"I only dusted your room occasionally, but otherwise left everything untouched."
I stepped into my room after such a long ti.
The desk.The computer.The bed.The bookshelf.Even the model kit I had assembled out of boredom.It was the room that occasionally appeared in my dreamsing back to it in reality felt nostalgic.
"What about my computer monitor?"
"Rumi sold that. It was about a week after you didn't co ho..."
At my mother's words, I glared at my younger sister Ha Rumi. She flinched and stamred, "Well, you didn't co ho... I thought it was just your usual running away..."
Whenever I didn't return ho for a week, my younger sister would sell my belongings on the second-hand market. She was quite skilled at it.It seems she did the sa this ti during my disappearance.
"I'm surprised you didn't sell the tower."
"You were gone for so long..."
I see.She thought it was just a normal runaway, but when I completely vanished without a trace, she couldn't bring herself to sell my things anymore?
"Wow, holy shh!"
Pop—
At that mont, Naru jumped onto my bed.Following her lead, Cecily and Hina also stood on the bed.Children clearly have an instinct that beds are sothing to stand on.Of course, Tywin was well-behaved.Tywin looked around curiously before taking interest in the bookshelf.She opened a book - it was "The Little Prince" by Saint-Exupéry.
"Who's her mom?" my sister whispered, pointing at Tywin.She must have noticed that when I introduced the children with their mothers, Tywin was the only one without a paired mother.She's always been quick to pick up on things.
"Well, Tywin's situation is a bit complicated."
"Is that so? But seriously, you really married all three of them? How did that happen? You never even had a girlfriend until college-"
I don't know either.I still feel dazed about what happened sotis.And they weren't just ordinary won, but all incredibly beautiful.
Beautiful.Their re presence had the magical ability to make the surrounding atmosphere feel a bit warr.When they smile, it's like spring has arrived with blooming flowers.In that sense, Brigitte, Salo, and Cariote were perfect beauties.Each with different tendencies, personalities, and appearances, it was fascinating to look at them.
"...How old are you?" my sister asked Brigitte.Perhaps Brigitte seed the most approachable?Cariote had an unapproachable aura, and Salo exuded a sharp presence.Brigitte fumbled, seemingly flustered.
"I'm, well, how should I put it. I'm twenty-five this year... but now I'm six."
"You're so young! You're older than , so I should call you unni! I'm Rumi! Ha Rumi. Weird na, right? But it's easy to rember because it's strange."
"Strange...?"
My sister's na was unusual for a Korean.She said she was even teased as a child, being called 'Narumi' from Pocket Monsters.But to Brigitte, Rumi probably didn't sound that strange.
"Wow, holy shh! It's similar to Naru's na!"
Whoosh—
Naru hugged Rumi's thighs tightly.They seed to feel a sense of kinship, both having nas starting with 'Ru'.Co to think of it, their personalities were sowhat similar too.
─ow.
"Naru, what kind of animal is this?"
"Naru doesn't know! That's why it's Molumolu!"
"Holy shh... it's so soft. I don't know what kind of animal it is, but it's warm and squishy, it's addictive... It's like a drug."
Naru and Rumi seed to have beco fast friends.Watching this scene, Salo asked my sister,
"You're twenty-one?"
"What about it?"
"I'm twenty-one too. We're the sa age. Nice to et you."
Salo extended her hand to Ha Rumi. It was an invitation for a handshake.Being the sa age is usually a good condition for becoming friends.But Ha Rumi didn't readily take Salo's hand. Compared to how she approached Brigitte first, this ti she seed sowhat wary.
Maybe it was a case of hating one's own kind?Salo was a thief who stole and sold others' belongings, and Ha Rumi was also a thief who stole and sold my things.Or maybe not.
Swish—Finally, Ha Rumi and Salo shook hands.Sohow, I felt tense.
"A younger sister..."At that mont, Cariote, who had been quiet, muttered.Seeing the existence of a younger sister must have reminded her of the missing Astarosa.
* * *
"Why does this chicken have no legs? Do chickens in this world not have legs?"Cecily tilted her head, looking at the delivered chicken.Naru giggled in response.
"Naru already ate two legs!"
That's right.Naru had eaten two chicken legs.It happened at an incredibly fast speed, and no one could stop her.Naru, having eaten two legs, was truly lawless.The lawless princess Naru.But it wasn't a problem.We had ordered multiple chickens and plenty of pizza too.
