[What's life for, just living as it comes]
[What's life for, just living as it comes]
"As I introduce myself again, I am Lieutenant Lee Yu-seong of the Seoul Central Police Station's Special Violent Crimes Team. I am truly sorry for the misunderstanding and for causing you trouble."
"If you know, then that's fine."
A polite and sincere apology is worth accepting. My mood was ruined, but seeing the guy get chewed out by his superior made me feel a bit better. Plus, if he explains the reason, it's a problem I can understand.
"I've been asked this and that by police officers while walking around with my wife, and I've even spent a night in the holding cell, but this is the first time I've ever been handcuffed. Could you explain why you did that?"
If there's no flight risk, they don't even issue a warrant, and if you cooperate, they don't just slap handcuffs on you. If they do handcuff you, it's because you're caught in the act or a suspect.
In other words, it means some kind of crime occurred.
Judging by his attitude when he arrested me, it's a pretty serious felony. There's no way a police team that catches Force User criminals would come to catch a con artist.
"Kidnapping? Murder? Rape? Theft? Ah, looking at it, it's not theft, and if it were just rape, there would have been a description, so you wouldn't have jumped me. Did you mix kidnapping and murder fifty-fifty?"
".......How did you know?"
"Even if I'm alone, I'm a guy with a nasty impression, but when I'm with my wife, I'm a suspicious guy with a young girl. If it's a crime related to that, that's the only answer."
The reason I was misunderstood wasn't because of me, but because Sion was there. To an outsider, it's a suspicious scene if a young child is with a guy who looks like he has a nasty impression in the middle of the night.
Let's add a bit of crime to this. If Lieutenant Lee Yu-seong was investigating a child kidnapping, or a murder and rape case, the probability that I'd be suspected as the culprit is 90 percent.
Honestly, even if we walked around in broad daylight, people would look at us with suspicious eyes, so if we do this at night, even I would misunderstand. It makes sense.
"The first case was a missing person report from a month ago. A young girl went missing from a nearby elementary school and wasn't found for three days."
"And after three days?"
".......Only the upper half of her body was found in a building behind a nearby shopping district."
Her parents' hearts must have been torn apart. When parents die, children bury them in the ground, but when children die, parents bury them in their hearts. Not to mention, how painful and frustrating it must be that an elementary school girl left like that.
It's natural for people to die, but the problem is how they die. If they leave the world at an age where they haven't even bloomed yet, it's a tragedy.
"After that, two more missing person cases followed. One was two weeks ago. The other was one week ago. Although they are different schools, considering that the missing students are of similar age, it is clearly the work of the same culprit."
"Why do you assume the culprit is a Force User?"
"The body of the first child found had wounds that looked like her lower body had been torn off by great force. The autopsy results came out that way, too. Since it's impossible for a normal human to do that, we are convinced that a Force User is the culprit."
Kidnapping and then murder. And an elementary school girl at that.
Even if I'm human scum, I don't think this is right.
"We are currently investigating the Force Users living in this vicinity. However, they all have alibis, so we were thinking it might be an unregistered Force User and were spread out, conducting undercover investigations, but......."
"And you saw me and jumped me, thinking I was that guy?"
"........I am truly sorry."
He bowed his waist at a 90-degree angle to apologize, but that was outside my interest now. A feeling even worse than my ruined mood was crawling up my back.
People I know might argue, "What position are you in to say anything to that guy?" if they saw me. I've killed countless people myself, and among them, there were definitely children, even younger than elementary school students.
But I killed them all. Is the guy who only picks off elementary school students the same as the guy who kills everyone?
At least I'm fair. I kill regardless of whether they are women, men, old, or young, but the guy who only kills elementary school students makes me pissed off just thinking about it.
"Well, that's enough. In the end, it was a misunderstanding and it's been cleared up, so it's fine. And could you take these handcuffs off?"
"Ah! I'm sorry! I'll take them off right away!"
He took the handcuff key out of his pocket and unlocked them. The key looked like a magnet, so it must be electronic. After holding it there for about 3 seconds, the handcuffs clicked open with a small mechanical sound.
I stretched my shoulders, which were stiff from being cuffed behind my back, and held Sion's hand. She touched the handcuff marks on my wrists and made a pitiful expression.
"Are you okay?"
"Even if I were tied up backwards for three days, I'd be fine, so what's the big deal about being cuffed for a little while? You know I'm unnecessarily sturdy."
The marks left on my wrists disappeared in 3 seconds. This is why being healthy is the best.
"I am truly sorry for what happened earlier. I have no excuse."
