Part 1 Chapter 6 (6)

Cheon Gaeul couldn’t believe her eyes.

What is this? Is this a hidden camera, someone deliberately testing my heart? Just when I had coldly driven Lee Seung-hyung away and needed comfort for my mind and body, the very person who most confused my heart was lying on my bed.

‘Why did they come… Ah. They cleaned my room.’

The clothes that had been carelessly tossed aside were neatly folded and hung on hangers. The slime that had formed from practicing with Yooishin was nowhere to be seen, and there was no trace of the unique stench of tentacles. The shower gown supplied by Yuseong was dry and fluffy, smelling of sunshine.

‘There’s a sweet smell too.’

Gaeul silently followed the source of the smell. On the table, there was a caricature of a farmer wearing a straw hat, smiling, with the words ‘Padre Juan’. Gaeul subtly checked the contents inside the plastic bag.

‘It’s cake?’

Small slices of cake were inside the box, their shapes intact. One was a shortcake with layers of sliced strawberries, and the other was a tiramisu.

‘Tiramisu aside, they really like strawberries.’

Sometimes it was almost excessive. Whenever they went out in Incheon, there was always a strawberry drink in the beverage box they held. It was incredibly easy to notice Phoenix’s preference. When drinks were bought, Phoenix always chose last, but if the strawberry drink was taken first, they would get a little down.

‘Did a ghost who died from not eating strawberries possess them?’

If one were to assume the sliced cakes were bought for the two of them to share, the tiramisu would be Gaeul’s, and the shortcake would be Phoenix’s.

‘It looks like they just fell asleep waiting for me.’

It was already close to midnight. Even after defeating the snake in the city hall and reviving Gwanggeom, Phoenix had minimized their sleeping hours to work, and would catch a wink whenever there was a brief moment to rest.

‘If I wake them, they’ll just go back to work, won’t they?’

They might have tried to catch a quick nap after finishing the cleaning, not knowing when Gaeul would return. Gaeul cautiously lifted the tip of a tentacle and poked Phoenix’s cheek.

“…….”

There was no movement. This time, Gaeul pressed Phoenix’s cheek quite hard with a tentacle. Still, there was no reaction.

“…!”

Gaeul covered her mouth with both hands. She had noticed it several times while sleeping in the same bed with Phoenix, that Phoenix tended to sleep quite deeply once they fell asleep.

‘This is my chance.’

Gaeul was surprised by her own thoughts. What kind of chance was this? What kind of chance could it be that made her mana pound so much?

For the first time in a long while, the sleeping devil awoke and whispered into Gaeul’s ear.

‘A rich slug….’

Gaeul quickly shook her head. What kind of relationship did she have with Phoenix? It wasn’t a vulgar, physically entangled, messy relationship, but a companionship where they mentally supported and embraced each other.

Though there was a little, a very little, personal interest, she had never had such promiscuous thoughts. The devil scoffed.

‘What about practicing with Yooishin?’

‘That was just training to use my tentacles well!’

An angel appeared and punched the devil in the solar plexus. However, the devil retorted, refusing to yield this time.

‘Even after making Yooishin horny?’

‘That’s just because that woman is wet! Gaeul never felt excited or anything by Yooishin!’

The angel appeared and engaged in a debate with the devil. Angel and devil. Platonic and Eros. Reason and instinct fought back and forth countless times, turning Gaeul’s mind upside down.

“I’m really going crazy because of you….”

Gaeul covered her face with both hands. Her heart was already in turmoil after coldly rejecting the man who liked her, and now the very person who stirred her heart was lying on her bed like this. The devil egged Gaeul on.

‘Can’t you see that S-curve angle as they lie on their side right now? Can’t you see their butt sticking out?’

‘Good thoughts! Good thoughts! Good thoughts!’

She just wished both of them would disappear. Gaeul’s heart was burning up, to the point where she wondered who she should ask for advice.

Suddenly, a toad flashed through her mind.

A gentlemanly toad in a pinstriped suit scolded Gaeul.

‘Did you forget what Deokbae said? That if you came in drunk, you’d cause trouble.’

The angel and devil fell silent. The words of the gentleman named Conscience, which suppressed instinct and reason, made her stomach churn. Deokbae clearly knew what kind of future would unfold if Gaeul went in after drinking.

‘So, should I just wait like this? Just sit by their side like last time?’

