Chapter 191 – Cohabitation (1)

I began packing my belongings early in the morning. Although it wasn’t enough to call it a move, there were surprisingly many items once I started organizing everything. Initially, there was only one large suitcase, but the pile grew as various items like kitchen tools and magical manuscripts accumulated.

*Rustle, rustle.*

Shiba, who had been rummaging through a toy box, pulled out a doll and offered it to me.

“Peep!”

Shiba placed a chick doll on top of a plastic bag.

“Is this important?”
“Sba!”
“Sba? Is its name Sba?”
“Sba! Shiba’s.”

Shiba’s cherished doll was a chick, bigger than the usual size, almost as big as Shiba herself. Azalea had bought it for her. Whenever I was away, this chick doll would always be found between Azalea and Shiba.

‘Sba Shiba.’

The words seemed to fall into place intentionally. It’s a relief that Shiba likes it.

Shiba stood in front of the toy box once more and dipped her head into it again.
She could have simply reached in and grabbed a toy. Perhaps she had her own routine?

Eventually, Shiba climbed right into the toy box, peeking out with just her head above the entrance, gazing at me like a cat.
A meowing kitten.

“Heehee.”

Her round eyes seemed ready to purr if caught.

“Daddy! Go!”
“…Daddy hasn’t finished packing yet.”
“Meow~”

Still, it felt like her vocabulary was gradually growing.
Before long, perhaps we wouldn’t hear words starting with that “meow” anymore.
It made me feel a bit wistful. I had always thought Shiba would remain a meowing child. Yet, she had grown so quickly.
It’s true that children grow up fast.

‘With that voice… will she call me daddy when she enters elementary school?’

As I rummaged through the wardrobe, a warm smile surfaced.

– Teary-eyed.

“Hmm?”

As I rummaged through the underwear section of my closet, something caught my attention. A black, risqué pair of undergarments. Could it be that I wasn’t able to take them because they were stuck inside? I untied the strap around my finger and unfolded it, only to be surprised by the sizable width.

‘Is this Hwangdo’s?’

How impudent.

I took out my phone, snapped a photo, and sent a message to Hwangdo right away.

– Me: [Photo] – Read
– Delivery Hwangdo: ????
– Delivery Hwangdo: What’s that? Why do you have it?
– Delivery Hwangdo: Don’t tell me the statue…
– Me: Nope, not the statue. It was stuck in my home closet. But what’s up with your nickname? Hahaha
– Delivery Hwangdo: Oh, this? Hehehe… White Peach changed it on her own accord.
– Delivery Hwangdo: But about that underwear…
– Delivery Hwangdo: …How do you plan on using it?

Turn off the adult video.

– Me: I’ll burn it.
– Delivery Hwangdo: Kyaaaaaah! But it’s something I cherish!
– Delivery Hwangdo: Keep it!!!

-Delivery Zodiac: (Angry peach emoticon)
-Delivery Zodiac: (Crying peach emoticon)

I sighed as I pressed the power button on my phone once.

‘Having a conversation with this person fills my head with nonsense.’

My thoughts keep straying towards lewdness. It’s a thing that happens. Just as I’ve adopted a bit of Lee Se-Young’s speech pattern, I seem to have taken on a few traits of Zodiac’s personality as well.

Truthfully, I had only seen her underwear, but my lust had bubbled up slightly.

“If only my lewd inclination hadn’t risen in rank.”
“Lewd devil?”
“Shush… I shouldn’t be saying that.”
“Lewd devil! Lewd devil!”

Excited, Shiba repeated the awful phrase several times. I must be more cautious with my words. I shouldn’t speak like that in front of the kids. Keeping the recently remembered parenting principle in mind, I lightly tapped Shiba’s forehead with my finger.

“Pop!”

Shiba stumbled backward. Now, to finish selecting clothes.

“Come to think of it… This box seems to have been lying here for quite some time.”

