The Fox, and the Association Comes Calling
“Naru, is it really okay that you parted ways with Boss like that?”
“...It's a man's farewell. No need for tears.”
“A man...? Naru, you're a little girl.”
“I'm a man!!”
“All right, all right. But our man Naru looks like she's been crying so hard her eyes are all swollen.”
“I didn't cry! This is... just from being tired!”
“Hehe. Sure.”
“But can't I walk on my own feet?”
“No. You don't even have shoes right now, Naru.”
At Yerin's words I glanced down at my feet and remembered losing my socks in the landslide last time. That was why she had carried me all the way here, yet the moment we reached the mountain I had gotten so excited my body shot off on its own. Thanks to that, my feet were caked in mud.
Yerin looked at me and sighed.
“We'll have to wash you when we get home.”
“Kaeng?!”
The word “wash” sent goosebumps racing over my whole body; my pupils trembled.
“I-I washed yesterday!”
“You have to wash every day, Naru.”
“I-I don't wanna!!”
I tried to scramble out of Yerin's arms, but she held me firmly and started for home.
If this keeps up I'll get scrubbed just like yesterday!
I rolled my eyes desperately, searching for an escape, when Yerin spoke again.
“If you wash nicely, I'll give you the thing our Naru loves most.”
“The thing I love most? Is it Kakarot?!”
“It's Castella. What kind of transforming-name is that...?”
“Yeah, that!”
I never expected her to take cloud bread hostage. Baths were instinctively scary... well, not exactly scary, but I still wanted to avoid them. But bread!!
“Ugh...”
While I was deep in thought, Yerin grinned.
“How about two?”
“I'll specially allow it!!”
Yep. For two pieces I could close my eyes to a hated bath just this once. Two, not one—there was no other choice.
Nodding, I let her carry me back toward Yerin's territory. Someone in black clothes was standing in front of the house.
“I've been waiting for you, Awoken Han Yerin.”
“...Who are you?”
Yerin hid me deeper in her arms, instantly on guard. Yep—strangers were dangerous, so being wary was only natural. I flattened myself as small as I could inside her embrace.
“My introductions are late. My name is Kim Seoyeon. I've come from the Association.”
“...An Association Awoken?”
“Yes. I apologize for the sudden visit, but no matter how many times I tried to contact you, there was no answer. I had no choice.”
“...”
“I'd like to talk, if that's all right.”
“And if I refuse?”
“It concerns the child you're holding. We failed to earn your trust with our previous response, and for that I apologize... but for the child's sake, won't you give us a chance?”
“A chance?”
“Yes. To put it bluntly, the child currently has no legal identity. And beyond that, you know better than anyone that there are limits to what a private individual can resolve alone.”
“...”
“That is why the Association has come.”
I didn't understand everything, but the heavy atmosphere was clear, so I hid even deeper. Yerin let out a long sigh.
“Haa... one hour.”
“Pardon?”
“I have to bathe Naru, so please come back in an hour. As you can see, she ran through the mud.”
“Ah, I see. Then I shall pay a formal visit in one hour.”
With that, the woman in black left without lingering. I stared blankly after her, then poked my head out of Yerin's arms and issued a threat.
“Grrrr!”
The woman stopped, glanced back, and I yelped and dove straight into Yerin's arms again. Peeking carefully, I saw her smile faintly before she continued on her way.
Heh. She had clearly fled from how scary this body is. I waved a victory flag in my heart as Yerin carried me inside.
Right now I was the victorious fox! No matter what enemy came, I was confident I could—
“First, let's get you washed, Naru.”
“Kaeng!!!”
A little later.
Having successfully bathed Naru, I kept my promise and gave her the Castella we had at home.
“Nyom-nyom-nyom-nyom.”
Watching Naru stuff her cheeks full while clutching a piece in each hand made a smile bloom on its own.
“Kakatero really is the best! So yummy!”
“Castella.”
“Yeah, that!”
She still couldn't remember the name and called it something different every time, but that was cute in its own way.
“Eating two makes it twice as delicious!”
“...”
Naru was munching away with a piece in each hand, tail wagging happily—but the truth was we had only one Castella left in the house. While she had been zooming around the rooms after her bath, I had quietly cut it in half and given her both pieces. I had worried she might get angry that I broke the promise, yet our pure-hearted Naru simply declared them “two” and kept wagging her tail.
“Anyway, it's about time...”
Ding-dong—
“Haa, right on cue.”
“Wh-what was that?! What sound was that!!”
Naru, who had already finished every last crumb, startled at the doorbell and flailed in panic. I stood and opened the door.
