Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: This is How You Play Hard to Get
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“Ah, hello...! I'm Do A-yoon. I'm twenty-four years old. I work at a daycare...!”
“Welcome. A-yoon. Or should I call you Teacher?”
“Are you feeling okay?”
I watched as the women, who had been so wary of me, gave this young woman a huge welcome.
They even made space for her right in their midst. Look at this preferential treatment.
Of course, I was thrilled too.
How could her breasts be even bigger than Gong Ga-eun's?
An unrealistically massive rack... No, these days they call them jugs, right.
She was dressed in comfortable clothes perfect for moving around—jeans and a t-shirt—with the kind of apron commonly worn at daycares draped over them. A name tag hung on her chest: A-yoon Teacher♡. The outfit was already turning me on.
“A daycare, huh?”
“Ah, yes! The one on the second floor...”
“Ahh, that place.”
There was a public daycare on the second floor of our building. I'd heard working parents used it a lot. It had separate access from the offices, and since I didn't have kids, I hadn't paid much attention.
If I'd known there was such an outstanding teacher there, I would've made a donation or something.
Lee Soi aggressively grilled Do A-yoon with questions.
I pretended not to care while eavesdropping from the side.
“How did you end up coming all the way here? This is the most out-of-the-way spot—no one comes by...”
“W-well, there was this thing...”
Once I pieced her story together, it went like this.
Do A-yoon Teacher had been taking care of the kids at the daycare as usual when the explosion hit and the disaster alerts started coming in.
She'd evacuated the children to a corner of the daycare first and stayed to guard them.
The other teachers had gone out to check the situation, but hours passed with no sign of them returning.
“N-no contact either, so... I wanted to check, but I was the only one left with the kids, so I couldn't leave the daycare...”
“...I see. But why aren't you at the daycare now? How did you end up here...?”
“W-well... I was... hungry...”
“...Pardon?”
Everyone's eyes locked onto Do A-yoon's stomach.
Mine went straight to her chest.
Definitely the kind that requires a lot of maintenance calories.
“Ah, ah! N-not me! Th-the kids... the kids are hungry...”
“Ahh.”
“Snack time came around, but there was no food, and the other teachers weren't back, so the kids were scared and hungry... I-I shared out all the snacks left in the daycare...? But it wasn't nearly enough. Snacks were all out anyway...”
Do A-yoon's voice trailed off into mumbles.
Aha.
Just in time—we're short on food, huh?
I barely suppressed a grin.
“S-so I went looking for a convenience store to buy some food. There's one on the first floor, so...”
“...What about the kids?”
“The kids... they're in the playroom for now. I have to get back soon. I locked them in so they can't get out...”
For a moment, I thought that was a bit extreme.
But it was better than letting them run around and put themselves in danger.
This was the apocalypse now—no applying normal common sense.
“That's a relief.”
“So the kids are still safe?”
“Y-yes... No one's hurt... But the teachers... the parents aren't answering either...”
They probably went outside and got taken out by monsters or swept up by other people...
To be cold about it, the kids' future looked pretty bleak.
Unless someone protected them...
“A-and then suddenly this started happening.”
Do A-yoon held out her hand, demonstrating something.
Suddenly, a translucent shield-like barrier appeared around Gong Ga-eun.
“Wh-what is this?”
“A... protective shield, I think.”
A protective shield. And one she could cast on others.
This seemed like a pretty useful ability. Why couldn't I duplicate something like this?
“It offers some protection... But it breaks if you hit it too hard...”
She probably hadn't invested in defense stats with gold yet—that's why it was weak. Just pump some stats and it'd be fine.
But to do that, she'd have to go outside hunting monsters.
The part-timer and Lee Soi reached out to touch the shield around Gong Ga-eun.
“Wow... so cool. Sis, feel this!”
“Feels like there's something solid there.”
Just hearing the lines makes it sound lewd. I have something solid too, you know.
“Anyway, did you manage to get snacks for the kids?”
“N-no... Not yet...”
Do A-yoon looked on the verge of tears.
“I-I checked the other convenience stores in this building too...”
This building had three convenience stores. The one next to the lobby. The one on the opposite side by the main road. And this one, tucked away in the dimly lit sub-basement corner.
“Th-the other stores... well... there were... p-people...! Sniff...”
“Lots of people...?”
“Y-yes... B-but they were fighting each other...”
