My Own Spirit (3)
Aqua drained the yogurt container completely, then patted her plump belly.
[Delicious!]
I stared at the empty container, lost in the aftertaste for a moment.
'Is this the daily life of spirit contractors?'
There was a reason spirit contractors showed no interest in gate hunts and just played with their spirits every day. With such an adorable creature by your side, who had eyes for anything else?
Suddenly, I felt resentful toward every spirit contractor in the world.
'All this time, everyone else but me has been living like this?'
It felt like a betrayal. They'd been hogging something this wonderful and cute all to themselves.
There were spirit contractors who uploaded videos of their spirits on Nutube, but a real spirit was incomparable to any video.
'No, maybe Aqua is exceptionally cute.'
Aqua's body was different from other undines to begin with. Aqua's cuteness was uniquely hers.
As I thought that, I suddenly recalled something one of my professors at the Academy had said during a lecture.
—Be careful not to get into spirit flexing wars. Nine out of ten fights between spirit contractors start with whose spirit is cuter.
Replaying that class in my mind, I shook my head.
'No, it's a fact that Aqua is cuter than other spirits.'
That professor would surely agree with me if they saw Aqua.
While I was lost in those thoughts, the ramen finished cooking. I set the empty yogurt aside and reached for the cup ramen.
"Let's see how the ramen Aqua cooked tastes."
[Ooh! It's done!]
Receiving Aqua's expectant gaze, I opened the lid of the cup ramen.
Splash—.
The broth was filled right up to the edge of the lid. It had long surpassed the fill line.
'It's practically the Han River.'
I hadn't had time to teach her about portion control when she poured the water earlier.
'Who cares? Aqua's sincerity is what matters.'
Careful not to spill it over, I picked up my chopsticks.
"This is gonna be good."
[Heeheehee! Eat up!]
Aqua watched me with an excited face. To meet her gaze, I dramatically slurped up a big bite of ramen.
Slurp—.
"Mm?!"
I was genuinely surprised. The noodles weren't ordinary at all. They were chewy and springy, like cold buckwheat noodles.
I took a sip of the broth next.
"Guh~."
With just one spoonful, I let out a sound like a sixty-year-old man plunging into a hot bath.
It was definitely bland. With that much water, it had to be.
But the broth was so clear and deep. It had that subtle yet profound flavor I'd felt the first time I tried Pyongyang cold noodles.
[Is it good?]
"It's amazing!"
[Heeheehee! As expected of me! Even my first cooking attempt is perfect!]
Aqua crossed her arms and thrust her chest out proudly. It was a pose straight out of a comic book villain, but perfect for expressing her overflowing pride.
"Have you ever cooked in the Spirit Realm before?"
[Of course not! I first heard the word 'cooking' from an undine who'd been to the human world!]
Water must be the foundation of cooking, then. For Aqua, who didn't even know the character for 'cook,' to make something this delicious proved it.
[Humans love healing water, and it's true!]
At the mention of healing water, I nearly choked while sipping the broth.
"The water in this is healing water?"
[The supreme-grade healing water made by me myself!]
Healing water was an all-purpose cure-all made by water spirits. Its healing power was one step below potions, but its versatility was unmatched.
Guilds and companies competed to buy it, making it a reliable side income for water spirit contractors. In other words, it was expensive.
'How much was healing water again?'
A bottle of 100ml cost at least 100,000 won. This Han River of cup ramen had 400ml of water.
So...
'400,000 won.'
The monthly rent at my old dorm was 200,000 won. I was eating two months' rent in cup ramen right now.
"Whoa..."
I was utterly speechless.
'Even cheap ramen tastes different when it's this pricey.'
I'd never known that something worth a thousand won could transform at twenty times the price.
In gratitude for showing me a new dimension of ramen cuisine, I reached for the cola I'd set out earlier.
"Here, Aqua. You should try a special human world drink too."
[Oh! I almost forgot!]
I popped open the cola can and handed it to her. Aqua took it with both hands, inspecting the can—about the size of her forearm—with curious eyes.
[What an intriguing bottle!]
She sniffed it.
[Oh, it has sugar and carbonation!]
"You know about carbonation?"
[Of course! The Spirit Realm has carbonated water too!]
With bravado, she tilted the can.
Gulp!
Just one sip. Aqua's whole body shuddered.
[Nyaaagh!]
She trembled from her toes to the tips of her hair, then flopped sideways.
I burst out laughing at the sight.
"You only took one sip!"
And with that tiny mouth, it was maybe 20ml.
Panting, Aqua pulled herself up.
[Human world carbonation... it's intense! Nothing like the Spirit Realm's!]
