Simple Pleasures (1)
Simple Pleasures (1)
"Just now..."
Baek Ha-na's dazed gaze drifted downward.
Before she could say anything to the pouting fairy, the creature—whose hair had grown all the way to its waist—parted its tiny lips.
-Mine!!
The clumsy, childlike voice rang loudly through the garden once more, and Baek Ha-na's eyes widened as she stared at the fairy.
Clap—!!
Baek Ha-na, who had been about to act toward the fairy, flinched at the sound of my clap and turned her head. Meeting her gaze, I addressed the other children—who were slowly turning to look at me as well—and Claire.
"Since you're done, wash up and get ready for lunch. Claire. You too."
Unlike Claire, who gave a faint nod, the children seemed to still be reeling from the sudden commotion. They simply stared at me with blank faces.
"Baek Ha-na."
"...Huh?"
Her eyes had been darting between me and the fairy on the ground, and only when I called her name did she fix those clear eyes on me.
"Stop standing around and go wash up."
"Ah, o-okay..."
"And."
"Huh?"
Baek Ha-na, who had been turning to rouse the others, stopped and looked back at me in confusion.
"I wasn't calling you."
"Ah..."
She scratched her head with an awkward look on her face.
I shook my head and reached out with my mana to snag the little troublemaker, who was, surprisingly, watching my reaction closely.
-Peep?!
It seemed she could now manage human speech, but in a sudden situation like this, her native fairy language still slipped out.
"Your hair really has grown."
-...
Normally, she would have thrown a fit, demanding to be let go, but instead she flew over and perched obediently on my hand.
"You're being a nuisance. Break it up and leave the garden."
With those final words, I shut the window.
·
·
·
After the group in the garden dispersed.
-Pii-um~
The little one I'd carried in sat on my desk, nibbling away at the Slime Queen's essence.
-Peep~ gimme more!!
"..."
She let out a tiny burp and stretched her little hands toward me.
It was an incredibly cheeky gesture, but I pulled another essence from the drawer and handed it to her.
-Thank you!
Having expressed her gratitude for the fourth time, she began cramming the black jelly back into her mouth.
'I don't get it.'
Aside from her hair growing longer, her body hadn't grown in the slightest. But her new ability to speak human language, and the vitality that had once flickered around her like a candle in the wind, told me that more time had passed for her than I'd originally calculated.
The problem was that she should have had barely a year left. Yet the change in her wasn't something that could be explained by a single year.
She had pulled forward more time than she had remaining, and still she continued to exist. That was exactly what I found puzzling.
-Peep~
Having devoured the fourth essence in an instant, she let out another burp.
"Need more?"
-I'm fine!
Wiping her tiny lips with the back of her even tinier hand, she stood up on the desk. Then she flew over and landed right on my palm without asking.
"What is it?"
-That thing.
Her small hand pointed at my glasses.
I thought she'd given up on them. Perhaps now that she'd matured a little, her interest had been rekindled.
"Go ahead. Take them if you want."
-No! Don't need 'em!!
She made a sulky face and tapped my palm with her little foot. It seemed she'd put some force into it, but I barely felt a tickle.
-Show me!!
"..."
She could speak now, but her vocabulary was so limited she couldn't properly express what she wanted to say. Even so, it wasn't hard to figure out what she meant with those few words.
'It wasn't the glasses she wanted. She wanted to see my eyes.'
I considered it for a moment, then pressed the cheek she was puffing out so rudely.
-Puu~
When I pushed one side, she puffed out the other cheek.
It was exactly the kind of thing Baek Ha-na used to do when she was younger. Children, it seems, end up mirroring each other no matter what.
"Later."
-Pii?
She tilted her head crookedly, then blinked and looked up at me. Even if her time had been accelerated, she was still just a young fairy.
"I'll show you when you've become useful."
-Useful?
She cocked her head to the side, and I gave a single nod.
"So."
-Pii?
I set her down on the desk and asked.
"How much time do you have left?"
A final flicker before the candle goes out.
That was exactly what this looked like.
**
"Professor..."
Claire opened the study door and stepped inside.
"...Preparations are complete."
She spoke while glancing at the fairy seated in front of me.
"You must have felt self-conscious, coming an hour earlier than usual."
Or perhaps it was because the creature who always came in with her wasn't there this time.
I used my mana to scoop up the fairy, who had been sitting with her back to Claire, and turned her around.
"You have something to say."
-...
She'd been slumped on the desk, and now she hesitantly raised her head to look at Claire.
-I... I'm...
"...?"
She closed her mouth for a moment, fiddled with her fingers, and then her tiny lips parted again.
-I-I'm sowwy...
"...!!"
Claire's eyes widened. It was a reaction anyone would recognize as pure shock.
"Claire."
"...Ah!"
At the sound of her name, she let out a short gasp and collected herself.
"Ah, I... No, it's nothing. It's fine... Yes..."
-Weally...?
"...Yes. Truly, it's alright."