"So this is cola... So this is what it tastes like..."Tywin wore a deeply nostalgic expression as she drank the cola. She seed to have known about cola before.She must have her reasons.
Overall, it was a noisy and bustling ti.With so many children around, even if each of them said just one thing, it added up to four sentences.And when Salo, Brigitte, and Cariote each added a word, it beca seven sentences, and Syphnoie alone chattered three sentences.
"This cola is very nymph-friendly...! If you drink a lot, you might even evolve from a stream nymph to a carbonated sweet water nymph...!"
What on earth is a carbonated sweet water nymph?It sounds like sothing North Korea would call cola.I decided it was best not to think too deeply about it and just stayed quiet.
"This child is very quiet. Different from how our Taeho was when he was young."
"......"
Mom was sitting with Hina on her lap, brushing her hair. Hina's long, neat pink hair was pleasant to brush.Hina was very well-behaved, as Mom said, probably trying to be polite.
"This year's Christmas is more boisterous than I expected."
My father, who had been quiet for a while, spoke up.As everyone's attention turned to him, he said to ,
"Want to arm wrestle after such a long ti?"
Arm wrestling, huh.That brings back mories.Until high school, I used to arm wrestle with my father on every birthday.I had never won once.But now?
With that feeling, a sudden arm wrestling match was set up.We sat facing each other across the low table in the living room, clasping hands.It was a mont full of tension in many ways.My sister Ha Rumi, acting as the referee, said to ,
"Do you think you can beat Dad? Dad can bench press 600 pounds now."
Still powerful in his 50s.I can't let my guard down.
"Then, begin-"
Pop—
I could feel my father's arm muscles bulging under his sleeve. Indeed, 600 pounds. It was powerful. But it was no match for now.While I felt quite pleased about this fact, I also felt an indescribable sense of regret. The stronger I beco, the older my parents grow.
Swish—
Finally, the match ended.
"See! I knew Dad would win!"
My sister boasted as if she had won herself.
However, my father silently looked at his palm. His expression was very subtle. He seed sowhat disappointed yet also happy.What was certain was that I could vaguely sense that from now on, my father would not ask to "arm wrestle" again.
"Naru, what do you want for a Christmas present?"
As the atmosphere was becoming lively, Mom asked Naru.Naru tilted her head at the ntion of a Christmas present, then seed to be thinking hard, going "Hmm-, umm-, hmm."
Mom soon asked Hina, Cecily, and Tywin as well.
"What presents do you want? If you answer now, Santa might bring them. Today is Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas Day! Santa's sleigh probably hasn't left yet."
Santa Claus, huh.It brought back old mories.When Mom used to ask like this, even though I usually wanted a transforming robot, I would get flustered by the sudden question and couldn't think of it.
"A present...""Hmm..."
Cecily and Hina were also silent.Tywin was just looking around, wondering what was going to happen next.
Mom chuckled at their hesitation.
"The way these kids are pondering reminds of when my son was young. How about crayons?"
"Wow, holy shh! Crayons are good!""I want gold crayons. And so with noble purple.""Hina likes crayons too..."
The children seed very happy to receive crayons as a gift. Mom was still quick to suggest sothing before the kids could ask for expensive gifts like "transforming robots."
* * *
After playing energetically, the children all fell asleep on blankets spread out in my room.My sister Ha Rumi kept opening the door to the room where the children were sleeping, until Mom pinched her side. Her excuse was peculiar.
"No, I just can't believe I've beco an aunt! Let look just one more ti!"
Saying that, Ha Rumi scanned the faces of the sleeping children one by one. Even a petty thief of a sister finds her nieces and nephews cute, it seems?
"Wow, they all have clover-shaped birthmarks on their shoulders too."My sister had apparently even checked the birthmarks on the children's shoulders. Even Mom, who had been scolding my sister not to wake the children, was surprised.
"It really is amazing. But... to think I've already beco a grandmother. There aren't many people becoming grandmothers at 50 these days."
It was a chaotic day in many ways.Tomorrow will probably be even more chaotic.I want to take a walk around the neighborhood, and we also need to find Tywin's mother, Elle Cladeco.
Reviews
All reviews (0)