Companion Human!
"Mmph! Mmph-mmph!"
The girl wrapped tightly in the vines struggled for a long time.
"Well, if I just sear it, it'll be done."
And without a second thought, Dohwa casually helped with the cooking right beside me.
...But boss, didn't you call that girl Jinjo?
Creating a window out of thin air, or having blood packs in the fridge.
Could it be that Jinjo is really the Jinjo I know?
But in this world, can there even be a Jinjo?
Thinking about the meaning of the Jinjo I know, it means she became a vampire from birth, not through awakening or other means.
Or is it just a title given to a strong vampire?
And the boss who can casually interact with someone possessing such a grand title... what kind of person is she?
Many questions swirled in my mind, but...
"..."
Watching the girl who had given up struggling and slumped down, wrapped in vines, I found it hard to speak rashly.
So I just kept my mouth shut and focused on cooking.
Thanks to that, dinner was ready in no time.
Stir-fried pork belly, freshly cooked rice.
Kimchi from the kimchi fridge in the kitchen, with a doenjangguk full of meat instead of tofu.
A Korean meal that I had longed for and wanted to eat so much.
Looking at the table set with portions for me, Dohwa, and that Jinjo...?, I felt a pang in my chest.
A bit, memories of the past came to mind.
But for a moment, I let myself sink into that emotion.
gulp.
The delicious aroma tickled my nose, and saliva filled my mouth.
Nothing compared to that feeling of gulping.
"...Mmph! Mmph!"
On one side of the table, Jinjo, who had been slumped just moments ago, glared with eyes bulging while tied to the vines.
Perhaps because she smelled the rice, her struggling seemed more intense than before.
"Hmm."
Dohwa glanced at such Jinjo and let out a small sigh.
"No matter what, one can't starve a person."
It seemed like Dohwa's principle that even if a person does wrong, one doesn't starve them.
As Dohwa reached out, the vines binding Jinjo loosened smoothly.
Then, Jinjo walked slowly and sat on the chair with a pouty face, picking up the chopsticks.
"Using the utensils before the guest? How rude."
"I'm not even invited, you brat!"
She shouted at Dohwa who was handing out the food, then picked up a piece of stir-fried pork belly and put it in her mouth.
"...!"
At that moment, Jinjo's eyes widened slightly.
chew, chew.
She slowly chewed a small bite as if savoring it, then reached for the chopsticks again.
Then this time, she piled the stir-fried pork belly on the rice and took a large bite with the spoon.
Her small cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
The sight of her sitting awkwardly and eating the rice deliciously was cute, like a hamster.
"...brat."
"Huh?"
"You cook quite well, you brat!"
Like she wasn't pouting anymore, Jinjo's eyes sparkled as she praised me.
"I've tasted all sorts of delicacies throughout my life... This is not something common!"
"...Is that so?"
I didn't do anything special, but if the food came out that delicious...
"What I did was nothing special. It's all thanks to Dohwa."
"No, that's not it."
Jinjo firmly denied my words.
"If Dohwa cooked alone, this taste wouldn't come out. Your hand's touch is excellent."
"Hand's touch...?"
Then, Dohwa murmured quietly from beside me.
Dohwa was staring at the stir-fried pork belly I made with her sparkling jade-like eyes.
As if there was something special there.
And she reached out with the chopsticks, picked up a piece of stir-fried pork belly and put it in her mouth.
"Oh ho."
With slightly widened eyes, she sighed in admiration.
"Indeed, the brat's hand's touch is special."
"Really?"
"It's not empty words. It's the truth."
Dohwa said that, but when I actually ate it, I didn't feel anything particularly special.
Anyway, eating dinner with someone else for the first time in a long time was special.
Not only did it fill my stomach, but it felt like it filled my heart too.
And as dinner was about to end...
"Speaking of which, kid."
Dohwa looked at me as if remembering something.
"Do you have a place to stay tonight?"
"Well, me... I can sleep on a park bench nearby."
"Sleep on a park bench? You mean you've been doing that all along?"
"Since I came to the city."
"Then, how did you wash?"
"I used the public restroom in the park. On days I had an interview, I went to a jjimjilbang to wash."
Dohwa and Jinjo looked at me with expressions of shock.
As people living in an apartment, it made sense.
"Haha. You're not going to chase me away saying I'm dirty, right?"
"Of course not!"
At the half-joking words, Dohwa shot up from her seat.
I looked at Dohwa with a slight start, and she approached me.
"Kid, you've worked so hard..."
She suddenly extended her arms and hugged me into her arms.
Along with a fragrant flower scent, a soft warmth enveloped me.
