Inhuman Outing...! # 9
Inhuman Outing...! # 9
I instantly knew I was fucked.
Kitty was wrapping her arms around my waist. Kitty and the Void Princess—I couldn't get away from them now. This wasn't just a quick scare before they sent me back...!
After-Sales Service!
Kitty was definitely going to waltz into my room like she owned it to keep an eye on me. Like some psycho older sibling who barges in to inspect the place every time their younger sibling's door is closed!
"Geun-cheol, your back is so warm."
Her tone was oddly cozy for the situation, and Kitty pressed her cheek against my back!
"Hee-yik!"
But honestly, even before the surveillance part... having a young girl like Kitty clinging to me while I'm in nothing but boxer briefs is terrifying.
"Kitty! Let go for a sec! Let go and we can talk, Kitty!"
She's Kitty, who's been showing me this much affection. If I think about it rationally, she isn't going to suddenly try to kill me. Believing in that fact, I calmed my crawling skin and warmed my frozen heart.
Right.
As long as I keep my head on straight, there won't be any problems.
If they wanted me dead, they'd have done it already! VP knows something! There's no way she'd suddenly kill me!
But.
—Squeeze.
Kitty just kept holding me tight and didn't move.
"Kitty...? Can you let me go for now?"
"I don't want to let go."
She said it like she was sulking!
"What! No! Kitty! You can't do that!"
"Why can't I?"
"Why do you think!"
How exactly am I supposed to explain this? Should I say it's awkward because there seems to be an age gap?
"Geun-cheol. Why can't I?"
Her tone was flat, and I couldn't see her face because she was behind me, but this was clearly a teasing tone.
Kitty was smiling right now.
"The thing is... it's a big problem if you do this."
"A problem? Didn't Geun-cheol hug Kitty like this last time too?"
This is about the time Kitty kidnapped me. After my audience with the Void Princess, I was so terrified that I grabbed Kitty and begged her to save me.
"But that means I can't?"
"Kitty! That situation called for it! That time was okay, but this time isn't!"
"So Geun-cheol can do it, but Kitty can't?"
Let's get straight to the point!
"Let's skip past that for now! I think we have a bit of an age gap, so being like this is awkward!"
"Age gap? Ah. I see."
—Sliiide.
As if she'd accepted it, Kitty released her grip.
"Thanks."
Good.
Here, I just have to gently soothe her. Just like usual. Treat Kitty like a little sister and coax her with words.
"Huh?"
The moment I turned around.
The person behind me wasn't Kitty.
"Geun-cheol. This is okay, right?"
A woman who resembled the Void Princess.
Not the same age appearance as the Void Princess at the peak of her feminine allure, of course. It was just like Kitty had grown up to around my age.
A lady exuding a dark and bewitching charm was behind me...! No, more importantly, look at that cleavage!
"Do you like this?"
"Y-you transformed?!"
"You've seen it once already, Geun-cheol. Don't be too shocked. Hoo hoo hoo."
The woman smiled as she approached me.
I took a step back, but Kitty didn't care at all and kept coming toward me, leaning her head in.
"Geun-cheol. Don't run away."
"This is overwhelming! Please, just go back to the original Kitty!"
"Mmkay, I will."
—Shhhhaaaa.
Kitty's form immediately scattered like an illusion and returned to normal.
"Really, Kitty... what in the world are you...?"
"Who knows?"
"You're a monsterkin, aren't you?"
"Don't call me a monsterkin, Geun-cheol."
She said it with a smile, but it was a warning.
"Anyway. So Geun-cheol lives in a place like this?"
Kitty, who had stepped away from me, looked around my room here and there and spoke casually. An attitude you could never imagine from an attacker. She literally looked like she was just here to hang out.
—Sliiide.
Kitty sat down on my bed.
"No, wait, Kitty. What's with just showing up like this? You can't just come without any notice."
"I can't?"
"Of course not. Normally, you make an appointment to meet up."
"But Geun-cheol came to our house too, didn't he?"
Is a one-sided kidnapping the same as a visit?
By Kitty's logic, the water purifier lady who comes every few months to change the filter is the most vile kidnapper of all time.
"Anyway, Kitty. Whatever the case, if you want to come hang out, you have to make an appointment first. And besides, it's late now... and kids shouldn't stay out this late. So let's have you go home for today."
Gently, gently.
To coax Kitty, I spoke in my usual tone.
"..."
Kitty stared at me with a blank expression for a moment and tilted her head.
"Geun-cheol."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Does Kitty really have to go back?"
—Shhhhaaaa.
My heart went cold.
"No! Stay there! What should we do for fun today!"
What should we do for fun, miss! What should we do for fun!
I gave a dramatic bow like an amusement park moth mascot part-timer.
Welcome to my room, Princess Kitty!
Stay and have as much fun as you want!
"Hoo hoo hoo, thanks for welcoming me even though it's late. Geun-cheol."
"Kitty is always welcome!"
"Can I come every day?"
"That, well."
"Just kidding."
Thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.
"Still, don't be too scared. Geun-cheol."
Kitty, sitting on the bed, propped her chin up with both hands like a sunflower and said with a smile. The sight looked really adorable, but I felt an instinctive fear.
Honestly, it felt like talking to an armed robber. One who's pointing a gun at me and smiling the whole time.
