Ch. 136 MtF – Chapter 136
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 136
**Nozomi-san. (7)**
A heartfelt exchange between sisters, revealing their true feelings, was a pretty moving scene.
The _one_ problem?
I was the one grilling the meat.
Already struggling with my small height, I had to half-stand on the chair to reach the grill. And with tiny hands, tongs and scissors weren’t exactly easy to handle either.
Still, I told myself—it’s okay. I can handle it. I’ve overcome tougher things before, haven’t I?
Hang in there, Han Yeoreum. Be strong, Han Yeoreum!
> “Hey, look at that kid.”
> “They’ve got a child grilling meat while the adults just sit around chatting?”
> “Tsk tsk tsk, the world’s going to hell…”
…So much for resolve. It didn’t take long for it to break.
The whispers from people around us were _not_ comforting.
I mean, I _get_ it—from an outsider’s perspective, that’s probably how it looked. A little kid grilling meat while the “guardians” sat and talked deeply.
But that’s not what was going on!
_‘If this keeps up, Toya and Nozomi’s reputations are going to die a social death…!’_
Despite my determination, my appearance did me no favors, and the misunderstanding just got worse.
Not that I could exactly _explain_ the situation to them—saying anything would only draw more attention.
The quietest way to fix this was to have one of them take over grilling, but…
How could I _interrupt_ such a deep conversation?
More than anything, letting them talk, even if it meant sacrificing myself, seemed way more important.
> “So? You get what I was trying to say now?”
> “Hmph. As if I care what you think.”
They’re bickering again, but hey—that’s practically peak sibling bonding.
I just need to hold on a bit longer. Just a bit more!
I’d tried to quietly listen in, but I’d gotten so caught up in grilling that I hadn’t followed most of the conversation.
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I did want to understand Toya’s side of things—and Nozomi’s too.
But now…
> “Ah—”
…this is bad.
> “Are you okay?!”
The sizzling grill was suddenly right in front of my face.
If I’d hit that, it wouldn’t have ended with just a burn.
Thankfully, both of them caught me just in time and pulled me back. If they had been even a second slower…
Ugh. My heart.
It happened so fast, my heart was pounding in my ears.
_‘And now everyone’s staring…!’_
This was not how I intended things to go.
If I’d just been more careful…
Smoke had gotten in my eyes, I blinked, and my foot slipped. I had no idea it would go that far.
I let out a slow breath, remembering how close that hot grill got. Just _thinking_ about it made my skin crawl.
> “Yeoreum, are you okay?”
> “Y-Yeah…”
Even though my heart was calming down, the exhaustion hit like a truck.
I slumped down in my seat, limbs limp, as Nozomi quietly wiped my arm with a handkerchief.
…Thanks, really. But it would’ve been nice if that attention had come _sooner_.
At least I didn’t hiccup.
No, maybe I was so shocked the hiccup just vanished on its own.
> “…Let’s go home. Everyone’s staring too much.”
> “Ah, yeah. Let’s. So, what about you?”
> “Me?”
Nozomi blinked at Toya’s question.
Guess she didn’t expect Toya to ask that.
Still, being sisters, she understood what Toya meant right away.
_‘Looks like my efforts weren’t wasted after all.’_
Watching the two of them—still a bit awkward, but no longer hostile—I smiled to myself.
I never imagined things would improve _this much_ in just a lunch.
Ugh, my hands are greasy. I should wash them thoroughly when I get home.
Why am I this tired from doing so little?
It’s just lunch, but my eyelids were already getting heavy.
I guess grilling _is_ hard labor.
> “Yeoreum, tired?”
> “Mmhmm…”
> “So, what’s your decision? Hurry up and say it.”
> “…”
Nozomi’s face showed real hesitation.
But that was a good thing—it meant she was actually _thinking_ about it.
Maybe they hadn’t become besties in a day, but it looked like some of the tension between them had eased.
If that little accident hadn’t happened, maybe they could’ve gotten even closer today.
As I blamed myself for slipping, I smiled again watching them look at each other.
> “…I’ll go. But only because I want to see how well you’re really living after leaving home—don’t get the wrong idea! If your place is a mess, I’m taking Ichinose-san with me, so you better be ready!”
> “…”
Nozomi pointed dramatically, and Toya raised one corner of her mouth in a smirk, like she was daring her to try.
With that little spark reignited, all my drowsiness vanished.
Seriously… they’re not kids. Why are they like this?
—
**[Live Thread – Witnessed Real-Time Child Abuse at a Yakiniku Restaurant wwwww]**
> [(Video of a small white-haired, red-eyed girl diligently grilling meat)
Meanwhile, two women next to her are having a serious conversation while the kid keeps grilling lol
The real issue? That kid’s doing _all_ the grilling www]
– That kid grills like a pro though.
– Holding scissors and tongs bigger than her face?? Maybe she’s a grilling genius ww
– But seriously, who lets a kid sit that close to the grill? It’s dangerous.
– What could they possibly be talking about that’s more important than stopping a kid from burning herself?
– Probably weren’t planning on stopping her in the first place.
– Most cases of child neglect don’t have a logical reason.
– Yeah, no way a responsible adult would let this happen ww
– Her hair and eye color are so unique, I couldn’t stop looking.
– Same here wwww
– She grills so well I started wondering, “Wait, is this really abuse?” 草
– Maybe they _know_ she’s good at it, so they let her grill (笑)
– Could be a maid robot developed by the Japanese government.
– Your delusions are getting out of hand wwwww
> [The grilled meat girl nearly got seriously hurt…]
> [She slipped while grilling and almost fell onto the hotplate, but the two women caught her just in time.]
– That’s actually terrifying.
– At least it shows they care about her safety…?
– If they _really_ cared, they wouldn’t have let her near the grill in the first place.
– True.
– But maybe they just didn’t expect the situation to go that far…
– Something about that kid feels super familiar.
– Her design feels like she walked out of an anime ww
– She doesn’t even feel real. Like, how is this scene _real_ life? 草
– If I had a daughter like that, I’d be the one grilling.
– Of course you would wwww
– You should be grilling no matter what, daughter or not www
> [Hey, doesn’t that yakiniku girl look a _lot_ like Nacchan?]
> [(Side-by-side comparison of Nacchan and the yakiniku girl.JPG)
The more I think about it, the more it _has_ to be her wwwww]
– That’s definitely Nacchan!
– If yakiniku girl is Nacchan, then this wasn’t abuse at all ww
– Yeah, Nacchan’s an adult after all wwww
– Then who’s with her? Toya? Inari?
– Doesn’t really feel like Toya was there…
– Yeah, Toya wouldn’t _let_ Nacchan near the grill in the first place ww
– She’d probably bar her from the kitchen entirely 草
– If that really _is_ Nacchan, who were the others? New friends from Japan?
– Does she _need_ more friends when she has Toya?
– That’s one way to look at it wwwww
– With millions of Totomos, who needs more? 草
– Nacchan doesn’t even _try_ to hide that it’s her www
– Anyone can tell it’s her wwww
Fables
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