[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
They say it'll be hard for the four high school delinquents to avoid jail time, even if they are minors. People say they'll get a lighter sentence because they're minors, but Lawyer Kim came up with a good method.
"Those guys, they'll be adults in just a couple of months. We can drag out the trial to harass them a bit, and then once they're adults, we can just hit them with the full jail sentence without any reduction."
"Wow, that's a method I've never heard of. I guess that's why people hire good lawyers."
"It's been a while since I've had a proper job, so leave it to me. Those kinds of guys are just going to be a bad influence on society anyway, so it's better for them to rot in prison."
Beside us, Mr. Kim was beating up the tallest of the high school delinquents. Inspector Kwon tried to stop him, but Superintendent Ahn, the head of the local police substation, restrained him.
Seeing him get beaten up is satisfying.
"Hey, you little shit! You're barely dry behind the ears, yet you're out drinking and driving, and you even managed to ruin your father's business? I'm going to disown you today, you bastard! It's my fault for not raising you right, goddammit!!"
"Ugh!? Argh!! D-Dad! It hurts! It hurts, okay?!"
"You deserve the pain, you little shit! All the big clients have cut ties with us, so now we have to worry about how we're going to survive, you bastard!!"
"Argh! Argh!!!"
It wasn't just his son; the other high school delinquents were getting beaten up too. Heh heh heh, they hit me, and now they're getting it back tenfold. Serves you right, you little shits.
I decided to get up and go to the hospital. Well, it's not like I'm actually hurt, but Lawyer Kim told me to go get a medical certificate since it would serve as evidence of assault.
Getting hit by those guys didn't even leave a scratch, but it's easy for me to adjust my metabolism to make bruises appear on my body. Usually, even for light injuries, hospitals give you a minimum of two weeks of recovery time, so maybe I should make the injuries look like they'll take three or four weeks to heal.
"We can go now, right?"
"Ah, yes! Of course! The statement has been written up, so you're free to go!"
"Then, thank you for your hard work. Baek-ri, let's go."
"Yes, Hyung."
As we were about to leave, Superintendent Ahn went out of his way to see us off to the front of the local police substation. He seems to be trying to curry favor, but it's so blatant that I don't like it.
Coming outside felt much better. I'll leave the rest to Lawyer Kim and just blow off all this shitty mood.
"I won't be able to pick up Yejin. Dammit, all this trouble for nothing."
"But isn't it fun to screw over people like that?"
"I don't really think so. It'd be easier to just kill them all."
"This is a society ruled by law, so you'd get arrested if you did that."
"I know, that's why I didn't kill them."
If the civilization here was at least medieval, I would have ripped their mouths off.
You know that saying, right? That civilized people are ruder than barbarians because they don't get their heads smashed in even when they say rude things.
That's true. If it were the Middle Ages, doing something like that would result in a duel challenge, and you'd have to fight for your life. Even if you put up a proxy, you couldn't do such things when you consider the losses involved.
It just feels dirtier because there's money involved in the middle of it all.
"Hyung, it seems like you hate money. Even though you have plenty of it."
"I don't hate money; I just value mental things more than money. I like money too."
You can live without it, but it's good to have. In a society like this, you need a certain amount of money to live like a human being.
Think about it. Could you accept an offer to give up your life for 10 billion won? Of course, a desperate person might, but 99 out of 100 would refuse.
Since I'm a Reincarnator, I'm used to death, so it's inevitable that I value mental things over material ones.
"Anyway, I'm going to go to the hospital and get that medical certificate. I'm taking tomorrow off, so you and Seo-ae-ssi handle the shop."
"Ah, okay, Hyung."
After parting ways with Baek-ri, Sion and I stopped by the hospital to get the medical certificate. It was simple to make blue bruises appear all over my body, so the medical certificate for my feigned illness came back with a result of four weeks of recovery time.
That's longer than I thought. Usually, you don't get four weeks unless you break a bone somewhere. Maybe it's because I made bruises in so many places?
"With this, I can screw them over even more thoroughly."
"Even if it's fake, I don't like seeing you bruised up like that."
"Oh, really? Then I'll restore it."
Bruises are just a blood issue, so using my ability, Interference, makes it easy to both create and heal them. The red and blue bruises all over my body instantly returned to white skin.
I got the four-week recovery certificate, so I'll take tomorrow off. That way, the alibi holds up.
"I got a free day off tomorrow. What should we do?"
"How about a date for a change?"
