Home/I Became the Heiress of a Top-Tier Guild /ch64

Chapter 64

"For the first time, it'll probably be energy control training, right? They say everyone starts with that."

Jae-i relayed what he'd heard from his teacher with a grin.

Sol-a, who'd always seemed mature, suddenly looked cute again.

"If you don't know something, feel free to ask."

"Oppa, you're just a trainee who's only been at it for a month, you know?"

Tsk. Sol-a made a whistling sound through her teeth.

'...Finally, I get to train too!'

Sol-a wriggled her mouth corners with excitement.

"Wait, what's this on your head?"

"Huh?"

Sol-a blinked at Jae-i's training uniform, suddenly blocking her view.

He'd stepped closer to check something on her crown.

Even after a long training session, Jae-i smelled pleasantly of lotion.

It seemed he had a tidy nature.

"Is that... popcorn?"

"Oh? It's puffed rice. The kids came by earlier, and Uncle Apple fried some for them."

Sol-a took the grain from Jae-i's hand and tossed it out the window.

"Come to think of it, I was just going to return the books and leave, but time's flown by."

Sol-a muttered, glancing at the blinking time on her Magic Watch.

"Oppa, want to come too? To eat puffed rice."

"Is it okay if I go?"

"Of course! But, wait. Hmm..."

Sol-a touched her chin, hesitating.

Her playful gaze swept up and down Jae-i.

"I'm not sure if it'll be okay."

"Why?"

"You think it's alright to skip training?"

Jae-i thought for a moment.

Normally he'd refuse, but today the breeze coming from outside felt wonderful.

"A short break might be okay."

"If so..."

Sol-a patted her bottom and stood up.

"We'll find out once we go!"

Led by Sol-a's hand, Jae-i stumbled out of the training ground.

This was his second time entering Geumho's main house, after the day he'd collapsed last time.

To reach the main house used by the Geum family, they had to leave the training ground, cross a stone wall path, and go through the garden.

Then they had to open the largest tiled gate guarded by a tiger statue, next to the main gate... but Sol-a passed right by it.

"Sol-a, where are you going? Isn't this the way to your house?"

"We're going in through another door."

Sol-a just grinned mischievously at Jae-i's flustered question.

"Come on, get in!"

"Get in... here?"

What Sol-a gestured to was a hole in the wall hidden behind some bushes.

"If we go through the main gate, the uncles will know we left and came back."

Wink. A playful mischief lingered in her wrinkled nose.

"It's too small..."

To get through the hole, he'd have to put his hands on the ground and crawl.

Obviously, if he went through that hole, his clothes would get covered in dirt.

"It's nothing! I'll go first!"

Before he could stop her, Sol-a bent down and pushed herself into the hole.

Jae-i had no choice but to follow her in.

Having come this far, it'd be a shame to just go back to training.

As he lifted his head, he saw a garden with a pond.

Jae-i stood alongside Sol-a.

Across the pond, children were running and playing in the garden.

They had just finished their puffed rice game and were cleaning up the messy yard.

"The uncles are gone! Let's go!"

Sol-a again led Jae-i, who was brushing dirt and grass off his hands and knees.

Jae-i stumbled again.

"Sol-a, how can a small thing like you have so much strength...!"

Since Apple was nowhere to be seen, he must have gone inside for a moment.

Sol-a ran to where the mountain of puffed rice was piled up.

"Unnie, did you get caught?"

Min-a was an expert at distracting the adults.

Since the candy house exploration, Sol-a had often asked Min-a to draw the adults' attention away.

"Hmph! Uncle Apple is a piece of cake!"

Min-a said proudly, lifting her chin.

As a result, a basin of puffed rice they couldn't possibly eat was piled high.

"Oh? It's the handsome oppa!"

Min-yul, who had been eating vanilla ice cream, spotted Jae-i and jumped up.

"Ooh?"

"Ah, hello."

The children, who had been diligently picking up puffed rice from the grass, turned their attention to him.

Feeling embarrassed, Jae-i gave an awkward greeting.

"Who are you, oppa? I'm Kim Daniel."

Jae-i was soon surrounded by the Milky Way Kindergarten kids.

At the sudden flood of curious gazes, Jae-i let out an awkward laugh.

"Young Mistress, here you are!"

Just then, Apple's voice came from behind.

"And this person is..."

"Song Jae-i. What are you doing here?"

Cold sweat ran down Jae-i's back.

His teacher was coming out of the house.

"Teacher..."

"This kid is already skipping training? You couldn't have already done 500 head-down punishments."

Rose scooped a handful of puffed rice from the basin in her arms, popped it in her mouth, and chewed.

"I told him to come play."

Jae-i looked down at Sol-a's dark head, blocking his way.

"You think it's alright to skip training?"

