The thought of hot water pouring out endlessly was so delightful that my tail wagged back and forth.
I wanted to indulge in a warm shower without restraint, but this wasn't my home.
I couldn't possibly waste resources like that.
"Levinas."
I called her name with an unusual firmness in my voice.
Levinas seemed to sense something was different, cautiously glancing around with her drenched body.
"Why are you calling me?"
"We can't use the hot water carelessly, even if it flows freely."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Only use warm water if you feel like you're going to freeze while showering with cold water."
Hot water was precious compared to cold.
That must be the right thing to do.
I looked up at Yeoreum for confirmation, but all she gave me was an awkward smile.
"Gyeoul, it's okay to use hot water freely in the guild."
"Really?"
"Yes. The guild building uses mana stones for heating, which is very efficient."
How efficient could it be to heat with mana stones?
I had no experience with it, so I couldn't know.
All I could do was keep my mouth shut.
"Then I'm going to shower for a hundred hours with hot water!"
Levinas ran back to the shower room.
Her soaked body left water all over the luxurious marble floor.
"Oops."
To dirty this expensive marble floor...
I crouched down hastily and started wiping the floor with my palms.
But my hands, unable to absorb the water, only spread it further.
"Gyeoul, let me do that for you."
"It's okay. I am a guest, after all."
Maybe I could wipe it with my tail?
I twisted my body to make it easier and began rubbing the floor with my tail.
"Gyeoul! Today is your day to experience things! Let Unni do the labor for you today!"
"Labor?"
"Yes! I'll do the physical work..."
Yeoreum started wiping the floor with a dry mop she found somewhere.
It absorbed water as well as my tail did.
"Should we do it together?"
"No, no, it's just that Unni feels bad."
"????"
Cleaning the floor makes her feel bad?
It's a task anyone would do.
A sense of resistance stirred in me against such a thought that seemed typical of wealthy people.
Then I noticed her gaze was on my tail.
"You don't have to wipe the floor with your body..."
"Ah."
Right, my tail was a part of my body.
It did seem odd to use it to clean the floor.
"Let's just learn about the conveniences of a house today. How does that sound?"
"Um... Should we?"
"Yes. What's the first thing you want to do if you get a house?"
Something I wanted to do.
I couldn't think of anything in particular.
Even after pondering a bit more, nothing came to mind.
"Nothing."
"Nothing...?"
"Yes. I don't have anything I want to do."
Everything I wanted to do was possible even in my current container house.
I could plant crops, pick up empty bottles, and collect discarded furniture.
Having a better house wouldn't suddenly create new desires.
Honestly, I didn't even know what to do in such a large house.
"That's... I see."
Yeoreum, looking somewhat deflated, crouched down on the floor.
Her head hung low as she wiped the floor, looking somewhat pitiful.
"Hmm..."
Despite being told not to, I thought I should help.
I took out a set of clothes from my pocket.
They were meant for changing, but I decided to use them as a rag instead.
< + >
Yeoreum mechanically scrubbed the floor, her eyes vacant.
Her hands moved like a machine, continually wiping an already clean floor.
'Nothing she wants to do.'
A child of an age where desires should keep her awake at night has nothing she desires.
How should I interpret this?
Despite the shocking revelation, Yeoreum managed to stay calm, realizing why Gyeoul didn't crave life.
'Having no desires means no reason to live, perhaps.'
Then, the solution was simple: to provide her with various experiences to find something she desires.
The world has plenty of fun things, after all.
Just as Yeoreum clenched her fists with this resolution, Gyeoul tapped the back of her hand.
"You shouldn't wring out the mop here."
"Ah... Right."
Unknowingly, I had put too much strength into my grip on the mop.
Yeoreum scratched her cheek, feeling awkward.
Gyeoul observed her, thinking that being wealthy probably meant she didn't know how to do household chores properly.
< + >
After a long time, I emerged from the bathroom, refreshed from a warm shower.
Looking around for the others, I spotted Levinas and Sophia attached to the glass wall.
For some reason, they were on their tiptoes, heels lifted, even though it wasn't necessary.
