Maybe I went a little too far…
I slowly released Jae-min's trembling hand and clicked my tongue with a bitter taste in my mouth.
Annoying as he was, he was still just a kid.
I turned to Jae-min and tossed out a single line with a straight face.
"You've got talent."
"……!!!"
My brief encouragement (?) sent his eyes shaking violently.
Heh. A little lip service like that ought to be enough comfort, right?
And then…
"Eegh…!"
His face went red as a beet, he squeezed out one more tear, and then he bolted back to his seat like he was running away.
Honestly… there's nothing to be embarrassed about.
Jae-min went back first, and I followed.
"How was it?"
"I… I honestly have no idea what happened… it was all over in an instant…"
Mila answered with a dazed expression, waving her little hand around in the air.
"A… anyway… Shin-a, you're amazing…"
Then she clapped her tiny fern-frond hands together with a crisp pat-pat.
"Heh… it was nothing."
It really was nothing.
But I couldn't help feeling a little pleased, my shoulders lifting slightly.
***
After that, a few more kids were called up to demonstrate sparring.
Watching with my arms crossed, I found their level was far higher than I'd expected.
I'd written it off as elementary school stuff, but their movements and use of abilities were surprisingly sharp.
This school… is it actually prestigious?
Made sense, given it was in a neighborhood dense with high-ranking hunter families — plenty of kids who'd inherited their parents' gifts.
I'd been watching the children move for a while when the bell signaling the end of class finally rang.
"Alright, everyone, attention~! That's it for today. Good work, everyone!"
The teacher clapped her hands and beamed at the class.
"You all need to show up again tomorrow, okay? Got it? Go have lunch now and head home after. See you~!"
She wrapped up the lesson like a whirlwind and walked out of the gym with a light step.
"……"
I stared blankly at her retreating figure, then looked at Mila standing beside me.
"Class… is over?"
"Yep, it's over."
"So… we go home now?"
"No, we have to go eat in the cafeteria first."
"Ah."
Oh boy, food.
***
I followed Mila to the cafeteria.
"Hm…?"
"What's wrong, Shin-a?"
"Why is the cafeteria so empty?"
The dining hall was as spacious as the school building itself, but despite it being lunchtime, the atmosphere inside was remarkably sparse.
Mila scratched her head and answered my question.
"Ah… actually, a lot of the other kids skip lunch and just go straight home…"
"Why…? Isn't this free?"
"I think they just want to get home fast. Or they buy food outside…"
"What about you, Mila?"
"I… eat here every day. Mom always tells me to make sure I eat before coming home…"
I nodded at that.
"Ah. Then I'll eat with you from now on."
"Oh… thank you…"
At my words, Mila's eyes lit up with a faint, curious sparkle.
We walked side by side toward the serving counter.
Looking around the cafeteria, it had the feel of a company canteen.
It reminded me of the meals I used to eat at the guild headquarters back in my hunter days.
The food there was really good… I used to pile my tray to overflowing as a kind of economic retaliation against Jang-mi.
Lost in those small nostalgic thoughts, I picked up a tray and stepped up to the serving line, and then—
"……!!!"
I stopped dead in my tracks, unable to hide my shock.
"……?"
Mila tilted her head at my stunned expression and asked with concern.
"Shin-a… what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"
"Wh… what is all this…?"
"Hm…? Don't you like the side dishes?"
"No, that's not it… this is…"
"……?"
"This is way too extravagant…!"
The spread laid out before me was nothing short of spectacular.
Juicy hamburger steak, crispy tonkatsu, and tomato spaghetti.
Even at the Red Lotus guild cafeteria, they only served one main dish per day — and here they were all together at once.
"Does this even make sense? Is this all funded by taxes or something…?"
"Ah… I think the parents contribute to the school lunches. The kids from wealthy families don't eat here, so apparently their parents make regular donations. The facilities too… it's basically semi-private, honestly…? Our family also… ah, never mind."
Mila trailed off and glanced away, but I was already too fixated on the menu to care.
