Siyeon, the mascot, was putting food into her mouth one by one, likely because she didn’t have hands.
In stark contrast to that, Gomteng, a beggar of sorts who had been starved for days.
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight to see him ravenously shoving fries into his mouth right after answering.
And how long has it been since he devoured galbijjim?
On that moonlit night, both the magical girl and the mascot were comfortably full.
Unlike humans, Gomteng could lie down right after eating without any issue, and the conversation began with his quiet mumbling.
“Wow, holidays are great.”
“Do monsters have stuff like this?”
In the lazy atmosphere, I asked Gomteng about the life of monsters while he lay sprawled out on the floor.
He thoughtfully recalled his past life, sharing his thoughts about the life of a monster, which also seemed to have many considerations.
“The cultures differ greatly by species; some have no concept of work and rest… Anyway, it can lead to quite a bit of friction.”
“That sounds somewhat enviable.”
Listening to what he had to say, I began to dream of a life in the universe.
No concept of work and rest? What a sweet deal for some species!
Then Gomteng continued, indicating that it wasn’t just a matter of envy.
“That might not be something to be jealous of; it could mean a lack of cultural development to the point that our entire existence revolves around eating, sleeping, and pooping, so there are no holidays…”
“Isn’t it the best when all you do is eat, sleep, and poop?”
“What the… Are you a caveman?”
Gomteng rebuked me for questioning whether it was the pinnacle of existence while mention of flaws was occurring.
Thinking of the villains that suddenly popped into my mind from that accusation made me seriously consider whether the life of a caveman might have a higher happiness index.
As long as you eat well, poop well, and sleep well, there’s no problem living.
No worries about the smell of cigarettes from downstairs or noise from the neighbors above.
In any case, as long as you’re strong, that’s all that matters.
I felt a pang of resistance toward Gomteng for being happy just about holidays and asked him back.
“And you? How amazing of a cultural life have you enjoyed?”
“……”
The conversation cut off abruptly with my question.
He seemed to panic while lying down, as if there was something he couldn’t forget.
At the end of our conversation, which left only wounds, I suggested a ceasefire.
“…Let’s stop talking about this.”
“Okay.”
And just like that, the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned solemn.
In contrast to that solemn mood, there were monsters spending their days with a cheerful vibe, even more festive than Earth’s holidays.
Inside the ship, a room where various races gathered to live.
Due to their diverse cultural and biological traits, there were usually many squabbles, but…
For some reason, that place, once a gathering of complaints and frustrations, was now filled with cheerful laughter.
“Oh, sorry!”
“Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine!”
“It’s a festival!”
The festive atmosphere had continued on the ship for several days.
The reason was undoubtedly the ‘suspension of operations in the black area’ led by Medic Tentacle.
After meticulously organizing the project that was crucial to gaining acceptance from the upper management, regarding cost reduction, boosting the morale of combatants, and reducing incapacitated monsters.
Finally, approval had been granted from the higher-ups.
So from the perspective of the monsters who had to head to Earth, it was no wonder they were bursting with joy.
The mere fact that they were not heading to the black area was enough to boost their spirits to the cosmos.
The stage was one where defeat was nearly guaranteed, yet they raised their hands as if they were having fun, proving that point.
“Can I go? I’ve heard new recruits hurt less when they hit.”
“Stella, that human hurts quite a bit too… I’ll pass to the next.”
“I’m in charge of magical girl Saturn, is there anyone to swap with?”
“Oh, me! I want to swap.”
While the hopeful chatter of the monsters was flowing, did they even consider?
That something which would become a seed of despair for them quietly writhed within the very ship they inhabited…
In the monster research and development room aboard the ship, the seed of despair was being created.
Medic Tentacle asked the maker in charge of the monster research and development room.
“So, is there any progress?”
“Well, I can’t guarantee anything.”
The maker was a master of life sciences, capable of quickly creating simple monsters from organic materials if a base creature was available.
Some monsters had parents, while others were based on different creatures.
With his synthesis skills and the ship’s ancient facilities, it would be child’s play to create something resembling a monster, even if it couldn’t talk.
Examples included the cat monster that Sun had smashed.
Medic Tentacle cherished the precious time of 20 sets.
During that time, the maker’s goal was to somehow create a creature that could contend against Sun.
It’s easy to say, but even if he used up his lifetime’s worth of time, it wasn’t necessarily easy.
“If I could’ve made something like that from the start, we wouldn’t be going through this hardship.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
As Medic Tentacle listened to his valid theories, she recalled the fear she faced when encountering her, gently stroking her smooth head.
She wouldn’t demand that they defeat everyone, including Sun.
At the very least, she hoped there would be a custom monster capable of dealing with her.
But she soon realized that even that would not be an easy task.
The maker’s busy mechanical hands were moving around, yet there seemed to be no suitable solutions, only busy movement.
“What about a monster highly specialized for heat?”
“Are you asking to create a monster that can survive being thrown into the sun? Are you out of your mind?”
“Seems like a stretch…”
“Well, at least the data you provided is useful. If I can find a clue, I’ll look for you.”
The two monsters exchanged promises for the future as they continued their warm conversation.
However, what neither of them knew was that the clue the maker sought was lurking just barely out of reach.
On the other side of the veil pulled from the end of that thread.
A disaster would soon engulf the ship…
If you think about it, the cause would be Mari, the one and only Sun.
She was atop the monsters’ ship, whether a disaster would grow or not, placing a small cake on the table and singing.
“Happy birthday to you- happy birthday to you-”
Singing while looking at the cute flames attached to the eight or so candles.
As the applause grew louder, so too did Siyeon’s smile, perfectly synced to the rhythm of the clapping.
“Dear harbinger of love, Siyeon-! Happy birthday-! Yay!”
“Phew!”
Just as the applause was about to turn into a seal clap.
The adorable flames were snuffed out in an instant from the gust of breath, leaving only light smoke behind.
Turning the lights back on, which had been turned off in line with the mood, I quickly pulled out the melted wax before it could touch the surface of the cake and put them into a bag.
The cake was a chocolate cake full of mousse that perfectly catered to Siyeon’s tastes.
“Alright, since it’s your birthday, let’s give Siyeon the chocolate decoration too.”
“Yay-”
I handed over a slice of the cut chocolate cake to the visibly excited Siyeon, then took a piece for myself.
Chocolate cake had been too sweet for me since high school, making it something I avoided.
Imagining the overwhelming sweetness that would sting my tongue as I took a bite…
‘It’s not that sweet…?’
Strangely enough, my body was accepting it now.
Was it a side effect of my amazing rejuvenation? Or was this piece of chocolate cake just less sweet than usual? I couldn’t quite tell.
Regardless, since it wasn’t sickeningly sweet, I approached with light spirits.
Leaving only about two pieces behind for the fridge.
Having enjoyed the birthday cake, the next thing was the presents.
“Now, here’s Siyeon’s birthday gift!”
“Gift?!”
Excitedly tearing through the awkward wrapping paper, Siyeon was greeted with the latest model smartphone.
It was three generations newer than mine!
The case was made of jelly, ensuring it wouldn’t break even if it fell.
I even stopped by the store to finalize the setup so she could use it right away.
And the plan was an unlimited one, so data would never be a concern.
“Smartphone!”
The sparkling eyes of Siyeon as she held the smartphone conveyed her joy to me.
If she was that happy, it was no wonder I felt ecstatic too.
While happily packing up the smartphone box, Siyeon came running over and buried her face in my chest.
“Mmm.”
It was the best response she could offer, a hug.
“You’re the best, Mari!”
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