I Was Kidnapped By The Strongest Guild
Chapter 229: World Animal Day

"Uh..."

I delayed my response, realizing I'd misspoken.

Yeoreum questioned us again.

"Weren't you two talking about something...?"

Yeoreum froze like someone who'd just watched a horror movie.

Her breathing had become slightly ragged.

"We were talking about the calendar."

"C-Calendar?"

"Yes. There's something on it that could be misunderstood."

After checking it, Yeoreum sighed and placed a hand over her chest.

"So it was the calendar..."

Haa.

Yeoreum let out a deep breath.

I could hear her heart pounding.

"Were you startled?"

"Yeah... I was really surprised."

"Oh no."

I approached Yeoreum and patted her back.

I actually wanted to pat her shoulder, but the height difference made it difficult.

"Thanks. That's calming me down."

"Mm-hmm."

Yeoreum's hand came up to my head.

My tail wagged naturally.

I grinned and looked into Yeoreum's eyes.

Her pupils were trembling; it seemed she needed a bit more reassurance.

"Don't worry too much. I've never even thought about giving up on life."

It was meant to calm Yeoreum down.

But for some reason, her response was odd.

"R-Right?"

"...Right?"

'Right?'

It sounded like she'd been harboring some suspicion.

Bewildered, my tail-wagging slowed in confusion.

I wanted to wag it happily, but something felt off, preventing me from doing so properly.

Sophia, who had been watching us, clicked her tongue.

"The thief's foot hurts[1]."

"Thief?"

Did I do something wrong?

I turned my head, looking back and forth between Sophia and Yeoreum.

Yeoreum then took a deep breath, as if she'd made some decision.

"G-Gyeoul, you had a really hard time because of your sister, didn't you?"

"In the past?"

"Yeah..."

I didn't answer.

It was all ancient history now.

When I maintained an unbothered expression, Yeoreum averted her gaze and continued.

"Well, it must have been too much to handle alone..."

"Ah..."

I thought I understood what Yeoreum was trying to say.

She still felt guilty towards me.

"Because of your sister, Gyeoul, you..."

Yeoreum couldn't finish her sentence.

It was a difficult topic to bring up easily.

I tossed the smartphone with the calendar open onto the sofa.

Levinas had gone out to play somewhere, so I just threw it carelessly.

"I've never once thought about doing that."

"R-Really?"

"Yes. I'm strong, you know."

As I was speaking, I realized something was off.

I decided to make a slight correction.

"Well, physically strong..."

Before I could finish, Yeoreum embraced me.

My mouth was blocked, preventing me from continuing.

"That's right, Gyeoul was stronger than your sister could ever imagine."

"Mmph."

Yeoreum gently stroked my back.

My tail, which had been wagging slightly as I gauged the situation, started to regain its vigor.

Though I was actually struggling to breathe.

"Do you know that among everyone your sister knows, you're the strongest?"

"Mmph..."

"Gyeoul?"

Save me.

My tail slapped Sophia's knee behind me.

Oh my, Sophia poked Yeoreum's side with her nearby cane.

"Hey you, let the child breathe."

"Ah!"

Yeoreum hastily stepped back.

Only then could I finally catch my breath.

"S-Sorry, I just love Gyeoul so much."

"It's okay. I know what that's like."

In truth, adventurers could hold their breath longer than ordinary people.

Beast-kin bodies were even more capable.

The shock from having my breath cut off was due to lingering fears from the past.

"Hehe, how does Gyeoul always say such nice things? It gives your sister strength."

"Me too."

"You get strength from what your sister said too?"

"No, just seeing your face gives me strength."

"...!"

Yeoreum's eyes widened.

She stood still for a while, then suddenly hugged me again.

"Mmph..."

My breath was cut off again.

I flailed in Yeoreum's embrace.

"Haa."

Sophia let out a sigh.

It seemed she had no intention of helping this time.

Thanks to that, I could only keep flailing helplessly.

---

---

The kids went out to play.

Left alone, Yeoreum began working in the living room.

It was work to save Gyeoul's world.

'The Master said he has an island, right?'

Let's gather people on the island and run a simulation.

She needed to collect data on how people respond to zombie situations.

'We'll need buildings too...'

There should be buildings on the island.

Gyeoul's world she'd seen in the past was an urban area.

Of course, she didn't have the money to build dozens of buildings on an island.

This part would have to rely on Jung Yu-na's magic.

'The cost...'

Would the mana stones needed for illusion magic be the most expensive?

Yeoreum put down her pen and picked up a bag of jerky she'd left on the desk.

It was one of the snacks she'd bought too much of yesterday and couldn't finish.

'Yu-na will calculate the costs, right?'

Money calculations are too difficult.

