The Tiny Bodyguard
"You're way too stubborn." I blinked, looking up at the bodyguard. When our eyes met, a brief flash of fluster crossed his face, but he quickly shook his head and returned to staring straight ahead. Sensing he had no intention of chatting with me, I quietly closed the door and walked back to the bed.
"What happened?" I asked Shine as I sat on the bed, running my hands over the white blanket. Sitting on a small chair in front of the bed, she tilted her head at my question and asked back, "What do you mean, what happened?"
My last memories were hazy. I remembered showing off an awesome technique and making the bad guys fall from the sky, but I couldn't recall anything after that.
"I want to know what happened after I passed out." At my words, Shine stood up from her chair and sat on the edge of the bed beside me. Her faint, familiar scent drifted over.
"Amy said the helicopter was acting up."
"The one we were in?"
"Yeah. When you clapped your hands, Jeff, all those other bad guys fell, right?"
"Yeah."
"It seems the helicopter we were riding in couldn't escape the aftermath either."
I rubbed my cheek at Shine's response. I had tried to control it in my own way, but since I lacked Victor's delicate precision, our helicopter must have been affected by my power too. According to Shine, the helicopter had wobbled as if it were about to crash at any second, forcing them to make an emergency landing here.
After our brief conversation, Shine and I slowly swung our legs, staring at the closed door.
"Ah..." At that moment, I remembered something I had forgotten and looked around. But I couldn't find what I was looking for.
"What are you looking for?"
"Where's my bag?" Shine shook her head, indicating she didn't know. My face fell. Inside that bag was the witch hat and wand Amy had gifted me, my dinosaur stones, my sketchbook, and tons of souvenirs from the theme park. Losing that bag meant losing everything I owned.
As I slumped deflatedly and let out a deep sigh, Shine gently stroked my hair. "I wonder where it went."
"I'm sorry, Jeff. I didn't see the bag when we got off the helicopter either."
I buried my face in the pillow and pulled the blanket over my head. My eyes stung, and it felt like tears were about to spill over. I didn't want to show Shine my crying face, so I refused to look up.
"Jeff." Shine called my name softly, slipping under the covers beside me. "Are you sad?"
"Yeah..." I was depressed. Shine giggled softly at my response and gently hugged me. Her warm embrace filled the empty void inside me. The tears that had been threatening to spill quietly receded.
Knock, knock.
As Shine and I wriggled around, tangled together under the blanket, a faint knocking sound echoed from the other side of the door. We poked only our faces out from under the covers and stared at the door. With a soft click, the door slowly creaked open.
"Amy!" I kicked off the blanket, jumped out of bed, and ran toward the door. Standing there, Amy set down the pot she was holding and opened her arms to me. My body practically flew into her embrace. As I leaped, Amy caught me in her arms, which were incredibly soft and warm.
"Jeff, are you hurt anywhere?"
"Nope!" My head was a little dizzy, but it wasn't enough to say I was in pain, so I smiled brightly and slid down from Amy's arms.
"What's that?" Shine, who had approached a moment later, asked as she pointed at the pot Amy had set down. My curiosity was piqued by the contents of the pot as well. A rich, savory aroma wafted through the air. The delicious scent of food instantly stimulated my appetite, making my mouth water.
Inside the pot was porridge. It was a creamy, savory white porridge packed with meat and vegetables. Amy dragged a small table over and placed the pot on top of it.
"Jeff, you're really not sick, right?" While Amy was setting up the meal, Rain sidled up to me, her face filled with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine." At my answer, Rain's worried expression instantly brightened.
"You're really amazing, Jeff."
"I am?"
"Yeah. You have such a cool technique."
"The Jeff Sparise?"
"Yeah! That one!" Amy had said the name of the technique was weird, but Rain's eyes sparkled as if she absolutely loved it. Recalling the memory of that moment, I tried to channel my power to my fingertips. Blue electricity crackled and flared with a sharp snap. However, because of the bracelet locked around my wrist, I couldn't draw out any more power than that.
"Time to eat!" Amy called out cheerfully, having finished setting the table. We immediately dashed over and scrambled onto the chairs. Amy used a ladle to scoop the steaming, hot porridge into our bowls.
Nom, nom. As I busily shoveled the porridge into my mouth, my long, loose hair kept getting in the way, slipping into my mouth. Even when I swept it back with my hand, the moment I bent my head to eat, it fell forward again. Watching this, Amy stood up and walked over behind me.
"Is it annoying?" With my mouth stuffed with porridge, I simply nodded. Amy looked between Shine and me. Shine was in the exact same boat. Porridge was smeared all over her mouth, and her hair was a sticky mess of porridge too. Yet, she didn't seem to care at all and just kept shoveling it in.
Amy pulled a hair tie and a comb from her pocket and gently began to tend to my hair. Brush, brush. With each stroke of the comb, my tangled hair smoothed out. After wiping away the porridge-stained strands with a wet wipe, she gathered it all back and tied it up. A long ponytail, like a horse's tail, bounced against my back. When I shook my head slightly, the white ponytail brushed against my cheek.
