episode_0395

Eunha and Kim Sarang brought lunch boxes to the cafe.

They were homemade meals packed by their mothers.

“Wow~ This takes me back~. My mom used to make me lunch boxes all the time when I was in kindergarten~.”

“Doesn’t she make them for you anymore?”

“My mom ran away~.”

“Ah… Hm. What about Halfarin the Blade Dancer?”

“You’ll rarely find anyone in this cafe with a proper family relationship.”

“I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

The cafe lounge during lunch break.

Eunbyeol, sitting snugly beside Eunha on the sofa, blinked her round eyes.

Outside, Kang Nari and ‘Mouse’ were guarding the cafe.

Kim Sarang, delighted by the attention her lunch box was getting, couldn’t contain her excitement and swung her arms like a child.

“Hehe…”

Kim Sarang was happy.

Her wide martial arts sleeves fluttered like butterfly wings.

When she was little, Kim Hayang was too busy with guild work, so even on school picnic days, she’d just grab hastily bought kimbap from a nearby shop.

A cold living room, a few bills left on the table.

The little puppy was happy even with that.

“Lately, Her Majesty the Empress has been making me lunch boxes. She wakes up to the morning bell and says she has plenty of time now.”

But now is better.

Kim Sarang, who had been swinging her lunch box around, sat on the sofa across from Eunha, swaying gently.

A happy family, even if belatedly.

Eunha smiled sleepily as she looked at Kim Sarang.

“My secret manual, [Sword Demon Reincarnation], had a similar narrative.”

“You were quiet just a second ago, and now you’re starting again… Does wuxia have lunch boxes?”

“The origin of the lunch box (dosirak) comes from the Wudang Sect. Their monks would prepare meals for their morning closed-door training, naming it dosirak (道時樂) to mean ‘joy while cultivating the Way.’”

Kim Sarang, thrilled that her lunch box had sparked discussion, chattered away enthusiastically like a child on a picnic.

Fluff…

None of it was useful.

Yang Soa, perched on Eunha’s lap, tilted her head up at her with a puzzled look.

Eunha smiled and shook her head.

“Ah… Yeah… So what kind of lunch box is yours?”

“Hmph. The most famous dish in the orthodox sect has to be tuna mayo (斬治魔妖). It symbolizes the orthodox path of subduing and governing evil forces…”

“What’s in your lunch box, Eunha?”

Halfarin, who had been covering her ears expressionlessly, finally asked Eunha.

Kim Sarang, cut off mid-rant, pouted but quietly sat down and opened her lunch box.

A lunch box made by the [Heaven-Sword Clan] guild leader for her daughter.

Pressed side dishes packed with worry,

Neatly cut seaweed spelling out “I love you” on the rice…

The lunch box she had just been swinging around wildly.

Click.

Kim Sarang opened the lid with sparkling eyes.

Its contents, shaken into chaos.

The rice now read: “I’ll kill you.”

“Her… Majesty…?”

Kim Sarang clutched her head in confusion.

…….

She eats her rice awfully noisily.

Halfarin, shifting her gaze from Kim Sarang, ‘observed’ Eunha.

Same as always.

Not like last time when a ‘mirror apparition’ had taken Eunha’s place.

But…

‘There’s no way Eunha has a mother…’

With thoughts that might cause misunderstandings if overheard, Halfarin looked down at Eunha’s packed lunch.

A lunch box coated in white frost, as if taken from the freezer.

But inside was just ordinary fried rice.

Vegetable stir-fried rice—without a single piece of meat.

Click— Click—

Eunbyeol pulled a camera from her apron and photographed Eunha’s lunch box.

As if she wanted to document anything related to Eunha.

“What’s everyone else having for lunch?”

“Still thinking. How about mint choco swirl bread?”

“Go eat it alone.”

Something was off.

Something strange had crept into their routine.

Poke poke…

Just then, tiny fingers jabbed Halfarin’s side.

Eunbyeol’s fingers.

“…….”

“…….”

Having spent over three years with Eunha,

The two who had found her in the basement of the ‘Hanbit Orphanage’ knew.

Something had happened to Eunha.

Halfarin and Eunbyeol silently exchanged glances.

‘I’ll check.’

Halfarin, gripping Eunha’s sizable chest, sent the signal.

‘Got it.’

The bunny girl lifting the other side nodded.

‘Why are you two signaling with someone else’s breasts?!’

Eunha, tugging on the fluffy white rabbit ears, turned to Halfarin with a grin.

Halfarin looked away coldly.

Fwoop! Fwoop!

Eunbyeol, her perky rabbit ears pulled tight,

Just giggled since Eunha was too weak for it to hurt.

She just liked the physical contact.

“Hehe~ Eunha unnie! I brought a lunch box today too!”

Click—

Immediately after, the girl placed a ‘lunch box’ she’d pulled from somewhere onto the table.

