Gulp!
The baby bird’s throat convulsed greatly.
“……”
“……”
Jurim furrowed his brow, while Mephisto rolled his eyes to the side.
Then, as if he had made up his mind, he cautiously opened his mouth into a diamond shape and let out an “Ah.”
‘Of course it’s empty.’
Because he swallowed the boss……
Feeling dizzy, Jurim pressed his fingers between his brows.
His daughter’s pet had picked up and eaten a core in the dungeon, and now it had even shrunk a boss down and eaten it.
These guys had a ridiculously grand scale even when they caused trouble, didn’t they?
Until now, he had worried about his young daughter getting hurt, but she seemed to be gradually turning into the dangerous one instead.
Just then, Gru was greatly startled as he looked into Mephisto’s empty mouth.
“E-empty!”
……How could you be the one getting startled?
“B, beep!”
When Gru was startled, Mephisto was startled along with him. Covering his mouth, he shook his head from side to side.
The sight made Jurim even dizzier.
Apparently, committing the perfect crime was difficult for a five-year-old.
In the meantime, Uju gave Gru a meaningful look, telling him not to panic.
Only then did Gru realize that they were currently deceiving Jurim. He fumbled awkwardly, then spoke like a child reading aloud from a textbook.
“Mm. Of course it was empty……. ’Cause there wasn’t anythin’ in it.”
Jurim had thought Gru had gotten a little better at acting from spending time with Uju, but apparently it was all the result of painstaking practice.
“Haa……”
Jurim let out a long sigh.
At that, Gru hugged Mephisto to his chest, pressed his lips tightly together with a tense expression, and looked up at him.
Their gazes met head-on: Gru’s large, drooping eyes.
Jurim, who had intended to give him a thorough scolding, squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. Then, with an exceedingly gentle touch, he smoothed Gru’s hair back.
Gru seemed to relax a little and broke into a goofy grin.
He ought to tell her that dungeons were dangerous, so she shouldn’t go alone……
No, the situation had turned out to be the opposite, so telling her not to go because it was dangerous didn’t quite make sense.
‘Is it because of that SSS-rank?’
Monsters submitted to strength.
An SSS-rank would have easily forced an AAA-rank boss into submission.
Honestly, she picked up the strangest things.
If the things Gru brought home had actually posed a danger to her, he would have disciplined her sternly. But this matter and that matter kept getting resolved somehow or other without trouble, so he hesitated to say anything for fear of merely provoking his daughter’s rebellious spirit.
‘Why is this five-year-old so difficult?’
A sudden surge of anger welled up in Jurim, and he pinched Gru’s cheek.
“Uuu-”
“From now on, you stay with that thing at all times.”
“Even the bathroom?”
“Yeah. The bathroom too.”
He had been concerned when they said she was raising a monster, but if that thing kept Gru safe, then there was nothing to be done.
He would probably feel even more uneasy if he didn’t keep the two of them together at all times.
Jurim released Gru’s cheek.
“Answer me.”
“Yeees!”
Gru answered with a bright smile. She had the look of someone who thought she had completely fooled her father.
Rather than fooling him, she had only added a whole host of new functions to her troublemaking daughter’s watch……
Yet the one truly startled by their exchange was Uju.
“T-the bathroom?”
“Yeah.”
“But, mister. Gru’s a girl.”
When Uju looked confused, Jurim snickered.
Realizing what Uju was thinking, he teased him.
“Yeah, I know. But you went with her this time too.”
“That was……”
“So from now on, whenever he goes to the bathroom, Gru will go with him too.”
Trying to deceive me together with Gru? What an insolent brat.
Uju’s mouth fell open in shock. Jurim gave his head one gentle stroke and said,
“Anyway, got it. I’ll go bring the car around, so play with Uju.”
As Jurim turned away, Gru’s eyes grew round.
He didn’t find out!
Jurim glanced back, caught sight of Gru’s slyly upturned lips, and immediately schooled his expression again.
Gru giggled and giggled. Once Jurim was completely out of sight, she began bouncing on her feet.
“Mephi, we did it! I don’t think Daddy knows anything!”
“Beep-beep!”
“Yay!”
Mephisto bumped his fist against Gru’s.
They were laughing and giggling with Mephisto, reveling in their victory, when Gru suddenly stiffened.
