Mom arrived about 14 minutes after sending me that message. A deep sense of relief washed over me when I finally saw her arrive.
I know it's pathetic, but when Mom got here, I felt as if my savior had arrived.
"How is she?" Mom asked as soon as she saw me at the entrance.
"She's okay, I think," I replied. "Ai-chan took a bath, then ate the onigiri I made. Now she's waiting in the living room while watching TV."
"I see," Mom said. "I'll go talk to her and then prepare a room for her. Oh, yes, help me get some things from the car trunk, thanks."
Without waiting for my agreement, she patted my shoulder and walked past me.
'Well… This is better than the awkward silence treatment,' I thought, opening the door.
I went to the car, and the trunk was already open. Inside were several shopping bags from a clothing store.
'Just as I thought, Mom went to buy clothes for Ai-chan.'
Picking up several bags, I was surprised by how easily I carried them as if they weighed nothing. Although I admit I'm stronger than most boys my age, since I practiced judo for a good part of my childhood… still, I knew I wasn't this strong before.
'Is this related to the Water Fairy?'
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other explanation besides it being connected to becoming a Summoner and being bonded with the Water Fairy.
Once I picked up all the bags, I closed the trunk and went back inside.
I left the bags on the floor near the entrance to change my shoes and noticed Mom giving me a strange look.
"You've gotten stronger," she said. "Not bad."
"Haven't I?" I raised an eyebrow playfully at her.
"Show-off!" She clicked her tongue and then smiled.
However, her smile didn't last long before her expression grew serious.
"Take all that to the room next to mine," Mom said. "I've already prepared a few things; for now, it should be enough for Ai-chan to start living with us."
"Mom…" I asked softly, "Are you planning to adopt her?"
"Yes!"
Her firm response was all I needed to know.
'Hmm… Mom seems determined. This confirms things aren't that simple…'
Looking at her, I said, "I'll support you."
"No need to overthink it, your father has already approved," she said. "And I just hope you'll be good to Ai-chan, that's all. That girl… she deserves to be loved."
It's the second time Mom has said something like this when talking about Ai-chan…
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After leaving the bags in the room that would now be Ai-chan's, I went downstairs.
On the lower floor, I heard Mom's gentle voice and Ai-chan's quiet, childlike voice.
Unlike me, Mom was able to hold a conversation with her. She even managed to get Ai-chan to open up to her a little.
'As expected, Mom is amazing.'
I went to the fridge and grabbed a glass of cold water.
In the living room, I greeted them with a nod and sat on a zabuton (floor cushion) in front of the table, looking at the TV.
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Ai-chan went to sleep around 8:33 PM.
Finally, I was able to have a conversation with Mom and better understand Ai-chan's current situation.
Mom prepared black tea for us and gestured for me to sit across from her.
I pulled out a chair and picked up the cup from the saucer on the dining table.
Mom is the type of person who doesn't start talking right away. She likes to set the mood. That's why we spent the next two minutes in silence, just sipping tea, until she finally spoke: "About Ai-chan…"
I placed the cup back on the saucer.
She did the same, clasped her hands together, and rested her elbows on the table as she continued: "Her mother is a disgrace."
The way she said "disgrace" seemed to carry an intention to say something far harsher. Mom's cold expression was something I had rarely seen in my 17 years of life.
"What exactly happened?" I asked.
"You didn't see it." Mom sighed, looking pained and sympathetic. "That little girl's body… Ai-chan's body is covered in bruises. And it's not just that. She suffered domestic violence. While the bruises are horrifying, the worst part seems to be the verbal abuse she endured at the hands of that…"
Mom held herself back from cursing, and it was evident on her face.
She sighed and took another sip of tea to calm down.
"What a vile woman," I said. Even though I had only met Ai-chan today, I couldn't comprehend how a mother could treat such an adorable daughter this way.
And now, everything made sense to me. That's why Ai-chan's reactions were so intense…
"Vile?" Mom laughed sarcastically. "She's a monster! That thing doesn't even deserve to be called a 'mother'!"
Noticing that she had raised her voice too much, Mom took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling.
I could understand—or at least try to—the reason for her strong reaction. After all, Mom had always been incredibly loving and adored children. If it weren't for the tubal ligation she underwent after a difficult childbirth that nearly took her life, I probably would have had a little sister or brother by now.
That's why I also understood her desire to adopt Ai-chan. Despite being an adorable child, she seemed so pitiable. There was no way Mom could see a little girl go through that and, having the chance to help, do nothing.
Holding her hand, I said, "Calm down, Mom. Now that she's with us, Ai-chan won't suffer anymore."
She gave me a warm look and nodded. "Mm, you're right."
We talked a little more. In the end, we went through about three cups of tea before calling it a night.
