Da-eun held her arms tightly against her ears and declared.
“It’s a security alarm…!”
“… Security alarm?”
“Yep…!”
Just as a note, I didn’t tell Da-eun to do that.
I just asked out of the blue because I remembered the thing Da-eun gave me yesterday, and she dodged the answer, suddenly standing at attention like she was being punished.
The saying “A thief feels guilty” must fit this situation perfectly.
I crossed my arms, and Da-eun started shivering like a leaf.
“What’s a security alarm?”
“Well… it’s something used more in the neighboring country than in ours…. If you press the button, it makes a loud noise…? It’s to alert that you’re in danger by pressing the button…. That kind of object…. Yes….”
“Dangerous situation?”
“…When a disaster occurs or if you get into an accident. That kind of situation.”
Just hearing that, there’s really nothing strange about it.
But…
My gut feeling screamed that Da-eun was definitely hiding something.
In fact, looking at how guilty she was, it was hard not to be suspicious.
If it was just something like that, there was no reason for her to react so strongly.
Thud!
“Spit it out.”
“Eek!”
“-Talk.”
“I-I’ll talk!”
Right next to Da-eun’s head.
As I slammed the wall and growled, Da-eun quickly answered with a stiffened posture.
But that lasted only a moment.
She sneaked a peek around, rolling her eyes subtly.
“…You won’t say, ‘I don’t need it’?”
“What?”
“You have to say, ‘I don’t need it!'”
“…What are you talking about?”
I tilted my head in confusion, but I quickly opened my eyes wide.
“You have the energy to talk back?”
“It’s… a common rule…!”
“….”
“…I’m sorry.”
With a long glare, Da-eun, the sinner, bowed her head.
“But still, doing this makes me a bit excited… Is this wall hitting game?”
Thwack!
“Ouch!”
After chatting happily, Da-eun finally kept her mouth closed after receiving a solid thump on the head.
“Actually, the original purpose is to prevent crimes. It makes a loud noise when a dangerous person approaches, to scare off the criminal or alert the surroundings….”
“And?”
“…It’s a device meant to protect those who can’t defend themselves, and there’s a perception that children often use it. Like for abductions… Yes, that’s it….”
“And Da-eun gave it to me as a self-defense tool?”
“…”
Why on earth did she have something like that?
Did you have it?
That didn’t really matter.
“What’s your last will?”
Da-eun’s eyes rolled around like marbles.
They rolled so quickly that it felt like you could hear her brain rattling.
But nothing was coming out of her mouth.
Just when the scythe of death was about to let a drop of red blood fall from her neck,
Da-eun, who was desperately trying to find a way to survive, shouted out.
“Your Honor! I did nothing wrong!”
“…Your Honor?”
“Anyway, it is a self-defense item, right? I don’t think there’s any reason to be grilled like this when I didn’t lie!”
“Aha, so you’re saying you didn’t lie, therefore you did nothing wrong?”
“That’s right! I told you when I handed it over! I said to press it if a suspicious person approaches or a dangerous situation arises…!”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Then…! Ouch!”
One was too lacking, so let’s make it two.
After receiving a total of two love taps, Da-eun shed tears of joy.
Seeing her so happy warms my heart.
To Da-eun, who was tearfully asking, “Why…?!”, I said.
“I didn’t give it to you with that intention.”
“Are you worried I might get attacked by a criminal?”
Of all people, Da-eun knows exactly how strong I am.
That’s impossible.
“…No!! I’m really worried! What if a weird person approaches Kana? What if they lure her away by offering snacks?!”
“Right. Let’s say you were worried. But what about the thought of being attacked?”
“Of course, I didn’t think that!… Ouch!”
In the end, Da-eun confessed her own guilt, and a pretty triple scoop ice cream appeared on her head.
So, to put it simply, you were just messing with me.
You meant for me to carry it around since I’m a kid.
No wonder Edel was laughing… there was such a secret.
“Wait a minute! It is a self-defense item!”
As I took a step forward for judgment, Da-eun shouted anxiously.
“Are you going to repeat what you said earlier?”
“Just listen for a moment! If a weird person approaches Kana, she’ll definitely show them what for, right?”
“….”
Da-eun took my silence as a positive response.
“But here’s the thing, even if the opponent is a wicked criminal, once it’s involved in an incident, the police have to investigate. That means your identity will have to be revealed, and who knows, it could even become public in the media… that would be a huge hassle, and I bet you wouldn’t want that! I’m doing this to prevent it!”