I retrieved an old box from the deepest recesses of the wardrobe. It wasn’t something I used in the dormitory, but rather a container for storing expenses and the clothes I wore when I first arrived here and was dieting.

At that time, I had seriously deliberated over whether to bring it or not. After all, there was no longer a need to use the clothes I had worn back then.

A half-forgotten keepsake. I opened the box and took in its contents.

“Huh?”

A round, colored bead lay prominently on top of the box. It didn’t seem entirely unfamiliar, but I couldn’t fathom why it was here. I picked up the bead, which emanated a deep red energy, and examined it closely.

In that instant, the status window reacted and recited the bead’s information.

—
▶ XXX　(?)
[Category: Equipment, Consumable]

A weapon forged from mistletoe.

It is in an incomplete state.
—

As expected, this was a weapon my master had given to me before. Its grade was quite generous since it was crafted using the mistletoe that grew from her body. I had requested that it be completed, but for some reason, it was given to me in an unfinished state.

Assuming there must be a reason, I turned the bead over in my hand, examining it from every angle.

Suddenly, the bead underwent a dramatic transformation.

*Crack!*

The bead fractured, and I was taken aback.

From the cracks, a surge of black mana emerged, filling the space around it.

“Uh? Oh, shit, wait a moment.”
“Beep?”
“No, I didn’t call my daughter… Just a moment!”

This shouldn’t be happening now. In haste, I gathered fragments of the broken bead and placed them in my hand. The pieces bubbled as they transformed into a viscous liquid.

It felt like handling wet, sticky clay. What began as a palm-sized bead gradually morphed into something akin to clay, expanding in volume and starting to seep throughout the room.

“…What is this?”

As I attempted to lift my phone with a bewildered expression, the bead-like object underwent a transformation.

*Thump!*

The round and firm clay slowly came together, taking on a distinct form. Eventually, it transformed into something that could no longer be called a bead.

A silver bracelet—a mere trinket that could never be considered a weapon.

I tilted my head, pondering the type of weapon Heaven might have given me. If my master were to provide a weapon, it would likely be something practical, like a gauntlet. Not too ostentatious, but protective enough for my bones.

*Squish!*

Upon imagining this, the bracelet stirred once more. It slowly melted and clung to my arms, gradually returning to a fixed shape.

The gauntlet appeared exactly as I had envisioned.

“…Ah.”

Only then did a normal response escape my lips.

—
– Currently, the shape is not constant.

The World Tree of Purity sent additional information belatedly.
How does it find out and send such information? I can’t even tell which World Tree is providing the input.
Could it be the World Tree of Purity?

【 The World Tree of Purity shrugs. 】

Why is she helping me out of the blue?
Well, the status window has always informed me whenever I was curious about something.

Anyway.
Since its form is not fixed, perhaps it can fulfill roles in any shape?
If so, I wondered if the weapon was truly serving its intended purpose.

I gazed at the gauntlet and once again imagined a different shape.

– Swoosh!

A magic wand.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the mana that escaped from the gauntlet took shape again.
A wand that looked like it was crafted from finely-carved wood appeared in my hand.

Just in case, I gathered the magical power, and the magic was executed with tremendous efficiency.

It seemed that no matter what form of weapon one could imagine, this one exceeded all expectations in performance.

‘Is this alright?’

If it were Lee Do-won, who could tell? Now that he was donning a wizard’s cosplay, there was nothing more suitable than this.

Alternatively, he could switch to a sword and act like a swordsman, and more importantly, with such an ability, the versatility in its usage was astonishing. His unique combat-type body, already familiar with this weapon, began devising various ways to utilize it.

‘I don’t know why Heaven kept this in such a place…’

Perhaps she simply wanted to surprise him. It was something children often did, wasn’t it? Hiding cupcakes they secretly made at kindergarten in their desk drawer, without their parents’ knowledge, all the while anticipating their discovery.

