Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Dimensional Gate with My Daughter
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The usual bus.
Unusual travelers.
Just like when we went to Korea, we boarded the bus to the terminal.
"Dimensional gate~♪ Dimensional gate~♪"
Hikari was humming a tune with her cheek pressed flat against the window.
She was so excited that her little body and stubby legs dangled and swayed off the edge of the seat.
It was just too adorable.
Click.
By the time I snapped out of it, I'd already added a new treasure to my album.
"Ung...?"
Hikari turned her head at the sound of the phone camera.
Her big, pale purple eyes tilted in curiosity.
Click.
Mmm, today's haul is excellent.
Two new additions in such a short time.
The Demon King must surely be blessing our trip.
"Pbuu-!"
Suddenly, Hikari puffed out her cheeks.
No idea why, but her whole body was screaming, I'm mad at you!
"Uh... Did I do something wrong, Hikari?"
Instead of answering, she just flicked her eyes toward my hand.
My right hand, gripping the smartphone.
"Was it this?"
Nod!
"I really don't get it."
Hmph!
"You don't like me using my phone?"
Nod nod!
She even pointed at herself emphatically.
Pleasing my little rascal is no easy task.
But now that I'd pinpointed the issue, fixing it wouldn't be hard.
Professor Rena had said something like this once.
'Always put yourself in their shoes! Every creature's environment is different!'
She'd said it to dodge a late-night lab snack run, but it held water.
The clues: the smartphone, and Hikari pointing at herself like it was the key.
Inside me, Professor Layton finished his deduction with a three-panel smile.
"You want a smartphone too, don't you, Hikari?"
"...Ha."
Hikari shot me a look no seven-year-old should have.
It added 33% venom, turning the vibe into a UFC ring in seconds.
"Not it? You want to watch Monblocks or Montube like other kids your age?"
"...Yuan is an idiot."
Come to think of it, it'd only been two weeks since Hikari returned to civilized society.
She didn't even have friends her age yet, so knowing those apps was a stretch anyway.
"Then why are you really mad?"
"It's thi-i-i-s! So frustrating!"
Hikari thumped her chest.
Sorry, but even that was so cute I was losing my mind.
I held back from turning the camera on again, lest she snatch the phone away.
"Hmm... I'm sorry first off, Hikari."
"...Sorry for what?"
Who knew I'd hear that from a seven-year-old girl?
They say interspecies girls mature faster than humans. Did that apply to Hikari too?
'Oppa, you're always like this.'
'What exactly are you sorry for? You know people say that?'
'Saying sorry fixes everything? Then why do we have cops and laws?'
'So what's important here? Can't answer? Too hard?'
'...Forget it. I'm going home. What, not gonna stop me? Oppa, did you just yell at me?'
Memories that didn't exist flashed by in a rush.
Maybe my head was spinning from facing a meme situation IRL with a kid.
After a 0.69-second marathon debate in my brain with no breakthroughs, I opted for honesty.
"For taking your picture without asking...?"
"Is that really why Hikari's mad?"
"It wasn't?"
"Ugh."
She sighed and grabbed my hand tight.
Then she pulled it to her cheek, propped it there, and pressed down on my other hand holding the phone.
"I got mad 'cause Yuan was only holding that tiny idiot box!"
"...Were you jealous of the phone?"
"Jealous...?"
This time she tilted her head slightly.
Seeing that made her seem like a proper seven-year-old again.
Anyway, I'd figured out the real reason.
Hikari wasn't mad about the photo—she felt my attention had drifted away from her.
"But you know."
"Ung?"
"I only picked up the phone because of you."
Squish!
I pressed the hand against her cheek.
Her soft little cheek yielded to my touch, changing shape.
I brought my other hand in too, kneading both sides like dough, and now she was the confused one.
"Huaa...!"
"How could I take my eyes off you? I turned on the phone to make memories with you."
"Memories...?"
"Yeah. The kind we can pull out someday and chuckle about, like 'Remember that time~?'"
"Umm, not sure. Like the village headman in the fairy tale who went clack-clack with his dentures?"
I'm barely in my early twenties, still young.
But I couldn't win against a girl whose age started with a zero.
I just chuckled and gently stroked her little horn.
"Hiii... That tickles~"
Horns on interspecies folk are mana circulation paths, apparently.