Yeoreum grinned and popped a piece of jerky into her mouth.

After chewing a couple of times, the taste seemed off.

"...This tastes bad."

There was no taste at all.

What kind of jerky is this?

Yeoreum chewed the jerky while examining the packaging.

There was a shocking phrase written in one corner of the package.

-Pet Snack

"Pet...?"

It's animal food.

They should write this bigger.

Why write it so small?

It probably wouldn't cause any major issues if eaten, but it felt unsettling.

I should give this to Yura's dog.

Yeoreum put the jerky aside on the table.

"...I wonder what Yura's up to."

Maybe I should go see her.

After preparing to go out, Yeoreum left the house.

And a little while later, Saebyeok came into the house.

It smells delicious.

Saebyeok picked up the jerky left on the table.

She decided to share it with the kids.

---

---

Tomorrow was World Animal Day.

I decided to do something for Seol.

'There's something called cat cake.'

Seol would like it if I bought one, right?

But where do they sell such things?

I checked the store location using my smartphone.

'It's a bit of a walk.'

They don't sell it at ordinary pet supply stores.

I had to go to a special shop.

Should I go quickly for Seol's sake?

As I was making plans while looking at my smartphone, Saebyeok approached me.

Munch munch-

She said she'd pop home for a bit, and now she was eating something.

It looked like tasty jerky.

"What's that jerky?"

"Leftovers from yesterday."

"Ah..."

We couldn't finish all the snacks yesterday.

This must be one of them.

"Gyeoul, have some too."

"Is it good?"

"Yeah. It's delicious."

Saebyeok pushed the jerky into my mouth.

There was no particular reason to refuse, so I opened my mouth and accepted it.

Munch munch-

The taste of the jerky was somewhat strange.

It was delicious, but very different from the jerky I knew.

'What is this?'

The jerky is bland.

Because of that, I could taste the meat's natural flavor.

As a beast-kin, I found it quite delicious.

However, I didn't think it would taste good to non-beast-kin.

They wouldn't sell beast-kin-specific jerky at a convenience store.

Why is there jerky with this taste?

Whatever it was, it suited my palate.

I decided not to think too deeply about it.

'Must be tasteless jerky.'

Is tasteless jerky suited to beast-kin tastes?

How interesting.

I giggled and shared the jerky with the kids.

"This is delicious."

"Yeah. Let's buy it again later."

As we sat on the bench eating jerky, two women approached us.

It was Yoo Sang-ah and Momoa.

"What are you doing here?"

Yoo Sang-ah gave us a kind smile.

I held out the jerky to Yoo Sang-ah.

"We were having a snack."

"Having a snack... This is dog jerky, isn't it?"

"Oh."

I thought it tasted bland, but it turns out it was dog jerky.

Maybe it tasted good because we share the beast part.

I didn't particularly care whose it was for, as long as it tasted good.

It seemed Saebyeok and Levinas felt the same way.

"...Did you buy this yourselves?"

At Yoo Sang-ah's question, Momoa flinched.

Momoa's gaze was fixed on the jerky packaging.

"Isn't this what Yeoreum bought yesterday...?"

"Yes, that's right."

"...Is it okay to eat?"

"Probably...?"

"U-Um..."

Momoa gave an uneasy look.

I tugged on Momoa's clothes.

She was the one who had played kindly with Seol.

Maybe she could help prepare for Seol's party.

"Hey, you know."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Do you know that tomorrow is World Animal Day?"

"No, I'm embarrassed to say I just learned that today."

It's not exactly a public holiday.

It's understandable not to know.

I showed Momoa the calendar and said,

"It's an important day for us."

"I-Important, is it...? No, of course it is?"

"Yes. It's important. So we're planning to throw a small party."

"A party, you say?"

At Momoa's question, I swiped through my smartphone screen.

After tapping the touchscreen a few times, a store selling cat cakes appeared.

"They sell cat cakes here. Want to go buy one together?"

"Cat cakes? Wouldn't regular cake work?"

"Regular cake could kill if eaten."

"...It could kill you."

Momoa looked around at me and the kids.

For some reason, she gulped.

"We're also going to buy cat toys and stuff. Want to come with us?"

"S-Sure. It's a matter of life and death, after all."

Thump thump-

Momoa pounded her own chest.

Yoo Sang-ah watched Momoa with an inexplicably mischievous smile.

"Then why don't you go with the kids, Momoa?"

"Aren't you coming, Sang-ah?"

"No, I have something to do."

Chuckle chuckle.

Yoo Sang-ah kept laughing.

No one knew why she was laughing.

---

[1. raei: an idiom suggesting someone is acting suspiciously]

2/6 Enjoy the chappy!

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