Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 93
"Ms. Yura, just a moment."
After class, as Eunha was about to leave the training room, someone stopped her.
A middle-aged woman with bobbed hair.
She was one of the students in the same class.
"Take this."
She held out a paper bag to Eunha.
Inside, plastic food containers were stacked in layers.
Through the translucent lids, appetizing side dishes like kimchi and pickled vegetables, packed tightly, were visible.
Ever since hearing that Eunha lived alone, she had been giving her side dishes like this every two or three days.
However, Eunha couldn't readily accept the paper bag extended to her.
"If it's side dishes, I received some last time too."
"Hey. It's just leftovers after sending some to my kids, so don't feel burdened."
Saying so, she resolutely placed it in Eunha's hand.
"Oh, how was the stir-fried anchovies I gave you last time? My daughter made a fuss, saying it was too spicy because there were too many peppers."
"No, it was delicious for me."
"Ugh! Ms. Yura, you're better than my daughter."
She chuckled and lightly patted Eunha's back.
Though it was sudden physical contact, it didn't feel unpleasant.
"...I'll eat it well."
Eunha looked at her with a faint smile.
A hat pulled down low, white sneakers.
Eunha's reflection in the elevator mirror looked just like an ordinary university student.
Who was it that said humans are creatures of adaptation?
At first, it was a sight she herself found very unfamiliar, but now she had grown quite accustomed to it.
It felt as if she had been living like this for a very long time.
Eunha stared blankly at the paper bag in her hand.
A delicious smell gently spread inside the elevator.
[17th floor.]
Getting off the elevator, Eunha stood in front of her apartment door.
Beep, beep. The door lock sounded, and the door opened.
Seeing that Jehwi's shoes weren't in the shoe rack, it seemed he had left in time for Eunha's arrival.
"I'm home."
At Eunha's voice, Hyuji, who had perked up his head nearby, trotted over.
Eunha, without even taking off her shoes, squatted down and gently petted Hyuji.
His tail wagged slowly.
"Are you welcoming me?"
Eunha smiled faintly.
Though Hyuji wasn't saying, 'Welcome home,' this was enough.
The feeling of someone welcoming her home.
She had forgotten this warm and comfortable feeling for a very long time.
Meeting Hyuji's gaze and tilting her head slightly, Eunha raised the corners of her lips faintly.
With her eyes curved neatly like a crescent moon, she said softly.
"Having you here makes the house feel full."
The moment Eunha's hand, which had been stroking Hyuji's back, reached his bottom.
"...!"
His wagging tail froze stiffly.
Suddenly lifting his bottom, which had been pressed against the floor, Hyuji scurried into the living room.
Simultaneously, a message window popped up in her vision with frightening speed.
[The divine beast 'Cat Wandering in Darkness' exclaims, "Look at that, that cheeky dog! How dare it reject our sister's touch?" and puts its paws on its hips, looking dumbfounded.]
[Sister, there's no need to look after such an ungrateful dog anymore, it suggests sending him to a shelter right now.]
Eunha withdrew her hand, which had lost its target and was left hanging in the air, and stood up.
'It's pitiful.'
Though she was continuously putting up posters to find Hyuji's original owner, there hadn't been a single contact yet.
Since Jehwi said he was looking for a suitable shelter, the days she could spend with Hyuji wouldn't be long anyway.
She wanted to treat him well, at least while he was here.
And she actually thought they had become quite close.
"Hyuji, let's take a bath."
"...!"
...Though he occasionally sent her wary glances.
And that night.
"Hyuji, come here."
A carpet spread on the bedroom floor.
Eunha, sitting on it, patted the spot next to her.
However, a faint suspicion lingered in the blue eyes of the creature staring at Eunha.
Seeing that he didn't approach easily, it seemed he had noticed the brush Eunha had hidden behind her back.
"It's okay, I'll be gentle, so it won't hurt at all."
"..."
"Come on. Good boy, right?"
"..."
Only then did Hyuji slowly approach Eunha.
Though he still hadn't let go of his suspicious gaze, the way he docilely approached Eunha and lowered his tail was truly gentle.
Since she couldn't forcibly bathe him when he resisted with his whole body upon seeing the bathwater being drawn, she had to make do with brushing him at least.
"That's right."
