Hot Water Bliss and Heartwarming Proof
Just imagining hot water gushing out endlessly made my tail swish back and forth. I wanted to shower in unlimited warm water too. But this wasn't my home. I absolutely couldn't afford to waste anything.
"Levi Nas."
I called her in a firmer tone than usual. Sensing something off, she glanced at me warily, her body still dripping wet.
"Why call Levi Nas?"
"Even if hot water comes gushing out, you can't use it carelessly."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. You only splash a bit of warm water when the cold starts making you feel like you'll freeze to death."
Hot water was incredibly precious compared to cold water, after all. This had to be right. I looked up at Han Yeoreum for confirmation, but she just gave an awkward hehe smile.
"Gyeowol, you can use hot water freely in the guild."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. The guild building uses mana stones for heating, so it's super efficient."
How efficient could mana stone heating be? I'd never tried it, so I had no idea. I just clamped my mouth shut.
"Then Levi Nas will wash for a hundred hours in hot water!"
Levi Nas dashed back into the shower. Her soaked body left puddles all over the fancy marble floor.
"Gasp."
Dirtied such expensive marble... I hurriedly crouched and rubbed at the floor with my palms. But my hands couldn't absorb the water—they just spread it around more.
"Gyeowol, I'll handle that for you."
"It's fine. I'm the guest here."
Maybe I could wipe it with my tail? I twisted my body for better reach and rubbed the floor with my gripped tail.
"Gy-Gyeowol! It's experience day today! Let me clean up after you today!"
"Clean up after me...?"
"Yeah! I'll handle all the dirty work...!"
Han Yeoreum wiped the floor with a dry rag she'd pulled from somewhere. It soaked up water just as well as my tail.
"Uh... then should we do it together?"
"N-No, it hurts my heart to see you do it."
"...?"
Cleaning the floor hurts her heart? It's something anyone would do. The rich-people mindset sparked some resentment in me—until I noticed her gaze fixed on my tail.
"You don't have to clean the floor with your body..."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, my tail was part of my body. Wiping the floor with it did feel kinda weird.
"Let's just learn about the house conveniences today. Sound good?"
"Um... sure?"
"Yeah. What did you want to do first if you got your own house, Gyeowol?"
Things I wanted to try. Nothing came to mind. I racked my brain just in case, but still nothing.
"Nothing."
"Nothing...?"
"Yeah. I don't have anything I want to do."
I could already do everything I wanted in my container house. Plant crops, pick up empty bottles, scavenge discarded furniture. A better house wouldn't suddenly create new desires. Honestly, I couldn't even imagine what to do in a big place like this.
"I-I see..."
Han Yeoreum crouched on the floor with a dazed look. Head bowed as she wiped, she somehow seemed pitiful.
"Um..."
I shouldn't have said that. Better help after all. I pulled a spare outfit from my pocket—meant for changing, but it'd make a good rag.
Han Yeoreum wiped the floor in a daze. Her mechanical hands kept rubbing an already clean spot.
'Nothing she wants to do.'
A kid her age should be losing sleep over too many desires, yet she had none. How was she supposed to process that?
It was shocking, but Han Yeoreum managed some calm. She understood why Gyeowol didn't crave life.
'No desires, so no reason to live.'
Then just expose her to the world's endless fun things until she found some. Simple.
As Yeoreum clenched her fist with resolve, Gyeowol poked the back of her hand.
"Don't wring out the water here."
"Ah... yeah."
She'd gripped the rag too hard without realizing. Yeoreum scratched her cheek sheepishly.
Gyeowol watched her and thought to herself: Rich people really don't know how to do housework properly.
Feeling refreshed after a rare hot shower, I stepped out of the bathroom. Looking around for the others, I spotted Levi Nas and Sophia plastered to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. For some reason, their heels were lifted off the ground—though they didn't need to.
"Sophia, what're you doing?"
"Just looking outside."
"Aha."
With nothing else to do, I joined them at the glass, peering down. Naturally, my heels lifted too. My tail stretched straight up like Sophia's.
'Ah.'
It was automatic. Maybe the beastkin sense of balance kicked in instinctively to prevent falls from heights.
"It's high."
People looked like ants. I absentmindedly poked at passersby on the pristine window, leaving fingerprints.
"Levi Nas first time in such high place!"
"Even for me, a height like this is new..."
Levi Nas aside, even Sophia? As I turned in surprise—
Click.
The camera shutter sound from behind made us all whip around.
"...You took a picture."
"Yes. It was such a heartwarming scene..."
"Heartwarming?"
I approached Han Yeoreum to see the photo. And discovered something shocking.
'When my tail goes up, my shirt rides up and my whole back shows!'
No wonder I sometimes felt chilly. The shirt hiking up was why. I reached back to fiddle with my back and tail. Sophia leaned in to see the photo too.
"I do look childish like this."
"Looking young is a good thing. Every woman in the world wants it."
"Hmm..."
Sophia's face flushed slightly—maybe pleased by the compliment.
"You take good photos."
Three young-looking beastkin stuck to the glass, gazing down. To a stranger, it'd seem cute and wholesome. Except one was from an enemy faction and two were adults.
"Yeah. I have a favor to ask, since Sophia's here."
She used polite speech because of Sophia, but her eyes were on all three of us.
"A favor?"
"Yes. Can I post this on my personal SNS?"
A photo on the internet in the camera age? Whatever. Our faces weren't clear anyway.
"I'm fine with it."
"No issue for me either, though it seems you have a reason."
Han Yeoreum hehe'd at Sophia's question. She scratched her head and spoke cautiously.
"The guild's been getting a lot of flak lately. People saying we're neglecting beastkin kids in the park..."
"You want to show we're living well together."
"Yes. Hehe."
Did using us bother her? She avoided my gaze.
"Post away. A guild helping out shouldn't get hate."
"Really okay? Even with the radicals..."
"They already know you're here. Yeomyeong Guild's vigilance keeps them from acting rashly."
"Ah, the guild's..."
Sophia's enemies feared Yeomyeong Guild. Han Yeoreum, learning this too, nodded and tapped her smartphone.
Han Yeoreum checked the comments, sighed in relief, and crouched beside me. She looked like she'd shed a huge weight.
"Phew, good."
"Was it that bad?"
"Yeah. Lots of talk lately."
"...Then I'll let the 'kid' comment slide."
Thank you for understanding. With that polite reply, Han Yeoreum turned to me.
"Gyeowol, I have one more favor to ask you."
"A favor...?"
"Yeah. This is an official guild request for you."
Yeomyeong Guild requesting me directly? What could I even do? Surprised, I widened my eyes and looked up at her.
"I want to post photos you took on my SNS."
"My photos?"
"Yeah. No need for faces—yours or anyone else's. Just pond pics, tomato shots, stuff like that. You take them and I post."
Aha. The police suspected why kids lived outside before. Regular folks probably thought the same.
No reason to refuse her request. I wasn't sure if I'd take good photos, though.