Shopping (3)
Aqua held up the ice cream triumphantly. It was mint chocolate and Shooting Star flavors.
[Ice cream!]
Aqua's eyes sparkled. [Shi-sit!]
Mandu chirped eagerly, as if urging her to hurry up and open the lids.
[Let's eat!]
Aqua twisted off the lids and divided the contents into six equal portions, handing them out to everyone.
"Thanks, looks delicious."
"Thank you."
Aqua beamed and scooped a big spoonful into her mouth.
[Mm! Mm! ...Mm?]
The next instant, fireworks exploded from Aqua's mouth.
[Waaah?!]
It was the popping candy in the Shooting Star. The bursts settled quickly, but Aqua blinked in a daze.
[Shaa!]
Fireworks popped from Mandu's mouth too. But Mandu, who could already breathe fire, seemed to be enjoying it.
[Hoo...]
Aqua stared down at the Shooting Star ice cream with wide eyes.
[That startled me...]
But a smile slowly crept onto her face, and she began devouring it with gusto.
"Tasty?"
[It's tasty, but mostly fun!]
Aqua slurped it up, savoring the explosions in her mouth. I enjoyed mine too. The Shooting Star's signature blueberry flavor mingled with cherry syrup, filling my mouth with delight.
[Next up is this one!]
Having polished off the Shooting Star, Aqua brandished the mint chocolate. She divided it into six portions again and shoved a huge bite into her mouth.
[Nom!]
Aqua stuffed her cheeks until they nearly burst, rolling the ice cream around inside. Through her translucent cheeks, I could see it melting smoothly.
[Mm?]
Aqua made a curious sound and swallowed.
[What an odd taste.]
I chuckled, since I'd been the one to recommend mint chocolate to her.
"That's the charm of it."
[I need another bite to check!]
Watching Aqua roll it around with a serious expression made me smile involuntarily.
[Ah!]
Aqua exclaimed as if she'd figured it out.
[It's mint!]
"Does the Spirit Realm have mint too?"
[Of course! It's one of the sylphs' favorite scents, so the Spirit Realm is overflowing with it!]
Aqua giggled and took another huge bite.
[Delicious!]
Mint chocolate seemed right up her alley.
"Whoa, Aqua, you're a total foodie."
That was Han Areum speaking.
[Foodie?]
"Someone who knows good flavors. A gourmet."
[Of course! I'm the top gourmet in the Spirit Realm!]
Aqua grinned happily. Our eyes naturally turned to Jang Gilsan.
He hated mint chocolate. He hadn't even touched his share from Aqua.
"What good is toothpaste flavor?"
Jang Gilsan grumbled and looked away.
[What's that? You're not a foodie?!]
"I am a gourmet."
[How can you call yourself that if you can't even eat mint chocolate?!]
"It's not that I can't— I won't."
We all chuckled softly at Jang Gilsan averting his eyes like he was making excuses. Teasing him with our numbers was one of our club's favorite pastimes.
[Shi-sit!]
Mandu, having devoured his own share, started in on Jang Gilsan's leftovers.
[Hey! Pig Mandu! Share!]
Aqua dashed over too, and the two happily split it between them.
Hm?
Looking at Mandu next to Aqua, something caught my eye.
He's definitely grown.
Mandu's body was bigger. When we first met, he fit in one hand, but now he was larger than my palm.
This quest is about to complete soon.
I gently stroked Mandu's back as he focused on the ice cream.
"Alright, now just insert the SIM chips here..."
I slotted SIMs into two new phones and powered them on. After a brief boot-up, they worked perfectly.
"All set."
"Thank you, son."
"Thanks. We'll put 'em to good use."
Mom and Dad smiled as they took the shiny new phones. I'd bought the latest models in town for them. They fiddled with them curiously, finally free from their decade-old relics.
"I transferred all your old apps, so it should feel familiar. No hassle."
I'd installed a few handy extras too.
"This app blocks spam calls."
"They make those now?"
"And this one lists all nearby delivery spots—no need to hunt down numbers."
"The world's come a long way."
Like kids with new toys, they poked at the phones for ages. I watched for a bit, then headed to the kitchen.
Aqua and Mandu were cooking there.
Whoosh!
Mandu breathed fire into the pot. Aqua nodded at the bubbling water, then turned when she spotted me.
[The water's boiling!]
"Yep. On to the next step."
I pulled up a chair and sat. I wasn't on cooking duty today.
I want to give your parents a gift too!
That was Aqua when I bought the phones.
Right! How about I cook with Healing Water?
Shi-sit!
Mandu wants in too? Let's do it together!
Aqua had gotten into cooking since the last party. So, she and Mandu decided to make ramen for Mom and Dad. My recommendation, naturally.
The simplest dish around.
Aqua read the ramen packet instructions carefully.
[Once boiling, add noodles and powder... Mm!]
She tore it open, pulling out the noodles and spice mix. The noodles were as big as her face. Splash—into the pot they went.