Super sensitive spots tied to vital functions—handle with care.
Touching it, I felt warmth and a pulse; softer than expected, not hard at all.
"Hee hee... Yuan, show me those pictures from earlier!"
"No reason not to."
I opened the gallery and handed it to her.
The two shots from before were right there at the top.
Her squished cheek against the window, and the curious head tilt at the camera.
Hikari stared, then voiced an unexpected reaction.
"Why's it just Hikari? Where's Yuan?"
"I was the one taking it."
"So Yuan can't be in them?"
"Selfie mode makes it possible."
"Selfie? Anyway, it works!"
She looked at me.
And grinned wide.
"I wanna be with Yuan! Right now! Even in this little screen!"
The pure innocence of a child.
Her unexpected words left me stunned for a moment.
What should I say to this girl who spoke so honestly?
...Maybe actions would speak louder this time.
Click.
I switched the camera app to selfie mode.
The screen shifted from the driver to the man and girl sitting there.
One was a Nurarihyon girl with dokkaebi blood.
She clutched her guardian's arm tight, as if sharing her excitement for the trip.
The other was your average human guy.
Faint dark circles from trip prep and extra reports lingered under his eyes.
Still, his face said being with his one and only daughter was enough.
"First photo together, huh."
"Really~? They say the first is always the hardest, Yuan!"
"That's from the picture book yesterday?"
"Hee hee, we're taking tons on the trip too!"
Finally, the faint tension around the man eased.
He always stiffened up oddly for photos.
But in front of his precious daughter...
"One, two..."
"Three!"
He smiled.
Click.
Yeah, perfect.
Print-and-frame worthy.
The kind we'd pull out someday with no particular reason.
"Perfect."
"The best... the best~ Perfect!"
The usual terminal.
Unusual Kelp clan staff.
By chance or fate, we were assigned to the same counter as the staffer who'd handled our Korea entry checks.
"Next, please~"
"Drinking plenty of water today, I see?"
"Hee hee, my husband loaded me up♡"
Last time she was dried out, girl-sized.
Today, a mature big-sis type, about my height.
Maybe because I handed over twice the documents and passports from before.
Her light green seaweed hair and eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Oh my, didn't realize you were married. Must've misread your mana."
Interspecies folk can apparently sense if someone's taken.
That's why they ghost-snipe solos at clubs in Hongdae or Gangnam.
Professor Rena explained it as:
'The Demon King has a contract with NTR Must Die Knight!'
That's the actual title.
Even the dean vouched for it, so no arguing.
Anyway, the Kelp staffer's surprise made sense.
"Adopted. She's my one and only daughter."
"Aha... Even cooler! Mind if I ask the little miss's name?"
Hikari, nestled against me, shot her hand up.
"Hikari!"
"Pretty name. And..."
The staffer shared a knowing glance with Hikari and smiled warmly.
"...I see. So that's how the miss sees her guardian."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Hee hee, you'll know when the time comes."
The cryptic Kelp staffer finished the checks in a flash.
Approved, of course, but she never explained that warm smile.
"Did you catch what she meant?"
"Nope! But I do!"
"That's even more confusing."
"Hee hee, let's go, Yuan~"
My scholar's curiosity stirred, but Hikari's clinginess melted me down.
"No bathroom break? Not hungry?"
"Nope! Depart right now!"
"Alright, straight through the dimensional gate then."
Hikari and I headed to today's gate.
Gate 8: Hamel
"Ha...mel?"
Hikari tilted her head at the unfamiliar name, hand in mine.
Her sniffing the air cutely was a secret too adorable to share.
"Hamel's a dimension surrounded by ocean. Five islands forming one nation."
"Kinda salty... This the sea smell from books?"
"You can smell it before crossing?"
She nodded brightly.
A Nurarihyon wanderlust trait, maybe.
Amazed by the new info, I hugged her tight.
"Better than just holding hands crossing over."
"Overprotective!"
"You'll get it when you're a parent~ Or want down?"
"No way! Yuan's arms are the best!"
I tickled her honest cheek and slotted the ticket.
The barrier lifted; Hamel's scenery shimmered beyond.
"This trip's gonna be fun."
"Me too! Take care of me, Yuan?"
"That's my line. Let's make lots of memories."
I tightened my hold on her and leaped through the gate.