"Well… whatever. I'm not complaining about a spread like this…!"
I charged at the serving counter like a horse with no reins and started piling on everything I wanted.
A moment later, Mila looked at my tray and asked carefully.
"Shin-a… are you sure that's… really okay?"
"Hm…? What do you mean?"
I looked down at my tray, wondering if I'd gotten carried away — and sure enough, the meat dishes were stacked like a small mountain.
But Mila's concern was about something else entirely.
"Won't that not be enough?"
"Huh…?"
I followed her gaze to the side — and there on her tray, food was piled up like an enormous mountain.
Hamburger steaks and tonkatsu stacked in layers, threatening to reach the ceiling.
"……"
"……"
A moment of silence.
"W… was I overdoing it a little?"
At Mila's question, I waved my hands in a fluster.
"No no! It looks great! I just eat a little less than average, so I took a smaller portion."
"Oh… r-really?"
I looked at Mila's mountain of a tray and replied with complete sincerity.
"Yep. This is the baseline for a growing child. Very wholesome."
"Hm…? Th… thank you?"
Mila didn't seem to fully understand my compliment, but she soon ducked her head shyly and turned her eyes back to her tray.
Then she rubbed her belly gently and murmured in a very small voice.
"M… maybe I did take too much…"
But that worry lasted only a moment.
The moment the delicious smell hit our noses, Mila and I picked up our spoons and started eating as if we'd never had a second thought.
Cheeks puffed out to capacity, chewing away — we looked exactly like a pair of squirrels.
Well, I wasn't much different either…
We're elementary schoolers… we need to eat plenty and grow big. Mm-hm.
And so Mila and I enjoyed a very happy lunch in the cafeteria.
***
After polishing off that mountain of food, we left the dining hall wrapped in a satisfying fullness.
"Ahhh… I'm stuffed. That was so good."
"Hehe… me too."
Mila patted her rounded belly and smiled softly.
It had been a short lunch, but I felt noticeably closer to her.
Back in the classroom, we each grabbed our bags from our desks and slung them over our shoulders.
Through the window, I could already see the backs of children crossing the schoolyard and filing out through the gate.
"See you tomorrow, Mila."
"Mm-hm… take care, Shin-a. See you tomorrow for sure!"
With Mila's send-off at my back, I left the classroom.
I passed through the hallway and out through the school gate, then pulled out my vibrating phone.
Ring… ring…
[Hello…? Shin-a? Did school go okay?]
A familiar, anxious voice. Worry was already dripping through the receiver.
"Yes. Just finished."
[Really? Should I come pick you up right now?]
"No. I can go by myself."
[Are you sure? Isn't it a little dangerous to go alone…]
"No, I'm really fine."
[Mm… okay, Shin-a. Watch out for cars, and when you cross at the crosswalk, make sure you raise your hand and look both ways before crossing, okay? Got it?]
"Yes, yes."
I hung up and let out a small sigh.
Jang-mi was way too overprotective.
"……"
I stared blankly at the clusters of children heading home.
Groups of two and three, laughing and chatting.
Every one of them looked like they'd grown up cherished, like flowers in a greenhouse.
It struck me again, though it wasn't new — I have no parents.
Not in my past life, and not now as Shin-a either.
It's not like I had a particularly happy history to look back on.
The one looking after me now — Kim Jang-mi, my old friend.
Why did she take me in? What do I mean to her now?
Wrapped in her peculiar overprotectiveness, treating me like her own daughter, I was overcome by a strange feeling.
What if the situation had been reversed?
If Jang-mi had died in a dungeon like I did, and I had been the one to find her child left behind alone…
I let out a quiet, dry laugh.
I probably would have done exactly the same thing as Jang-mi.
The overprotecting makes a certain amount of sense, I suppose.
Just then, I noticed the children ahead linking arms over each other's shoulders, growing noisily smaller in the distance.
"……"
Come to think of it, the dry goodbye I'd exchanged with Mila back in the classroom felt a little cold.
The first friend I'd made under the name Kim Shin-a.
