148 – Guardian’s Observation
“Papa~!”
“Oooh, is my little Titosso doing well?”
“Yes, yes! I made a friend!”
As a middle-aged man’s hands lifted her by the waist and spun her around in the air, Titosso burst out laughing, kya kya.
“Hmph. That’s nice.”
Listening to the cheerful laughter, I sat blankly in the visitation seat.
Gift Academy had separate visitation areas due to the many important and dangerous facilities, so one had to come directly to the Visitation Building for a visit.
Guardian observation happened once a month.
Reuniting for this long-awaited visit, observing lectures to reassure the curriculum, eating nutritious meals together, and then saying goodbye—that was how I remembered guardian observation.
This was the outline for the mini-event, Guardian Observation, which proceeded after the Random Papa Event.
Guardian Observation Event
Today was the day we had been waiting for, the guardian observation day.
There might be a guardian who has come to see you.
Could it be family? Friends?
Or perhaps an acquaintance at their request?
If you wait patiently, someone from the connections you made before entering the academy might just show up.
Have you been a bad child outside?
Then don’t even dream about a visit!
Have you behaved well?
Then congratulations! At least you can enjoy one free meal with your guardian!
As soon as I realized what day it was, a slight headache hit me, and an event notification popped up.
Maybe it was because I had played too hard with Princess Masugaki all night, but I felt a bit drained.
‘It’s probably because my collection rate is too low!’
If my health stats blasted through the graph, I wouldn’t feel so tired after playing all night.
When Jonnas comes next time, I should ask for a bunch of delicious stuff that’s hard to collect outside.
‘Even they definitely have real parents.’
I imagined that since they were NPCs, they had no parent data and only received letters, but seeing guardians filling the Visitation Building like this, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Thanks to that, my curiosity grew stronger.
My papa isn’t just a letter; he must have a real existence somewhere in this world.
So, what could papa be?
There are many evil organizations targeting the academy, and some change their names every time while new ones keep popping up, so it’s hard to gauge this organization.
He belongs to the Wiheomhae Foundation.
‘Could he be a hitman?’
A high-ranking assassin, perhaps!
A malicious papa sounds a bit problematic during vacation.
When I go to meet him during the main house return event, he helps out with chores, but if papa is a bad person, it’s natural that what he does would also be bad.
Nevertheless, I have a bit of a favorable impression.
Hitmen usually target high-ranking officials or named knights, or corrupt nobles working in a safe zone.
It’s a job where you have to face off against strong opponents who know how to enjoy food and have high item collection rates.
Naturally, hitmen would have to raise their stats through efficient collection, skill proficiency, and various other means.
Most probably already know how to do this, but if they were to receive secret techniques or help with collection—even as a player, it’d be hard to find a cooler papa than that.
‘But what if a surprisingly nice papa shows up?’
If a papa like Titosso’s, who’s playing around lifting her on his back over there, shows up, I might personally be a bit disappointed.
Nice people tend to be on the weaker side, so they won’t help with my stat increases!
It sounds reasonable enough, but…
Now I’d be okay with either one.
I just hope they come soon.
“Hey, Oknodie! I’m going out to have fun with papa first!”
“Okay. Bye, Titosso!”
Titosso, who had come in to meet her guardian with me, had already gone out to play much earlier.
Be it a nice papa or a bad papa, I’d be fine with housekeeper Jonnas, Maid Reap, or anyone showing up instead of papa.
With a bright smile, my legs that had been swinging in front of the window were now placed neatly on the chair legs, showing signs of fatigue as I turned my head back every time the door opened.
Maybe, just maybe…
Nobody really won’t come, right?
– A guarantor or representative of a guarantor for an academy student can only visit the academy once a month on a designated date. We will visit when the time comes.
Right, Jonnas promised.
That we’d meet again.
He wouldn’t break a promise.
Isn’t a housekeeper a societal person?
We do have an employment contract after all.
Even if I don’t pay him directly, he’s still the housekeeper provided by papa.
But still, if he’s someone who takes care of me, he should listen to me.
He said he would wait.
So he must come.
The necklace mentioned in papa’s letter.
I tightly held onto the whistle, secretly kept for calling my housekeeper, that was hidden beyond it.
*
“Haah. I can’t bear to look at that.”
“That little rat, usually so strong and cheerful, looks so deflated like that. Shouldn’t we drag him out and play together outside?”
