Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Our New Home
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Just hand the golems over to Ophelia.
"Then you haven't gone home yet?"
"Yeah. Playground... no, I wanted to see what it's like outside."
"Where's your mom?"
"Uh, Mom...?"
Of course, legally Ophelia was my mom now, but was it okay to introduce her as such when she was dressed in a maid outfit...?
The kids whose homework got helped by Mecha-Doggo had given me some snacks as thanks. But what the heck was this? It said "freeze-dried Earth Jelly" on the package. What even was this stuff? How did the world work anymore?
"She's probably over there somewhere... Not sure."
"Whatever. I'll come say hi later."
"Y-you're coming to say hi?"
"Why, should I not?"
"Ah... No. Come say hi."
Ji-yoon was nothing like our awkward first meeting where she'd ignored me—she was super friendly and a really good kid. She had great affinity, or maybe she was just the type who made first meetings feel natural, so it was easy to chat with her. Talking to her made it clear why she was the boss of the group.
"I live in Building 303."
"I'm in 308, and Eve's in 307, right?"
"Yeah, is there anyone else in 307?"
"Eve's the first one."
"Really? Got it..."
Honestly, I was relieved there weren't any other kids in the same building. We probably wouldn't run into each other anyway.
"I gotta head out now. Mom's probably waiting."
"Oh, okay? See ya! Later!"
"Later...? Ah, okay."
I wondered if I'd ever see her again. I didn't go out much anyway. And even if I did, did I really need to run into elementary kids?
I roughly said goodbye to the kids and left the playground. Honestly, going down the slide once was plenty. Thinking back now, it wasn't even that fun. Guess playgrounds for kids just weren't my thing as an adult.
"Muhang, knew it."
"Princess, has something good happened?"
"Ah, Ophelia!"
Ophelia had apparently gotten all sorts of explanations from that guide guy from earlier and was waiting for me to come back. Maybe I should've returned sooner? I felt kinda bad.
"Hehe, no biggie. Shall we head up?"
"Yes, let's."
—Beep!
Ophelia told me the lobby door's password, and we went inside together.
"Wow...!"
Honestly, elevators weren't something I'd encountered much in my life. Our house had only been five stories, so no need for one. Of course it'd be nice to have, but a slum villa wasn't getting an elevator anytime soon.
And my job was just the convenience store—no high-rises there. I didn't visit tall buildings often enough to need one. I'd use it sometimes at the community welfare center, but that was about it.
"23rd floor... What if the building collapses...?"
"That won't happen."
"Really...?"
But didn't living in a high-rise feel a little scary? What if a huge wind hit while you were sleeping? Or a minor earthquake. High-rises seemed vulnerable to that stuff. Honestly, if my old villa collapsed, I was confident I could've walked out of the rubble.
But a high-rise? Fall damage alone was no joke—instant death from the drop, and there were multiple floors above crushing down. All I could do was pray it never happened.
"This is it."
"This is our house...!"
And so, after waiting out the long, long elevator ascent, we arrived at our new home: H City Apartment, Building 307, Unit 2302. Gotta remember the address well—maybe look up the street address on my phone later.
"Princess, let's head inside first and start with a bath in the bathroom."
"Mm... Okay."
It was annoying when she nagged me to wash up every day, but skipping my morning shower left me feeling off.
—Ttutittuti
The sight inside the house after punching in the password was...
"There's another door?!"
"It's the inner vestibule door."
"R-right..."
I was just messing around. It was to keep out the cold or dust—basically separating the entryway from the main house.
This vestibule alone was about a sixth the size of my old one-room. It even had a huge wall mirror and a built-in shoe closet.
"Wow...!"
After taking off our shoes and going in, there was an incredibly long hallway and a spacious living room. The sleek kitchen had an island counter along with all the basic appliances—and even some not-so-basic ones.
"This is..."
"An oven-microwave combo."
"Will I ever use an oven at home...?"
"It broadens your cooking options and can be used for baking too."
"Heh."
Well, it was nice to have anyway. It wasn't like they were charging extra for it. The living room was enormous, and there were a whopping three bedrooms. So, one for me, one for Ophelia, and... one for Minium?
"Oh right, Minium and Suri."
The place was so huge I'd forgotten about them. It felt empty partly because of the lack of furniture... but mostly because the golems weren't there.
"Minium! Suri! Over here!"
—Paat!
Responding to my Summon skill, Minium and Suri appeared in the middle of the vast living room. Minium looked around in surprise before nodding knowingly when she spotted me, while Suri casually scanned the interior layout.
"Uhuhung, whaddya think, guys? New house! Like it?!"
