Bark for Me (3)
Outside the door to Mobile Rescue Team 1's waiting room, Kang Mirae took deep breaths—whoosh, whoosh—standing there blankly like a puppy that had just been told to stay. "Not opening it? Worried there's a password or something?"
"Y-yes? Ah, no! Hehe... I'm just a little nervous..."
The girl laughed awkwardly and wiped the sweat from her palms on her skirt. "Did I scare you too much? Just because they're demi-humans doesn't mean they're that sensitive."
"Hehe... I know~ I used to live with demi-humans when I was little!"
"Right. You did, didn't you? Then go in with the same confidence you'd have meeting old friends."
That way, I'd get to enjoy watching the disarmed expressions on Team 1's faces the moment they saw me after she'd entered.
"Then... I'll open it!"
Kang Mirae took one more deep breath with a determined look and reached her index finger toward the door lock. The sight was both funny and adorable, like a rookie operative about to breach a scene. The real show starts now.
Beep.
The moment the electronic chime sounded and the door slid open, I flattened myself against the wall beside the doorframe so the team inside would only see Kang Mirae. As if on cue, a lively chorus of welcoming voices poured out from within.
"Welcome~!"
"Oh! So this is the new recruit we heard about!"
"Whoa~ She's really cute. You said she came from our area? Which district?"
Every voice that reached my ears was bright and refreshing, like voice actors or idol main vocalists. Mm-hmm... No wonder I called them the idol team. A feast for both ears and eyes.
"Come on, don't just stand in the doorway. Come inside."
I felt someone gently take Kang Mirae's hand and guide her in. Just as she said, "Ah, yes! Thank you!" and started to step forward, I seized the moment. Reaching out from behind the doorframe, I grabbed her wrist.
Tap.
"Huh...?"
Kang Mirae turned around in surprise. The team members who had been pulling her inside naturally followed her gaze to my hand, then up to my face. I smiled the most benevolent, affectionate Big Mama smile I could muster.
"Trying to go ahead without your mom, our youngest?"
In that instant, the air in the waiting room froze solid. Every fluffy animal ear in front of me twitched simultaneously, all turning toward me as if they'd been shocked.
"What? Why the faces? Did I come somewhere I shouldn't?"
I deliberately drooped my eyebrows, feigning hurt. "N-no, ma'am! Haha... It's just... we didn't expect you so soon..."
The first to react was the golden-furred fox demi-human, who hurriedly tucked her lush, beautiful tail between her legs. That just makes it more pitiful... no, cuter.
Next to her was the dog-eared one I personally liked the most. "We heard Big Mama—Team 4's leader—was switching places with us... but we didn't think you'd come already..."
Her drooping dog ears trembled as if she were about to burst into tears. What kind of reaction would I get if I pinched those floppy ears with my fingers? My fingers itched.
While everyone stood with their heads bowed like guilty children, one voice rang out. "Hehe~ Big Mama! I missed you~!"
Surprisingly, one of them strode straight toward me without reading the room—or perhaps without fear. Cat ears perked atop her head, and a long tail swayed behind her hips. I'd heard cat demi-humans were usually prickly and aloof, but this one didn't avoid my eyes at all. Instead, she sparkled with delight and tried to nuzzle her head against my arm.
"Oh my?"
My heart skipped a beat. Just one stroke of those soft ears and all the fatigue from today would melt away~ The fresh scent—nothing like the stale sweat smell from Team 4 guys—almost made the corner of my mouth twitch upward in a shameless grin. Hold it together, Baek Myungmin. If you break here, it's over.
Suppressing the urge to pet, I pressed my index finger firmly against the cat girl's forehead and pushed her back. "Don't cling."
"Hehe... Yes, ma'am."
"First, take care of that frozen newbie behind me. She's scared stiff."
I pointed at Kang Mirae, who was still standing there, eyes darting around without grasping the situation. "Yes! Understood! Should we start with introductions, or get her geared up right away?"
Watching the girl answer with her tail still wagging despite being pushed away, I cheered inwardly. A cat-dog, huh. I'd heard cats were supposed to be haughty and disobedient, but this one was on a whole different level.
"Let's do introductions first. We should at least know each other's names."
I deliberately crossed my arms with a strict expression and issued my first command as the owner of this adorable petting zoo. "Waa~ Nice to meet you!"
Just as expected, our cat-dog, Felice, dashed straight to Kang Mirae and clasped both her hands. With sparkling eyes and a swishing tail, she looked so eager that I felt a pang of envy. Ah~ I'm jealous! If she did that to me, I'd buy her premium churu by the box. I swallowed unconsciously but kept my arms crossed, watching with a pleased smile.
"I'm Felice~ My name's Yoon Jisu~ Please take care of me!"
"Ah, yes! I'm Kang Mirae!"
Once Felice's enthusiastic welcome ended, the fox-eared and dog-eared girls hesitantly began their introductions. "I'm Belphe. Name's Kim Roa. Nice to meet you."
