Chapter 147 – Three Peaches (7)

I must do well.
I have no choice but to excel.
What kind of person am I?

“…I am your disciple.”

The premier disciple of Heaven, the Lesser Heavenly Demon.
Does this person know?
That the Heavenly Demon I speak of is you, not some old man. From the beginning, Heaven was the only Heavenly Demon for me.

Perhaps my master cannot fully understand my words.
It doesn’t matter.

“…That statement is cringeworthy. It feels sentimental.”

Heaven shared her candid thoughts while maintaining the embrace.
What is the reason for pressing her body even closer while saying such words?
Heaven buried her face in my clothes and tightened her arms around me.

Her shoulders trembled like the legs of a newborn fawn. Silently, I patted her back.
Tap-tap – every time my hand touched her back, a dizzying breath escaped from Heaven’s nose.
The scent of peach blossoms filled her nostrils.

“Thank you, nonetheless.”

It wasn’t long before Cheondo, freed from my embrace, gazed directly at me and smiled.

“Truly.”

Even with her youthful appearance, her face was as beautiful as a sculpture.

Initially, I intended to say that I had no desire to become a Heavenly Demon here. However, upon seeing her smiling face, it seemed there was no need for that. No matter how young she was, Cheondo was still Cheondo. The way she effortlessly cast aside her emotions and overcame them appeared incredibly charming.

Without thinking, I reached out to stroke her head, but Cheondo gently pushed my hand away.

“You were going to touch me again.”

Hearing that made me feel like a pervert.

I’ll touch her anyway, as if I’m in the right. I grasped the hand she used to push me away and roughly stroked her head.

“Hmpf.”

Resistance was futile. The sight of her looking unsure of what to do when my hand touched her head was endearing.

I shouldn’t be looking at my master like this. If she were the real-life Cheondo, she would have scolded me. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but adore her.

I had no intention of denying my emotions.
As much as once in the future, when you vanished and escaped from me.
Even if I can’t change the future, at least until then, I wanted to share deeper feelings.

“…Execution.”
“Huh?”
“Your face looks scary.”

Apparently, my expression changed while I was lost in thought.
Lately, I’ve been unable to grasp what my expressions look like.

There are times when it doesn’t seem like I’m smiling even though I am.
And there are moments when I believe I’m utterly expressionless, yet I’m actually smiling.
Ever since I glimpsed the future with the aid of the World Tree of Time, something felt off.

“Ah… don’t hug me. I’m not a doll…”

I embraced Heaven again and closed my eyes.
Pulling Heaven’s hesitant body towards me, she came easily.
The warm sensation in my arms painted a picture of my expression in my mind.
I was smiling.

* * * * * *

“…Why did you come into the room again?”

I didn’t part ways with Cheondo on my way home from work; instead, I greeted her in her room.

“It’s always been like this.”
“Didn’t I tell you there’s no need to come? Executioner Do-won.”
“If the executioner wants to do it, shouldn’t you comply?”

Cheondo sighed as she removed her outer garment.

“…At least let me change my clothes. I just got back from training, and I smell like sweat, don’t I?”

The scent of sweat.
Sometimes women claim that their sweat smells as fragrant as flowers, but from experience, that’s all a lie.
Of course, I’m referring to humans, not wooden people.
The body odor itself varies greatly from person to person, but not all of it felt unpleasant.

If only there was a chestnut tree.
What could be wrong with the scent of cinnamon blossoms?

The scent of cinnamon blossoms is something sought even in death.

“Not at all? Actually, I like it.”
“Do-won, it’s kind of disgusting.”

Cheondo grimaced and stuck out her tongue. It was a sincere voice.

“Anyway, leave! I’m going to change clothes.”
“I’ll face the other way.”
“Ugh, seriously… Fine. Turn your head quickly.”

As I turned my back, I heard the sound of a waistband being loosened.

“Do-won, don’t take this to heart.”
“What?”
“The things I said today, don’t dwell on them.”
“What are you talking about?”

*Swish.*

The sound of damp underwear being lowered.

“I said, ‘what do you know about me?’ It’s not really like that. I wasn’t sincere.”
“I don’t think you were wrong.”

It’s been a little over a month since we met here.
It makes sense for such words to be spoken.
I acted friendly because I knew the present Heaven, but Heaven was unaware of the situation.

