"Shin-a, are you ready?"
Jang-mi's voice drifted over.
"Yes."
I answered briefly and headed for the entryway. She was already standing in front of the shoe cabinet, and as usual, she held out her hand.
But I just looked down at it for a moment, then bent over and tied my sneakers myself.
It wasn't that I was refusing her. Just a thoughtless gesture — showing I could do it on my own.
"……!!!"
A cold silence fell over my head.
At the edge of my vision, the tips of her outstretched fingers trembled faintly.
I sensed something was off and looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
"……?"
"Shi… Shin-a… did I… do something wrong…?"
Her eyes were wavering, unable to settle.
Her lashes were already glistening, as if tears might spill at any moment. Her lips quivered.
"……Pardon?"
"You won't hold my hand… are you upset? Did I make some mistake without realizing it?"
Her voice was thick with it.
"N… no? It's nothing like that."
"Hic… is this puberty already…? You're embarrassed to hold my hand now, aren't you… that's it, isn't it…?"
She dropped her head and her shoulders began to shake.
I swallowed a sigh and quietly stepped up to her.
Then, without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pressed myself into her.
"……!!!"
The sudden warmth made her breath catch.
"I'm not upset… it's not puberty… I just wanted to try putting them on myself."
"Hic…! Shin-a… really? You don't hate me?"
She hugged me back.
Tight enough to squeeze the air out of me.
"……"
That should do it. Hopefully she's calmed down a little.
But she kept her face buried in my shoulder, sniffling between words.
"Did you do that to make me feel better…? You've grown up so much… so much… you don't need me anymore, do you…? You're going to grow up and leave me behind, aren't you…?"
"No…"
***
Vroooom—
Jang-mi's car rolled down the road.
Today was an outing with Jang-mi. Destination: her guild's main building.
A short while later, the car stopped and the building came into view.
The moment I stepped out, her hand closed around mine as if she'd been waiting for exactly that.
"Hm? Oh, Shin-a's here again?"
When we walked into her office, Min-ji looked up from her paperwork and waved at me cheerfully.
"Hello."
I gave a small bow, and Min-ji turned to Jang-mi.
"Guild Master, today——"
"Ah, right. I'm ready."
Before heading off, Jang-mi came over to me, crouched down, and gently stroked my hair.
"Shin-a, I'll be back in just a moment, okay? Can you wait here nicely?"
"Yes."
Only after hearing my answer did she seem reassured. She glanced back several times as she followed Min-ji down the corridor and disappeared.
"……"
Once the sound of their footsteps faded completely, a quiet settled over the office — just me and the silence.
I sank deep into the plush sofa and stared up at the ceiling.
One minute, two minutes…… Only the steady ticking of the clock.
"……"
Hmm. She did say to wait quietly, but…
It's been a while. Maybe I'll take a look around the guild building.
I got up, brushed myself off, and grabbed the door handle.
Exactly five minutes after she'd left, I slipped quietly out of the guild master's office.
***
Trudge, trudge.
My footsteps echoed down the corridor, sounding lighter than usual.
Maybe it was my imagination, but my body felt noticeably easier to move, and there was a strange energy in each step.
Is it because my level went up…?
Still a modest number by any measure, but the fact that I could feel the difference myself wasn't bad at all.
"Status Window."
A translucent blue panel floated up in the air.
User: Kim Shin-a | Age: 11
Class: Mage | Level: 8
[ STATS ]
HP: 5 (F) MP: 11 (E)
STR: 3 (F) INT: 12 (E)
DEX: 4 (F) LUK: 3 (F)
Available Points: 12
[ UNIQUE TRAIT ]
Lightning Magic (Lv.2)
[ SKILLS ]
Noechim (Thunder Needles) (E), Nakroe (Lightning Fall) (B)
"Heheh……"
Seeing the stats and points stacked up neatly, a satisfied smile spread across my face without my even trying.
I was standing there, pleasantly dazed, savoring the little thrill of numbers and grades — when it happened.
"……?"
A cold presence crept up behind me, and a deep shadow swallowed my feet.
Someone was standing at my back.
On instinct, my shoulders jerked and I spun around.
"Wow……"
A breathless sound of admiration fell from somewhere above my head.
"……?"
"You're… really, really cute…"
What filled my vision was the face of a girl I'd never seen before.
