Bear as Many as You Killed
“Popopopopo──.”
The bizarre sound kept ringing, tickling my ears over and over.
At first it had only felt eerie and terrifying.
I’d assumed it was some kind of spell a monster used to bewitch people.
“Popopopo……♥”
But it no longer scared me.
It was the voice that protected me now.
And more than anything, it looked different through my eyes.
“Poyu will protect you…. So you don’t have to worry…….”
It wasn’t simply that she looked beautiful on the outside.
Poyu had actually saved me more than once. She even cooked for me every single day.
In every possible way, she was someone I was truly grateful for.
And yet—.
“Popopopo-. Relax. Leave everything to Poyu. I won’t hurt you…….”
“……!”
The same Poyu who had sworn to protect me came down on top of me.
Claiming that for a full recovery, our bodies had to be mixed.
What the hell? My body won’t listen……?
I couldn’t move.
It felt exactly like sleep paralysis.
Body and mind had both slipped free of my control.
“Popopop.. Even the scared look is cute. I like the smaller version of you too.”
Whether I reacted or not, Poyu straddled me and slowly traced her slender fingers downward.
Face.
Nape.
Chest.
Side.
Hip.
The careful, delicate touch soothed me as if trying to calm me down.
Just as she had said, she clearly had no intention of harming me. Only…….
Is she seriously planning to mix bodies?
The surreal thought of being eaten by a monster made my skin crawl.
But humans are weak to what they see.
…Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?
The soft touch eroded my wariness, and before I knew it I was rationalizing.
A gentle hand that treated me like an infant.
A faint hydrangea scent like soft grass.
And above all, that beautiful face gazing at me with an expression that said she loved me to death.
My body remained paralyzed, yet somehow every sense grew sharper by the second.
“Popopopopo…. Then, excuse me?”
Her hand, sliding steadily lower, came to a bold stop.
Even so, Poyu lay down beside me and continued whispering that popopo- sound right into my ear.
As if casting a spell.
Ssslick—.
“Nn……?”
Caught between that dizzying whisper and her touch, I finally stopped resisting altogether.
The moment I decided to accept everything of hers—
What is this……?
My eyes closed on their own—
[Don’t touch her carelessly! You can’t give her salvation that way!]
Suddenly an unfamiliar scene flashed across my retinas.
W-what the…? A dream?
[Out of the way, Joseon man! We’ll handle this ourselves!]
[You stupid Japanese bastards! Your methods will never end this! You’ll only make more victims!]
A powerfully built man whose face felt somehow familiar was roaring at a group of people with their hair twisted up in absurd styles. And he was doing it in clumsy Japanese.
What? How am I understanding this?
It was strange.
I understood it naturally.
Just like when I could talk with Cro.
The scene before me was bizarre.
It felt foreign and yet, like déjà vu, as if I were watching something I myself had lived through.
[If you won’t move, I’ll send you to salvation right along with her.]
Japanese men in onmyōji robes, swords in hand.
[Bullshit! This happened at our shrine, so I’ll take responsibility and finish it!]
A lone Korean man of massive build raised bare fists against them.
Ah? That stance……?
Both hands extended forward, edges crossed like blades.
The vague form that comes to mind whenever someone says “karate.”
It was the exact same posture Poyu took whenever she faced other monsters.
[Protecting an evil spirit…! You’ve already been bewitched! Kill him!]
[Fine. If I’m going to die to a ghost anyway, better to die by human hands!]
[You’re completely insane!]
[Assuming you can kill me, of course.]
[Th-this bastard……?!]
[Strike—!!!!]
Dozens of men with swords charged a single person.
It looked like a one-sided massacre waiting to happen.
Yet—
—Thud-crack! Crack! Crraaack…!
[Guaaagh……?!]
[O-oni…! This guy isn’t human!]
[Hiiik…! His head burst open from a punch?!]
Amazingly, the one left standing was the towering man.
Without a single wound, he had beaten every onmyōji to the ground with nothing but his fists.
[I said I’d take responsibility and send her to salvation, didn’t I?]
[If you’re so eager to die, come at me. Otherwise—]
[Get lost right now.]
At that single line the onmyōji flung down their swords and fled.
Was it really a dream? The sight was too hard to believe.
[Hah. You’ve been waiting a long time, haven’t you?]
[Popopopopo……?]
…Poyu?
But the next scene proved it was no dream; a familiar face appeared.
[How strong is a little kid’s yin energy supposed to be? Even if you were starving… how do you drag a hundred people to the other side in a single week, seriously.]
[Popopopop…….]
A young girl-shaped ghost sat floating on a small stone.
She was much smaller than the Poyu I knew and wore no hat, yet it was unmistakably her.
[And why am I helping you? Ha! Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m trying to send you to salvation.]
[..Popop?]
[My overflowing yang energy should be enough. Anyway, we need to get out of here first.]
Thud.
