Chapter 4
“When is No. 98, 1st Street of Kesnia going to show up…?”
I’d been walking for what felt like ages, yet I was only at No. 27.
My legs were already trembling. The round-toed shoes were really pretty, but they hurt too much to walk in for long.
No, this won’t do. I need to rest a bit.
At this rate, I’ll die of exhaustion before I even reach No. 98. Honestly, I was a little hungry too.
I hadn’t dared to go into a shop, afraid that flashing gold coins right away might make me a target.
If a seven-year-old kid was walking around with gold coins, of course some bad people would get suspicious and try to snatch them!
That was caution born from experience.
I ignored my growling stomach and hopped up onto a nearby wooden bench, sitting next to a gacha machine.
“Sigh.”
I hadn’t put the gacha machine into my universal pouch while admiring it, and now it was making me struggle like this.
I rummaged through the pouch and pulled out another item Mafius had given me.
It looked like a pocket watch. The lid had several dots and lines forming a pattern, with an ice-blue gem set in the center.
When I carefully opened it, the clock inside was ticking, and in the middle was another small gem that looked like a button.
[This is a Conette. Think of it as a communicator or caller that connects you to Lord Eon and myself. I’ll also be adding a few other useful functions to it in the future.]
That’s what he’d said, but told me to only use it to contact him in urgent situations.
I shook it by my ear, flipped it over, and fussed with it.
“…Should I press it?”
Would Mafius suddenly pop out?
No, if I keep calling him for no reason, he might take it back.
I restrained the impulse and turned my attention back to the gacha machine.
The capsules inside were all colorful, rattling whenever the machine moved.
[Even if you hit it or throw it, it won’t break. Don’t try any tricks. I’ll take it back immediately. I trust you, Lord Eon.]
So, he’d even made a huge threat.
Should I just try using it now?
He said it’s affected by one’s inner thoughts—maybe it’ll give me food. That would be perfect right now.
“White bread. Definitely white bread.”
Freshly baked, straight out of the oven! I really wanted to try that.
Before I died, there were plenty of days when I couldn’t even eat burnt bread. Everyone said I was bad luck, so I couldn’t buy bread even if I had money.
‘Bad people!’
I was annoyed, but the mere thought of white bread was making me drool.
“Hehe… looks so tasty—tsk.”
I smiled foolishly, wiping away the drool, then froze.
What was this? Getting fixated on bread like this—I really must have become a seven-year-old.
Surely Mafius didn’t make me this way? No, no way.
I glanced around, then quickly slipped one of the gold coins Mafius had given me into the gacha machine.
“And then I just turn this lever…?”
Click, click.
After three turns, clatter! Something rolled inside.
When I lifted the little metal flap, a pure white capsule popped out.
“Eh? This is it? What could possibly fit inside a capsule barely the size of a chestnut?”
My excitement deflated instantly.
The small capsule was even hard to open.
“Well, whatever. As long as it’s bread, it’s fine.”
This much trouble was nothing.
I stuck it between my teeth and bit down hard. The capsule split in two with a smooth crack.
Poof!
“Ugh! Cough cough!”
Something burst, filling the air with thick white smoke. The acrid smell made me cough.
I waved my arms wildly to clear the air.
“What the heck is—huh?”
What was that? I thought I’d just seen a huge mountain and white bat wings…
When I rubbed my eyes and looked again, the cloud-like smoke was drifting away, revealing a tall figure before me.
The giant mountain and bat wings were gone—must’ve been my imagination.
Instead, a man as tall as Mafius stood there, with long snow-white hair and golden eyes, staring down at me.
‘Wow, he’s handsome.’
Much, much more than Mafius!
Wait, what? The machine could produce people too?
His expression was… intense. Like he was overjoyed or deeply moved. Why was he looking at me like that?
“Wh-Who are you?”
He didn’t look like someone who’d be handing me food.
Maybe a noble? Possibly.
He had a face like it was sculpted, skin so clear it was almost translucent, and soft double eyelids that gave him a gentle, pure appearance.
Beautiful.
If I had to sum it up in one word, that would be it.
The beautiful man, who looked at most in his twenties, slowly opened his mouth.
“I am your father.”
Huhhh?
“What? Amyoupayo? What’s that?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. His voice was like beautiful music, but…
“You’re my lovely daughter.”
“…What?”
What was he saying?
“I am your father. You’re my daughter.”
“…Eh?”
I tried my best, but couldn’t make sense of it. His voice was great, but his words were weird.
The man cleared his throat.
“I’m your dad.”
He reached out both hands toward me, like he’d just found a long-lost daughter.
Ehhhh?!
I jumped to my feet.
“Y-you’ve got the wrong person!”
I hurriedly gathered my things and bolted.
“Child! Come with me!”
Thudthudthudthud!
What the heck—this was scary!
“Hey, stop following me!”
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
I was being chased.
By a terrifyingly handsome, white-haired—no, crazy—man.
I should’ve known from the long white hair!
“Child! You’ll get hurt if you run like that!”
“This would all be fine if you stopped chasing me! Go away!”
“Won’t you come with Dad? Hmm?”
“Why would you be my dad?! I don’t have a dad!”
I was being chased by a man suddenly claiming to be my father.
A dad? For me?
“Out of the way, everyone! If my daughter gets hurt, I won’t let it slide! Child!”
“Stop chasing me! I told you, I don’t have a dad!”
“I said I’m your dad.”
“I don’t need one—!”
“Child!”
“Stop following me!”
I didn’t even think to put the gacha machine back in my universal pouch; I just hugged it to my chest and sprinted for No. 98.
Behind me, the strange, long-haired man from the capsule was in hot pursuit.
I’d thought he was an incredibly handsome oppa—but he was just a crazy man!
“Give me my coin back! I don’t need this!”
“Child! It’s dangerous to run so fast. Can’t you just come with Dad?”
“You’re not my dad! I don’t need a dad! Stop chasing me!”
Was he actually insane?
No matter how much I ran, my seven-year-old legs couldn’t outrun his long strides.
“Make way, everyone!”
“Ahhh, please!”
“She’s my daughter! Move aside! If a single hair on her head is harmed, I’ll unleash my Ice Breath!”
“I’m not—!”
“Child! If anyone so much as scratches her, I won’t spare them!”
“Waaahhh! I said I’m not!”
I ran with all my might.
“Goodness, the girl called him ‘mister.’ She must be a cheeky little one who doesn’t listen to her dad.”
“My, my, that family must have their hands full with a daughter like that.”
“They’re running the same way—like father, like daughter. Could enter a race.”
Everyone was clicking their tongues, and thanks to him shouting “child” over and over, people kept staring at me.
“Ugh, seriously!”