Wow.
I must have oiled my tongue quite well, because this is some grade-A smooth talking.
I must have been dreaming; it’s as clear as day.
“While I’m at it, I might as well save the person who’s been approaching Kana.”
“…Why do you think I’m going to kill that person?”
“Huh? You’re not going to kill them?”
“I’m not.”
What do you think I am?
Do you really think I’m the type to just go around killing anyone?
With a click of her tongue, Da-eun hunched her shoulders, clearly intimidated.
“I thought you were going to ring the bell saying, ‘There’s no mercy for criminals!'”
“When did I ever say that?”
I’m not that righteous.
“I only want to kill one person.”
“What? You have someone you want to kill? Who the heck is it…?”
“….”
“…No way, it can’t be, right?”
“….”
Of course, I was joking.
There’s no way I’d actually kill Da-eun.
Honestly, she was annoying, but after slapping her three times, all my pent-up frustration was released.
“Yaaaah! Murderer! The pink-haired little killer is trying to kill me!”
– It had been that way.
They say to be careful of embers, but Da-eun not only rekindled the embers but poured oil on them.
With Da-eun’s fiery enthusiasm, the last flicker of the flame in my heart roared back to life.
And it was blazing.
Clenching my fists, I watched Da-eun scream and run away.
“If you get caught, you’re dead.”
“Eek! How romantic…!”
I wonder if she’ll still say the same thing when she gets caught.
With that thought in mind, I leaped toward Da-eun.
*
After the exhilarating game of tag.
Even after all the chaos in her escape, Da-eun ultimately got caught and paid her dues.
After tidying up the mess in the house, Da-eun and I gathered back in the living room.
“It’s still amazing to see.”
Beyond the gap with my mouth agape, Edel commented on how Da-eun was peeking into the dimension portal with curiosity.
“Can I go in there too?”
“…I don’t know?”
I hadn’t asked that in such detail.
“Maybe not.”
Unlike me, who accidentally crossed walls, broke through turbulent waters, and arrived in Silia, since it has the term ‘portal’ attached, it’s bound to be more stable.
But whether an ordinary person like Da-eun could cross the portal was uncertain.
“If it’s possible, I still wouldn’t let you through.”
Crossing over through Silia Online uses a fake body, which is safe, but if you go through this way, you’d be moving your real body.
Because of that.
Wounds, death.
I must embrace them fully.
“I was just curious. I’m not thinking about that at all.”
“Well, you look a bit disappointed for someone who isn’t.”
“Um… honestly, I was a little curious. But safety is the priority.”
Then she broke into a bright smile.
“Besides, I can still see Kana without using this.”
“Stop with the fluff…”
It is fluff, but it’s not annoying, so I just rolled my eyes slightly.
“Your face is all red!”
“No, it’s not.”
“It really is. Should I take a picture to prove it?”
“I said it’s not.”
I turned away from Da-eun, who was reaching for her phone.
During the process of subjugating dimensions, the flow of time was intentionally synchronized, so Earth and Silia flow at the same pace… that’s what Edel said.
Even if there’s a difference, it’s so small that it barely matters.
No need to worry about how sluggish things are over there since time here is flying by.
‘One must not lose track of time when playing games and cluttering up the axe handle.’
On the flip side, if we dawdle too much here, that world could be in danger.
It’s applying higher-dimensional laws to lower dimensions, so it wasn’t all that difficult.
Anyway, because of that—
I had already spent a good chunk of time playing tag with Da-eun, so if I wanted to get back before sunset, I needed to head out soon.
There’s still plenty of time before the sun sets, but I didn’t know how long I’d be fighting with that guy.
“So that’s why.”
“Exactly.”
“…I’m not running away out of embarrassment.”
“Exactly.”
“Da-eun, want to take a hit?”
“No.”
Seriously…
Shaking my head, I started walking toward the dimensional passage.
“Kana!”
“…?”
“Be careful not to get hurt, and let’s eat something delicious when you get back, okay?”
Da-eun expressed her disappointment that she couldn’t join because she had other plans.
I’m used to going around and fighting alone.
But it’s not because I’m not feeling lonely right now; it’s because…
“…yeah.”
Anyway, I have a home to return to.
I know that after enduring a brief loneliness, a warm feeling will welcome me.
Without hesitation, I stepped into the dimensional passage, and the familiar scenery welcomed me.
“I’m back.”
Dad.
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