096 – Grasping the Blade #1
Today, I planned to do some long-overdue deep cleaning after putting it off for days due to my hectic schedule. I woke up early, drew back the curtains, and let the warm sunlight filter through the windows. The rare weekend vibe hit me just right, putting me in a great mood.
"Drink up, you guys. Get some tasty water."
—Whirr!
—Whirr! Whirr!
I didn't forget to water the Happy Cacti lined up thick on the balcony. Without these guys, I'd have spent every night tossing and turning from bloody battles with hell cockroaches.
"Oh, flowers blooming too?"
Seeing the blossoms on the cacti moved me—proof that even in a parched daily grind, beauty could still bloom. My life had been brutally tough lately, so I desperately needed this small break.
All the chaos at Pandora Market.
Just thinking about it makes my hair go white!
Beep!
After carefully watering the balcony plants, I turned on the living room TV for a quick breather. What was the most fun thing on these days?
"Isn't that Cyclops Sai?"
What was he doing at the market on this weekend more precious than gold? Soon, Helen and Makenoi popped up in reporter interviews too.
They were clearly lounging on my living room couch, yet it felt like I was back in that headache-inducing office. I quickly shut off the TV. It was just making my mind cluttered.
"Right. It's the weekend—can't waste it zoning out in front of the TV!"
I unrolled the mat I'd gotten from Oizys the nymph at Happy Massage Shop, sat cross-legged on it, and closed my eyes. Meditation. Cutting out external stimuli to reclaim inner peace. Peace of mind.
—Kyang kyang…!
Weird. I definitely turned off the TV—where was that barking coming from? I cracked my eyes open, and there was a golden-furred Hell Puppy plastered to the window, staring at me. Melinoë stood right beside it.
No peaceful weekend for me this time.
Beep beep!
I opened the door, and Melinoë slipped inside like she was sliding on ice. Tossing her outer coat carelessly onto the couch, she seemed a bit peeved.
"Melinoë. Something bad happen this early on a weekend morning?"
"Not particularly."
When Melinoë was in a good mood, she'd neatly hang her coat on the rack. Bad mood? Straight to the couch. She probably didn't realize it herself, but after spending a few days together, I could tell at a glance. In situations like this, I just had to wait—she'd speak up first.
"The weather's too damn hot. Even with Kyang Kyang around my neck, it's sweltering. They say the boiling hot springs and lava temps are rising all over Soul Society—feels real now."
Sure enough, the increasingly scorching weather was souring her mood. The season we could call Soul Society's "summer" was almost here. I'd seen forecasts saying this summer would be hotter than last year's.
"Still, thanks to the Hell Puppy you caught for me, Jo I Seo, it's bearable. Wrapping it around my neck like this keeps me cool."
Melinoë scooped up the Hell Puppy wandering the living room and draped it around her neck like a cooling scarf. The pup didn't seem to mind the treatment and stayed docile. What a bizarre sight.
As that thought crossed my mind, Melinoë narrowed her eyes at me.
"Jo I Seo, I sense a subtle emotion in your gaze. Jealous that I'm only paying attention to Kyang Kyang? Envious that I'm doting on it alone."
"No, not at all."
"Can't be helped, then. Shall we take a stroll in a quiet park?"
Melinoë wanted a walk. We leashed the Hell Puppy properly and headed to the park nearby. It would've been crowded normally, but with Pandora Market booming again, folks had flocked there instead—leaving the park nice and empty.
Perfect.
Maybe it was rebound from my busy days lately. Just strolling the park felt restorative, easing my mind.
What about Melinoë, though? I wondered how this ordinary walk felt to such a grand princess—
She was staring intently at a dirt mound in the park.
"…Honey ants in a place like that."
—Grumble.
—Grumble grumble.
She was totally fixated on the honey ants. A bit of drool slipped from her lips—not because the ants looked tasty, but probably craving the honey candy they made.
"Did you share that ant honey candy I gave you with the other nymphs?"
"What about the candy? Jo I Seo, sometimes I have no idea what you're on about."
