“Wow, it’s so soft!”
Yang Ha-na pulled me into an embrace and rubbed her face against my body over and over.
Even for me, who was getting used to being hugged by Han Seori, this was an overwhelming amount of… rubbing.
Come to think of it, Yang Ha-na might have an even stronger heart than Han Seori.
No, while Han Seori spares no effort to satisfy her curiosity and thirst for knowledge, Yang Ha-na simply radiated cheerfulness.
She was exactly the person I had felt she would be, just from hearing her voice.
To put it positively, she had a sunflower-like personality.
To put it negatively… she was terribly clueless and stuck firmly to her own pace.
When I saw her eyes go blurry in the kitchen, I wondered if I had somehow developed hypnotic powers.
But that wasn’t it.
The blurriness was just from her quickly pondering memories, because soon after, Yang Ha-na snapped out of it and shouted with a cheerfulness that made it hard to believe she had just been screaming “Ghost!”
“You were the one in my dream!”
While Han Seori watched with interest,
I, stretched out from behind Kim Cheon-soo’s shoulder, had my wrists firmly grabbed by Yang Ha-na.
Before I knew it, she gently pulled my body toward her,
but because Kim Cheon-soo was holding onto me, my body stretched out like one of those viral cat memes on the internet.
“O!?”
Like someone who had found an amusing toy, she pulled on my body, and only when the confused Kim Cheon-soo let go did I float up past his shoulder into the air.
“Ah!?”
Together with Yang Ha-na’s high-pitched scream, my lower half plummeted, making a “thud!” sound as it briefly stuck to the floor.
I hadn’t anticipated this kind of person at all.
Just when I thought I couldn’t believe her antics, Yang Ha-na grabbed my wrists again and pulled me upward with surprising strength, as though peeling gum off the floor.
I gave in to the absurdity and tensed my body, whereupon my stretched form retracted like a ruler.
When I finally met her gaze, she smiled widely and said,
“Finally, we meet!”
Looking at her grinning face made any thoughts of anger fade away.
Although I didn’t really plan on getting angry, that was how it went.
…I thought she was one of those people who buy hexagonal water, but if this is any indication, maybe they actually sell it here.
Though she doesn’t seem to be aware of it, so probably not.
Anyway,
Yang Ha-na, overjoyed at meeting me, started spinning around while hugging me.
Yang Ha-na stopped spinning, possibly feeling dizzy, and sat down on the floor with a burp.
Naturally, my feet touched the floor as well.
…Man, she’s really unpredictable.
Amused by her antics, Kim Cheon-soo burst out laughing, and even Han Seori’s lips were twitching.
Then Kim Cheon-soo subtly excused himself to prepare breakfast while sending Han Seori, Yang Ha-na, and me to the control room with a smile that suggested he was trying to cover up what had just happened.
Still, Han Seori, who wasn’t as cruel as to delve into everything, smiled and followed me and Yang Ha-na into the control room without a fuss.
Right after that,
we returned to the beginning.
“It’s nice and cold, and soft too!”
Since it wasn’t possible to simply cram me into a corner like at a singularity,
there was no resisting Yang Ha-na’s relentless rubbing.
Rather, whenever I tried to subtly slip away, Yang Ha-na would somehow notice like a ghost and cling to me tightly, as if I had separation anxiety like a puppy.
Although I wondered why she was acting like this, I soon realized it was natural since she followed me here after seeing me in her dreams.
Han Seori also watched quietly,
so there was no chance for me to escape.
Meanwhile,
Han Seori, who had been silently observing, crossed her legs and spoke up.
“Um, Ha-na, I have a question.”
“Yes? Ah, go ahead!”
When Han Seori spoke, Yang Ha-na stopped hugging me like a stuffed doll, straightened up, and looked at Han Seori.
…Still, she held onto me, so my position didn’t change.
Seeing this, Han Seori, with her usual expression, asked Yang Ha-na,
“Miss Ha-na, have you ever seen the child you’re holding before?”
“Huh? No, I’ve never seen them directly before.”
“Directly?”
“Yes. Although the child in my dream and this one seem slightly different, I knew right away that this was the child from my dream!”
At that, Han Seori seemed to nod in understanding before continuing.
“Hmm… Even so, aren’t you scared? This is an unusual life form that you’ve never encountered before, after all.”
If that were said to me, I wouldn’t feel hurt exactly, as I’m too different from humans, but it made me feel a little awkward.
And that was something I was curious about myself.
Even if she pursued me unconsciously, encountering something strange should elicit a different reaction, shouldn’t it?
Didn’t Han Seori test Kim Cheon-soo first before picking me up?
