Grandma Lecia’s Grand Entrance (3)

Grandma Lecia’s Grand Entrance (3)

“……?”

It wasn’t me who ate the flower, but Chae-a.

Naturally, it would have been right to check Chae-a’s mouth, not mine.

However, Han A-rin looked inside my mouth as if it were obvious, wearing a serious expression.

“You didn’t swallow it, did you? No, you probably didn’t since you spat it out earlier. Should we take you to the hospital?”

Why is she assuming that I ate it?

I was feeling a bit hurt by this and tapping the floor with my tail when Chae-a, who was next to me, smiled brightly and said to Han A-rin.

“Chae-a ate it, not Ha-eun!”

“Huh?”

“It’s delicious…! You should eat it too, unnie!”

Chae-a grabbed a handful of flower petals she had stuffed in her pocket and held them out to Han A-rin.

Han A-rin looked at them in shock, then quickly examined Chae-a’s condition, looking her up and down.

“If you feel any stomach pain or nausea, you need to tell unnie right away, okay?”

“Okay. But this is delicious…! Don’t you want to eat it, unnie?”

“Uh, what? This?”

Han A-rin seemed to want to accept the offer as much as possible to avoid hurting Chae-a’s feelings.

But she seemed to have a strong psychological aversion to eating flowers straight from the flowerbed, so she kept her mouth shut, unable to say yes or no.

“It’s yummy. The ants ate it, and the praying mantis ate it too. Huh? Will the earthworm unnie eat it too?”

“Wiggle wiggle!”

“She says she will!”

“……”

I watched as she made that truly innocent suggestion.

Thinking that if I left it like this, Han A-rin might actually eat the flower, I grabbed a small chocolate from my pocket and said to Chae-a.

“Chae-a, eat this instead.”

“Woah! It’s Chae-a’s favorite chocolate…!”

Chae-a’s eyes sparkled as she took the chocolate.

Then, like an explorer who had discovered a treasure, she held it up and said to me.

“I’ll make it my family heirloom…!”

“Family heirloom…?”

As I blinked my eyes wondering what that meant.

Han A-rin, who had come to her senses, smiled and said to Chae-a.

“Do you mean family heirloom?”

“… Yeah! That’s right. Chae-a is smart, right?”

“That’s right, Chae-a is amazing.”

Chae-a, happy to be praised (even though she was wrong), smiled broadly and put on a confident expression.

Then, as she crumpled the chocolate into her pocket, she said.

“Done.”

Hearing that, I stared blankly at Chae-a’s pocket.

What on earth was in there?

I was somewhat curious and wanted to check it out, but I refrained from rummaging through someone else’s pocket without permission.

‘What’s important now is making a ring for Grandma Lecia, after all.’

So, thinking I should focus on making the ring, I’m intently looking at the flower bed.

A cosmos flower in full bloom catches my eye.

 

‘That will do.’

I carefully pluck it and start weaving it into a ring shape…

 

… weaving it?

… Oh.

 

My fingers are too short, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t weave it.

I’m blinking blankly, shocked by this realization, when

 

Han A-rin, who had been watching from the side, extends her hand and says to me,

“Should I help you, unni?”

 

At first, I was about to nod at this offer.

But then I shook my head and said I would do it myself.

 

‘Well, it only has meaning if I make it myself.’

So, even if it’s difficult, I decide to try my best.

 

Using a nearby wall, I’m trying my best to weave it into a round shape.

Chae-a, who had been staring at this, reaches out her hand and carefully presses the flower to make it easier for me to make the ring.

 

I think it’s cute seeing Chae-a’s tiny hand carefully pressing the flower.

Then I gather my thoughts and slowly continue weaving.

 

As I carefully progress bit by bit, I can see the ring taking shape.

Of course, since it’s only roughly woven, it looks very crude, and the stem is crushed, making it quite a pitiful sight.

 

Ha-eun felt a bit proud after putting in her best effort to make it.

‘… Now I should ask Somteoli to help with this.’

Looking at Somteoli warming my feet, I held out the ring and said.

“Somteoli, can you enhance this? It’s okay if it’s too difficult.”

“Beep!”

In response to my question, Somteoli indicated it was certainly possible.

Then it brought its head close to me as if asking me to place the ring on top of it.

After patting its head, I placed the ring on it, and a pure white light emanated from Somteoli.

As I was staring at it, thinking it somehow felt warm just by looking at it.

Somteoli successfully enhanced the item with a ‘beep!’ sound.

A flower ring glimmering with blue light.

I carefully picked it up and was about to put it in my pocket when.

“Ha-eun, how about putting it in here?”

Han A-rin handed me a small box, suggesting I put the ring in it.

“If you put it in your pocket, the ring might get crumpled.”

Grateful for Han A-rin’s thoughtfulness, I bowed slightly.

Then carefully placed the flower ring in the small box.

Han A-rin closed it carefully and handed it back to me.

“Grandma Lecia will be so happy when she knows how hard Ha-eun worked to make this for her.”

Hearing those words, I unconsciously wagged my tail vigorously and smiled brightly.

It’s always a joy to be recognized for one’s efforts.