"Sophia, what are you doing?"
"Just looking outside."
"Ah."
Having nothing else to do, I joined them at the glass wall, looking out.
Naturally, my heels lifted off the ground as well.
Even my tail stretched up high like Sophia's.
'Ah.'
It seemed to happen automatically.
Perhaps it was the beast-kin's inherent sense of balance, instinctively keeping us from falling from high places.
"It's really high up."
The people below looked like ants.
Without realizing it, I found myself pressing my finger against the window at a passerby below.
My fingerprint was now smudged on the clean window.
"It's my first time being this high up!"
Exclaimed Levinas.
"It's also a first for me to be at such a height..." added Sophia.
Levinas, I could understand, but Sophia too?
This unexpected revelation made me turn towards Sophia, but at that moment—
Click-
We all turned around at the sound of a camera shutter behind us.
"Did you just take a picture?"
"Yes. It looked like a heartwarming scene..."
"Heartwarming?"
Curious to see the photo, I approached Yeoreum.
And then, I made a truly shocking discovery.
'When my tail goes up, my top lifts too, revealing my back!'
No wonder I sometimes felt a chill.
It was because my clothes had ridden up.
Unknowingly, I reached behind to touch my back and tail, and Sophia leaned in to look at a photo.
"Seeing this, I do look quite childlike."
"Looking young is a good thing. It's what every woman desires."
"Hmm..."
Perhaps flattered by Yeoreum's compliment, Sophia's face turned a shade redder.
"You take good photos."
To an outsider, the photo would show three young beast-kin glued to a glass wall, looking down below – a scene that might appear endearing.
However, one was a child from a hostile faction, and the other two were adults.
"Yes. I have a favor to ask."
Though she spoke formally due to Sophia's presence, Yeoreum's gaze was fixed on us three.
"A favor?"
"Yes. Can I post this on my personal SNS?"
A single photo going online in this era of cameras didn't really matter.
Especially since our faces weren't clearly visible.
"I'm fine with it."
"I don't mind, but it seems you have a reason."
Prompted by Sophia's question, Yeoreum chuckled and then spoke cautiously.
"Recently, the guild has been criticized a lot. People are saying we're neglecting the beast-kin children in the park..."
"You want to show that we are living well together."
"Yes. Hehe."
Was she troubled by the idea of using us?
Yeoreum averted her gaze from mine.
"It's fine, go ahead and post it. The guild that's helping us shouldn't be criticized."
"Are you sure? What about the extremists..."
"If they're looking for her, they already know where she is. They're just wary of the Daybreak Guild and don't dare act rashly."
"Ah, the guild's..."
So, Sophia's hostile faction feared the Daybreak Guild.
Realizing this was new to Yeoreum as well, she nodded and began typing on her smartphone.
───
Beast-kin children experiencing a high-rise building for the first time.
───
The photo we had just taken was uploaded online with a light caption.
Yeoreum must have had many followers, as comments started appearing quickly.
[Are these the kids from Daybreak Guild's park? I thought they lived outside.]
[Look at them balancing so they don't fall, haha.]
[So cute... I want a daughter like that...]
Seeing the comments, Yeoreum let out a sigh of relief and crouched beside me.
It was as if she had shed a load of worries.
"Phew, that's a relief."
"Was it that serious?"
"Yes. There's been a lot of talk recently."
"Then, I'll overlook the 'kids' comment."
"Thank you for understanding."
Yeoreum turned to me after saying that.
"Gyeoul, there's something Unni wants to ask of you."
"A request?"
"Yes. This is a direct request from the Daybreak Guild to you."
The Daybreak Guild has a request for me?
What could they possibly want from me?
Surprised, I looked up at Yeoreum with wide eyes.
"Unni wants to post the photos you take on her SNS."
"My photos?"
"Yes. There's no need to show faces. Just pictures you take yourself, like of the pond or tomatoes, that's all you need to upload."
Ah, I see.
The police had suspected why the children were living outside.
Ordinary citizens might have the same thoughts.
There seemed to be no reason to refuse her request.
Although I wasn't sure how good my photos would be.
<+>
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