Sophia chuckled at the drawing Gyeoul had made.
Despite her dislike for water, Gyeoul had drawn her swimming in a pond.
Perhaps the image of a shark was too strong for a young child.
Sophia touched her sharp, pointed fangs with her fingertip.
She always hated them for being sharp and violent.
But in the eyes of the child, were they seen as something cool?
In the drawing, she was boldly showing off her teeth.
'Well...'
Gyeoul was just a child she had met due to consuming the blessing.
In a way, it was a business-like relationship.
'The more I see, the better she seems.'
She had suffered abuse that would horrify even the roughest of beast-kins.
Yet, Gyeoul didn't fear humans unconditionally; she didn't completely avoid them.
Despite the hardships, her attempts to approach others were as brave as a valiant adventurer.
'...You're better than me.'
She said that people are more important than material things.
Even though she had suffered at the hands of people.
The resilience of the child, unbroken even in the face of such harsh adversity, was admirable.
She was indeed a child impossible not to love.
Sophia decided to admit it.
That her relationship with Gyeoul was no longer just business.
Perhaps Gyeoul had become the family she never thought she'd have.
"Gyeoul."
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"I want to try this, but I don't know how it works."
Gyeoul held out a long, rectangular device.
Sophia knew it was a tool to turn on the television.
'A remote control, right?'
She knew what it was but not how to use it.
She never wasted her time on such a foolish box.
And Gyeoul was in the same situation.
The remotes in her previous life were too different from this one.
"Just press anything for now."
"Okay..."
Click, click.
Gyeoul pressed the buttons on the remote one by one.
Press this, press that.
While they were focused with the small device, a buzzing sound made Gyeoul's ears perk up.
"It's on!"
"We did it."
Gyeoul and Sophia's eyes turned to the television screen.
It was a massive TV, the kind you'd see in a movie theater.
The newly turned-on TV was tuned to a movie channel.
Just in time, a giant monster on screen was opening its mouth to devour an extra.
"Ah!"
"Huff..."
"Yelp!"
Startled by the sudden scene, Gyeoul and Sophia jumped back.
Levinas, who was drawing nearby, also leapt up.
<+>
I never expected a monster movie to be the first thing on the screen.
With my heart pounding, I turned to Sophia.
"Sophia, are you okay?"
"...I'm fine."
But was she really?
Given her age, she shouldn't be too shocked.
I looked at her worriedly, but other than her breathing being a bit faster, she seemed alright.
"The monster suddenly appearing scared me."
Was it because of her superior beastkin physique?
Her startled movements were so different from those of ordinary humans.
"Human civilization is still difficult for me."
Sigh
As Sophia let out a sigh,
"Eek!"
Levinas screamed and ran towards the kitchen.
I wondered if I should go and comfort her, but since Yeoreum was in the kitchen, I decided to trust her to handle it.
"What happened?"
"A monster appeared in the house...!"
"A monster?"
Was it because I was focusing on my hearing?
I could hear the entire conversation from the distant kitchen.
'Is it Levinas's first time seeing a television too?'
After all.
When movies were first made, people were so frightened they ran out of the theaters.
So, it was natural for her to be scared and run away after seeing a ferocious monster on a much clearer screen.
"The monster is eating people! It will eat the king next! It's dangerous!"
"Really...?"
Tadadadat
With rapid footsteps, Yeoreum appeared from the kitchen.
Her eyes widened as she looked at Sophia and me, then turned towards the television.
On the screen, a giant monster was rampaging, devouring people.
"Ah."
Yeoreum opened her mouth as if she realized something.
She awkwardly laughed a bit.
"Gyeoul, it's okay. It's just a screen. The monster won't come out and eat you."
"Yes, yes..."
I knew that.
Somehow, it felt unfair.
I looked at Sophia, but she just shrugged her shoulders.
"Were you really scared?"
"No, not that much."
"Really?"
Yeoreum's gaze turned towards my tail behind me.
That's when I realized my tail fur had bristled.
I quickly grabbed my tail and placed it on my thighs.
But I knew it was already too late.
I just blurted out a weak excuse.
"I was a little scared."
"Ah, so it was Gyeoul's first time seeing a television?"
"Yes. And the first thing that appears is a monster."