I was nodding my head, thinking that I hoped Grandma Lecia would be pleased.

“Then I’ll prepare something too,” Chae-a said.

Chae-a, who was standing next to us, had been staring at us intently.

She declared that she would also prepare a gift.

I nodded at her words and offered to help, but.

“It’s okay…! Chae-a wants to do it alone!”

Shockingly, she refused my help and started running off somewhere.

“……”

I’m not sure if it’s because Chae-a’s rejection of my help was so shocking or if it’s the current situation without Chae-a that’s shocking.

But I feel a bit hurt in one corner of my heart as I stand there glumly.

Han A-rin, who was nearby, saw me like this and spoke to me in an urgent voice.

“Ha, Ha-eun, are you okay?”

Although I was hurt emotionally, it wasn’t to the extent that she needed to ask if I was okay, so I tilted my head and tried to look at Han A-rin.

Suddenly, a cold droplet falls on my cheek with a plop.

Wondering what it is, I rub it with the back of my hand and see tears smearing on my hand.

“……?”

I didn’t even feel like I was crying, so I’m more surprised that tears suddenly fell.

I shook my head vigorously at Han A-rin, meaning that I wasn’t really crying, because I felt somewhat wronged for crying when I wasn’t even sad.

“You’re sad because Chae-a went off alone. Oh, my poor baby, what should we do?”

Han A-rin started patting me as if comforting a crying child.

I sniffled and then.

I tried to urgently correct this misunderstanding to Han A-rin.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to lie to me. I’m always on Ha-eun’s side.”

She seemed to have no intention of listening to me, only repeating comforting words.

I thought the handkerchief rubbing my face vigorously was annoying and shook my head from side to side.

I urgently spoke to Han A-rin who was hugging me.

“It’s not like that… I’m just crying. It’s not because I’m sad.”

“Is that so? I see. You must have been very sad.”

We’re having a conversation, but it doesn’t feel like we’re communicating.

I gave up on trying to convince Han A-rin and focused on stopping my tears first.

“……”

Suddenly, Chae-a, who had returned, came into view looking at me with a very shocked face.

Chae-a looked at me restlessly.

Then, she approached me with tears in her eyes and said.

“Ha-eun is crying…?”

I shook my head quickly to indicate that I wasn’t crying.

But before that, Chae-a started crying with a “boo-hoo” and suddenly began to wail loudly.

I was confused, thinking I had no idea why Chae-a was crying, when Han A-rin picked up both Chae-a and me and said.

“Oh, you must have been very sad. Stop crying. We can play together now, so let’s stop crying, okay?”

I don’t understand why it turned into a crying fest when there was no reason to cry at all.

Thinking that it was too difficult to hold back tears, both last time and this time.

I decided to look for ways to hold back tears later.

*

There was no reason to cry, so it didn’t take long to calm down.

I was patting Chae-a, who had fallen asleep with her face buried in my arms, trying to calm my own bewilderment.

Han A-rin, who had been watching this from the side, giggled and said to me.

“Ha-eun, look over there.”

Wondering what it was, I looked to the side and noticed two small pebbles in Chae-a’s hand.

As I was tilting my head and watching this, wondering what it could be.

Han A-rin offered a guess to me.

“Could it be that Chae-a wanted to find a gift on her own because she wanted to give one to Ha-eun too?”

Ah. So that’s why she wanted to do it alone.

Looking at Chae-a’s hand tightly gripping the pebbles, I felt both sorry and grateful, and smiled awkwardly.

Han A-rin patted me gently and smiled kindly.

“So, won’t you forgive Chae-a for trying to get a gift on her own?”

Actually, there was no need to forgive, as I was never angry with Chae-a in the first place, so I silently nodded.

I stroked Chae-a’s head and decided to apologize to her later.

* 

The next morning.

As soon as I woke up, I immediately apologized to Chae-a for crying yesterday.

Chae-a didn’t seem to understand why I was apologizing at all, but I thought a proper apology was essential for an adult, so I apologized sincerely.

“Then Chae-a is sorry too! Because I cried a lot yesterday!”

Chae-a also apologized, following my lead, and giggled.

As I looked at Chae-a, smiling awkwardly, Seo-rin watched us both and said.

“Let’s stay together today, okay?”

It seems Han A-rin had to prepare to welcome Grandma Lecia, so she entrusted me to Seo-rin.

I calmly spoke while holding Seo-rin’s outstretched hand.

“Then I want to go to the lair.”

I wanted to check the lair one last time before grandma arrived, so I said I wanted to go to the lair.

Seo-rin agreed and continued.

“Then let’s have breakfast after visiting the lair. How about that?”

“Good.”

Thinking it sounds fine, I giggled.

Thinking how I wanted to meet Grandma Lecia soon, we headed towards the lair.

As we approached the lair, some familiar figures came into view.

I realized one of the people standing there was ‘Grandma Lecia’ and was about to run towards her, but.

“… Even if it’s a lair, this looks no different from an abandoned house. Is it really true that Ha-eun lives in a place like this?”

Hearing Grandma Lecia’s voice full of concern, I had no choice but to stop in my tracks.