But if they couldn’t find them, the children would eventually grow tired and bring the cupcakes themselves. Heaven might have had a similar thought.

“In a place like this, she has the thoughts of a child. Oddly enough, when giving advice, she seems like a worldly-wise woman who sees through everything. It’s always something like that.”

Deep in thought yet utterly adorable in her actions.
She is the mentor I take pride in and treasure.

I snapped a photo with my phone and sent it to Heaven.

-Me: Photo

Did she see it?
A reply arrived not long after.

-Heaven: Were you surprised?

“Hehe.”

I’ll make good use of it, Master.
Only after sending the message could I finally finish moving.

* * * * * * * *

-A wish.

Star still remembers.

That one statement Si-heon made back then, promising to listen to anything!
Anything at all. That’s right, he said he’d listen to anything.

In an adult video or a suggestive comic, isn’t such content overflowing?

[…Hey, nothing lewd!]
[Just once, really! I’ll ask like this!]
[Is it truly just once?]

Such bizarre and peculiar situations.
Yet, it could be said that Star was entirely unlike the characters in this comic.

“I’m not like these buffoons.”

It had been a long time since they had become intimate.
Hence, no matter what they asked for, it wouldn’t be considered strange.

This meant they could freely decide what kind of play, where it would take place, and even what clothes to wear!

“Hee hee hee.”

Star laughed slyly, fervently searching for material, only to have their excitement quickly extinguished.

…Having looked for a plethora of erotic things, their mind and body had suddenly become cold.
It was the precise moment when feelings of shame would arise.

“Ah…”

To be honest.

It’s nice to indulge in the risqué… but they didn’t want their meetings to revolve solely around such matters.

Byul leaned her back against the backrest.
Further back, even further back.
Stretching out while gazing at the screen, she tilted and fell back, her earphones yanked out.

“Yikes!”

Thud!

Immediately, game anime songs blared from the computer speakers!

[Kimino Zen Zen Zen…]

Quickly getting up, Byul plugged her earphones back into the speakers, forgetting the pain.

“…Ah, they didn’t hear that, right?”

They couldn’t have heard it. No, they absolutely must not have heard it.
How could her carefully crafted innocent image withstand this… It just wouldn’t be right.

But it should be fine.
This was the vice president’s office, after all. More importantly, it was a room she used alone.

Byul didn’t have time to go home after finishing her overtime work. So she took care of her meals and hobbies right here.

But this was the Hunter Association. Occasionally, people would pass by nearby.

“…Phew, phew.”

Having confirmed no one was outside, Byul let out a sigh of relief and lifted the chair back up.

“Phew… That was close. If I’d been caught, I would’ve been ridiculed~”

The clever gamer Soon stealthily indulging in her secret passion.

Luckily, this time it went smoothly as well. One could say that fortune was on her side.

“Anyway, what should I wish for… Should I ask Siheon to go to an amusement park together?”

Byul gently dragged the mouse down and excitedly shook her head from side to side.

“…A wish?”

Just then, Lee Se-young’s voice came from behind.

“Mom, Shiba!”

Startled, Byul turned her head and looked at Lee Se-young.

“Se, Se-young, you scared me. When did you get there?”
“Well, you were just zoning out… I was curious, so I stood next to you. By the way, you’re still listening to Japanese songs.”

Japanese songs.
A term used by those with no interest in games or anime when referring to anime songs.

Regardless, it didn’t matter to Se-young whether she had a taste for it or not, as everything was already exposed.
That was the biggest issue.

“What happened between you two?”

That is, their clandestine affair with Lee Si-heon had been exposed.

“Uh, um?”

And then, accidentally, Byul stumbled over their words.

“…Why are you stammering?”

That, the face of truth!
Byul trembled while looking at Lee Se-young’s cold, hardened expression.

“Si-heon… What did that son of a- do this time?”
“…What are you talking about?”

-Triririririk.

The sound of life draining from Byul’s eyes could be heard.