"You were doing your job, and it was a situation that could be misunderstood, so I'll forgive you."
If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have held back either. It stemmed from a misunderstanding, and I even received a sincere apology, so I have no intention of saying anything more.
"But if the first case was a month ago, shouldn't it have been known by now? I haven't heard any such news in the newspapers."
"Reporters have already caught the scent, but it will likely be conducted as a top-secret investigation until the culprit's identity is revealed. I don't know much because I received orders from above...... If it weren't for the Police Chief, I wouldn't even be telling you two this."
"Hmm."
There's a suspicious smell everywhere. My nose, which functions reliably in terms of crime, is the proof.
Even if that weren't the case, my gut is telling me so. This is why I'm glad I awakened my second ability with this.
"Then see you next time, Lieutenant Lee-nim. I hope you catch that guy."
"Yes, get home safely!"
I held Sion's hand and headed back home. I shook my head as I saw Lieutenant Lee sighing in the distance and turning his back to walk the other way.
"It's really not clear. Was there a guy like that around our neighborhood?"
"There were no particular rumors."
"In the first place, the rumors you talk about are internet-based, right? Your limitation is that you can't find stories that haven't even been mentioned by people, so it's a loophole in that regard."
Sion shows near-omnipotent ability limited to electronic devices. She can hack the US Department of Defense server without anyone knowing, and she can instantly rob banks and corporations around the world to cause a global economic collapse.
But in the end, it's a matter of electronics. If it's a story that hasn't even been mentioned by people, Sion can't find out. Even if she hacks CCTV, there's a limit. Because the opponent is a Force User.
The police aren't stupid either, so they must have some know-how in dealing with Force User criminals. Yet, the fact that they can't even catch the guy's identity means he's using a trait specialized for that.
Furthermore, Sion cannot use her power on supernatural abilities. If the opponent is a computer made of pure scientific technology, she can take over even a program like Skynet that has taken over the Earth in one shot, but if it's a computer that uses supernatural abilities in a complex way, she struggles even with a home computer.
Sion's original nature and species name, Hanon, is a fraudulent species that reaches the pinnacle of physical laws and is in the ranks of Transcendents from birth, but she has less resistance to supernatural abilities than an ordinary human. It's a balance patch where she's biased towards one thing but vulnerable to another.
"In detective comics, police are portrayed as idiots, but in reality, they aren't. They would have searched through CCTVs long ago, and the undercover investigation period must be longer than we think. But the fact that they still can't catch him means....... the opponent is not to be taken lightly."
"Are you going to catch him?"
"Honestly, there's nothing I can't catch if I want to."
Since the guy is active around here, I can just widen my Force Field and find him. I can put the entire Earth in the range of my Force sense, so why couldn't I cover just Seoul? It's just that my head gets a bit heated.
"Let's not waste energy on things that have nothing to do with us. Didn't Team Leader Jo say last time that a Raccoon Man Countermeasure Team or something was created? It's better not to stand out as much as possible."
"You never know how the world will turn."
"Of course. But would that guy kidnap you, or do anything to you? No, the guy who kidnaps you is the pitiful one."
I lose when we have a marital fight.
I let her win, but Sion is also that strong. I have enough skill not to lose even if a higher-ranking Transcendent comes if it's a one-on-one fight, but Sion is specialized in one-versus-many rather than one-on-one. She's specialized in wide-area destruction.
To use an analogy, I'm a pistol, and Sion is a missile. Okay?
If someone kidnaps Sion, I plan to pray for the guy's soul. Even if the opponent uses supernatural abilities and is the polar opposite of Sion.
Did you think I wouldn't even have prepared for my wife's kidnapping?
"Tomorrow is a day off, so let's think about what to do. Want to go out and watch a movie?"
"Hmm, I'll think about it."
When we arrived home, we remembered something we hadn't thought of.
The ice cream, which I thought would easily last 30 minutes, had melted. It seems that was the case because we spent so much time at the playground.
"Since it's come to this, I'll rewind time......!!"
"Don't use amazing technology for useless things! You, who hates waste!"
"Ice cream is a grave matter!"
In the end, it ended with me going to buy new ones.
One day a week, the morning of the holiday dawned. Our [Shall I Shut Up?] is closed every Saturday. So we slept in today.
Unlike Sion, who usually wakes up later than me, she woke up earlier than me today. It's unusual for Sion's personality, who sleeps later than me even on holidays, although I was trying to sleep in.
I heard a rustling sound from the kitchen from Sion, who woke up first. I thought about going down to help, but I thought it would be nice to wait leisurely sometimes when Sion is doing something, so I slept a little more.
