103 – Core vs Core & Nymph vs Nymph #6
Despite everything, it was a family festival.
While watching the match, we even made bets.
It was a friendly gathering where we sat in the lounge and chatted.
But when yakuza wearing horned goblin masks rushed in wearing black suits, the atmosphere instantly turned somber.
I couldn’t help but be surprised in many ways.
Gwan-geuk-yeon.
The only child of “Amryong – Yagami,” who could be considered the ruler of Japan’s underworld, was a girl!
I assumed she would be a boy since I heard that she was to be engaged to Seo Ye-rim or Reiko.
I imagined a man wielding a katana, with dragons and mermaids on his arms, and a sharp look that would mercilessly slash through people.
However, Yagami Tsukki was a girl, albeit a bit taller and bigger.
Her chest was ample, and her long silver hair was neatly tied back and shiny.
Soon, Inoi spoke up.
“I heard that you were to be engaged to Core Ye-rim or Core Reiko, so I assumed you would be a boy…! But now I see you are a beautiful woman…!”
Thud, thud—.
Was she about 175cm tall?
Yagami Tsukki, who was quite tall for a woman, walked around, looking around.
“So where are my prospective fiancées? Ah! Reiko!”
Pop—.
Tsukki immediately pulled Reiko’s waist and spun her around.
“Ugh! Yamete! Put me down!”
Reiko seemed to be in pain, caught by the strong grip and spinning around.
She must have been feeling dizzy.
Pop—.
Tsukki then set Reiko down and said.
“It’s been a while, Reiko.”
“Tsukki! Why are you here!? I told you not to come! This is a place only for those who were invited! It’s troublesome if you just come in like this!”
Indeed—.
Reiko and Gwan-geuk-yeon’s Tsukki seemed to know each other well.
Soon, Yu Ara, who had been diligently eating kimbap next to me, made a “Ho-hum” sound.
“It seems that Reiko and Tsukki were childhood friends growing up together.”
Ari was a civil servant.
It was natural for a civil servant to know various pieces of information.
Ari seemed to already know about Tsukki’s existence.
“Did you know that Tsukki is a girl?”
“Ah—. Didn’t I mention it to you, Senpai? President Yagami’s only child Tsukki is a daughter. At least biologically speaking.”
Biologically, huh?
Based on the nuance of the words, I had a hunch there was some complicated matter I didn’t know about.
Swoosh—.
Tsukki spoke.
“I didn’t want to intrude on your family gathering, Reiko. But I heard reports of suspicious movements in this Telos Land. That’s why I came for a patrol.”
Suspicious movements.
I couldn’t remain quiet at that.
“Are you saying there’s an evil woman roaming around wearing a plague doctor mask?”
“A woman in a plague doctor mask? Tell me more details. Things like her appearance. It could resemble the report I heard.”
“She wore a plague doctor mask and a white gown. She has a pretty ample chest. Her legs are very long and firm, and she certainly pays good attention to her diet. She’s a health-conscious woman. I’m sure she deals with pharmaceuticals and works in the medical field.”
“Hm… that’s quite a detailed profile.”
Tsukki crossed her arms.
I spoke to her seriously.
“The important thing is that she’s a very wicked and terrifying woman. We have to capture her. She will definitely cause an accident. A terrible accident. She might do something perverted. After all, a normal person wouldn’t wear a doctor’s gown over smooth leather suits.”
“Indeed—. Are you saying she’s a pervert—.”
Startled—!
As Tsukki nodded, Ari, who had been diligently eating kimbap next to me, shuddered.
It was surely unsettling to know that such a terrifying person was out there.
After swallowing the contents of her mouth, Ari spoke.
“To think there are such bad people in the world—. That’s frightening. Really. I had no idea such a person existed. Not at all.”
That’s right.
Ari was an upright civil servant.
I figured I had to protect Ari well— I thought, but Tsukki shook her head.
“However, it seems that what I heard differs a bit. The person I heard about was a man from the beginning. A slender man. Men don’t have breasts, do they?”
That was a valid point.
But it felt odd for Tsukki to say that in this situation.
I wanted to ask many things.
‘Biologically’ a woman, huh?
Swoosh—.
Tsukki soon extended her hand toward me.
“You’re Haildo, the Squirrel Beast? I’ve heard quite a bit about the Squirrel Beast. I hope the match tomorrow is interesting. Our ‘S. Ninja’ is not an easy opponent, so be on guard.”
# # #
Rooftop.
I was on the rooftop of an amazing hotel.
Hoo, hoo…!
I had to take Kalilnoi, who seemed to enjoy looking down from a high place, for a stroll.
Swoosh—.
I stroked its fur and plucked its feathers.
Living with animals required a lot of care and effort.
“Kalilnoi, when are you going to turn back into a Nymph?”
Hoo, hoo…!
How many people knew that this large owl was actually a Nymph?
To think of it now, I couldn’t believe it myself.
Bark bark…!
I mustn’t forget to pet Kkungkkungi’s back.
Kkungkkungi liked warmth, being a squirrel.
During winter, I heard they hated the cold so much that they hibernate.