“Even so, it’s not good to use that kind of language with you.”
“I’m fine with it.”
“You’re stubborn. If you keep thinking everything is fine, one day, you might really cross the line. Today was like that.”

Such a kind heart.

At present, Cheondo seemed unwilling to express her thoughts or feelings. A sudden ticklish sensation in my chest made me chuckle.

My gaze settled on an object near the bed. An earpick resting on the bedside table. Absentmindedly, I reached for it and held it up to my eyes.

“…Do you want me to do that for you?” Cheondo asked, already dressed and looking at the earpick in my hand.

“Would you?” I replied.

“If you’d like. It feels nice when someone else does it.”

I had no recollection of experiencing this in my childhood. My father wasn’t the type to do such things, and my mother wasn’t particularly expressive with her affection.

“Well, if you’re offering, I’ll accept.”

I nodded, and Cheondo took the earpick from my hand. She stretched out comfortably on the bed and patted her thigh. I laid my head down on the spot she indicated.

“Stay still,” she said softly.

Her delicate, tender hand gently cradled my cheek.

The shadow of little Heaven’s head cast over mine.

An irritating sensation entering my ears.
It feels ticklish, and yet refreshing.

“Let me know if it hurts. I’ve done this often for White Peach and Zodiac… but it’s my first time with a man. It might be different.”

Kuguk, Cook. Sounds echoing in my ears.
Every time I poked a sensitive spot, my whole body shuddered.

“Did the three of you often play together in the past?”
“Of course, we’re sisters. Back then, our master was very gentle too.”

A gentle old man, huh? With that fierce face, he was gentle?
Heavenly Demon, with his face marred by scars, beaming proudly at his daughters.
It’s rather frightening, as if there’s some hidden agenda.
I couldn’t picture it at all.

“No way.”

Hearing my honest words, Heaven chuckled.

“Only the training was strict. That’s why we hated it. Our master would become angry during training. But before that… he would always smile for us.”
“He smiled?”

“When peach blossoms bloomed in April, I would always fashion them into a necklace and present it. Then, Master would smile, thank me, and stroke my head. Come to think of it, it is the time for peach blossoms to bloom around this time of year.”

The more Heaven shared her old stories, the more difficult it became for Heavenly Demon to understand her father’s character. The Heavenly Demon of the past seemed so different. If he was truly kind-hearted, why had he changed so much? Was it because he knew he would die soon? It seemed plausible.

To Heaven, the old man showed no expression, but sometimes, he would give Heavenly Demon a faint smile and ask if he was crazy. It appeared as if he was preparing for his own death, knowing it would come soon.

It was like an elderly woman teaching her husband how to cook.

“Is it refreshing?” asked Heaven.
“It’s nice. It’s my first time receiving something like this.”

Scratching the inside of his ear felt pleasant, and the sensation of the wind blowing back was not too bad either.

“Now, the other side. Turn over quickly.”

As Heavenly Demon turned over, he saw Heaven’s abdomen.

Anyway, it feels truly wonderful.
I should do this for Shiba later.

-Szeuk, szeuk.

“Ah, it’s Wang Geon. Phew.”

Heaven’s playful laughter.
Upon hearing it, I couldn’t help but snicker.
Her hands remained warm, and her thighs shared a similar warmth.

“Oh right. Do you want to go out later? With White Peach and Zodiac.”

As I asked about a thought that had been lingering for a while, Heaven’s moving hand came to an abrupt halt.

“Outside? Doesn’t it take a lot of time?”
“Did you forget my ability?”
“You mean, suddenly appearing out of nowhere? That might be fine.”
“Even if we play, we’re only going to eat. Pork ribs.”
“Just hearing the name already sounds delicious.”

Heaven’s hand started moving again.
The earpick that soothingly scratched the inside of the ear.
Her hand, gently wrapped around my cheek, moved down towards my chin.

“Did you consider me?”
“I thought Zodiac and White Peach would like it too.”

“It’s been quite a while since I last spoke with them. I hope it won’t be awkward.”

“There shouldn’t be any awkwardness among the three of you.”

“…Do you think so?”

Indeed, they had grown quite fond of each other, nearly inseparable.

Heaven removed the earpick from her ear and lightly tapped Do-won’s cheek. He lifted his head, understanding the gesture as a signal to sit up.

Heaven then looked at the earpick she held and glanced at Do-won.

