Ch.10196 – A Scary Story

While Ha-ru was sleeping, I decided to watch “Frozen 4” alone with Yu-na.

“Is Ha-ru going to be okay…?”

Even while watching the movie, Yu-na seemed worried about Ha-ru who had just finished treatment, pulling the blanket up to her neck.

“She’ll be fine. Looks like she didn’t take too many pills after all.”

“Was Ha-ru really taking pills that make you smarter?”

“Thought acceleration isn’t exactly a magic pill that makes you smarter or better at studying.”

“Really?”

Ha-ru had thought acceleration applied to her occipital lobe.

While that might have made it easier to understand magical formations, being able to see magic formations clearly is one thing, but interpreting them is the frontal lobe’s domain.

Most likely, her brain was overused to the point that it caused optic nerve problems, which ultimately led to Ha-ru developing total color blindness.

“But it seems like Ha-ru’s mother wanted her to study better.”

“That’s terrible. That’s why Ha-ru’s eyes got hurt…”

“I guess that wasn’t considered an important issue.”

“I’m so lucky my mom is a good person. Are you going to tell Ha-ru the whole truth?”

“That’s what I’m struggling with.”

Above all, Ha-ru was still young.

She not only had a lot of affection for her mother, but she was also a child with strong academic pride like Yu-na.

What good would it do her to realize that her mother had continuously pressured her to take illegal drugs, and that’s why her eyes were damaged?

I still don’t know.

“Why don’t you ask Ha-ru’s older sister first?”

“She has a sister?”

“Yeah. But Ha-ru really hates talking about her sister.”

Hmm…

If the drugs were taken for high academic achievement at the academy, there’s no reason her sister wouldn’t have taken them too.

Contacting her through Ha-ru later might be a good approach.

“But doesn’t it feel kind of satisfying?”

“Why?”

Yu-na grinned from ear to ear.

“Because I’m waaay smarter than Ha-ru. I didn’t take any of those pills when I took the test!”

“Yes, you’re amazing.”

“Aaaah why, it’s true…! Say it’s true!”

“Don’t you want to watch the movie?”

“No, the movie’s not that interesting. I’d rather eat snacks and talk with you.”

From what I could tell, it actually looked pretty interesting. It was about Queen Elsa’s daughter Lesa, who had only learned ice magic since birth, but accidentally encounters fire magic.

The protagonist’s small rebellion due to low self-esteem from not meeting her mother’s high standards, plus the revelation that the person who taught her fire magic was actually a prince from an enemy country.

Even though Yu-na likes princesses, I guess her tastes differ.

“You’re not sleepy yet?”

“Nope. Still wide awake!”

“What should I do? I’m already tired.”

“No way…! NoName, you were already secretly sleeping earlier. If you fall asleep now, I’m going to be upset.”

“Yaaawn-“

“I’m seriously going to be mad! Should I get upset?”

Even though I used a wand to cast the Alchemist spell, it was still 5th circle magic.

I wish she could sympathize with how much energy it consumed, but this energetic child never seems to tire.

I couldn’t just put her to bed next to Ha-ru, and I thought it was time to teach a lesson to Yu-na who was fidgeting with my arms and legs.

“Then how about I tell you a scary story?”

“A… a scary story…? I really can’t sleep when I hear scary things!”

“Shh. You’ll wake Ha-ru.”

“No, I absolutely refuse to listen!”

“Then I definitely have to tell one.”

I immediately moved behind Yu-na and sat her on my lap.

A scary story is best told up close for maximum effect.

I wrapped my arms around Yu-na’s waist to prevent her from escaping and didn’t let go.

Realizing I wasn’t going to give up, Yu-na said in a small voice:

“Make it as not-scary as possible…”

Yu-na clutched the blanket tightly, ready to pull it all the way over her head.

“This actually happened to me last week. Listen carefully.

Living in Seoul, it can be noisy even at night, right? I woke up to the sound of a car horn. When I checked the clock, it was exactly 4:44 AM. I went to the kitchen for water, and there was something strange there.”

“Why 4:44 specifically…! What was it?”

“A sneaker. A sneaker that should have been at the front door was on the dining table.

I thought it was weird and tried to turn on the light, but suddenly someone covered my mouth from behind, like this!”

“Mmph! Mmmmph!”

I pretended to cover Yu-na’s mouth with my hand. She was startled and flailed her arms. How cute.

“Then, ‘Eat all the food in the refrigerator,’ said an unidentifiable voice that could have been a ghost or a burglar. When I opened the fridge, there were apples, pears, and even radishes. So I had no choice but to forcibly eat the fruits without even peeling them. And just as I was about to eat the radish last, suddenly someone started choking me.”

“Mmmmph!”

“My airway was gradually closing, and I couldn’t breathe. I asked why they were doing this to me. Then they said, ‘Don’t eat the radish, it doesn’t taste good!’ Hearing this, the radish felt sad because I wouldn’t eat it.”

I removed my hand from Yu-na’s mouth. Some liquid, either saliva or something else, stretched in an arc between my palm and her mouth before breaking.

“Tsk. Is that the end…? There’s nothing more?”

Yu-na tilted her head, still trembling with fear at the strangely concluded ending.

“Yes. The radish felt sad. That’s why it’s a scary story.”

“……”

“It was a really scary story.”

“What was that! That wasn’t scary at all!”

