Heavenly Family Time
“I, Ichijo! I shall carry out the command of my lord without fail! Please take care of your health…!”
“Then we’ll be off, Master.”
Toda clamped a hand over Ichijo’s mouth and bowed deeply.
Ichijo glared ferociously at Toda, but Toda didn’t budge an inch.
It wasn’t something a lightweight like Toda should dare do against an S-rank like Ichijo, but it seemed he’d grown somewhat accustomed to it after spending time together.
“As I said before, be careful not to cause any unnecessary disturbances.”
“Yes, I’ll take full responsibility for Hunter Ichijo.”
“You bastard, Toda! Who the hell are you to take responsibility for me?! The responsibility lies with me, not—!”
“Come on, let’s go, Hunter Ichijo. We don’t have time. You don’t want to keep Master waiting, do you?”
“Ahem! Then, my lord! I, Ichijo Masayuki, shall return swiftly! Please stay well in my absence…!”
Toda hurried off, dragging the babbling Ichijo along.
I watched the two disappear with a light chuckle.
They were heading to Japan to handle the shares held by the Yamamoto brothers.
Truth be told, they should have gone right after the underworld conflict ended, but my evolution had taken time, and then I’d gone straight into battle with Wang Feng, delaying the orders.
By now, news of the Yamamoto brothers’ deaths must have spread far and wide, so it was a bit late.
The factions that followed the Yamamoto brothers are probably still around to some extent, and the other powers are likely squabbling like vultures, so reclaiming shares won’t be easy.
Unlike China, which had an absolute powerhouse like Wang Feng, Japan had always been a mess of SA-ranks jockeying for dominance, so the situation there was obvious.
The balance they’d maintained is completely tipped now, so there must be total chaos.
Both sides would be too busy with internal strife to pay attention to the surroundings for a while.
Time to send Lee Chan-geol back to China soon, too.
For stability, it’d be best to wait until the infighting died down, but that would mean fewer gains for us.
No matter the risk, the current disorder was prime time to snatch up shares.
Even if it meant Toda, Ichijo, or Lee Chan-geol getting hurt, that was unavoidable.
If they can’t handle this level of danger, I can’t trust them with anything bigger down the line.
It wasn’t impossible, and I trusted they could pull it off easily enough.
S-ranks weren’t the type to get pushed around anywhere, after all.
“That monster who crushed an S-rank like an ant… you’re not thinking of doing the same to me, right?”
I turned at the sly voice.
Jeong Soo-ah flinched under my gaze and averted her eyes, pretending not to notice.
Classic Jeong Soo-ah—she’d sorted her mind out already, back to her usual demeanor.
She still showed subtle signs of fear, but it was a huge improvement from her initial terror.
I felt glad to see her back to normal, but a twinge of regret too.
“Cung—!”
‘Pet me more!’ Suli’s quiet urging pulled my attention from Jeong Soo-ah.
I heard Jeong Soo-ah’s soft sigh of relief.
I’d hoped she’d stay cowed a bit longer…
Gorong-gorong—
I stroked Suli, who was purring contentedly, and sank deep into the sofa backrest.
Rue’s gentle tongue-flicking lullaby from her coil atop my head lulled me as I closed my eyes peacefully.
Relaxing like this with the kids made this place feel like paradise.
“Could you stop napping in my office? I’ll get you a separate room if you need to sleep.”
—I can’t focus on work at all.
Jeong Soo-ah grimaced slightly and set down her glasses.
“Isn’t this the best room? I’m the ‘chairman’ after all—I deserve the best.”
“…Fine. I’ll move to another room then.”
“Cung cung!”
[No way!]
Suli bolted upright with a cry, making Jeong Soo-ah tremble.
“That voice just now…?”
“Thought Speech.”
“Monsters can speak human language too?”
“It’s a bit different from normal talk… but yeah, they can learn languages and communicate. Like Snow.”
I muttered casually while petting Suli lightly.
Suli cried out again, ‘Cung cung!’ trying to stop Jeong Soo-ah.
[Big sis smells nice! Can’t go anywhere else!]
“That’s what she says.”
“……”
Jeong Soo-ah glanced at me, then Suli, and sighed softly.
“She’s such a cute daughter.”
“Suli’s the best.”
[Suli’s the best! Awesome!]
“…Where’d you learn that, Suli?”
‘YouTuXbe!’ came Suli’s reply, making me seriously consider banning smartphones for a while.
Snow and Suli were adapting to the outside world a bit too well.
“Shh——”
“…Yeah. Rue’s cute too.”
[Right! Rue’s cute too! Awesome!]
“…No YouTuX for a while, Suli.”
[Nooo!]
I chuckled happily, savoring Suli’s chubby paw attack after so long.
This really was paradise.
“So where’d sis go today?”
Having given up on work, Jeong Soo-ah watched us and asked suddenly.
“She had business.”
“Business?”
“There’s a ton from Wang Feng’s vault. Can’t just hoard it—went to spend some.”
“?”
Jeong Soo-ah tilted her head, not getting it.