She looked three or four years older than me, bent at the waist, eyes sparkling as she stared down at me with unabashed intensity.
The sudden praise for my appearance sent a wave of bewilderment through me.
Her shameless gaze landed on my cheek, and I found myself stepping back involuntarily, looking up at her.
A face I didn't recognize — but a girl who radiated something distinctly out of the ordinary.
***
"Hmmmm~"
A girl was walking briskly down the corridor of the guild building.
Her name was Kang Ji-woo. Eighteen years old.
Second in her class at the Hunter Academy's high school division.
Today, she had turned down a flood of recruitment offers to come here for a contract consultation with Hongryeon — currently the hottest guild among young hunters.
Hongryeon was short on history but long on reputation, known for its exceptional treatment and its trendy atmosphere. Still, Ji-woo's expression was thoroughly unimpressed.
To her, this place was just somewhere she'd stopped by on a whim while following a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ji-woo glanced around idly, trying to stave off boredom, and kept walking down the corridor.
Then, at the far end of the hall, she spotted a small silhouette moving.
"Hm……?"
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter……
A little kid, taking neat, purposeful steps with a tiny stride.
The moment Ji-woo saw that small figure from behind, a sharp curiosity lit up in her eyes.
She had a notorious weakness for anything cute.
Ji-woo closed the distance.
In an instant she was right behind the kid, her shadow falling over them. The little one flinched and turned around.
"……?"
"Wow……"
Ji-woo let out a gasp before she could stop herself and bent forward.
The face revealed between the clean, swaying black bob was like something out of a doll shop.
Cheeks still round with baby fat, soft and pale — and eyes gone wide and round with surprise.
Ji-woo's gaze locked onto those chubby cheeks.
She could almost feel the texture just by looking — the kind that would give satisfyingly under a fingertip.
Poke.
"Oh?"
"……!!!"
***
"……!!!"
It happened in an instant.
The girl's slender finger slipped in and sank into my soft cheek before I could react.
A strange, unfamiliar sensation — like a finger sliding into a freshly pounded rice cake.
I yelped and lurched backward.
My heartbeat was loud enough to ring in my ears.
I fixed the girl with a wary glare and shuffled steadily backward until I'd put a safe distance between us.
A cold prickling ran down my spine, like every hair on my back standing on end.
"Ahahahaha… sorry, sorry!"
"……"
The girl scratched the back of her head, looking sheepish, and gave an awkward laugh.
Her lips wore an apologetic smile — but her eyes, still glittering, gave her away completely.
That look said she was still thinking about the soft give of my cheek against her fingertip.
Like a child who'd just found buried treasure.
"Hey, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean anything bad. It's just that your cheek looked so… so irresistible, and I couldn't help myself! I just wanted to poke it once! And then… before I knew it… heheh…"
"……"
Instead of answering, I raised my palm and gently rubbed the spot she'd poked.
I could feel her gaze zeroing in on my flushed cheek.
"Ehehe… I promise I won't do anything bad, so don't stand so far away. Okay? Can you stop backing up? I'm genuinely hurt here…"
"……"
She stretched out her hand with a desperation that bordered on pathetic. I stopped where I was.
My feet pressed flat against the floor.
Honestly, I wasn't even sure I could run if I tried.
I'd understood it the moment she'd gotten to my cheek.
This girl smiling in front of me was in a completely different league.
"Hihihi, good girl. So, little one — what are you doing out here by yourself? Did you get lost?"
She tilted her head with renewed curiosity.
Her eyes, brimming with interest, were already scanning me from head to toe.
But I kept my mouth shut and said nothing.
With a stranger — especially a dangerous one who pokes your cheek without warning — the smart move is to give away nothing.
'Even if a stranger offers you candy, you must never follow them. Understood?'
Jang-mi's voice echoed in my head.
"Hm? What's wrong? Come on, say something~"
She was inching toward me, step by careful step, trying to coax me. I ran a quiet calculation in my head.
Fighting back would just land me in the palm of her hand. Running would only get me caught by the scruff of my neck.
Against this kind of overwhelming gap in strength, the best move available to me was—
"C-can I really pat you however I want?"
"Yes."
"Yay~!"
Just to stay still.
I gave up and let her do as she pleased.