Don't Leave It Out (1)
Don't Leave It Out (1)
The seventh morning in my new body felt far from refreshing.
"Your sleeping habits are...."
A fluffy white bundle was sprawled across my chest.
Maybe she'd gotten hungry during the night, because she was mouthing at the collar of my shirt, gnawing gently at it. As a result, my chest was thoroughly soaked with her drool.
I didn't mind the little creature perched on me—she was practically weightless. But that clammy feeling the moment I woke up was more than enough to sour my mood.
'Well... that's about it.'
Literally, that was all there was to it. I didn't feel the slightest bit of anger or the urge to scold her.
What little irritation I'd felt evaporated the instant I saw her tiny cheeks twitching.
"How you even got up here is beyond me."
She'd been lying quietly beside me before I fell asleep. Yet when I opened my eyes, there she was, sprawled on top of me.
This wasn't just bad sleeping posture—it was a level of movement that made me wonder about sleepwalking. Looked like I'd need to keep an eye on her tonight.
Thinking that, I wrapped both hands around her small waist to peel her off.
"Schrrrp...?"
Maybe her senses were sharper than I thought. The moment my hands touched her waist, she sucked back the drool dribbling from her mouth and lifted her head. Then she stared up at me through bleary eyes.
"Sleep more."
I laid her down beside me and sat up. But then—
Pop—
"...."
"...."
Still dazed, she sat right up along with me.
Her eyelids were so heavy she didn't know what to do with herself, head bobbing. I pushed her forehead back down to the mattress. And then—
Pop—
As if possessed by a roly-poly toy, she sat straight back up and stared at me with sleepy eyes.
'What in the world do you even want...?'
Waging a pointless staring contest with her, I could only let out a small sigh.
'This is a battle I can never win.'
This body. I. In front of this small creature. In front of the girl called Baek Ha-na, I relent without restraint.
Having finally admitted defeat, I scooped her into my arms and got out of bed.
I passed through the study connected to the bedroom and into the hallway. The air in the hallway, just like the bedroom, was thoroughly warm.
This house, a product of multiple complex enchantments, maintained a pleasant temperature regardless of the environment. No need to worry about trivial things like catching a cold.
I'd been heading to the kitchen for a moment, but then I called out to her as she dozed against my chest, forehead buried there.
"Baek Ha-na."
"Sseup... H-Ha, Ha-na... mm...."
From the looks of it, if I gave her cereal, she'd nod off and plant her face straight into the bowl a hundred times out of a hundred.
A brief moment of deliberation.
I changed course, heading for the bathroom instead of the kitchen.
'The priestess did a good job looking after the kids.'
**
Temples don't fling open their doors early in the morning.
After all, clergy members are human too—they need to sleep, eat, and have time to themselves.
This is even more pronounced during certain periods when worshippers don't visit. Some places won't open their doors until well past noon.
But closed doors don't mean the clergy inside are idle. Even with the doors shut, they are busy preparing for the day ahead.
"Maintain silence regarding the underground auction."
"Yes, Executor."
"Make sure we get the exact date for the Ring Scramble by the day after tomorrow."
"I will have the planning office's answer today."
The Temple of the God of Amusement. Arena Academy Branch.
Holy knights and priests gathered for a meal together at the largest altar. And seated at the head of the table, scanning documents while issuing instructions to the others, was Claire.
She'd just lowered her documents and was lifting a spoonful of cereal from her bowl when it happened.
Creeeak—
The temple doors she'd shut tight swung open.
The gazes of all the priests and holy knights turned that way naturally. And Claire, who was facing the door—
"Pfft—!!"
—promptly spat the mouthful of cereal back into her bowl with great gusto. Then she hurriedly wiped her mouth with her sleeve as she rose from her seat.
"He's my guest. Finish your meals."
Yet everyone's eyes remained fixed on the open door. No one could blame them.
A man with unkempt black hair, wearing opaque glasses that covered half his face. Up to that point, nothing unusual.
What seized Claire's attention—and everyone else's—
'A kangaroo....'
The man's chest, radiating that heavy aura. The front of his tightly fastened coat, swollen outward. Dangling there like an ornament was a fluffy white cotton-ball. No—the head of a small child.
A little girl dozing in the arms of a man whose presence was curiously weighty and hard to approach. And then there was the man's hand, gently cradling the girl's chin to keep it steady.
The sight scratched an itch deep in Claire's tastes. She forcibly pulled down the corners of her mouth, which kept trying to curl upward, and approached him.
"I will escort you to my quarters."
"Before that, I'd like to get some proper clothes on this one."
"I'll have it seen to. Lee Ye-sol."
"Yes, Executor."
"Bring the items prepared yesterday to my quarters."
"Yes."
"Please, follow me."
Claire guided the man to her room.
She'd just finished preparing the documents required for guardianship when the priestess Lee Ye-sol entered Claire's quarters—dragging a mobile clothing rack laden with little girls' garments.
The man lifted the drowsy child from his arms and held her out to Priestess Lee Ye-sol.
"Make sure she's warm enough."
"Yes."
Lee Ye-sol had been briefed to some degree about this man. The moment his hand withdrew, she received the child—who promptly began drooling—and quietly moved behind the rack.
Shff—
The rustling sound of thin fabrics brushing against each other began to fill the room.
"Once you've got her dressed, take her out and give her some breakfast as well."
"We will."
Claire answered for Ye-sol. She placed the documents she'd prepared onto the table and asked the man a confirming question.
"Will 'guardian' suffice for your relationship with the child?"
