AEPOB 18

Chapter 18

Holtz frowned as he assessed the situation.

Had she left something at our house?

But upon closer inspection, Kiki was more hunched over than usual. Even though she always covered her face like she did now, she was a child who always held herself upright, so the difference was even more noticeable.

“……Huh?”

A moment later, Holtz spotted a familiar wheat-colored head of hair on Kiki’s back—hair that resembled his own.

His heart dropped. He hurriedly rushed towards Kiki.

“Kiki!”

The freshly gathered laundry scattered on the ground, but that was already out of his mind.

“Kiki! What happened? Surely Abel didn’t collapse again this time…!”

Holtz’s words didn’t reach their end.

Because Kiki reached out her hand and covered his mouth.

“Shh.”

“…….”

“She’s asleep.”

Kiki carefully lowered Abel from her back and handed her over to Holtz.

Only after confirming that his daughter’s chest was rising and falling rhythmically did Holtz turn his gaze to Kiki.

“Kiki, what happened?”

Fortunately, neither child looked any different from usual, but Holtz’s face was full of worry.

Kiki shook her head slightly.

“It seems Abel came to the herb field earlier to look for us and we missed each other on the way. But she must still not be feeling well, because she was asleep in the herb field.”

“Our Bel?”

Holtz raised his voice in surprise.

At that, Kiki flapped her hands beside him, signaling him to lower his voice, and whispered.

“Yes. She was sleeping so deeply that no matter how much I tried to wake her, she wouldn’t get up. I felt bad just leaving her there, so I brought her here.”

“Thank you, Kiki. I’m always indebted to you. Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?”

“It’s okay.”

After giving her short reply, Kiki looked up at the sky. Her face subtly hardened.

“The rainy season will start soon.”

“That’s right. We won’t be able to move for a while.”

“……I’ll be going now. Please give my regards to Abel, sir.”

Just as Kiki bowed her head and was about to turn around without any lingering attachment, Holtz stopped her.

“……Kiki, are you alright?”

Holtz had vaguely noticed that Kiki’s condition worsened whenever the rainy season came.

If he hadn’t known, it would be one thing, but now that he did, it was hard to pretend otherwise.

Perhaps, as a father of a child, he was being overly meddlesome with Kiki, who was the same age as Abel.

“If you’re not feeling well, anytime…”

“I’m fine.”

Kiki rarely showed her inner thoughts. She simply made her way leisurely back to her own house.

She could have said she was having a hard time, just a little.

Holtz let out a bitter smile.

Following Kiki’s gradually receding figure with his eyes, he offered a prayer for the child.

Praying that this rainy season would end quickly so that the child might suffer a little less pain.

Something’s strange, so strange.

No matter how I thought about it, this wasn’t something I could just let slide.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already pitch dark outside, and instead of Kiki, my dad was by my side.

I lay in bed and replayed the conversation I’d had with my dad.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“Yep. Dad, where’s Kiki?”

“Kiki went back a while ago. Bel, I heard you fell asleep in the herb field. Are you still not feeling well?”

“Well… I suddenly got so tired that I meant to close my eyes for just a moment, but I must have fallen into a deep sleep.”

“Thank goodness Kiki found you this time. Bel, no matter how tired you are, you shouldn’t sleep outside. It could be dangerous. Okay?”

“Okay…”

“Ah! Kiki asked me to give you her regards. Have you become friends with Kiki now?”

“We decided to be friends.”

At that, Dad was delighted, saying how wonderful that was.

Then I ate the warm soup he gave me, said good night, and that was just moments ago.

Yes, let’s just say Kiki lied so Dad wouldn’t worry.

‘……And Dad believed that?’

Both Kiki and I must have been soaking wet like drowned rats, right?

But there was no mention of that.

I dashed to the window and checked my reflection. My twin braids, which had been thoroughly soaked, and my clothes were completely dry.

What happened?

‘Could there be some secret hidden within Kiki?’

