13
Ch.13 They're Just Kids
All the money I earned this time was for stuffing myself with premium-grade meat.
I decided that to maximize the amount of premium meat I could grill with my money, an outdoor barbecue was the right choice rather than a high-end restaurant.
Even while spending on daily meals, I had been diligently saving up, and today, I swept the supermarket clean of its meat.
Premium-grade costs three times the price of regular meat, but I had the money.
Along with that, I bought a gas burner, tongs, disposable plates, a griddle, salt, and even instant rice.
"L-Let me help you with the total…"
I ended up buying about 20 servings, wiping out most of my hard-earned savings in one go.
With my hands full of meat and rice, I happily left the supermarket.
Carrying the meat and rice in both hands, I settled down in a nearby park and got ready to grill.
Just the sight of the raw meat made my mouth water.
That pristine white marbling—just looking at it felt like savoring the taste visually… Truly mesmerizing.
Gulp…
Click-click-click. After lighting the portable gas burner, I waited for the griddle to heat up properly before placing the meat on it.
Sizzle… Ah… That satisfying sound… Just hearing it filled my heart with contentment.
They say beef tastes better when it’s slightly undercooked, right?
I couldn’t hold back any longer.
Without even cutting it, I took a huge bite of the meat, sprinkled it with salt, and chewed.
"Mmm…!"
Delicious…!
The deep, rich umami, the juiciness, the tender texture—a simple yet undeniable gourmet experience.
This is premium-grade beef… Ah… I feel alive right now… Truly alive.
Now, for the rice. I opened the lid of the instant rice, poured in water, and the fuel attached to the edges began boiling it.
By slightly lifting the plastic cover on top, the rice would steam itself.
Just as I was about to place another piece of meat on the grill—
"...Gulp."
"Huh?"
From the bushes in the park, a group of scruffy-looking kids in dirty clothes were staring at me, swallowing their saliva.
No, more accurately, they were staring at the meat sizzling on my griddle.
"...It's mine."
I gestured for them to go away.
But instead of leaving, they cautiously stepped out of the bushes and approached me.
"M-Mister…"
"J-Just one bite… Just one… Please…"
"Go away. It's mine."
I coldly glared at them and hugged the bag full of meat closer.
The kids looked utterly starved, drooling from their mouths.
Hollow cheeks, wrists so thin their bones were visible, protruding elbows.
It looked like they hadn’t had a proper meal in days… No, weeks.
"...Sigh."
Since I didn’t plan on cutting the meat, I didn’t bring scissors. With a sigh, I picked up a disposable plate.
Using its sharp edge, I quickly sliced the meat on the griddle.
I placed the cut pieces on the plate and held it out toward the kids. They immediately swarmed it.
"Just one bite."
"Mmph…! Ugh…!"
"Gasp…! Huff…! Hah…!"
"Gulp, gulp…!"
The kids devoured the meat greedily—no, desperately.
Even though it was too hot, they shoved it into their mouths, afraid someone would snatch it away, fighting over every bite.
Watching them act like wild animals, I glanced at the now-steamed rice and handed the bowl to them.
Immediately, they grabbed fistfuls of rice and stuffed them into their mouths.
"Cough! Hack! Gag!"
Once the meat was gone and the bowl empty, one kid even picked up a piece of meat another had coughed up and ate it.
Seeing them still hungry, licking the juices off the bowl, I silently placed more meat on the grill.
"Eat slowly."
Given their condition, they must’ve been truly starving. The thought of eating alone in front of them didn’t sit right with me.
I planned to feed them enough before sending them off, hoping they’d fill up more on rice than meat, so I took out a few more instant rice packs to steam.
Then, more kids rushed out from the bushes.
"M-Me too, just one bite…! Mister! Just one bite!"
"Please! Please!"
I hadn’t expected this…
Under the watchful eyes of what must’ve been ten kids, I reluctantly cut the meat.
The moment I sliced it, the meat vanished. I placed more, and it disappeared again.
My meat… My premium beef…
"Just one more bite… Mister… Just one more…"
"One bite… Just one bite…"
"That’s a lot of one bites."
In the end, the kids ate all the meat and rice.
I wasn’t exactly upset, but I did feel a bit hollow. Watching the now-full kids sitting around, I sighed.
I was still hungry.
"You ate all my meat…"
"S-Sorry…"
The oldest-looking girl among them stepped forward and bowed her head.
Maybe because I was still hungry, I suddenly drooled and wiped my mouth before speaking.
"Bring your parents here."
"Our parents… Aren’t around…"
"Kids with parents wouldn’t do something like this."
I had expected as much.
Realizing there was no way to get compensation from their parents, I spoke coldly. The girl, ashamed, bowed her head so low her face disappeared.
"Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have parents either."
I just wanted to ask—if they did have parents, I’d give them some money and introduce them to odd jobs so they could feed the kids properly.
Regretfully, I picked up a small leftover piece of meat from the griddle and ate it.