Swoosh—.
As I stroked Kkungkkungi’s back, he puffed up as if feeling good.
Grrr…!
Boom—.
And then he breathed fire.
What an astonishing sight, Inoi spoke.
“A squirrel that breathes fire is quite rare…! Such squirrels can evolve into a Gae-bul Squirrel and are revered by all squirrels under the name ‘The Unique King’…!”
Even though Gae-bul Squirrel sounds a bit strange, I thought the name Unique King was cool.
Soon, Inoi added.
“However, its combat power is low, so it doesn’t help much in battle…!”
What?
Kkungkkungi was my important combat member.
I guess I had to give up on evolving him into a Unique King.
Boo—.
Just then, Ahn Ahn flew onto my shoulder.
Ahn Ahn handed me vitamins and male supplements in my palm.
Zzzi—!
“I almost forgot.”
Thud—.
As I was putting the vitamins in my mouth, someone came up to the rooftop.
It was Seo Ye-rim.
“What are you doing awake at this late hour? You have a match tomorrow. Can’t sleep? I mean—. Thinking that if you mess up, I might get sold off to the Japanese alliance as your fiancée, you probably can’t sleep either, right?”
“…….”
No—.
I was just taking the animals for a stroll.
In reality, I was sleepy.
I wanted to sleep, but I had to properly groom and comb the animals.
If I put it off because I was lazy, then I wouldn’t deserve to train the animals and be with them.
But before I could say any of that, Seo Ye-rim came right beside me.
I asked Seo Ye-rim.
“Tsukki is a girl, right? But how can she get engaged?”
“She probably doesn’t even think of herself as a girl. She’s been like that since she was little. When Reiko and I would fight over dolls, she would be assembling robots alone. She used to play soccer with the boys.”
Gender identity disorder—.
Is that what it is?
Soon, Seo Ye-rim said.
“Still, her skills are real. She’s an S Rank Awakened. So, it’s better not to do anything to upset Tsukki. It’s best to avoid talking about how pretty she is or treating her like a girl.”
It seems that Tsukki got really angry and flushed when a yakuza had hit on her saying she was a pretty girl, and she sent him flying about 50 meters with her bare hands.
A strengthening-type S Rank ability user.
Since she hasn’t been officially reported to the government, she probably isn’t included in the S Rank rankings, but if Seo Ye-rim was warning me, then she must be in the top 10, or even—.
She might even make it into the single digits.
“If you want to live, treat Tsukki as a man. Understood? Never look at her with lewd eyes. Don’t think of her as a woman. Got it?”
I see.
I decided to firmly keep Seo Ye-rim’s warning locked in my mind.
In any case.
Hiooh, meow-. Hiooh, hiooh-.
The beautiful song of the RGB spider Bang Bang echoed on the hotel rooftop.
Bang Bang sang beautifully.
I wondered what the title of the song was.
It must be something cool and beautiful.
“So, have you thought about tomorrow’s match? The ‘S. Ninja’ will participate directly. So you should think carefully since it’s a person full of secrets.”
At Seo Ye-rim’s words, I recalled what I could do better than others.
At the same time, I had to consider what would be interesting for others to watch while I did well.
It was not just a competition but a family party, after all.
“Actually, I do have something in mind.”
# # #
As the Nymphs quietly slept at midnight.
After all the animals had fallen asleep, I finally had free time.
To prepare for the match tomorrow, I lightly organized things and looked for the baths to stretch my body.
This hotel in Telos Land had an outdoor hot spring.
The bath’s open time was until 10 PM, but since I was somewhat VIP, I received a card key.
It’s an unlimited access pass—.
At this time, I could take it all for myself, right?
It was fun and delightful to have animals buzzing around and Nymphs swarming, but sometimes I wanted to have my own time.
Now was just perfect.
“Hehe. This is totally awesome.”
Feeling that way, I headed to the changing room and was taken aback.
“Is that you, Tsukki?”
“Ah.”
Yagami Tsukki.
It seemed Tsukki also intended to enter the baths.
Did she want to bathe when there were no people around?
In that moment, I felt a bit dizzy at the thought of a man and a woman being in the same bath and changing room—.
Then Seo Ye-rim’s words came to mind.
It was the warning to not treat Tsukki as a woman.
What if I accidentally hurt Tsukki’s feelings by being flustered? What if the relationship between Korea and Japan worsened? What if World War III broke out—!? That would not do!
“Tsukki, it’s a busy day, isn’t it?”
Whoosh, whoosh—.
If I fumbled around here, it would seem I was hurting Tsukki’s feelings and causing her to get angry, so I just casually undressed.
Thinking of being with a man— it made me feel slightly more at ease.
But even being with a man I just met in the bath felt somewhat awkward.
“Um… I….”
Actually, Tsukki was also fidgeting.
She probably thought I was disturbing her since she wanted to bathe alone.
To shake off the awkward atmosphere, I said.
“I thought I’d be bathing alone; I’m glad you’re here. Shall we go in together? I can wash your back or something.”
“Together—?”
“Well, what do you think? We’re both men, after all.”