Just then, I noticed the notification icon on the conversation window I had shoved into the corner.

The small, blinking red circle, as if demanding my attention, was hard to ignore.

Right, let’s get the reward first and think about it later.

Composing myself, I plopped down on the edge of the bed.

‘Open conversation window, mission window.’

[Mission Update!]

The status of the ‘True Friend’ mission has been updated. (More details)

What’s this now?

My temples throbbed the moment I saw it.

I chewed on my lips as I read the text.

‘Didn’t I pass the mission earlier?’

What’s with this sudden update?

Just when I tried to get used to one thing, the conversation window annoyingly spat out new features.

I immediately pressed the ‘More details’ button.

[Mission Update!]

The status of the ‘True Friend’ mission has been updated.

You have reached the title of ‘Friend’ with the target, achieving 50% of the mission.

Please complete the remaining 50%.

Just when I thought I might finally get a hint about the original story, it hit me right in the back of the head.

Rubbing the back of my neck, which was tense from rising blood pressure, I attempted to talk to the conversation window.

‘Then how do I fill the remaining 50%?’

[If the Possessor gains the trust of the target ‘Kiki Müller,’ the mission percentage will gradually increase.]

So I need to earn her trust?

In an instant, my past actions flashed through my mind. Our first meeting was when I almost got dragged off by a slave trader.

Then, out of nowhere, I fell into the water from the bridge.

Even though it happened before the possession, Abel had also collapsed from heatstroke. There was no way trust could build up.

‘There was that time I saved her in between…….’

But that probably wasn’t enough to recover the lost trust.

Still, it was too early to give up.

‘We decided to be friends starting today, so I’ll just build up trust little by little, right?’

I clenched my fist.

It’s not like I can’t do it. I just have to do it.

Just as I was firming up my resolve, the conversation window displayed a new message, as if implying I couldn’t do it alone.

[Possessor, if you faithfully complete the following sub-mission, you can gradually increase your trust level.]

[Sub Mission!]

Say hello once a day (7/10)

―Target: Kiki Müller

‘So that’s what it was!’

Anyway, it sure knows how to turn someone’s feelings upside down.

Zing.

I glared sharply at the conversation window.

Come to think of it, quite a few things have gone wrong because of this conversation window!

But what can I do.

Since it says the sub-mission will raise trust, I’ll just have to follow along, crying and eating mustard.*

*[Translator’s Note: Korean idiom meaning to do something reluctantly or with great difficulty.]

‘Now that we’re friends, saying hello should be a piece of cake.’

Eager to clear the sub-mission as quickly as possible, I waited for tomorrow, when I’d see Kiki.

And the plan failed spectacularly.

It had already been a week since the entire world was shrouded in rain.

It poured down as if the sky had a hole in it, and I hadn’t been able to step foot outside even once during that time.

So, I hadn’t met Kiki even once since the day we decided to be friends.

Thanks to that, a fierce rainstorm was also raging in my heart.

No, I mean, our hands and feet have to move in sync, right?!

‘What if we drift apart again at this rate?’

I finished the milk I was drinking in one gulp and hopped down from my chair.

I can’t just sit still like this.

I approached my dad, who was diligently kneading bread dough for lunch in the kitchen.

“Dad, it’s raining a lot, but don’t you need to check on the herb field?”

“Usually, during the first week of the rainy season, it rains all day, so everyone rests at home. But starting tomorrow, it’ll be the second week, so it won’t rain until early morning. So I’m going to go check on it briefly at dawn tomorrow.”

“Then what about Kiki? Will Kiki be coming tomorrow too?”

“Yeah. She’ll probably come if nothing comes up.”

Just then, a sharp sound of something breaking came from the living room.

Our heads instantly turned in that direction.

The glass vase that had been displayed on the living room shelf had fallen to the floor and shattered.

The yellow flowers that had been in the broken vase were scattered limply on the floor.

Barsil and Barokan.

They were the very flowers Kiki had personally taught me to distinguish that day.