Fifteen Thousand Years
Those lunatics.
The world had split back into classes, and noble houses had begun appearing all across the globe. Things that should only have existed in the medieval past came back to life as if by some unspoken promise — a phenomenon centered on ranks, where crossing to the next tier cost sums of money better suited to astronomy.
...Not that I really understood any of it.
Be that as it may, if you asked which houses were the most famous, the answer had to be Britain's Cavendish and Cecil families. Fitting for the one nation that had clung to its class system to the very end — Britain had preempted the current trend and ridden it to the front.
Beyond them, there were the Walter and Gettyford families of America, the Weirui and Taochang families of China, Japan's Shimizu family, and so on. House after house sprang up in quick succession.
And while not quite their equals, a handful of powerful families existed in Korea as well. For example, the one said to take in anyone of mixed American blood...
"The Douglas Kims? Isn't that an S-rank house? I don't think I'm someone who belongs there."
When I voiced my doubts, Lee Chang-jin smiled faintly.
"You're mixed heritage, aren't you. Besides, the head of the family and I have a personal connection. I already gave him a call."
"Ah..."
Wow. This old man is something else.
However much the times had changed, the world was still one where the well-connected ran the show — the so-called 'league of their own.' And yet a B-rank hunter was on speaking terms with an S-rank family? You'd have trouble even meeting one on the same raid team, let alone anything else.
'And on top of that, they're close enough to grant favors...'
"Wh-why are you being this kind to me?"
"Hm? Kind? No, no. It's just, if a familiar face goes off somewhere and lives badly, that would weigh on me. What's good for you is good for me, right?"
"..."
Uncharacteristically chatty, aren't we.
That was a lie. Or at best, a careful blend of truth and falsehood.
I had a maxim (?) I'd always turned over in my mind through both my lives: nothing in this world comes free.
At this point, he was surely angling for something... and yet this old man didn't seem the type to waste effort on pointless schemes.
'...Could the problem be me?'
Letting the corner of my mouth curl up ever so slightly, I tested the waters.
"...I wouldn't end up living under some enormous power, unable to even breathe freely, would I?"
Freeze—
Lee Chang-jin's arm stopped mid-motion, teacup halfway to his lips. Then he turned his gaze toward me and blinked.
'So I was right.'
The past few days had been a relentless battle of reading each other's eyes. He'd summoned me under the pretext of 'psychological counseling,' but... gradually, I'd come to grasp his true intent.
Namely: I haven't earned his trust yet.
To be fair, it would be a headache from his position. If I went off somewhere and caused a catastrophe, he'd be the one answering for it. It had been years since the Gates opened — surely he of all people wouldn't make the mistake of judging a person by appearances alone.
'This man doesn't let go of his suspicions.'
I decided to call an end to this pointless staring contest.
"Mister."
"...Hm?"
"That whole thing where you comforted me on my first day — that flustered act. That was acting, wasn't it?"
Lee Chang-jin let out a dry chuckle.
"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"
"You may know interrogations, Mister, but acting is not your forte. It's obvious. You're still breaking your back trying to figure me out."
"...You're one hell of a little thing, hahahaha!!"
Lee Chang-jin laughed as if genuinely amused. Honestly, I'd expected him to be a bit more rattled, but he simply lowered his eyes with a composed expression — then began tapping the table. Tap, tap.
"Hmm..."
"Mister?"
Tap. His finger stopped. Then, quietly, he murmured:
"Acting, is it... Right. Turns out I'm not the only one who can't do it."
"...!"
I knew it. We were marking each other's names in the Death Note of death!
Shooting him a glare, I held up the paper with the list written on it.
"So these are all your plants! Private investigators, every last one!"
Whack!
"Ow!"
"'Your' is how you'd talk to a friend, not an elder. And you're dead wrong, kiddo. Do I look like the owner of a detective agency? I know all those people personally."
'Grrr... he hits way too hard. Is he taking out his frustration over the past few days going nowhere?'
Rubbing the top of my freshly battered head, I parted my lips.
"Th-then what about this one..."
"Hah— only the Douglas Kim offer is real. Think about it — any ordinary girl would have her eyes glaze over and pick it without a second thought."
"...I suppose that tracks."
"See? You get it. But then what are you, huh? What exactly are you, that a kid your age has freakishly sharp instincts and resists bait like this?"
As he spoke, Lee Chang-jin rubbed his forehead. The very picture of a man with a splitting headache.
'Honestly, I was tempted too.'
Big and impressive aside, who wouldn't want even a glimpse of that world? I'd have liked to exchange a word or two with famous people myself.
But when you live in this world, the rule is caution, and then more caution.
I broke into a rotten grin, the kind that carried nothing but mockery.
"You should've figured out I wasn't ordinary when you lost to me at chess, you dull old relic."
Whack!
"Ow! Seriously!"
"Discipline must be enforced. Anyway — what'll it be? Are you going, or not?"
...
"What happens if I don't go?"
"Then I'm the one who suffers. If you stay here, I have to keep burning time on you like this, and if you go off to some ordinary household, I have to assign people to keep watch on you."
"...Couldn't you just shrug it off and send me on my way? Why be so pointlessly obsessive about it?"
I let a note of complaint slip into my voice. In life, taking the middle road made things easier on everyone — why choose the long way around?
