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However, just because it may be fun doesn’t mean it should be allowed.

Ella said to the sulking Anastasia.

“Did you see the news earlier?”

What she referred to was the news she saw on TV.

“The news was blaring about an island being overrun by evil spirits. Are you really thinking of spreading urban legends after watching that?”

The news was making a fuss about an incident that had occurred in Dokdo.

Of course, it wasn’t accurate information.

The government was reluctant to provide detailed information to the press, so there was nothing verified, only speculation and chatter from the media. Self-proclaimed experts were appearing as panelists, spouting things that sounded plausible, and someone related to economics came in to talk about how this situation affected the Korean economy…

To be honest, it was all rather devoid of value.

But just because it wasn’t entirely worthless didn’t mean it had much merit either.

The content being broadcasted on TV was merely amplifying anxiety, closer to gossip than any substantial news… but when combined with the story of Park Jinseong returning with burns, a vague picture of the situation began to emerge.

It painted a scenario where the demons occupying Dokdo were unexpectedly strong, and rather than being beaten back, they had barely managed to escape.

“Right now, people all over this country are anxious. With demons infesting the land, everyone’s already on edge, but now one island has been taken over by evil spirits. Because of that, the overall mood of society is downcast. In such a situation, messing around with urban legends…? Don’t you think that’s inappropriate?”

Ella firmly told Anastasia.

“We’re not uncultured people; we shouldn’t be frivolously discussing sensitive topics like this.”

“Bunny? I’m not feeling down about it! It’s a tragic incident, but I believe it will be resolved soon…? It’s not uncommon to have ghosts descending from the north…”

Well, that was fair.

If one is cultured and educated, it makes sense to exercise restraint, doesn’t it?

Rather than getting swept up in the media and gossiping about incidents, it should be the proper demeanor of a lady to maintain composure and seriousness.

“And besides, the panelists on that news were openly sharing their ghost stories… Doesn’t that seem fine…?”

Ella continued, ignoring the voice she could hear below.

“And there’s that saying, you know? ‘Talk of the devil, and he is sure to appear.’ I heard there’s a similar saying in Korea. When you start telling ghost stories, the ghosts think you’re calling for them and come running.”

Ella tilted her head after saying that.

“Wait, is that a saying from Japan? Hmm… that’s a little confusing.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a Korean one. You know it well, Ella. As expected from our bunny!”

“Thank you, Puma. And please stop using my lap as a pillow.”

“No! It’s soft and comfy, I like it!”

“Sigh… Do as you please…”

Ella gave up on driving away Iarin, who was forcibly continuing her lap pillow.

“Anyway, talking about ghosts while chaos ensues due to ghosts? I don’t know… I’m honestly scared they might really come to us. So, I think it’s better to avoid it.”

Anastasia nodded headily at Ella’s pointed yet gentle words.

Then she beamed and shouted.

“I’m so happy right now!”

But that shout wasn’t a confirmation of Ella’s words.

The responses Ella had expected were “I understand” or “That makes sense! Then maybe we should give up on the urban legends!” Yet, Anastasia not only didn’t say those things, but she uttered something completely unexpected.

“Pardon?”

“I’m so genuinely happy!”

Anastasia stated, looking as if she was truly touched, while gazing at Ella, who was staring back at her with a puzzled expression.

“That my little sister is such a thoughtful person…! As an older sister, I couldn’t be happier!”

“What? No… Wait a second. What do you usually think of me…?”

“I’m just happy!”

Ella grimaced at the hidden meaning behind Anastasia’s words, but as soon as Anastasia beamed and hugged her tightly, she couldn’t say anything.

It wasn’t because she was touched or embarrassed.

No, it was simply because Anastasia had squeezed her so tightly that she couldn’t move her mouth.

It could be called a physical gag.

After pulling off a gag disguised as a touching moment, Anastasia began to explain herself.

Though it might be appropriate to tag “one-sided and aggressive” in front of the word explanation.

“I was already well aware of that! It’s common sense! If you look at my usual behavior, you can see I’m very sensible, very socially aware, and possess excellent empathy, right?”

“Mmm!”

And the clarifications following the gag were filled with content that Ella found difficult to accept from the get-go.

