After picking out the commander’s clothes.
“Hehe, as expected, the clothes Maru picked are great. The fit is already perfect, isn’t it?”
“…Is it?”
The commander, who gives off a strong ‘uncle’ vibe, is wearing the clothes I picked and spinning around excitedly.
…Why is it that, despite the salesperson’s hard work in picking out clothes, they didn’t buy those, but only the ones I chose?
“Hehe, Maru, my ears are itching.”
“Ah, s-sorry, unnie!”
And now, I was being carried on Nunu unnie’s back.
It wasn’t that unnie forced me to get on her back… I begged her to carry me.
Actually, being carried by the commander felt comfortable, so I was happy.
Nunu unnie’s back might not have been as sturdy as the commander’s, but it felt soft and squishy, which was a different kind of comfort. Hehe.
“Oh, right. Maru!”
“Yes?”
“Wait here for a moment!”
The commander, with a playful smile, ran off somewhere.
…What is going on suddenly?
“Hah, hah… I really wanted to give Maru something to wear.”
“What is it?”
“What is it that they’re running toward so urgently?”
“He said he wanted to give something, so it’s probably shoes… But why suddenly shoes?”
“Tada!”
The shoes the commander handed me were ordinary little sandals with duck-shaped stickers, completely different from the grand sound effect.
“What is this? Isn’t this just children’s shoes?”
“Hehe, no. These are the strongest, special equipment.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. These are shoes made by the famous craftsman ‘Baby Powder.'”
When I gave him a suspicious look, the commander quickly began praising the shoes with rapid-fire compliments.
…By the way, what kind of craftsman name is that?
Anyway, since the commander was strongly recommending these shoes, I figured there might be some effect.
But why do they still look like ordinary children’s sandals?
Or maybe not? If you look at fox rain, it just looks like an umbrella on the outside, but maybe there’s a hidden feature.
“Let’s try them on…”
They feel a little tight, but they fit just right.
Maybe it’s because I changed shoes, but even though I originally wore sandals, these feel more comfortable.
“Are they supposed to make me stronger? I don’t feel any different…”
“Maru, try walking with them.”
“Okay.”
The moment I took a step, holding the commander’s hand, my mind went blank.
Pyoong.
“Hehe, kkk…”
The sound I never wanted to hear came from my feet.
Pyoong, pyoong.
“This, no way…”
Pyoong, pyoong, pyoong. Pop!
“No way?”
Pop!
“Yeah, that’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
“…Then.”
The shoes made a popping sound in rhythm with my steps.
…No matter how I look at it, these are popping shoes. The kind children wear.
“Hehe, seriously, it looks perfect on you. So cute! Hehehe!”
“Commander!!!”
“You tricked me.”
The commander tricked me!
I did so much for him, I picked out the clothes, held his hand, and everything. How could he do this to me!!!!
Pyoong, pyoong, pyoong!
“Why! They look great on you!”
“Stop right there!!”
Pyoong! Pyoong, pyoong! Pop, pyoong!
I sped up even more to catch the running commander.
Passing the food section, I saw Nunu unnie taking pictures and admiring something.
I shot a glare at the commander, who threw the sea as a shield and continued running, then lightly hugged the confused sea before running again.
“Hah, heh. Wait a minute! Time out!”
“There’s no time out! Accept your punishment, the Maru kick!!”
“Honestly, don’t you like the popping shoes?!”
“What do you mean, ‘like’? Wait until I catch you!”
“I’m going to make you wear popping shoes too!”
“Sorry, but I prefer barefoot youth!”
“You’re already past youth!!”
“I’m going to make you wear them, I won’t let you go!”
“…I don’t know if they make adult versions, but I’ll make you feel the same humiliation!!”
“Stop right there!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Can’t you stop right now?!”
Thud!
Huh.
Suddenly, my vision went dark, and my body, which had been running, was thrown back as if it hit something.
What? I was sure I had checked there was no one ahead.
As I looked up in confusion…
“Yikes.”
A terrifyingly scary-looking unnie was glaring at me.
Meanwhile, the sea and Nunu were watching the two people who passed by with smiles, picking up some things they dropped.
“Hehe. Maru’s body was so soft.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Maru hugged me!”
…One of them was so excited that their energy was through the roof.
Anyway, the two of them picked up some things Maru and the commander had dropped and chatted.
“What do you think of this outfit?”