Once she finished with my hair, Amy moved behind Shine and began to tidy hers up as well. Shine's hair was tied back completely just like mine. The only difference between us now was the color of our hair ties.
Having completely emptied the large pot, I let out a lazy yawn and slumped back in my chair. Right after, I stole a glance at Amy. I was worried she might scold me since I had lost all the things she had gifted me. But Amy didn't bring up what had happened on the helicopter. Watching her back, I chewed on my lip nervously.
Afterward, Amy began to perform various checkups on my body. Just like a doctor at a hospital, she pressed a stethoscope and a thermometer against various parts of my body.
"Are you absolutely sure nothing hurts?"
"Yes." At my reply, Amy let out a sigh of relief and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt like the number of times she hugged me had been increasing rapidly lately. Feeling Shine's gaze burning into my side, I laughed awkwardly and slipped out of Amy's embrace.
When I sat down next to Shine, she immediately wrapped her arms tightly around me. A subtle smile escaped my lips at her action, which felt like she was just copying Amy.
"Shall we go back then?"
I didn't ask where "back" was. Just as Amy had said, the outside world was dangerous. Even though the house we stayed in was a gift from Amy, it was still technically the outside. Shine must have been thinking the same thing, as she nodded silently.
I took off the white gown I was wearing and changed into the clothes Amy had prepared. It was a completely different design from yesterday's. Still, the fluttering sensation of the skirt hem felt incredibly awkward.
The moment I stepped into the hallway with Amy, more than five bodyguards flanked us from all sides. When I looked at Amy with a bewildered expression, she grinned and replied:
"They're the people who will protect you."
"Us?"
"Yes." I stared at the men in black suits, then glanced at Rain, who was hovering nearby, and spoke up cautiously. "Rain too?"
"Of course! I'm going to protect you guys too!" Rain replied with a confident smirk. Currently, she was wearing clothes similar to the bodyguards around her. Clad in a black suit that seemed custom-tailored to her tiny stature, she actually looked a bit cool. The sunglasses perched on her head looked comically oversized, but I decided not to point that out.
Bodyguard Rain diligently kept watch on our surroundings. Even after we left the mansion and reached the spacious yard, her vigilance didn't waver. Rain scanned the area with fierce eyes. Just then, a tiny puppy trotted up behind her.
The puppy, moving its short legs as fast as it could, looked at us and tilted its head. With its tongue sticking out slightly, it looked somewhat goofy. As Rain started to move, the puppy's tail began to wag furiously. As if mimicking Rain's movements, the puppy lowered its body close to the ground and crawled slowly behind her, stalking her.
Rain seemed completely oblivious to the fact that a puppy was stalking her. The number of bodyguards surrounding us grew even larger. As they formed a tight perimeter and began to move, the puppy panicked and scampered away. Scurrying to the edge of the yard, it hid behind a large tree.
Is that puppy a pet of this mansion? Since I didn't have very good memories regarding dogs, I quickly erased the image of the little puppy from my mind.
As we headed toward the entrance of the estate, an incredibly long car was waiting for us. A limousine?
"Are we traveling by car this time?"
"Yes. We can't take the helicopter today." Amy didn't explain why we couldn't fly. Shine and I climbed into the limousine with Amy. The interior of the limousine was incredibly comfortable. With a small refrigerator and plush seats, the space was so vast that Shine and I could have easily laid down inside. I stared blankly with my mouth open.
"Isn't Rain getting in?"
"She'll be in soon. Rain is the team leader, so she has to give out orders." Rain felt a bit different from usual. She hadn't boarded the car yet. Outside the wide-open door, Rain stood barking orders to the men in black suits.
Since we were a bit far away, I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I could tell that the men in front of her sincerely respected and followed her. Their eyes shone with admiration. It was a look similar to how I looked at Amy. It felt surreal that all these people were under Rain's command.
As I stared blankly at her, she turned around as if sensing my gaze. Our eyes met in the air. Giving me a cheeky grin, Rain immediately ran over to the car.
"Keep up the good work, everyone!" Rain shouted to her team members just before the car door closed.
"Rain, are those people the members of Raincoat?" I asked, recalling the story Rain had told me last time. But at my question, Rain shook her head.
"Nope. Raincoat is a different team. Those guys are Amy's personal bodyguards."
"...Then what about you?"
"I'm Amy's bodyguard too." As I looked at her with a confused expression, Rain replied with a mischievous smile, "I mean, when we're operating outside, that is."
I nodded, thinking of Rain's usual self. Honestly, it was hard to believe Rain was a bodyguard, but since Amy didn't say anything to contradict her, it seemed she was telling the truth. Can a bodyguard really be this tiny? She looked like she would immediately follow any stranger who offered her ice cream, so she didn't exactly inspire confidence. I silently patted Rain's head.
The limousine we were in began to move slowly, exiting the estate. Immediately after, a fleet of vehicles followed behind us. The black-painted cars surrounded our limousine on all sides, escorting us like a protective shield.