"A date? Not bad. Let's do it."
We stay home often, but we haven't spent much time together outside. It wouldn't be bad to have a cozy date for once.
When we returned home, Yejin and Doggie came out to greet us. Doggie, in particular, rushed at Sion, whining and acting all cute.
"Welcome back. You're a bit late, though?"
"We had some business. But I smell food—did you cook?"
"I just heated up the kimchi stew that was in the fridge. I'm used to cooking rice since I did it often when I was at the Facility."
"I guess your Facility was the same as mine when it came to cooking. Anyway, that sounds delicious. Let's eat together."
The side dishes weren't very fancy. Just the kimchi stew I'd made, rice, some fried eggs, and seaweed.
But the kimchi stew had pork in it, and with the fried eggs, it was honestly enough for a meal. Even if there are a lot of side dishes, you can't eat them all anyway. Besides, kimchi stew and fried eggs are a killer combination.
"How was school today?"
"Oh, it was good. The kids asked me a lot of things because I arrived in a Lamborghini. The homeroom teacher seemed like a nice person, too."
"I'll drop you off tomorrow on my way to work. Oh, wait, I'm not going to work tomorrow."
"Why? Did something happen?"
"I got into an argument with some jerks at the shop. So I decided to take a day off."
"It's nothing serious, right?"
"I just gave those jerks a taste of their own medicine."
"Peace of mind."
We ate while giggling. First, I ladled a scoop of kimchi stew, mixed it into the rice, and took a spoonful. The fatty broth from the pork mixed with the kimchi flavor created the perfect taste.
Since I made it, it tastes killer. As a rule, kimchi stew is the dish I make best out of everything. In one of my past lives, I even ran a restaurant specializing in kimchi stew.
"Wow, the stew is super delicious. How did you make it?"
"If the ingredients are good, you're already halfway there."
"Do you have a secret method? Please teach me."
"First, you sow cabbage seeds in a high-quality field, and then..."
"No, you're starting from there?!"
Actually, I was joking. You can use any kimchi that's reasonably tasty.
It just means that if it's kimchi I made from scratch, I can make it near perfect. It's obvious that homemade is better for kimchi stew than store-bought.
The side dishes were good, so we finished the rice quickly. Sion likes the kimchi stew I make, so she silently mixed it with her rice and polished off two bowls.
"That was a good meal. Oh, by the way, Yejin-yang. Tomorrow, I'm going on a date with him, so you can eat dinner on your own."
"Ah, are you going out?"
"We're planning to eat at a nice place and have some fun for a change. We're going to have a cozy, good time on a date."
"But where should we go? Do you have a place in mind?"
"Hmm... how about an amusement park?"
"Looking at your taste, you really are just a kid."
"But it's been a long time since I've been. Aren't you the same?"
"That's true."
First of all, an amusement park itself doesn't exist unless the civilization is developed to a certain degree. And even if it does, it's important whether I'm in a situation where I can go. In this life, before I met Sion, I rarely went out for fun, except for school field trips.
At most, it was just going on summer vacation with Hyungsik's family.
...Ah, come to think of it, it's almost time for the uncle's transplant surgery. I should keep that in mind.
"Where are we going? Jamsil? Yongin?"
"Hmm... Yongin would be nice, but isn't there a lot of fine dust these days? Since we're going to eat at a nice place anyway, there's a Tower nearby, so that would be better."
"Ah, I've seen it a lot on TV and the internet, but I've never actually been there."
"It's the tallest building in this country."
"Huh? Wasn't the 63 Building the tallest building in our country?"
"Ajusshi, how long ago was that? Didn't you say there wasn't much of an age gap between us?"
No, back in my day, the 63 Building had just been completed, and we'd go to the aquarium and stuff.
It's a really old story, but even after repeated reincarnations, I still remember my first life. It's only natural, since that life is what made me who I am.
If I wake up in the morning, drop Yejin off, and go, the timing to be the first in line is a bit ambiguous. I think it'll only be possible if there aren't many people. Since it's a weekday, it's worth hoping for.
"I'll go to sleep early today for tomorrow!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"And tomorrow, I'll go in my Growth Form."
"Yeah... huh?"
Wait, what did you just say?!
Sion is of the Hanon race, and her human appearance is just Mimicry. So, she can change her appearance as much as she wants, but her Default Form, which doesn't require constant energy consumption, is always the appearance of an elementary school student that she frequently uses.
But her Growth Form—the appearance of an adult that you would see if Sion grew up normally—possesses an absurd level of beauty.