Muttering softly, Eunha, before brushing, first gently stroked his head.
Contrary to his indifferent face, his slowly wagging tail was so cute that she couldn't help but keep smiling.
"Doesn't hurt, right?"
Eunha, carefully brushing his fur with the brush, slowly parted her lips.
"I even got complimented at the academy for being good at brushing. They said I have a talent for it."
Could that really be true?
Eunha, without stopping her brushing, added softly.
Naturally, no answer came from Hyuji.
But Eunha, her lips loosened, spoke again.
"I wish it were."
Glancing, his blue eyes turned towards Eunha.
It was truly a strange thing.
Whenever she met those eyes, the feelings she had kept hidden deep inside would unknowingly spill out.
It felt as if Hyuji would listen to whatever she said.
Without despising or pitying her, just silently, as she was.
Perhaps that was why.
「If you don't mind, how about coming to the Association with us? It would be very reassuring if Ms. Yura came.」
Suddenly, Junhwan's suggestion came to mind.
Come to think of it, she had said she would contact him again but had completely forgotten.
Following that, the words the instructor had said during class today also suddenly came to mind.
'Since it's currently the application period for the written exam, how about giving it a try? The written exam is much easier than the practical, so try it without any pressure.'
'Have confidence. Ms. Yura, you'll become a good dog groomer.'
The hand brushing Hyuji's fur gradually slowed down.
The faces of the academy people, who had now become closer, came to mind.
She pictured herself among them, having become quite skilled at brushing.
Finally, Eunha, who had stopped brushing abruptly, muttered quietly, as if repeating to herself.
"...I thought there was nothing I could do besides killing monsters."
The orange light of the stand lamp, dimly illuminating the bedroom, cast their shadows on the wall.
Suddenly, Hyuji's blue eyes turned towards Eunha.
It felt as if their eyes had met.
A night breeze slipped in through the slightly open window.
From where the billowing curtain had passed, Eunha lifted her head.
A pitch-black dress, casually hung on the closet doorknob.
It was gradually becoming hazy when she had last worn it.
"I..."
Perhaps because of that, Eunha, for the first time, had such a thought.
"Would it be alright to live as Lee Yura like this?"
A deep night, where even the moon in the sky had hidden itself.
Srrrk. The white dog, rising from its spot with the sound of the carpet rustling.
Its jewel-like blue eyes turned towards the bed.
A space occupied only by the occasional rustling of blankets and faint breathing sounds.
A faint shadow fell over Eunha's peacefully sleeping face.
The shadow, initially gaunt, silently, gradually transformed, growing larger.
Soon, the shadow, taking on a human form, quietly leaned over Eunha's bedside.
"..."
The moon, which had been hidden by clouds, emerged, and the dark room gradually brightened.
The figure revealed was not the previous white dog, but Siwoo with his dark blue hair.
Slightly bending his upper body, Siwoo silently gazed at Eunha's sleeping face.
'Hyuji was a bit much, Sunbae.'
Siwoo merely twisted his lips slightly, as if displeased, but couldn't bring himself to speak aloud, lest she wake up.
Her face, which had been shadowed, was once again brightly illuminated by the moonlight.
Siwoo smiled faintly, looking at Eunha's sleeping face.
It was the first time he had seen Eunha sleeping since she was hospitalized.
At that time, he hadn't had the leisure to observe her closely, but seeing her like this, her sleeping face was completely different from the impression Siwoo had of Eunha until now.
No... no, it wasn't just that.
Come to think of it, it wasn't just the fact that Eunha's sleeping face was gentle that Siwoo hadn't imagined.
While staying at Eunha's house in the guise of 'Hyuji', Siwoo had experienced things he couldn't have imagined.
Eunha, unaware that the dog's true identity was Siwoo, had committed unbelievable acts such as feeding Siwoo dog food or throwing a dog chew and telling him to fetch it.
Among them, the most shocking incident was when she tried to put him in the bathtub herself and wash him.
'It was dangerous.'
The moment her hand touched his stomach, he almost released his divine beast form.
It was, without a doubt, the time he had been cornered the most since becoming a Vassal.
Even thinking about it now, it was a dizzying moment that made his mind go blank.
Siwoo, covering his eyes with his large hand, washed his face dry several times in the dark room.
