“Huff… Here we go…!”
Whoosh, tap!
“…When did I even order this?”
Muttering to herself as she glanced into the box, Da-eun was busy moving around. Up until they arrived ho, she had been chattering excitedly about throwing a welco party and other celebrations. But, as soon as they got there, the first thing she did was start cleaning up her chaotic ss of an apartnt.
Party…
“Here, of all places?”
“…”
“In this pigsty?”
“I’ll clean it up.”
It’s not like I expected anything grand, like the kind of party nobles host. But seriously, a party in a pigsty? Not exactly the atmosphere I had in mind.
“I was going to make a delicious at feast for us….”
“We can still eat after you clean up.”
There was a brief mont of temptation, but I managed to overco it. Such strength of will is not easily achieved.
“Need so help?”
“No! It’s not like I’m desperate enough to ask an injured person for help! Besides, this is my ss to deal with… so I’ll take care of it myself.”
“…Fine. Do as you wish.”
Thud.
Whirrr.
Sothing brushed against my foot, causing to glance down. The robotic vacuum, busy cleaning up, changed direction and moved away. The spot it had just cleaned sparkled as it went. It even wiped up dust and mopped the floor all on its own. �
“Convenient.”
“Right?”
“Mhm. Which makes it even more impressive that Da-eun managed to make such a ss despite having it.”
“Ugh… I already told you! I thought you were dead, and I was mourning! I was so devastated! How could you not understand… Kana, you’re so an!”
“Ugh, gross.”
“…Now I’m really hurt.”
Regardless, thanks to her diligent efforts, Da-eun’s apartnt quickly returned to its original state. She organized the mountain of boxes, disposed of the garbage, and soon the glossy marble floors and spacious rooms were visible again. Then, as if on cue to mark the end of the cleaning, a loud sound echoed through the room.
Grumble!
“…Ah!”
Da-eun quickly wrapped her arms around her stomach.
“I… I just haven’t eaten properly in days.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Honestly, I hadn’t thought anything of it. It’s not like I’d judge soone for being hungry.
“Good job. Let’s eat now.”
“…Sniff.”
Da-eun, who had been sniffing, tilted her head at .
“Wait a second. I’m the one who still has to order food, right? Almost felt touched there for a second!”
“So, are you not going to eat?”
“Of course, I am….”
Da-eun picked up her phone, which had been lying in a corner, and tapped at it.
“Since you don’t know what foods we have, I’ll choose sothing delicious for us.”
“Chicken.”
“Hm?”
“Chicken, I want to eat chicken.”
“Oh…”
“Is that… not allowed?”
“N-no, it’s not that you can’t… But how did you know? Did I ever ntion it?”
“…Edel told . She ntioned there was such food.”
Edel, borrowing your na for this one. Da-eun might accept the idea that she once casually ntioned “such food exists,” but using Edel’s na makes it easier.
“Ah, so Edel… told you.”
As expected, Da-eun imdiately accepted it. Ever since learning that the woman who brought her here was a goddess, she had been acting respectfully, as if she’d never spoken casually before.
“Alright, then let’s order chicken, and also….”
“And also?”
“There should be lots of food at a party!”
I an, she’s not wrong.
“But what if there’s leftovers?”
“Then we can just eat it tomorrow.”
With a triumphant expression, Da-eun raised her hand.
“Aha, this is sothing called a refrigerator. It’s used to keep ingredients and food from spoiling.”
Sigh.
“Bet Kana couldn’t do that even if she tried.”
“…Sure, you’re very impressive.”
“Hehe, are you pouting?”
As we joked and bantered, ti flew by, and the food Da-eun ordered began arriving one by one. Just how much did she order? I glanced through the dishes as they ca in.
“Cake?”
“A party isn’t complete without a cake!”
“…You think we’ll have room for cake after all this?”
“There’s always a separate stomach for dessert. Plus, this one’s from a super famous place, so you’ll be blown away by the taste if you try it. Want a quick bite now?”
“No thanks. Not interested.”
I had plenty of cake back in Silia. Right now, with sothing in front of that I once craved so badly I considered catching a Cockatrice to cook it, I’m not going to ruin my appetite with cake.
“So~ how does it look? Doesn’t it look delicious?”
“…”
“Pfft… You say you’re not interested, but your body’s being honest, huh?”
A sweet scent tickled my nose, and before I realized it, my head had turned toward the cake. I quickly shook it away.
“…Just looked because of the sll.”
Ignoring Da-eun, who was hovering with the cake, I opened the food packaging instinctively, releasing a fragrant aroma that burst forth.
And nestled in that aroma was a golden-fried chicken glistening with an alluring coat of batter.
Gulp.
If I grabbed that drumstick and took a big bite, that crispy coating would give way to a rush of juices, and the tender at inside would welco . I could only imagine how divine the spices in the batter would taste.
This ti, I couldn’t resist. Drawn by the sight, I reached out, only to watch it disappear before my eyes.
“Ah.”
“Nope, not yet. We’re going to set the table and eat together.”
“…”
“No matter how cutely you look at , the answer is still no!”
Ignoring my disappointed hand reaching out, the devil herself took the chicken she had snatched from and set it on the table.
After setting the rest of the food on the table, Da-eun picked up once more.
“Alright. Let’s eat.”
“…Eating is one thing.”
I leaned my head back, and Da-eun’s face filled my view.
“Why are you holding ?”
