16
Chapter 16
Compared to usual, my body felt stiff, but my mind was at peace.
In any other world, maybe not, but in this world, recovering one's mind is harder than recovering the body, so wasn't this a wonderful thing?
I was worried about the hospital bills since the arrows I used this time were quite expensive, but most of the help was voluntary, and the Academy paid for the rest in full, which was a huge relief.
Then Estella suggested we throw a party at my place since things had worked out well, and I readily agreed. (I tried to refuse, saying I had no money, but she shut me down by saying I only needed to provide the venue.)
Thinking about Luna, who was like my own child, having nothing but breakfast since morning made me uneasy, so I rushed through the discharge process and headed home.
Of course, as I've seen before, she's a clever thing, so she'd probably find the food even if I hid it, but assuming so is different from confirming it myself. Still, knowing her track record, I wasn't overly worried.
After I arrived home.
"Daddy!"
I guess the neighbors have a family.
Look at that voice; it's so clear even though they're next door.
With those thoughts, I patted Luna, who, as always, was rubbing herself against my legs as I returned.
Wait, was Luna's hair always this long?
"I'm hungry!!"
Since when did Luna grow to the size of my waist?
"Daddy, I'm hungry!"
I looked down to assess Luna's current state.
Luna was now walking on two legs, and instead of being covered in fur, the hair was concentrated on certain parts of her head, with only a bit of fine fuzz elsewhere, making her skin clearly visible.
"Hmm, I think I need to be hospitalized again. This time, in a psychiatric ward."
If you start seeing your cat as a person, you definitely need to be admitted.
"Daddy, where are you going? Don't leave me behind..."
I couldn't help but look back at that whimpering voice.
Well, she's small and cute, so I think I'm seeing things correctly. I guess I don't need the psychiatric ward.
"Alright, Luna, let's eat."
I walked straight into the house and headed for the refrigerator.
"Let's see, were there any side dishes left?"
I rummaged through the fridge looking for something.
Hmm, there's not much left.
I'll just make some fried rice.
"Luna, let's eat."
I finished making the fried rice and turned around.
"Huh? Where is she?"
All I saw when I turned around was my empty studio apartment.
And the front door was wide open.
Through the open door, I saw Luna and Estella—who had split off to buy party supplies on the way—feeding Luna some snacks.
Wow, she got ready and arrived remarkably fast.
"Yummy!"
"So, what's your relationship with her? Is she your sister? She seems too young for that. Maybe a niece?"
"What did I call her? A pet..."
"You said she has no parents and was raised by a cousin... what?"
I felt as though a gaze of pure contempt was drilling into me.
"That pedo piece of..."
"Ah, a pet!"
Now I felt as though that contempt had shifted into sheer disgust.
"Wait, there's a misunderstanding..."
"Constellation, today I shall purge an evil of society to make the world a more beautiful place."
"Wait, let me explain... Huh? Don't pull the sword, just wait! I can explain it in a way that makes sense—AAAAH! Dammit, save me!"
"Don't bully Daddy!!"
***
"Pet? Companion animal? Daddy? How the hell are those all words that can be used to describe the relationship between two people?"
"I admit it's a crazy combination, but I can explain."
"Yummy."
Me, pinned to the floor; Estella, sitting on top of me; and Luna, happily eating the fried rice I made.
What a complete disaster.
"Explain."
"Yes, sir. Beginning explanation now."
I closed my eyes for a moment to organize the situation.
Luna, who I had been raising thinking she was just a cat, was actually a magic cat capable of transforming into a human, which I only discovered today. Since I viewed her as my own child, it seems Luna feels the same way, which is why she calls me 'Daddy,' and because I once mentioned companion animals, she now identifies as one.
Hmm.
"So, what exactly is going on here?"
"Why don't you know that already?"
I spoke based on the summary I'd just made.
"Hmm, so you're saying the moment you got home, Luna suddenly became human?"
"Oh, great summary."
"And here I thought you were some pedophilic pervert who adopted a cat and gave it the same name as some child just in case you slipped up and got caught. I mean, surely you're not that kind of psychotic degenerate."
"What is that? You're scaring me! Now let me go, you're freaking heavy."
"No. Let's just die."
"Why?!"
"Don't bully Daddy!"
Luna, having finished her meal, came running over with little hops to stop Estella.
"As I thought, Luna, you're the only one I can rely on."
Released from my bonds, I shared an emotional reunion with Luna.
"Why are you bullying Daddy, you old lady!"
"What? No. Old la..."
"Yeah, you old lady."
"Excuse me? I just turned twenty this year!"
"Then should Luna call you Unnie?"
"Wouldn't Unnie be closer than old lady?"
"Then let's put it another way. How would you feel if a twenty-year-old man told an eleven-year-old girl to call him 'Oppa'?"
"I mean, still... I'm pretty!"
"There the old lady goes again. Just bring in the bags you brought."
"No, but still..."
"How embarrassing."
"Dammit, seriously."
"Now, now. There's a child present; you should use polite and refined language."
"Fiiiine."
I burst out laughing as I watched her carry the supplies, her teeth clenched tight.
