Rest (2)
"Alright, I'm heading out."
I'd jotted down everything we needed to buy in my notes app, and as I changed into my shoes to head to the store, Hoaran went, "Ah," and handed me the doll.
"Just in case, take this with you."
"Uh... sure."
She handed me the doll with three tails, and then Hoaran said,
"If anything happens, that'll buy you some time."
If this was that three-tailed clone of hers that could transform, it wouldn't just buy time—it'd probably wreck everything in sight.
"So, how do I use it? Just chuck it at trouble if it pops up?"
"Don't worry, the little one will handle it on its own."
The little one will handle it?
Right then, the doll that looked just like Hoaran, clutched in my arms, started thumping my chest—thump, thump—and opened its mouth.
"Hoah—?"
"Whoa, fuck. Scared the shit outta me."
The doll could talk.
I got what she meant by "it'll handle itself."
Anyway, I set the doll down since it kept pounding my chest, and it wriggled into my pocket with a little grunt.
"Hoah."
It settled in my pocket looking ridiculously pleased with itself, Hoaran's mini clone.
This had to be some shikigami magic or whatever, but it just looked like a tiny creature.
Kinda reminded me of those weird teetering Tamagotchi things from my old world.
Those were ugly as sin, but Hoaran's doll was a dead ringer for her—adorable.
"Well then, take care. Hanjo."
"Yeah, got it. Be back soon."
With Hoaran seeing me off, I stepped out the door.
I'd pocketed the doll "just in case," and when I got to the nearby mart, it was a weekday afternoon—barely any customers, just mostly staff milling around.
"Lemme see..."
I checked my notes and started grabbing the stuff Hoaran wanted: veggies, mushrooms, that kinda thing.
Everything looked super healthy.
My basket was already full of greens and fungi. I eat anything, but Lilith would bitch about this.
She doesn't picky-eat either, but she'd complain if it was all weeds.
I tossed in some meat and beer for her share when the doll peeked out of my pocket.
"Hoah?"
"Yeah?"
What?
I tensed up, wondering if something was wrong, staring at the doll. Then it hopped out of my pocket and landed on the floor with a plop.
Whoa...
Hero landing.
It was just a pint-sized Hoaran, so less cool and more cute.
Anyway, I watched to see what it was up to. It toddled over and grabbed something off the shelf.
"Hoaa!"
"Wanna get this?"
"Hoah."
Guess it wanted something.
Wait, but...
Wasn't this just a doll?
I tilted my head at this thing overflowing with free will, then picked up what it was trying to stuff into my basket.
What the hell was this?
"Fox tofu..."
Huh.
Did it like the "fox" part?
It wasn't on Hoaran's list.
Eh, whatever.
"Hoah...?"
I held the fox tofu, looking down at the mini-Hoaran staring up at me, and just tossed it in the basket.
Wasn't expensive, and tofu's versatile—fine for one pack.
"Hoah...!"
"Yeah, yeah."
I scooped up the bouncing, pants-leg-clinging doll and popped it back in my pocket.
What's left...?
Notes check: some weird shit like "Jade Bee Honey? Century Cuscuta? Mandragora? They sell this at a mart?"
I knew Jade Bee Honey at least.
High-end stuff from insect-like races, specifically werehoneybees, right?
Pricey as hell.
This little mart have it? I scanned around anyway.
And spotted a familiar face.
"Ah."
She saw me too—Sati's eyes went wide.
Suddenly, she bolted straight at me.
In a blink, she grabbed my hand and dragged me off somewhere.
"Hey, what the—"
"How can you be hanging around here, oppa?!"
"What?"
What'd I do?
Just shopping.
Oh yeah, she texted some weird shit earlier.
Something about running away together...
I had no clue why she was freaking, but she didn't seem like she'd do anything bad, so I let her drag me.
Without my Gift active, I couldn't resist her strength anyway.
She hauled me to some back area—staff-only warehouse or whatever—looked around, then finally sighed in relief.