Then, the girl hesitantly spoke up.
"Mister… Are you an orphan too?"
"An orphan?"
"Did the monsters… Take your parents?"
"Yeah."
So they were monster orphans too.
These days, that was hardly surprising.
"Sorry."
Seeing no point in continuing the conversation, I stayed silent. The girl, realizing her mistake, apologized.
Then, as if remembering something urgent, she suddenly trembled.
"Uh… Mister… What time is it?"
I checked the sun’s position and raised my fingers over my palm.
With my thumb pointing south and middle finger east, the shadow indicated…
"5:48 PM."
"...Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Using a monster’s senses, I confirmed the exact time based on the shadow. The girl frowned in disbelief but soon clapped her hands and urged the sitting kids to get up.
"Everyone, hurry! We don’t have much time! Quick!"
After gathering the kids, she quickly led them out of the park.
As if in a rush, they left without even a thank-you.
After eating all my premium beef, how dare they…
Annoyed, I cleaned up the messy plates and gas burner, then glanced at the kids’ retreating figures.
"Hmph."
Kids these days have no manners…
Is it because they have no parents? If someone feeds you, at least say ‘thank you’.
After cleaning up and leaving the bulky gas burner and griddle by the trash bin, I stared in the direction the kids had gone.
This won’t do.
I need to teach them to at least say ‘thank you’.
Whoosh.
Now adept at controlling my strength, I leaped high without damaging the ground and landed on a nearby rooftop.
Activating the monster core just slightly—not enough to kill—I spread out low-frequency waves.
Using echolocation, a sense all monsters possess, I pinpointed my prey and sprinted across rooftops, stopping right above the kids.
They were stealing from a truck parked near a restaurant.
"So I fed a bunch of little thieves."
That truck belonged to the government, collecting special equipment from the ruins in the next district.
Inside were broken monster alert devices.
Between the steel bars meant to prevent anything from falling out, the kids’ thin arms reached in, plucking out parts of the device.
"Hmm…"
Watching quietly, I felt a strange unease.
***
In this world, there are countless orphans created by monster attacks.
The sheer number of orphans—almost equal to kids living normal lives with parents—overwhelmed the government.
But someone had to protect the children.
Eventually, the government pushed policies to support private orphanages.
Tax cuts, subsidies, preferential monster damage insurance rates, and even some legal immunity for issues arising from raising kids.
Many saw it as a business opportunity and opened orphanages, seemingly filling the gap left by missing guardians.
"How many times do I have to say it?! The orange ones! Don’t just grab any parts—bring back the orange glass bottles!"
"Ugh… Ugh…"
Returning to the orphanage, Na Hye-ri was struck in the stomach by the director and collapsed to the floor.
As the oldest among the kids, she was forced into the role of their caretaker. Often, whenever something went wrong, she was beaten in front of them.
The reason? To make sure the kids obeyed her.
The director, unwilling to spend money hiring actual caretakers, assigned Na Hye-ri the role of teacher. To ensure she commanded respect, he made sure she was disciplined harshly.
"You stupid brats… Ugh! Do you even know who’s keeping you alive?! You should be grateful—repay this kindness!"
"D-Don’t hit the kids… Ugh…!"
As the director raised his arm threateningly toward the cowering kids in the corner, Na Hye-ri grabbed his pants, pleading.
Enraged, the director kicked her in the stomach.
Na Hye-ri, used to this, curled up and covered her stomach to minimize the damage.
The director stomped on her blue-tinged hands and glared at the kids.
"Huff… Huff… This is what happens when you don’t listen! You see how much Hye-ri suffers because of you?! Don’t you feel sorry for her?!"
He theatrically fake-sobbed while stomping on Na Hye-ri’s head. Thud. Thud.
Under his weight, her nose started bleeding as she curled into a ball.
Boom. Boom. The floor shook with each step, terrifying the kids into silent trembling.
Out of breath, the director finally stopped and glared. The kids shrank back, avoiding his gaze.
"Keep this up, and Hye-ri will die~! Who’ll be your teacher then? You? Or you?!"
"Hic… Hic…"
"Sniff… Sob…"
"You wanna kill Hye-ri?! Straighten up!"
"We’ll behave…! Don’t kill sister Hye-ri…"
"Don’t kill sister Hye-ri… We’re sorry…"
Satisfied, the director kicked Na Hye-ri toward the kids.
She slid across the floor, her body a mess.
The kids, crying, immediately clung to her.
"Ugh… Sob… Sister… Sister…"
"Sister Hye-ri… Sister… Hic… Sob…"
"Shut up! Stop crying and get to work! If you don’t finish by tomorrow, you’re the ones killing Hye-ri!"
"Sob… Sniff…"
The kids, trembling in fear, quickly carried Na Hye-ri out of the room.
They immediately headed to the basement to assemble machine parts.
Exhausted from the exertion, the director plopped onto a plush chair.
"Huff… Stupid brats… Huff…"