—Clank!
—Keeit...
"Yeah, yeah! It's the princess's house!"
Saying it out loud made my heart twinge a bit, but it wasn't weird or anything, right?
"Ophelia, is that my room?"
"Yes. Your desktop is already set up. Internet's installed too, of course."
"Oyeah."
The biggest room at the far end was mine. It was about the same size as my old one-room in actual floor space. The computer was set up, but the mattress was too old to bring over to the new place, so it was gone now.
"Wh-what's with this bed?!"
"It's for you to sleep on, Princess."
"Huh...?"
But there was a seriously massive bed in the room. There was a separate mirror and vanity, and a new desk with the desktop already on it...
You could legit get lost on this bed. We'd called me "princess" and all, but this was princess levels for real...
"I-isn't this too big...?"
"You move around a lot in your sleep, so I debated between bed rails or a larger bed. Would you have preferred the former?"
"Hmm..."
Bed rails? That was straight-up for toddlers... or actual babies. But did I really move that much when sleeping? Sure, in the one-room I'd sometimes wake up in the kitchen clutching my pillow, but I thought I'd fixed that lately.
"I carried you back."
"Ah."
I see. It wasn't fixed—Ophelia had just been moving me...
"W-well then... it's good! Big bed's fine!"
The bed was ridiculously tall too. It came up to right under my chest when I stood next to it—probably close to a meter high.
—Beep!!
"Muhang, Doggo! You happy?!"
—Bbi-bbi-bit!!!
Mecha-Doggo was so thrilled it even busted out a rare three-syllable bark. But soon enough, Ophelia dragged both of them out by the scruff.
"Both you and Mecha-Doggo have been out, so bath time first."
"Ugh... such a hassle..."
The classic bath dilemma—annoying to actually do it. But hey, new bathroom might make it feel different!
"Where's the bathroom, though?"
"There are two. The master bath lacks a tub, only a shower booth, so regrettably, please use the outer one for morning baths."
"Ugh."
Why did a house even need two bathrooms? I couldn't wrap my head around it.
"This is the dress room. Space for your clothes."
"Gasp!! It even has one of these!"
There were all sorts of other amazing things too. Next to the kitchen was the laundry area, and beside that, yet another door.
"This is... a shelter...?"
"For emergency evacuation."
"Emergency... so the building can collapse...!"
"No."
"Phew, feels good."
"How was the new bathroom?"
"Mm... Yeah, fancy houses really are different."
Unlike the old place where the showerhead dribbled weakly, this one had such strong pressure it stung my skin when cranked up.
The tub was way bigger than the old apartment's too. That place was so cramped I never got why it even had one.
"Ophelia, got anything else planned today?"
"No. Moving took up most of the day, so I didn't schedule anything."
"Cool? Then can I play now?"
"Yes, rest day today."
"Yahoo!"
I wanted to flop onto the bed and relax ASAP. Today had been exhausting.
"Dry your hair completely before bed. This way."
"Ah, right."
Getting my hair dried with Ophelia's hairdryer skills was no big deal. They say long hair's the hardest part of drying off, but I actually kinda liked this time.
The warm breeze felt all cozy and sleepy.
—Whirrr
"Hm..."
"What are you thinking?"
"Just wondering what it'd be like if Minium dried my hair with her jet engine."
"You'd get severe burns."
"Y-yeah... right."
Eh, just a random thought. They both blew warm air anyway...
Truth was, I wasn't the rich one. Ophelia was. But didn't that make me rich too? I was her princess, after all.
"Muhang."
"Drying complete, Princess."
"Thanks! Can I hit the bed now?!"
"Yes."
"Yahoo!"
I jumped straight from the vanity toward the bed.
—Ddiyoong
"Uwah, Doggo!"
—Bbi-bit?!
The super springy mattress launched Mecha-Doggo—who'd been lying there licking her paws—flying through the air. Luckily she landed back on the bed, so no harm done, but that was close.
"By the way, what about you, Ophelia? Using that room over there?"
There were two more rooms besides mine. Honestly felt like too many. I had no clue how pricey this place was, but we could've gone cheaper with fewer rooms and been fine.
Suri could chill in the living room. Did Minium and Mecha-Doggo even need rooms? Ophelia probably did. She was getting clothes now, so she'd need a room with a proper built-in closet.
"Yes."
"Heeng, leaves one room."
"The spare room has a specific purpose."
"Oh? What's that?"
With three golems, the living room might feel cluttered otherwise? Maybe for Mecha-Doggo's food bowls and Suri's spot.
"It'll be a space for taking photos to post on your personal SNS."
"Uing."
I didn't need that.