Ch.6Adopted (2)

“Do you… know how to play soccer?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Ah, maybe soccer is a bit difficult for a boy?”

“No. I can play, but…”

“R-Really?! Then let’s play soccer!”

“Ah, yes…”

How did it come to this?

To explain how I ended up being sold to an S-class hero family, I need to go back about 30 minutes.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Would you be willing to be my daughter’s ‘friend’ until she becomes an adult? Jahun.”

Sitting in a long limousine I’d never ridden even in my previous life, I received such a request from Okami Makoto, who sat across from me.

Of course, at first I couldn’t understand and tilted my head in confusion.

“Um… I don’t mind, but why me specifically?”

“Well, first of all, you don’t really have anywhere else to go right now, do you?”

I was barely 10 years old at most.

Moreover, I was currently playing the role of an amnesiac with no parents.

Where could a young orphan like me possibly go?

“If I hadn’t taken you in, you would have had to do hard labor at a protection facility run by the Hero Association until you found good parents.”

“……”

“And I’m offering you what could be called an ‘incredible opportunity.'”

Just a boy convenient for her use.

Looking at me, the S-class hero Flash Fox—no, Makoto-nim—held up one finger and made me an incredibly sweet offer.

“100 kilograms of pure gold.”

“W-What?!”

“Well, you’re still a child, so you probably don’t understand the value of this weight.”

No!

I understand it perfectly!

Wait, 100 kilograms of pure gold—how many years of my previous life’s salary would that take to afford?

Probably an amount I couldn’t earn in an entire lifetime.

And she was offering to give me that just like that.

“My daughter is quite shy by nature.”

“Your daughter?”

“Yes. Especially since males are such a rare gender, right? So while it might be fine now, I’ve always worried that when her ‘heat’ comes, she might not be able to control herself and cause trouble.”

As I listened to the conversation, I tilted my head again at an unexpected detail.

Males are rare?

Come to think of it, when I played “Monster Frontline,” it was definitely a gacha game full of pretty girls.

From the beginning of the service until I quit, I never saw a male character in the game.

But to think this was actually part of the world-building.

‘Wait, wasn’t it just that they didn’t want to draw male characters?’

Why is it trying to be a “god-tier game” in this unnecessary aspect?

Surprised by this revelation, I carefully asked a question to prepare myself for living in this apocalyptic monster world + cute girl world + female-dominated society.

“Um, since I have amnesia…”

“Yes, Jahun.”

“What’s the gender ratio in the world we live in?”

I asked cautiously to preserve my dignity.

“Gender ratio? Well, that’s about…”

Makoto-nim finally answered.

“About 10:1, I’d say.”

Ten women for every one man.

Well, that seems manageable?

…That’s what my young self thought without much concern at the time.

***

Back to the present.

‘Until my daughter grows into a fine adult, I want you to be her ‘playmate’ who assists Hoshino by her side, understand?’

And when Hoshino grows up and I reach an age where I can live independently…

According to our contract, Makoto-nim would give me a golden toad worth 100 kilograms of pure gold.

Of course, I accepted the offer immediately.

I mean, it’s 100 kilograms of pure gold—how could I not agree to be a caretaker for just 10 years?

I would have agreed to 20 years without hesitation.

Anyway.

“Phew. I’m thirsty…”

“Miss, here’s some water.”

“Ah, th-thank you! Your name was…”

“Kang Jahun.”

“Kang… Jahun… Yes! Jahun, th-thank you…”

The little fox princess seemed to have enjoyed playing with me quite a lot, as she was dripping with sweat.

Perhaps she was especially vulnerable to heat because of her fox fur.

Unlike me who was just starting to sweat, Hoshino was soaked. When I gently placed a towel on the back of her neck…

“Eek?!”

“Miss?”

“Y-You don’t have to do that! I’ll have you know I’m the next head of this family!”

She seemed eager to emphasize that she was the heir to this fox family.

But to me, she was just an adorable little princess.

So while I smiled on the outside, I was internally sweating for a completely different reason.

‘Is this really the Okami Hoshino I know?!’

When I first found myself in “Monster Frontline,”

I was eating a discontinued chocolate bar (removed due to balance issues) while constantly wondering what time period I was in.

After all, I needed to know the current timeline to use my clairvoyant-level ability, often called the “transmigrator’s special benefit.”

Namely, my “future sight” that knew all the story up to the 5th anniversary.

From the tutorial to the latest update by my standards, I knew everything, so I could prepare in advance.

Usually, veteran players who transmigrate into their games become overpowered, right?