How futilely she had waited for Phoenix after the battle with Gwanggeom. She had waited all night for a full nine hours, but when Phoenix finally returned, they were exchanging messages with a woman much younger than Gaeul.

‘…That scoundrel.’

Gaeul could instinctively feel it. That the woman named Eun Yuha was subtly and persistently flirting with Phoenix.

‘Are they crazy? How can women… That’s not for me to say, though.’

Gaeul, feeling awkward for a moment, fiddled with her mask before shaking her head vigorously.

‘No! It’s different when they change into their monstrous human form! They’re silently and utterly serious!’

Gaeul recalled the day she awakened as an ability user. The image of that monstrous human, who had worried about Gaeul several times and indifferently adjusted their veil.

‘If their human form’s way of speaking is deliberately put on….’

Gaeul was convinced that Phoenix’s indifferent yet subtly caring way of speaking was their true personality. And that tendency, if she had to categorize it, was closer to male than female. But didn’t they do most of their activities in a girlish human form?

A tentacle slapped Gaeul’s cheek. Gaeul snapped out of it.

‘Right. I didn’t fall for a woman. I fell for Phoenix.’

Gaeul decided not to dwell on the issue of gender. Phoenix had originally described themselves as a Spirit, a being beyond humans. Gender might not even matter.

‘And if they care about that….’

Gaeul put her mask back on her head. Just as Phoenix shifted between human and monstrous human forms, Gaeul could also transform into the appearance of others. She just needed to find Phoenix’s ideal type of man, and transform into that appearance herself. Gaeul repeated that to herself.

‘Right. Rather than getting drunk and causing trouble, I’ll make them open their heart slowly.’

The angel and devil slumped their shoulders in disappointment. As Conscience clapped its hands and quietly disappeared, the devil whispered as if it had been waiting.

‘Next year, you’ll be in your “ahopsu”. The year after next, you’ll be a carton of eggs.’

Gaeul’s resolve wavered. The angel whispered from the other side.

‘In contrast, Eun Yuha is in her fresh early twenties right now. Was she 21 this year?’

Gaeul’s resolve was uprooted. She prided herself on never falling behind in looks or figure, but she couldn’t fight the inevitable flow of time.

‘B-but even so, I can’t do such a shameless thing to someone who’s sleeping!’

‘Do you think it’ll end with just Eun Yuha?’

‘Who knows? Seok Harang might also be in such a relationship.’

The angel and devil whispered simultaneously. Cheon Gaeul pondered deeply, over and over. Numerous delusions filled her mind.

Tentacles lifting Phoenix’s limbs and teasing their entire body-

SMACK!

Gaeul slapped her own cheek hard with a tentacle.

‘…Ugh, fine. They’ve had a hard time; if I deliberately wake them, they’ll just be more tired.’

Phoenix had sacrificed sleep and traveled countless times between Seoul, Busan, and Kaesong, taking sole responsibility for Seoul’s livelihood. Even if clothing could be found by searching department stores or clothing shops in Seoul, the food supplies for Seoul might have been monster meat if it weren’t for Phoenix.

‘And why should I confess first when I have nothing to lose?’

And slowly, Gaeul also became stubborn.

‘Do you think I’m that easy of a woman? Let’s see who wins, you or me, alright.’

She would receive a confession from Phoenix first. Until the words ‘I love Cheon Gaeul’ popped out of Phoenix’s mouth, she would absolutely not confess first. This was definitely not being clingy like Lee Seung-hyung was. It was a strategy to win the other person’s heart, and a manifestation of fierce fighting spirit that would never fade.

‘Whatever else, I’ll definitely beat that scoundrel.’

“…Uhm.”

Phoenix slowly opened their eyes.

Gaeul subtly checked the time. 1 AM. A whole hour had passed while Gaeul was lost in agony, indulging in all sorts of delusions, and steeling her heart.

“Ah. You’re here?”

Phoenix greeted Gaeul with an innocent smile on their face. Though her tentacles twitched instinctively at the slightly slipped clothing, Gaeul exercised superhuman patience and reined them in.

Excitement was excitement, but what needed to be addressed had to be addressed.

“…What are you doing in someone else’s room right now? Who told you to just come in?”

“Pffft. What’s between us?”

