Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: 26. The Chick That the Chick Found (1)
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“Jackpot. Class ended so early today.”
“Yeah, really.”
Yoo Gaeul and her friends laughed as they stepped out through the entrance.
Today's class had been on "Spirit Beasts and Taming."
Animals that harbored mana within their bodies and awakened blessings like superhumans were called spirit beasts.
It was originally a two-hour class, but it wrapped up in just thirty minutes today. The cadets were in high spirits.
"By the way, the professor seemed really flustered. Wonder if something happened."
"I heard the spirit beast breeding facility had some issues."
"No way?"
One cadet's eyes widened in surprise.
"Eh, they'll handle it. Anyway, we've got plenty of time today. Wanna go hit up Dipang?"
"Dipang? Hell yeah."
The cadets were chatting excitedly when Yoo Gaeul piped up.
"Me too! But what's Dipang?"
The cadets looked flustered.
"Oh man..." "Uh oh..."
"Huh? Why?"
"It's an amusement ride. The one that bounces you all around."
"Ooh. And?"
"Well... there's one problem."
"What?"
"It's in the entertainment district..."
"Ahh."
Yoo Gaeul finally got it and nodded.
Yoo Ji-tae had once given her a rare stern look and said, "Absolutely no contact with reporters."
So Yoo Gaeul couldn't go to the entertainment district during this time slot. It was when outsiders were allowed in.
Reporters would be there.
It was a shame, but nothing to be done.
"You guys go have fun. I'm good."
"See you tomorrow, Gaeul."
After seeing her friends off, Yoo Gaeul, now alone, sat on a bench in the nearby park. "Hmm~ Hmm hmm~♪" She hummed tunelessly, kicking her legs back and forth.
Her breath came out in white puffs.
The winter sky was incredibly high. The bare tree branches looked somehow forlorn.
Rustle.
"Huh?"
It was then.
Something moved in the bushes.
"Oing?"
Yoo Gaeul's eyes widened.
What was that?
Curiosity piqued, she approached to check.
The yellow fluffball visible through the bushes suddenly darted away. "Hey, wait!" Yoo Gaeul called, but it fled without a response.
"Gaeul."
That's when Yoo Ji-tae arrived to pick her up.
"Ah, yes! Ajusshi!"
Yoo Gaeul turned to go, but kept looking back wistfully.
The fluffball was already gone.
The next day was the weekend.
At this time, Winter would always grin ear to ear and dash to Bom's room.
The kid opened his own "treasure chest." It was Bom's drawer, neatly stacked with flyers.
Which one today? Grinning, Winter picked one and ran to Yoo Ji-tae.
"..."
Winter cautiously held out the flyer to Yoo Ji-tae, his expression tentative.
"Ah. Got it."
Lately, Winter had taken an interest in food and was trying all sorts of new dishes.
Yesterday it was flounder sashimi. The day before, salmon sashimi. The day before that, yellowtail sashimi.
...What sashimi today? Yoo Ji-tae unfolded the flyer.
On the plate lay neat slices of pinkish flesh. Beside it, boiled pork slices. In the center, tidy mounds of kimchi.
This was Korean-style. So the name was...
"Fermented skate?"
Nod nod.
Yoo Ji-tae hesitated, wondering if this was okay for the kid.
Blue dragons naturally ate fish instead of snacks, so he'd fed him sashimi without issue before.
But "fermented skate" was different.
Winter tilted his head with a smile.
His eyes said: ???
"Alright. You can leave some today if you want."
Winter always polished off his food, so Yoo Ji-tae made sure to mention it.
Soon the delivery arrived.
"..."
Winter sniffed the mixed platter and looked bewildered.
The kid looked up at him.
His eyes said: ???
Fermented skate gives off an ammonia scent. Unfamiliar to a kid who didn't even use the bathroom.
"Can't eat it?"
Shake... Shake...
Still, Winter carefully picked up the fork.
Tense as could be, he speared a piece of skate and put it in his mouth.
He chewed once.
Crunch...
Winter was hit with a culture shock. Why was the sashimi crunchy? Super salty. Sour. And, and...
It's rising...!
"...Kebut."
Winter scrunched his eyes and sniffed hard. He clutched the fork, at a loss, tears welling up.
As expected, failure.
Those who know the taste love it. Those who don't struggle.
"..."
Snapping to, Winter flipped the fork right-side up and glared at the skate. Tears in his eyes, he looked at Yoo Ji-tae, then the skate. He bit his lip, eyes darting like something was broken.
"Eat the meat. Meat. I'll take this."
As Yoo Ji-tae grabbed a bunch with chopsticks, Winter clutched his clothes tightly.
"What."
Shake shake.
"I can eat it."
Shake shake shake shake.
Winter desperately tried to stop him, face deadly serious, like he was preventing poison ingestion.
The regressor couldn't figure out why the kid was acting up today either.
Looks like this had to wait.
"I'm hooome."
Meanwhile, Yoo Gaeul opened the door and came in.
She seemed a bit down today.
"What's up."
"Huh?"
"You look drained."
"Oh, it's nothing... Ooh! What's this? Meat and sashimi?"
They'd ordered a big platter, plenty to go around.
Yoo Gaeul's eyes lit up as she sat, but soon mirrored Winter's expression.
"Kweuh...!"
"Ajusshi. I have something to ask."
Bom said it with uncharacteristically serious face.
"Yeah."
"Ear..."
What?
Bom leaned in close to his ear as he stayed still.
For a moment, her breath tickled.
Chomp—his ear was bitten.
Flustered, Yoo Ji-tae pulled back, but Bom looked a bit excited.
"...Didn't you have something to ask?"
"Ear."
"..."