"What the hell's this about?"
"Why are you so chill?!"
"Chill about what?"
"Well..."
She gulped, looking scared for some reason.
"L-Lilith's looking for you... You didn't know?"
Lilith's looking for me?
So what...
Oh.
"I dunno what you did, but if she catches you here, you're fucked! She even came to me, said contact her if I saw you...! P-Plus, rumors she's hitting up everyone else too... Anyway, you can't stay here...!"
"No."
Looks like Lilith stopped by Sati's place while hunting me down.
Sati didn't know our deal, so she thought I'd fucked up and was on the run from her.
Makes sense.
She'd gotten reamed by Lilith once before.
One of Lilith's hobbies was rounding up troublemakers for a "lesson."
As I pondered how to clear it up, Sati dug some crumpled bills from her pocket and shoved them at me.
"Payday's not till later, so this is all I got... Hide out with it for now. I'll come find you after work..."
Worn, crumpled cash—not even 50,000 won.
She pressed it into my hand, dead serious.
Misunderstanding or not, from her side, she thought I was fugitve from Lilith and was scraping her pockets to help me hide.
She'd been homeless recently, totally clueless about the world.
I looked at the cash in my hand and said,
"You can't even rent a room with this, you idiot."
She mumbled, all shrunk up,
"T-Too little...? But that's all I have right now..."
"Nah, I don't need it. It was never—"
Lilith wasn't out to kill me, and that mess was sorted anyway.
But explaining to Sati? Tricky.
Blunt truth: tell her Lilith's my mom, done. But even if she bought it, this world's got memory-readers or whatever.
Hell, I got jumped by some psycho just for being Lilith's son—couldn't drag Sati into that.
So.
"...It's really no big deal. Just my business, don't worry. I even texted you earlier—didn't see it?"
"You texted...? Phones are banned on shift..."
No phones at work?
Employee welfare's shit.
Switch marts?
Then—grrrrowl—a loud rumble from Sati's gut.
Couldn't miss it. I stared; she blushed and stammered,
"Th-This is... I haven't eaten yet, so don't stare like that...!"
"Hold up."
No paycheck yet, scraping crumbs for me.
She'd been street-wandering, jumping dispensers for meals till recently.
So I asked,
"You eating properly?"
"...They give lunch here? And sometimes... I snag expired samples... R-Really just sometimes, don't get it wrong... They give us discards too, so..."
"That's it?"
"......"
She hung her head.
No way...
Living like a total beggar.
Why so pitiful?
First impression: total bitch. Now this?
How'd I end up her "master" or whatever?
I sighed, shoved the cash back at her.
"Anyway, don't need this—take it back. Come on, follow me."
"Wh-Where?"
"Gonna feed you."
"Feed...? B-But I'm still on shift..."
She blushed.
I scowled.
"Not that feed, you perv."
Real food, dumbass.
I dragged her to the mart's tiny snack counter.
"What you want?"
Not much—just quick fillers, no real meals.
Couldn't take a worker out anyway.
"Uh... Then..."
She peeked at me, eyed the menu, hesitant.
"Jajangmyeon? That'll do..."
"You bitch."
I offer food, she picks the cheapest.
Out of her mind.
Clueless about life.
Normally, you'd shamelessly grab the priciest.
"Order here."
"Yeees~"
I ordered decent stuff for her; she said,
"This isn't too expensive...?"
"Nah, not really. Feel bad? Help me find some stuff later. You work here, you know."
Mandragora, century cuscuta—zero clue where.
Might not even stock 'em, but whatever.
Better than her thinking she's mooching.
"That? Yeah, I can help."
Food came quick.
Too much?
I'd ordered pissed at her bullshit.
"...Can eat it all? I already ate."
"...Kinda... a lot..."
Table full; she mumbled.
I repeated,
"All of it?"
"I'll eat..."
Sad puppy face.
She choked it all down, helped snag the mandragora and cuscuta.
Good end to it.