Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Alley Boss Lily and Wind-Cutting Sneakers
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I left the fortune teller's stall after listening to the ramblings of that old lady who spoke in vague metaphors I couldn't make sense of.
As I retraced my steps along the path I'd taken earlier, I spotted Lily's light green hair from afar.
"Lily."
"Sis!"
Lily spotted me and came running—her speed was no joke.
Dododo.
I spread my arms to the charging Lily, and she crashed right into my embrace.
"Whoa there. Lily, you need to eat more. You're so light."
"Heehee."
I scooped her up by the butt, and she naturally wrapped her arms around my neck.
"What were you up to with your friends?"
"Sharing candy."
Clink.
The glass jar Lily held out in front of me had just one candy left inside.
She stared intently at the lone candy rolling around in the jar, then fished it out.
"Sis, ahh—"
"You're giving me the last one?"
"Yup!"
I popped the candy she placed in my mouth with her tiny hand, and a tangy lemon flavor spread across my tongue.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "Refill service for someone like you." "Kyaa!"
"The last candy is for someone special, and since you gave it to me, I'll give you one too."
"Okay! Thanks, sis."
Lily carefully tucked the newly refilled candy jar into her bag.
With her candy stash plump again, her mood lifted, and she started chattering away excitedly.
I responded to her babble and asked a few questions. Turns out, there weren't many snacks around here.
The best they had were dried fruit pulp or small fried bugs caught from the wild.
As I chatted with Lily, I felt eyes on us. Looking up, I saw the kids she'd shared candy with earlier staring at us.
"Lily, wanna share with your friends too?"
"Hmm."
Lily fidgeted in my arms, kicking her legs in the air as she pondered.
"Sis, they've been bullying me a lot lately."
"Oh?"
She whispered it to me like she was tattling, careful not to let the kids hear.
"Then let's not share and just eat it ourselves?"
"Hmmm."
For such a little head, she sure had a lot of thoughts brewing as she mulled it over.
"Is that big kid their leader?"
"Yeah. They all just follow him around."
The kids were all around the same age, but one stood out as particularly burly.
That was the one Lily had called Utom earlier.
"Hmm. Lily, lemme whisper in your ear."
"Okay."
Lily tilted her little ear toward my mouth.
"Fuu—"
"Eek! Sis!"
"Pfft."
I blew into Lily's ear, and she shrank her neck like a turtle.
"C'mon, let's go."
I carried Lily over to the kids, and Utom stepped forward.
Guess the boss is the boss.
"You're the leader, huh?"
"Yeah."
—Kwang!
Crack, crunch.
The thick tree trunk crumpled under my fist, shook, and finally toppled over.
The kids watching had their eyes popped wide, frozen in place.
"Yeah? You wanna get beat?"
"...Yes."
"I like kids, but not bratty ones. If you don't wanna die, use that tongue of yours right."
"....Yes."
"Hee."
Lily giggled in my arms, kicking her feet happily.
Seeing her bullies get theirs must feel good.
"Talking casually is only for friends. Got it?"
"....Yes."
"Good. Utom."
"Yes."
"Why are you the leader?"
Utom fidgeted, glancing around nervously before speaking up slowly.
"The leader's gotta be the strongest and the fastest."
"As fast as me?"
His eyes flicked to the pitiful tree smashed on the ground, and his face paled.
"N-no, not that fast."
"Hmm."
The bar for alley boss didn't seem all that high.
"Opportunity comes to everyone equally?"
"Yes! We follow the strong one!"
Utom puffed out his chest with a shout.
These kids had some real spirit.
But life ain't that fair, Utom.
"Wait here a sec."
I carried Lily into the quiet woods nearby.
"Lily, can you take off your shoes for me?"
"Huh? Sure."
Lily slipped off her shoes without a second thought and set them down in front of me.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Hermes' Sneakers Lv3 ▷ Lv5] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hermes' Sneakers] satisfies the conditions. 〈Starting Wing Growth〉 ───
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Ria's Gale Lv.5] ● Infused with faint divinity ○ A pair of shoes prepared by Heavenly Peach for Lily, the Wind Blowing High in the Sky ○ Divinity is accumulating ○ Wings are growing ◈ High Swift Wind ◈ Gale Equipment level increases with repeated purchases [Owner: Lily, the Wind Blowing High in the Sky] ───
[Remaining Funds: 242.2 million won] "Oh."
"Whoa, so cute!"
Next to Lily's sneakers, now wrapped in light, sprouted a pair of adorable, fluffy wings.
They were even tinier than the already small Lily-sized shoes.
"Lily, your shoes' name is Ria now."
"Ria? Shoes have names too?"
"Seems like it. No idea what 'Gale' means, though."
She tilted her head, then nodded.
I didn't know what she was agreeing to, but she seemed happy about it. Good enough.
"Try them on."
"Okay!"
As Lily brought her feet to the shoes, they expanded slightly before shrinking back to fit perfectly.
"Whoaaa! So fluffy!"
I watched closely as she bounced around. Each step slid her forward smoothly through the air, like gliding.
She adapted quickly—her speed picked up even more as time passed.
"Sis! There are so many clouds now!!"
"You'll get hurt."
"I won't!!"
Watching her go wild with excitement, I could see why it was named for wind blowing high in the sky.
It looked effortlessly free, almost fluid.
"Lily, time to go."
"Okay!"
Bam!
It was a sight that made me doubt my eyes.
Lily, floating mid-air, heard me and kicked off nothing to drop right toward me.
"Whoa. I said you'd get hurt."
