Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Find Me a Home (2)
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* * *
“Do you remember? Did Toon really exist?”
When Sernal asked, Edinal tried to brush her hair back but ended up twisting it around her finger instead.
“I’m not sure about that far, but yeah, they definitely said slimes lived there. And then someone... I heard someone chased them out...”
Edinal started to think it through, then abruptly stood up from her seat.
“I’ll look into this myself, so Sernal, keep the complainant occupied however you can—chit-chat, whatever. Terisha and Irang, you two keep handling the workload.”
“I’m great at chit-chat.”
Edinal rolled her eyes for a moment as Sernal perked up.
“No, Sernal.”
“What’s not great about it? I am. I’m great at chit-chat.”
“Toon needs a home, right? But the kind of ‘home’ we’re talking about isn’t like the ones we know, is it?”
Edinal’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Exactly. If it’s a slime, they’ll claim any building wall, tree branch, or statue top as their home. Of course, while staying all melted and shapeless.”
Irang scratched at the mask perched diagonally on his head.
He must have dealt with it a lot—his face, which had been smiling brightly as he spoke, twisted just a bit.
“Well, Sernal, enforcement is mostly handled by the police, but if you’re going to find this slime a home, you’ll probably see slimes dangling everywhere. And we can’t just leave them be, so you might have a rough time of it.”
“I already know that full well. My very first enforcement job turned out like this.”
Sernal tapped the table with her finger.
Thud.
The slime from that enforcement had stuck right to her. Since morning.
“Of course, it didn’t mean the slime was trying to harm us. They just get a little fussy. And that can be... a bit overwhelming.”
Irang hurried to clarify, worried his words might be misunderstood, as Sernal’s eyes took on a faintly chilly glint.
“I get it. But the slime I’m in charge of went beyond fussy and drank my coffee.”
Edinal picked up her cellphone, since Sernal’s expression was deadly serious for such a casual complaint.
Someone drank Sernal’s coffee and pissed him off? Gotta buy him a new one.
Obviously.
“Oh, that reminds me...”
“And then it waited for me inside that mug, drinking the coffee.”
Irang shut his mouth as Sernal cut him off, and Edinal quietly set her phone back down.
“Are the other slimes usually like this?”
Irang, Terisha, and Edinal answered in unison to his calm question.
“No.”
“Nope.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Ah. So you’re not telling me to go out with this one in a situation like this, right?”
Sernal’s eyes narrowed. His already cold impression grew even frostier.
“That’s exactly it, Sernal.”
Edinal smiled casually, leaving Sernal at a loss for words.
“...For real?”
“Perfect timing—some stuff came up that needs handling outside. All light work, of course. Consider it a change of pace, Sernal. Even if you stay here taking other complaints, you’ll just keep stressing over Toon.”
“Yeah, I would.”
Suspicion lingered in the glance Sernal shot at Edinal, hooked at the corner of his eye.
Toon definitely had a presence worth fretting over.
He was already dreading losing his coffee to it.
“But does it feel like you’re slyly dumping work on me, Team Leader? Or is that just me?”
“Totally just you.”
Edinal laughed. How did she keep a straight face like that?
Sernal stared at her blankly, and she continued nonchalantly.
“I’m not that heartless, you know that, right, Sernal?”
“Does everyone know?”
Sernal tossed the question to Terisha and Irang.
“Uh...”
Terisha hesitated briefly, while Irang looked between Edinal and Sernal before speaking up.
“I knew it. I know how hard the Team Leader works for us. Compared to complaint offices in other districts, this place is paradise.”
‘Is she serious...?’
Irang’s words sat somewhere between flattery and sincerity, leaving Sernal momentarily confused.
“Oh. That’s true.”
Even Terisha, who’d been lost in thought, finally chimed in.
Her gaze toward Edinal brimmed with respect.
“The Team Leader handles so much for us.”
“See, Sernal?”
Edinal waved her phone, backed by the two of them.
Bzzz.
[Team Leader: A precious gift has arrived from ‘Team Leader.’]
“Go grab something tasty at a café too.”