Even in her child form, Sion boasted a doll-like beauty, so it's only natural that she would be even prettier if she blossomed into that form.
It's common for passing cars to cause accidents because they get distracted looking at Sion's face.
She's one of the most beautiful among the Transcendent beings, so she could have been a candidate for Miss Dimension, where they select beauties on a dimensional level, but Sion refused because she's not a Miss, but a Mrs.
I'm not even joking; Sion in her Growth Form ranks among the top of the Transcendent beings I know. I just don't know how much time has to pass for her to attain that form.
Sion's cousin, who has seen several universes created and destroyed, is currently only in the form of a middle schooler. If that's the level after living since ancient times, I honestly have no idea how much time it would take.
"I'm fucked."
"Why are you swearing when we're going on a date?"
"I'd hold back the swearing if the situation were appropriate."
Sion's Growth Form is no different from a natural disaster. It causes accidents everywhere she goes, so the Default Form is actually better. Even though it's inconvenient because her body is small, at least it causes less trouble.
We woke up in the morning, washed up, skipped breakfast, and finished getting ready, and decided to drop Yejin off at school first.
However, the Lamborghini is a two-seater. So, I thought it would be best to drop Yejin off first, then come back home to pick up Sion.
"I'll go out with Yejin first. You get ready."
"Understood. I'll put on makeup and get ready."
"What is this? Is today the day for a mandatory conjugal duty?"
"You're still full of energy anyway, so why are you like that? Stop whining and hurry up and go."
"Alright."
I put Yejin in the car and headed straight to school.
"My wife is even putting on makeup this time. She's already pretty, so I don't know what else she's trying to make prettier."
"It's true that Sion-ajumoni is pretty, but aren't you being a bit too much of a doting husband?"
"It's not a flaw for a man to love his wife and daughter. By the way, aren't you wearing makeup? It seems like you're at the age where you'd be all into dressing up and stuff."
"I'm a Force User, so I just apply some cream on my face and that's it."
"Ah, honestly, you probably don't need it."
Force Users have at least an above-average appearance. For starters, skin blemishes disappear, weight is adjusted to an appropriate level, and from what I can see, it seems to be a body suitable for combat, but in any case, it's natural for them to become handsome or beautiful.
That's why there are celebrities who are former Force Users. There's no need to spend money on weight or appearance management for no reason.
Since Yejin is also a Force User, she won't need many types of cosmetics. She's going to be the envy of her class.
"You haven't had any Precognition since last time, right?"
"Yes, I've been fine since then. It feels a bit strange, but I'm not seeing the future. I think I'll have to practice a little bit to get better."
"Be careful. Seeing the future is dangerous."
"I know that for sure after what happened last time."
While chatting, we arrived at school before I knew it. I took a card out of my wallet and gave it to Yejin, who was getting ready to get out.
A Black Card is a bit much, so it's my card. It's a debit card, so all the chicken shop's profits are in here.
"I'll give you the card I couldn't give you yesterday in advance. Take this and go buy dinner with your friends outside before coming home. Don't come back too late. You have to feed Doggie, too, okay?"
"No, am I some kind of child?"
"In my eyes, you are."
Acting like an adult when you're just a high school student.
I waved my hand and saw Yejin off. Then, I returned home to pick up Sion.
Sion was already waiting in front of it.
It's still summer, so the weather is hot, and she's dressed lightly. She's wearing a sleeveless dress that exposes her shoulders and armpits, and compared to when she's in her child-like Default Form, the level of exposure is no joke.
Back then, her body was small, so it felt cute rather than sexy, but this time, the clear charm of an adult woman was overflowing.
The dress clung to her body, explicitly revealing her figure. The line descended from her chest—which was by no means small—tapered in at her waist, and then rose back up to her hips. It formed a perfect S-curve, and below that were marble-white legs boasting a beautiful silhouette.
But that was all meaningless. Her face had already reached the peak, so everything else was pointless.
Her silver hair, which contrasted with her navy blue dress, was grown down to her waist and tied neatly; even without any other decorations, the hair itself looked like a work of art.
Her delicate, detailed appearance, as if someone had sculpted it themselves, was enough to make me lose my mind for a moment.
She looks even prettier since I haven't seen her like this in a while.
"Why are you suddenly in battle mode?"
"It's a date, so I put in some effort."
I think I'm fucked.
It's a conclusion I reached after thinking about it.
I'm fucked.