Give Me My Reward!
As soon as school ended, I sprinted all the way home.
"I'm back~"
"Welcome home, son. All right, pay the toll!"
Mom suddenly appeared right in front of the shoe cabinet, casting her classic You shall not pass! spell. She thrust her hand out at me, demanding something.
If I try to force my way through, will she crack my skull with that ladle she's holding?
Thanks to the manners that had been drilled into me by force, I politely slipped off my shoes and clasped my hands together.
"What would you like as my toll, Mother?"
"Hurry up and hand it over! You already know the answer, don't you?"
"A loving hug from your one and only adorable son, Noah?"
"You're my son, but wow, you've got some nerve♪ You should be doing that every day!"
If I dragged this out any longer, my head would probably go flying like a golf ball, so I quickly pulled it out of my bag.
It was my midterm report card, the one I'd received from my teacher today.
"Let's see here... Huh? Son, have grade-fixing apps gotten that good lately?"
"That's really mean. These are pure, honest grades."
"But you've been completely wrapped up in Yuri lately, just flirting and acting lovey-dovey. I thought you'd dropped your studies entirely."
"You think too little of me. When I came back to Korea, didn't I tell you? I promised my studies wouldn't suffer."
"I didn't expect you'd go as far as first in the entire school. So? Tell me~ how exactly did you sneak into the teachers' office?"
"Ugh, seriously! I'm not bad at studying, okay? If I took the CSAT right now, I could get into Sky University, no problem."
It was the truth. From my perspective, the school's exams were actually much easier than the CSAT.
Before my regression, I'd tutored students and solved past CSAT questions from dozens of different years. Now, I could glance at a problem and the answer would pop into my head automatically.
Mom, however, clearly thought her son was talking nonsense. She just gave me a light tap on the head with her ladle.
"Don't get cocky! Still... you did well. Good job, Noah."
"You give with one hand and take with the other. Ahem. Mother?"
This time I turned the tables and held my hands out to her. I cupped them together as if reverently receiving something precious.
"Performance bonus. You definitely suggested it the other night, didn't you? A fine adult doesn't lie..."
"You only remember the things you want to, don't you?"
Bonk!
The ladle knocked on my head once more.
At the same time, I felt something settle into my palms.
Golden.
Two crisp fifty-thousand won bills with Lady Shin Saimdang smiling brightly up at me.
And not just one of her—two.
Isn't it true that dual-wielding is far stronger than using a single sword? Two blades let you cut twice as much. Two of these bills meant I could spend twice as much.
In other words, ultimate power.
I would prove the logic of this argument outside the house.
"Mom, you're the best! Come here! Let me give you a huge hug!"
In that moment, my heart swelled with filial piety and I rushed into her arms.
It was different from the embrace I'd shared with Cloudy last time. Honestly, I felt bad for her... but there was no helping the fact that Mom's hug felt cozier.
"Sigh. You only treat me like a parent at times like this?"
"Hey, you know how well I treat you normally."
"Whatever you say~ Just hurry up and go have fun. It's the day your tests ended—why would you stay cooped up at home!"
"Don't most moms try to keep their kids home for dinner together?"
"Hmm... do you really think you'd listen if I did?"
"You know me too well."
She let out a small laugh and knocked my head once more with the ladle.
"Have fun. But remember, your father is coming home tomorrow, so we have to eat dinner together. Got it?"
"Of course! Thanks for the allowance, Mom."
"It's just compensation for your results! Next time, bring Yuri over. I can at least feed her a meal."
Huh, she already knew I was heading to Yuri's.
Does she actually have mind-reading powers?
Well, even if she figured it out, it didn't change anything.
"Once she gets a little less shy~ I'll be back later!"
"You're going out without changing clothes? You came all the way home!"
"Changing would waste too much time! And give me back my report card~"
"What? Do you have someone else to show it to?"
Instead of answering, I simply smiled and opened the front door.
"There's one more person. Someone who promised to give me a ton of rewards!"
"Look at you grinning like an idiot. Wait, Noah. You need to take an umbrella!"
#
I ran straight to Yuri's house.
Grinning ear to ear at the thought of my reward, I opened the door.
"Huuuam... Welcome back, Noah. You're a little late today~"
Light purple hair and eyes that looked as if she'd just woken up.
Every time she let out a long yawn, her cat ears would perk up cutely.
The one greeting me wasn't Cloudy—it was Ame.
The weather was hazy and overcast today, so I'd naturally assumed it would be Cloudy. But seeing this purple-haired personality appear, it seemed we were right on the verge of rain.
On days when it rained, Ame tended to come out first.
So that's why Mom told me to take an umbrella.
"Hold on. Then what happens to my reward?"
"What reward?"