“Beep?”
“But, Mephi……. Did you eat the octopus boss?”
Nod……
Mephisto hesitantly nodded once.
He had suddenly been afraid that Gru might think he was barbaric.
He hadn’t meant to eat it, but when On Jurim pressured him, his mind had become confused, and he had ended up swallowing it without realizing it.
“Beeeep……”
Mephisto’s eyes crumpled into watery ovals.
“Mephiii, what if you get a stomachache……?”
“Beep-beep-”
Mephisto hurriedly shook his head.
That wouldn’t happen. His stomach was filled with the happiness he had shared with Gru, as well as the magic power transmitted from the boss he had gulped down.
Besides, it hadn’t tasted all that bad.
Burp. Mephisto let out a satisfied belch and patted his belly.
“Beep-beep-beep.”
Feeling pleased that Gru was worried about him, Mephisto spread his wings wide, showed off his body from front to back, and wagged his tail.
He firmly suppressed the regretful thought that eating just a little more of this sort of thing might give him enough strength.
Meanwhile, Uju glanced at Beilak.
The mischievous Jurim’s instruction that Gru and Beilak should go to the bathroom together had stuck in his mind.
When Uju kept staring at him, Beilak raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
At Beilak’s question, Uju asked in a small voice,
“You can’t go to the bathroom by yourself?”
“What?”
Beilak opened his mouth with an expression that seemed to say, ‘What is this prey talking about?’
“I don’t think you’re supposed to go to the bathroom with Gru.”
Beilak shouted with a face filled with humiliation.
“I’m not going!”
“Mister told you to go together.”
“I said I’m not going! I’m never going with her!”
Beilak clenched both fists and even shook his head.
“Okay. I’ll believe you.”
At that, Uju moved to sit beside Gru, apparently satisfied.
Beilak’s fists trembled.
Believe him? What did he mean, believe him?
Those hateful little children.
And to think something like that was his master.
Maybe he should just abandon the whole lot of them, familiars and all!
Chapter: Pop-Up Store
While the cycle of misunderstandings continued, preparations for the pop-up store proceeded steadily.
It was a large-scale project, complete with influencers and reporters.
Chairwoman Nam Jiwon gazed fondly at the outdoor advertisement of angelic Gru hanging across the front of the department store, then spoke like a hopelessly doting fool.
“No matter how talented a photographer we bring in, our Gru is still prettier in person.”
Her daughter, who had come to inspect the pop-up store’s preparations as the department store’s representative, shot her an exasperated look.
“Sometimes, I think you like Gru more than your own grandchildren.”
“What’s so pretty about a grown man?”
“Why not? What’s wrong with Jeonghan? He’s still cute to me.”
Tsk, tsk. Chairwoman Nam clicked her tongue as she looked at her daughter.
“You gave birth to nothing but boys, the very children nobody wanted. You couldn’t even give me one adorable granddaughter.”
Her daughter sighed as she thought of her own children, who had given her nothing but grandsons.
And even those boys had long since grown into adults, given her age.
Not only that, but when she was caught between her children as they fought behind the scenes to inherit even the smallest extra portion from her, it was only natural that her heart went more toward Gru, who was as cute as a granddaughter.
Perhaps hurt that her mother wouldn’t even call her pretty, Chairwoman Nam’s daughter huffed before staring intently at the outdoor advertisement and muttering,
“Gru is pretty, though. I think this advertisement will work.”
People passing in front of the department store were occasionally heard exclaiming over how pretty and cute she was.
For the department store’s representative, it was a highly satisfying situation.
“Right? She could work as our exclusive model from now on, couldn’t she?”
Her daughter let out a hollow laugh as Chairwoman Nam’s eyes lit up at the praise for Gru.
Just as she was thinking how the chairwoman could dote on a child who didn’t even share her blood……
Secretary Kim held out a tablet.
“Chairwoman, there’s an article you should see.”
“Hm?”
Chairwoman Nam’s face twisted as she checked the article on the tablet.
[(Breaking News) Japan announces the emergence of a new S-rank crafter……]
[(Breaking News) Japan’s new rising star, ‘Inoue Haruna,’ following Amakusa]
[(Breaking News) Japan gives birth to a second S-rank crafter! Inoue Haruna!]