Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Three Peaches (7)
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I have to do well.
I can't afford not to.
What kind of person am I?
"...I'm your disciple, Master."
The top disciple of Heavenly Path, Little Heavenly Demon.
Does she know?
That the Heavenly Demon I'm talking about isn't the old man, but her. For me, the Heavenly Demon has always been only Cheondo.
Master probably won't fully understand what I mean.
Doesn't matter.
"...That sounds so cringy. It's cheesy."
Cheondo gave her honest opinion while still in my embrace.
Even as she said that, she pressed her body even closer. Why was that?
Cheondo buried her face in my clothes and tightened her arms around me even more.
Her shoulders trembled like the legs of a newborn fawn. I silently patted her back.
Tap, tap—each time my hand touched her back, a dizzying breath escaped from Cheondo's nose.
The scent of peach blossoms filled my nostrils.
"Still, thank you."
Soon after, Cheondo pulled away from my embrace and looked straight at me with a smile.
"Really."
Her face still had a youthful innocence, yet it was beautifully sculpted.
I had originally planned to tell her here that I had no intention of becoming the Heavenly Demon.
But seeing her smile, it didn't seem necessary.
No matter how young she was, Cheondo was still Cheondo. The way she shook off her emotions and overcame them looked so adorably beautiful.
I instinctively reached out to stroke her hair, but Cheondo lightly pushed my hand away.
"You were trying to touch me again."
Hearing that made me feel like a total pervert.
Fine, whatever. I grabbed her pushing hand with one of mine and roughly ruffled her hair.
"Eek."
Her resistance was pointless.
The moment my hand touched her hair, her flustered expression was so lovable.
I shouldn't look at my junior like this.
The real Cheondo from my memories would have scolded me.
But I couldn't help liking it.
I had no intention of denying my feelings.
Especially since in the future, she had gone missing once and escaped from me.
Even if I couldn't change that future, I wanted to share even deeper emotions with her at least until then.
"Senior Brother."
"Yeah?"
"Your face looks scary."
I must have changed my expression while lost in thought.
Lately, I couldn't even gauge what my own expressions looked like.
Sometimes I thought I was smiling, but it didn't feel like it.
Other times, I thought I was completely expressionless, only to realize I was grinning.
Ever since seeing the future with the help of the World Tree of Time, I felt somehow broken.
"Ah... don't do that. I'm not a doll..."
I hugged Cheondo again and closed my eyes.
When I pulled her hesitating body closer, she came easily.
The warmth I felt in my arms painted a picture of my expression in my mind.
I was smiling.
*****
"...Why did you come into my room again?"
On my way back, I didn't part with Cheondo and instead went straight to her room to greet her.
"It's always been like this."
"I told you there's no need to come. Dowon Senior Brother."
"If your senior brother wants to, you have to let him."
Cheondo sighed as she took off her outer clothes.
"...At least let me change clothes. I just finished training—do I smell sweaty?"
Sweat smell.
Sometimes women say their sweat smells like flowers, but from experience, that's all lies.
Of course, that's for humans. Wood People are different.
Their body scents vary wildly from person to person, but not all of them feel bad.
Not unless it's something like nightshade.
How could peach blossom scent be bad?
It's the fragrance people seek even after death.
"Not at all? If anything, it's nice."
"Senior Brother, that's gross."
Cheondo stuck out her tongue with a grimace. She meant it.
"Anyway, get out! I need to change."
"I'll just turn around."
"Senior Brother, really... Sigh. Fine. Turn around quick."
As I turned my back, I heard the soft sound of her untying her waist sash.
"Dowon Senior Brother."
"Yeah?"
"Don't take what I said today too seriously."
"What do you mean?"
—Swish.
The sound of damp underwear being pulled down.
"I said, what do you know about me? It wasn't the truth anyway. I didn't mean it."
"I don't think it was wrong."
It's been a little over a month since we met here.
So it's natural for her to say that.
I acted close because I knew the current Cheondo, but she didn't know the circumstances.
"Even so, talking like that to your senior brother isn't good."
"I'm fine with it."
"You're so stubborn. If you keep thinking everything's fine one by one, you'll cross the line someday. Today was like that."
What a kind heart.
The current Cheondo tries not to express her own thoughts or feelings.
It made my chest itch, and I let out a chuckle.
Something caught my eye as I faced the bed.
An earpick on the nightstand.
I absentmindedly reached for it and brought it to my eye.
"...Want me to do it for you?"
Cheondo, already changed, looked at the earpick in my hand and spoke.
"Would you?"
"If you want. It's nice when someone else does it."
I had no memories of receiving this as a child.
My father wouldn't do it, and my mother wasn't one for overt affection.
"If you're offering, I'll take it."
I nodded.
Cheondo took the earpick from my hand, sat comfortably on the bed with her legs extended, and patted her thigh.
I laid my head there, facing outward.
"Stay still, Senior Brother."
Her small, soft hand cupped my cheek.
Cheondo's small head shadow fell over mine.
The ticklish sensation entered my ear.
It was itchy and cool at the same time.
"Tell me if it hurts. I did it often for Baekdo and Hwangdo... First time on a guy. Might be different."
Scrape, poke. Sounds by my ear.
Each time she prodded a sensitive spot, my whole body twitched.
"You three played together a lot back then?"
"Of course. We're sisters. Master was really kind back then too."
A kind old man? With that fierce face?
A scarred face smiling fondly at his daughters. The Heavenly Demon.
It'd seem more like he had ulterior motives. Hard to picture.
"No way."
Cheondo giggled at my honest reaction.
"He was strict only during training. We hated it because he'd get mad then. Before that... he'd always smile."
