Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: The Cutest in the Universe
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The next morning.
I woke up to the light filtering through the curtains. In my half-asleep daze, I groped for my phone first to check the time—
"10 a.m...?"
Considering I usually rose before dawn, this was the first time in ages I'd slept so soundly.
It was probably because Sion had come over to our place yesterday, and we'd played some games together to celebrate.
"Even so, that's sleeping way too much."
10 a.m. felt excessive. Even back when I was traveling the world, I could count on one hand the times I'd slept in this late.
Or maybe not? Hard to say. Anyway.
We were supposed to go shopping for clothes today. This was a problem. Sure, it was for the afternoon, but there was so much to prepare.
I had to feed them breakfast, brush Levatein and Sion's hair, dress them neatly, drill in safety rules, apply sunscreen to prevent burns, pack emergency runes—
[Such a worrywart, nya.]
Quiet. I ignored the cat who'd woken up beside me. As I shot up to get ready,
A pattering of tiny footsteps from outside the door halted me. I had a pretty good guess who it was, so I waited with a smile.
I considered pretending to still be asleep but decided that was overkill, so I sat up instead.
It wasn't long before the door burst open, and a voice rang out.
[Daddy!!]
"Oppa!!"
Two voices today. As the door flew open, I spotted a tiny blonde head—and one slightly larger—
"Black hair?!"
My jaw dropped in shock, but Levatein charged at me before I could react. No time to brace myself.
Not that it mattered. My body instinctively scooped up her light frame, holding her perfectly steady without a wobble.
Levatein, equally accustomed, grinned and melted into my arms.
[Daddy!! Mommy says get up!!]
"Yeah. Got it."
Levatein was adorable this morning too, but that wasn't the point. Being awake already wasn't the issue either.
I simply couldn't process the scene before me, so I blinked at Levatein in my arms.
"S-Sion?"
"Yeah?"
"Wh-what's with your hair?"
And rightly so—Sion looked off. Sure, it was weird that she'd come to wake me but then hesitated at the door unlike Levatein.
But the real oddity was her hair. Yesterday, it had been sky blue with matching blue eyes.
Now, the twin-tailed girl before me had jet-black hair and black eyes.
What on earth had possessed her? As I stood there puzzled, a voice called from the living room.
"I told her to change her hair color before you woke up. It'll be better for going out~"
"R-Really?"
"Of course. Similar hair colors make it easier to pass her off no matter who we run into. Sion can be your cousin."
Hm. Solid logic. You never knew who we'd bump into. Not a bad idea at all. Impressed by the blonde's rare competence, I turned to Sion.
Under my stare, she fidgeted, clutching one of her twin tails.
"Is... it weird...?"
Weird? No way. A hatchling polymorphed into human form couldn't possibly look weird.
Was praise the right move here? I was used to lavishing it on Levatein, but saying it to someone else felt embarrassing.
Still, I couldn't hold back, so I grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Cute."
"R-Really??"
"Yeah."
"Hehe..."
Only then did Sion smile, relieved. Guess I'd have to make her feel this way as a given from now on.
As Levatein glanced between me and Sion, she puffed out her cheeks.
[Daddy! What about me?!]
"Levatein? Why would anything be up with you?"
[Me!!!]
What was this about all of a sudden? Was she fishing for compliments on her cuteness? Levatein was obviously cute. Just cute?
No.
The cutest in the universe.
"Levatein is the cutest in the universe."
At my words, an exclamation point popped up over her head. She buried her face in me, shouting, [I love Daddy!!] So cute.
"Seong-hoon~ What about me~~?"
The voice from afar didn't deserve a response, but I decided to humor her anyway.
"Your cuteness ranks below mine!!"
I barely dodged the game controller that flew my way after.
"Oppa."
"Yeah."
Brush, brush.
On the living room sofa amid the sound of brushing. Sion sat primly on my lap, letting me brush her hair.
She seemed pleased, constantly tilting her head this way and that, making it a bit tricky.
But I didn't complain. I just kept repositioning her head and brushing.
"I have no money. For clothes."
"Don't worry about pointless stuff. Just think about what outfits would look pretty on you. I'll buy them."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Think about what you want for lunch too."