So that's why she'd asked with such a mischievous face. She could have given me a better heads-up...

He felt like he'd been played by Sol-a.

"Young Mistress, you did?"

Rose's eyes narrowed.

Jae-i forced a haha laugh under his teacher's gaze.

"Can't be helped. Go ahead and play."

Whew. Jae-i let out a sigh of relief.

As Rose generously granted permission like it was her own house, Apple clicked his tongue beside her.

"But how did you get in? I didn't hear the doorbell..."

Apple asked, pushing up his sunglasses with the back of his hand.

"I opened it for him!"

Sol-a brushed it off vaguely and pushed Jae-i's back.

"I was just passing by."

Jae-i glanced sideways at Sol-a, who had made him lie. Sol-a seemed to be enjoying this.

"...I see."

Despite the lack of plausibility, Apple accepted it without suspicion.

Actually, Apple was in a hurry right now.

His [Air Compression] ability was supposed to bring joy to the Young Mistress and her friends, but it had only left the yard messy.

His air-manipulating ability, like an [Invisible Hand], was useful for attacking opponents without making big movements.

But to the children, his ability was nothing more than a puffed rice maker.

'Because the reaction was so good, I made too much puffed rice.'

Wanting to make the Young Mistress and her friends happy, he'd shown off his specialty, but it seemed he'd been too eager.

"Then I'll get back to cleaning."

Anyway, Apple seemed happy that the children were satisfied.

Little did he know it was all part of Sol-a and Min-a's <Operation Puffed Rice Bonanza> to distract him.

"Sol-a, you knew my teacher would be here and brought me here anyway, didn't you?"

Jae-i asked, placing his hand lightly on Sol-a's head.

Rose was now sitting on a swing hanging from a tree, eating puffed rice.

Even when Apple asked for help with cleaning, she half-ignored him.

"Despite appearances, she holds a grudge, you know."

He could clearly see the demonic face that would make him pay for skipping out during the next training session.

"Sorry... There was so much puffed rice, I needed someone to help eat it. We can't just throw all this away, can we?"

Sol-a shrugged and smiled. Her face was full of mischief.

"You really..."

Jae-i looked down at Sol-a, dumbfounded.

Her drooping eyes and playful smile weren't unpleasant.

As expected, Kim Sol-a was a peculiar kid.

---

Not long after, Joker contacted her.

A meeting at a kids' cafe in three days.

The appointment was set.

[Joker: I will come to pick you up then.]

Joker's plan was simple yet high-difficulty. Slipping away undetected by the uncles was the biggest burden.

Sol-a was deep in thought.

'In the end, I'll have to involve the kids...'

She planned to use her friends as an excuse to get outside the guild.

The children wouldn't be in danger, but it was only natural to feel uneasy.

And the next day.

In the yard of the Geum family's main house.

A plastic children's play table was filled with six heads.

The children, sitting in a circle and facing each other, had serious expressions.

"I'm for it! I'm bored of Sol-a's house now. No new toys, no fun."

Min-a placed her thin braid over her philtrum like a grumpy pirate.

"Hmm, what's no fun?"

"Boring."

"Boring...? I'm having fun right now... Why is Min-a unnie bored?"

"Daniel, you idiot. No fun! It's boring!"

"Oh, am I... boring?"

Sniffle. Misunderstanding, Daniel's eyes began to well with tears.

"Hmm. Daniel is kind of boring sometimes..."

"No! Daniel is so much fun!"

Min-a was always honest, so Sol-a quickly stepped in, afraid the sensitive Daniel would be hurt.

Above all, if Daniel started crying, the kids she'd just managed to gather would scatter all over the house again.

"Raise your hand if you think Daniel is fun!"

Sol-a raised her hand and shouted.

Daniel blinked his wet lashes and looked around at the faces at the table.

His eyes were full of anticipation.

Sol-a urgently nudged the kids' sides.

Park Se-bin slowly raised his left hand, and Min-yul, though reluctant, raised his hand as if to be generous.

Min-a also clicked her tongue and raised her hand.

As the older siblings began to catch on, So-hye tilted her head.

"No, Daniel oppa is not fun—?!"

Sol-a reached over and covered So-hye's mouth.

Everyone had raised their hands. Unanimous.

"Everyone says Daniel is fun!"

"Re, really?"

His bright smile couldn't hide his joy.

As Daniel smiled chubbily, the other kids giggled along.

"Anyway, back to the main point..."

"What's the main point?"

Oh well...

Sol-a closed her eyes in resignation.

"Anyway, we're all meeting at the kids' cafe on Wednesday. Okay?"

"Awesome! Kids' cafe, here we come!"

So-hye shot up like Superman and rolled on the grass.

And so, the excuse to go to the kids' cafe was successfully arranged.

Back   Next