“Unexpected. Really unexpected. I thought you were very happy to see me too.”

    Algae and Ray were left alone in the living room.

    “Don’t be too sad about it.⋯You know? I’m not a kid.”

    Algaet hears Ray’s answer and then laughs.

    “I know, I know. We can all be seen as nothing more than shells.⋯But why does your shell excite me so much?”

    “Me too. I still don’t really know the standards of beauty in this world.”

    “Hehehe, he’s a pretty boy who knows everything but is also ignorant. You should be careful during your future trip. If you’re not a woman with as much self-control and manners as me, you’ll rush in and try to beat him up right away.”

    “⋯You think you’re polite?”

    “Well.⋯And this is something I’ve been thinking about recently, but maybe if a lifelong partner appears, I might become a more respectable woman. If that person hates being debauched and promiscuous. Um⋯I was just giving an example.”

    The once cheerful girl avoids eye contact and starts talking nonsense. Ray looks at Algaet with a suspicious expression.

    “Do you remember whether you were a man or a woman in your past life?”

    Algaet tilted his head once, then shook his head.

    “My dreams are like shards of glass covered in a thick haze. It’s hard to even tell what I look like. Well, it’s exciting to think that I might have been in the shell of such a wild and beautiful man in my previous life.”

    Ray, who was alone and letting her imagination run wild, unconsciously frowns and then speaks softly.

    “I had a friend who lived exactly like you. You don’t know how jealous I was.”

    “You lived a life like mine? You must have been quite clever, huh?”

    “That’s right. He’s smart and earns a lot. He lives freely on his own without a family. Alone in this big house. But sometimes, whenever he sees me, he always complains about how lonely he is, and how he wishes he had a partner. ”

    Algae scratching its chin.

    “⋯⋯.”

    “What’s wrong? Did I get it right?”

    “No, what⋯. Hmm hmm.”

    Algaet, who was already embarrassed, was twirling her curly hair with her fingers.

    Taang

    Ray suddenly stands up and slams both palms on the table. Algaet jumps up.

    “Wake up!”

    “Huh?”

    “That’s not something that anyone can do. Don’t talk nonsense. It’s a hundred or a thousand times better to live alone and have fun. Sometimes you feel lonely and sometimes you regret it? That would be great! Someone did that all day.”

    “Still, I hope there will be a descendant who will bring flowers to my grave⋯.”

    “What’s the use of all that after I’m dead?”

    “That’s⋯⋯. Well, you actually died once, so that might be right.”

    Algaet nodded as if he understood, as if he was about to say something else in rebuttal.

    “Everyone is lonely. We all make excuses and pretend not to be lonely.”

    “But you said you didn’t want to live a messy life like me in this life either? Is there some kind of ulterior motive behind following that kind of kid?”

    A delicious smell begins to waft from the kitchen, accompanied by a sizzling sound.

    “What’s wrong with Milla… There’s no such thing as an ulterior motive.”

    “Men’s eyes might be different. For women, if they’re pretty, they’re a winner.”

    Ray just bursts out laughing at those words.

    Holt walks into the living room, dragging a tray of food. Ray has gotten used to the modern-day objects popping up in this mansion. After serving food to the two people who were already seated, he sits down himself.

    “Are you talking about me if I’m the guy who ruined his life by following a fool?”

    Algaet bursts into laughter at the inspiration’s words.

    “Woohoohoo, old man. Then stop that guy quickly. You know how much he’s suffering.”

    “You must be having a hard time. There are endless big and small adversities. There will be many nights when you regret why you made such a stupid decision in the past.”

    “But once you are sure that this is the one, I know how hard it is to change it, so I will stop trying to stop you. Whether it was love between lovers or compassion for an abandoned poor child, you can feel happiness by looking at that person even in difficult times. As for me, I will support your decision. It is a good thing that one more person knows that Algaet is in his right mind.”

    Ray was quietly nodding his head and mumbling. It made me wonder if the quiet old man could talk for so long, and I also felt that he was just like the kind old woman from his past life.

    “That’s too bad. If even your father says that… I thought that even if it was just a facade, if it was a marriage into a noble family, they would at least show some interest.”

    Algaet shrugs his head.

    “Well then… Ahem, hmmm. I’m not the type to ask for favors, but… This is kind of a suggestion, so could you listen to it?”

    “What is it?”

    Algaet taps her index fingers together, showing a slightly shy expression that is unusual for her. She purses her lips as if she is about to say something.

    “⋯⋯⋯I want to have your child. Not in an idiomatic sense, but literally.”

    Algaet says this and waits for Ray’s answer with her face flushed and her mouth shut.

    “Phuuup⋯⋯⋯.”

    The tea that Ray had been sipping to rinse his mouth during his meal spurted out, and the tiny droplets of water that had sprung up reflected in the candlelight in the living room, forming a beautiful rainbow. Ray blinked and looked at Algaet with a dumbfounded expression.