"L-Lunch too?! You don't have to go that far..."
"Sion. It's polite to accept when offered. If it's a burden, pay me back later."
Kids are meant to receive. Paying back comes later. Maybe 500 times over by unlocking rares or something. I'd appreciate that.
"Uh, okay. Then... I wanna try a hamburger."
"Modest choice. Feel free to aim higher. We've got two pigs at home, so it's fine."
"Who's that? Not me, for sure. Is it Lil?!"
「No.」
[Not me either, nya.]
"Right? So who?"
You two. I ignored the pair of idiots glancing around dumbly and kept brushing Sion's hair.
"Seong-hoon. But do we even have that kind of money?"
"月初 pay came in."
"Spending it like that means we'll be eating grass again!!"
"I've never lived on grass alone?! And don't phrase it like that!! Makes me sound like an incompetent husband!!"
"Levatein. Your daddy is being so mean again. Telling us to eat grass."
Raphael looked down at Levatein in her arms, and the little one nodded.
[Daddy's mean.]
What the hell are you two? Seriously. We've never starved. Not once.
"It's because you two eat so damn much to begin with?!"
"Oh? I only eat angel portions."
[Me too, just cat portions, nya.]
Fine. I'll message Mikael right now. Ask which country's angels chow down like that.
As I grabbed my phone to contact Mikael, Sion burst out laughing with a 'pfft' from my lap.
I had no idea what was so funny and stared, but she kept giggling.
"I bet everything tastes delicious to me."
She spouted some nonsense.
"Then have some bread before the meal, Sion."
Honestly.
"Raphael. Hold tight to Sion so she doesn't get lost."
"Am I a kid?!"
"Sion's a kid, yes. And I'm a proper adult."
Truth be told, she was the least reliable. But with no other adults around, what choice did I have?
Both my hands were occupied holding Levatein. I could manage briefly, but not for long.
She'd wobble without two-handed support.
[Here we go!!]
Levatein, snug in my arms, thrust her arms up triumphantly. Yesterday she'd sulked silently all day.
One good night's sleep, and she was all smiles again.
Our girl would never cause trouble, as expected.
I patted her tolerant little head generously and walked on. It wasn't far.
We'd left the dorms in [Reaper Robes], so just a short stroll to the bustling streets.
I carried Levatein while Raphael held Sion's hand, and we proceeded side by side.
"Wow. Justitia only opened recently, and it's already this crowded."
"Right? This is Justitia for you."
"Why do you sound so proud, Seong-hoon?"
"If I'm not proud, who will be?"
"Hm. Is that so? Feels off..."
I ignored Raphael's head tilt and headed toward the growing crowd and commercial district.
It was packed. Probably because Justitia had been closed for so long. Even in vacation season, the numbers were impressive.
"What do people even come here to see?"
"Yeah. Maybe we're just used to it since we see it daily."
That made sense. I nodded at Raphael, who'd sidled up beside me.
"I'm curious about everything!!"
"You just worry about what clothes to get. My rec is a dress. Super practical."
"Let's match couple looks, Sion. White dress!!"
"White?! I like blue!! Specifically ocean blue!!"
"Plenty of options. Take your time."
"Okay!!"
Raphael pouted disappointingly. You already couple-match with Levatein.
What more do you want? Greed.
"More importantly, isn't the crowd insane?!"
We might lose someone. Sion had been gawking everywhere in fascination, so I meant to warn Raphael to be careful.
But before I could turn,
Something approached me.
A beaming blonde snatched one of my hands.
"What're you doing."
"I'll get lost."
"Then grab my clothes."
"Ehh? No way. What if I get lost holding on?! Right, Sion?"
"Huh? Yeah. Don't wanna get lost."
"See?"
Look at that. Using Sion as a shield now.
"If you get lost, I'll just take Sion and go."
"You're ditching me?!!"
"Obviously."
"Hmph."
What was that expression? Raphael, wearing a 'figures' look, took the lead and dragged me along.
Couldn't overpower the blonde gorilla, so I got pulled to the clothing store.
She glanced back. Parting the crowd like it was nothing, she grinned at me.
"You're so bad at lying to me!!"
A smile that said she knew everything.