045 – Inoi and the Small Stationery Store #9
It felt like a neighborhood festival.
People had spread out mats in a nearby open space, beginning to drink and grill meat, creating a very noisy and chaotic scene.
“Ten years ago, it was like this! Time has changed so much in between, with the fifth industrial revolution and all!”
“Do you prefer back then or now?”
“Living now is better, but my body was younger and more energetic back then!”
Could it be that there were many stories to share among the neighbors who had gathered after a long time? Nobody could keep their mouths shut, and that included the lady who had just returned to her family after ten years.
“Lee Sun-A! Is that you, Lee Sun-A! You’ve become so composed! My daughter, I hardly recognize you! When did you grow up this much? Have you got a job? Are you married?”
The lady from the moving company hugged her daughter tightly. It was a very touching sight, and someone even took a photo with their phone.
Were they thinking of posting it on MyTube?
“Dear, do you recognize me? It’s me!”
The owner of the moving company was also very happy. After thinking his wife had died for ten years, how joyful must he be to see her alive again?
Would he feel as happy as I did when I moved from a D rank to a C rank? Perhaps even more joy than that.
In fact, Inoi also appeared to be in a good mood.
“This Inoi thought there would be other nymph sisters…! It’s so joyful to have another nymph sister arise…! All thanks to the owner of the house…!”
Inoi, who had been the only nymph in this world, seemed pleased to meet another of her kind. Although she had never shown it before, she must have felt very lonely and forlorn being the only nymph until now.
Then, the icy water nymph Coris spoke.
“I’m grateful that you saved me…! Our nymphs never forget a favor…! One day, I will repay this favor without fail…!”
So it seemed.
In the meantime, I made eye contact with the owner of the moving company again.
He came over, took my hand, and kept bowing his head.
“Thank you! I have nothing else to say! If you ever need to move again, just tell me! I’ll do it for free anytime! Really, thank you! You’ve done something incredible! It’s like bringing someone back from the dead!”
When was the last time I received such fervent gratitude from others? I feel like it used to happen quite often, but since getting stuck at a D rank for so long, it seems to have stopped.
Maybe that’s why I found the situation very awkward and wondered if I truly deserved this level of thanks.
I turned my head awkwardly.
“So, Ari, how are the others doing? Some have been trapped in the crack for ten years, and Lee Jin-A has overdone it in this situation.”
Swoosh-.
Yu Ara, who had come after receiving my call, laid her fingers on Jin-A’s wrist to check her pulse.
In this fifth industrial era, someone might question what was the need to check the pulse, but since Yu Ara was a possessor of super-sensitivity, she was said to be able to assess it more accurately than any ordinary machine.
“Jin-A did suffer some internal injuries, but she’ll be fine if she rests. And your mother, Princess, doesn’t seem to have any health issues. She’s actually in good health.”
That’s a relief.
Shortly after, the icy water nymph Coris approached Yu Ara.
“I’d like you to check if this Coris is healthy…! In the time I was trapped, I have evolved into an icy water nymph…!”
“Evolved?”
Yu Ara seemed quite surprised.
I was also taken aback by the situation. This was because Coris, being a nymph, didn’t seem to be afraid of Yu Ara at all.
Inoi had been scared of Yu Ara.
But it appeared that Coris wasn’t.
“She doesn’t seem to have any health issues.”
“The woman in white…! Thank you…!”
Nymphs could be quite puzzling creatures.
Swoosh-.
Soon, Jin-A, who had pulled her sleeves up to her wrists, stood up.
She let out a big sigh before coming over to me.
“Thank you for saving my mom. And for saving me. If it weren’t for you, I never would have thought a day like this would come. Honestly, I had given up.”
As she said this, Jin-A looked down at the ground or kicked a nearby stone with her foot. It seemed she wasn’t used to expressing her gratitude.
Pat─.
Now she ran off to her family.
Since they were finally reunited after ten years, there must have been many things to talk about.
# # #
The next day.
On a weekend morning.
“This Inoi has received a mini car as a gift…! I hear it has a gold motor installed…! This Inoi finally has a car…!”
Inoi was holding a square box and looked exceedingly happy. It seemed she felt glad to have her own car.
“But I don’t know how to assemble it…! The instructions are so very difficult…! They are ridiculously nymph-hating instructions…!”
It’s not something anyone can simply assemble.
I still remember breaking it when I tried to do it myself when I was very young.
After all, I used to play with ready-made RC cars.
Just manipulating them with a remote control.
Whoosh-.
Soon, Inoi threw the box for the mini car to the corner. Inoi tossed it aside as her interest waned.
While I was picking up that box, Inoi then looked at the arcade machine placed in front of the stationery store. They were machines that required a 100 won coin to play a round.
The game was Machine Snail 3.
I can’t believe this still exists.
As I was lost in memories, Inoi spoke up.
“This Inoi wants to try this arcade machine…! This Inoi has some coins….”
Clink-.
Inoi took out her coin pouch. It contained coins she had picked up from the yard, under the bed, and from her desk drawer.
In her words, “These sponsorship coins keep showing up from somewhere…!” but I honestly couldn’t understand what she meant.
Clack-.
After inserting 100 won, Inoi sat dumbly in front of the arcade machine.
Sometimes, when she had something she didn’t know, Inoi would sit still like this.
“This one shoots, this one jumps, and this one does bombs. You can move with this stick-like thing.”
I taught Inoi how to play the game.