But then.
I noticed Luna had somehow crawled onto my lap and was lying flat on her stomach.
The hair on Luna's back reflected the overhead light, shimmering in a brilliant white glow.
"Luna."
"Yeah?"
"How did you become human?"
"I don't know!"
"Right, you don't know. Well, nothing we can do about it then."
"What do you mean, 'nothing we can do'?"
"What? You've already moved everything?"
"I didn't bring much; why would it take long?"
Cake, party hats, balloons, and what was that thing again? The one you blow into...
Honk!
Right, the one that makes that sound.
Luna blew into the vuvuzela with a loud honk.
She looked absolutely adorable with the party hat Estella had placed on her head.
"You bought a lot of weird stuff."
"They just came as a set."
Honk!
"Did you invite anyone else?"
"Yeah, I invited your friends. Aria wasn't really injured in the first place, and Quixote only had a few broken bones, so it was just a minor injury."
"Broken bones are considered minor?"
Honk!
"Basically, unless you need high-level magic from a professional medical mage or a special artifact, it's all considered minor. You were able to be discharged immediately because yours was minor too. To be classified as severe, you'd at least need to have a limb or two torn off."
"Well, I didn't have any limbs torn off, so I guess that's why I could leave today."
"Exactly. And the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom personally treated you, you know?"
Honk!
"I heard someone from the Holy Kingdom came, but they sent the Saintess herself on the first day?"
"Rumor has it that the Holy Kingdom is planning to end its isolationism."
It's happening faster than in the original story. Originally, they only had limited exchanges before the Holy Kingdom opened up and the Saintess transferred to the Academy.
Honk!
"I want to blow it too."
Estella pulled out another vuvuzela and put it to her lips.
Honk!
Honk!
"Don't you blow it. It's too noisy."
I snatched the vuvuzela from Estella's mouth.
"Why not me!"
"Because you're noisy."
"Then why her!"
Honk!
"Luna is a child. Do you really want to compete with a child?"
She looked at me with an incredulous expression, but I ignored her and watched Luna bounding around.
"By the way, how are the others getting here?"
"I gave them the address~"
"You should have just brought them with you."
"Their families might have come for them. I gave them the location and told them to come if they had time, and they said they'd definitely be here."
I thought about reaching out, but then I realized I hadn't exchanged contact information, so I decided to just wait.
"So, what exactly is this kid?"
Estella asked, looking at Luna, who was sitting on my lap and enjoying my petting.
"My daughter."
"Then who's the mother?"
"I birthed her from my heart."
Upon hearing this, Estella sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"I'll just run a quick check on her."
"Is there anything you actually can't do?"
"The more skills you have, the better."
I agreed with that.
Estella crept closer and spoke to Luna.
"Luna, can Unnie hold your hand for a second?"
"Wow, the nerve."
"You just shut... be quiet."
Luna nodded her small head up and down.
"Oh my, she's so well-behaved. She definitely takes after no one from her father's side."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Setting aside the hair color, you look like you have a nasty temper, but she's just soft and cute."
I wanted to argue, but even at a glance, we didn't look alike.
She proceeded with a mana wavelength test and several other things (she explained them, but I only understood about twenty percent). After a short while, she reached a conclusion.
"Yep, no doubt about it, she's a Spirit. Father, your daughter is not human."
"I had a feeling."
"Fortunately, this means you aren't someone who kidnapped a child off the street and raised them on cat food."
"What? That's terrifying. How do you even come up with a thought like that?"
A chill ran down my spine at the thought that I had almost been branded with such a horrific title.
"But do Spirits even eat?"
"I've heard some do, though it's not a requirement. I did this haphazardly, so I don't know the details. You'd have to go to a professional facility for a full report."
"Is that so?"
"Though it's quite pricey."
"I pass."
With those words, I thought about my remaining balance.
Expenses are high, and my only income is from part-time jobs; now that I have a daughter, I won't last six months even if I pinch every penny.
"By the way, why didn't you sign an exclusive contract? Even if not a full contract, some sponsorship early in your Stigma awakening would've kept you from being this broke."
"Tell me about it. I wish I had some."
Even if I looked for a sponsor now, no decent place would support someone with specs barely reaching the Pawn level. Plus, it's not a good idea to publicly reveal that I know the future.
That's why I asked Estella not to mention my role in the Academy terror attack.
Not to mention, my weapon is a bow, and arrows are consumables, meaning the costs will keep piling up.
A few artifacts come to mind that could fill the gap, but those are expensive. There are other ways, but since I almost died fighting a single Knight, the idea of venturing into the Demonic Realm alone to retrieve an artifact is absurd.
"Ahem, I feel like you might have just thought of something I can help you with?"
"Can you read my mind?"
"Nope~ I just noticed a certain someone, who knows everything but can't actually do anything, looking stiff~ If you just closed your eyes and begged, 'Noonim Estella, please help me just this once!' something wonderful might happen. Just a thought~"
So annoying.
I calmed myself down and checked my bank account.
"Noonim, please help me just this once."
I'd protect my pride once it started making me money.