Playing dumb—yep, she hogged it all. So dishonest.
Is honey candy that good?
Rare item, they said. The married woman at the first-floor sundries shop seemed to stock it sometimes—I'd have to buy more.
"Let's take a break."
Clack, clack—thud.
As I mulled that over, Melinoë plopped onto a nearby bench. Her high heels must've made walking uncomfortable. That's when I first realized, walking in the park with a woman, you gotta notice her shoes.
"Next park stroll, I should lend you my slippers."
"Next time. Jo I Seo, heads-up: starting tomorrow, I'll be swamped, so meeting up like this might be tough for a while."
"HQ keeping you busy?"
"One exec suddenly quit. Oizys, opening that massage shop. Her workload's getting divvied up among the others."
"Sounds hectic."
"Plus, your situation's still hot topic among the execs. Your market feats were impressive. Talk of reinstatement floating around."
What the Happy World! Reinstatement? Exactly what I don't wanna hear.
"Jo I Seo, I'm staying neutral on your reinstatement. As your lover, I have to judge coldly. So don't feel too slighted."
Melinoë rubbed the dirt with her sharp, pretty heel as she spoke. Uncomfortable not taking my side? I was actually grateful.
"I don't wanna be a stumbling block on your path to chairman."
If she had to choose between her chairman dream and fondness for me, I wanted her to pick the dream without hesitation.
But Melinoë shook her head.
"Never saw you as a stumbling block, Jo I Seo. I'm a perfect goddess on my own, but without you, I'd have wandered longer."
"Too high praise for me."
"But sometimes I think… even if you weren't helpful to me, I'd still be sitting here beside you like this."
"…Why?"
Why? No clue. As I felt awkward, she gazed at the frolicking Hell Puppy far off, her words drifting by like a breeze.
"Who knows. Why indeed. A boring weekend. Side by side on a bench, chattering about nothing meaningful. Yet lately, I've been looking forward to these moments."
It was oddly embarrassing. Was she saying park dates with me were fun? To hide my fluster, I teased her playfully.
"Our chats can't be that meaningless."
"Utterly meaningless. Compared to my dream of becoming chairman. Against that throne I'm after, even gold and glory are like dry crackers and hollow praise—worthless."
Her profile, glimpsed sideways, was chillingly sharp—like a blade drawn from its sheath, beautiful yet perilous. Sharp enough to cut a curious kid who reached out, leaving them bawling.
"Then let's head home, Jo I Seo."
Creak!
Snap!
But as Melinoë rose from the bench, her sharp heel finally gave way. The heel broke, her unbalanced body lurching wildly.
My brain kicked into overdrive. If she face-planted awkwardly? The haughty fox-goddess in a clownish sprawl—memorable, sure, but—
My hand shot out faster, grabbing hers.
"Melinoë! Watch out!"
Squeeze.
Her hand—first time holding it—was warm and soft, belying her fearsome title of ghost goddess.
"…Jo I Seo, even without your save, a perfect goddess like me wouldn't have fallen comically. But thanks."
Steadying herself, she narrowed her eyes.
"Now let go. Our contractual romance is strictly platonic—no fingertips touching. We promised your father that."
"Right."
"But since this was to help me, we can pretend it didn't happen. Better release before anyone sees."
I was clutching a beautiful, dangerous blade. What if I kept holding, irking her? I didn't let go.
"Jo I Seo, keep this up, and you might never return from demotion."
"That's fine."
"Even if it earns the chairman's ire?"
"Music to my ears."
"You like me that much? Even so, you're the only one—not even execs—who doesn't fear the chairman."
Melinoë fell silent. Under the blazing sun, sweat beaded on my palm quick; trickled down my forehead and back.
Squirm.
Her hand fidgeted—uncomfortable with my grip?
This must've dinged my score plenty.
But when to let go? No clue—I was starting to panic. This couldn't last forever. Like a dream woven under the hot sun—
Beep beep!
Melinoë's terminal buzzed urgently. Mine too.
What? Out of nowhere? What the hell. But "Security Bureau" reeked of firing and demotion.