“Hee-hee! That tickles when you move!”
“Then you could just put down.”
How could she sit on her lap and then complain it tickles when I move? I looked up at her with a disgruntled expression as she giggled strangely from above, gathering my hair to keep it from brushing her arms.
“But I don’t want to.”
“And I don’t want to sit here like this.”
“Just this once. Can’t we stay like this, just this once?”
“…Do as you like.”
Her voice trembled like a candle fla about to go out, so fragile that it surprised into giving in without thinking.
“Really?! No take-backs?”
“I an, it’s not like it’s hard for .”
Fine, but when she starts whining about leg cramps, I’m not going to pay her any attention.
Ignoring Da-eun, who was chattering away happily, I reached out, finally grabbing what I’d been dreaming of.
As I held it, I could feel the crispy coating crackling under my fingers. Closing my eyes, I took a big bite.
Crunch!
“…!”
…Yes, this is it.
Sure, Cockatrice at was tasty, but this—this was the taste I was craving. It had that unmistakable, indulgent, unhealthy flavor.
“Kana, are you… crying?”
“…I’m not crying.”
It’s delicious, but it’s not that emotional. Retorting back, I finished the chicken drumstick in my hand. It’s so good.
“Want another drumstick?”
I froze.
“…Are you sure?”
“For you, I’d give you as many as you want! Here.”
Da-eun picked up another drumstick and placed it in my hand. For a mont, it was as if there was a halo of light shining behind her.
“…Thank you.”
Maybe Da-eun’s kinder than I thought.
“A taste so divine, it captivates across worlds… Such a frightening flavor….”
Right now, even Da-eun’s nonsense didn’t sound annoying. She watched eat with satisfaction before joining in herself. Together, we ate the chicken and other dishes. Da-eun didn’t hold back at all, fearlessly devouring everything, though there was so much food that leftovers were inevitable.
If we tried to finish it all, we’d burst. Our pace slowed, and as we began nibbling on dessert instead of the main dishes, Da-eun turned to .
“Kana.”
“Hm?”
She looked at , her expression serious.
“What are you planning to do next?”
“Hmm.”
Already full, I leaned against Da-eun, habitually feeling my waist before realizing—
“…Oh, right, it’s not there.”
Feeling the emptiness, I tapped my lips lightly instead.
“First, I’ll recover fully.”
“And after you’re recovered?”
“Then… I’ll go hunt down the Dinsional Creatures.”
It was part of the reason I crossed over into this world in the first place. The world of Silia had already been defeated once by Dinsional Creatures. Since it was subordinated as a lower dinsion of Earth, Silia’s dinsional rank has weakened, making it hard to resist the invading creatures effectively.
If I use my full strength, only about 80 or 90 percent of that will impact them. In contrast, Earth’s rank is higher than the Dinsional Creatures’, so if I exert the sa power here, it’ll have a greater effect.
To sum it up, Earth’s at the top, then the Dinsional Creatures are below, with the world of Silia even lower. It’s complex, but simply put, it’s more efficient to kill the Dinsional Creatures here on Earth than to fight them in Silia.
“…”
After my straightforward answer, Da-eun fell silent. She paused, fork mid-air, as if lost in thought, then finally spoke up.
“…Honestly, I still can’t fully believe it.”
“What can’t you believe?”
“That Demoninus’s CEO is a god, that the world’s in danger… and that Kana’s right here in my arms.”
“Understandable.”
I could see why Da-eun felt confused. I figured it wasn’t sothing an ordinary person could easily accept just because they’d heard it.
And it’s not because she gave her chicken drumstick or anything like that.
“Maybe nothing will even happen.”
Edel managed to bind the Dinsional Creatures to Silia and regain so power by eliminating part of the Magi from Laxia, so maybe nothing will happen for a while. Earth might remain safe, even until Da-eun grows old and passes away. Though, of course, it’s uncertain, so I can’t make any promises.
“And I’ll make sure nothing happens.”
Even though Da-eun got tangled in this hidden truth because of , none of it was sothing she needed to bear.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
I murmured to myself as if making a vow, unwilling to lose sothing important again without knowing it.
“…”
A light weight settled on my head. Da-eun, who had been silently listening, placed her hand on my head, stroking it gently.
“I thought this ti, it was my turn to protect you…”
“…Protect ? You, Da-eun?”
“You don’t have to be strong to protect soone. And in a capitalist society, money is strength!”
“Wow.”
It was the perfect example of an adult hardened by reality. Muttering to myself, I leaned a bit more into Da-eun as she held .
“…You’re already doing a good job of protecting , Da-eun, so be confident.”
Because you’re giving what I need most.
“…You’re not talking about the chicken drumstick, right?”
“…No.”
How strange… I thought it was such a touching mont, but with that single comnt, she killed the mood entirely. I sighed heavily.
“Anyway, don’t worry too much. Just keep enjoying Silia as you have been. It’ll be helpful.”
“…I haven’t logged in for days…”
“…Just try to get the gist of it.”
As the already dissipated atmosphere lingered, I shook my head, feeling a strange sensation on my hair. With a sense of dread, I placed a hand on my head.
Slick.
Instead of the usual softness, there was a faint sticky slickness.
“Da-eun… by any chance, did you… not wash your hands?”
“…Gasp.”
Da-eun hurriedly hid her hands, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
That response was answer enough.
That night, a scream echoed through an officetel in Seoul.
—
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