Fortunately—or perhaps not—the visitor wasn't the Association person. It was Unnie Subin. I had contacted her earlier so she could look after Naru while I talked with the Association.
“Sorry, Unnie. Making you come back and forth.”
“No problem! I was going to come even if you hadn't called.”
Unnie immediately charged toward Naru, who was still on high alert from the doorbell.
“Naru! Unnie's here!”
“Shaaah!”
“Haha, is that your way of saying you're happy to see me?”
Patapatapata—
Naru yelped at the charging Unnie and scrambled away. But the moment Unnie pulled out a piece of candy, Naru was drawn to her like a magnet and ended up in her arms.
Watching this, I couldn't help worrying our Naru might grow up a little too easily swayed.
Crunch—
“S-so sweet!! Yummy!!”
“N-Naru, candy isn't for biting—you suck on it slowly!”
But seeing her eat candy as if it were the most delicious thing in the world made the worry melt away.
“Unnie, please watch Naru while I talk with the Association person.”
“Leave it to me! I brought tons of stuff for Naru today!”
With that she opened a bag stuffed full of pet toys. I even spotted some belonging to her dog Injeolmi, which made me worry she might be treating Naru like a pet.
“Unnie, Naru is a person.”
“It's fine! As long as Naru's having fun!”
She wasn't wrong, yet I still felt uneasy. My concern proved pointless, though—Unnie immediately pulled out a feather cat toy and gently waved it in front of Naru. Naru's pupils dilated. She followed the dazzling feather right into the room after Unnie.
S-so cute.
I didn't want to treat Naru like a pet, but watching her focus so hard on catching the feather made me want to wave one myself.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the doorbell rang again, announcing that the time had come.
“Huu... All right. Let's hear what they have to say.”
I opened the door with a knot of tension in my chest. The Association Awoken from earlier, Kim Seoyeon, greeted me politely.
“I've returned as promised, Awoken Yerin.”
“Huk! The strange human came again!!”
Naru, who had been focused on the feather, must have heard the doorbell; she poked only half her face out from the doorway and glared.
“Grrrr!”
She was bravely issuing threats and standing guard, but to us it only looked like she was hiding because she was scared. In short—adorable.
“Come on, Naru, let's play in the room with Unnie.”
“But she invaded Yerin's territory!! It's a territory fight!”
“Yerin is strong, so you don't have to worry.”
Unnie whisked Naru away and shut the door. Only then did I let the Association person inside.
“I won't be preparing any drinks.”
“That's fine.”
I made no effort to hide my hostility toward the Association, yet she spoke as if she had expected exactly that attitude.
“I understand this isn't a welcoming atmosphere. So let's get straight to the point.”
“...Fine.”
“First, we re-examined the report you filed, Awoken.”
“...”
“That the child was placed in danger due to the Association's inadequate response... I honestly acknowledge it, and I apologize on the Association's behalf.”
Kim Seoyeon bowed her head with perfect courtesy. I hadn't expected them to take such a low posture; it left me a little flustered. But the Association acting this way only made me more suspicious.
“Apologizing to me now changes nothing. Tell me why you came.”
“Understood. Simply put, we came to take responsibility.”
“Responsibility?”
“Regarding the child... Miss Naru. We investigated, but there is no birth registration or Awoken registration. I believe Awoken Han Yerin already expected as much.”
“...”
“Therefore the Association is stepping in to establish her identity, arrange necessary vaccinations for her health, and look into foster homes or childcare facilities for her future. Cases like this are extremely rare, so once again I apologize for the delayed response.”
“I don't care about any of that. From where I'm standing it just looks like you're scrambling to cover things up because she became a hot topic.”
“I can't deny it looks that way... but legally speaking, not only Miss Naru but also you, Awoken Han Yerin, are in a difficult position.”
“...!”
I had known from the moment I brought Naru home that the legal situation would be problematic, but hearing it spoken aloud still made me swallow dryly.
“Of course we confirmed that you rescued the child in an emergency situation, and we have no intention of making an issue of that part.”
“...”
“The problem is what came after.”
Kim Seoyeon took out a document and showed it to me.
“This is the current Republic of Korea Awoken Act. Allowing an unregistered Awoken of unverified identity to stay in a private residence without reporting it will be applied against you, Awoken Han Yerin.”
I had heard of this law. In the past there had been a major incident that shook the world: illegal Awoken who had never registered with the state banded together into a criminal organization and caused massive casualties. Ordinary people had helped hide them, making the damage even worse. After that, the government created a law punishing anyone who sheltered or failed to report an unregistered Awoken.
In other words...
I had committed a serious crime.