    “That’s all. She’ll never tell anyone who the father is, and she’ll raise the child all by herself. Is that what you’re worried about? Um… um. I’ve been a messy person, breastfeeding here and there, but I can easily feed a child enough to raise them healthily. Do you know what my nickname is? The Godmother of Happiness Street. Even though I’ve never given birth, I have a lot of experience raising children. ⋯I don’t think raising adults is all that different from real parenting, right? ”

    Algaet continued talking nonsense, forgetting to even breathe. Ray started to feel dizzy because of the content of the words, and Algaet started to feel dizzy because her brain was lacking oxygen.

    “That, that’s nonsense⋯. In the first place, that’s based on the premise of becoming a family.”

    “Can’t you think of it as some kind of surgical operation? Huh? If you’re afraid of sudden situations due to the difference in strength, you’d probably just be tied up. Wouldn’t that be reassuring?”

    Algaet pretends to clasp her wrists together.

    “What do you mean by reassurance!”

    Ray, his face red, looks urgently at Holt, hoping he will stop her quickly.

    “I will tie the knot for you so you can check it yourself.”

    “⋯⋯?!”

    Even Holt’s inspiration seemed to be taking part in Algaet’s crazy proposal. Would this kind of behavior be considered acceptable by the moral standards of this world? It couldn’t be. Even if her proposal really wasn’t that against the ethics of this era, Ray still felt uncomfortable about the idea of a child being born and raised with his blood in a place he didn’t know.

    “Okay, I said okay. If you really want a child, there’s probably a way like adoption.”

    “There’s no way a woman living alone would be granted permission to adopt. It’s because of those shameless women who do terrible things. I wonder if it’s better for men who don’t have milk to feed and don’t have to worry about that.”

    “Haa⋯⋯.”

    Ray lets out a long sigh. He seems to be wondering how this chaotic world is going to work.

    “And it’s not that easy to have a child. Even if you’re fertile⋯.”

    “How do you know I’m fertile? Gosh… You secretly love me too…”

    Algaet interrupts Ray’s words and lets out a surprised, girlish scream.

    “You said it yourself! You said you wouldn’t go to Happiness Street in times like these⋯!”

    Ray, who was also embarrassed, raised his voice and protested.

    After much deliberation, Algaet’s once-in-a-lifetime proposal was rejected, and even after the meal, she kept her head down and grumbled as she went into her room and fell asleep.

    “Are we not done talking yet⋯.”

    As the night deepened, Mom and Mila began to worry as they did not return home.

    dripping.

    At the sound of someone knocking on the door, Holt gets up from his seat, puts on his coat, walks to the front door, and opens it. Carlin, carrying Mila on her back, stands in front of the door with a red face.

    “Sorry for being late. Phew.”

    “Mom⋯⋯!”

    Ray runs down the stairs at the sound of his mother’s voice coming from downstairs. Carlin, who was sitting down with Mila, who had fallen asleep drunk, by the fireplace, smiles brightly when she sees her son’s face.

    “Oh my gosh… Our son! Weren’t you sleeping?”

    As Ray approaches, Carlin hugs him. The smell of alcohol wafts in the air.

    “⋯⋯Please write me letters from time to time, son. Wherever you go, stay healthy and stay safe?”

    She held her son tightly for a long time and then quietly muttered. Did she give permission? Ray could guess the mood of a mother from the tone of her voice, which wavered slightly at the end of her words.

    “Mom, Dad, and the townspeople were worried a lot. I’ll tell you that you’re doing well. I don’t really like that guy, but⋯⋯ Seeing you doing well now, I somehow feel confident.”

    “⋯Thank you, Mom.”

    Knock knock,

    Just as I’m about to fall asleep on the bed in the guest room, I hear a knock on the door from outside and open it to find Algaet standing in her pajamas.

    “What’s going on?”

    “Here, take it.”

    Algaet hands Ray something wrapped in a round cloth. Ray accepts it and examines the contents.

    “This is⋯.”

    Let’s push the cylinder of the ‘etiquette injector’ to the side to open it. It is filled with five yellow bullets. Ray looks up in surprise.

    “I told you, the South is a lawless place. In a really urgent situation, it would be better to protect yourself with this rather than relying on someone. I hope it doesn’t get stolen or lost… Well, you know better than that.”

    Ray glances around and puts the etiquette syringe into his arms.

    “⋯Thank you. I hope I don’t have anything to write about.”

    When Ray smiles brightly, Algaet smiles along with him. She doesn’t seem to have anything more to say, as she shows no sign of leaving the room.

    “⋯⋯⋯Can’t you think about it one more time? I’ll be tied up in my bedroom⋯.”

    “Oh…Go inside and go to sleep!”

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