Gradually Becoming Famous
"Wh-what's going on...?"
Just moments ago, her archery skills had been pinpoint accurate. So why couldn't she hit even a single can right in front of her?
Staring blankly at the collapsed tent in her bewilderment, Sophia approached with her cane tapping the ground.
"It seems your mana didn't flow."
"Mana? Why wouldn't it move all of a sudden?"
"...It's because you're not as tense as when you're hunting monsters."
"Ah..."
When facing monsters or in crisis situations, her vision and hearing sharpened unnaturally. Maybe her mana instinctively activated only when she was in danger. Now, with a safe target, it wasn't responding.
"Try shooting with the tension of facing a monster."
"Got it. But first, I need to clean this up."
"Mm... I suppose so."
She moved toward the scattered glass shards. One piece at a time. Her smaller hands worked diligently to pick them up. Glass bottles worth 120 won each, shattered like this. All together, that was over 500 won.
Tch. Her tail slapped the ground in frustration all on its own.
That's when someone called her name from afar.
"Gyeowol! Sis brought back money from selling the magic stones!"
"Yesss!"
Turning her head, she saw Han Yeoreum waving from a distance, a thick wad of bills in her hand. The guild bought magic stones, and since Yeoreum was a member, the process had been quick.
"Gyeowol... Huh? What happened to the tent?"
"Um, I was practicing archery and accidentally broke it..."
"I see...?"
Yeoreum scratched her cheek and crouched near the glass shards. Unfazed by the sharp pieces, she swept them up with both hands effortlessly.
"I-I'll do it...!"
She couldn't let someone else clean up her mess. She hurriedly crouched in front of Yeoreum, but Yeoreum gently pushed her back, blocking her approach.
"I'll handle this. You've got plenty of other stuff to do, Gyeowol."
"B-but..."
"It's fine. Sis just wants to finish quick so we can play together."
Her mouth clamped shut at Yeoreum's gentle demeanor. From teaching her how to hunt monsters in the dungeon to helping clean up glass now—Yeoreum just seemed like a kind person, no matter how you looked at it.
Is she really a good person?
It was frustrating, her suspicions lingering on the edge of resolution. She wished Yeoreum would just tell her everything. Something felt off, but as Yeoreum said, there was too much to do right now. She'd finish her tasks first.
"Sophia, come azalea-picking with me."
"Azaleas?"
"Yeah. I saw a bunch blooming over there."
"Hm..."
Sophia blinked blankly before standing. Gyeowol was thrilled—not to have to pick alone. No, extremely thrilled.
One lesson from her impoverished life: useful items often lay discarded like trash more often than you'd think.
Heading to a recycling bin in one corner of the park to scavenge materials for tent repairs, she couldn't find a tarp, but she did snag a few empty bottles.
"These have cigarette butts inside..."
"Yeah, but if you wash them well, you can sell them no problem."
"Oh ho..."
Thud-thud. Tapping the bottle's mouth against the ground dislodged the butts. Dirty work, but she picked them out, tossed them in the trash, and kept the empties separate.
"Just rinse a few times with water like this."
"You're quite thrifty."
Sophia hugged the empty bottles Gyeowol handed her. Leading her to nearby bushes, Gyeowol thought: Today, I have to fix the tent too.
With all this money, maybe I can even buy some waterproof tape properly?
The thought of patching the tent's hole herself made her heart pound with ecstasy. She stopped under a tree blooming with azaleas.
"Let's pick a bunch."
She demonstrated for Sophia, plucking petals carefully to avoid tearing them—that was the trick.
"Such nimble fingers."
"Yeah. Sophia..."
Join me. Before she could say it, footsteps approached from behind—five sets, by the sound.
Thud-thud.
Whirling around urgently, she spotted a group of young adults, men and women.
Not adventurers... just college kids out for fun?
Were they here for the azaleas? Or did they want something from her and Sophia? Uneasy, she stepped back instinctively.
"Hi?"
The woman at the front waved at her and Sophia. Unsure of their intent, Gyeowol just stared up silently.
"Hey, don't approach so suddenly—you'll scare the kids."
"R-really...?"
"Who're you calling kids..."
Sophia muttered in annoyance, and the woman scratched the back of her head with an apologetic laugh. It didn't seem malicious, but Gyeowol wasn't naive enough to trust appearances.
They definitely had an agenda.
"Sorry, we just wanted to share some snacks."
"Snacks?"
"Yeah. We brought way too much for our outing with friends."
She offered a basket. A delicious aroma wafted out, but Gyeowol had no intention of taking it.
"N-no thanks. We have snacks too."
She held out the freshly picked azalea petals toward them. Pretty pink blossoms, yet their faces paled as they stared.
"R-right? What do we do with all this...? Throw it out...?"
The woman cleared her throat awkwardly and opened the basket. Sandwiches, drinks, snacks inside.
"......"
That would be such a waste. At a loss, Gyeowol glanced at Sophia's profile.
"...No poison, I see."
Sophia frowned, eyeing her and the students alternately. She seemed to want to say something but held back.
"Wh-why would we poison it?"
"We're just giving it 'cause the sisters are so cute."
"Sisters...?"
Sophia was a shark, Gyeowol a cat—where did "sisters" come from? As suspicion peaked and she grabbed Sophia's arm to flee—
Sophia reached for the basket first.
"In that case, we'll gladly accept your kindness."
"Ah...!"
Just like that? The sharp Sophia, without a hint of doubt? Shocked, Gyeowol's eyes widened as she stared.
"Don't worry so much. I think I know why they're being kind."
"St-still...!"
Even innocent goodwill—accepting free stuff grated on her pride. Her eyes darted, then she offered azaleas to them.
"H-here..."
"Whoa, for us?"
"Y-yeah... I haven't picked many yet—want more...?"
"No! This is plenty! Right?"
The woman picked one up and stuffed it into the nodding guy's mouth beside her.
Ah.
Raw azaleas are super bitter and sour. Worried, but he chewed away happily.
"Thanks. We'll enjoy these too."
"Y-yeah..."
Not many petals, but the trade succeeded. Sighing in relief, she waved as the students left.
She never did figure out why they'd been kind.
"Ah, those kids are seriously cute."
"Yeah."
Jung Chae-ah gazed at the azalea in her hand. She'd offered snacks out of pity for the trash-picking beastkin kids, only to get flowers in return. Their kindness was endearing, yet heartbreaking.
"Why're beastkin kids scavenging trash here?"
"Dunno? Lots of beastkin around lately—maybe related?"
Why were such young beastkin kids homeless in the park? And why was Yeomyeong Guild letting it slide? It wasn't like them to neglect kids. Maybe beastkin had their reasons.
...Still better than ignoring them.
Chae-ah knew she was being nosy, but she decided to do something for the kids anyway.
Click!
Pulling out her smartphone, she snapped a photo of the gifted azalea and posted a short caption on her personal SNS.
She'd avoided provocative words like "beastkin" or "homeless." Chae-ah wanted her followers to picture the kids naturally on their own.
[Yeomyeong Park's pretty, right~]
[Kids have such kind hearts.]
[Recent beastkin kids camping there?]
Natural interest lasted longer than sensationalism. Sensationalism would draw harmful crowds. A truth Chae-ah, an influencer with years on SNS, had learned well.
If things go well, great. If not...
Would Yeomyeong Guild really abandon the kid then? Chae-ah stared blankly at the guild building.