Chapter 53 – Shiba, Finally Human (2)

“…Aaagh!”

A cursed morning. Azalea tugged at her hair as she recalled the events at dawn.

‘I’ve gone mad. Absolutely mad!’

She tossed the covers aside, bending and unbending her knees several times. The bed shook, causing the assorted items atop it to tumble down. The things she had said during that shameful moment were mortifying, as if she had been confessing her sins.

– It was special, that’s why it happened.

That one phrase surfaced in her mind. Azalea was appalled by her past self’s words from the day before.

– It’s the first time someone has approached me like this… How could I resist?

“Aaaaaah!!!!!”

Ah.

Should she simply bite her tongue and die?

Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Azalea’s mind was flooded with dark thoughts. As she agonized for a while, her face flushed with a different kind of embarrassment.

“Back then… Did we kiss?”

The memory of their first kiss surfaced unexpectedly. It had been a spontaneous event fueled by alcohol, but it was undeniably shocking. Gently pressing her lower lip with her index finger, she felt as though the warmth they had exchanged that fateful night was somehow still lingering.

Folded lips. An open mouth. Even though their tongues hadn’t intertwined, the sensation had been thrilling and dizzying.

To label it as a simple one-night mistake seemed to diminish the significance of what they had shared. Her heart felt heavy.

“…How will I face him from now on?”

In all honesty, Azalea had never regarded Lee Si-heon as a man. From the start, she had viewed all her relationships as mere tools; she couldn’t imagine seeing another person as a romantic interest.

Still, she truly admired him and longed to grow closer. Yet, she couldn’t tell whether what she felt could be called love.

Strangely, the memory of their shared kiss didn’t repulse her.

“Since we’ll be seeing each other’s faces from now on… Should I try talking to him?”

Sighing deeply, Azalea rose from her seat and prepared to leave.

Quickly washing her body, Azalea spends 20 minutes drying her hair. Her hair has grown recently, transforming her short cut into a medium-length style.

“Sigh.”

She lets out a sigh while getting dressed. In an effort to clear her head, she takes a chocolate from the refrigerator and places it in her mouth. She smiles at the deliciously sweet taste. Eating chocolate every morning and evening has become a routine for her.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The sound of the door startles her, causing her shoulders to tremble. She loses grip on the chocolate she was holding, dropping the precious treat.

“Uh, um…”

Momentarily flustered, Azalea clamps her mouth shut and slowly approaches the front door.

“Is that you, Si-heon?”

No answer comes. She cautiously grasps the doorknob, unlocks the door, and opens it. There, lying on the ground, is a solitary delivery box.

*Sexy Wood Summer Outfit.*

It’s the clothes she bought last time.

“Huh.”

Azalea attempted to sit down but, with effort, managed to stand up by leaning her hand against the wall. She needed to mentally prepare herself to face the man.

– Shuffle, shuffle.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps, and soon a familiar mask appeared. Black hair and clothes that seemed too large for his frame. They shared a moment of eye contact.

“Ah”

As if they hadn’t expected to see each other in this manner, they both let out a brief sigh. Azalea quickly straightened her posture, scratched her cheek with her index finger, and looked into Siheon’s eyes from behind the mask.

“Did you get home safely yesterday?”
“Uh, yeah, I did.”

In the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Azalea closed her eyes tightly.

She felt the need to address what happened. Apologizing for being drunk, and about the kiss… promising to forget it.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, her gaze was drawn to Siheon’s right leg.

“…Huh?”

A green-haired little boy was clinging to Siheon’s leg.

A charming infant with a sprout atop their head pressed their cheek against him and glared with a cautious expression.

“Who is this child?”
“Uh… Well, how should I put it?”

Startled, Si-heon scratched the back of his head and caressed the infant’s hair. The child’s eyes twinkled with delight at his touch.

“She’s my daughter.”

Daughter.

“Yes?”

No.

“Yes???”

Astonished by this unexpected revelation, Azalea alternated her gaze between the child and Si-heon, taking a moment to process the information. The child bore no resemblance to him.

“But, how…?”
“Isn’t she lovely?”

At a loss for words, Azalea looked at the little girl with a complex mix of emotions on her face.

“Pfft.”

The child glanced at Azalea once before clinging to Si-heon even more tightly, as if unwilling to let go. It was as if the daughter was determined to monopolize her father’s attention.

“Did you just say ‘beep’?”

“…Yes, you’re pretty.”

Azalea responded with a hesitant expression, though she did look adorable.

But she never imagined that he would have a daughter. It was an unforeseen development. What complicated circumstances could be entwined here?

“…Is she your biological daughter?”

Though she knew it might be an impertinent question, she couldn’t help but ask. Lee Si-heon’s face grew stern for a moment, and as he scratched his chin beneath his mask, he replied in an awkward tone.

“Well…”

There seemed to be even more complicated circumstances than she initially thought.

Azalea continued to look at the child embracing him. With each press of the child’s cheek against his clothes, the pure, light green hair swayed gently.

Would it be a bother to keep asking questions? In situations like this, it’s best to simply act naturally. After all, he was a good person. Surely, there must have been an unavoidable reason this time.

Azalea, attempting to organize her thoughts, reached out to the child, not even considering explaining yesterday’s events.

“What’s your name?”

The child’s eyes widen, gazing at their hand. It somehow resembles a puppy, and a smile naturally forms on Azalea’s lips.

Like father, like daughter; she seems to have inherited his blunt demeanor.

“Beep!”

…But the child isn’t so easily approached.

-Slap!

