What’s the difference between a child and an adult? I think there are many differences, but the most obvious one is probably their size.
To see Haru’s face, I had to tilt my head up. On the other hand, Haru just had to lower her head to look at me. That difference made me feel uneasy.
How… how can I grow taller? I decided to ask Haru.
“Haru, Haru.”
“Huh? What’s up?”
Haru was watching a variety show with her chin resting on her hand. After dinner, we usually spent about an hour killing time by watching TV together in the room.
“How can I grow as tall as you, Haru?”
I looked up at Haru with sparkling eyes. The height-measuring illustration of Lumi on my wall had fallen off a long time ago after a flood. But even the last time I measured, I hadn’t grown much.
Surely, at 10 years old, my growth plates couldn’t have closed already, right? Maybe I’m just a late bloomer? But since no one has ever told me, “You’ll grow taller!” I always had this lingering anxiety.
“Hmm…”
Haru seemed a bit puzzled by my question, as if she hadn’t expected it.
“Well, I guess you need to sleep well and eat well?”
“I do both, but I’m not growing taller.”
I had been diligently following those two rules. Although it was a secret that I stayed up late watching anime these days. But I never stayed up until dawn.
“Ah! Milk! If you drink a lot of milk, you’ll grow taller!”
“Really…?”
I got up and headed to the fridge. Inside, it was filled with various beverages. I grabbed the milk and started chugging it down.
The cold milk felt strange as it went down my stomach. But I couldn’t drink much because I had just finished dinner.
If I had known, I would’ve eaten less for dinner…
With my stomach full, I plopped down on the floor. When I’m full, I get too lazy to move. Seeing me like that, Haru laughed and picked me up.
I felt my perspective rise as I was held in Haru’s arms.
“I want to be like Haru!”
I raised my hand and declared. I wanted to be as cool as Haru. But hearing my words, Haru tilted her head and asked.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I want to be a cool person like Haru! Going to meetings, traveling for work…”
I was trying to say that I wanted to grow up. Understanding what I meant, Haru patted my head and said.
“Hana, you’re still too young to be an adult.”
“No! I’m not a kid!”
“Right. Hana is an adult, right?”
There was no proof that I was an adult, but since I had memories of living as a man, it wasn’t a lie. If only I could share my thoughts with others, I could prove to the world that I’m not a child…
But since I couldn’t show my thoughts to others, I could only say that I was an adult.
“Well, if Hana grows as tall as me, I’ll let you work with me.”
I looked up at Haru. Haru was quite tall. Or maybe I was just short.
I couldn’t tell how long it would take for me to grow as tall as Haru. I felt a bit down.
Following her advice to sleep early to grow taller, I skipped watching “Little Magician Lumi” and went to bed early.
———-
Haru’s morning was chaotic. I had only seen her fall asleep once before, and I hadn’t seen her sleeping since. Maybe she was just exhausted from overtime work back then.
Haru was typing something on her computer keyboard from the morning. She was focused on the monitor.
I entered the office and watched her work from the side. Sitting in the office chair, she looked like a true career woman.
As I quietly watched, Haru seemed to notice I was there and greeted me.
“Hana, you’re up?”
“Yep!”
Since I went to bed early last night, I woke up earlier than usual. After a quick wash, I tied my hair into a ponytail and came to the office.
Haru pulled me into a hug and sat me down on the chair next to her. I stayed still.
“What are you doing, Haru?”
“Just working.”
I looked at the densely packed text on the monitor. Haru was diligently typing something. It was a somewhat familiar scene.
I glanced at the mug next to Haru’s monitor. It had a cute character mascot drawn on it.
It was that cup. Haru seemed to have similar tastes to mine.
Seeing the faint steam rising, it seemed like the hot water hadn’t been poured long ago. As I caught the familiar scent, I could roughly guess what was inside the mug.
The smell of green tea filled the office. It definitely had the vibe of the green tea I made. Of course, I only provided the hair, but since I heard that was everything needed for green tea, I felt a sense of pride.
Sitting on such a high chair, the difference between Haru and me became glaringly obvious.
While Haru’s feet reached the floor, mine were dangling in mid-air.
I tried to force my short legs down, but they still didn’t touch the ground. Yep, people really need long legs.
—
Soldiers appeared at Starlight Food. At first, Kim Sehee had a puzzled expression, but soon she greeted them with a smile.
Kim Taesung, the head of the military procurement department, arrived at Starlight Food with his aides and colonels.
Kim Taesung first greeted Kim Sehee politely. Even though Kim Taesung was a two-star general, the other party was a direct descendant of the Starlight Guild. Even if she had stepped away from succession, she still had prestige.
“Hello.”
“Ah, yes, hello.”
After exchanging light greetings, they chatted about various trivial things.
Once the atmosphere warmed up, one of the aides beside Kim Taesung subtly brought up the main point.
“Ahem… The reason I came to Starlight Food is to talk about the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes.”
Kim Sehee barely held back a smirk. She could already see where this was going.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I tried the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes, and they were really effective. It felt like they were made for soldiers… That’s how good they were.”
Kim Taesung also chimed in.
“I also tried the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes, and they were excellent. The taste was good, and they were quite filling. Plus, unlike regular cherry tomatoes, they had some resistance to external impact.”
Then, after clearing his throat, he continued.
“The most important thing is their portability. Frankly, they’re incomparable to existing combat rations. If a single soldier replaces a day’s worth of combat rations with these Starlight Cherry Tomatoes, they could last a month.”
Kim Sehee smiled calmly and said, “It seems the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes were specialized for that purpose.”
Then, she drove the point home. “The shelf life is incredibly long too. Unlike other cherry tomatoes, they can last 2-3 years. If dried, they could last even longer.”
At her words, they couldn’t help but widen their eyes. They had expected a short shelf life and planned to adjust the price accordingly, but she directly stated it was long.
With that small flaw gone, there was no more hesitation.
“Our military believes the Starlight Cherry Tomatoes are perfect for combat rations.”
Kim Sehee crossed her arms. It seemed the other side was the one feeling the pressure. After all, finding buyers wasn’t an issue. Even if the military didn’t take them, there were plenty of places to sell cherry tomatoes. If not domestically, they could easily open up overseas trade routes.
“Hmm… Please elaborate.”
“I was wondering if military procurement is possible.”
“If our opinions align, no deal is impossible. I’m a businesswoman, after all.”
Kim Taesung’s face brightened. He had a feeling the deal would go well.
“I’d like to ask about the specific price per cherry tomato.”
“I’d like to sell it at the same price as the market… but since military procurement doesn’t include taxes, I’d like to sell it at this price.”
Kim Sehee proposed a price of 4,000 won. That was a 20% discount compared to the market price of cherry tomatoes.
It was almost the same price as existing combat rations. However, they sealed the deal after Kim Sehee added, “Of course, the price could go even lower depending on the quantity ordered.”
