# Side Story (10)
During the brief time I was away from home, it seemed Mother and the Hero Party had shared quite a few conversations.
"Your shoulders are so stiff! Let me give you a massage!"
"M-move aside, Luna. You might hurt her. I-I'll do it, Mother...!"
When did they get so close?
Mother and the Hero Party sat on the sofa, radiating a harmonious atmosphere.
Still, judging by the good mood, it seemed no one had caused any trouble.
"...Mother."
"Oh, yes. Jun-woo, you're back. We finished talking while you were gone. They're all such good kids, aren't they?"
"That's right, we are good kids."
Cecilia chimed in from the side.
*With her picky personality, it must have been hard to get close...*
It was surprising to see Cecilia following along so well.
Mother looked at me carefully, then pulled out her wallet from her bag.
"Have you all eaten?"
"We ate something."
"Did you eat something without nutrition like ramen again? I've told you repeatedly. If you eat like that, you won't grow ta—"
"...I'm tall enough already. I've already stopped growing anyway. Here, just take this."
Mother pulled out a card from her wallet and handed it to me. It was blue.
"Your food expenses must have increased, right? Use this card from now on. Buy the kids whatever they want to eat."
"If I buy them everything they want, our family will go broke, you know?"
"...Do they eat that much?"
Nod—
I gestured with my eyes toward Luna, who was giving the massage. Feeling Mother's gaze, Luna flinched with a guilty conscience and shouted.
"I-I don't eat that much! Thinking I eat a lot is prejudice!"
"No, you actually do eat a lot. You finished all the ice cream I bought yesterd—"
"Prejudice! It's all prejudice! How could a delicate woman like me eat so much! Hehe, right, Mother?"
Has she already sided with her?
Perhaps because she has a personality similar to a beast, she's good at understanding the hierarchy of a group.
But that was only for a moment. Mother got up from the sofa and started fiddling with her phone.
It looked like she was calling someone.
"...Hello. Yeah, it's me. Things are wrapped up here. Nothing special, just that Jun-woo has made a lot of friends? Well, I don't know about later."
Mother looked at my face while saying she didn't know about later. For some reason, she wore a meaningful smile.
I didn't know what she was imagining, but it definitely didn't seem normal.
"Well, just know that there's nothing wrong. That should be enough. I'm heading back now. Do your work properly. Got it?"
Click—
Mother hung up the phone.
The kids who had been listening to the conversation cried out in surprised voices.
"You're leaving already? That's too soon!"
"R-right. Mother, you could stay a little longer..."
"How about staying just one night?"
"Right! Right!"
But contrary to the Hero Party's appeals, Mother's answer was firm.
"No. I have too much work to do. I barely made time to come today. Because the school said my son caused trouble."
"I didn't cause any trouble though..."
"Be quiet."
Poke poke—
Mother poked my chest with her finger, telling me to be quiet. Holding her bag, she headed toward the entrance and whispered in my ear.
"I understand the kids are pretty... but don't lay a hand on them until it's an official relationship, okay...? If you're going to do it, use protection properly, or wait until you're an adult...?"
"I'm not doing it, so don't worry unnecessarily."
"Well, that's not something you alone get to decide."
Then who decides?
Mother didn't answer and headed to the entrance with a smile.
The Hero Party followed Mother like ducklings. They seemed to have maxed out their favorability toward her.
"Next time you come, please bring something delicious! No, you can come empty-handed too!"
"I-I'll prepare jewelry...! I'll get some from somewhere and give it to you...! Definitely...!"
"I'll give you a gift too when my coins go up."
"I'll give you this pillow!"
Ta-da—
Estia pulled out a pillow she'd been holding. It was definitely the pillow from the master bedroom.
However, Mother left through the entrance without saying anything in particular.
"See you next time, son."
"Yes, have a safe trip."
Bang—
The door closed and Mother left the house. It would probably take about two months before she came back. Though we'd reunited after a long time, I still felt happy.
So...
"Kids."
"Yes?"
"Tell me if there's anything you want to eat."
Since I have the card.
To express my gratitude to those who let me meet Mother after so long, I opened a delivery app and handed it to the Hero Party.
After all, since they brought me something good, I wanted to feed them something delicious today.
"I guess you tap this with your finger! What should I eat? I'll have this chicken! It was delicious when Mister made it before!"