An eerily identical lunch box to Eunha’s.

Like a photocopy.

The bunny, grinning, leaned her head against Eunha’s shoulder.

“Wow! Our lunch boxes are the same! Maybe it’s fate!”

Nom.

With that, Eunbyeol took a bite before Eunha could.

After chewing and swallowing a few times, she checked her body condition and giggled.

“No poison in mine!”

“Did you make this, Byeol?”

“Just checking~.”

And so, amid the strange atmosphere, a noisy lunch began.

Yang Soa, nestled in Eunha’s arms, pulled out a triangle kimbap bought from a convenience store from her fluffy hair,

While Eunbyeol, glued to Eunha’s side, fed her fried rice.

A scene just like usual.

“……I’ll eat outside.”

Halfarin, wiping her face out of habit,

Quietly left the lounge and headed out.

…….

…….

Who made the lunch box for Eunha?

Probably an apparition.

Even Eunha herself didn’t seem to notice the unsettling feeling.

Halfarin recalled a time when she had failed to notice her teammates disappearing one by one.

‘If it’s like back then…’

Click.

Halfarin stepped out of the cafe.

Without wasting a second, she returned to her apartment.

A home where the ‘Morning Star Apartments’ could be seen far beyond the window.

Passing the ‘clay doll’ left at the doorstep, she entered the bedroom.

Rustle… Rustle…

Moving silently through the room,

Past the plush bed, past the shelves stacked with game consoles,

To the closet.

Clank.

A walnut-colored wooden closet.

Leather cords were tightly wound around both handles—locked shut.

As if sealing it so no one could open it…

Or so whatever was inside couldn’t come out.

‘Good thing I prepared locks and ropes in my room in case Eunha visits.’

Clink.

Halfarin unlocked the closet she had secured.

Then, slipping on the shoes she’d placed in front, she activated her [Observation] skill and—

Creak—

Opened the closet with an expressionless face.

“…….”

Beyond the slightly ajar closet.

The cold apartment hallway greeted her.

Click.

Halfarin stepped inside and closed the door.

…….

Beyond the closet.

The 9th-floor hallway of the ‘Morning Star Apartments.’

Exhaling a cold breath, she turned.

The front door of ‘Unit 906’ stood before her.

The hallway connected to Halfarin’s bedroom closet.

Thud…

The front door of ‘Unit 906’ she had passed through was a mess.

Something’s claw marks gouged into the sturdy metal door.

The keyhole on the handle was heavily scratched, and fingerprints—not Halfarin’s—were smeared all over the electronic lock.

Thump. Thump.

Traces of someone forcing their way in.

Halfarin gripped the doorknob of ‘Unit 906.’

“…….”

It was cold.

As if, until Halfarin opened it moments ago,

A corpse had been gripping the handle from inside.

Thumpthumpthumpthump.

Halfarin wiped away the cold sweat trickling down.

…….

Last time,

When Eunha first encountered Yang Soa, and Halfarin was wandering through the world of apparitions—

After swallowing the black pill from the [Convenience Store Owner],

Halfarin’s closet had connected to ‘Unit 906’s’ hallway.

She didn’t know why.

Maybe becoming something close to an apparition had made her part of the ‘Morning Star Apartments’ family.

Even if she died someday, would she become a wailing specter lingering by Eunha’s side?

Whatever.

As long as she could stay with Eunha.

‘Not mana, not a skill—just a ‘supernatural phenomenon’… Still hard to adjust.’

Current objective.

Find someone (?) who knows what happened to Eunha.

For apparition-related matters, it’s best to ask the apparitions themselves.

Halfarin, adjusting her reverse-cross hairpin, reviewed the ‘rules’ as she walked down the hall.

As long as she followed them, she’d be fine.

Rustle… Rustle…

No footsteps echoed.

She passed by ‘Unit 905,’ coated in frost.

………

Despite it being lunchtime, the 9th-floor hallway was dark.

At the far end lay a ‘shattered clay doll.’

Compared to other apparition dwellings, this place was oddly clean.

Soon, Halfarin stopped in front of ‘Unit 904’—Eunha’s home.

『You shouldn’t go in.』

A voice rang out at that moment.

Halfarin turned toward the sound.

“……Rabbit.”

Pat pat.

A pure white stuffed rabbit.

From the hallway leading to the elevator and stairs, the ‘rabbit doll’ that had come up from the 8th floor approached Halfarin with light footsteps.

In its hand was a bright yellow sticky note.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

– 3rd morning in a row!

– Today’s a special day!

– Because Eunha unnie passed her promotion exam!

– Eunha unnie brought a lunch box to the cafe.

– Her mom packed it, she said.

– I tasted it first—no poison.

– I wanted to check properly, but I’m banned from entering the apartment.

– You sneaked inside. Didn’t we agree you’d handle the apartment?

– If you got this note, please confirm if it’s real.