It really was my first time in this life.
I could say with certainty that it was not a lie.
"Even an adult like me was startled. The kids must have been even more so."
"Ah..."
Calling me a kid stung a bit, but considering her age, I was practically an infant in comparison.
I decided to accept it without complaint.
"Beast-kin children often act on instinct, so always be careful."
"Instinct?"
"Yes, if they were from a more ferocious race, their bodies would have reacted before their minds, probably destroying that thing called a television."
"So the body reacts before they even think?"
"Exactly."
Sophia nodded in response to Yeoreum's question.
Yeoreum seemed to ponder something for a moment, then chuckled.
"Our kids were just scared, it seems."
"They're not wild ones, after all."
I wasn't sure if it was an insult or not, but the conversation was somewhat embarrassing to listen to.
I quickly changed the subject by pointing towards the kitchen.
"What are they doing in the kitchen?"
"They're making shabu-shabu."
"Shabu-shabu?"
"Yes. It's like a hot pot where you can put in whatever you want."
Did she think I didn't know what shabu-shabu was?
Yeoreum began to explain various things about it.
Listening intently, Levinas suddenly jumped up from her seat.
"Can you really put anything you want in it?"
"Yes, as long as it's something you'd normally put in a hot pot."
"Then I want to try putting different things in it!"
Levinas ran out the front door.
I knew she had gone to gather something to put in the shabu-shabu.
"It's almost lunchtime..."
"I'll go look for her."
"Okay, I'll leave it to you."
"Alright, I'll be back soon."
<+>
At the Daybreak Guild, there was a counseling room set aside.
Given the mental stress inherent in the profession, a professional psychologist was always available.
Jung Yu-na sat in the counseling room, staring down at her smartphone.
It displayed a drawing made by Gyeoul.
"Ms. Jung Yu-na?"
"Oh, yes..."
Was it because she was a counselor?
Her demeanor was gentle and warm.
Even though I wasn't there for my own issues, I already felt more at ease.
"You said you had a question when you came?"
"Yes. I'm worried about a child's state. Could I get some help?"
"Is it possible to bring the child here directly?"
"No, the situation is still quite delicate."
"I see."
Tap tap
The counselor began to jot down notes.
Jung Yu-na's gaze was drawn to the counselor's adept hands.
"I'm most curious about what emotion led the child to draw this..."
She carefully extended her smartphone towards the counselor.
The sight of people bleeding and a city collapsing caused the counselor to freeze momentarily.
"How old is the child?"
"She's just turned eight."
"Eight... Does she enjoy games? Or has she seen any violent movies with people dying?"
"Uh..."
Gyeoul doesn't play games.
Nor was she in an environment to watch movies.
Jung Yu-na shook her head at the counselor.
"She doesn't play games or watch movies, yet she draws this..."
"Yes. And the child also said this."
"What did she say?"
"She wished that the people around her wouldn't change like this..."
Jung Yu-na tapped on the twisted figures in the drawing.
The counselor stroked her chin thoughtfully for a long while.
"If this drawing reflects the child's psyche..."
"..."
"Fortunately, it seems she is starting to trust the people around her a little."
"Ah."
Is that so? That's a relief.
Jung Yu-na let out a sigh of relief.
But then, the counselor made a despairing remark.
"Of course, it's not a good situation."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I've been in counseling for about ten years, and I've never seen an eight-year-old draw such pictures."
The counselor stared endlessly at the drawing on the smartphone.
Drawing blood without hesitation, twisting and severing human bodies – these were not images an eight-year-old's imagination would typically conjure.
"She's been through a lot of terrible things."
"Terrible things?"
"Yes. Living on the streets without a home, eating garbage, and even as she lay dying with her stomach pierced, the adults around her only mocked her."
"Who would do such a crazy thing?"
Swearing is absolutely forbidden during counseling.
The counselor was so shocked that she broke this fundamental rule.
In a world where even laying a hand on a child could lead to arrest, the idea of people mocking a dying child was unfathomable.
"It's just..."
Meeting the counselor's eyes, Jung Yu-na bowed her head deeply.
Because she was one of those who had committed such insane acts against the child.
The realization of her own hideousness brought tears to her eyes.
<+>
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