Understanding, Yoo Ji-tae sighed and shook his head in resignation. Excited, Bom giggled "Kihihi."
"Sigh... Fun... Anyway, it was a joke. Actually, I have something to say about Gaeul."
"Gaeul?"
"Yes. She's seemed down lately. I think she needs your help, Ajusshi."
Bom said it with an ambiguous expression.
Yoo Ji-tae recalled the other day: Yoo Gaeul alone, peering curiously into the bushes. Searching for something?
Yeah, she'd looked listless since. The usually bubbly kid's mood was obvious even to him.
Something was up.
He went to find her. She was on the balcony, staring out.
"Yoo Gaeul."
"Eek, Mommy...!"
No presence, so she startled and flailed.
"What?!"
"Whatcha doing."
"Oh, just... looking outside."
Her gaze was toward the entertainment district.
Wanna go play?
But it wasn't outsider hours, so probably not.
"Why you staring. Something there?"
"No?!"
"There is."
"There's not?"
"There is."
"...Umm. No, there's not!"
There was.
"What is it."
"Umm, well, you see... The truth is..."
Yoo Gaeul cautiously opened up.
"There's a chick."
"Chick?"
"Yes. A chick. It shows up over there a lot."
The direction Yoo Gaeul pointed: somewhere between the academy district and entertainment district. Where he'd picked her up a few days ago.
"A wild chick. I see it often, but it won't warm up to me."
Sees a chick often?
Yoo Ji-tae turned.
Freezing weather. Streets iced over. Chicks weren't common in the city then.
So, probably not a regular chick.
"Anyway, we've run into each other three or four times, but it always runs. I'm worried in this cold, so I wanna help."
"Hmm. Yeah?"
"So, here's my real question."
"Yeah."
"How do you get someone unfamiliar to open up when you first meet?"
He reflected on his experiences.
First meetings with strangers: usually shoving a knife or gun in their face.
...Not this.
What then? He'd threatened Bom at first meet. Bom had talked to Yeoreum for him. And Gaeul...
Ah.
"What? What is it?"
Lured with food.
"Ooh...! Ajusshi's so smart...!"
That evening, Yoo Ji-tae boiled three eggs. Boiling away. Ten minutes.
Crack.
He peeled the perfectly cooked eggs and separated the yolks. Looked it up: chicks eat this as feed. Roughly made some.
Felt ironic feeding a chick eggs.
But they love it.
He headed to the academy district with Yoo Gaeul and Winter.
Per Yoo Gaeul, the chick appeared nightly around then in the woods by the building.
"Here?"
"Yes...!"
Yoo Gaeul hid in the bushes. Her golden hair stuck out; not well hidden.
Yoo Ji-tae suppressed his presence and squatted beside her. Winter looked serious too.
They waited a good while.
Rustle—
Something emerged.
Bright yellow fluffball. Ivory beak, black eyes.
Body a bit bigger than a fist.
But fur matted with dark dirt, quite filthy.
Peep.
A fairly large chick.
Yoo Ji-tae recognized it instantly.
It was a spirit beast.
Not from Earth. Probably captured from a dungeon as an egg.
Peep. Peep.
The chick chirped a few times and pecked the ground. Trash scattered nearby. Seemed to be eating something.
Winter tugged Yoo Ji-tae's clothes.
His eyes said: !
Yeah. It's really here.
Winter grabbed Yoo Gaeul's skirt next.
Frozen stiff, Yoo Gaeul whispered.
"Y-You must be nervous, Winter...! C-Calm down. Winter, calm...!"
She was way more tense.
Hoo ha hoo ha.
Finally breathing steady, she carefully pulled out a bowl from her bag.
And approached the chick.
"...H-Hi?"
The chick snapped its head up and froze.
Yoo Gaeul knew its escape timing from past encounters. Instead of more talk, she offered the bowl.
"E-Eat... It's food."
Rejected so many times, she was extra cautious.
"You must be hungry...? It's yummy..."
As Yoo Gaeul inched closer, the chick backed away, maintaining distance.
Tense Winter gripped Yoo Ji-tae's clothes tight.
Yoo Gaeul set down the bowl and retreated.
"O-Okay..."
As they backed off, the chick finally crept up and started pecking eagerly.
"Yes...!"
From the bushes, Yoo Gaeul clenched her fist in triumph.
The chick emptied the bowl, waddled its butt, and vanished somewhere.
"Hmm humm~♪."
After that, Yoo Gaeul prepared feed once a day.
The chick still wary of her, but not the food. It pecked away diligently with its dark beak.
Peep peep!
All done, it chirped once in thanks and left.
"Yay...! Cleaned it out again today?"
Yoo Gaeul beamed proudly.
"Ugh, but kinda sad."
"Why."
"Wanna pet it. That fluffy... And it's dirty. Wanna wipe it with wet wipes."
"Hmm..."
Yoo Ji-tae considered. Dangerous?
It was a spirit beast, not a monster. Avian types were usually docile. Adults even formed societies like humans with tamers.
Should be fine. He set aside worries.
Peep!
That day too, it emptied the bowl, chirped thanks, and left.
On the way back, Yoo Gaeul smiled.
"It's good now. I can come alone!"
But the next day.
The chick didn't show.
"Huh...?"
Yoo Gaeul, who'd come alone with the bowl, waited ages.
Seen it daily for nearly a week; sudden no-show felt off.
But no chick.
"..."
Yoo Gaeul cautiously sniffed where it always stayed.
Smelling the spirit beast scent, she focused, tracing the direction.
After walking awhile, Yoo Gaeul stopped.
The chick was somewhere in the "entertainment district."
And,
"...!"
Another spirit beast scent lingered there.