“Ah...”
That one word let everyone in the room understand exactly what had gone down there.
“What about the other one?”
“Th-that one... was smashed up... Maybe a monster did it... Th-there were... b-bodies...”
She trembled, struggling to continue.
I mean, describing scenes of people killing each other and mangled corpses isn't easy.
“S-so... this was the only place left to buy snacks...”
Even in this mess, she said she came to “buy” snacks. What a good person. Though buying wasn't an option anymore.
Do A-yoon cautiously gauged our reactions.
“Sorry... I didn't know anyone was here... I know it's shameless, but could you share some food...?”
Share food.
A tough request.
In a realistic apocalypse, you couldn't just grant that lightly.
“Of course!”
“As much as you need. It's for the kids—you have to take it.”
...Totally different from how they treat me?
Suddenly developed some mercy?
“We'll pack it for you. Here... plastic bags. Just fill these up, right?”
“We'll prioritize stuff kids like.”
People really are weak to kids.
Even Kim Soyoung, who'd been cursing me out, was eagerly grabbing food now.
The grateful Do A-yoon bowed deeply to the women.
“Thank you...! Thank you so much...!”
“Um... Teacher, how many kids are there, exactly?”
“Huh? Oh, w-well... Quite a few...”
Do A-yoon averted her eyes and mumbled evasively.
“Quite a few? How many?”
“A-a lot... I wonder if this'll be enough...”
“It's fine. They're just kids.”
“F-for...”
For...?
“Forty-two...”
The women's hands, which had been sweeping up food, froze in place.
“...F-f-forty-two?”
“That many kids?”
“Y-yes... That's the total for the whole daycare...”
“I... see...”
The women, who had seemed ready to help with anything at first, now exchanged glances after hearing the number.
What, now it's getting hard to help?
I mean, even with mercy, 42 kids is no joke.
Kids eat a lot too—probably more than ten adults combined. Plus Do A-yoon's share.
For the women, it was like their mouths to feed tripled in an instant.
If the kids eat as much as adults, it could be four or five times as much.
“Sorry... I know this is a burden on everyone... But the kids really need food...! They have to eat...”
“R-right... They need to eat. Food is important.”
“F-for the kids. It's okay.”
Their faces didn't look okay.
“Sorry... If there's anything else I can do to help, I'll work hard for the kids...”
“Nah, it's fine. Just take good care of them until rescue comes.”
“The kids are better off staying at the daycare, right?”
“Huh? Ah... Yes! It's hidden from outside view, spacious, and full of toys.”
“Then keep the kids there... You can grab food here, but is the path back really clear? No other people... or monsters?”
“...Yes. Well... Th-there were some b-bodies... But it's fine.”
“.........”
Mention of bodies made everyone's eyes widen in shock.
I mean, you have to go through parts of the building to get to the daycare—who knows what could happen.
And yet, Do A-yoon Teacher bravely came all this way for the kids' food.
What an outstanding teacher. Especially her outstanding chest.
“B-but are you all okay...? Giving away so much...”
“Ah... Well, us... Huh? Wait. Couldn't we just make him do it? The food?”
Kim Soyoung suddenly glanced my way as if the idea had just hit her.
All eyes turned to me in an instant.
“...Me?”
“Yes. You heard the story, right? Hurry up and make it.”
“Make what?”
“What else! Food for the kids! You can make bread with your ability!”
For a request, it was awfully demanding.
At the word “bread,” Do A-yoon's eyes lit up.
She approached me like I was the messiah.
“Um... I-is it true? You can make bread...? If so, could I ask you? For the kids...”
Do A-yoon came right up to me and bowed deeply in request. Her chest swayed dramatically.
At least this teacher knew the proper posture for begging.
What to do.
I could just duplicate bread for them, sure.
But if I kept pumping out bread like this, I'd end up as their personal bakery shuttle.
I needed a way to shut down those eyes treating me like a bread factory.
“Actually, I can make bread for the kids. That's not hard.”
“Then do it quick!”
“However... There are conditions.”
“...Conditions?”
“Yes. That's right.”
“What conditions?”
Lee Soi asked seriously.
She must've sensed something off about my expression. Of course, it was all an act.
“Truth is... I thought I could just make bread, no big deal. But it turns out it doesn't come free.”
“...Then what?”
“Every time I make bread, it costs me lifespan.”
Pure bullshit, of course.