Chapter 184: Family Service (2)
Chapter 184: Family Service (2)
I was walking down the main street.
Sandwiched between two women.
A yellow-themed woman taller than me: Thunder God.
A black-themed girl taller than me: Linshua.
…Why are they both taller than me?
Time is truly heartless.
At least Linshua was only slightly taller, but the overall composition was a mess.
Standing side-by-side like this, it was glaringly obvious that she was exactly one knuckle taller than me.
To make matters worse, the person in the middle was the shortest.
What kind of new-age mental torture is this?
I glanced at Linshua, hoping she’d get the hint that I should at least move to the edge.
“Hum-hum-hum-hum! Hmm-hmm~”
Linshua didn't even notice my gaze. She was too busy humming happily and swinging her arms wide.
Swinging my captured hand along with them.
…Well, she looks happy, so I guess it’s fine.
However, as I looked at Linshua’s face, a thought occurred to me.
Is it really okay for Linshua to be wandering around like this?
Even if there’s a way to dodge the Management Bureau’s surveillance, what about her appearance?
Setting aside her pale skin and those bizarre eyes that looked like a backdrop of deep space.
Slime was literally dripping from her skirt, flowing into the shadows and vanishing.
And because she was bouncing around so much, the small horns hidden in her hair were practically on display. Is it really okay to walk down a main street like this?
Seeing as her bodyguard and attendant, Thunder God, wasn't stopping her, there must be a method…
If it were a hallucination or a physical disguise, she would look different to me too, so that wasn't it.
Come to think of it, why am I racking my brain? The answer is right next to me.
“Um. Hey, Thunder God?”
Worried I might have done something wrong again, I called out to the woman beside me in a slightly subdued voice.
“Yeah?”
As if my worries were groundless, Thunder God replied with a bright smile and a cheerful tone.
That’s a relief. She seems to be in a good mood.
“It’s a question about Linshua. Is that… okay?”
“Is what okay?”
“I mean, her walking around outside like this.”
As if to mock my concern, I felt my left hand being shaken off.
“Ah! A puppy!”
After letting go of my hand, Linshua dashed toward a white ball of fur in the distance.
“What’s his name?”
“His name is Naru. Isn’t he cute?”
“Yes! Can I pet him?”
“Go ahead. Naru doesn't mind, right?”
And just like that, she started a pleasant conversation in front of the dog.
The dog seemed a bit flustered, tensing up and acting wary of Linshua, but it didn't go beyond tilting its head in confusion.
The lady holding the leash didn't seem to notice anything strange at all as she chatted happily with Linshua.
“Hmm, is the effect a bit ambiguous on animals? I should mention that.”
Thunder God, who was watching the scene with me, tilted her head slightly and spoke.
“So you did do something?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major. The Society kids have a lot of weird techniques. Especially that Old Man who arrived recently—Elder Li, I think? He makes talismans, and one of them has the effect of a human disguise.”
Ah. So that’s how it is.
Since it didn't seem to apply to my eyes, it was likely the kind of effect that doesn't work on beings with power above a certain level, or perhaps it has no effect on those who already know the person's true appearance.
Hmm. Talismans, huh?
With that thought, I looked at Linshua again, and several items that looked like talismans entered my view.
A beige metallic ear cuff covering her ear like an earphone.
A leather bracelet with a dangling red stone on her wrist.
Black stones swaying along with her coat.
It was likely one of those. Or perhaps all three were talismans.
“Not bad. It’s neither mechanical nor magical.”
It was probably a technology the Management Bureau hadn't even identified yet.
Accessories that possessed almost no Otherworldly Power yet produced semi-permanent effects.
It would be great to have things like that to distribute to soldiers….
While I was calculating the value of that technology in my head.
“I’m wearing one too, so I shouldn't talk, but it is a bit creepy. The materials are human.”
A shocking statement flowed from Thunder God’s mouth.
“…Huh? Human?”
