"I need this too… and this… oh, right! This too……"
"Do you really need that much?"
"It's only because there's nothing to eat at your place, Jang-mi. To think how hungry this poor little thing must have been all this time……"
"……"
Hmm.
What exactly is happening right now?
I stood behind the cart, staring blankly at the backs of the two women.
Why are we suddenly… at a grocery store…?
No, more to the point—
With every step they took, the gazes of everyone around them locked on.
The murmuring of the people filling the store reached my ears.
"Is that… Hunter Cheon Do-hwa……?"
"Oh my, it really is……? Then the person next to her… is the guild master of Red Lotus……?!"
"……"
But the two of them paid the flood of stares absolutely no mind, methodically combing through every corner of the store.
Well, this area did see hunters fairly often, and these two were extraordinary figures to begin with — being stared at was probably just part of daily life for them.
So it wasn't all that strange, really.
A little while later, the cashier scanned the mountain of items piled on the belt and said in a tightly wound voice:
"That'll be…… □□,000 won in total……"
"Put it on this."
Do-hwa produced a card from inside her robe.
She always insists on wearing those old-fashioned clothes, yet somehow she's perfectly comfortable with every modern convenience…
Shortly after, Jang-mi and Do-hwa each had enormous plastic bags in their hands — the kind that made you feel winded just looking at them.
Apparently one shopping bag hadn't been nearly enough, because they were loaded down with bags in both hands.
I couldn't just stand there doing nothing, so I reached out to quietly take one of the smaller-looking bags — but then —
"Now, now……! Where do you think you're going……! I'll carry it, hand it over."
Do-hwa snatched the bag away before I could get a proper grip.
Jang-mi, standing beside her, backed her up with a firm look.
"That's right, Shin-a. Let your auntie carry these. You just walk ahead of us."
"……"
I handed the bag over without a word.
I let my gaze drift down to the hand that had just been holding it.
My fingertips were trembling, ever so slightly.
Honestly… I was relieved.
It had been far heavier than I'd expected. If I'd kept holding it, I'd have made it maybe three steps before face-planting.
Maybe I really should start exercising…?
***
After we got home.
The atmosphere inside the apartment had done a complete one-eighty.
From beyond the kitchen came the sound of Do-hwa humming a cheerful tune.
Mixed in with the rhythmic thud of a knife on a cutting board were occasional bursts of Do-hwa scolding Jang-mi.
"Jang-mi, why are you cutting the green onions so thick! What are you planning to do with those!"
"I mean… it all ends up the same once you eat it, doesn't it……? Actually, this kind of looks like garlic and I'm not really a fan…"
Jang-mi's baffling logic, and Do-hwa's laughter — that warm, exasperated chuckle. The two of them bickering back and forth without pause filled the apartment with the kind of lively energy that made it feel like a real home.
Sitting quietly in the living room, breathing in the smell of food, I felt oddly like I was sitting on a bed of nails. I slipped off the couch and drifted toward the kitchen doorway.
"Is there anything I can help——"
Before I could finish the sentence.
Whoosh —
A light rush of air grazed my ear, and my vision spun.
When I came back to my senses…
"Stop fussing and sit down nicely right here……!"
"……?"
I was already back on the soft sofa, exactly where I'd been before.
In the split second Do-hwa had been chopping in the kitchen, she'd apparently crossed the room, picked me up, and deposited me back.
"But——"
She's been treating me like a little kid ever since——
Just as my dignity was preparing to quietly pack its bags and leave, a mechanical chime sounded at my feet.
[Cleaning complete! Beginning to charge!]
"……"
The robot vacuum bumped against my feet, then trundled off toward its dock.
My pride was already a little bruised, and now this thing had the nerve to poke at it too.
I grabbed the little machine as it bustled toward its charging station and flipped it upside down.
Whirr —
[Wheels are not in contact with the floor! Please check the unit!]
"Hmph."
I looked down at its legs spinning uselessly in the air and sniffed.
Ha. Serves you right.
"……"
But watching those little wheels flail around…
My resolve crumbled. I reached out and quietly set it right-side up again.
[Diri-ring — Beginning to charge!]
Listening to the vacuum's contented chime as it found its peace again, I sank deep into the couch cushions.
***
"Shin-a, dinner's ready! Come on, get up and eat!"
"Mmm……"
The clear voice from the kitchen lifted my eyelids open.
