’t know.

It’s impossible to internalize something without persistently imagining and contemplating thousands of battles.

Simply knowing something is different from acting on that knowledge.

An adult should elevate their abilities to the level of doing multiplication tables.

These thoughts could be regarded as unnecessary compulsions, but that isn’t entirely true.

There’s genuine interest backing it.

It would be horrifying if Valpurigis appeared in reality, and I wouldn’t want to imagine it, but odd as it may seem, I felt a strange thrill at the thought of winning a battle against them.

And I felt a yearning to realize the ideas I had in my imagination.

“One day, when everything is over, I will travel the world.”

“World travel?”

“Yeah. I’ll travel to fight the strongest people in the world. Whether it’s sparring rules, magic band rules, or aura band rules, I don’t care. Arm wrestling or chicken fighting is fine too. Ah, except for natural fights. I’m giving up on natural fighting in this life.”

Upon hearing that, Adella burst into laughter, holding her stomach.

She dipped her arms into the onsen water and splashed droplets onto my face.

“No matter how I think about it, Unnie, you’re the real avatar of War Oa, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Is that so? Seriously spit it out, human…! You’re one too, really!”

“I skipped lunch, so I’m hungry. I should’ve eaten with you when you had ramen. What are we having for dinner? Hotel buffet? Or should we go out?”

“Hey, don’t change the topic!”

Splash splash!

Adella was kicking up water in the onsen.

The fierce gazes of people came flying from all directions.

What had been an empty large bath was now bustling with people.

It was already too late to back out.

“Yikes!”

A short while later, a large security guard lady appeared and grabbed Adella by the nape, escorting her out.

It was the price of not adhering to public etiquette.

‘She still doesn’t know better. Huh…?’

Nodding—

A security officer gestured for me to follow from the entrance.

It seemed I also couldn’t escape being treated as an accomplice.

—

“Why is it that Saetbyeol got in trouble, but I have to be punished?”

“You teased me with your strange words, Unnie! If you think about it, it’s NaeMe Unnie’s fault.”

“Ah, I get both of you, so let’s just quietly eat.”

Professor Cheon’s forehead wrinkled with another crease.

Just taking care of one NaeMe was already challenging enough, and now I suddenly had two daughters.

They may look cute and kind to others, but for some reason, I felt a migraine coming on.

Hearing Professor Cheon’s sigh, NaeMe tilted her head.

“Are you not in the mood for food?”

“No, no. I think I ate too much for lunch. I feel a bit queasy—”

“Then can I eat this, Dad? I’ll take it.”

NaeMe transferred Professor Cheon’s BBQ ribs onto her own plate.

Seeing this, Adella reached out, but NiMe’s hand blocked hers, bouncing back.

“Ah! Just one for me.”

“Get it yourself.”

“Totally stingy. Is that why you’re not growing tall?”

“What does that have to do with height?”

The voices of the two girls rose.

It’s said that siblings with a significant age gap usually don’t fight.

But NaeMe’s mental age is surprisingly high, and Adella isn’t particularly mature, leading them to become similar in level.

‘They argue because they’re close. Just like Chorong and Onyu became close through their fights.’

If they weren’t close, they wouldn’t even talk.

In a way, I was relieved that there was a child who could chatter ceaselessly next to NaeMe.

And just when I thought they might cross the line, they abruptly stopped fighting, making it difficult for Professor Cheon to intervene.

In cases like this, the only way to divert the topic was to change it.

“NaeMe, I heard you fought against the national representatives. How was it?”

“Other than Katsuhata and Desanpai, they were all about the same level. The semi-finalists might be different, but I haven’t fought them because of the matches.”

Since we were speaking in Korean, I was thankful, but in Japan, there are indeed other participants as revered as Katsuhata.

Words like these might lead one to believe that the parents failed in their child’s education.

“Still, it seems like Katsuhata’s successor is really to your liking, NaeMe.”

“No? There’s so much to fix. Did you see the match? Not seen yet? You should see it. The article raving about the 249 combo of swordsmanship is just ridiculous… Is it something to brag about that you couldn’t take down a child in the time it takes to hit 249 times? Wow, the understanding of magic battles among Japanese people is at this level, and considering all the comments I’ve read, it’s quite astonishing in a way…?”

“NaeMe Unnie.”

“Nani (Why)?”

“NaeMe Unnie just spoke in Japanese.”

“Oh, really? Huh.”

NaeMe covered her mouth.

“It’s just that it’s easier to talk to So Wol Unnie’s parents in Japanese.”