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{Ah, you're back! I've been waiting for you! Let me show you your daily schedule!}
As soon as I lay down on my bed to sleep, I found myself awakening once again in the same dimension as before, with a sweet and cheerful voice echoing in my mind. Then, a panel appeared before my eyes.
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[Notice] _____ [X]
1: [Complete daily missions: [0/9] | [In progress]]
2: [Exclusive Gift]: [Check-in: 2/30]
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'Huh?' I felt less restricted.
Instead of the usual arrow pointing to one of the options, I was able to click the X to close the page. Then, I was able to move freely around the area, even seeing the same Hellhound, Wandering Knight, and Water Fairy.
It was a small space. It took me only a few minutes to walk across it and stop in front of a small pond with water cascading down like a waterfall. When I looked closer, the name and description of the pond appeared.
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[
Description: A pond of unknown origin that constantly gathers Mana. Rumor has it that a large Mana Stone lies at the bottom of the pond.
[Mana Stone Production: +420 / 1 hour.]
[Maximum Capacity: 2,000]
[Okay]
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I clicked "Okay" and saw my Mana Stone balance increase to 53,451.
Oh yes, apart from the fact that I had more freedom of movement, another thing happened—a window with information appeared on all sides: left, right, top, and bottom. It even displayed details about my level and name.
Curiously, I leaned forward to take a look at myself, and what I saw shocked me.
'I don't have a face…! Instead of my head… it's a white light screen?!'
I was in shock.
Now it all made sense.
No wonder I couldn't say a single word. After all, how could I, if I didn't even have a mouth?
But why this appearance? Should I be worried?
However, when I returned to the real world, the only tangible thing that happened was my ability to see my status window and partially use the Water Fairy's powers.
I reached up to where my head should be, and my hand simply passed through, as if trying to grab something that wasn't there.
'Is this similar to a holographic screen?' I thought. 'How can I see so clearly, then? And where did my head go? Actually, is this even my body?'
I patted myself down but then realized… While some things felt different, it still seemed to be me.
Some kind of phenomenon was occurring, far beyond my understanding.
For instance, I couldn't remove the dark blue hoodie I was wearing or even the white sneakers on my feet.
Clearly, these weren't my clothes. This must also be tied to this strange dimension, just like everything else.
I tried my best to calm down. No matter what, I needed to better understand my situation, and panicking wouldn't help.
It took a few minutes for me to get my head straight… Not literally.
Afterward, I approached the Hellhound and stood in front of it, with its glowing golden eyes staring at me.
I extended my hand and touched its head. Although it felt slightly warm, it wasn't much different from any other dog.
Then I went to the Fairy. When I reached her, I extended my hand toward her, but she dodged, spinning around just as she does when launching her attacks.
I feared for my life when I saw her doing that, but fortunately, she didn't attack me.
Sigh…
Apparently, she either can't or doesn't want to attack me, but she also doesn't want me to touch her.
So, I went over to the Knight.
When I approached him, he had a thin smile on his face as he stared at me, holding his large sword with both hands. I backed away.
I clicked on the missions tab. When I did, a total of eight missions were available for me to complete, and one was already completed.
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[Start of the Day (1/1) [New Summoner Token (Two-Leaf Sprout) +1] | [+50,000 Mana Stones] | [(M) +15] | [
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I clicked on "Collect." I then saw that the mission points changed to: 15/100.
When the previous mission option disappeared, I noticed an obvious (!) icon appear at the top, in green, with the same symbol as the Two-Leaf Sprout, indicating the New Summoner Token.
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[(!) Special New Summoner Support]
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When I clicked on it, a page opened, and new options appeared, requiring what seemed to be the New Summoner Token as the currency.
There were a total of 15 purchase options, and among them, two caught my attention the most. One was a kit of Legendary Runes, totaling six.
If I considered what the voice in my head said, then runes were extremely important.
However, I felt even more drawn to another item.
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[
Description: A scroll containing an unknown energy. It summons a monster with 3 to 5 stars.
Current quantity: 0
Number of purchases: 0/2
[New Summoner Token -1 (Purchase)] | [Close]
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I didn't think twice and purchased it. I quickly saw that the quantity of Mystical Scrolls I owned changed to 20.
And since I had two Two-Leaf Sprout Tokens—possibly earning one yesterday—I chose to get the set of runes.
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[
Description: Swift Legendary 6-Star Runes x6. Equipping 4 pieces of this set increases the Monster's Attack Speed by 25%.
[New Summoner Token -1 (Purchase)] | [Close]
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I clicked "Purchase" and confirmed it. I received a total of six runes with red borders around them. After closing all the windows, I headed to the Hexagram, where monsters are summoned.
When I arrived, the [Summon] option became available, and I saw that I now had 20 Mystical Scrolls ready to use.