“Let it be. Oknodie probably wouldn’t want it. They say the joy of reunion includes the pain of loneliness during the wait.”
Despite being frustrated after Giselle’s mature advice, Isabel and Son Ohchun left, while Giselle kept her seat at a table near the Visitation Room.
If she were to leave, Oknodie would come out all alone and wouldn’t have anyone to greet her.
Oknodie had endured a lot of hardships and troubles while living under the name of the foundation.
How could the foundation make Oknodie go through such humiliation?
They had given the notification of a guardian’s visit but didn’t even mention when they would arrive.
Thanks to that, Oknodie spent the whole day sitting in the visitation room, skipping even a good meal just to stay put.
What if her papa or housekeeper showed up while she was off for lunch?
“Why is that child sitting alone? I’m pretty sure I saw her this morning.”
It was the weekend, and the Visitation Building was open.
There was a rumor that there were point rewards only found here, so Northern Grand Duchess Irene, who had been wandering around inside, spoke up.
Ice princess, cold lady, brat.
Considering the many nicknames given for her rarity in social communication, it was really rare for Irene to initiate a conversation.
“I’m waiting because my guardian hasn’t arrived yet. Are you waiting for yours too, Irene?”
Irene shook her head.
“The North isn’t well-off enough to visit the academy after paying for expensive tickets. If I need information, I can just get it through letters.”
Given the rising tensions due to the Demonic Clan’s suspicious activities, it was not surprising that Irene’s guardian didn’t come either.
“You’re quite mature.”
“Because I’m a grand duchess.”
That was a statement that held a lot of weight.
She wasn’t a child, nor simply someone’s offspring; she was carrying everyone’s expectations and the hope of the North as the Northern Grand Duchess.
In the face of that responsibility and duty, there was no room for personal happiness or individual ambition.
A person just as unfortunate as Oknodie.
Feeling Irene’s disdainful gaze as she pitied her, Giselle quickly asked back.
“And you?”
“Oh. I’m an orphan.”
“…Looks like you have quite some talent.”
“Haha. But I didn’t grow up starving. I’m pretty good with business. This is a secret, but I’ve been running a ticket merchant business that sells academy entrance tickets outside.”
“A ticket merchant entering the academy?”
“Funny, right? Haha. I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. If I hadn’t met Oknodie, it’s an adventure I wouldn’t have dreamed of.”
“How much do you know about that child?”
“What about Oknodie do you want to know?”
Honestly, I was curious.
As a top student, she was impressive by seizing opportunities, her bright nature was lovely to see, and the audacity to challenge a Frost Mage was absurd.
I didn’t watch her every move, but I was aware enough to notice her in passing.
“Where that child belongs.”
“Where she belongs… you say?”
A strange nuance was felt.
Giselle confirmed with a hint of anxiety.
“Do you perhaps want to recruit Oknodie?”
“The North is always lacking in everything.”
The warmth of the sun.
The armor needed to fight against enemies.
The drink to keep warm.
The soldiers needed to fight on the front lines.
The commanders to lead them.
Irene, suffering from chronic shortages of manpower and materials, saw Oknodie as a valuable talent.
“That child’s home doesn’t seem like a good place.”
“Oknodie likes her parents and housekeeper.”
“But do they like Oknodie?”
Honestly, if they truly cherished Oknodie, would they leave a mere 11-year-old child feeling so lonely and isolated?
Irene’s pointed observation left Giselle without anything to say.
She could genuinely relate to that.
Wiheomhae Foundation.
All the malicious rumors surrounding them could indeed be completely true.
Oknodie might have grown up abused, and even now she might be threatened by them; at the end of her brief freedom in the academy awaited a much darker future.
Wouldn’t it be better for Oknodie’s future to follow Irene to the North than that?
The image of Northern Grand Duchess Irene in the North surpasses even that of the Emperor of the Central Empire.
With the popularity she holds, far surpassing that of the royal family of the Northern Kingdom, many people would cherish Oknodie, safeguard her, and keep her from feeling lonely.
The future might even bring them together as her friends and guardians relocate to the North as well.
‘Huh. I’ve really fallen for that child too much.’
I tossed aside my primary occupation to consider if I should enroll in the academy, or think about following her to the North post-graduation; it had become hard to imagine life apart from that child now.
“Well, we’ll only know if we wait.”
With her head buried in the table, Oknodie fidgeted with her hair.
The two signed, merely waiting to see when those brazen guardians of Oknodie would finally appear.