With those words the man lifted the stone Poyu had been sitting on.
Wait—is that…?
A stone carved into the shape of a Buddha statue.
The same stone where Grandmother always hid the spare key.
[Popopop (thank you)…….]
Poyu’s form vanished into the stone.
[No need to thank me. I haven’t forgiven your sins.]
Then the man scooped up the Buddha-shaped stone and ran toward a small boat moored at the sea.
So that means…… Grandfather?
Grandmother had always said an evil spirit followed them from Japan……
But it was Grandfather who had brought Poyu with him?
Even as I clicked my tongue in disbelief, Grandfather never stopped moving for a second.
[Hah. I can finally catch my breath.]
After hastily launching the boat he let out a long sigh and muttered while staring at the stone.
[If you attain salvation and are ever reborn someday.]
—You must bear as many children as the number you killed.]
[No matter how many generations it takes, bear them and bear them again. And raise them with all the love you can give. That is the only way you can atone for your sins.]
The dream ended there.
At the same time my eyes opened on their own.
Control of my body had returned.
“Huh? Wh-what the hell was that……?”
When I opened my eyes it was morning.
And I was lying alone.
No sign of Poyu.
Instead—
Current Affinity: Attachment → Devotion (Safe)
You are receiving the monster’s boundless love.
She will not hesitate to risk her life for you.
The monster’s quirks have been strengthened.
Current Resonance: 50 → 100
Current Granted Ability: Eight-Foot Strength (Physical ability increase / + Skin hardness increase)
Mind Reading: You can now read the inner thoughts of an affinity target (partially → as needed).
So… why all of a sudden……?
I was completely dazed.
All that had happened last night was Poyu climbing on top of me—
“Ah?”
Reality finally snapped back and I hurriedly checked my body.
It was fine.
Only a hollow, drained feeling remained.
Nothing else seemed out of place.
Strange. She had definitely climbed on me last night saying we needed to mix bodies……
Was it just a dream after all?
Maybe I still wasn’t fully awake. The line between dream and reality refused to clear.
Even so, the dream about Grandfather remained vivid in my memory.
“…This is really weird.”
I muttered to myself and left the bedroom.
I felt like I’d slept deeply, yet my body was oddly sore.
—Growl!
On top of that, a fierce hunger gnawed at me as if I’d done intense exercise all night.
Anyway, when I walked out into the kitchen—
“Popopo? You’re up?”
Poyu greeted me from her seat at the table, looking perfectly fresh in contrast to me.
A lavish breakfast spread was already laid out.
“Poyu? Last night… did you sleep with me?”
Drawn by the delicious smell, I sat down instinctively and asked.
“Popo? Of course. I rested well inside Han-sung’s chest. And I guarded the house properly. Nothing happened at dawn.”
“No, not that.”
“Popopo? What’s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?”
She tilted her head as if she had no idea what I meant.
Fine. If that was how she was going to play it, I’d just read her mind.
It said I can read as needed, right?
I focused and stared straight at Poyu.
Then—
━Even the messy look is cute.
━I still like you, I love you♥
━You’re getting more and more manly.
━I want to hold you tight and spoil you rotten♥
━Aaah..♥ I love you I like you I love you I like you forever I love you I love you more than anything I love you so much I’d die for you I’d give you everything—
Whoa.
A twisted, overlapping voice poured into my head.
No wonder her quirks included madness and obsession.
At this rate I can’t understand a single thing.
I shook my head hard and cut off the dizzying stream of Poyu’s thoughts.
Maybe her dizzying figure had been burned so deep into my subconscious that it showed up even in my dreams.
Just eat first.
If she said it wasn’t her, then it wasn’t.
“Thanks for the meal.”
“Popopo.. Eat a lot. Han-sung mustn’t get sick.”
“Y-yeah. Thanks.”
Today’s breakfast was especially varied.
Beef and mushroom hot pot.
Soy-braised pork.
Golden grilled eel.
Assorted seasoned namul and pan-fried tofu.
Side dishes more suited to a dinner banquet than breakfast crowded the table until the legs nearly bent.
“Oh..? Definitely better than before—”
It was insanely delicious.
The seasoning was much closer to my taste as well.
As if she had taken my opinions to heart.
Rice went down easy.
“Popopop.. Eat slowly. You’ll choke.”
Poyu watched me with a contented expression, then—
—Clink
“Hm?”
She picked up her chopsticks and stirred the inside of the rice bowl.
When she lifted them, something white and sticky came trailing up.
“Poyu, what’s that?”
“Natto.”
“Ah.. okay.”
I flinched for a second but quickly accepted it.
Or rather, I accepted it for a moment.
Because as we kept eating together, a few questions started piling up.
Didn’t natto normally have beans?
Why was I only seeing the slime?
Wait—had she even eaten rice?
And more than anything……
Earlier she called me Han-sung, right?
A sudden chill ran down my spine.