Then she dove back in and started drinking again.
Gulp, gu...!
But she couldn't even swallow twice before pulling away.
[Hiyaaaaah!]
She clutched her throat and rolled around on the table.
"Ahahaha!"
I burst out laughing again. It took Aqua a full ten minutes of rolling before she finally finished the entire can.
Panting heavily, she held the empty can triumphantly aloft.
[Victory is mine! Human world carbonated water is no big deal!]
But her body had turned pitch black. The cola had mixed into her water body.
"Ahahaha!"
I lost it again.
[What's so funny?!]
Aqua finally noticed her own state.
[...Uh?]
Her dazed voice set me off once more.
The usual alarm woke me. It was 6 a.m.
After silencing it, I sorted through my foggy mind. Memories of last night resurfaced.
We'd snacked and fallen asleep quickly. It was late, and the contract had drained our stamina.
'...Huh?'
Aqua wasn't beside me.
I bolted upright. She'd definitely fallen asleep next to me, but she was gone.
'Was it all a dream?'
My heart sank. My fingertips trembled uncontrollably.
Then I felt the contract bond in my chest. Still in pajamas, I hurriedly followed it to where Aqua's presence emanated.
It led outside. I flung the door open and scanned around frantically.
[Zzzron~.]
Turning at the snoring, I spotted the massive rubber tub used to wash sand off guests' feet.
[Zzzron~.]
Aqua was sleeping inside it.
"......"
[Mmmnyam...]
Floating serenely on the surface like she was half-bathing, Aqua's face looked utterly at peace.
"Haa..."
I sighed and crouched beside her.
'I thought you'd vanished.'
Relieved, I gazed at her sleeping face.
[Zzzron~.]
Even her snoring was cute. She dreamed with a goofy smile on her lips.
Staring blankly, I absentmindedly reached out and poked her cheek.
It was plump like a baby's, full of baby fat.
Poking, poke—.
Her cheek bounced back elastically. It felt just like prodding a water balloon.
[Uuuunng...]
After fiddling for a while, her little arm flailed in protest before dropping.
It was like she wanted to say something but was too sleepy—like cut it out.
"Kukukuk..."
She was so cute I couldn't stop. This time, I pinched her nose between thumb and forefinger.
[Zzz... Ngh... Pffft.]
Aqua twisted away from my fingers.
"Kukukuku..."
I couldn't hold back. I kept kneading her cheeks until a now-awake Aqua scolded me.
Huff, huff—.
I ran along the sandy beach, watching the rising morning sun. A worn tire was strapped to my waist.
Even at the Academy, I never skipped my daily morning training. That's why I always set my alarm for dawn.
Awakeners gained enhanced physical abilities based on rank. Even F-rank was superhuman compared to normals, but A or S-rank were true supermen.
To keep up in classes with them, training was essential.
'And now with Aqua, I have to work even harder.'
I couldn't be a shameful contractor to her.
Aqua rode on my neck. I'd tried to stop her, saying she'd get sweaty and dirty, but she refused.
—I heard from the undines that humans get hot when exercising. I'll cool you down!
She'd clung even tighter, saying that. Thanks to her, I ran as cool as if wearing a cool pack.
After twenty minutes, I slowed, catching my breath.
As I rested, Aqua spoke in a dreamy voice.
[So beautiful...]
She gazed at the rising sun.
[It looks like the sea is birthing the sun.]
"Haha, that's a fun metaphor."
Maybe because of Aqua, today's sunrise felt more beautiful than usual.
The sky split into two colors. The horizon where the sun rose was dyed red, while the sky over the sea was a clear blue. The unlikely pair blended naturally, painting the heavens gorgeously.
Sunlight stretched long shadows of clouds across it. Watching the scene, Aqua murmured.
[I never knew the meeting of sea and sun could be this beautiful.]
It seemed like Aqua's first East Coast sunrise. Maybe her first human world sunrise ever.
"Is this your first time in the human world, Aqua?"
[Exactly so.]
Suddenly, her ignorance of the human world yesterday made sense.
"Is there anything you want to do here?"
[Want to do?]
"It's your first time here. Anything you want to try or see?"
[If so, I wanted a contractor!]
Aqua hugged my head tightly. Her soft, tube-like embrace brought a smile to my face.
[Next, I want to become the Spirit King!]
Her grand ambition made me chuckle softly. But it suited Aqua perfectly. With her sky-high pride, anything less wouldn't do.
"Then I'd better prepare too."
[Prepare?]
"To be the contractor of a great Spirit King."
Aqua went quiet for a moment, then squeezed my head harder.
[Excellent resolve!]
Her voice brimmed with trust and affection.