“Heh.”

“NoName has gone weird!”

My story was apparently less impressive than I thought, judging by Yu-na’s lukewarm reaction.

Hiccup-

“Eek!”

A sudden hiccup sound from beside us nearly made Yu-na and me jump out of our skins.

Now I noticed that Ha-ru, who had been sound asleep, was peeking at us.

“How long have you been awake?”

* * *

Ha-ru told us she had woken up around the time I started telling the scary story.

“That was fun!”

“You found that fun? Ha-ru, have you lost your mind?”

“The radish felt sad. That’s why it’s a scary story. Hehehe. NoName, you’re a genius.”

Ha-ru giggled. Her brighter expression made me feel a bit relieved.

“See, Yu-na? She thought it was fun.”

“What’s the point of a scary story that isn’t scary but fun?”

“But you were drooling in fear.”

“N-no I wasn’t!”

“Then what’s this on my hand? Water?”

“Ugh…”

Enough teasing Yu-na. Now it was time to check on Ha-ru’s condition.

“Can you see colors well now?”

“Yes. I can even see that red light over there.”

She pointed to a scene in the movie playing on the projector.

The protagonist Lesa had awakened and was now setting fire to ice. It wasn’t gas hydrate or anything, but this superpower that defied the laws of physics deserved applause. You can have the title of strongest in this universe.

“That’s good. You must be tired from taking in so much aura at once. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

I checked Ha-ru’s physical condition through diagnostic magic and found no additional problems.

Our bodies have homeostasis that tries to return to optimal condition, so now that the artificial inscription has been broken, Ha-ru’s body should return to normal.

Ha-ru shook her head.

“So my eyes are okay now?”

“Yes. There was never really a problem to begin with.”

“I really… thought I’d never see again…”

Ha-ru was still looking around in amazement.

When she asked me how I did it, I had to remain silent.

Instead, I felt I needed to warn her about the pills, so I asked her a question.

“Ha-ru, about those pills your mother gave you. Do you still have any left?”

“No. That was all my mom had. My sister threw away what was left anyway.”

“They’re really bad for your body, so if you ever see anything similar, don’t take it. Promise me, okay?”

“Okay… but aren’t they just vitamins?”

“Medicine can become poison depending on who takes it. Your mother probably gave them to you without knowing better.”

“But I was so happy to see my mom… thank you… and I’m sorry for screaming earlier…”

Ha-ru looked at Yu-na and spoke in a small voice.

“Seo Yu-na.”

“What?”

“Your hair… now that I can see it again, it’s pretty…”

She seemed particularly fond of Yu-na’s vibrant hair color and gave her an unexpected compliment.

“Oh, um… thanks.”

Yu-na was understandably flustered.

But judging by how she kept touching her hair, she didn’t seem to dislike the compliment.

“Oh right, Yu-na, didn’t you say you wanted to play this?”

When Yu-na called me from the bathroom earlier, it wasn’t because Ha-ru had woken up.

She had asked if she could try playing the Otamatone I had mentioned before.

The conversation had gone off track, and I’d forgotten about it until the movie was almost over.

I took out the Otamatone from the bottom drawer of my desk.

“Wow! That’s so cool!”

She insisted on touching it and rushed toward me.

I was going to give it to her anyway, but her behavior made me want to hold onto it longer.

“Wow, isn’t that an Otamatone? It was super popular on TikTok before!”

Apparently Ha-ru knew about this instrument too. Was I the only one out of the loop?

“NoName, play something for us!”

“Wait a minute. Can I record this as a video?”

While Yu-na was pestering me, Ha-ru had already taken out her phone and pointed the camera at me.

How many camera lenses does that thing have? One, two… five? It’s not a fly’s eye, but it’s creepy to look at.

“Fine.”

“Can I post it on TikTok?”

“Just make sure my face doesn’t show.”

“Hehe, wait a sec. Okay, ready. I’ll count down from three. Three, two, one.”

* * *

The piece NoName played for her friends was Paganini’s Caprice No. 24.

Although she usually preferred slow-tempo classical pieces, she chose this one because children generally like technically challenging and fast-paced music.

Caprice No. 24, with its repeated fast arpeggios that range from low to high notes, has enough elements to excite even those who don’t know much about music.

After NoName finished, Yu-na boldly attempted to play too, but was soon disappointed when her sounds weren’t as elegant as NoName’s.

Knock knock-

Just as the three girls’ pajama party was in full swing, Professor Cheon peeked in after knocking.

“Are you girls having fun?”

“Yes!”

The two girls sitting on either side of NoName answered cheerfully. Their closeness, sticking to her like glue, showed they had become even more intimate than before.

“I hate to interrupt your fun, but the neighbors just called to say it’s too noisy. Since it’s nighttime, it would be good if you could play a little more quietly.”

“Yu-na, did you hear that? Let’s play quietly now.”

“Huh? Why just me…? NoName, you were playing too!”

“When did I do that? I don’t quite remember.”

NoName feigned innocence despite Yu-na’s protests.

“It’s true! NoName started it first!”

“I’ll make sure my friends stay quiet. Good night, Professor Cheon.”

“Mmph…!”

Professor Cheon smiled as he watched NoName not only cover Yu-na’s mouth but wrap her completely in a blanket.

At times like this, NoName was nothing but a child after all.