090 – The Lady Who’s Skilled at Catching Bugs
Seugal came into my place.
This time, she neatly took off her shoes at the front door’s shoe cabinet, which was quite impressive.
“Would it be alright if I borrow the kitchen for a bit?”
At Seugal’s question, I couldn’t manage to answer, standing there like an idiot. Her tone was so gentle and kind that it made me feel awkwardly shy.
Seugal’s expression was also different.
There was none of the irritation or dissatisfaction I had often seen lately. Her expression was serene and compassionate, as if she were an angel descended from the heavens.
However, that expression crumpled up the moment she entered the kitchen.
“Oh, there’s a bug.”
Pang-!
Seugal extended her foot and crushed a black bug. Watching this, I was once again surprised.
“Is it okay to just squash it like that with your foot? Wouldn’t that feel weird?”
“Getting rid of stockings is just a matter of discarding them, and a little foot washing will do the trick. Besides, compared to a ‘radiation rock,’ this one is small and cute.”
That was true.
In the devastated world, there appeared bugs that were mutants caused by radiation. Abbreviated as ‘radiation rocks,’ some of them were larger than ordinary puppies, truly terrifying.
“Could you look away for a bit? I have to take this off.”
She indicated her stockings with her hand.
When I slightly turned my head, I heard the rustling sound of something being taken off. Not being able to see it directly, my imagination was stimulated.
Her skin felt as soft as an angel’s feathers, and the thin, sheer nylon that encased it.
“Krrh, I can’t take it!”
I swiftly turned my head back around.
Did I really want to miss the moment Seugal took off her stockings?
But Seugal was already washing her feet at the sink. Swish-swish – the bug-crushed stockings had long been thrown into the trash can.
“You can’t take it? Even so, it’ll take some time for the ramen water to boil, so you’ll have to wait.”
Chop, chop, chop!
The sound of Seugal cutting spam on the cutting board was rhythmic and pleasant to hear.
“Seugal, that apron really suits you.”
“Really? I thought it was pretty standard.”
“That’s what makes it good.”
Despite the 21st century being marked by declining birthrates and the rise of non-marriage, every man dreams of a happy date at least once.
I was no different.
There was a time when my dream was to date a pretty girlfriend, marry her, and have eleven sons and daughters to form a soccer team. For a man, simple happiness is something like that.
Who could dislike a beautiful woman like Seugal cooking ramen in the kitchen?
“Alright. It’ll taste good even for your peculiar taste. Even though I look like this, I was called the ‘Miracle Chef’ in the grass-blanket camp.”
The crimson ramen had finely chopped peppers and spam. The broth was still bubbling, and the noodles seemed appropriately soft and cooked to perfection.
Hrumph-!
Without hesitation, I took a bite of the ramen.
“It tastes good.”
“Really? Then let me try a bite too.”
Hrumph-!
Seugal ate a bite of the ramen, flicking her long hair behind her ear. Just when I thought it was like a scene from a ramen commercial, an unbecoming wrinkle appeared on her white, straight brows.
“I put in so much chopped pepper, yet it still tastes a little bland. Why? This ramen was supposed to fit my taste exactly. Something’s missing. It must be the ketchup taste…”
Seugal apparently thought this ramen lacked a ketchup flavor.
Actually, I thought so too.
—
# # #
So we finished eating.
Blowing on the steamy noodles and wiping the sweat from our foreheads caused by the hot broth, we finished every last drop of it.
Both Seugal and I adhered to the principle of finishing every last bit of a meal. Even a single drop of soup would attract those radiation rocks, which would be a real headache.
It was a rule among survivors.
Seugal rubbed her slightly rounded belly with her palm and said:
“It’s funny, isn’t it? The lack of ketchup taste. If my original taste and current taste have changed, it looks like my training is going well?”
It’s for real. The real ‘Future Seugal’ has come to see me.
There were so many things I wanted to ask Future Seugal.
So many, in fact, that I momentarily froze, like a computer that had hung.
Fortunately, Future Seugal was much more experienced than the current me, Hanamjin, and skillfully guided the conversation even without me needing to ask.
“There must be a lot you’re curious about. But we don’t have time to answer everything. I am, after all, a dreamlike existence. Dreams always end, right? But the fact that we are having this conversation is thanks to this ‘Maple.'”
Click.
The sword ‘Maple’ attached to her waist.
The cherished blade of Seugal, known as ‘Supernova.’
“At this point in time, I have received a call from Lieutenant Jang Bo-reum to join the ‘Demon Nam Woo-joo Eradication Squad.’ Therefore, I have received permission to use one more treasure at the Treasure Exhibition.”
“Ah, so that’s why you chose this sword.”
“I sent you back in time while simultaneously embedding my thoughts into this sword ‘Maple’ to send them back in time as well. Since concepts of strong compatibility are fatefully drawn to each other, I figured you’d choose this ‘Maple’ too.”
“So, according to what you’re saying, you knew you’d end up with the sword ‘Maple’ and hid a kind of surprise video letter inside. Getting this sword was the trigger, right?”
In short, Future Seugal was a temporary presence.
It was like a recorded video playing through Seugal’s current body.
“Right. You understand quickly, which is good. Oh! I saw the things you’ve been doing. Incredible, huh? You toppled that ‘Giant.'”
“That’s why I sent you back, right? But, honestly, I’m struggling more than I thought with your training. To be frank, progress is slow.”