Gaeul wanted to ask. ‘What are we?’ But she didn’t have the courage to press the issue yet. Fearing that this precarious relationship, barely maintained, might collapse, Gaeul was extremely anxious. No matter Gaeul’s feelings, the one who fell in love first lost.

“Shall we talk while eating first? There’s something I need to tell you.”

Phoenix, still half-asleep, got up from the bed and sat at the table. Even though she already knew what they were taking out, Gaeul pretended not to know and peeked her head up.

“What’s that?”

“This? It’s a cake made by a barista who will become the best in the world. I bought one while I was on a business trip to Seomyeon.”

“That future knowledge thingy?”

“Yes. Hehehe. It’s really delicious here.”

Phoenix opened the box lid. Gaeul placed the tiramisu in front of her and picked up a plastic fork. Phoenix made a slightly tearful face.

“…….”

“…….”

Gaeul subtly pushed the tiramisu forward. Phoenix immediately smiled brightly and scooped up the edge of the tiramisu. Gaeul couldn’t take her eyes off the tiramisu entering Phoenix’s mouth and asked in surprise.

“Didn’t you like strawberry cake?”

“……? Oh. Ha, haha.”

Phoenix swallowed the tiramisu and immediately picked up a strawberry.

“I like them. A lot.”

Slurp. Unlike with the tiramisu, they scooped a large portion of the shortcake and crammed it into their mouth. Gaeul moved a tentacle and licked the cream off Phoenix’s mouth.

“Are you perhaps sick of strawberries?”

“No? I can’t eat them because there aren’t any. Pffft.”

Phoenix twirled the veil around their neck with their fingers. Gaeul slightly furrowed her brows, then scooped out some shortcake with her fork.

“Well, that’s true. Strawberries must be so hard to get these days. Let’s eat together.”

“Shall we? Gaeul-ssi. This tiramisu is really good. Try it.”

“If I eat it late at night, I’ll gain weight.”

“Monstrous humans don’t gain weight. Everything they eat is converted into mana.”

Gaeul swallowed the cake without even chewing. Her hand moved like light, scooping out a large piece.

“Really?”

“Yes. My organs convert all ingested matter into mana. Have you ever seen me go to the bathroom?”

“…That’s true. What was it you wanted to talk about?”

Phoenix put the tiramisu in their mouth and mumbled.

“I’m planning to go to China this time. It’s good timing. The Spirit there is of the illusion attribute. If things go well, I might be able to increase Gaeul-ssi’s Affinity Rate limit even further.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. I was talking to Deokbae-ssi about it, but there are cases where Spirits and humans merge into one, you see? The last, third one is Synchro. The unity of Spirit and human. A mythical (神化) state where they transcend limits by becoming soul partners with each other. Once you reach that….”

Phoenix mashed the strawberry on top of the shortcake with a fork.

“Beyond the Seongju, you’ll be able to kill Otherworld Gods.”

“Then, you mean….”

Gaeul swallowed hard and asked.

“Is that Synchro thing possible between a Spirit and a monstrous human too?”

“With a monstrous human? …Well. I don’t know about that.”

Phoenix lifted the mashed strawberry with a fork, put it in their mouth, and then clapped their hands.

“Ah! We can experiment with Deokbae-ssi! Pffft.”

“So Deokbae is the easy target, huh? Ugh.”

Gaeul offered her condolences to Deokbae in advance. Phoenix grinned with a sly look in their eyes.

“Isn’t he a proven guinea pig? Oh, right. Look at me. I was waiting to tell you this. Gaeul-ssi. So, before I go to China, I came to make you an offer.”

“…What is it?”

Gaeul counted prime numbers. Calming her pounding heart, she waited for Phoenix to speak. Phoenix, who had swallowed the last piece of tiramisu, opened their mouth.

“Once Seoul is stabilized, how about bringing Gaeul-ssi’s parents to Seoul?”

“Ah…….”

Gaeul sighed. Phoenix placed their hand on the table and fidgeted.

“This time, after killing Gwanggeom and talking with Seok Harang, I felt something. That family is truly important, you know? I also understood why Gaeul-ssi tried so hard to call her parents back then.”

“…….”

Gaeul couldn’t say anything. It was a statement she had never expected to hear from Phoenix, so she was extremely flustered.