– But why am I banned from the apartment? Are you doing okay over there?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A note in round handwriting.

The rabbit seemed worried about Eunha too in its own way.

Someone she could talk to.

Halfarin asked the approaching ‘rabbit doll’:

“……Did anything unusual happen to Eunha lately?”

『Our baby polar bear said something scary went into Eunha unnie’s room.』

The rabbit walked closer.

Tip tap.

And behind it—

Peeking from the stairway corner—a single wailing hornet specter.

Tap. Tap.

The one who had gifted canned beer last time.

She remembered Eunha being especially fond of it.

Was it also wandering around, worried for Eunha?

Halfarin waved expressionlessly.

Tap. Tap.

The hornet hiding in the corner wiggled its plump behind.

It didn’t come closer, just watched the 9th-floor hallway from afar.

The ‘bunny girl,’ hearing the noise, turned and spotted the hornet.

『Ah! Stinky baby sister!』

The stuffed doll waved its stubby arms.

The hidden hornet peeked out and tapped its castanets.

Tippity-tap.

A tiny concert.

‘Something scary is in Eunha’s room… But going in could be dangerous.’

What could even frighten apparitions?

Halfarin turned from the ‘rabbit doll’ to observe the tightly shut door of ‘Unit 904.’

She’d come because Eunha seemed off, but this wasn’t something a quick visit could fix.

Maybe just ask Eunha directly.

『Hi~ What are you doing here?』

Nearby, the ‘rabbit doll’ approached the mischievous hornet baby.

Since Eunha was close with these apparitions, getting nearer shouldn’t cause issues.

Halfarin stood frozen in thought before the door.

…….

How much time passed?

By now, lunchtime was nearly over—time to return to the cafe.

Tap tap.

『Hungry? Hold on…… By the way, what was your name—』

The rabbit’s voice—

Suddenly cut off.

“……?”

A moment of silence.

Halfarin turned her head.

『…….』

The 9th-floor hallway was—

Empty.

…….

Nothing.

The ‘rabbit doll’ approaching her moments ago—

The hornet baby—

Gone, as if erased from existence in an instant.

“…….”

A chilly draft seeped through a broken window.

Halfarin scanned the hallway.

Dust-covered, neglected for ages.

Sunlight pierced through, stinging her cheeks.

“……What.”

An eerie atmosphere.

Halfarin hurried to the hallway window and opened it.

Creak…

Beyond it—peaceful Euncheon District.

Cars on the road,

People crossing streets…

The scenery had shifted instantly. The apparitions had vanished.

‘Did… I just return to reality?’

She realized.

This was the ‘real’ Morning Star Apartments.

A shabby nine-story building.

Why had she been pulled back?

She’d been dragged into apparition territories before—

But never forced back to reality.

Something had changed.

……Thud.

And then—

Halfarin, wiping her face out of habit,

Felt—

Creak……

Behind her,

In the ‘real’ apartment hallway,

‘Unit 904’s’ front door slowly began to open.

“……Are you Eunha’s friend?”

‘It’ spoke to her.

An unsettlingly warm voice.

Like a beast imitating human speech.

“…….”

“I’m Eunha’s mom.”

Behind Halfarin,

It continued.

Her body froze, unable to move.

“Lunchtime already… Aren’t you hungry? Come inside.”

“…….”

The ‘dangerous thing’ that had entered Eunha’s home.

Something unrestrained, its resentment uncontainable.

“My baby… called me Mommy.”

“…….”

“I am… her mother.”

Deep-seated resentment spilled into reality,

Its hand gripping Halfarin’s shoulder.

Soft human fingers on a bestial limb.

Halfarin couldn’t comprehend.

Why had an apparition crossed into reality? Wasn’t that against the ‘rules’?

‘…It said it was going to the cafe?’

Apparitions kind to Eunha.

Monsters kind only to Eunha.

When she thought about it—why would apparitions ever spare humans who merely clung to the rules to survive?

“……Mint scent…”

“…….”

“………Ah. It is you…”

“…….”

“That girl from the fortune-telling shop… The one who taught ‘Departed Darkness’ about mint bread.”

Oh no.

What’s mint bread?

Halfarin bit her lip.

She couldn’t remember.

‘Now that I think back… That day I opened Eunha’s luggage and woke up… That apparition in the backseat did ask about ‘modern snacks’…’

Swish—

Sensing danger,

Halfarin gathered mana, ready to flee—

But then—

Thump.

From behind, its—

Massive, breast-like weight pressed down on her back.

“Oh…”

“Stay for lunch?”

Expressionless, Halfarin turned around.

And stepped into ‘Unit 904’ with it.

She really does look like a mom.

‘I’ll assess the situation first. I need to find out why Eunha’s acting strange—and I can’t let that thing go to the cafe.’

Clank—

Eunha’s home, revisited after so long.

Halfarin surveyed the room with the most serious expression she’d ever worn.