Ch#95
“Isn’t it normal for this tomboyish little rascal to sleep anywhere, anytime? She probably doesn’t even know when she last slept.”
Blink.
Blink blink.
Blink blink blink.
‘Calvad’s always right.’
But it was annoying anyway.
“…Bunny doesn’t like Calvad. Allen, hug me.”
“What?”
“Yeah? Of course, come here.”
Bunny let go of the arm clinging to Calvad like a cicada on an old tree trunk and toddled over, this time latching onto Allen’s upper body like a cicada once more.
Allen hugged her back with all his might.
“Bunny, you’re just too cute.”
“Ung. Can’t… breathe…”
“Ah, sorry.”
“So, Bunny, what was it you missed while sleeping?”
At Bunny’s question, the two let out an “ah” and opened their mouths.
“Ah, I heard some new girl is coming today.”
“New girl?”
“Yeah. The hero… or rather, Great-uncle’s daughter, I think?”
Bunny blinked, then widened her eyes.
First things first… before the female lead—no, that homunculus—arrives, should we make some big money?
Bunny hasn’t earned a single penny yet, and she’s already here?!
‘Fake human!!! Ho-mung…, ho-mungk….’
Bunny’s head tilted as she stumbled over the particularly tricky human word.
Blinking her eyes, Bunny rolled them slyly as she thought.
‘Homung.’
Anyway, another major crisis had arrived today, woof woof.
‘But Bunny has way too many major crises.’
First, she had to go tell Daddy that she was going to become the young factory boss at the Choco factory.
It was the moment Bunny thought that and hopped down from Allen’s arms.
“Hello! I’m Shallone, and starting today, I’ll be staying in the separate annex!”
…Ruri, what do we do? The homung is already here?
“What’s this, her?”
“But why did she have to end up under Uncle? Honestly, there are plenty of people around?”
Allen spoke curtly, and Calvad opened his mouth with a displeased look as well. Allen glanced at Calvad, who had his arms crossed sullenly, then started heading toward the stairs.
“I heard she could choose her preferred guardian, and she picked Father because he looked the least scary.”
Allen answered Calvad as he descended the stairs, Bunny dangling familiarly from him. Calvad followed slowly downstairs, his face still sullen.
Wavy sky-blue hair.
And shimmering silver eyes.
She was a girl with skin so fair it was almost porcelain and adorably round features.
Her curving eyes were captivatingly beautiful, and her upturned lips were utterly lovable.
‘A doll!’
Bunny recalled the pretty doll Grandpa had given her not long ago. The girl looked just like a beautifully fired porcelain doll.
‘Ruri told Bunny not to hate or like the homung.’
And not to get too close.
‘But what if the homung gets all soft and gooey for Bunny?’
What if Bunny’s cutesy operation completely conquered the homung and made her like Bunny?
Hop.
Bunny let go of the arms hugging Allen and let out a “fufu” chuckle.
In her imagination, little Bunny sat on a high throne, holding a glass filled with grape juice in one hand.
“Bunny, you’re really so cute. I… I’ve ended up liking you!!! I had no idea you were such a good kid.”
“Fufu. I’ll let you be Bunny’s big sister.”
“If I become your big sister, can I eat candied sweet potatoes and spinning potatoes while holding you in my arms?!”
“Of course. Bunny’s a super genius king.”
The corners of Bunny’s mouth curved up slyly.
Calvad, Allen, Daddy, Grandpa—all of them said they were happy when they held Bunny in their arms. So surely the homung, who had come to like Bunny, would want to pull Bunny into her arms too.
‘Bunny, time for the evil homung cutesy operation.’
With the homung cutesy operation, Bunny would definitely become the protagonist alongside the homung.
“Ah, nice to meet you. Um, are you two…?”
Shallone clasped her hands neatly together, glancing around cautiously before asking timidly. At that, Calvad rubbed under his nose and suddenly thrust Bunny forward.
“My name is Calvad Yudia. And this one here is the cute… no, ahem. My somewhat cutely made little sister, Bunny. And I’m Bunny’s eldest brother. Got it? Eld-est. Bro-ther.”
