The Shinkansen ride from Fukuoka to Tokyo took about 3 hours.
The journey itself was pretty smooth.
Before getting on the train, I quickly had lunch at a ramen shop near the station, and then napped for the entire 3-hour train ride.
After checking into the hotel, I decided to share a room with Adella.
While I was unpacking, enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioning, Adella, already dressed in a yukata, started nagging me.
“Forget about your stuff for now and hurry up and change too.”
“Where did you get that? Did you buy it?”
“Nope, it’s in the closet here. Just open it.”
There hung a yukata that fit my size perfectly.
If you think about it for a second, it raises some red flags.
Aren’t hotel-provided clothes usually all based on adult sizes?
“I told them when I made the reservation. I specifically asked for a size for a 6-year-old. Hehe!”
“Hey! No matter how small I am, I am not that small!”
At 6 years old, aren’t you basically not even in elementary school yet?
“Kids these days are so big! If you don’t believe me, look it up. Anyway, there’s a large hot spring on the 13th floor of this hotel, so let’s hurry and change. I heard it gets crowded after dinner.”
Adella sneaked up behind me and quickly ripped off my T-shirt.
“Wait a sec, I need to tell Dad—”
“Ugh, I already told him everything on the way here. I even made the reservation! Just come along and don’t think too much about it. Wow, it fits perfectly! Clap clap, it looks great!”
She pulled me out so fast that my belt almost came undone.
The hem of the yukata perfectly brushed my ankles.
It didn’t drag on the floor, nor did my calves show.
At that moment, I felt a first shock.
‘Is my height really this short?’
I leaned against the corner of the elevator and searched for the average height of a 6-year-old.
‘116cm, it’s basically the same as my height…’
That led to a second shock.
Adella peeked over my shoulder at the search results, her eyes narrowing into crescent shapes.
“You—”
“Hehe. Someone else is coming in, hush! Look ahead.”
The elevator stopped at each floor.
Other guests were also wandering the hotel in yukatas like us.
Right in front of me was a newlywed couple with incredibly long limbs.
I had never been told I was short in my past life, but now I felt a bit bitter.
Before entering the hot spring, I quickly rinsed off in the shower and then put my yukata back on.
Almost no one was currently using the bath facilities, and I guessed everyone I saw earlier was heading to the dining area.
“Shall we go towards the outdoor hot spring with those rocks?”
Adella grabbed my wrist and walked briskly.
We soaked our feet and legs in the warm, steaming hot spring water.
I skimmed a sign that informed readers about all the health benefits of the hot spring water.
In the 50s, pseudoscience was still thriving, huh?
“Ah, this feels refreshing! I can’t believe I got to enjoy this alone. Did you enjoy traveling all by yourself?”
“What are you talking about? I just watched a few matches from the National Exchange Tournament, did a little dueling here and there, and spent the rest of my time at home.”
“Oh wow, what madness is this? You came all the way overseas just to duel…?”
“But it was fun! It’s an event where talented kids from around the world gather. I couldn’t imagine it back in the day.”
“Ha ha, it was a long time ago? You’re just a 9-year-old kid.”
“Yeah, and you’re just one year old!”
Just because Adella said something childish doesn’t mean I should stoop to her level.
I slapped my cheek to regain focus.
“Weren’t there any big events happening back home?”
“We had video calls every day.”
“It’s different hearing it in person, though.”
“Well, something did happen. Dad was really worried about you.”
Adella grinned as she said that.
“I told myself to give it a good push. Things might get busier ahead, and I can’t always stick with Dad forever.”
“Ooooh, puberty hitting!”
“No, I’m not!”
“But doesn’t that sound a bit impulsive?”
“I won’t deny it. Still, if you don’t pay attention to time, it just slips away. I don’t want to miss opportunities when they arise.”
A part of me felt a slight anxiety.
Having sunk into the calm day-to-day, I wondered if I was missing something.
It’s obvious, but the clock for terrorist organizations doesn’t stop just because I’m young.
The thought of what the best course of action I can take right now kept swirling in my head.
‘I need to quickly become a High Wizard and establish a clan. To grow the clan’s influence, I need reputation. There aren’t many ways to gain reputation in a short time. The image from the first year is crucial for speed of growth later. Funds? Lacking. Let’s start by building connections. The influence of foundations and clans in the Korean job market is overwhelming. It’s ideal for overseas talent to step in. The National Exchange Tournament is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. Support? Government project bids, corporate fifth industry projects. Core tasks of the clan? Human genome analysis, Demon King’s Horn structural design, minimizing energy loss in power plants.’
What if I encountered Valpurgis before I even became an adult?
What if I had a conflict with them even sooner?
The moment such thoughts entered my mind, I would instantly get caught in an endless loop of image training.
Eighteen-year-old NoName, seventeen-year-old NoName, sixteen, fifteen… eleven, ten.