"That guy smiling?"
"When peach blossoms fell in April, he'd always make us necklaces and give them to us. Then Master would smile, thank us, and pat our heads. Come to think of it, it's peach blossom season now."
The more I heard about Cheondo's past, the less I understood that father of hers.
The Heavenly Demon from the past timeline.
If he was really kind then, why is he like that now?
Because he knows he's going to die soon? That makes sense.
The old man who shows no expression to Cheondo sometimes grins at me like, "Are you crazy?" It fits.
Since he's dying anyway, maybe he's preparing.
Like an old lady teaching her husband how to cook.
"Feel good?"
"Nice. First time getting it done."
Scratching inside felt good. Blowing air in afterward wasn't bad either.
"Then the other side. Turn over."
I flipped, and Cheondo's belly came into view.
Man, this really feels good.
I should do it for Shiba later too.
—Rustle, rustle.
"Ah, it's Wanggeon. Pfft."
Cheondo's playful laugh made me snort involuntarily.
Her hand was still warm, and her thigh was the same temperature.
"Oh yeah. Want to go out somewhere later? With Baekdo and Hwangdo."
When I casually asked something I'd been thinking about, Cheondo's hand stopped abruptly.
"Outside? Won't it take a lot of time?"
"Forgot my ability?"
"That sudden whoosh appearance? That might be okay."
"Even if we're going out, it's just to eat and come back. Pork ribs."
"Sounds delicious just from the name."
Cheondo's hand started moving again.
The earpick coolly scraped inside my ear.
The hand cupping my cheek gently slid down to my jaw.
"Because I considered your feelings?"
"I thought Baekdo and Hwangdo would like it too."
"It's been forever since I talked with those two. Hope it won't be awkward."
"You three won't have any awkwardness."
"...You think?"
Of course. Later, they got along so well they were practically one body.
Cheondo pulled the earpick out and lightly tapped my cheek.
A signal to get up. I lifted my head.
Then Cheondo stared at the earpick before glaring at me.
"Dowon Senior Brother."
"Yeah?"
"My ear feels a bit itchy too."
Heh heh heh.
Time to return the favor.
I took the earpick and sat cross-legged. Cheondo promptly laid her head lightly on my thigh.
"...Not your first time, right?"
"I've done it a few times."
I hadn't received it, but I'd done it for my cousin siblings.
They'd sometimes cry if I messed up, so I had to be careful.
Cheondo hadn't offered her ear yet. She lay on my thigh, looking up at me.
"Can I trust you?"
"Try it once. You'll never be satisfied with anyone else's hand."
"Hmm, okay then."
As ordered.
I carefully started cleaning Cheondo's ear with the earpick.
Holding her shoulder or cheek gently, slowly, without hurting her.
Memories made my shoulders tense.
Cheondo was tense at first, but soon relaxed and started smiling faintly, enjoying it.
"Senior Brother, it feels good."
"Right?"
It was a chore with the cousins.
Now Cheondo was using my leg as a pillow, enjoying her ear cleaning.
Who knew a boring experience would come back like this.
—Prick.
Sudden sting in my leg.
Sensation of hair being plucked!
Startled, I saw Cheondo staring at my leg, playing a prank.
"...Surprised? Kuhuhu."
"You got me."
Cheondo's pranks didn't stop there.
Tickling my foot, circling her finger around my ankle bone, poking the top of my foot with her nail.
I couldn't take the endless playful antics and flicked her forehead.
—Snap!
"...Eek! Hahaha."
Even after getting hit, she laughed.
Her mischief was too cute; I forgave her without thinking. A dangerous one.
Cheondo murmured while lying comfortably, as if it was strange.
"It's weird. Being next to you makes me feel at ease."
"Yeah?"
"Yes. Like... we've known each other for a long time."
Long? Less than a year, even.
But bonds between people can't always be measured by time.
Especially with Cheondo—I felt we'd shared deeper experiences than with anyone.
From the moment we each risked our lives entering the dungeon, time spent didn't matter.
She's the only one who knows my entire past.
"Senior Brother."
Cheondo called out.
"Remember what I said back then? About what do you know about me."
"Still on that?"
"No, not that... "
Tap tap. Cheondo patted my thigh.
I removed the earpick, and she turned to face me fully.
"That... to not hear that from me anymore. Maybe we can get to know each other from now on. For a long... "
Her cheeks subtly flushed.
I tilted my head in confusion,
then realized her intent and chuckled as I replied.
"How long?"
"The longer... the better."
"What do you mean?"
At my sudden question, Cheondo's eyes widened.
Wanting to know her for a long time—depending on interpretation, it could mean that.
"...!!"
Realizing it late, her ears turned bright red, and she smacked my chest.
"Not in a weird way! Senior Brother, seriously. Wow... you thought that?"
"Kuhahaha."
"Don't laugh. Stop smirking like that, geez."
"Oppa is happy you're being honest."
"Oppa my foot... idiot."
Roll.
She rolled sideways from my thigh onto the bed and immediately threw a pillow at me.
Her flushed face was quite a sight.
As if denying her own thoughts, Cheondo lunged at me.
Just what I wanted. Our bed fight began, and time flew by. The moon tilted.
Cheondo, who had charged in energetically, switched off exactly at 9 PM. Her sleepy expression melted as she closed her eyes in my arms.
A good girl at bedtime.
Cheondo fell asleep like a child, binding my upper body completely with her arms and legs.
'Should I sing Island Baby?'
Baby goes swish swish. Falls asleep~
Lying beside the sleeping Cheondo, pulling the blanket over us.
I didn't dare move, lest I wake her.
I just gently patted her back, a smile spreading across my face.