Edinal’s smile stretched wider.
“Ready to head out, Sernal?”
“You’re serious about this?”
He wasn’t some kid falling for food bribes. No reason to bite at the bait Edinal was dangling without knowing what it was, so Sernal scowled.
“Come on, it’s really nothing big, Sernal.”
Edinal coaxed him.
This time, it was genuine. Whether misunderstanding or not, her heart had sunk when ‘crisis’ slipped from Sernal’s lips just now.
She often said there were no new hires, no new hires—but before Sernal, it wasn’t like there’d been none at all.
They’d just all quit after failing to survive the real work once their adjustment period ended.
The ‘Hell’s Four Weeks’ she’d dubbed it on her own. Seemed fitting, since none had made it past.
Sernal had safely passed the first week of that hellish four.
“Why do I have to go out? Tell me the reason first.”
Edinal opened up readily when Sernal asked.
“Well, it’ll get noisy inside, which wouldn’t be good for Toon. Plus, we’ve got backlog to clear.”
“...Guess I’ll have to hear if it’s really no big deal.”
“Great idea, Sernal. First, warn the slime blocking the passageway, get it to move, and snap a confirmation photo.”
Sernal paused briefly—he’d read that complaint in a report before.
Slimes blocking a path, and when people tried to push through, they cried discrimination against slimes as the current underdogs. A case exploiting the slimes’ status.
“That all?”
Sernal turned his head, tapping at a calculator, and voiced his doubt when Edinal didn’t continue.
The complaint she’d just mentioned felt too easy compared to the string that had piled up this week.
“Nope.”
‘Knew it.’
Sernal snorted and crossed his arms. The coffee in his paper cup sloshed lightly in his grip.
“Just find the shinbone for the skeleton who got knocked over brushing past a centaur.”
Sernal had read this complaint in a report too.
Skeletons were made of bone by nature, and while most bones were sturdy, some folks’ came loose easily.
This was one of those cases. Bumped into a centaur on the way, bone flew off, tried settling it with words, but it escalated into a fight over discriminatory remarks from the skeleton side.
The centaur’s discriminatory words and actions were backed by nearby CCTV and witnesses, so police were investigating, but the bone hadn’t turned up yet.
“And while I figure out who chased Toon out, you just keep Toon company. Sound simple?”
“...Is that really everything?”
Sernal’s eyes narrowed.
“Yep. Finding lost items? You’re perfect for it, Sernal. Once I nail down the cause of Toon’s issue, I can fix it.”
Edinal’s nodding and beaming smile both looked suspicious, but Sernal stood up anyway.
If she’d handle the trickiest part—Toon—to some extent, that was enough. He trusted her info-gathering skills too.
‘Finally, on-time clock-out?’
The hopeful thought soothed the nagging ache in his gut.
* * *
“I won’t get in the wayyy!”
Toon beamed.
^ㅇ^.
Sernal felt a twinge of regret at how thrilled it looked.
“And no intervening with force, no matter what I do.”
“Got ittt. I looove peace. Great at watchinggg. I’ll just watchhh.”
“No melting your shape.”
Toon froze mid-response to Sernal’s firm tone, then stared right at itself.
“Will I get in trouuuble?”
“Trouble isn’t the big issue. Exceed the warnings, and it’s prison.”
“Don’t like prison houses. Got ittt. Won’t melt my shaaape.”
Toon grinned again.
Curiosity shadowed its excited face.
“But Sernal.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re finding my homeee?”
“We’ll walk around and look for realistic options. Might not find one, though.”
“Thaaat’s fineee. I’m so haaappy. Shoulda come here looong agooo.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“...Scared.”
Toon fidgeted with its fingers.
Its shape softened slightly, like it was about to spill something.
“People... they all look down on us slimes.”
“I’ve never done that. Just wanna get off work.”
Sernal pushed up his slipping glasses, feigning nonchalance.
He knew.
The subtle status gaps between sub-species.
Of course, the country had never officially declared it. Wouldn’t tolerate it.
Otherwise, complaint offices wouldn’t exist in the first place.
