Chapter 9: Boys Grow Up Fast
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: Boys Grow Up Fast
Lately, life at the academy has actually started to become enjoyable.
“Teacher! Let’s play sheep!”
Fluffy Teacher liked me so, so much that these days, she tended to do just about anything I asked.
“C-can we do it in a little bit? Once the other friends are all fast asleep…”
She did try to resist occasionally, though.
“Is it ‘giddy-up’ time?”
“B-baaah…”
The moment I whispered those magic words into her ear, she transformed into a cute little sheep.
But that wasn’t all.
“Teacher! Yong-hwan took Su-yeon’s toy!”
Even when a faction emerged to maliciously slander me after I’d committed three wrongs, it didn’t matter anymore.
First, since this situation is a bit unfair, let’s talk about what those three wrongs were before moving on.
The first wrong was the girl’s fault for selfishly monopolizing the transforming dinosaur robot all by herself.
The second wrong was her getting angry just because I played with it for a few minutes while she wasn't looking.
The third wrong was her running straight to the teacher to tattle instead of challenging me to a direct duel.
“Our Su-yeon is a girl, right? You should yield to the boys, shouldn't you?”
The ‘sheep’—no, the teacher—was on my side. In the past, she would have checked the circumstances and said something presumptuous like, “You shouldn’t do that!”
“Let’s apologize to Yong-hwan, okay?”
Through consistent ‘education,’ the teacher had begun to favor me completely.
Children are more sensitive to the atmosphere than adults, so they must have instinctively sensed the change in the teacher. They realized that a massive shift had occurred in the power dynamics of this tiny society!
“Uuu… Teacher is mean.”
Ha Su-yeon possessed monstrous strength; despite being a similar size to me, she could easily push me aside and pin me down as if she were going for a ground-and-pound. Even so…
“If you cry, you’ll turn into a boy. Are you going to cry, Su-yeon? Would you like a pepper to grow down there?”
“Hic… sniff… I’m not crying. I’m not crying.”
In the face of the absolute authority that was the teacher, she had no choice but to become a gentle lamb. Or rather, since the teacher was the sheep, should I call her a gentle kitten?
“Now, everyone. Boys are meant to be protected. Understood?”
It might be a bit early for the other kids, but because the teacher was instilling these basic world etiquettes into them, I was finally able to escape the roles of ‘public toy’ and ‘always the dad in house play.’
I have no idea what kind of fantasy these kids had, but they would fight over who got to be the mother, and then the winner would pinch me while saying things like, “Men need to be disciplined.” I couldn't understand it at all, but now I was free from that suffering.
***
“My son, it looks like you enjoy going to the academy now?”
“Yup! I like the teacher so~ much~!”
I thought I was doing a good job of managing my facial expressions, but it seemed impossible to deceive the eyes of my mother, who was a police officer. My mother’s mood seemed to improve along with my own, as I had gained a boost in status at the academy and found a fun toy—no, a playmate—in the ‘sheep.’
However, ever since I gained a well-behaved ‘sheep,’ my personality seemed to have grown a bit sharper for some reason.
“Yong-hwan, Yong-hwan! Play with Big Sister!”
“No! You don’t listen to me, Sis!”
I frowned, rebelling against my sister who usually treated me like a doll.
“I-I’ll listen! Really! So let’s play, okay? Please? Pretty please?”
Well, all’s well that ends well. Even my sister, who used to bite and nuzzle me constantly, was now trying her best to do whatever I wanted if I growled at her. I could only feel grateful to my ‘benefactor’ who had opened my eyes.
“Only if you finish your homework first.”
“Yeah, yeah! I did it all. It’s all done.”
I gave my sister a cold stare as she lied through her teeth.
“Ugh… I-I’m sorry… I lied. I’ll go do it…”
“Since you lied, you have to do the homework I give you today, too.”
I was only doing this for her own sake. I had to do something about this foolish sister who only cared about playing and her little brother.
“The homework you give me is too hard! Those are problems middle school girls solve…”
“Then I’m not playing with you!”
“I-Instead! You have to teach me!”
It was also thanks to my benefactor’s grace that I learned the techniques(?) to assist my sister in living a proper and diligent life.
As I gradually got a feel for what ‘superiority’ was and how to use it—right around the time I had seized absolute power and was playing ‘giddy-up’ while slapping Fluffy Teacher’s butt—vacation unfortunately arrived.
***
“We’re going on this trip because Iris got first place on her finals. Yong-hwan, shouldn't you say thank you to your sister?”
“My smart sister is so cool! You’re the best! I love you the most, Sis!”
I knew the trip had been planned all along, but since I understood my mother’s desire to give my sister some credit, I clung to her and showered her with praise for about ten minutes.