"No, Kitty. Honestly, how can I not be scared?"
"Kitty is scary?"
"I'm seriously on the verge of fainting, Kitty...! I'm really, really scared right now!"
I'm literally in a cold sweat.
"Hoo hoo hoo, I just revealed my identity, and you're so scared. Geun-cheol. Try to calm your heart a little."
"Mm... now that you say it, I think I'm a bit less scared."
"Yeah. Believe me."
Her ability to affirm me is on par with Leona. As I was thinking that, Kitty got up from her spot. Then she came over to me.
"Geun-cheol."
"Wh-what?"
—Swoop.
This time, she hugs me from the front!
"Ack! Kitty! Let go of this!"
I didn't know what to do and just retreated backwards. Grab her and peel her off? My guts are way too small for that!
"I don't like it when you make loud noises. Please come back as the sweet Geun-cheol."
"You think it's that easy?! More than that, Kitty! You're seriously clinging way too much! Let's not do this! Why are you clinging so much!"
"Why am I clinging?"
Huh?
"Hu-huh?"
"Why do you think?"
"That's..."
"Even if Kitty clings like this now."
—Squeeze.
Kitty holding me even tighter.
"There's nothing Geun-cheol can do about it."
"Ah."
Oh. Acknowledgement.
"Yeah, you're right. Big fat acknowledgement."
Even if Kitty manhandled me like this, there was nothing I could do. I understood. Kitty had come here to make me accept that fact.
"Then, Geun-cheol? Can you put your hand on Kitty's head?"
"Yes."
I answered coolly and placed my hand on Kitty's head, stroking her hair.
"Kitty doesn't have an older brother, so I always thought it'd be nice if I had one."
"So I'll just have to be that older brother, right? Sounds good! Leave it to me!"
"Hoo hoo hoo, I'm so happy."
Right.
If I can't avoid it, I might as well enjoy it. Enj... what? No. Cancel that. Saying I'm enjoying it with Kitty sounds way too weird.
Anyway, as long as Kitty is showing this attitude, I don't need to be more scared than necessary. Honestly, my heart is beating like crazy because I'm scared shitless right now, but I'll have to get used to this.
Because these visits are going to keep happening.
—Pat, pat.
And so, I pet Kitty's head until she was satisfied. After I did that, maybe a little of her desire to torment me faded, because Kitty detached herself from me.
"That was fun. Geun-cheol."
"Yeah?"
"Will you keep treating me the same? If your attitude suddenly changes, Kitty will be really sad."
"Yeah... I will. Anyway, Kitty. I have a few things I want to ask."
It should be okay to bring it up now.
The moment I was about to speak.
"Geun-cheol."
Kitty beat me to it.
She said it while looking at me.
"What?"
"Does Geun-cheol have something like a goal?"
"A goal?"
"Everyone has a goal, right? I was just wondering if Geun-cheol had one."
Suddenly, I thought of my original goal.
It was to solve the problems in this game, reach some kind of ending-like conclusion, and then... return to my own home.
Would it be okay to explain something like that?
Can I tell Kitty everything—the whole spiel or whatever—that this is a game world. That I'm a person who got sucked inside it. Is it really okay to say such shocking things?
It's a story that sounds insane no matter who hears it.
"I do have one, sort of."
So I spoke vaguely.
"Getting stronger. That's my goal. I'm training hard for it and all that."
"Mmkay, really? Then Geun-cheol. I'll change the question a bit."
"Change it however you want."
"What's the reason you want to get stronger?"
"Well, that's just how it is. I just want to get stronger. Kitty, as you know, I'm one of the Awakened. If I'm strong, I can live better. I can beat up more monsters and live that way, right."
"I see."
Kitty smiled after hearing my answer.
"But why were you curious about that?"
"Just because?"
She said it like it was nothing.
"Okay... Kitty. Then can I ask you one question?"
"Yes. It's fine. You can ask."
"What does your sister think of me?"
"Geun-cheol. You're curious about that?"
I nodded.
—Flump.
Kitty went to my bed, sat down, and hugged her knees.
"As expected, you're more interested in my older sister than me. Kitty is sad."
"No! That's not it! I got kidnapped! And she laughed like she found me really amusing! I'm curious why!"
Wouldn't Kitty tell me?
There's no way Kitty just came here for no reason in a situation like this. Of course, part of it is that she wants to hang out with me, but Kitty clearly came because she has something to tell me.
"..."
After a brief silence, Kitty spoke.
"My sister has a small interest in Geun-cheol."
"A small interest?"
"But she isn't paying particular attention to you."
"That's a relief. But why would she be interested? Kitty. If you tell me, I'll buy you meat."
Meat is justice.
"Meat, huh... instead of that. Well? Why would it be? Why would my sister be interested in Geun-cheol?"
Answering a question with a question.
"Maybe it's because there's something about Geun-cheol?"
"That's..."
Something, she said.
"Geun-cheol. You have no guesses at all?"
"Not really..."
"If you really have no guesses, then why in the world would my sister act like that? Geun-cheol. What do you think the reason is? For example."
Kitty licked her lips as she spoke.
"Could it be that Geun-cheol is a special existence?"
"A special existence!"
I am always special.
The protagonist of your life is none other than yourself.
There is no such thing as an un-special person.