But what was I?

When I opened my eyes, I saw the ruins of Y City, which I’d never even played in the original game.

The Violence Monster that only briefly appeared in an event during the 1.5th anniversary—honestly, it was all confusing.

Because of that, I worried that the original storyline had collapsed from the start.

But the young lady in front of me now…

Without the “dead eyes” or “scars” on her face, and capable of various expressions and interactions—the future S-class hero.

Hoshino, who in the game would only slightly move her lips after reaching MAX affection (about 100,000 won).

Only after meeting her childhood self did I finally realize:

I had transmigrated 10 years before the original timeline.

That is, 10 years before the prologue of “Monster Frontline.”

‘That certainly explains everything that’s happened so far.’

The Violence Monster that appeared in Y City—the event banner from the 1.5th anniversary had said “The nightmare from the past has returned!”

I didn’t understand it then, but now I realize it was foreshadowing all along.

‘I should have examined the map more carefully.’

And since it was 10 years ago, of course the chocolate bar hadn’t been discontinued yet.

Above all, I could now see Hoshino’s innocent side that was never shown in the original.

Now for the biggest issue.

“Phew! Break’s over! Let’s play soccer again.”

“Yes, miss.”

Okami Hoshino (3-star) – historically the worst head of the Okami family.

The heroine of “Monster Frontline” for whom I hit the 300,000 won pity ceiling ten times to max out her duplicates for optimal performance.

An S-class hero who wasn’t respected by people, living alone as the head of a fallen family—she stirred something like paternal affection in me, making me want to nurture her carefully.

I remember that feeling.

But who would have thought her past was this happy, when she barely spoke to me in the game no matter how high her affection got?

‘I thought she’d put a knife to my throat the moment we met, like in the original…’

That fierce personality was nowhere to be seen; all she had was a shy and kind heart.

“Miss, it’s snack time.”

“Yay! Snacks.”

While we were playing, a nanny brought dango and tea into our playroom, setting up the young miss’s usual snack.

I was planning to just drink some water to conserve my energy.

But then…

“Nanny, bring me one more of these.”

“Pardon? It’s almost dinner time. Are you that hungry?”

“No, it’s for him… I mean, for Jahun. I want to eat together.”

“M-Me?”

“Oh, that’s right! You’re not alone today!”

I was just a business relationship at best.

But this mere playmate seemed to have caught her fancy.

Hoshino ordered the nanny to bring me the same snack as hers, and the nanny finally seemed to notice me.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. Hohoho… It’s so unusual for the young miss to be with someone that I completely forgot.”

“Ah, I’m fine…”

“No, no. At your age, the more you eat, the better.”

With a warm smile, a few minutes later…

She served me the same high-quality dango and tea that the princess was having.

As for the taste…

“Delicious!”

“Hehe, right?”

“It’s so good! I’ve never tasted anything like this, even in Japan…”

“Ja-pan?”

“Ah, just talking to myself.”

Was this made by a first-class chef… no, a first-class rice cake maker?

I could confidently say that even the dango I ate in Osaka couldn’t compare to the Okami family’s dango.

It was exceptionally sweet.

Munch, munch, munch.

“Hehe, you can eat slowly. I’ll wait for you.”

“With everyone staring at me, I’ve learned to swallow without chewing.”

Is this really the Hoshino I know?

“Here, try this tea too. I love how warm it is!”

“I’ll pass on hot drinks. Can’t swallow them quickly. Better to use that time to kill another monster.”

The fall of the Okami family.

A monster that had been sealed by the family for generations escaped on “a certain momentous day.”

It killed her mother, a former S-class hero, and simultaneously reduced D City, which the family had been protecting, to ashes in an instant.

In the original story, the devastated Hoshino mentioned that she, as the only survivor of the Okami family, had to bear all the responsibility.

She said that since that day, she had been in “hell.”

‘Does that mean the Hoshino in front of me will soon become that Hoshino?’

Hoshino’s backstory was merely mentioned in the game—a MacGuffin of sorts.

So even for someone like me who was obsessed with “Monster Frontline,” changing the course would be difficult.

There were too few clues.

But still.

“Break time’s over! Let’s play again!”

“…Yes, miss.”

At least this princess worth 100 kilograms of gold had eaten dango with me and laughed together.

I had money to receive and a debt to repay.

Therefore…

‘Well, if I fail, I’m in D City right now so I’ll turn to ashes along with everyone else. It’s not like I have other options anyway.’

Hoshino’s IF story—a happy ending.

I decided to at least give it a try.