[You got this, Mandu!]
[Sit!]
Aqua dumped in the spice packet too. Satisfied as the broth turned red, she finished reading.
[Boil for 3 minutes. Mandu, can you keep the flame going that long?]
A low-grade salamander sustaining flame breath for three minutes? Impossible normally.
[Shi-sit!]
But Mandu nodded confidently. He wasn't flame-roasting the pot directly. Beneath it was a Spirit Shop tool amplifying his fire.
◈ Infused with salamander will, so it won't burn objects or people.
Mandu's flames mixed with the will-o'-the-wisp, growing stronger. It let him maintain a boiling pot with minimal effort.
Ramen boiled over Spirit Realm flames...
Maybe just my imagination, but it felt healthy. And Aqua added her own Healing Water.
Whoosh!
Top-grade Healing Water poured in generously. The broth was basically Han River water now, but as someone who'd tried it, I could vouch the flavor deepened immensely.
Three minutes later, Aqua threw her hands up.
[Done!]
She peered into the pot, Mandu right beside her. A savory aroma wafted out. They exchanged grins.
Aqua hoisted the pot overhead—possible only for a water spirit immune to burns.
[Eat up!]
She dashed dotdotdot to the living room where Mom and Dad were.
The ramen sloshed but didn't spill—a true water spirit move. [Shi-shi-sit!]
Mandu scurried after her. I grabbed utensils, tongs, ladle, and bowls, following along.
[We made this ourselves! Dig in!]
Aqua plunked the pot between Mom and Dad. Their eyes widened.
"You two made this?"
[Exactly!]
Aqua nodded proudly. Mandu bobbed his head from her shoulder.
"Oh my..."
Mom and Dad watched them, deeply moved, nodding in approval.
"You've grown so much."
"Who knew Aqua was such a responsible girl..."
"Let me serve you."
I ladled and tonged ramen into their bowls.
"The broth's the star—start there."
"Got it."
"Thanks."
[Enjoy!]
[Sit!]
They sipped the broth first.
"Mm!"
"Oh?"
Their eyes rounded. Then slurp—they downed it silently.
"Whew~! So refreshing!"
"Phew! Excellent broth. Is this Healing Water too?"
[You bet!]
Aqua struck a heroic pose, arms akimbo.
"Heh heh."
"Thanks to Aqua, we'll be healthy as ever."
"At this rate, we'll live long enough to paint the walls with poop."
Mom and Dad chuckled warmly as they ate. Mom wasn't big on ramen usually, but she clearly loved Aqua's version.
The pot emptied fast. Aqua gazed at the bottom contentedly.
[I'll make more next time!]
"Thank you, Aqua."
They reached out, gently petting Aqua and Mandu.
[Hee hee!]
[Shi-sit!]
A heartwarming moment flowed by.
After washing the ramen pot, I headed next door to Sook's house.
"Perfect timing, bro."
"It's starting soon. Sit!"
Sook's place housed Jang Gilsan, Han Areum, and Han Deuri. Gilsan had rented the whole thing.
I sank into the living room sofa. Seeing familiar faces in this well-known house felt oddly amusing.
Han Deuri fiddled with the beam projector, beaming onto the blank wall.
[So it premieres there!]
Aqua looked at me expectantly.
"Yeah. Wonder what the video's like?"
[Me too!]
Aqua clung to my neck. I shifted to let her lean comfortably.
At 5 p.m., a new video uploaded to the Phoenix Resort Nutube channel.
They said five videos, sequential over days.
Han Deuri moused over and clicked "How the Spirit King Enjoys the Lazy River."
The video played, showing me and Aqua prepping by the lazy river.
Starts like this, huh.
The footage was raw—staff bustling in frame. Aqua glanced around tensely.
[Ugh...]
On-screen Aqua buried her face in me with a little "peek" bubble by her head.
[I'm so nervous! What do I do?!]
On-screen me stroked her head and pointed to one side of the river.
"Aqua! Look over there!"
The camera caught hundreds of unicorn tubes floating by.
[Ooooh!]
Next, a full shot of Aqua's sparkling eyes—brighter than dawn on the beach. Then fade to black, subtitle: "A Few Days Before the Ad Shoot."
Exactly 7 seconds to here.
Efforts to hook before the 5-second skip were evident.
Hard to skip those sparkling eyes.
I nodded, watching on.
Cut to a cafe production meeting.
"Ooh, bro looks great on camera!"
"Our spirit user's gonna get fans!"
Han Areum and Han Deuri teased.
"Haha..."
Seeing myself on video felt awkward.
Heard they filmed the meeting, but didn't think it'd make the ad.
Recalling what I'd said, on-screen me spoke:
"Sorry, but there's one issue with this plan."
Dun dun sound, close-up on my mouth.
"Aqua has severe camera shyness. Stage fright, basically."
Oof—that stung.
[Eek?!]
Real-life Aqua whipped her head to me, cheeks puffed.