“Yeeah! That’s why you seemed so cooool when I saw youuu?”
Toon’s drowsy voice overflowed with joy.
“You looked at me proooper. Put me down laaater toooo?”
“You were stuck on the wall—dangerous.”
“Did you say I was diiirty?”
“Who said that crap?”
“Too many to counttt.”
Sernal rummaged in his bag, eyeing Toon’s ever-smiling face.
“Hand.”
“Whyee?”
Toon’s eyes blinked. But it stuck out its hand.
Candies poured into Toon’s palm.
“Caaandy!”
“Like ’em?”
“Yeeah.”
“Behave and follow close, I’ll give more.”
Sernal checked his meds were secure, glanced at his phone, and headed to the nearest spot for a complaint.
‘...Feels like I got played.’
But for the first time, he could aim for it.
Clocking out on time.
The words alone were that beautiful.
After Sernal left, the complaint office door opened a short while later.
A pretty set of fraternal twins entered hand in hand.
Backpacks slung on their backs.
“...Sis. Sernal’s gone.”
Loren peered at Sernal’s empty seat, disappointed, then looked to Keron.
“Wait. I’ll ask.”
Keron stayed calm, no dismay, and walked right up.
Fairy sub-species on the left, goblin on the right—person in front of the fairy was leaving soon, so she headed there.
Keron reached Irang before the number board lit up.
“...Haven’t pressed the button yet.”
Irang pointed at the number board as Keron strode up.
“Got a question.”
“Go ahead.”
Irang smiled brightly.
“Where’d Sernal go?”
“Oh. Looking for Sernal?”
Keron’s brow furrowed slightly at Irang’s oddly sharp-eyed smile.
“I see.”
Only then did Irang realize this kid was one of the twin vampires Sernal had handled.
“What do we do? Sernal’s out on-site right now.”
“When’s he back? I got time.”
“...Me too.”
Loren dashed up—pat-pat-pat—and pressed close to the table, eyes pleading.
“Loren. This is a public space. Told you no running. Forgot?”
“...Ah. My bad. Sorry.”
Loren clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise, then bowed deeply to Irang.
“Tell us when Sernal’s back.”
Keron stroked Loren’s head and asked Irang again.
“...Um. No clue. Depends on the site when he’s out—how the situation goes.”
Irang spoke, then fiddled with his mask, wondering if that was too grown-up talk.
But the kids’ gazes were so earnest.
Glancing around for something, Irang spotted two lollipops on Sernal’s desk.
Anyone could tell they’d been left out on purpose for someone.
‘Give ’em? Or nah?’
Irang hesitated. Might be meddling. But exactly two candies on that impeccably neat desk? Suspicious.
“Oh. Sernal said if you two showed up, give you these.”
Irang stood, grabbed the two lollipops from Sernal’s desk, and held them out.
Loren and Keron’s faces lit up instantly.
Irang smiled along with their sunny grins.
“So when Sernal gets back, tell him we stopped by, okay?”
Keron urged brightly.
“Got it.”
“Thanks.”
Keron turned with a bow, Loren waving.
“Bye. Byeee.”
‘That close, huh.’
Irang waved until Loren followed Keron, then slowly let her smile fade.
Just a little thing between a complainant and a civil servant.
‘Shouldn’t think it’s special.’
Sernal’d handle it.
Irang gathered his papers.
Thud-thud.
* * *
“The breeze is so preeeetty, sunlight’s preeeetty, buildings are toooo prettyyy.”
Drool pooled slightly at the corner of Toon’s mouth as it gazed at a building.
Imagining sleeping there—moon and stars twinkling, sun dazzling, rain pattering—made it so happy.
“No can do. Resolve one complaint first, then ask the building or shop owner.”
Sernal checked his phone and cut it off firmly. Toon pouted right away.
“Sernal’s so steeern.”
“Then go to the community center first and wait.”
Toon slapped a hand over its mouth and shook its head.
‘Hang a right here.’
Sernal eyed his phone screen.
Navigation said three minutes to destination.