“Oh, that looks good. I think Nunu would look really pretty in it!”
“Right, right?”
In the meantime, they also picked out a few outfits that seemed to suit each other well.
“How about this one?”
“Oh? That’s totally a baby outfit. Are you planning to dress Maru in that?”
“Yes!”
Since they had found a few outfits they wanted to see Maru wear, both of their expressions looked very happy.
Maru always wore just one oversized boxy t-shirt that covered his small body, so for the two of them, who had always wanted to see him in different clothes, this was a great opportunity.
“I don’t even know if Maru would actually try that on. But wow, they really sell things like that at the mart? I had no idea.”
“Eh, if we bribe her with pudding, she’ll probably give in. She may not look like it, but she has a total baby palate.”
Bada, who casually made a comment that would have made Maru flustered if she had heard it, held up a bright yellow tracksuit.
If it had a hat, it would look just like something a kindergartener would wear.
“What about the size?”
“You know, Nunu. Just tell me.”
“…So you already figured it out. Well, it’s a secret, but I’ll tell you.”
“If we’re buying it anyway, let’s get the hat too.”
“Good sense.”
And so began their grand operation of dressing Maru in cute clothes.
“Hey.”
“Yes? Kyahhh!”
It had begun.
…Or rather, it was about to begin.
At the sudden deep voice from the side, Bada instinctively turned her head and came face to face with a woman with a stern expression.
She was also incredibly tall, which made the already scary and ominous atmosphere even more intimidating.
“This…”
“…Wait, this is Maru? Maru, are you okay?”
Upon closer inspection, the thing in the large woman’s hand was…
“Uuuh…”
“Ba… Bada, it’s been a while.”
For some reason, Maru was sniffling, and the commander had a small bump on their head.
“Here, take them.”
“Uh, um… Okay.”
With an awkward expression, Bada took the two of them.
Still not understanding the situation, she was racking her brain when Nunu, standing beside her, spoke up.
“Wait a second. You’re Linne, right? It’s been so long, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“…Nureongi?”
“Hey, that’s just a nickname! My real name is Nunu!”
Apparently, they knew each other, and the two shook hands enthusiastically, showing their familiarity.
Because of that, Bada and the commander—excluding the still-sniffling Maru—could only watch in confusion.
“So, you got kicked out of your original command and ended up working here?”
“Yeah, that’s what happened.”
“Figures. That place was run by total idiots.”
Sniffle.
“There, there. Maru, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
Nunu gently patted Maru, who was snuggled in her arms.
Just what had happened to make Maru nearly cry?
“So, what exactly happened with you three? Maru isn’t someone who cries so easily.”
“…I’m not crying.”
“Right, so what did you do?”
“Running isn’t allowed.”
Linne, who was just doing her job as a mart security guard.
When Nunu shot her a look demanding a better explanation, Linne flinched slightly before continuing.
“I just blocked their way.”
“…Oh.”
Nunu nodded as if she understood.
If Linne’s explanation was accurate, the situation must have gone like this:
The two had been running through the mart at an insane speed, practically having a chase.
Linne, unable to stand it anymore, stepped in front of them to tell them to walk quietly.
But—unable to control their speed—they crashed headfirst into her.
Since Maru was a five-star mercenary, she wasn’t hurt, but the commander, a regular person, must have hit their head hard enough to get a bump.
Nunu briefly thought it was fortunate they weren’t seriously injured, but then another question popped into her head.
“Then why is Maru crying?”
“…I said I’m not crying.”
“Right, right.”
Maru, still buried in Nunu’s chest, showed no signs of pulling away.
Nunu could feel her chest slowly getting damp, but she decided not to say anything.
If she did, Maru would definitely pout again.
After watching Maru with a loving gaze and gently stroking her head for a moment, Nunu spoke again.
“Tell me. I won’t get mad.”
“I don’t know either.”
Linne, flustered, spoke in a tone that made her seem truly innocent.
Then what was the reason?
‘Should I just ask her directly?’
Just as Nunu was about to carefully pose the question—
“Uuuh…”
Maru, still in her embrace, cautiously shifted her gaze to the side.
Then, as if scared, she buried her face back into Nunu’s chest.
And the words that finally came out of Maru’s mouth were…
“The tall wolf lady is scary…”
…Which was enough to make Linne’s worried expression turn into one of sheer devastation.