Wait, it’s a product of Human Sacrifice? The Society bastards have finally gone mad. I’m going to kill them….
Just as the torrent of my emotions was about to explode.
“Ah, I don't mean they grind people up or anything. I phrased that poorly.”
Thunder God’s quick explanation, living up to her name, calmed my emotions.
“And don't worry about using people like that. If they did, I would have burned The Society kids to a crisp a long time ago.”
Crackle. Zap.
Thunder God said this as she raised a hand, emitting yellow and black sparks.
Containing an Otherworldly Power that felt even stronger than before.
Thunder God, bathed in the flickering light of the lightning, looked strangely enchanting, but now was not the time to be captivated.
“Then what do you mean by using humans?”
“It’s nothing much. Human hair, bones stolen from graves—stuff like that is the material. They say they need a subject to mimic through the technique.”
I suppose the teleportation accessory that guy gave me was made from the tail of a teleporting rat. Just like that, to disguise as a human, you have to use human byproducts.
If it’s the bones of someone already dead, even Calavera uses those, so I guess it’s just barely within the acceptable range.
Socially, it might be a bit questionable, but for someone like Thunder God or me, it felt acceptable.
“That’s not too bad then. The effect seems decent.”
“Right? I’m letting off sparks like this, and no one cares.”
Zap.
Thunder God clenched her fist, extinguishing the sparks she had created.
“Looks like Linshua is done playing with the puppy.”
Hearing that, I looked away from Thunder God and toward Linshua.
Just as she said, Linshua was putting down the dog she had been hugging and was waving goodbye.
“Bye-bye, Naru!”
“Take care.”
“Woof!”
“Yeah! I’ll be well!”
After exchanging farewells with the dog, Linshua returned.
She immediately grabbed my hand and started swinging it again, so I asked her a question.
“How was the puppy?”
“He was fluffy and lovely!”
He’s the same kind of White Fur Ball, but he’s in a different league than the glutton at our house.
I wonder if Un-ho would be better if I put a leash on him and took him for walks.
“But Naru said life has been hard lately! He asked me things like, ‘Why do I exist?’ and ‘Why must I live?’”
…What kind of dog-talk is that?
I almost blurted that out reflexively, but I managed to bite my tongue.
No matter how much it sounded like bullshit, the person in front of me was my daughter, Linshua.
It wouldn't be strange if she actually heard the dog’s voice.
“So, what did you tell him?”
So, I patiently asked back like a proper father.
“I told him there are many pretty things in the world he hasn't seen yet, so he should live to see them!”
Ho-ho. Pretty things he hasn't seen.
That’s quite a hopeful story.
To be honest, the world feels more like a giant festival of sewage….
But if one lives normally, they might see more pretty things.
It’s just that my life has been particularly twisted.
“Good job, our Linshua.”
So, I smiled and praised my daughter.
Because encouraging someone less fortunate than yourself is a good deed.
“Hehe!”
Linshua accepted the praise with a bright smile.
* * *
Why did I let Thunder God catch me?
Why did I go home back then?
Why didn't I listen more closely to Al’shel’s warning?
Regret was already surging within me.
The mindset of spending quality time with Linshua had flown out the window, replaced by a deep-seated remorse.
There wasn't even a particularly special reason for this regret.
It was much simpler than that.
It was because of the scene unfolding before my eyes.
“How about this one?”
Linshua spoke as she held a purple gem necklace on a black twisted cord against her neck.
“Hmm. Accessories with colors that are too deep don't suit you, Linshua. How about this?”
What Thunder God held up was a piece of silverwork.
Unlike ordinary silver necklaces with lots of chains or bumps, this one was finely crafted to a uniform thickness, with a white gem hanging at the end.
“Hmm… I don't think that’s it! It gets buried by my skin tone!”
“Ah, you’re right. I didn't think of that.”
“But I think you’re right about deep colors not fitting! Let’s look again!”
After sharing their opinions, the two scattered again and started grabbing various items.