"Heehee."
She acted like I was Superman, fully trusting I'd catch her.
She landed with a thud, clueless to my jolt, and giggled in my arms.
"Lily, what was that just now?"
"What?"
"You changed direction mid-air and came to me."
"I stepped on a cloud."
I couldn't steal her shoes to try, so I'd have to buy a pair later.
"Let's go."
"Okay!"
It was close by, so we exited the brush and the kids came into view right away.
"A showdown."
"...Huh?"
"Race."
"With who?"
"Lily."
"Ha."
The cocky kid snorted.
"Lily's nimble, good at finding paths in the woods, knows herbs, mushrooms, climbs trees, cooks well, and is smart, but I'm faster."
"...You like Lily?"
"Gah!! What're you saying, outsider?!"
—Crunch.
"Ma'am."
The rock under my foot turned to powder, and Utom straightened up immediately.
Guess there are no truly bad kids in the world.
"Ever raced Lily?"
"No, but... I'd win."
"Then do it. First to touch that big tree and back wins."
I drew a line in the dirt, and without needing a cue, they lined up at the start.
"Ready!"
At my call, Utom and Lily crouched into position.
Kids from the woods knew how to move their bodies instinctively.
"Go!"
Thud.
Pang!!!
"Wha...?"
The starting shout came with a whoosh of air.
Utom barely took a step before freezing solid.
My left eye twitched, and I caught Lily's form.
By the time I registered it, she'd lightly tapped the tree and was heading back.
"Ta-da."
Time snapped back to normal, a delayed gust kicking up weeds and dust.
"Heh heh. I win, right?"
Lily, Lily—they probably didn't even see her.
"......"
"Utom!"
"Y-yeah?"
"I won."
The kids gaped like zombies.
"No fighting. Both be leaders. Utom's the strength boss, Lily's the speed boss. Got it?"
"Hehe."
It took a while, but Utom snapped out of it and approached Lily.
"Sorry."
"Huh?"
"S-sorry."
Lily blinked in surprise at his shy apology, then nodded late.
Apologizing right away showed they were pure kids at heart.
"Alright, all done? Group up. Snack party time."
"Sis, what's a snack party?"
"Eating tons of yummy snacks."
"Whoa."
The kids plopped down on the soft grass like chairs.
"Lily, help me out."
"Okay!"
"I'll help too."
The late voice belonged to Utom.
"You will? Then help sis."
"Sis?"
"Sharing yummy stuff makes friends. Let's be friends now."
"Yes!"
"Speak casually."
"Okay!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Friendship achieved! To celebrate new friends, I dumped out all sorts of snacks.
"Lily, pour drinks for everyone."
"Okay."
"Utom, pass these out one by one."
"Yes! I mean, okay!"
Utom diligently carried the cake slices I'd cut.
Finally, I piled potato chips—the kings of salty crunch—onto a big plate.
The kids' eyes sparkled, noses twitching at the sweet scents from the plates before them.
And for early education...
"Mighty warriors!"
—Ooo!
The kids roared in cheer.
"Sweet chocolate cake will be our strength, salty potato chips our courage, and cool cola will bind us tighter!"
—It will!
"With sweet-salty-cool unity, we'll charge toward victory!"
—We will!
"This moment marks the start of our epic saga! Warriors, raise your goblets of glory!"
—Waaaah!!!!
"Fight酒 (Doujiu)!"
—No refusal (Buchi)!!
"No drunkenness (Notui)!"
—No return (Wugui)!!
"Drink!!"
—Die!!
"Pour!!!"
—Drink!!
"Drink!!"
—Waaaaaah!!!!
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
The cool cola slid down my throat, awakening the hidden K-exclamations in my soul.
"Kaaaah— puck yeah."
—Puck yeah!!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Lily, did you have fun?"
"Yeah! It was super duper fun."
That first hug must've been the green light, because Lily kept trying to cling to me every chance she got.
Following her directions while she kicked her legs in my arms, we walked the forest path.
"You raced earlier—how'd you go so fast?"
"I stepped on clouds and cut through the wind."
"Ah, got it perfectly."
Lily's words made zero sense to me.
Brain freeze followed by wind shear?
"Over there."
Following her pointing finger, I saw a rickety old shack.
"You live there alone?"
"Yeah."
The village houses we'd passed were spaced out, making use of the open land.
Still, you could see neighbors just by peeking out—but Lily's place was isolated.
—Creaaak.
The door screeched as it opened, grating on my ears.
Carrying Lily inside, it was surprisingly tidy despite the exterior.
Like everything worn had been scrubbed clean with care.
It reflected Lily's neat, diligent personality.
"Gotta fix this whole place up."
How well could a kid really maintain a house? "Tidy" was generous—everything was worn and frayed.
A conversation with the elder grandma over smokes before the fortune telling flashed in my mind.
After humans raided the village and killed her parents, she wouldn't let anyone who came to care for or repair the house near her.
Lily met my eyes at my words.
"Fix it?"
"Yeah. Don't wanna?"
This rundown shack was all she had left tying her to her parents.
She must've clung to it with everything she had.
The last place holding their warmth—she'd gripped it fiercely.
Her big eyes blinked up at me before she buried her face in my shoulder.
It grew damp.
"I'll fix it."
"Yeah? I'll make it pretty."
"Hic... Sniff."
I gently stroked Lily's back.
"Such a good girl."
"Waaah."
What made her so aggrieved?
What brought such sadness?
How much had she longed?
How many lonely rants had this tiny body endured?
I didn't know yet.
Not yet.