I woke up leisurely around 10 o'clock. I stretched, got up, took a shower, and came out, and Sion had prepared breakfast.
"Rice balls? What's inside?"
"Stir-fried kimchi mixed with Spam, and tuna mayo."
"Ah, both are things I like."
As for the combination of tuna, soy sauce and wasabi are good, but the truth is mayonnaise, and the combination of Spam is stir-fried kimchi. Sodium? I don't think my body will rot because of the salt when I die.
I eat one rice ball, balled up to the size of my fist. She coated the outside with seaweed flakes so it didn't stick even when touched with bare hands. The taste of rice, stir-fried kimchi, and Spam harmonizes in my mouth.
"My shoulders hurt from making them since morning. Please massage my shoulders."
"Oh my, you worked hard. It's been a while since you made breakfast."
I massaged Sion's shoulders a little. My hands aren't that big, but when I put them on Sion's shoulders, they look relatively big. That must mean she's that small.
"But since the filling is salty, it would have been better if the rice was less seasoned. It's not that salty, but it's a bit burdensome to eat a lot."
"I didn't season the rice."
"..........?"
"I didn't season the rice."
At the words Sion spat out calmly, I asked her after swallowing all the rice ball I was eating.
"........Hey, I'll ask you one thing. You said your shoulders hurt from making the rice balls earlier, right? Why your shoulders, not your arms or hands?"
"That's right."
"And why are you wearing a sleeveless dress?"
"This is why I like you for being quick-witted."
There are so many fetishes in the world. Among them, there are people who like making rice balls by squeezing them with their armpits.
Honestly, I like armpits too. Sometimes when we have sex at night, I lick down from Sion's armpit to her side, so.
As someone in the food service industry, I should be angry if someone plays with food, but....... as Sion's husband, I have no choice but to be faithful to my instincts.
"We shouldn't leave food behind, right? Mmm, delicious."
"Actually, it's a lie. That wasn't made with armpits."
".......'That'? There's an ambiguous statement mixed in there?"
"There is exactly one among these that was made that way, though......."
The number of rice balls, excluding the ones I ate, is 10. They are large, but since both Sion and I eat a lot, this number is appropriate for a light breakfast.
The probability is 1 in 10! Only a 10 percent chance! The reward is a rice ball made by a beautiful girl with her armpits!
What a super-value gacha. Wow, why are you giving so much?
"It's this one."
"Ah, the correct answer at once! Are you using your ability there, that's cheap?"
"What's it to you. You're not the one eating it."
"Don't you think it's a bit dirty?"
"I can eat anything that comes out of your body."
"I know you're saying that knowing that nothing big comes out."
"No, how did you know!"
Sion's body is different from a normal human body. Her appearance is the same, and she sweats, but she is different in many ways.
One of them is that she goes to the bathroom but doesn't do "big" business. Everything she eats is broken down into nutrients and absorbed without any waste, and even what needs to be excreted is sent out through urine or sweat.
Even then, it feels like she does it on purpose for various kinds of play, even the sweat or urine.......
"It's less salty than I thought for something made with armpits?"
"I'm adjusting my body's metabolism because I'm testing something these days. Maybe in a while, we'll be able to do something interesting."
"What are you doing? Tell me just a little."
"I'll keep that as a secret for the night."
It seems she's thinking of another strange play. But I like it too, so it's fine.
After eating, my body felt sluggish. Just as I was thinking about whether to watch TV or play with my phone, the doorbell rang.
"What is it from the morning? No one should be coming?"
"It's probably a delivery."
"What kind of delivery? Are there deliveries on weekends?"
"There are places that deliver on weekends if you pay a surcharge."
I went out wondering if that was true, and it really was a delivery. The delivery, contained in a quite heavy box that came up to my waist, looked quite difficult for the delivery man to move even though he was using a cart.
When I received it, the weight was considerable. It was so heavy that an ordinary person would have trouble dragging it, let alone lifting it. When I shook it slightly, there was a slight metallic sound.
Even if I think of it as a figure, I don't think it's a normal figure......
"What's inside?"
"You'll know if you open it."
Sion looked up at the box with eyes full of anticipation. The box, which was about the same size as Sion, was so big that we had to stand it up to get it through the front door. It's not like our front door is small, though.
We brought it into the house, and since we store things like figures separately in a room on the second floor, we took it up there. We put it in a corner of the room where we collect only figures and started opening the box.
The identity of the figure, which is almost as big as Sion, is......!!
"Wow! 1/3 Hulkbuster figure!!!"