I hurriedly explained the situation to Ame, whose cat ears kept twitching.
In my impatience not to miss out on the reward, I'd completely forgotten something so obvious.
"Aha... so that's what happened? I understand perfectly."
"Now that I think about it, you all share memories between personalities. Why are you pretending to hear this for the first time!"
"It felt awkward to cut you off midway, so I just hit the empathy button."
Was it just my imagination, or did this giggling cat seem a little annoying?
"Anyway, take a look at this report card, Yuri. What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?"
"First in class and first in the whole school... but missing one math question is kind of annoying."
"I multiplied when I was supposed to divide..."
"Very human of you. Still, you did well. Excellent work."
She stood on her tiptoes and patted my head.
Her cat tail brushed against my cheek as she gave me an affectionate look.
Hmm. Nice. She appreciates me!
....But wasn't this a bit lacking?
This was supposed to be my reward. Hadn't Cloudy clearly said it would be something sweet?
Of course, this situation was plenty sweet already...
But I'd been expecting a reward that would satisfy some more primal desire.
Something more like... how should I put it.
Arms wrapping around my waist, breaths mingling, whispered words heavy with suggestion.
The kind of reward that made a guy look forward to it!
"Um... Yuri? Is this really the end? This isn't like a demo version, right?"
"Huh? Are you talking about the reward?"
"Yeah? This level of flirting is just our usual everyday stuff."
But Ame simply tilted her head, looking completely lost.
"Ask Cloudy for it later. I never promised you anything."
That day, my world collapsed.
#
Ame let out a sigh as she looked down at me sitting on the floor.
She kept poking my cheek with her tail as if I were a nuisance, but I was too deep in despair to react.
"Um, Noah...? Could you not make that face in someone else's entryway? You look like a beaver whose dam just got destroyed."
"It does feel destroyed. My heart's been shattered."
"It's not like Cloudy won't give it to you anyway. Why are you acting like this just because you can't have it right this second?"
"Ha...?"
I looked up at Ame.
I kept my seated position but twisted my head upward at a grotesque angle.
"Hiiik!"
Seeing me like that, Ame jumped back in fright.
Her cat ears stood straight up and her tail puffed out to maximum volume.
That was a mistake.
"Yuri!!"
I leaped like a frog and clung to her ankle.
It was the ankle of a girl much thinner than me. She'd gained a little weight since we first met, but she was still quite slender. I made a mental note to feed her something delicious tonight, but that wasn't important right now.
"I need my reward! Right now!!"
"Have you lost your mind! Let go! Let go of me!"
"Hehe, you're not going anywhere! Try dragging me if you want!"
Her grumpy purple tail delivered a flurry of cat punches to my head.
Thump thump thump! Poof poof!
But pain meant nothing to me.
If anything, the sensation felt strangely good?
Getting hit by a cat tail was a surprisingly novel experience.
"Why is your face turning red while you're being beaten?"
"Everyone lives with their own fetishes, you know."
"You're actually giving me goosebumps! How can you say something a total pervert would say with a straight face!"
"How rude. It's pure love, Ame. When the other person is Yuri, anything is good for this childhood friend!"
"How can you confess something like that so casually...! Uuuugh!!"
"You're blushing too, Ame! We're both perverts who met their match!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"
Truly creeped out, Ame teared up as she finally pried my arm off and escaped.
Even as she hopped up the stairs, she glanced back at me where I'd been left behind.
"...I don't know!! Idiot!!"
She shouted angrily before rushing into her room on the second floor.
All that remained on the first floor was her hopeless childhood friend sprawled on the floor and a single cardigan.
Yuri must have dropped it in her hurry to escape.
"From my perspective, it's a trophy~"
The second round would probably take place in Yuri's room.
I'd made up my mind. I would use every ounce of strength to claim my reward.
From Ame.
From Cloudy.
From Clear.
From Mist.
And from the original Yuri as well.
Even from the Snow personality I'd meet once winter came!
No one would be exempt.
Because I'm a greedy person.
Because every single personality is still Yuri.
Only after receiving rewards from the fragments and the main body could I say I'd truly gotten my reward from one complete Yuri, right?
My childhood friend really is the best. No matter what, I get to enjoy five times the fluffiness!
My mind felt clear.
People really do gain energy when they set goals for themselves.
Before heading into round two of flirting with Ame, I buried my face in the cardigan.
"It's the scent of the shampoo I bought her in Jamsil last time."
It was wonderful. I loved my childhood friend who didn't reject my good intentions and accepted them so readily.
After taking in a big whiff to recharge my energy, I sprang to my feet.
I draped the cardigan around my shoulders with a pleasant feeling and lightly climbed the stairs.
"Yuri~ You didn't close the door, did you?"