Belphe, with her silver fox ears, still sounded a little deflated as she kept glancing at me nervously. "I'm Sirius! Name's Sirius too!"
"Hehe... So this place uses constellation code names, I see~" Kang Mirae remarked with a quick-witted smile. I nodded in admiration.
"Oh... Smart, aren't you?"
I gave Kang Mirae a little boost, then flopped onto the sofa. But— "Huh...?" Something felt strangely empty where my butt touched. The space below the backrest was hollow, like my rear might slip through. Ah, there's a tail hole...
Made sense. For someone like Felice or Belphe with those big, fluffy tails, sitting on a regular human sofa would be uncomfortable. An ergonomic—no, demi-human-ergonomic design to keep tails from getting squished. But for tail-less me, it was just a butt-freezing hole. I adjusted my posture and tossed out casually, "By the way, Mirae will be sharing my waiting room."
"Eh? Really? Isn't that Mama's private room?"
When Felice's eyes widened in surprise, I grinned and answered leisurely. "At least the sofa should be comfortable for people without tail holes. If you miss it that much, you can come over anytime. My room's big."
"Ugh... I'll pass on that."
"We'll gratefully accept the sentiment..."
Belphe and Sirius shook their heads vigorously, as if the mere thought was horrifying. Seeing their tails completely tucked between their legs, it was clear they didn't want to go even as a joke. Hmph! How disappointing~
I popped a snack from the table into my mouth and changed the subject. "Constellations, huh... Then I don't need to change my code name, do I? Charon is a moon of Pluto, so it's basically a star too."
"Ah, you're right! We can skip that then!"
"What about Mirae? Got one picked out?"
"Eh? Me?"
She hadn't thought that far yet. Kang Mirae looked around with wide eyes, and I snorted with laughter while munching on my snack. "What~ Did you think we'd go with something stiff and boring like Alpha or Bravo? We're not soldiers."
"Of course not. If this were the military, a free spirit like me would've quit ages ago."
Sirius nodded vigorously beside me in agreement. "Good answer, Siri. I like it."
"Hehe..."
As expected, praise worked wonders on the dog. At my single compliment, Sirius's drooping ears perked right up, and her tail behind her started wagging. She'd been scared of me just moments ago, but one head pat and she was already in a good mood. How should I train these cute things?
But right now, the priority was getting our rookie up to speed so she could pull her weight in the field. First... we should clarify abilities. Need to make her understand why this team needs a professional medic.
I looked at Kang Mirae and patted the empty seat beside me on the sofa. She scurried over immediately and sat right next to me. Tail or not, she was every bit a puppy. "Next... we should tell each other what our abilities are. You guys don't need much explaining, right?"
At my question, Felice shrugged. "Nope. Not like I want to brag about making static electricity that doesn't even tingle..."
When Felice demonstrated, her hair rose ever so slightly from the static. That was the reality of E-class awakened. Most rescue team members were E-class. In other words, this place gathered people with sturdy bodies but unimpressive abilities.
"And surprisingly, I'm a healer type. If my hands touch you? I can drag even a dying person back from the brink."
"Waa~ Really? You're amazing, senior!"
Kang Mirae clapped with wide eyes, then tilted her head innocently. "But why is your code name Charon? Usually healers use things like Angel or Saint, right?"
The moment she said that, everyone except Kang Mirae and me froze. They might not have experienced my healing firsthand, but they'd heard enough rumors from Team 4's drunken chatter to know my reputation. Ignoring the stiffened team members, I smiled at Kang Mirae.
"Simple reason. It hurts like you're dying."
"What? It hurts?"
"Seeing is believing."
I reached out as if fixing her messy bangs and touched the tiny scratch on her forehead. "Hic...!"
With a scream like a death cry, Kang Mirae sprang up like a spring. Clutching the spot I'd touched, she looked at me with teary eyes. "It stings, right? I just healed a wound that was already healing. If a scratch like that hurts this much, how do you think it feels to heal a missing limb?"
"Uh... That... Uuu..."
Kang Mirae's face went pale as the image formed in her mind. "That's why I'm Charon. The ferryman who beats you over the head with an oar and drags you back to the land of the living."
"Th-then why do we need a medic like me..."
"Simple. My healing is excruciating, but thankfully, modern medicine is amazing."
I counted off on my fingers. "Morphine, fentanyl, and... opium? That's a drug, but anyway, anesthetics work. Isn't that fascinating?"
"Ah...!"
"So your role is this: before I land my heal, you administer the right drug at the right time."
Kang Mirae seemed somewhat convinced, but she still looked uncertain as she rubbed her tingling cheek. "But... couldn't you just give the injection yourself without needing a professional medic...?"
"True. Most people would think that."
I let out a long sigh and revealed the real reason I remained C-class—and the most decisive reason this team absolutely needed a medic. "And the most important part."
"Yes?"
"My healing doesn't work on me. Self-healing is impossible."
"......Ah."
"That's why I'm C-class. I can save everyone else, but I might die myself. So you have to keep me alive, rookie."