Chapter 12
Emilina looked troubled under that burdensome gaze.
“Hmm… what should I do?”
She thought of her money pouch, now completely empty.
Unfortunately, she had no money left on her.
“Can’t we do it another time?”
At that, Kir’s face visibly fell with disappointment.
“Does that mean… we can’t do it today?”
“Sorry. I don’t have the means right now.”
“Oh…”
When Emilina showed him her empty pouch, Kir let out a small sigh.
“Just for something like that…”
To think that just for such a reason, they couldn’t do it—his heart sank, and a groan slipped out.
But Kir couldn’t give up so easily.
So, after thinking for a while, he spoke up.
“Noona, just wait a second.”
“Hm?”
Kir let go of Emilina’s hand and ran over to the painter.
He whispered something to him, then called out to Emilina.
“Miss! Don’t worry about money, just come and have a look!”
The painter tapped the empty chair and beckoned her over.
Kir nodded encouragingly beside him.
Emilina was puzzled. What on earth did they talk about?
When she reluctantly approached, the painter said:
“Come, sit. It’ll be quick, so just wait here a moment.”
“Huh?”
She questioned him, but got no reply.
The painter picked up a small sketchbook and his hands moved swiftly.
Perplexed, Emilina asked Kir:
“Kir, what did you say to him?”
“Uh… nothing much.”
“What? So you’re keeping secrets from me?”
When Emilina asked in a sulky tone, Kir mumbled softly:
“I really didn’t say much…”
He then fidgeted, glancing nervously at her face.
Emilina sighed lightly and sat down.
If he didn’t want to talk, she wasn’t going to force him.
Instead, she decided to look at the paintings hanging around.
There were quite a few, making it enjoyable to browse.
Bustling market scenes.
A greengrocer lady chatting with housewives in front of her stall.
Among them, the most eye-catching was a mother and child walking hand in hand—a series of sketches capturing daily life.
She wasn’t an expert, but she could tell the painter was skilled.
While she was absorbed in the drawings, Kir tapped her shoulder.
“Noona, look over there.”
She followed his gaze.
Small white birds were clustered together, chirping noisily.
They hopped about adorably.
Then, one bird let out a sharp peep and fluttered down to land gently on Emilina’s shoulder.
“Oh! Look, Kir! It came to me!”
She whispered cautiously, worried about startling it.
Feeling amazed, she held out a finger. The bird tilted its head and hopped onto it.
Its short, plump white body resembled a snowball—so tiny and cute.
Its contrasting red eyes gleamed like rubies.
It was a bird she’d never seen before, so she studied it closely. Then Kir spoke quietly:
“Call it Kanya.”
“Kanya?”
“Yeah. They’re rare to see. Kanya usually avoid people, so they don’t come near villages.”
“It’s unusual for one to approach you first.” Kir looked at it as though it were something remarkable.
But the bird seemed utterly unconcerned, preening its feathers nonchalantly.
“Really? Then… is it some kind of mutation?”
“Mmm, more like… it’s because you’re good with living things, noona.”
“Heeey, you sure know a lot, Kir.”
Emilina praised him with admiration, and Kir blushed shyly.
Just then—
“All done!”
The painter approached Emilina, thrusting the sketchbook toward her.
At the same moment, Kanya chirped sharply and flew away.
The rest of the flock followed suit.
With a tinge of regret, Emilina watched them disappear, then glanced at the sketchbook.
Her eyes widened.
“Wow… you drew this in that short time?”
“Heh. I’ve got a bit of talent, you see.”
The painter puffed out his chest proudly.
And Emilina couldn’t deny it—
Because in the sketchbook was a drawing of herself, holding Kanya.
In the picture, she was smiling gently at the bird, her face free of worry.
“But… why did you draw this? We don’t have money.”
The painter scratched his cheek with an awkward laugh.
“Just take it. That boy over there asked me.”
“Kir?”
When Emilina turned to him, Kir pretended not to notice, feigning innocence.
“Ahem. Anyway, it’s different from what I first planned, but it came out well, so keep it.”
He added that since it was in a sketchbook, it would last a long time.
The painter then placed the book in Emilina’s hands.
At that moment, she felt a burning gaze beside her.
Kir—who had pretended ignorance just a moment ago—was now staring at the sketchbook with an expression of deep longing.
Emilina couldn’t help but laugh softly at how ridiculous yet endearing it was.
So she told him:
“Kir, you keep it.”
“Wh-what? Why?”
“If I keep it, it’ll just end up tossed in the corner of my room. And it’d be weird to take out a picture of myself just to look at it, don’t you think?”
She knew herself well—she wasn’t vain enough to treasure her own portrait.
When she held out the sketchbook, Kir took it with a stunned expression.
“Are you sure I can really keep this?”
“Of course.”
She ruffled his hair playfully as she said it.
Kir looked back and forth between the book and Emilina, then broke into a bright smile.
And with a determined voice, he declared:
“I’ll treasure it forever.”
Even until Emilina urged him to head home, Kir couldn’t tear his eyes away from the drawing.
That evening.
Because of the delay with the painting, Emilina ended up serving something like sweet-and-sour pork for dinner.
Thankfully, since she had tried her best, it turned out delicious.
But—
“Sweet-and-sour pork should be dipped, not drenched in sauce!”
“Huh?”
“If you pour it over like this, it gets all soggy and gross… ugh…”
It was a silly side note: Emilina got quite upset when Kir, not knowing better, had poured the sauce all over.
Seasons passed, and summer was approaching.
Before spring ended, Emilina planned one last trip to gather Paya.
Early in the morning, after waking Kir and feeding him breakfast, she hurried to prepare.
Luckily, Katie had gone out early, so there was no one to stop her from heading to the forest.
“Let’s see… cushion, check. Snacks and lunch, check. Mhm, perfect.”
With a satisfied smile after finishing her checklist, Emilina looked at Kir.
“All set! Kir, let’s go!”
“Where are we going?”
“Hehe, secret.”
She put her finger playfully to her lips with a mischievous grin.
Kir tilted his head, curious, but didn’t press further.
Just being with her was enough for him.
“As expected, today’s the perfect day! The weather’s great too, right?”
Outside, Emilina looked up at the clear sky and asked for his agreement.
Kir didn’t understand her phrasing, but guessed it meant “the weather’s nice,” so he nodded.
“In that case, how about a race?”
“A race?”
“Yeah! Whoever gets to the northern forest first gets a wish granted. How’s that?”
“We’re going to the northern forest?”
Emilina winced—she’d meant to keep it secret, but gave it away with her challenge. She laughed awkwardly to cover it up.
“Anyway, you’re in, right?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Great. Ready, set, go!”
Sneakily, she dashed off the moment she finished speaking.
Kir was left behind, staring at her back.
She ran with such joy on her face—she looked free.
Even though they shared the same space and the same daily life,
it felt like she was living in a different world.
That thought stirred a sudden unease in him.
The farther she ran ahead, the more it felt like the distance between them was being measured.
Kir had a faint sense of it already—
that things couldn’t go on like this forever.
But for now, he didn’t want to let her go. So he chased after her with all his might.
“Haa… haa… I… can’t… breathe!”
Emilina collapsed onto the ground, her lungs screaming in pain.
It was unbelievable. She was so out of breath she couldn’t even speak properly.
“You okay?”
But Kir, in contrast, looked completely fine.
He had arrived first, now casually holding out his hand to her.
“The difference in stamina… is this big?”
Emilina felt a guilty pang—after all, she had cheated by starting early.
That was why she had slowed down, running at an easier pace.
“I-I’m… f-fine…” she panted.
“Noona, breathe. Just breathe.”
