42. Polar Night

42. Polar Night

I’m not doing anything strange right now.

I’m just standing on a large, round, bouncy, and soft rubber ball.

Standing, you say? It’s more accurate to say I’m perched on it. My body is limp, just surrendering to gravity.

There’s a lot I could explain about this action, but what’s certain is that this ball, which seems like nothing special, has a very addictive sensation once you get on it.

When I press it, it seems to sink inward, yet it pushes me outward. I feel like I’m about to lose my balance and fall, but the ball stays still in place. Riding on it feels like sitting on a rocking chair, swaying back and forth, so time just flies by.

I think there was something similar in my past life, but I can’t quite remember the name. I only remember it was a ball used for exercise.

“Hehe….”

I played with the ball, moving it back and forth, side to side. Sometimes I spun it by wagging my tail.

In particular, maintaining my balance by moving only my tail while relaxing the rest of my body is a feat I can perform because my tail is so large. Other wolves wouldn’t even dare to imitate it.

My proud tail!

“Seol-ah.”

“Sister!”

After idling and playing for who knows how long, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me, followed by Sister’s voice calling me. I perked up my tail and answered.

Maintaining balance is quite difficult, so I couldn’t turn my head towards Sister. However, I firmly believed that my bright voice conveyed my joy to Sister.

Sister said to me.

“Is that so much fun? You’ve been playing with it since morning.”

“Yes!”

I can guarantee that this rubber ball is the best toy I’ve encountered so far. Its large size is a drawback, but the amount of fun it provides is a price well worth paying.

Later, when I meet Yura and Yuri, I’ll proudly show them that we have something like this at home. Or, I could show it to Polar Bear Uncle, or even play with Seol-gu using the ball….

But I can’t do either of those right now. Because the polar night will continue for the next month.

The polar night is a period when the sun does not rise. Since it’s only night, it’s best not to go outside during the polar night. That’s why the tribe members went hunting diligently until recently. They need food to survive.

But separate from what my head understands, not being able to meet people I’m close to for a while makes me feel inexplicably gloomy. I was also worried about leaving Seol-gu alone.

Seol-gu is a foolish fox, so he might cause trouble. Then, I, a mature wolf, would have to help him….

As I swayed on the ball, lost in deep thought, Sister chuckled and said.

“You got bored with the other toys so quickly, but you really seem to like the ball.”

“Yes! Oh, Sister, I can do this too?”

I stretched out my limbs while perched on the ball. By maintaining my balance by moving my tail back and forth, I looked like I was balancing on the ball using only my belly button.

Seeing my flexible acrobatics, Sister smiled and stroked my head. Then, my tail wagged wildly, causing the ball to shake as well.

“Still, are you going to ride on it all day? You have other toys too. Like this dragon model that I carefully chose….”

“That’s for young foxes to play with, Sister.”

I’m a mature wolf suin, so I don’t play with such childish toys. If it were a cool wolf model, I could at least use it to decorate my room, but what use is that foolish-looking red dragon model?

Besides, it breathes fire from its mouth, which is dangerous. I’m not scared at all; I’m just pursuing the safety of our home. If a fire were to break out, it would be a big problem.

“Is that so… I chose it so carefully….”

As I played, balancing on the swaying ball, I glanced sideways and saw Sister fiddling with the dragon model with a rather gloomy expression.

Pshoo, fire came out of the dragon’s mouth. The lackluster effect, fitting the lackluster sound, seemed to emphasize Sister’s loneliness.

Feeling like I had done something terribly wrong, I was at a loss for what to do and finally reached out to Sister. And-

“Un… Kkaeaeng?!!”

I lost my balance and rolled off the ball, hitting my head on the floor with a “kong.” The pain made tears well up involuntarily.

“Uaaang!!”

“S-Seol-ah?!”

It didn’t seem to be just a trickle.

At the same time, as my weight disappeared, the ball’s elasticity that had been supporting me sprang out in all directions, causing the ball to bounce away.

The freed rubber ball bounced around erratically, ransacking my room, and the crashing sounds combined with my crying filled the room with chaotic noise for a long time.

——

Only after Sister hugged me and patted my back could I stop crying.

“Hiccup… Sob….”

“Sister will blow on it for you… It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, my Seol-ah….”

As Sister blew on my forehead, I buried my face in her shoulder and took a breath. My breathing was unstable from crying so much. My heart was also pounding rapidly.

In my past life, I would have ignored minor pains like this, but… perhaps because my body has become younger, or perhaps because I have a guardian who dotes on me, I now become easily emotional even with small injuries.

I must stop crying. A wolf is not a crybaby. Isn’t a true wolf someone who always stands dignified and magnificent, maintaining a noble and cool appearance?

Now that I’m 8 years old, I should stop being spoiled. I wiped the tears welling up in my eyes with my sleeve, assumed a dignified posture, and opened my mouth.

“I’m done crying!”

“Really? Good job, my Seol-ah. Amazing.”

“Hehe….”

Receiving praise makes me smile.

They say if you cry and then laugh, you’ll grow hair on your butt….

Come to think of it, I already have tail fur on my butt. It seems this saying doesn’t apply to suin.

Sister looked around my room, glancing between the rubber ball and the messy room, and said.

“… Let’s clean up later. Shall we go to the living room?”

“Yes!”

No one was in the living room, only the lit stove. It felt reassuring that the messy room wasn’t visible.

I trotted over and sat on the sofa where Dad usually sat. As the leader’s seat, it was a fluffy and expensive-looking sofa. Sister sat on the long sofa next to it.

“Huk….”

Once I sat down, Dad’s sofa was even more plush than I had imagined. I felt like I was being sucked into the sofa, so I nervously adjusted my posture to avoid sinking into it.

“Huhu….”

They say the place makes the man.

Sitting on Dad’s sofa, I was intoxicated with the sense of being the leader of the wolf tribe. To look as dignified as Dad, I raised my tail and placed my hands on my hips. Sister looked at me with a smile as if she were looking at her cute younger sibling.

“Ugh….”

Isn’t it normal to show an expression of admiration or awe here, rather than a benevolent smile?

Perhaps it’s because I’m small. I puffed out my chest and perked my ears towards the sky, making myself look as big as possible. Of course, I also made my expression fierce and didn’t forget to growl.

At this point, she shouldn’t think of me as cute anymore. I looked at Sister with a slightly confident attitude.

Sister’s expression showed an even more benevolent and generous smile than before.

It seems my ‘Fierce Wolf Threatening Enemies’ strategy has failed.

Feeling a little dejected.

I idly fiddled with the mechanical worm toy on the table, distracting myself. Like the dragon toy, this one also moves wriggling when you press a button.

The liquid container on its underside seems to be a type of fuel. It contains a lustrous purple liquid, and I can see it gradually decreasing as the worm moves.

Whatever it is, I can tell it’s a fuel with poor efficiency.

“Hmm….”

As someone who has handled toys for 8 years, I can confidently say that toys like this get boring quickly. It’s because there’s nothing else you can do but look at them.

This time was no different. I soon lost interest in the worm and placed the model back on the table.

Half-sucked into the sofa with my tail, I asked Sister.

“By the way, Sister.”

“Yes? Why?”

“Why did you come to my room earlier?”

Sister’s expression showed a momentary “Oops,” and she answered.

“I had something to ask… but I forgot until just now.”

“Eeeeh.”

Sister made such a fox-like mistake… Sister then continued, cooling her flushed face.

“Seol-ah.”

“Yes.”

“Is Seol-gu female or male?”

It was a slightly perplexing question.