Most of all, since I was sitting and Dohwa was standing, her chest filled my entire field of vision...
In 0.1 seconds of Dohwa's full chest development, my mind went blank and I froze on the spot.
"Kid. From now on, stop staying in places like that."
Dohwa patted my back gently and said.
"From today, I will provide a place for you to stay."
"Huh?"
"There's an empty one-room apartment about ten minutes' walk from the cafe."
Dohwa continued while holding me.
"It's not spacious, but it won't be lacking for one person to live alone. From today, let's live there."
"Wait a minute. Dohwa."
At those words, the mind that had gone on a temporary vacation returned.
"I don't know how to refuse, right? If you say that, I'll really accept it without refusing??"
"Then, let's accept it."
As she said that, Dohwa loosened the arm that was holding me and took a key from the key bundle she took out of her handbag and firmly put it in my hand.
"Since it's an empty room with no use, if the kid uses it, I would be happy too."
"...Dohwa."
"Why?"
I looked at Dohwa's eyes seriously and said.
"Do you have no intention of adopting a companion human?"
"Puhup!!!"
Dohwa's eyes widened, and Jinjo next to her took out a blood pack, drank it, and spat it out.
Wow, that would be hard to clean up.
"Companion, human...?"
"W-what kind of nonsense is that!!"
Dohwa smiled faintly, ignoring Jinjo, and asked me.
"But if it's a companion human, isn't it just a companion?"
"Humans are animals too, right? In a way, it's like a companion animal."
"Ah, I see. Then, what are the benefits of raising a companion human?"
"Chores, cleaning, cooking, alarm, emotional stability... It can perform various other functions!"
"Lifespan?"
"If you manage it well, it should live to about 150? Even if it's F-rank, it's an awakener."
"Hmm. That's too short. It should be at least 200."
"Ah, damn..."
I desperately appealed, but unfortunately, it seemed difficult to meet Dohwa's conditions.
"What kind of conversation is this... I can't follow..."
Jinjo, who had absorbed the scattered blood with a wave of her hand, was now looking at me and Dohwa with an expression of disbelief.
***
After finishing dinner and cleaning up, it was already deep into the night.
"Well, kid. I'll take you to the one-room apartment, so come along."
"Um, if you just tell me the location, I can find it myself..."
"It's fine, come along. If you get lost on the way, what then."
"Ugh, you're treating me like a son you found at the last minute... Mmph! Mmrph-mmph!!"
I left Jinjo, who had been tied up again after picking a fight, and followed Dohwa to the one-room apartment.
The one-room apartment Dohwa brought was really close to the cafe.
It was within a ten-minute walk, actually less than five minutes.
"Here it is. Don't be shy and use it comfortably."
"Thank you very much, Dohwa. When do I pay the rent?"
"Were you planning to pay rent?"
"Of course!"
"Then, pay it now."
"Um, it's a bit inconvenient right now..."
"If not now, I won't take it, so remember that."
"...Or, Dohwa. Will you really accept me as a companion human?"
"Hmm... Thinking about it again, it doesn't seem bad. As long as I don't care about means and methods, there are plenty of ways to extend lifespan..."
"Ah. Sorry. I'll cancel."
"That's a shame."
Dohwa smiled languidly and waved her hand.
"Then, rest well. Today, there were many things, so you must have been tired."
After saying that, Dohwa left the one-room apartment.
I, left alone, opened the door of the one-room apartment and entered inside.
Click, turning on the light.
The warm lighting softly illuminated the room.
I thought since it was an empty room with no use, there would be dust, but the inside was surprisingly clean.
One bed, one desk, one TV, one closet.
And a balcony and a small kitchen, bathroom.
It might be lacking for someone, but for my perspective, it was like a high-class hotel.
Until yesterday, I had been sleeping under the sky as a roof and on a bench as a bed.
If I got caught by a patrol guard, I would be chased out of the park and often couldn't sleep properly.
"..."
Honestly, I wonder if I'm not dreaming right now.
The events of today were too unrealistic.
Because of the rampaging Minotaur from the morning, I threw away the food I bought with all my money.
After resolving it by betting all my money, I got scolded by the police...
And met the beautiful elf boss who treats me suspiciously well.
Received coffee and sandwich, got a job, almost got pierced by the window Jinjo made with blood, ate dinner at the table for free...
Even until I washed with cold water and lay on the bed.
When I wake up tomorrow morning, will I be opening my eyes on the park bench again? The thought didn't leave my mind.
"...hahaha."
With a mix of happiness and anxiety, I laughed out loud at the strange emotions rising.
That way, my heart could become a little at ease.