“All done!”
Kang Hana feigned wiping away sweat with a proud expression.
I didn’t even have sweat to wipe away, as it had all dried up instantly, but it signified how much she had struggled.
Kang Hana carefully lifted up the result of her considerable effort.
It was a nameless bird roast dish that resembled a mouthwatering whole roasted turkey.
Even Kang Hana herself thought it was well-roasted.
It was so golden brown that even Lulu, upon seeing the meat, opened his mouth slightly with a “Heh.”
Lulu’s shining horns glittered as if pulsating.
Kang Hana’s heart swelled as she watched him.
‘I made Lulu admire me!’ she thought.
Everything was perfect.
Now, all that was left was to put bite-sized pieces of the meat into that small mouth, one by one.
Kang Hana couldn’t help but feel happy at the thought of Lulu’s soft cheeks being full and bulging with delicious meat.
Filled with anticipation.
Kang Hana picked up the well-roasted bird and stood up.
But something was off.
“Gya-oh…?”
Seeing Lulu tilt his head, Kang Hana also tilted her head in unison.
“Lulu, what’s wro- AUGH!”
Kang Hana’s view suddenly dropped, and she unintentionally met the floor face-first.
Everywhere she looked, she could easily find broken debris.
The floor was littered with shards that were perfect for tripping over.
When Kang Hana lost her grip on what she was holding, the well-roasted meat soared through the air as if it were alive.
Kang Hana desperately reached out towards the meat, which was out of her reach.
“Ah, no…!!”
It was already several meters away from Kang Hana at a glance.
Kang Hana, who had quickly realized that she couldn’t reach it, prayed that someone would catch it.
It was at that moment.
Something came flying with a light, “Pop,” sound.
Just before the meat hit the ground.
The Bouncy Snake suddenly appeared from below and became a cushion!
“Koo-ehng.”
The Bouncy Snake’s body was compressed into the shape of the meat, then, “Boing.”
The meat, which was about to fall to the ground, bounced back up.
Kang Hana didn’t miss the opportunity and stood up, reaching out her hand.
“Got it…!!”
Kang Hana barely managed to grab the meat and cheered.
First, it wouldn’t catch fire, and now she dropped it and almost had it rolling in the dust.
She just wanted to feed Lulu, but why were there so many trials?
At this rate, she grumbled, her heart would fall out soon.
Kang Hana crouched down, holding the meat tightly in one hand.
The Bouncy Snake was making eye contact with her.
It must have been quite far away, but it had flown over in an instant to help; it was such a grateful and cute snake.
Kang Hana stroked the snake’s head.
“Bouncy Snake, thank you. You saved me…! You have such an amazing ability!”
The Bouncy Snake didn’t seem afraid of Kang Hana’s touch and naturally enjoyed the petting.
Unlike a snake, it seemed to understand the praise and looked proud; its expression was very cute.
-Beeep!
Every time the Bouncy Snake proudly raised its head, the folds of fat on its back were so charming that she couldn’t help but want to touch them.
But, for some reason, she felt a gaze from the side.
Kang Hana turned to look and pondered for a moment in confusion.
For some reason, Lulu was looking at the proudly smiling Bouncy Snake with a displeased look.
She didn’t know when they had met, but weren’t they close?
‘Why was she looking at the Bouncy Snake, who was showing off, with such displeasure?’
Kang Hana looked down at the Bouncy Snake, who was beeping.
It was just cute.
But, Lulu, with her pouting lips, was even cuter, so wouldn’t that be a good thing?
Kang Hana looked back and forth between the two cute creatures and smiled.
The small Bouncy Snake.
Kang Hana tore off a small piece of the bird roast and brought it to the Bouncy Snake’s mouth.
Then, the Bouncy Snake’s eyes widened.
“Want to try some?”
Although she wanted Lulu to have the first bite, the meat wasn’t in great condition from the start.
It already didn’t have a neck and one wing, so what was the point of a first bite?
Kang Hana fed the roast to the Bouncy Snake.
The Bouncy Snake eagerly ate the meat.
But, there was something Kang Hana hadn’t considered….