Turning that word over — friend — faces began surfacing one by one.
"I wonder if those guys are doing okay."
The ones who'd been around when I was Kim Shin-woo.
I still wasn't sure whether to call them friends or what, but their voices — bickering with me every single day — rang clear in my ears.
"Well… I'll see them again someday."
I adjusted the strap of my bag and slowly started walking home.
***
"Shin-a, you're home?"
The moment I stepped through the front door, Jang-mi came rushing out in her socks.
Without waiting for my answer, she was already on me — pulling off my shoes, peeling off my socks, taking my bag, lifting the hat off my head… anyway.
"Our Shin-a… how was school? It wasn't too hard, was it?"
"It was fun. I even made a friend."
"A friend…?"
The moment the word left my mouth, Jang-mi's expression froze instantly.
She stood there with wide eyes, then abruptly turned her head and began muttering in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Our Shin-a already… what if she hits puberty later and only wants to hang out with friends instead of me? Or what if it's a bad influence? What if they lead our Shin-a astray and…"
"Hm…? What did you say?"
"Mm… nothing, nothing. Shin-a, aren't you hungry?"
"Hmm…"
At that moment, something caught my eye.
A few strands of hair and a faint scattering of dust on the living room floor.
The floor… got a little dirty?
A flash of inspiration struck.
This is…
This is my chance.
Leave a strong impression on Jang-mi.
The perfect opportunity to establish myself as a dependable housemate…!
I played out the scenario in my head.
"The floor is so dirty… what do I do? I've been too busy to clean."
That's when I make my gallant entrance.
"Stand aside. I'll handle it."
"Our Shin-a is so thoughtful! You've grown up so much!"
"Mwahaha."
Perfect.
I'm grateful for how much Jang-mi cares for me, but I'm not a child on the inside.
I can't just freeload and eat without contributing anything.
I can't go into dungeons and hunt monsters, but I can at least help with housework…
"The floor looks a little dirty. Let me clean it…!"
I strode boldly into the middle of the living room.
Beep—
With an electronic chirp, something slid smoothly past my feet.
"Huh…?"
"Shin-a? What's the matter?"
"Th… that… what is that?"
Where my trembling finger pointed, a round, flat something was rounding a corner and sucking up dust.
"What do you mean… it's a robot vacuum?"
"A… robot vacuum…?"
"Mm-hm."
I sank slowly to the floor right where I stood, defeated.
This house already had a far more diligent and efficient candidate than me.
***
Jang-mi sat across the dining table, watching Shin-a eat dinner with complete absorption.
'Even the way she eats… it's like looking at a mirror.'
The image overlapped — him, back from a dungeon, wolfing down a meal in a hurry.
Shin-a's cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's as she chewed away, and to Jang-mi, it was the most endearing sight in the world.
"……?"
When Shin-a tilted her head and looked up at her, Jang-mi smiled warmly and reached out.
"Shin-a, you've got something on your face."
With the gentlest touch, Jang-mi carefully wiped the sauce from the corner of Shin-a's mouth.
***
"……"
A rooftop of a high-rise building, swept by cold, dry wind.
Someone was lying sprawled across the rooftop, completely at ease.
Through a tangle of reddish hair, unfocused eyes stared up at the night sky.
"Tch."
He grimaced irritably, then slowly pushed himself upright.
He didn't even seem to consider brushing the dust off his clothes.
"…Boring."
With the air of someone deeply inconvenienced, he cracked his neck left and right with a loud pop, then stepped one foot at a time toward the rooftop railing.
The tips of his shoes hung over the edge.
Below the dizzying drop, the brilliant panorama of the city spread out — but to his eyes, it was nothing more than an annoying blur of light.
"Thunder God, my ass. Pathetic bastard…"
The curse aimed at no one in particular dissolved into the air.
And then—
Thud—
As if he had not a single regret, he let himself tilt slowly backward.
Surrendering to gravity, he began to fall straight down toward the ground.
The roaring wind battered his ears as he plummeted, but his expression was perfectly calm — bored, even.