“Ah… yes…….”
It was unclear whether Calvad was introducing himself, Bunny, or himself as Bunny’s brother, and Shallone nodded awkwardly with a smile.
“What are you talking about? Hyung.”
Allen lifted Bunny by the armpits and brought her right in front of him, then quickly spoke up as if competing.
Bunny dangled familiarly from Allen’s arms, who had grown much stronger in the past few years, swaying gently.
“Bunny’s my blood sister. That guy’s technically a cousin. So not him—I’m Bunny’s real first brother. First brother, Allen. Well, actually, my name doesn’t matter, so you can just call me Bunny’s first brother.”
“…Ah.”
Shallone’s pupils trembled faintly.
The girl nodded slowly, her silver pupils quivering as she forced a smile.
“I see! So you’re big brother Allen and big brother Calvad, right?”
“Big brother…?”
“Ah… sorry. Was ‘big brother’ too familiar? I just…….”
“No, it has a nice ring to it.”
Calvad, looking thoughtful, rubbed his chin once, then quickly looked down at Bunny.
“Hey, bunny kid. Try calling me big brother Calvad.”
“Big brother Calvad?”
Bunny blinked, tilted her head, and tried saying it just as asked. At that, blood burst from Calvad’s nose.
“Kyaaak! Blood……!”
“Ah, come on.”
Shallone let out a startled scream, and Allen clicked his tongue, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and tossing it at Calvad’s face.
Calvad caught it naturally and started staunching the flow with practiced ease.
“Anyway, if you’re coming to our house, just remember one thing.”
Having finished staunching the blood, Calvad strode forward, ignoring Allen’s displeased glare, and spoke.
“One thing?”
“Yeah.”
Calvad grabbed Bunny under the armpits, lifted her dangling into the air, and held her right in front of Shallone as he spoke.
“Eeng?! Don’t do ittt!”
Bunny flailed her arms in midair.
While Allen poked Bunny’s puffed-up cheeks, Calvad looked at Shallone with a serious expression.
“Hey, what do you think?”
“Pardon? What do I think…….”
“What do you think of our little maknae.”
What do I think…… what does that even……
Shallone looked down at Bunny, who had been thrust right up to her face, unable to hide her dismay and bewilderment.
A round face with baby fat still lingering.
Mysterious pink eyes.
Soft-looking cheeks puffed up as if slightly displeased.
And when their eyes met, she even smiled brightly.
“She’s… cute……?”
“Pass.”
At the sudden word popping from Calvad’s mouth, Shallone looked up at him in bewilderment. The unexpected “pass” felt like some kind of interview verdict, leaving her speechless.
“Yes……?”
“I was debating whether to pass or fail you, but your eye for this stuff isn’t half bad, so I’ll pass you.”
“Ah… yes. Thank you.”
She blinked a few times before slowly nodding. Bunny, dangling from Calvad’s hold, beamed and spread her arms wide.
“Nice to meet you! Sha, Sharo-long…….”
“…My name isn’t Sharo-long, it’s Shallone.”
Shallone’s eyebrows twitched dramatically at Bunny’s mangled pronunciation, but she smiled brightly, grabbed Bunny’s hand, and shook it up and down.
Squeeze—
Of course, putting all her strength into it, unlike her radiant smile.
“Nice to meet you! Bunny.”
Shallone.
As a manufactured artificial human—a homunculus—she had twice the strength of a normal child her age.
‘Ah, a grinning handshake—that’s Gring Knight!’
Bunny had already climbed the first step of the cutesy operation ~homung melting~!
“Ung! Bunny too!”
Seeing Shallone’s friendly smile, Bunny grinned widely and gripped her hand back tightly.
Squeeeeze—!
And the now-eight-year-old Bunny, who had grown a bit bigger, had about five times the strength of a normal kid her age.
“……!?”
Of course, since Kiriel, Calvad, Allen, and the rest all had abnormal strength, no one noticed.