Because she had struggled with the heat control, the inside was quite hot.
“Koo-ehng.”
The Bouncy Snake shed a tear.
“Oh, what do I do…! Sorry, are you okay?”
As Kang Hana was comforting the sulky Bouncy Snake, she saw Lulu’s expression change.
Lulu was nodding as if it was desirable.
‘Why did his expression change?’
Kang Hana couldn’t figure out the reason, but she managed to appease the Bouncy Snake by diligently stroking it.
“I’ll have to blow on it to cool it down before putting it in Lulu’s mouth.”
Before bringing it to Lulu.
Kang Hana also tasted the roast.
She thought the roast, which tore apart softly along the grain, would definitely be delicious, but she couldn’t be sure.
The first dish she made for Lulu couldn’t be bad.
Kang Hana’s expression hardened as she savored the meat.
Something was wrong.
The moment she put the meat in her mouth, her tongue felt numb and tingly.
Kang Hana’s heart pounded with anxiety as she sensed something was wrong.
Then.
Fortunately, the tingling sensation soon disappeared, and only the chewy texture and unique flavor of the new dish remained.
Even after eating another piece, it was just normally delicious now.
Kang Hana wondered.
That intense tingling sensation couldn’t have been a delusion.
But, seeing the Bouncy Snake, who had been hot, swallowing it well once it cooled down, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
“Hmm….”
Kang Hana was pondering that it would be nice to have one more person to taste it instead, when there was something cute in front of her.
“Huh?”
Penguin Lulu made eye contact with Kang Hana and nodded.
Kang Hana hadn’t said anything.
With an unknown “Awa-wa-wa-wang” sound, a round hole appeared in front of Penguin Lulu, and Penguin Lulu jumped into it.
Kang Hana watched the scene questioningly.
***
After a few seconds, perhaps.
Penguin Lulu, who popped out of the hole again, brought a familiar person with him.
“Huh…?”
A tired-looking woman, seemingly frozen in confusion as if she couldn’t grasp the situation.
It was someone Kang Hana trusted and followed more than anyone else.
“Senior? Why are you here?”
Kang Hana was surprised to see her senior suddenly appear.
Penguin Lulu stood proudly next to her.
‘Could it be that she brought her because she thought it would be nice to have someone to taste it?’
But Kang Hana had clearly only thought about it and hadn’t said it out loud.
‘How did she know and bring her?’
Anyway, there was definitely someone to taste it now.
“Um… then, since you’re here, would you like to taste it?”
Kang Hana tore off a piece of the roast and held it out to her senior.
Her senior, who didn’t know what was going on, had a dumbfounded expression as she reluctantly accepted it.
It was understandable, since the first thing she said without even greeting her was a request to taste it.
She looked at the piece of meat in her hand once, then at Kang Hana once.
“Okay.”
Her senior put it in her mouth and chewed it.
But, she felt another gaze from somewhere again.
Kang Hana wondered again.
This time, Lulu was frowning and looking in the direction of Kang Hana.
He had an expression as if he was questioning if that was right.
Somehow, it was similar to that subtly ‘cute expression’ that she had seen often until recently.
But, at that moment.
“… Ah.”
***
Thud.
Her senior, who had been fine until a moment ago, staggered and collapsed.
Her senior wasn’t breathing.
Kang Hana was very flustered and shouted.
“Senior? Senior?! Wake up!!”
Giselle Hartmann, age 28.
The cause of death was Jimjo’s poison.
I sighed as I looked at Kang Hana.
I had a feeling it would end up like this from the moment she didn’t bring it right away….
She even tasted it, didn’t she know that it was okay because of the Heavenly Flames even though it had poison?
Typical of stupid Kang Hana.
I thought the name was strange, and as expected, the “senior” at the end of “Senior Giselle” was a title….
‘Eung, strange. Why is the human so concerned about a two-legged beast?’
‘Question. However. Human, what?’
‘What, you stupid snake. If you don’t even know, why are you saying something!’
I passed through my chattering descendants and approached Kang Hana.