"I'll have the one with cheese."
"I-I want whatever Mister wants...!"
"Pick anything! I want to stay with Oppa!"
A noisy delivery time.
Estia, who didn't particularly want to join in, came and sat on my lap.
*The other kids have things they want to do... but what does this one want?*
Estia seemed to have noticeably fewer desires compared to the other kids. Sitting on my lap, she sat there smiling, seemingly content. I tapped Estia's shoulder.
"Why, Oppa? Want a pillow?"
"No, I have a pillow too, so I'm fine. More importantly, I have something to ask..."
"Say it! I'll answer!"
To Estia, who declared confidently, I asked directly.
"What do you want?"
"What I want?! There's too many, it's hard..."
So you do have things you want.
"Then, if you had to pick just one?"
"Just one... hmm..."
Estia pondered for a moment. After a brief consideration, Estia revealed what she wanted.
It was a much simpler request than I'd thought.
"If I had to say! I just want to be with Oppa!"
What, it's the same as the other kids.
However, compared to the others, should I say she had less intensity? Estia truly seemed to want simply to be with me.
"Forever! If Oppa just keeps that promise, that's enough for me!"
"What if... I can't keep that promise?"
"What if... hmm..."
There's such a thing as 'what if,' you know?
At my question, Estia, who had been pondering for a moment, suddenly hardened her expression coldly and answered.
"If Oppa isn't by my side, I... would have no choice but to use Holy Water again..."
Drip drip—
Suddenly, streams of water fell from Estia's hands.
To think such streams of water would come from a place with no water.
"Estia, you have hyperhidrosis."
"What's hyperhidrosis?"
"It exists. A condition where your hands sweat a lot."
"Really? Then I don't have hyperhidrosis!"
If it's not hyperhidrosis, then what is it?
Just as I was having a brief conversation with Estia, Luna, who had been absorbed in the delivery app, briefly made eye contact with me, then saw Estia's sweating hands and came running in shock.
"M-Mister—!! You absolutely can't touch that—!!"
Thud thud thud—!
Luna ran over with urgent steps and separated me from Estia.
"Why the fuss, Luna. Jealous?"
"I am jealous! N-no, that's not it! Anyway, no! What comes from Estia's hands is absolutely forbidden! Don't drink it, don't touch it!"
"What is it? Isn't it just hyperhidrosis?"
"It's not!"
Luna declared firmly. This was the first time I'd seen Luna so serious. If she was saying it like this, it must be absolutely forbidden.
I was curious about what it was, but I nodded for now.
Then Luna let out a sigh of relief.
"Good that you understand! Absolutely no drinking it!"
"Okay, I got it. More importantly, did you order all the food?"
"Yes! We ordered everything! Want to see what we ordered?"
Sure, let me see what you ordered.
I took the phone Luna handed me and checked the order details.
*I did tell them to order whatever they wanted to eat, but didn't they order a bit too much variety?*
What a waste of delivery fees.
The food menu was tteokbokki, chicken, pizza, hamburgers, and jokbal.
Still, it was fortunate it was Mother's card and not my allowance or living expenses.
So looking at the total payment amount...
"Two hundred forty-five thousand won."
Why did it come out to so much?
Something's strange.
I scrolled up to check the delivery menu.
For some reason, the price from one place was odd.
"Tteokbokki... you ordered every type of spiciness level..."
"Yes! We didn't know what would be delicious! We discussed it among ourselves and just ordered everything! There were so many side menu items too! Hehe!"
"I see, is that so..."
Did they fall for the tteokbokki shop's sales tactics?
The tactic where the main menu and three sides cost about the same.
They say women like tteokbokki, and it seems that's the same in other worlds too.
I sighed inwardly and looked at my vibrating phone.
—Mother—
"...Payment notifications sure are fast."
"Huh? What's fast?"
"No, it's nothing..."
In the end, I had to answer the phone with the heart of a sinner and explain the situation to Mother.
It felt quite suffocating.
I also felt it wasn't so bad that I could have a long conversation after such a long time.
Still.
"Luna."
"Yes! Why, Mister!"
"If you leave food today, you're dead."
"Eek..."
Resentment doesn't change.
Perhaps my threat was scary, because Luna cleaned the table spotlessly today.
"Delicious!"
...It actually seemed more relaxed than usual.