"Originally, this size doesn't come out, so I had it custom-made."
"At this size, can't you ride inside it too?"
Of course, it's not about wearing an Iron Man suit inside, but it's just enough for Sion to fit in, but that also means the figure is that big.
The original is about 3 meters, so at a 1/3 ratio, it's about 1 meter. Sion's height is about 130cm, so it wouldn't actually be that ratio size, but it was about the same height as Sion.
"I wanted to buy a life-sized one, but I thought it wouldn't fit in the house, so I compromised a little."
"Still, this is insane. It's a man's romance, after all."
As for a man's romance, it's robots, drills, combination, power, that kind of category, so I'm crazy about giant robots. Even at a 1/3 ratio, the details are alive, so it's cool enough. Since Sion is next to it, it feels like a monster showdown.
"Stand there for a second. Let me take a picture."
"Should I pose or something?"
"Anything is fine except for a double peace sign and an Ahegao."
"Tsk."
What are you disappointed about?
I moved around and took pictures with my phone. After taking pictures of size comparisons standing right next to it, or motions like the two of them fighting behind Sion, it was already lunchtime.
"I should show this to Baek-ri. Would he like something like this?"
"There's no man who doesn't like robots."
I sent a few photos as image attachments to Baek-ri, and he replied in a minute.
[Wow, hyung, what is this? Did you buy a figure?]
[My wife bought it]
[That's insane. Even smaller ones sell for hundreds of thousands of won, how much was that one?]
"How much was it?"
"I just paid for it, so I don't remember."
[I don't know, it's made-to-order]
[Awesome. Can I come check it out later?]
[Yeah]
[I should show Ruri too]
It was lunchtime, so I thought about what to make, but I was lazy, so I just wanted to order from a Chinese restaurant. It takes a lot of effort to make Jajangmyeon or Jjamppong at home, so it's better to order if possible. In some cases, a delicious restaurant is better that way.
"I'll have Jjamppong, you?"
"Please order Samseon Jajang."
"And order a large Tangsuyuk for that..... is there anything else you need?"
"I think it would be enough to order one small Kkanpunggi."
"True, it feels like one large Tangsuyuk isn't enough for the two of us. Okay."
There might be Chinese restaurants that win with Jajangmyeon, Jjamppong, and Tangsuyuk, but a restaurant that also has dishes for many people to eat together, like Yusanseul or Yangjangpi, somehow increases credibility. Because it means they have at least that much skill.
I called a Chinese restaurant near our house and placed an order. Since it's lunchtime, delivery is backed up, so it seems it will take a while.
"Did you ask for free fried dumplings?"
"Ah, I didn't ask that."
These days, people are stingy, so unless it's a group order, free fried dumplings don't come. Although there's a high possibility they will come since I ordered Jajangmyeon, Jjamppong, Tangsuyuk, and even Kkanpunggi.
Time passed quickly as I tore open the figure box, separated the recyclables, and cleaned up. I was going to go out when the doorbell rang, but Sion went out first and received it.
"I could have gone out."
"You were cleaning up, weren't you? Someone with free hands can do it."
I've tried ordering from two or three Chinese restaurants around here, but this is my first time at this one. If the taste is okay, I'll order often, and if not, I'll cut them off. I have firm standards regarding the taste of food.
I rubbed and tore off the plastic on the bowl with disposable wooden chopsticks and took a sip of the broth first.
"Hmm, the Jjamppong broth isn't bad. But it's not as good as the place we ordered from last time."
"The Jajangmyeon is okay."
"Really?"
Next is Tangsuyuk. The quantity is a pass, but the condition of the batter and sauce is....... a bit ambiguous.
I poured the sauce over the Tangsuyuk. Then, a fierce reaction popped out from Sion.
"Ah! Why are you pouring the sauce?!"
"You like it poured."
"You can eat it dipped. You like it that way, don't you?"
I'm a "dipper," and Sion is a "pourer." To be precise, I'm a "stir-fryer," but I can't do that when I order out.
In this respect, Sion and I have differences in tastes here and there, but we've lived for a long time without fighting much. You can tell by the fact that we're still newlyweds.
As for married life, the most important thing is respect. Because we both know that, we can understand and embrace each other.
If there is only love and respect, any couple can be happy. It's just that it's difficult.
While I was drinking the Jjamppong, an alarm went off on my phone.
[Hyung, Ruri is whining that she wants to see it in person, what should I do?]
[I'll give you the house address, so eat before you come. We ordered Chinese food so I didn't cook]
[Are you sure? It's a holiday, wouldn't it be a nuisance?]
