SHMBM 28

Chapter 28

Although Sehwa hid her face, we often went outside.

The fox noticed this and began insisting on accompanying us.

“No, I want to come along too.”

“You’re busy. Weren’t you supposed to be tailing that big guy?”

“That’s mostly done. Digging further isn’t really useful anyway.”

The fox shook its head.

“They probably want to be cautious too. Clinging any further is meaningless, so I’ll follow San-gun instead.”

[If it’s San-gun’s safety, I’m here.]

[Do you think I’d feel safe with you?]

[…Fine. Alright. I’ll let you taste the poison without making it boring.]

I shook my head at the sparrow-like Jimjo on my shoulder and the fox’s growling demeanor.

[Both of you, stop. If you want, you can tag along, I don’t mind.]

“Oh, you’re allowing it?”

“Even if I didn’t allow it, weren’t you planning to sneak after me anyway?”

Seeing it avoid my gaze, I knew I’d hit the nail on the head.

I let out a quiet sigh and said,

“We’re going to the academy.”

“The academy?”

“We need to observe various ‘ordinary’ children. It could be useful when the time comes.”

“Even just using San-gun’s appearance is already more than enough.”

“When hunting prey, thorough preparation increases the success rate.”

The fox nodded and stood up.

“Come on, let’s go. Sehwa is coming along too.”

“Don’t decide for me.”

“So, you’re not going?”

“I’ll go, I guess. I’m not sure if you’ve really gotten free time, though.”

“That’s none of your concern. More importantly, there’s a condition for entering the academy.”

“A condition?”

“This,” the fox said, making a circle with its thumb and forefinger.

“In the human world, everything requires money. Learning is no different.”

“So?”

“San-gun has no intention of… learning anything at the academy, right?”

“Not even a little.”

“As expected. But you still want to enter, right? The academy kicks out children who aren’t registered. They don’t like teaching for free.”

“So?”

“Just pretend to register. The academy isn’t just one place, so saying we’re observing makes it natural.”

I nodded at the reasonably persuasive explanation, then hesitated.

“So… you’re footing the bill?”

“Uh, San-gun. Can you call me a rich uncle instead of a benefactor?”

“Whatever, same thing.”

“Not the same thing!”

The fox flared up, and Jimjo on my shoulder sneered at it.

[You are a benefactor, so stop pretending otherwise.]

[What is he saying, a human with no money at all.]

[Hmph. What’s so useful about a mere chunk of metal anyway.]

I could feel sparks flying between Jimjo and the fox. Just as I wondered if I should intervene before round two started, Sehwa’s voice reached my ears.

“Hyerang-nim. The method Rouge suggested lets us see and hear more.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. I originally thought we’d wander around near the academy, but Rouge’s method is better.”

I instinctively glanced at the fox. It looked at Sehwa, then quickly turned its head when our eyes met.

“…Sehwa, you’ve worked hard.”

Though I didn’t show it on my face, I sighed at Sehwa’s slightly trembling gaze.

Well, since she insisted she was fine, refusing further would be excessive.

“Alright. We’ll go together.”

“Oh, you’re allowing it?”

“I just mean we’ll go together. Don’t pressure Sehwa unnecessarily.”

“When did I ever!”

“You were hinting just now.”

In the end, the fox avoided my eyes. Why deny what’s so obvious?

* * *

The Academy.

A place where children gather to learn reading and academics to help with family businesses or pursue official posts.

But regardless of their goals, it was a place brimming with the natural energy of children.

The fox persistently tried to persuade me to enter, but I refused.

“You seem to have some ulterior motive with that smile.”

“W-what, w-what, what!”

“Exactly why you’re not going in.”

I wasn’t going to be fooled by the fox’s antics again.

I perched on the fox’s shoulder. Is this called a piggyback?

“Uh, Hyerang?”

“You’re in the way of observing.”

When I tugged lightly at its hair, the fox groaned.

I focused on listening to the children’s conversations.

Their youthful voices, innocent words.

They grumbled about studying but quickly laughed and played with friends, which left a strong impression.

‘They’re in their prime.’

Watching them study and then rush to play during breaks naturally brought a smile to my face.

I had no memories from before becoming a spirit. No childhood memories existed.

But watching children, human or animal, was entertaining.

Youth carries a vitality all its own.

Simply watching them brought satisfaction.

It was a delightful sight to see children run and play energetically.

“…If you want, I can register you at the academy, San-gun.”

“No. That’s not something I should do.”

If I truly wanted to blend into the human world, registering wouldn’t be bad.

To learn childlike behaviors, registration would be useful.

But I knew the Blood Sect.

If I entered the academy to take revenge, they could harm even the children there.

‘They experimented on their own kind, even children. Letting them get involved would give them an excuse.’

They didn’t only use spirits as subjects.

Human children were also their “resources,” so I didn’t need to provide them. My involvement would only make things worse.

“These children won’t help much anyway.”

“….”

“Just observing is enough. I don’t want the children I’m connected to get caught up and burden my mind. That would only dull my claws.”

The fox said nothing.

Not expecting an answer, I watched quietly, flexing my toes idly.

Sometimes children that size were caught by the Blood Sect.

…Most didn’t survive the experiments.

I remembered the fragile children gasping for breath.

Their trembling hands and curled-up bodies trying to avoid pain.

I couldn’t help. I, too, was trapped behind bars.

The only thing I could do was let my tail reach a child, and they would cling to it like a lifeline.

No matter how hard they squeezed, not a single hair was lost. The weak grip of a child was only that strong.

I didn’t remove my tail until their grip weakened and stiffened.

“Children should grow without worries.”

“San-gun…”

“Well, it’s funny to say that in the form of these little blood blobs.”

I shrugged lightly and listened to the children.

Until they closed their books and left the academy, a silence settled between us.

“Hyerang-nim, you are very kind.”

As the children’s noise died down, Sehwa said this.

“Kind? No, I only do this to avoid raising unnecessary enemies.”

“….”

“Humans are troublesome. Even to their own kind, they commit unimaginable horrors casually.”

The suffering of captured human children was too awful to describe.

“If you think that’s kindness, humans have a strong tendency to interpret things to their own liking.”

Sehwa’s naive comment made me chuckle.

“Remember the women offered as tribute? They sent them back, then killed them for running away and offered them again.”

I turned to look at Sehwa, who lowered her gaze with a complicated expression.

“Do we need to be kind to such humans? They would just interpret it as they please and demand as they like.”

“….”

“That doesn’t mean I dislike you.”

I reached out and gently stroked Sehwa’s head.

“Now, let’s go to the places where children are likely to gather.”

“What? …We’re not ending here?”

“Children aren’t only at the academy. Humans behave differently depending on the place and companions, so we must observe them diversely.”

I lightly tapped the fox’s head and requested,

“So cooperate.”

“Why…!”

“It’s necessary. So move your legs without complaining.”

The fox grumbled but began moving forward with long strides.

Perched on its shoulder, I surveyed the surroundings.

Humans were excessively abundant, and to me, they looked only like valuable resources for the Blood Sect.