“Do-won, my friend.”

“Huh?”

“My ears feel a bit itchy too.”

Chuckles filled the air.

It seemed it was time for Do-won to return the favor. He accepted the earpick and adjusted his posture accordingly. Heaven gently rested her head on his thigh.

“…This isn’t your first time, right?”

“I’ve done it a few times before.”

Although he had never been on the receiving end, he had performed the task for his younger cousins. Sometimes, they would cry loudly if he made a wrong move, so he had to be extremely careful.

Heaven hadn’t yet leaned in for me. She lay on her thigh, looking up at me.

“Can I trust you?”
“Give it a try. You won’t be satisfied for the rest of your life unless it’s my hand, right?”
“Hmm, then let’s do it once.”

As instructed, I proceeded.

I carefully began to scrape the inside of Heaven’s ear with an earpick.
Grasping her shoulder or cheek, I proceeded slowly and gently, taking care not to cause any harm.
My shoulders tensed, perhaps due to memories of the past.

At first, Heaven seemed a bit nervous, but as time passed, her mood improved, and she began to smile faintly.

“It feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”

It used to be such a tedious task when I did this for my cousins.
Now, Heaven was enjoying having her ears cleaned, using my leg as a pillow.
How interesting that such a mundane experience had resurfaced.

– Sting.

Suddenly, my leg felt a sharp pain.
The sensation of a hair being plucked out!
I looked up in surprise to see Heaven staring at my leg, playfully teasing me.

“…Did I startle you? Hehehe.”

“I was startled.”

Cheondo’s mischief didn’t end there. She tickled Bam’s feet, circled her fingers around Bam’s ankles, and even pricked the top of her foot with her nails.

Unable to bear the relentless teasing, Bam struck Cheondo on the forehead.

-Whack!

“…Ouch! Hehehe.”

Despite receiving a hit, Cheondo still smiled. Her playfulness was excessive, yet her adorable smile made her hard to stay mad at—a dangerous quality.

As Cheondo lay down comfortably, she murmured as if it were truly peculiar.

“It’s strange. I feel at ease when I’m beside you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s like… I’ve known you for a long time.”

Even if it felt like a long time, it had been less than a year. Of course, the bond between people couldn’t be solely defined by the length of time.

In particular, Cheondo felt that she had shared deeper experiences with Bam than with anyone else.

From the moment they each risked their lives to enter the dungeon, the time they had spent together ceased to matter. Heaven was the only one who knew my entire past.

“Execution.”

Heaven initiated the conversation.

“You mentioned it before. What do you know about me?”
“Are you still on about that?”
“No, that’s not what I mean…”

Tap tap. Heaven gently tapped my thigh.
I removed the earpick, and Heaven turned to face me completely.

“Well… If you don’t want to hear that, I thought we could learn from now on. For a long time…”

Her cheeks slowly flushed.
Caught off guard, I tilted my head.
After grasping Heaven’s intentions, I chuckled and replied.

“For how long?”
“The longer, the better… It’s nice.”
“What do you mean?”

Heaven’s eyes widened at the sudden question.
I want to know you for a long time. Depending on the listener’s intent, it could imply something more.

“…!!”

Cheondo must have realized this belatedly too, as even her ears turned bright red and she hit my chest.

“It’s not meant in a strange way! Seriously. Wow… did you really think that?”
“Hehehe.”
“Don’t laugh. Stop smirking, really.”
“I’m glad you’re being honest.”
“What do you mean… like a fool.”

Rolling over.
Cheondo, who rolled to the side and moved from my thighs to the bed, threw a pillow as soon as she got up. Her flushed face was quite a sight to see.

Cheondo lunged at me as if trying to deny her thoughts.
Just as I’d hoped. Time flew by as we began our playful bed-fight, and the moon tilted.

Cheondo, who had been vigorously attacking, suddenly seemed to switch off at exactly 9 o’clock. With a sleepy expression, she slowly closed her eyes in my embrace.

Such a good child when it comes to sleeping.
Cheondo fell asleep like a baby, completely restraining my upper body with both her arms and legs.

‘Should I call the island baby?’

The baby slithers. Sleep takes hold~

Beside the slumbering Heaven, still blanketed.
Should I move, would she awaken?
I merely patted Heaven’s back in silence, a smile spreading across my face.