To this question, Yang Ha-na replied nonchalantly,
“Hmm… Initially, I was a little hesitant, but it felt okay once I thought it was the same child from my dream! And!”
“And?”
Yang Ha-na hugged me even tighter with a bright smile.
“You’re cute!”
“Uh… t-that’s true. Yes.”
Even the ever-confident Han Seori seemed flustered.
Yang Ha-na was truly… a legend.
Still, Han Seori is Han Seori.
After composing her expression, she asked the question I was also curious about.
“Hmm, thinking about it, I don’t think you mentioned this before… Did you say this child called you?”
“Ah… Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt like they were calling me.”
When Han Seori tilted her head, Yang Ha-na hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Uh… Did I mention I was preparing for job interviews?”
“I think I heard about it.”
“Then you understand… How mentally exhausting it is not to land a job, right?”
“…Right?”
Ah.
That person has never experienced that kind of struggle, evident by her expression.
I suddenly realized how impressive Han Seori’s perfect resume was.
Although she acted distant with others like Kim Cheon-soo but was cheerful with me, I found her somewhat distant now.
Just slightly.
Rather, I found myself empathizing with Yang Ha-na.
As I instinctively nodded, Han Seori looked at me with a peculiar expression.
For some reason, I felt like jelly dripping down my face, so I raised my head and used my head and knowledge pouch to support Yang Ha-na’s chin.
“Hmm… This child seems to like you too, Miss Ha-na. Anyway, please continue.”
It seems I managed to change the subject. Though I’m not sure what that was about.
“Hmm… Anyway, every time I felt mentally exhausted, this child would appear in my dreams and comfort me… Thanks to them, I got through the tough times and landed a job, so they’re practically my benefactor! That’s why I’m not afraid.”
…Who?
Is that me?
I’ve never done anything like that…
At that, Han Seori slightly opened her lips and looked at me.
Her face seemed to ask, “Did you really do that,” to which I vigorously shook my head.
“Hmm… Now that I think about it, I heard Mr. Cheon-soo had a similar experience not long ago.”
“Wow! Him too!”
…Huh?
What is this?
Have I unknowingly been performing good deeds?
Is this what they mean by the right hand not knowing what the left is doing?
I really couldn’t recall anything, so I felt a little dazed.
Meanwhile, Han Seori had already started recording something on the control panel.
Yang Ha-na, looking at Han Seori’s busy hands with a slightly excited tone, asked,
“By the way, you said you’d tell me what we’re doing today… Is it about raising this kid?”
“Uh… Hmm, sort of, yeah.”
“Wow!”
Nurture… this person here.
Jelly, stop saying embarrassing things.
But I felt that showing any dislike might prompt further trouble from Yang Ha-na.
…People should know how to wait for the right moment.
I decided this wasn’t the time to reveal myself.
Still…I wanted to escape from this embrace.
At that moment,
The control room door opened, and Kim Cheon-soo appeared with the jellies.
Kim Cheon-soo carried a large tray of food, followed by the jellies.
Surprisingly, Little wasn’t clinging to Sphere but was walking slowly on her own feet.
This was nothing short of a “singularity.”
Yet, something felt odd.
Little approached me with an apparently discontented expression and stared me down.
Just as I wondered about this, Yang Ha-na reached out and lifted Little.
“Wow! They really look alike! Are they siblings?”
“Hmm… How should I put it…”
“By the way, why does this one look unhappy? Would hugging them make them feel better?”
After mumbling this, Yang Ha-na gently put me down and hugged Little as if she was a doll.
Little, held by Yang Ha-na, looked at me with an expression that said, “Even I am feeling exasperated.”
Could it be that my earlier thoughts somehow imposed this behavior on her?
…This looks bad.
Still, if this ability indeed leaks unconsciously, I felt a bit strange.
But the result was good, so it’s probably fine.
Finally freed from Yang Ha-na’s embrace, I subtly hid behind Han Seori.
“Hmm… I knew I’d be the most comfortable, didn’t I?”
…She looks like someone asking, “Am I not better than dad?”
Though I couldn’t go against “mom’s” mood, I nodded, and she smiled contentedly as she gently hugged me.
Still,
Han Seori’s embrace felt the most secure.
“O! That doll is walking… Ah, wasn’t it the one I saw yesterday!? What is that thing?”
Yang Ha-na pointed at Daesik with her finger and made a commotion.
I wondered if Kim Cheon-soo would finally be cleared of any suspicion.
Anyway,
…It was clear that we had gained one more very noisy addition to the family.
I felt that the facility would become much noisier from now on.
