Meanwhile, to find out what the three were doing inside the bathroom, Gru had been pressing his ear against the door with Lukesipher.
“I can’t hear anything….”
“Kyu….”
From the fact that he couldn’t hear so much as a voice or even a hint of presence, it seemed Vailrak had put up a barrier.
“Fer…. Do you know what’s going on?”
“Kyuut?”
The baby rabbit, who had been pressing his ear to the door with him, wrinkled his nose and shook his head from side to side.
“You don’t know either, Fer?”
“Kyuu.”
Nod nod.
Gru’s lips trembled as his face took on a despairing expression.
“Then, could it be that Gru and Fer are being left out right now?”
“Kyu, kyuut?!”
Thud—!
The baby rabbit stiffened like a stone, both front paws raised.
Before long, tears welled up in his black eyes, and he sniffled while staring at the bathroom.
“Fe, Fer…!”
Gru hugged the baby rabbit and sat down on the living room sofa.
Lukesipher sulked, resting his chin on Gru’s lap, and Gru gently patted him.
Since Lukesipher showed no signs of stopping his crying, Gru fretted and glared at the bathroom with narrowed eyes.
He didn’t know what they were talking about that had made them leave only him and Lukesipher out, but….
*‘I’m upset.’*
Gru hugged the baby rabbit tightly.
His heart felt empty.
Even more so than when his first attachment doll had been thrown away because it had become tattered.
Seeing the baby rabbit shedding plump tears, Gru felt like he might cry too and pouted his lips.
“This is…. the ultimate betrayal….”
“Kyu! Kkeung!”
Lukesipher, sniffling, agreed.
“We gotta stick together, just us. Got it?”
“Kyu—!”
Lukesipher opened his eyes in triangles and stretched a clenched front paw straight up.
“From now on, we only play with each other.”
“Kyu!”
The baby rabbit nodded.
“I’ll go to kindergarten with Fer, and play house with Fer too.”
“Kyu kyu!”
As if saying he would do anything, Lukesipher hopped over and brought Gru’s kindergarten bag.
The baby rabbit struggled to carry the bag that was too big for his body.
“Kyuu! Kyuuuut!”
Gru stared blankly at Lukesipher flailing under the bag, then whimpered, his chin trembling in a pout.
*‘….But Fer, you’re a baby rabbit. You can’t go to kindergarten….’*
Still, seeing Lukesipher say he would go with him was so touching that Gru swallowed the words, “You can’t go to kindergarten.”
*‘If only Fer could become like Bei’i too….’*
“….!”
Then, a brilliant idea flashed through Gru’s mind.
*‘What if I could use a skill to turn Fer into a human?’*
Gru had turned a monster in the cradle into takoyaki. Hadn’t he turned Vailrak into a hamster too?
And he had said he could make Sayer’s body as well.
*‘Then couldn’t I make Fer into a human too?’*
A shiver like lightning striking the top of his head ran through him.
*‘Then I won’t need Uju, Bei’i, or Mephi at all!’*
Because he would have a new best friend.
What he needed for that was mana.
And….
For Lukesipher to hold out with the snowfield open.
Because usually, he couldn’t hold out for long and would collapse with his belly showing.
*‘Just like Gru raised his stats a lot with Filial Piety Points, couldn’t Fer level up too?’*
It was at that moment.
Ding!
[(Unknown Title)’s influence has triggered a quest!]
[Quest: A New Use for Filial Piety Points?! Can you raise another person’s abilities with Filial Piety Points? Let’s try melting Filial Piety Points directly into an item through a new crafting process!]
[Reward: Suspicious Star Candy]
“Uwoooh!”
As expected, it was possible!
Gru checked his Filial Piety Points.
[Filial Piety Points: 100,000]
Even after running the Filial Piety Factory to the max, he still had this much left, so he could try as much as he wanted!
Gru stuffed children’s kitchen tools into the bag and slipped into his room.
He hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on his door.