“Ah─! So that’s how it works…! This Inoi can shoot with this gun…!”
Inoi died immediately after starting, overwhelmed by the incoming mutant crab monsters. The 100 won vanished in an instant, and Inoi became very angry.
“This is worse than Minesweeper…! This Inoi had worked hard to save up that 100 won, and now it’s gone…! Hieek…!”
“That’s how it is. But skilled players can play for a long time with just 100 won.”
“Inoi…!”
Then from a distance, someone waved at Inoi. It was the icy water nymph Coris. She had spent the night at Jin-A’s house with her mother, right?
The two had lived together in the crack for ten years, forming a sort of familial bond.
“What were you doing?”
Jin-A asked me.
She yawned, looking tired, which suggested she hadn’t slept well the previous night. They must have shared stories among the family all night.
I pointed to Inoi and replied.
“I was teaching her how to play a game.”
“Really? By the way, did you teach the first nymph in the house how to use the shower as well? And how to use the water purifier?”
For some reason, it felt like I could vividly picture that scene.
As I nodded, Jin-A must have noticed the mini car assembly box I was holding.
“Oh, what’s that? It’s a mini car, right? That’s 15,000 won. Are you planning to assemble it?”
“No.”
“Can I do it?”
Jin-A borrowed a screwdriver, glue, and lighter from the stationery store, then sat down and completed the assembly of the mini car in less than an hour.
And in less than an hour, Inoi spent 5,000 won at the arcade.
“Hieek…! This Inoi’s wallet keeps getting smaller…! These nymph-hating monsters keep destroying Inoi and Coris…!”
“This arcade is quite fun…!”
One nymph might feel somewhat noisy, but with two, it became even chattier. Jin-A handed Inoi the assembled mini car.
“Here. Try it on the track over there. This is the switch.”
“Ah, it’s a splendid car…!”
Zoom-.
As Inoi manipulated the button, the vibrating mini car soon sped around the worn track.
Zoom, zoom zoom-.
Inoi was almost going crazy watching it.
“It’s incredibly fast…! No other nymph will surely have a car as fast as this Inoi’s…! It’s really amazing…!”
“This Coris thinks Inoi is envious…!”
Nymphs seemed to still have plenty of childlike wonder despite their appearances.
I also had times when I was ecstatic over toy cars.
When I thought of that, Jin-A said,
“I have liked cars since I was young. To be precise, I liked things with wheels. So I had no complaints working at the moving company, but I actually had something I really loved to do.”
“Really?”
“So I’m planning to challenge myself anew from now on. There are people older than me who are trying new things, and I’m still young enough for it.”
“Sounds like you’re talking about me. I’m still only twenty-seven. It’s not that old.”
“Sure, that can be true. Then let me know whenever you need that candy. I’ll specially give it to you for 10,000 won a bag.”
“10,000 won for a hundred-won candy?”
Isn’t that a total rip-off?
When I joked, Jin-A replied,
“Hey, that’s 350 won. There’s a generational gap again.”
Jin-A stuck her tongue out at me playfully.
On top of it was a pink candy.
“What does the pink one do?”
“I won’t tell you.”
# # #
“So this is the candy that makes you angry?”
Heading towards the well house, I sat down in the living room, popped the red candy into my mouth, and bit down. A slight surge of anger began to rise within me, and my mind became sharper.
It felt like adrenaline was being released.
My combat spirit soared.
I felt I could unhesitatingly demand a refund from a fussy store owner.
I could ask the homeowner to fix the broken door, and I felt like I could dance on the streets.
“That’s great. Now what about the blue one?”
This time, I bit into the blue candy.
As soon as I did, my mood calmed rapidly, as if questioning when I had been angry.
It felt like someone doused me with icy water.
“Oh—. These would be usable in combat.”
The effects of the traffic light candies were certainly evident.
Then what about the yellow one?
They say it makes you feel good?
It could also boost attraction?
“Then there’s only one person I can give this to. Heh heh—.”
I rubbed my palms together and opened the window.
Listening closely, I could hear a loud noise.
Bang bang…!
It was the sound of an animal crying.
Kkungkkungi.
It was a creature I named, the strongest of the Squirrel Beasts of the Primordial Village, fighting with Kkungkkungi daily for territory in the village.
What if I gave this yellow candy to it?
Perhaps I could tame an animal powerful enough to rival Kkungkkungi.
I looked out into the yard.
In the yard sat the arcade machine I had obtained from the stationery store, and Inoi was diligently playing Machine Snail 2.
“Hieek…! Nymph-hating mummies keep appearing…! The coins I received for sponsorship are disappearing because of the mummies…!”
“Inoi, haven’t I said Kkungkkungi is likely not a squirrel?”
“That’s what you said…! But this 2% drink is really nymph-friendly and tasty…! The homeowner wants more…!”
“What kind of animal could Kkungkkungi possibly be?”
Even the elderly in the neighborhood said they had only heard the cry of Kkungkkungi but had never seen it. Only Kkungkkungi, who fights with it every day, knew of its existence.
“It’s likely that Kkungkkungi has a very high wariness of humans. What do you think, Kkungkkungi?”
Kkungkkungi…!
“Indeed. As expected, I don’t understand what Kkungkkungi is saying.”
I installed drones in trails or fields where I thought Kkungkkungi would often pass. These little creatures would serve as cameras to capture Kkungkkungi’s identity.
Hehe—I waited with overwhelming anticipation for time to pass.
