Longing for the Past, and Picking Up a High School Girl
"Okay, that's done."
The broadcast setup had looked tricky at first, but it turned out simpler than expected. With prep finished, I pondered what to kick off with. Hmm... the mukbang I'd thought of initially? Or maybe a gaming stream... but I had zero confidence in that. Not fun anyway. Yeah, mukbang it is!
I bolted straight to the kitchen and flung open the freezer, pulling out three packs of frozen dumplings. Way too many to cram into the air fryer at once, but I'd bought the biggest-capacity one precisely for this. To cook them evenly without burning, I arranged them just right. Checked the air fryer instructions on the back of the package, set the temp and time.
How many minutes passed? Arms crossed, I stood there watching the dumplings cook through the air fryer's window.
Ding!
The cheerful chime signaled the end of what had felt like an eternity. I'd already had lunch, but this was just a snack. No—content fuel for my debut stream. Popped open the fryer to reveal golden-brown beauties. Normally I'd dump 'em on any old plate, but they say you eat with your eyes first. Annoying, but for the stream. Spotted a nice big round bowl in the drawer—perfect. Arranged the dumplings one by one, and damn if they didn't look just like a chrysanthemum bloom.
"...Wasn't intentional, but it's fire."
Gotta request a dumpling chrysanthemum for my ancestral altar next time.
Carefully carried the plate to the computer so nothing toppled. First, angle the cam for a thumbnail with my face and the dumplings...
...Wait, now that I think about it, I only calibrated this for gaming—no cam?
# In the end, the pension felt too stuffy, so I headed outside. Not quite dark yet, but that awkward twilight hour when the sun's dipping. The downside of this damn countryside? Air so crisp and clean it's unbeatable. It was easing the bitterness of my debut flop, bit by bit.
Ordered a cam from an online shop right away, but it'd take at least three days to arrive. Three boring days ahead.
"...Maybe hit the city tomorrow?"
Thinking back, I hadn't seen a single soul since arriving here. For a whole month, the only voices were from TV or MeTube. Starting to miss people now. Over 200 years, I'd learned magic wasn't everything—connections mattered. Guess I'd forgotten how to live solo in the process. Hell, even the sexual harassment from those office creeps would feel welcome right now...
"Wonder what Red unnie and the little one's up to..."
Memories of folks back in that other world bubbled up. Red unnie, epitome of the textbook witch, would probably shrug off my absence. The maknae was my personal hope—she'd bawl her eyes out missing me. Lately she'd been turning into a mini-Red unnie, though... kinda worrisome. Owe Luine a thanks for the potion... but if I'm an F-cup, what the hell size is she? Long pretty hair, but her chest was basically flat...
Missed my apprentice witches who trailed me, my cohort too. Hell, all the witches of Nihilum. Except that bitch Sonia von Trigrad, obviously. If I ever get back, she's purge target number one. Shove a world tree branch up her ass the second I see her—the kind elves go nuts for. Make her love it to death. Kuh, just imagining it cheers me up. Couldn't help but chuckle.
Lost in thought during my walk, the sun had fully set, streetlights flickering on.
"Gone too far? Time to head back..."
Rustle—rustle—
Turning for the pension, something approached from the woods beside the road. Mana signature? A blob of mana heading my way. Mana meant no ordinary creature. Not a hunter... a monster? Rare, but they sometimes surface. Unguarded gates fuse with spots over time, birthing dungeons. Undiscovered ones let monsters slip out—maybe this was it. Bored anyway—perfect timing. Knock it out first, tame if it's tameable and decent. Licked my lips, shifted to combat stance.
Rustle—rustle—
Three meters out. Something doll-like peeked from the trees. I launched forward—
"Phew... finally out..."
Thwack!
"...?!?"
My hand blade slammed the target's neck. Thud—it crumpled limply. Humanoid shape, but too neat for a mimic. Tight short skirt, white blouse—straight-up school uniform.
"............"
Up close, hair too vibrant for a student. Blonde... nah, roots were black—dyed. Face matched uniform age.
......Fuck.
#
Sizzle—!
Still-frosty beef hit the sizzling grill. Moisture amped the hiss assaulting my eardrums as it cooked fast. But this wasn't for me—it was hush money.
"Unnie!! What cut is this? It's insanely good!!!"
The high schooler with her apple-cut bangs exposing her forehead grilled me.
"Uh, dunno? Upjin-sal... or something?"
"Upjin-sal? It melts in your mouth!!!"
Her hyper energy had me totally off-balance. I'd carried her unconscious ass—mistaken for a monster—back to the pension. 100% my fault, so full responsibility. Feared she'd demand compensation on waking, but luckily she had no clue what hit her. So I spun the tale: I rescued her collapsed in the woods. Ballsy? Sure, but self-preservation meant treating her to pricey meats. Not a cheap fix.
"Unnie, thank you so much! Rescuing me wasn't enough—you're feeding me this amazing dinner too!"
I just smiled wordlessly at her genuine gratitude.
"But why aren't you eating, unnie? Feels like I'm hogging it all..."
"H-huh? Oh... uh... kinda sick of it?"
"Whaaat?! Meat overload?! Unnie must live large!!"
"Yeah... not me, family though."
Her eyes sparkled like some effect straight out of anime.
"Oh right! I'm Yoon Ra-yoon. You?"
"Yoo I-kw... Yoo Ji-na."
"Can I call you Ina-unnie?"
"Sure, whatever's comfy. I'll call you Ra-yoon too. Since we're at it, drop the formalities—let's chill casual."
"For real? Awesome!"
The high schooler who introduced herself as Yoon Ra-yoon. Figured her flashy look meant a delinquent at first, but she was surprisingly polite and sweet. Total mood-maker vibe, popular girl energy.
I grabbed a few strips off the grill for her chomping and asked.
"So Ra-yoon, what were you doing out there?"
She chewed forever—overcooked?—before answering.
"Oh that? Dodging self-study without getting caught."
......Who ditches study hall by bolting into the mountains? Not a prison break...
Well, similar desperation maybe. I'd skipped before.
"Why not just take an easy path? Why the woods?"
"Easy paths have teachers or grannies spotting me. So I crossed the hills here."
Influencer perks—local elders knew her. Wandered empty woods...
How bad was the study hall hate?
I grilled the rest.
"Home close?"
"Hmm... run it? Thirty minutes?"
"That's far. If I had a car, I'd drive you..."
"Nah, fine. Awakener—don't tire easy, quick trip. Rush home now, mom's toast. Hit at 9 PM, looks like study just ended?"
"Same as my day. Skipped study hall too... waited at PC bang till end."
"What?! You too?"
"Duh. Studied all day in class—why force more at night?"
"Exactly! Why trap study-haters for more study?!"
Just hated studying, huh. I tolerated enough for local college, but...
Ra-yoon swam into chatter like a fish to water, night deepening.