…But didn't you guys just do that a moment ago?
Probably….
I couldn't remember the exact time, so I pulled out my phone.
Click.
The time reflected on the bright screen told me that 56 minutes had passed since we started drifting in and out of accessory shops.
They’ve been doing this for an hour; don't they get tired…?
With that thought, I started squirming in a nearby chair.
I couldn't even kill time by looking at my phone or playing games.
Those two would suddenly ask if something looked good at the most random moments, and if I said I was doing something else, they’d radiate a strange sense of pressure.
…To think I’d find Baek Si-hyun and Han A-bin to be saints.
When I went shopping with them, they at least gave me the freedom to lounge in a chair.
Besides, why do they always drag me along for shopping? Can’t they just look online and buy it, or buy something similar to what they already picked out?
Is there really a difference?
With that thought, I straightened my posture and looked around the accessory shop, but to my eyes, everything looked more or less the same.
The only differences I could spot were the colors or the materials.
I really don't get it….
Why do things that look almost identical have a price difference of an extra zero?
I truly don't know.
Thus, just as I gave up on understanding the two and was about to become one with the chair again.
Beep-beep. Ring.
A cute ringtone echoed from somewhere in the shop.
“Oh, Thunder God Au… Sister! It’s almost time for the movie!”
“Huh? Already? It feels like only ten minutes passed.”
Then, the two began to move busily.
They quickly compared various accessories, and the speed at which they returned things they decided against accelerated several times over. I watched them with a dull expression, my mind elsewhere.
A movie? The next stop was a movie?
I didn't know what movie it was, but it had to be better than this tedious hell.
At least I didn't think those two would pick a romance.
Just as I was about to nod in satisfaction.
“Dad! Pick an accessory for me!”
“Lee Ha-ram! Pick an accessory!”
The two rushed over at incredible speed and thrust their heads in front of me.
With such momentum and intimidation that it actually flustered me.
“…What about the ones you’ve been picking for the last hour?”
“I can’t choose! This one is pretty, and that one is pretty too!”
“An hour is too short! We should have spent three hours!”
Oh, my head.
I wanted to just pick something at random, but I felt like that would cause problems, so I stood up from the chair and quickly scanned the shop.
“Money doesn't matter, right?”
“Yeah! I don't know what it is, but Uncle Al’shel gave me this!”
What Linshua held in her hand was a black card that contrasted with her white skin.
…Ah. It really doesn't matter then.
Therefore, I erased the price tags from my mind and focused solely on the designs.
A delicate gold piece with a birdcage at the end. A blue bird inside.
Rejected.
It looked too heavy for Linshua to wear, and the color combination was awkward.
A transparent cord with a matte black finish on the ends and a silver cross.
Also rejected.
The color scheme was fine, but it looked too aggressive.
I passed over three or four more like that.
In the meantime, an image began to form in my mind.
Simple, yet unique. Silver-based. Minimal colors.
There were many accessories that met three of those conditions.
The problem was the one condition: being unique.
Hmm. Isn't there anything good?
Just as I turned my head to find what I had envisioned.
Something caught my eye.
An accessory rack tucked away in a corner of the shop that no one would look at.
Perhaps it was a clearance sale, as a wide variety of accessories were hung there in a heap, but I didn't even hesitate before pulling out one necklace.
A flexible black synthetic fiber cord with a silver octahedron hanging from it.
Inside was a lattice structure of cubes and tetrahedrons.
And within that was a tiny purple gem.
As if possessed, I took the necklace and slowly placed it around Linshua’s neck.
“How about this?”
“Hmm. Not bad for Lee Ha-ram, huh? It goes well with his clothes too.”
Thunder God’s verdict was a pass.
“What about Linshua?”
So, what did Linshua, the most important person, think?
“Hmm….”
Linshua seemed to ponder for a moment, holding the necklace up to the light.
Soon, she gave her result.
“I love it! I’ll take this one! Thanks, Dad!”
Don't mention it.