“Right now, your Tentacle Toad Core has more influence, so you can’t hide your tentacles, but later, when Gaeul-ssi reaches the true SS realm, you’ll be able to completely control your tentacles. Like retracting them into your body, or disguising them as a real tail.”

“What about my body? It has no color, it’s like a walking corpse?”

“…Couldn’t you just say it’s a characteristic that appeared when you awakened your ability? If you say you became like this trying to survive in Seoul…. More importantly, Gaeul-ssi.”

Phoenix gestured towards Yongsan with their eyes.

“Asking Architect to restore Gaeul-ssi’s old house, that was because you missed your parents, wasn’t it?”

“……Ha, you really.”

Gaeul covered her face with her mask. She simply couldn’t find the courage to face Phoenix right now. Her mana surged, and Gaeul’s Core began to pound like crazy.

Phoenix approached Gaeul and patted her back.

“I’m sorry. For forcing such a choice on you. I won’t do it again from now on.”

“……What got into you all of a sudden?”

What change had occurred in Phoenix in just a month and a half that they had become slightly gentler like this? Gaeul was extremely curious about the reason.

Phoenix fiddled with the white butterfly-shaped badge pinned to their shirt collar, and gave an awkward laugh.

“It’s just, I realized that family is truly precious.”

* * *

June 2nd, 4 AM, Milky Way Cruise.

[Hey! Do you want to die?! Aren’t you going to jump off right now?!]

“Look at how an oppa talks to his little sister? We’re in the middle of the ocean here, you know? Ehehehe~ I don’t want to~ I’m going to Korea, you know?!”

[You crazy bitch! A war could break out there right now!]

“Oh, so I’m just going to quickly visit Seoul and leave! I just want to confirm it with my own eyes! My prediction will definitely come true, I’m telling you?”

The two siblings, who looked so alike, bickered as if they wanted to kill each other. A long-haired girl with black hair and red eyes, peeking her head out from under the blanket, and a young man with black hair and green eyes, sporting a ponytail, on the other side of the screen.

“Oppa. What are you so worried about? That hero in Korea, ‘Fire Fist’ or whatever, you’re planning to bring him in as a table companion for your family, aren’t you?”

[What? Wh-who said that? Who’s spreading such lies?]

“Oppa, your eyes are spinning again. Do you think I’ve been falling for your lies for just a day or two? You big braggart.”

[Damn it. Hey! Anyway, when you arrive in Busan, don’t move an inch! I’m heading that way right now too!]

The grinning girl flinched for a moment.

“You’re not, not going to kill someone or anything again, are you? Oppa, if you get recalled to your home country this time, it’ll be the seventh time-“

[No! I’m going with Gawain right now! To catch the monster that was in Okinawa!]

“That thing disappeared from Okinawa ages ago.”

The girl let out a small laugh. Fortunately, the whale-like monster disappeared after causing only very faint waves. For the Japanese people living on the island, tsunamis of that scale were an everyday occurrence, like monthly periods in this era.

“You’ll be going on a wild goose chase. The Ministry of Defense issued a statement. The monster went to the Pacific-“

[You idiot! It’s changing direction and heading up again right now! Damn it, why would a kid naively believe that?!]

“Huh?”

The girl’s heart sank.

[Right now, the S-rank monster Moby Dick, is suddenly heading up towards Tsushima Island!]

* * *

“As expected. I’m a genius.”

Seok Harang shook the seawater out of his slippers and walked onto the sandy beach. Even though it was early summer, he seemed quite pleased with his clothes, and stood on the beach dressed similarly to the outfit Phoenix had changed him into.

Under Seok Harang’s eyes, as if he had stayed up all night, there were slight dark circles.

“Now I can use water too, not just ice.”

The moment he went to a cafe with Phoenix and turned hot coffee into an iced americano, an idea flashed through Seok Harang’s mind. Since the power Seok Harang possessed was that of a Water-attribute Spirit, couldn’t he control water now, not just ice?

With that thought, he immediately rushed to the sea. Dragging his three-striped slippers, he stood with his ankles submerged in the seawater and released mana, and the result was a great success.

He was able to move the seawater, albeit very slightly, according to his will.

“Just you wait until you come down to Busan.”

He would make them taste a little bit of Haeundae seawater. Seok Harang grinned widely and controlled the water.

Unaware that the lingering scent of his mana was spreading into the sea and plotting something, not even in his wildest dreams.