Next year, next month, next week, tomorrow.
And right now, this moment.
What would their fighting style be like, how many would they be, and how would I fare at my current skill level?
Only after I could assure myself that I could win in every moment could I finally feel a sense of relief.
If image training fails, then I wouldn’t know.
It’s impossible to embody it without imagining countless battles persistently and deeply pondering.
Simply knowing and executing that knowledge are not the same thing.
I need to raise my capability to the level of an adult doing multiplication tables.
Is this obsessive thinking completely useless? Not really.
There’s genuine interest backing it up.
It would be dreadful to encounter Valpurgis in reality, and I wouldn’t want to even imagine it, but I felt a strange thrill at the thought of winning against them.
And I itched to bring to life the ideas I’d imagined in my fantasies.
“When all of this is over someday, I’ll go on a world tour.”
“A world tour?”
“Yeah. I’d travel around fighting the strongest people in the world. Be it dueling rules, magic ban rules, or aura ban rules, I don’t care. I’m okay with arm wrestling or chicken fights. Just leave out the natural fighting. I’m giving up on that in this life.”
Hearing that, Adella doubled over in laughter, holding her stomach.
She splashed water from the hot spring with her arms and sprinkled droplets onto my face.
“No matter how you think about it, sis, you’re totally a Wagal Avatar!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Am I right? Tell the truth, you’re actually ASI too!”
“I’m starving because I skipped lunch. I should’ve eaten with you when you had ramen. What are we having for dinner? The hotel buffet? Or going out to eat?”
“Stop dodging my question!”
Splash splash—!
Adella began to kick around in the hot spring water.
Glares from people surrounded us.
The large bath area that had been empty earlier now buzzed with people.
It was too late to be discreet.
“Ugh!”
Soon after, a big security guard lady appeared and grabbed Adella by the neck to lead her out.
That’s the price for not following public etiquette.
‘She still hasn’t grown up. Huh…?’
The security guard gestured for me to follow them at the entrance.
I couldn’t escape from being an accomplice, it seemed.
*
“Why am I getting in trouble when it was Saetbyeol who caused the incident?”
“Because you said something weird and made fun of me! When you think about it, it’s Na-me Unni’s fault.”
“Alright, I get it, so let’s just eat quietly.”
Professor Cheon’s forehead creased with another wrinkle.
Taking care of Na-me alone felt overwhelming, and now he had to deal with two daughters.
Though they appeared to others as cute and kind children, for some reason, a migraine seemed to be brewing.
Hearing Professor Cheon’s sigh, Na-me tilted her head.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“No, no. I just think I ate too much for lunch. A little bit of a stomachache—”
“Then can I eat this? I’ll take it!”
Na-me transferred Professor Cheon’s BBQ ribs unto her own plate.
Adella attempted to reach out, but was thwarted by Na-me’s hand, bouncing back.
“Ah! I want one too!”
“Just go take one for yourself.”
“Completely stingy. With that kind of attitude, it’s no wonder you’re not growing taller!”
“What does that have to do with height?”
The argument between the two girls grew louder.
It’s often said that siblings with a significant age difference don’t fight.
Yet, due to Na-me’s surprisingly mature demeanor and Adella not being very mature either, they ended up on an equal footing.
‘They argue because they’re close. Just like Chori and Onyu became friends by doing so.’
If they weren’t close at all, they wouldn’t even talk.
It was also somewhat relieving considering that Na-me had someone to chatter with.
Whenever it seemed like they were about to cross the line, they’d suddenly stop fighting, making it hard for Professor Cheon to intervene.
In situations like this, there’s no choice but to change the subject.
“Na-me, I heard you competed against national representatives. How was it?”
“Other than Katsuhata and De Sampaio, they were all pretty much the same, right? The semifinalists might be different, but we didn’t get to compete because of the matches.”
If it hadn’t been in Korean, Na-me would surely have said something that might have led to mistaken parenting at the other side of the ocean in Japan where other participants are revered similarly to Katsuhata.
Such words from a nine-year-old would often lead parents to conclude that they hadn’t raised the child properly.
“Still, seems like Katsuhata’s successor caught your fancy, huh?”
“Nope? He’s got tons of things to fix. Did you watch the matches? You haven’t? Go check them out. It’s laughable how the articles rave about the 249 combos of the Sword Sage. Bragging that they couldn’t take down a single child in the time it took to land 249 hits? Wow, if that’s the level of skill they have in observing magic dueling in Japan…thinking about all the comments I’ve read is just ridiculous… it’s truly mind-blowing.”
“Na-me Unni.”
“Why?”
“You just spoke in Japanese.”
“Oh, did I? Oops.”
Na-me covered her mouth.
“It’s just that talking with So-Wol’s parents is more convenient in Japanese…”