[You're not going to stay until late at night, right? And I want to hear what someone else thinks of it too]
If we leave it at our house, the only people who will see it are us. It's worth living if someone else sees it and evaluates it as amazing.
It's similar to someone who writes as a hobby wanting someone to see and evaluate it.
[OK, see you in about an hour. I'll come too. I think Ruri will cause trouble if I send her alone]
"Baek-ri and Ruri are coming."
".......Who are you talking about?"
"Ruri...... No, it's the Ruri you know. Information gathering terminal entity."
"Was she there?"
"Didn't I tell you?"
"I only heard that Baek-ri student has a younger sister."
There are things like retainers of Transcendents who live quietly in the world. One of them is Ruri.
That's the reason why I thought it was familiar when I first saw that child.
Just because you're a retainer of a Transcendent doesn't mean you're granted great power. Ruri is also a Force User, but she's much weaker compared to a Master-class user. However, compared to her peers, she receives enough talent that it's hard to compare.
"I met her a bit at first, and I haven't seen her until the 10th reincarnation recently, but I'm meeting her here again."
"You know that the probability of meeting in the first place is slim, right? It's not like we're tied by a special relationship like you or me."
"Still, it's weird how well we meet."
I haven't had many times where I've seen someone with the soul of an acquaintance I knew while repeating several reincarnations. Hibiki in Japan was that kind of case, but it was only once.
But I've met Ruri about five or six times. It's a good relationship, but on the other hand, it's a persistent one. Because her personality is so eccentric.
"If you're done eating, shall we clean up the table? We should clean up since the kids are coming."
The bowls will be taken away and washed at the Chinese restaurant anyway, but I rinse them once so they're easy to take and put them outside.
I can't make them a meal, but what would be good to give them as a snack.....
"There is chocolate omelet in the refrigerator."
"I couldn't eat many of those because they're too sweet."
"I also don't feel well if I eat about 40 of them."
"......."
No matter what snack it is, everyone is like that if they eat about 40. Blood sugar levels would explode and blood vessels would scream to kill them.
I cleaned the house simply. I cleaned up the trash or messy clothes, and Sion was cleaning here and there on the floor with a lint roller.
What's a lint roller? You know, the cylindrical thing like a toilet paper roll with tape on it used to clean up crumbs or hair. That one.
"There's no dust, is there? You used the vacuum cleaner in the morning."
"It's Schrödinger's pubic hair. It's everywhere and nowhere. You clearly only walk around without underwear in the bedroom, so what is this pile coming out in the living room?"
"It's unfair for you to blame me for something that doesn't even grow!"
"Then you can get a Brazilian wax."
"I feel like it would be a very empty feeling, so no thanks."
Sion is as she appears. Not only the bottom, but there is no hair in her armpits either. She likes it because she says she doesn't need to remove hair, but sometimes I think it would be nice if she had some.
Around the time the cleaning was almost finished, I heard the doorbell ring. Baek-ri and Ruri are reflected on the intercom screen.
"The door is open, so come in."
[Hyung, your house is really nice. It even has a yard.]
"It's not that big."
Baek-ri and Ruri, who visited our house for the first time, looked around the house. It's a two-story detached house with a front yard, so it's a house structure that's hard to see unless you've moved to the countryside in a world where most people live in apartments or villas.
As for the size..... it's about twice as big as Crayon Shin-chan's house.
"It's been a while, Baek-ri student."
"Ah, hello, sister-in-law. It's the first time since I saw you last time."
"Is this your younger sister?"
"Yes, this is my sister, Ruri."
Ruri and Sion's eyes looked at each other. There was a look on Sion's face as if she were looking at someone quite familiar. A strange sense of familiarity flows on Ruri's face.
"Mom? Are you Mom?"
"No, Ruri, our mom is doing just fine, what are you talking about?!"
"Somehow, seeing this unni, I get a nostalgic feeling as if I've seen her before...... Plus, for some reason, I have an ungrounded conviction that we'll have good chemistry!"
Ruri talked to Sion with words that made no sense out of the blue.
"Zen-kaino?"
"iM@S."
"765?"
"346."
"Ganbarimasu!"
"I'm disappointed. I'm quitting being a Miku-nyan fan."
"Yeaaaaah!!!"
Sion and Ruri held each other's hands and started dancing. So, something is happening.....!
Baek-ri looked at the two people and said to me with empty eyes in despair.
".......Hyung, you must have a hard time."
"You too."
When an eccentric meets an eccentric, it doesn't add up, it multiplies.
What the fuck, save me.