"Yes."
"Understood. Our side will handle all necessary paperwork and procedures. I need only the name of the person becoming the guardian and the child's name."
The man nodded.
"Baek Woo-jin."
"Baek Woo-jin...."
"That little one is Baek Ha-na."
—Mmnn...?
A brief, adorable voice chirped from behind the clothing rack before fading away.
Claire wrote the man's name—Baek Woo-jin—and the child's—Baek Ha-na—onto the documents and sealed them inside an envelope.
The temple could easily fabricate an identity for the child. And for the man's personal details, she would request them from the academy using the name she'd just learned and his ring. Just hearing his name here was enough.
"And one more thing."
Claire lifted her head.
"Just bring one priestess or holy knight. A vehicle as well, if possible."
"...What business requires it?"
"I have things to buy."
"...If it won't take long, I will accompany you personally."
"You?"
"Yes. I happen to be free at the moment."
"I won't refuse."
**
[G-Mart]
Pushing her perception-inhibiting glasses up her nose, Claire discreetly studied the man standing beside her: Baek Woo-jin.
"Woo-jin!! What's that?"
"Cosmetics."
"What's cosmetics?"
"Something you don't need to know about."
"Why?"
"Children don't need it."
Baek Ha-na wore a dress with fluffy white fur trim. She was perched on Baek Woo-jin's shoulders, and he answered every single one of her chattering, endless questions.
'...Is this man truly the Disaster?'
The three of them walked toward the checkout counter, their cart piled high with goods.
Initially, the plan had been to visit a high-end department store for Awakened. But Baek Woo-jin had insisted on the nearest mart to the academy, arguing that she'd develop bad habits otherwise.
And then he'd bought nothing but supplies for the child and had every single food item touted as healthy delivered straight to the temple of the God of Amusement at the academy.
Aside from his curt answers and the aura he gave off, in Claire's eyes, he was the very picture of a doting father wrapped around his daughter's finger.
The three of them were waiting their turn at the checkout when it happened.
—Wow... look at how tall that guy is.
—Oh my gosh. The kid is so cute.
—She looks like a winter fairy.
—Sseup... I feel like I've seen that woman somewhere.
The voices of passersby behind and ahead of them pricked at Claire's ears. She flinched at a particular word and glanced, unnecessarily, at Baek Woo-jin beside her.
"What's that?"
"Chocolate. It's food."
"Food!!"
"...Only for Ha-na."
But Baek Woo-jin paid absolutely no attention to his surroundings, wholly focused on Baek Ha-na. While at it, he tossed a chocolate bar advertising its calcium content into the cart.
"Oh my~ you must have just moved here. Your daughter looks exactly like her mother."
The middle-aged female cashier smiled warmly as she moved the items along.
"Woo-jin. Is Claire mommy?"
"No."
At that resolute answer, the cashier's body stiffened for a moment. But she immediately resumed moving the items as if nothing had happened.
"What's 'looks like' mean?"
At Baek Ha-na's question, Baek Woo-jin picked up two cereal boxes from the cart, one with a lion and one with a tiger on it.
"It means you look similar to each other, like these two."
"Ah-ha. So do Claire and I look alike?"
"...."
Baek Woo-jin didn't answer right away. Despite knowing this situation—this question—was utterly meaningless, Claire found herself inexplicably on edge. Finally, Baek Woo-jin's closed lips parted.
"If you grow up... I suppose you might resemble her a bit, in being a beauty."
"What's a beauty?"
Baek Woo-jin placed the cereal on the counter and pointed his free hand at Claire.
"Is Claire a beauty?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I see."
The conversation ended there.
"That'll be 795,000 won~ hoho."
Baek Woo-jin extended his ringed hand toward the cashier. The cashier blinked for a moment, then spotted the Black Ring on his index finger and her eyes went round.
"Oh my, you're a professor at Arena Academy."
The cashier chuckled and brought the card reader close to the ring. And then—
"...Huh?"
A look of bewilderment clouded the cashier's face as she glanced at Baek Woo-jin and cautiously spoke up.
"U-um, Professor? It's saying the balance is insufficient...."
In that moment. It was truly only a fraction of a second, but Claire saw it. The muscles beneath Baek Woo-jin's cheeks twitched.
"Woo-jin. Are we beggars...?"
Somehow, despite everything else she was clueless about, Baek Ha-na knew the word 'beggar' and asked him about it.
Crrrunch—
A chilling sound, the sort that raises goosebumps all over your body, leaked from Baek Woo-jin's tightly shut mouth.
Snapping to her senses at that, Claire hurriedly pressed close to his side. She pulled a card from her robes.
"Woo-jin... sir. Allow me to pay."
A splendid platinum card.
"Please, run it on this."
"Ah, uh, y-yes."
The cashier stared blankly at the platinum card for a moment before scanning it with the reader.
"H-Here you are."
"Thank you. Woo-jin... sir. Let's go."
Claire swiftly transferred the items back into the cart.
Baek Woo-jin stared down at his ring for a brief moment, then began walking after Claire.
On the escalator heading down to the parking lot.
Baek Ha-na must have noticed that Baek Woo-jin was in a foul mood, because she kept her mouth firmly shut, just rolling her eyes around to take in the surroundings.
After loading all the items into the car and seating Baek Ha-na in the back, Baek Woo-jin climbed into the passenger seat.
"Right then. To the academy—"
"Finance Department."
Baek Woo-jin's tightly closed lips finally parted.
"Head to the Finance Department."
"...Yes."