In response, he laced his fingers together, rested his chin on them, and studied me.
"You. I want the honest truth on just this one thing."
"On what?"
"...How old are you? Your word choices are plausible enough, but your whole vibe, your whole way of thinking — there is no way that belongs to an elementary or middle school girl."
"......."
In that moment, for no reason I could name, a certain number surfaced in my mind. A feeling both familiar and distant swelled up from somewhere deep in my chest, climbing toward the tip of my tongue —
Thud—
—and I shoved it back down.
"Fifteen thousand years..."
"...What?"
"...Huh?"
Wait, what was that just now?
"You should've kept your mouth shut. If you don't want to answer, just say so."
"No no no, that's not what I meant...!"
"Then what did you mean?"
Damn it. How am I supposed to explain this? ...It was just a bout of mental derangement, that's all.
I simply folded my hands meekly and bowed my head.
"I'm sorry..."
"Genuinely bizarre kid. First the job, and now this — I like to think I've met all sorts of characters in my time, but I've never once met anyone like you."
"I-I'm sorry."
At that, he waved a hand in mild exasperation.
"Ah, don't get the wrong idea — I'm not grilling you. Just asking in case. I already expected you had no intention of answering."
...Glad you get it.
Somehow, I felt a twinge of guilt toward him. Suspicious as he was, the warmth he'd shown over the past few days couldn't have all been a lie, could it?
Pushing me toward the Douglas Kims had to be his way of saying: if you're good, you'll thrive; if you're rotten, you'll get what's coming to you.
I picked up the list again, resting my chin on my hand.
'Right. If the ending is already written, there's no sense fighting it. So what if I don't fit the mold of the family? I can always grow stronger.'
Live in fear alone, and nothing ever moves forward. How many chances like this would ever come again? Best of all, this house didn't require me to change my surname.
Breaking into a bright smile, I declared:
"I'll go. To the Douglas Kims."
"Good."
...That's it?
"...Actually, I'm not going."
"What? Why not?"
"......."
Does this man genuinely have no idea what's wrong with that?
Exasperated, I said my piece.
"Because it's flat! After dragging out this whole sprawling conversation, your answer amounts to 'Good'?!"
"...So what, should I get down on my knees and grovel my thanks to you?"
"Th-that's not it either."
Ugh, what is this. What he said is technically right, so why does it feel so unsatisfying?
Right. Maybe I'd just adapted to this body a little too well these past few days. That had to be why I was acting this spoiled.
Lately, I'd come to appreciate, however slightly, the perks of being a 'cute little girl.' Back when I was an adult man, remarks half as fresh as mine would have gotten me beaten to death a hundred times over.
But in this body, no matter what I pulled, everyone treated me kindly.
'Granted, part of that was probably aimed at coaxing a confession out of me.'
Which was closer to the truth — I'd figure that out in time.
"So, when do we leave?"
"Someone's coming from the Douglas Kims. You'll sign the guardianship papers on the spot, then fly out together."
"Hearing it explained, it sounds almost suspiciously simple."
"They're the Douglas Kims. S-rank houses are like that by nature."
"Hmm..."
I am looking forward to it, though.
What kind of people would they be — the Douglas Kims?
A few days later, a single luxury sedan pulled up in front of the embassy.
Given that Lee Chang-jin had spent the whole morning dressing me up to the nines before rushing out the door, I could guess exactly who it was.
I'd been waiting in his office for a little while when a commotion began echoing down the corridor.
"—%&#^#&... after all?"
"That's right. Best to meet her in person first, sir."
"Haha, understood. I'm looking forward to it."
Bang—
The door swung open, and the first thing I saw was Lee Chang-jin — followed immediately by a single young man with brown hair, the kind of face that could turn Lee Chang-jin into a squid on sight.
'Huh... the bastard's gorgeous. Guess that's what mixed heritage buys you.'
Brushing off my skirt, I stood and greeted him.
"Hello."
The man strode toward me in even steps — then swept me up into the air and declared:
"Wow— they told me we were getting a flat-chested midget who commits age fraud, and now the youngest turns out to be another weird little thing?!"
Huh?
I looked at Lee Chang-jin. He was shaking his head left and right with a flustered expression — which told me the briefing I'd been given had been distorted something fierce. From there, I began to form a vague picture of the Douglas Kim household's atmosphere as well.
'...Ah, so they're the loony bin type, huh.'
"I-I'm happy to meet you too, haha."
"Hm... let's see. Looks like the rumors didn't lie about your face, but you're tiny. This tall, yet built like that — no human comes in that configuration. Where'd they manufacture you, doll?"
"......"
I turned to Lee Chang-jin.
'Help.'
"Haha, put her down first, Vincent. She's sharper than she looks — and you'd do well to be careful of her."
"Oh right, right. The snake in the grass, I forgot!"
"......"
Lee Chang-jin said nothing more. He simply wore a sour smile, slipped his hands into his pockets, and watched.
Thankfully, the man set me down as requested. Then he thrust his face right up to mine and spoke.
"Pleasure. I'm A-rank hunter Vincent Jo. Judging by the look of you, you've got nerve to spare — best not to try pulling that attitude on the head of the family. With me, though? Don't even think about it."
"......"
Piss off.