The child, warding off Azalea’s approaching hand, clenches their mouth shut and assumes a defensive posture. Furrowing their brow, they shrug their shoulders and puff up their small frame.

“It’s Shiba.”
“…Shiba?”
“The child’s name. She can’t speak yet; she hasn’t been human for long.”
“That’s a unique name.”

Azalea silently observes Shiba and ponders. Certainly, this youngling is still too inexperienced. Compared to her inability to speak, her rapid growth seems to have been accelerated by some means, as evident by her already advanced transformation.

Studying Shiba, Azalea continues to think.

“What should I do? It’s not the right atmosphere to bring up yesterday’s events.”

A startling reality struck him like a truck, as if the incident from yesterday had been effortlessly forgotten. Si-heon noticed her hesitation in mentioning yesterday’s events and carefully broached the subject.

“Does your stomach not hurt? You drank quite a bit yesterday.”
“Ah, no, I’m fine.”
“Really? Then let’s go.”
“Huh?”

While lifting up Shiba, who clung to his leg, Si-heon revealed a smile beneath his mask.

“Didn’t you say you needed a hangover cure?”

* * * * *

Since it wasn’t the right atmosphere to bring up yesterday’s events, he took her outside for a change.

“Beep, beep!”

Shiba was excited about her first outing. She ran around with a toddling gait until she realized she had gone too far, and with an anxious expression, she hurried back to him and embraced him once more.

When he held her up to give her a better view, Shiba’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Bye!”
“Do you like it?”

Shiba laughs heartily. It seemed I understood the saying about something not hurting even if you put it in your eyes.

When we entered the decent soup restaurant I had seen before, I could feel the stares of others. Most of them were people working at the academy, their gazes filled with satisfaction.

I was overcome with the urge to lift Shiba up and boast about her, like a lion starring as the main character in an animated film. However, I noticed Azalea’s expression and refrained.

As we sat down, the woman seated across from me asked,

“By the way, what are you planning to do next?”
“What do you mean?”
“Childcare… or something like that.”
“Actually, that’s the problem. There isn’t a kindergarten here.”

Even though it was an educational city, it lacked childcare facilities. Should I ask the people who clean the dormitory every day for help? No, the real question is whether it’s even possible to live with my daughter.

For now, she’s my child. I want to do everything I can for her.

“Beep?”

I watch Shiba, who tilts her head at the gukbap served in front of Azalea and me.

“Can she eat this?”
“There shouldn’t be any problem since her transformation has progressed this far.”

Well then, let’s give it a try.
I take a piece of sundae from the gukbap, gently blow on it to cool it down, and bring it to Shiba’s mouth.

“Squeak?”

Blinking her eyes, Shiba accepts the sundae into her mouth.

Squeak. Squeak.

Her cheeks puff up, and a soft whimpering sound can be heard whenever she chews her food.

“How adorable…”

Azalea mutters to herself, a smile forming on her face.

“We need to buy her some clothes as well.”
“Clothes? Ah… true.”

The clothes Shiba is currently wearing were hastily made by cutting my short sleeves and sewing them together. Since they were made in a rush, her shoulders keep slipping out, so we need to get her proper clothes as soon as possible.

“By the way, was there a baby clothing store at the academy?”

“There was one. There are some clothes designed for humanoid spirits, and a few of them fit a child’s body shape.”

Oh, right.

“Could you help me choose? Today might be too much, but I’ll buy you a drink later.”

Upon hearing this, Azalea’s eyes widened.

“I’ll choose!”

Holding a spoon, she quickly responded, as if I would retract my statement if she didn’t answer fast enough.

The meal concluded shortly after.
Shiba ate three sundae and signaled that she was full.

After the meal, we went straight to the clothing store.
Many of the clothes sold there were designed for spirits, resulting in some rather unusual garments.

“How about this one?”

Azalea cheerfully held out a bright yellow, forsythia-colored outfit she had found somewhere.

Chick pajamas.
I surreptitiously glanced back and forth between Shiba and the pajamas. There was no doubt they would suit her.

“Take it, and let’s buy this too.”

Upon arriving here, I immediately noticed a wooden hood. The children’s hood adorned with images of wrinkles and knots seemed to fit Shiba’s body perfectly.

After that, I purchased some underwear for her, along with a few sets of casual clothes, before leaving the clothing store.

It was lunchtime. We had a meal at a decent place and then headed to the dormitory.

– Beep, purr, beep, purr.

Shiba must have been exhausted from the long outing, as she fell asleep in my arms. As I gently patted her back while walking, Azalea smiled contentedly.

“It looks nice.”
“Does it?”
“Yes. It reminds me of my past… Oh, never mind. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Seemingly lost in her thoughts of days gone by, Azalea apologized with a slightly sheepish expression.

We entered the dormitory in silence. I couldn’t drink alcohol, and with Shiba present, we had to end the day moderately. Just before reaching Azalea’s room, I casually mentioned something.

“Oh, right. About what happened yesterday.”

“That, that, that? Don’t, don’t worry about it! Yes.”

Seemingly caught off guard by the sudden mention, the flustered Azalea hastily replied. It didn’t seem to matter to her. She didn’t appear to be the type to linger on a kiss. Some people are like that.

“Then, I’ll contact you later.”
“…Yes.”

After exchanging brief farewells, I entered my room.

-Thump.

“Okay.”

First, I laid Shiba on the bed and stretched, then opened the address book on my phone. Now, I had to plan for the remaining month.

‘Three people.’

Can I do it? A wry smile formed at the corners of my mouth.