A faint smile bloomed at the corner of Claire's mouth. Only then did the gloomy energy around the fairy lift, replaced by a bright, cheerful aura.
-Yay~!
"Ah..."
As the fairy pressed herself against Claire's cheek, Claire fidgeted with her hands, unsure of what to do.
I watched the two of them for a moment, then slowly rose from my seat.
"Let's go."
"Ah, y-yes..."
"And you, don't overdo it."
-Peep?!
I used my mana to pick her up and drop her into the pocket of Claire's apron.
Having tidied things up, I left the study with Claire.
-Choccy!!
The moment she spotted the dining table, the fairy—who had been sitting quietly in Claire's apron pocket—spread her wings and flew straight to it. She landed in the snack basket, essentially her designated seat, and made herself comfortable.
"Baek Ha-na."
"Uh, yeah?"
Ha-na flinched. She'd been stealing glances at the fairy while trying to gauge my mood. I flicked my fingers lightly toward the row of frozen children.
Whoosh.
"Whoa?"
"Eh, uh...?"
"Ooooh~"
"Heehee!"
All I'd done was dry their damp hair with a gust of wind, but the reactions were wonderfully diverse.
"I believe I told you to dry your hair properly before coming out."
"Hee, heehee..."
I shook my head and took my seat.
Claire placed a stew in front of the children, one with a slightly different hue than usual. Since her skill with other dishes stubbornly refused to improve, she'd taken to making small variations to her most confident recipe.
"Eat up."
Only after I raised my spoon did the children begin to eat.
Normally, this was a lively time filled with light chatter and playful antics with the fairy. But today, likely because of what Claire had done in the garden, everyone kept their mouths shut and focused solely on their meal.
"Idni, Lee Na-young."
"Y-yes?!"
"Yes...?"
As the children were getting up from the table after the meal, the two I had called by name flinched and turned around.
"I have something to discuss. Sit down for a moment."
"Ah, understood!!"
"...Y-yes."
"And Baek Ha-na."
I launched the fairy—who had been sneaking glances at me from inside the basket—toward Ha-na.
-Piiit?!
"Whoa!!"
Baek Ha-na caught the fairy in both hands, eyes wide with surprise.
"Take her and go play."
"Ah, o-okay..."
Baek Ha-na left the kitchen with Maria, the fairy's eyes still spinning in circles.
I turned to the two girls, who were sitting rigid with tension.
"You don't need to answer. Just listen."
I used my mana to lift the pouch tied at Idni's waist onto the table.
"The fairy gave it to you, so what you do with it is your choice. Turning it into a potion like this isn't any great problem, either."
I set the pouch back down on Idni's lap.
"However, you must absolutely never give the result back to the fairy. If you understand, nod once."
The two girls swallowed and nodded.
There was no need to explain why, so I simply nodded back.
"That's all. You may go now."
"Th-that then."
"P-please excuse us..."
They bowed their heads to me and hurried out of the kitchen.
"Claire."
"...Yes."
She had been standing a short distance away and now approached my side.
"If you have something to say, go and say it."
"N-no..."
She shook her head.
"...She's a smart child. She'll piece together what you just said with how I acted earlier today."
"She might."
Since Claire said she was fine, I didn't press further. Instead.
"Then at least take her a snack for her room."
"A snack, sir...?"
"If you'd rather not, I wouldn't mind having tea with you in the study."
"Th-that's..."
She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and turned toward the cupboard.
"...That child often seeks out sweets, so I shall bring her something."
"Do that."
Leaving Claire to pull a chocolate from the cupboard, I made my way back to the study.
**
Silence settled over the study.
I leaned back in the sun-warmed chair and pulled out my smartphone. Opening the contacts, I tapped the third name on the list.
-Yes, Professor. I've answered your call.
Kim Seong-won's voice came through the small speaker before the second ring.
"That task I told you to finish by next spring."
-Ah, you're referring to the list of those who experienced sudden growth or became scholarship students.
"Finish it by the end of this month."
-...Excuse me?
His voice was thick with bewilderment.
"If it's too difficult, you can say so. But there are plenty of others who can handle the work."
-Ah, n-no, not at all!! Ha, haha!! Th-this month!! Yes!! It's certainly doable!! All I have to do is pull some names from a list, what's so hard about that?!
"This month. I'll trust you on that."
-Ha, haha... you can count on me, Kim Seong-won—
I ended the call, cutting off his trembling voice.
Honestly, pulling the deadline forward by eight months would definitely reduce the accuracy compared to the original plan. But I'd already found something better to supplement it, so that wouldn't be much of a problem.
Smoothly.
I opened the desk's third drawer. The 'Scale of Sacrifice' lay flat at the bottom, emitting a faint golden glow. I traced the mysterious energy emanating from it for a moment, then used my mana to reseal the drawer.
"...It's going to be an unforgettable summer."
For everyone tied to her by fate.
This summer would be a special time.