“It’s not that bad. Compare the ‘me’ from back then with the ‘me’ now, and it’s like a different person. You’re doing well, Hanamjin. Even if I had come back personally, I don’t think I could have achieved as much. I commend you highly.”
Then Seugal patted me on the back with her hand.
Receiving praise from the hero I admired felt incredibly good.
“So, why was it me? If there were others you could have sent back, why me?”
At the question I had to ask, Seugal paused for a moment.
It seemed like she was carefully choosing her words.
“I thought many people died because of me. I believed I had to save more than that number of people. That’s how ‘Supernova’ Seugal was born.”
Indeed, it seemed Seugal believed she was at fault for the N-Mart incident.
She had thrown herself in to pay for that guilt.
“But it wasn’t easy. I learned about you when my fellow team members started resting beneath the grass blanket. By the way, covering someone with a grass blanket means…?”
“I know, no need to explain.”
“Got it? You’re well informed. Then you also understand that my fellow team members ultimately died because I couldn’t protect them. They died because of me. If I had been just a little stronger…”
Seugal clenched her fists tightly and trembled.
She looked genuinely aggrieved.
“Amidst all that, I got to know you. A friend told me about a man who tamed demon beasts, and I became interested, so I investigated. Thoroughly. How thoroughly? To the point that I knew you better than you knew yourself.”
Knowing me in detail—could she really know about me dancing and singing while showering, and getting wet from the water every time?
Surely, she couldn’t have investigated my D drive “Cuckoo” files, right?
Even for me, that would be a bit nerve-wracking!
“Errand-runner Hanamjin. I didn’t know, but apparently, you had a notorious reputation even in the grass-blanket camp. Everyone opposed me when I said I wanted to meet you. That’s why I had to meet you secretly.”
That’s how it was.
That’s why our first meeting was so awkward.
“So, regarding why you chose me, I still haven’t said anything. If you had thoroughly investigated me, you’d have known what kind of pathetic failure I was.”
At my question, Seugal made an ‘ummm’ sound.
She paused.
Then she slowly rose from her seat and approached me.
“Let’s see… how should I say this? I think the reason will gradually be revealed by ‘the current Seugal.’ The only thing I can do now is to give you a little encouragement if you’re feeling a bit tired, just a tiny bit of warmth.”
Seugal draped her arm around my neck.
It was a hug.
When was the last time I had been embraced by someone? I always felt like I had lost something, but now, finally, I felt as if I had found it again.
The warmth I yearned for so much is finally here, beside me.
It’s the same warmth as me.
It’s the warmth of someone who lives in the same world as me.
“Hanamjin, I feel sorry for you. In this world, in this still devastated world, you’re probably the only one left. The burden on your shoulders is too great.”
“It’s no big deal.”
“I knew you’d say that. So, take good care of me from now on. Honestly, I’m a troublemaker who only says rude things.”
“I understand.”
“It’s going to be frustrating. It won’t be easy.”
“I know that too.”
“You grind your teeth while sleeping sometimes.”
“I already know that too. You do it when you’re tired.”
“You know a lot about me. Do you also know there’s a mole inside my thigh?”
“That I don’t know?”
“Phew, just kidding. But I am weak to compliments. This isn’t a joke, and if you remember this, it’ll help with my training. Haaah—yum.”
Seugal yawned widely.
Then she slumped onto the living room couch and closed her eyes.
She started dozing off, head bobbing. Her relaxed posture, however, made me feel oddly uneasy.
“Will we meet again?”
“…It’s up to you.”
Snore-snore.
Seugal fell asleep. Right there.
Then, suddenly, she woke up as if startled by a nightmare, which made me laugh.
“Ahh—what!”
Seugal caught my eye.
Her expression immediately crumpled.
“What? Why am I sleeping here? What is this? I was sure I picked up a pretty-looking sword at the Treasure Exhibition. Why am I in Hanamjin’s house—what did you do to me! Huff! Why are my stockings off!”
Seugal lashed out in confusion.
I reached out and tapped her shoulder.
“Sleeping so soundly in someone else’s house, I give you high praise for that.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Seugal wore a puzzled expression.
But her weakness to compliments was no joke, because her face turned red, and she awkwardly twisted her body.
“What are you praising me for? Out of the blue—huff!”
It happened right then.
She gasped audibly, like a startled beekeeper, shot up somewhere, and slapped something with her palm.
Squish—the bug died.
“I got it!”
“Isn’t it weird to crush it like that with your bare hands?”
“You just wash your hands, so it’s fine. Besides, I’m originally good at catching creepy crawlies. When I was little, I tied threads around the waists of earthworms to play.”
“I highly praise you for being good at catching bugs.”
Seugal must have always been good at this.
The fairy type is originally strong against the bug type.
“…Why keep praising me? Are you making fun of me? Stop it.”
Click!
She shoved a sword at me.
“Look at this sword! Can you see what concept is imbued in this sword by using your emotions? The concept is unclear, but it just felt right in my hand, so I brought it.”
“Name: Maple – Wakizashi
A masterpiece crafted by a legendary master craftsman. All the owners of this sword met terrible ends.”
“The name is ‘Maple.’ And the concept it holds is…”
I used my heightened emotional concept, having upgraded to level 3, to examine the concept held by the sword. Last time, I couldn’t sense it because my level wasn’t high enough.
“Ho, what is this? With this—”
Would it even be impossible to defeat Demon Nam Woo-joo?
Indeed, it befits ‘Supernova’ Seugal, who skillfully wielded this sword.
“What is it? What is it? Hoo—Tell me already!”
—