I must have dozed off for a bit.
Half-asleep, I rubbed my barely-open eyes and managed to haul myself upright.
The sweet, savory smell drifting through the living room made my mouth water.
Oh……
And the moment my eyes fully opened, I looked toward the dining table and froze.
"……Hm?"
I doubted my own eyes.
The large table was covered, not a single gap, in an array of dishes.
Even at a glance, there were far more than one or two kinds.
I had no idea how many dishes she'd made — or how much time had passed to make all of them — so I checked the clock on the living room wall.
Less than an hour……?
A full spread like this, in a regular home kitchen, in under an hour…
Even her cooking speed was in the realm of the superhuman.
I was staring at the table with my mouth hanging open when Do-hwa, still wearing an apron, looked back at me with an expression of deep, satisfied pleasure.
Beaming —
"……"
"……"
A strange silence settled between Do-hwa and me as I stood there speechless. Then I shifted my gaze slightly to the side, and the secret behind the cooking time revealed itself.
Jang-mi, who had been perfectly fine not long ago, was now sprawled flat on the living room floor in a state of utter exhaustion, limbs spread wide.
She looked exactly like a junior employee at a black-hole company who'd been forced to pull an all-nighter.
I pointed at her carefully and asked.
"Is she… actually okay……?"
"Ha ha ha, nothing to worry about! She's sturdier than she looks. That's all an act, so don't let her play on your sympathy too much, Shin-a. I've noticed she has a habit of throwing herself at you and putting on a show, hasn't she……? Nyahaha!"
"Hiing……"
The moment Do-hwa's scolding landed, Jang-mi — who had been lying on the floor like a corpse — slowly sat up.
She pushed her disheveled hair back roughly and muttered with an aggrieved look.
"Still…… I worked so hard helping out…… I should at least get one word of praise from Shin-a……"
"Now, now! What kind of grown adult fishes for compliments in front of a child!"
"……"
Under Do-hwa's razor-sharp glare, Jang-mi promptly pressed her lips shut.
Do-hwa turned back to me with a gentle smile, as if she hadn't just been stern at all.
"Now then, Shin-a. Come sit down. Let's eat before the food gets cold."
"Yes……"
Swept along by this peculiar mother-in-law-and-daughter-in-law(?) dynamic, I obediently took a seat at the table.
In front of me was a glossy, tender braised short rib, a bubbling kimchi stew, a plump and perfectly rolled egg omelette…… in short, there was so much of everything the table legs might have buckled.
I accepted the spoon and chopsticks with both hands and said my thanks.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Yes, yes, eat as much as you like, Shin-a."
Do-hwa and I picked up our utensils and began eating in earnest.
Beside us, Jang-mi quietly retrieved a blood pack from the refrigerator, stuck a straw in it, and watched us with small sips.
"Shin-a, how does it taste? Does it suit your palate?"
Do-hwa fixed me with an expectant gaze.
I chewed and swallowed a piece of meat, then nodded.
"It's really good."
"I knew it! I knew it would be! There's more meat and side dishes, so don't leave anything — eat up."
Do-hwa, apparently in the highest of spirits, began piling side dishes onto my rice bowl in a small mountain.
The sight of it was enough to make me full just looking at it. I waved my hands.
"Huh……? No, there's already way too much here……"
"Hmm……? What was that? I can't quite hear you."
Do-hwa narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and asked again with a smile.
"I… I can eat it all……"
Ten minutes into the ensuing feast.
My stomach was already on the verge of bursting, and it felt like the food had risen all the way to my throat.
"I…… I really…… can't eat any more……"
Just as I was setting down my spoon to declare surrender, Do-hwa appeared from somewhere carrying a large plate, beaming brightly.
"Now, Shin-a! Let's have some fruit~!"
"Ah."
The moment I saw the mountain of fruit, my eyes glazed over.
***
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
"Yes, yes…… please get home safely."
Jang-mi stood at the front door and bowed her head.
Do-hwa was halfway through putting on her shoes when she paused, turned her head as if something had just occurred to her, and looked at me.
"Yes, yes…… our Shin-a, stay well and don't get sick — let's see each other again soon."
"Yes…… yes……"
I clutched my swollen, about-to-burst stomach with both hands and managed to swallow and answer.
Click, slide —
The heavy front door closed, and at last her presence faded completely into the distance.
"……"
Tomorrow… I really should…
Get some exercise……