*‘Whether they come or not, I’m not even going to greet them.’*
Hmph hmph! Gru snorted and slammed! the door shut.
*
The next day.
Uju was so nervous that he didn’t even realize Gru was keeping his distance.
Right after all kindergarten activities ended.
Vailrak came to the door with Mephisto perched on his shoulder, his eyes opened sharply, and Uju nodded before stepping out of the classroom.
Gru watched them and scoffed before heading home with his sitter.
Meanwhile, Vailrak and Uju, whose attention was consumed by their respective goals, failed to notice Gru’s strangeness and exchanged glances.
“Him?”
“Yeah, Geonu Bak from the Squirrel Class.”
Vailrak looked at the boy wearing large glasses and licked his lips.
“Shall I eat him?”
“What? Eat what? Ah, no. Don’t say that.”
Uju turned pale, covered his ears, and shook his face side to side.
Vailrak clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“…F-for now, I’ll try negotiating with Bak Geonu.”
“Then what about the blood?”
At Vailrak’s question, Mephisto’s eyes gleamed.
“Whether it works or not, I’ll fill a bottle and bring it tomorrow. Is that good?”
“Do that.”
The reason Mephisto had infiltrated between the two was all for that single drop of blood.
He would steal and drink the blood meant for Vailrak. That was how he would gather power and become a prince.
Mephisto watched Uju anxiously.
Meanwhile, Uju cleared his throat and called out Bak Geonu’s name.
“B-bak Geonu.”
Geonu Bak, who had been walking while reading an English word book, pushed up his glasses.
“What is it, Seo Uju?”
“Uh… well….”
As Uju hesitated, Geonu checked the time on his phone.
“I have math tutoring soon, so make it quick.”
“Ah, sorry. C-could you give me the prince role?”
“The prince role?”
Geonu looked at Uju silently, and Uju gulped.
Geonu pushed up his glasses again and spoke.
“You need an activity to put on your school record too?”
“No, that’s not it…!”
Seeing Uju stammer, Geonu curled up the corners of his mouth as if he knew something.
“Ahh, is it because of Ongru?”
Uju and Gru were children who attracted attention even from other classes.
So it wasn’t hard to infer why Uju wanted the prince role.
Uju turned red to the tips of his ears and nodded vigorously.
Geonu looked straight at him.
“I don’t really want to give it up.”
At this, Uju slumped his shoulders in despair, and Mephisto, who was watching, clenched his fist.
*‘As expected, should I make Gru give up the princess role?’*
Thinking so, Uju glanced at Geonu checking the time on his phone, and his eyes widened.
This is it.
When Uju grinned, Geonu stared at him, puzzled.
Uju spoke in a low voice.
“Iromi-noona’s autograph.”
“…!”
Geonu flinched.
Because Geonu Bak’s phone wallpaper showed Iromi smiling while making a heart.
“I-I-I-I don’t care about some celebrity’s autograph…!”
But Uju stepped closer to Geonu and pressed him aggressively.
“Iromi-noona’s limited photocard.”
“My school record is more important to me!”
“An unreleased selfie of Iromi-noona!”
“F-fine!”
In the end, Geonu surrendered, and Uju smiled in victory.
“…If you give up another school activity to me, I’ll give this one up too.”
“Okay.”
“Instead, Seo Uju, you get the teacher’s permission.”
“Then let’s go now—!”
Then Geonu grabbed Uju’s wrist.
“No. I’ll tell her tomorrow. You’ll bring the photocard tomorrow, right?”
Nod. When Uju muttered with the most serious face he’d ever made, Geonu took his hand and shook it.
“Good. Then we act tomorrow.”
The moment Geonu Bak gave his permission, vitality returned to Uju’s cheeks, and Vailrak clicked his tongue.
“Tch, it ended boringly.”
On his shoulder, Mephisto trembled all over.
All action was tomorrow!
To become a prince, he had to become human by tomorrow!