Kang Hana had her hands together on Giselle’s flat chest and was pressing down, so engrossed that she didn’t even know I was standing behind her.
‘What is that action supposed to mean?’
Come out, memories of my human days.
‘…Ah, it’s called chest compressions.’
I remembered it faster than I thought.
“No. Senior, you can’t die…! Open your eyes!!”
Hmm.
Judging by her heartbeat, or the movement of her pupils, or whatever.
Giselle, she won’t even last 3 minutes no matter what she does and will become a star in the lake.
Kang Hana didn’t seem to know yet.
“No, Senior…!! I did think you would have a short life if you slept so little and worked, but why are you dying so suddenly!!”
Her prayer was conveyed.
A prayer that Senior Giselle would please wake up.
‘Well.’
‘Yeah, just one prayer.’
Kang Hana took away so much of the Heavenly Flames, so I guess I can save her this much.
I looked up at the sky for a moment.
Beyond the ceiling, I could see a vast Milky Way in my eyes.
I have to find the star connected to her from there… I can’t see it well.
‘Am I not looking at the sky often these days, or is my memory deteriorating?’
Hidden picture finding is a bit difficult.
‘Why can’t I see it.’
‘Did it not appear yet because she’s still dying? Then it will appear soon, I guess.’
***
While I was looking at the sky for a short time.
I finally found a star.
A star that was clearly not there when I looked at the Milky Way to save the Bouncy Snake.
‘Is that it?’
I lightly plucked the star from the sky, and indeed.
It didn’t seem strongly connected, but it seemed slightly connected to Giselle’s body.
‘There wasn’t a single plausible star other than this one, so I guess it’s right?’
I lightly tapped the star.
‘…??’
I shyly grabbed the peeking soul onto my palm.
You little rascal.
‘!!!’
The soul flew dynamically and entered Giselle’s body.
Good.
Now this star is useless.
It would be perfect as a palate cleanser before eating Kang Hana’s unexpectedly delicious chicken dish.
I put it in my mouth and crunched it.
Hic.
It pops…?
It’s a surprisingly mysterious taste.
‘What kind of taste is this?’
The memories of my human days that suddenly popped out said it was popping candy….
I was surprised because it was a taste that I couldn’t associate with Giselle’s dark impression at all.
I even returned the soul.
Now, if I remove the poison, she will wake up right away.
“Gya-oh.”
It was then, as I was trying to push Kang Hana back.
Something was wrong.
Thump, thump.
‘Huh?’
‘Why is she already coming back to life?’
‘If she died and came back to life, her heart couldn’t be beating this fast…?’
I was so surprised that I looked into Giselle’s body.
Into Giselle’s body, who was lying down.
Kang Hana’s Heavenly Flames, which were doing chest compressions, were flowing through her hands towards her heart.
I saw Kang Hana’s expression, who was shedding tears like a waterfall.
“Please, please…!”
She didn’t seem to know what she was doing at all.
Wow….
This is really unbelievable.
Only Mna, who was the smartest and most capable of humans, could do something like that.
‘How is stupid Kang Hana doing it?’
Eventually.
Giselle opened her eyes.
“Huk, eu-hek….”
“Euaaah, Senior…! Are you conscious? I’m so glad you came back to life…!!”
In the end, Giselle came back to life.
No, that’s the wrong way to say it.
She never died in the first place.
As soon as I realized that.
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
I couldn’t bear to look straight at Kang Hana, who was making eye contact with me and smiling happily.
‘No. Huh?’
‘Wait…?’
‘Then… what is the identity of the soul that I put into that body and revived…?’
“Lulu! Senior Giselle came back to life!”
“Gya, gya-oh….”
I avoided Kang Hana’s eyes.
I pretended not to know about the random human soul that was lingering around Giselle’s body.
“What, you. G-6022, weren’t you dead? Why are you here! Are you a ghost?!”
“Euaaah, what do I do? I think Senior is seeing things…!”
Kang Hana asked for my help, but I didn’t know of any solution other than killing her and bringing her back to life.
“B-but, since we know each other, it should be okay, right…?”
“Grrr…..Grraaoooo…….”
“….Sorry!”