My sister was naturally smart enough to stay in the top tier just by attending class and doing homework, but after my ‘early education’ and study management gave her wings, she proudly claimed the title of 1st place in the finals.
“I’ll study and train hard so I can protect you, Yong-hwan!”
“Uh-huh! Be on the side of justice, just like Mom!”
If my lip service could motivate her to study, I could do it at least twice a day.
Our poor youngest sibling was still a baby and was being watched by our maternal grandmother, making it a slightly incomplete family trip, but I didn't care because we were going to spend a week cruising on an airship.
Unlike an airport, the airship station—or rather, the ‘air-port’—was situated atop towering buildings. Seeing the docks stretching out like a shipyard made a man’s heart flutter.
“Whoa~!”
Actually, in this world, I should say it made a woman’s heart flutter.
“Yong-hwan, look over there! Look! That airship is huge!”
I was busy looking around myself and wanted to shake off my annoying sister, but I had to provide some service to the kid who had brought home a 1st place rank and wanted to be treated like the protagonist of the day.
“Wow. It’s. So. Cool. You’re. The. Best. Sis.”
“Right? Right? I’ll find something even more amazing for you!”
While my mother was busy with the boarding procedures, people passing by were glancing at me and whispering—not even trying to hide it. “A boy? Is that a boy? I think it’s a boy!”
I might have been raising a ‘sheep’ at the academy, but the focused gazes of these sisters and aunties were a bit scary. My sister, who was supposed to protect me, was drifting away as she got distracted by the airships. Fearing she might get lost, I hurried after her, but…
“Are you lost, little one?”
“…Yes.”
I was the one who got lost. A beautiful blonde lady crouched down to meet my eye level. The red eyes visible behind her sunglasses were familiar.
“Vampire Sister!”
My voice rose instinctively.
“Oh! You remember me? Do you know my name?”
“Yes, I know! Alicia! I know because you’re pretty!”
Lip service was basic. She was someone who had already tried to ‘breed’ a male, but in this world where experience was rare and women preferred men stronger than themselves, she was a mother’s friend with a fetish so twisted it was practically astral.
“Oh, you sweet thing. Come here. Let me give you a hug!”
I should have called her ‘Auntie,’ but calling her ‘Sister’ clearly had a better effect. I let myself be hugged by the lady in the sky-blue dress.
She was a crazy woman who talked about raising me herself, but as long as my mother was around, I was safe. It was best to play along to build up some affection points.
“Sister, Sister, my big sister is gone.”
“Iris? My bodyguards already picked her up, so don’t worry. Now, let’s go to your mom. I need to tell her that the destination has changed.”
The destination changed? Why? And why are you the one telling her?
Numerous questions popped into my head, but a very pleasant scent wafted from the woman who picked me up and started walking. It seemed she used expensive perfume. No, it was a different kind of smell.
The smell of the rich. That erotic scent of someone with more money than they knew what to do with began to pour off this Vampire Sister.
She smelled even richer than the purple-headed exhibitionist Snow Woman who had proposed to me last time.
As we approached my mother, she was fuming.
“I’m telling you, I definitely booked the airship tickets. Look here, it has your airline’s logo on it! If there’s a system error, you should explain it properly. How can you just keep saying no?”
Our Vampire Sister giggled as if she were watching something amusing and sidled up next to my mother.
“Oh my, Ame. Are you having some trouble?”
“Alicia… You bitch. Did you do this?”
“What a hurtful thing to say. Since this place is mine, I was just trying to take some responsibility as the owner. Your words are a bit scary, don’t you think? And speak nicely, Yong-hwan is listening.”
Seeing the Vampire Sister’s mouth curling into a grin that almost reached her ears, I could guess what had happened.
“…Before I get angry, just give me tickets for the next flight. I’ll forgive you with that.”
“Oh, forget those cheap tickets. How about going with me on my private cruiser? I think it’ll be much better for the boy than a crowded public ship. Right, Yong-hwan?”
The Vampire Sister was offering a ride on her private craft; the circumstances didn't seem that important. However, agreeing immediately wouldn't be the reaction of a ‘good child.’
“Is the airship big?”
Kyah. The perfect question.
“More than twice the size of the one you were going to take. And twice as fast, too.”
“Whoa! Then I want to ride it! I want to ride! Mom, let’s take Alicia’s airship!”
An airship trip was fine, and seeing this world was great. But there was absolutely no reason to take a commercial flight when a larger, faster private vessel from a rich lady was available.
“…If you try any funny business, I’m throwing you off the ship.”
My mother, however, didn't seem very pleased.
“Oh, how scary.”
The wealthy Vampire Sister, who even owned her own private cruiser, simply let out a cute chuckle as if it were all just adorable.