Ella had seen, heard, and experienced it all.

The antics that Anastasia pulled at school, acting as a mischief-maker and disrupting the peace by leading her adoring classmates into bizarre escapades, much to the dismay of the staff who continuously suffered from the chaos she stirred up.

Of course, Anastasia’s appearance and mannerisms were undeniably cute, and her charm was exceptional, sweeping up after herself without fail, but that didn’t mean she was sensible, socially adept, or empathetic.

“Mmm!”

Thus, Ella protested.

In the spirit of a journalist exposing the truth.

She tried to speak up to rebut Anastasia’s lies and fill the space with the truth.

But all that came out were inaudible sounds.

The words couldn’t form properly from Ella’s mouth.

That was because her lips were completely pressed against Anastasia’s body.

No matter how hard she tried to push Anastasia away to create even a small gap, unfortunately, Ella found that she couldn’t budge her.

Anastasia’s small and delicate physique surprisingly displayed strength beyond Ella’s.

Or perhaps it was because Ella was simply too feeble to push Anastasia away properly.

Maybe it was a combination of both.

Regardless, the important fact was that Ella could neither force Anastasia away nor break free on her own.

Thus, Ella found herself in a position where she couldn’t protest or defy.

In other words, it meant she had no choice but to meekly listen to all of Anastasia’s nonsense.

“I realized it the moment I saw the news. Ah, the urban legend market in Korea is going to shrink and production will decrease. Even if demand exists, supply will dwindle, and good tales will be taboo, becoming mostly consumed underground…”

“Mmm!”

Ella protested, as though urban legends were some kind of commodity.

Of course, she couldn’t convey even one-hundredth of that sentiment.

“It’s a sad thing. The legally distributed quality urban legends will plummet to the brink of extinction, and illegal urban legends will be circulated underground. It’s obvious the quality will be poor… The future of urban legends looks dark. I’m saddened.”

Anastasia acted downcast, her body drooping and devoid of enthusiasm.

But in reality, her arms were filled with strength.

To keep Ella from escaping her grasp.

“But this sister had a good idea. Everything has substitutes, right? Urban legends are divided into various categories, and ghosts are merely a part of that legend!”

“Mmm?”

“So I’m suggesting! An urban legend that isn’t about ghosts!”

Anastasia spoke earnestly and grandly as if she were a politician revealing her ambitions, then relaxed her grip and looked at the bound Ella and smiled brightly.

“What do you think, little sister? Doesn’t it sound fun?”

She looked at Ella with a mix of anticipation in her eyes.

She hoped Ella would be impressed by her ‘persuasion.’

And under her sister’s expectation, Ella opened her mouth.

“Perhaps…?”

“Yes!”

Thump thump.

Anastasia gazed at Ella with an expression full of anticipation.

“…Have you ever been hit in the mouth with a fan? Would you like to try it?”

But what came from Ella’s mouth was an entirely different, very violent phrase from what Anastasia had expected!

Anastasia’s red eyes went wide!

“Little sister…? You can’t possibly not find it fun…?”

With trembling eyes, she looked at her sister.

She wore the expression of a tragic heroine betrayed by someone she trusted.

“It’s not about having fun… I said it earlier, the social climate…”

Anastasia looked at Ella.

“…And also, ghosts could come…”

She had lowered her stance and was looking up at Ella.

“…Oh, really.”

She was watching with desperate eyes.

“I understand… Go ahead…”

Finally, Ella had no choice but to permit her.

If she didn’t allow it, it felt like Anastasia would be staring at her forever with the expression of a wet cat waiting for the rain to stop. And even if she didn’t permit it, she might be pestered for days.

It would probably be less troublesome to just let her do as she wished.

Plus, well… considering that Iarin and Iserin didn’t seem uncomfortable either, maybe she had been thinking too rigidly.

“But why are you so obsessed with urban legends? Did you hear something strange?”

Ella sighed softly and asked Anastasia.

What had she heard to make her so adamant?

“Yes! I brought some interesting stories.”

Anastasia replied brightly with a smile to Ella’s question.

“They’re stories from abroad. They should be fun!”

 

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