I chuckled softly at her and thought of Snow, absent from the room.
As mentioned, Snow had gone shopping to burn through the astronomical funds from Wang Feng’s vault.
Her companion? Her little sister.
And To Soon-i too.
They’d left for some girls-only time, but why drag To Soon-i along?
Maybe as a vacation since she’s always bullied by Suli?
Thinking of To Soon-i’s usual behavior, a cozy spot like this seemed better than crowds.
Anyway, the three were off enjoying themselves amiably.
I hadn’t heard the spot, but since it was spending money, probably department stores.
Snow seemed to love jewelry, so maybe specialty shops.
To Soon-i worried me a bit, but with the other two, I felt safe.
Forget Snow—even her sister was an S-rank hunter.
As said, S-ranks don’t get pushed around.
[So the one who squashed that S-rank like an ant isn’t planning the same for me, right, idiot?]
I quietly ignored the left head’s usual snark.
Jeong Soo-ah and this guy—what was with picking fights?
Were they provoking me?
Truly baffling.
They were so alike…
[Kya— you said enough?! Me, like that dimwit? Apologize! Apologizeee—!]
“Were you just badmouthing me in your head? Felt super off just now…”
I tuned out their eerily synced voices, focusing on petting Suli.
Suli melted with a happy ‘Myaang—’.
My petting skills were sharpening daily.
If it were a skill, it’d be SSS-rank by now.
That’s when, enjoying this leisurely time in Jeong Soo-ah’s office, someone arrived.
Na Yeon-seong’s report revealed the visitor was here for me, not her—unusually.
“Greetings! The Association President wishes to meet Nix, so I’ve come to escort you! I’d greatly appreciate a moment of your valuable time!”
The bowing man was familiar—Hwang Seok-ho.
The current president’s right-hand man and his heir apparent.
He’d just reached A-rank, seemed green overall, but his eyes were sharp.
No fear despite what I’d done to him before.
At least on the surface.
Truly the successor to that sly fox, huh?
To me, he was still a rookie, but with growth potential.
Should I plant a suggestion while I have the chance?
The thought flickered, but I shook it off.
No plans to fight the Association yet, no need to stir trouble.
Intel from Yoon Ha-yang suffices for now. Too risky to suggest directly on the president’s right-hand.
My suggestions weren’t easily detected, but No Gwan-sik would have countermeasures.
He had Seong Jae-myeong’s ‘legacy’ after all.
More importantly now…
“I said we’d meet next time, but didn’t expect it so soon.”
“Haha… The president’s decisive when he acts. Once decided, no looking back.”
I eyed Hwang Seok-ho scratching his head awkwardly.
He averted his burdensome gaze, and I pondered quietly.
No hidden agenda, at least. If there is, he’s clueless.
His naive reaction brought back No Gwan-sik’s sigh over him last time.
No reliable heir, stuck at the Association for decades?
Despite being a total action-oriented hunter type.
Kinda sad for him.
If it were me, I’d have bolted ages ago.
Such thoughts made top seats a hassle—pass.
I shook my head lightly and addressed the fidgety Hwang Seok-ho, fearing refusal.
“Sorry, not today.”
“Ah… N-no way! P-please reconsider just once…!”
I shook my head firmly at his desperate plea.
Truth be told, meeting the president wouldn’t be a big deal, but…
“Cung cung!”
[Daddy, where you going?]
“Shh——”
The two kids made it impossible.
If Snow or even my sister were here, I’d hand them off, but they were shopping—no choice.
[Just leave ’em with Jeong Soo-ah, main body?]
I shook my head at the ‘ninth’ head’s quiet suggestion.
Her? Nah.
[Why? Most logical here.]
She’d have Suli calling her ‘mommy’ while I’m gone.
[…Fair. Very rational suspicion based on her past.]
She’d quieted down lately, but I hadn’t forgotten her antics.
Above all, I don’t wanna leave Suli.
This hard-won bliss with Suli—why sacrifice it for some old geezer?
No way.
[…Agreed. Time with Suli is precious.]
The others chorused ‘Agreed!’ in my mind.
No objections then…
[Rue too! Take care of Rue!]
The ‘fifth’ head piped up; I nodded emphatically.
Right—Rue too.
Time with Rue was precious too.
“Can’t you make it work? I’ll die if I go back empty-handed…”
“No. Go back.”
Hwang Seok-ho’s face crumpled at my firm refusal.
Felt kinda bad.
But no way I’d ditch kid time.
“…Tell the president today’s no good, but I’ll come by tomorrow.”
Feeling guilty, I added that; his face lit up.
“Thank you! You’ve saved my life!”
Watching his joyful grin, a thought struck.
Goal wasn’t today anyway—probably to set a future meet.
Hwang Seok-ho wouldn’t know, but No Gwan-sik seemed the type.
Sly as a fox despite his hearty vibe.
Thus, with tomorrow’s meeting set, I saw off the delighted Hwang Seok-ho.
Meeting that crafty old man tomorrow gave a slight headache, but I’d secured precious kid time.
Perfect.