“As I thought, are you a eunuch, Underclassman Jin Jaro?”
“Thank you for the fastball! ······No, wait, I’m not a eunuch!”
If I really were a eunuch, then I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.
After I finished giving my regular ‘report’, Upperclassman Nabom held her forehead as if she were having a headache.
“Underclassman Jin Jaro, do you not have the resolve to fix this situation? I’ve said it a countless number of times, have I not? If you wish to send Miss Jaim back, then the fastest method would be to unite.”
“About that, I’ve thought about it for a while now, but as I thought, wouldn’t uniting now cause a time paradox?”
“Setting a pretext like that by yourself and declaring it as a reason to not work is the excuse of losers. But the fact that you’re thinking along these lines must mean that you’ve started to gain the resolve to actually do it.”
“I didn’t.”
She keeps leading the topic towards a weird direction. I bared my teeth and displayed a fed up expression on my face.
“The reason why I’m trying to send Jaim back home is in order to prevent a time paradox from happening, as it’s the duty of a scientist. Weren’t you also dispatched to the past in order to prevent this, Upperclassman Nabom?”
That’s right. If a time paradox is something that occurs when the future and the past collide with one another, then it’s not as if one would occur if Saeyeon and I were to unite early on. Of course, I don’t plan to ever do that anyway.
Upperclassman Nabom let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Underclassman Jin Jaro, I’ve told you several times already that I currently do not have a reason to take Miss Jaim back. However, if a problem were to occur with Miss Jaim as the source, then there would be a reason to take her back. Isn’t that the most efficient method?”
Upperclassman Nabom spoke while tapping her ballpoint pen on the desk.
“As a government employee, I hold efficiency as my highest of priority.”
“······Even though you’re leaving everything to me.”
“I absolutely despise tiresome things. Isn’t that efficient? Outsourcing is a basic among basics. It’s because you didn’t know something like that that you were fired.”
“Do I really get fired?!”
“In any case.”
Tap, after audibly placing her ballpoint pen down on the desk, Upperclassman Nabom hid her mouth behind her interlocked hands. I’ve seen this pose a lot somewhere.
“The fact that Miss Jaim has started to feel dissatisfied with the current situation is a bad sign. What have you been doing until now, Underclassman Jin Jaro?”
“What do you mean what have I been doing······?”
“I’ve told you once before, but ‘information contamination’ occurs when a gap appears in one’s memories and what they see in real life. Within Miss Jaim’s memory, she recalls this point in time to be a time where you were, at the very least, ‘happily living together’.”
Upperclassman Nabom looked at me with serious eyes and continued. Although her eyes were tired, they contained power.
“However, that is not the case in reality. Moreover, if she’s exposed to this situation continuously, then the chance that an ‘information contamination’ will occur will also increase. I had advised you to be wary of this in order to prevent this from occurring, but as I thought, Underclassman Jin Jaro’s job performance skill is a solid 0 points.”
“No, like I said, why are you making me······.”
“The fact that Miss Jaim is saying that she’s bored is because Underclassman Jin Jaro isn’t working properly, right? Are you not embarrassed even though you’re being paid? Should I appoint you to the storage? Do you not want to work?”
“No, I’m sorry······. Spare me from the storage······. I’ll do my best from now o······. ······Wait. I don’t recall ever receiving something like a wage?”
“But I let you touch my breast.”
“I don’t remember that ever happening! If that did happen, then this hand would have never forgotten that sensation!”
“······He isn’t a eunuch if you consider this response······.”
“I told you I wasn’t!”
“Well, putting aside the fact that Underclassman Jin Jaro is a seedless watermelon.”
“If you say something like that one more time then I’ll really get upset, you know?!”
I let out a sigh, making it clear that I had enough.
“I told you that I’ve never been interested in a kid like that, so please stop stimulating Saeyeon towards a weird direction. Do you know how much trouble I had to go through because of what you said, Upperclassman Nabom?”
“I’m also repenting because of what happened last time.”
“Repenting?”
Hearing this person say a word that she would usually never say felt refreshing.
“Although I’m a trained agent, as long as I’m capable of causing problems, I have to limit my contact with the present. However, last time I had inadvertently gotten myself involved. I have to submit a written apology.”
“That’s surprising. I thought that you had definitely squeezed in because you were enjoying yourself.”
“Honestly, I don’t particularly want to come in contact with Underclassman Ja Saeyeon and Miss Jin Jaim. It’d become difficult then.”
“Why’s that? As the affair partner, is dealing with the legal wife and daughter difficult for you?”
“Since that’s a subject matter that I’ll be writing, do not use it. It feels like I may accidentally confess everything while talking with someone who is unaware of the situation. Furthermore, in regard to Miss Jin Jaim’s issue, it somehow feels like I’m intruding on something so it’s hard to get involved.”
I see. It’d certainly be a good idea to keep the number of people who know that you’re from the future to a minimum. Especially if it’s someone like Saeyeon who might tell people on accident.
Furthermore, from what I can tell, Upperclassman Nabom and Saeyeon’s personalities didn’t match. Although they were both fourth-dimensional, different to the childish Saeyeon, this person was the type of person who at least thought about this and that even if she behaved irrationally. That was difficult for the thoughtless Saeyeon.
“That’s why it’d be good if Underclassman Jin Jaro could take care of things on your own without my involvement. I’m certain I told you last time as well, but there are two conditions for me to take Miss Jin Jaim back to the future.”
That’s right. Either a problem had to occur or the person in question had to say on her own that she wanted to go back.
“In other words, making Miss Jaim think, ‘I guess I don’t have to be here anymore. They’ll unite and do everything else even if I’m not here’ on her own is also a method that’s available to you. So try to occasionally spend your time together with them like a cozy family.”
“Spend my time together with them like a cozy fa, mily, huh.”
“Don’t put a comma in a weird place. Well, as I thought, the best method would be uniting, though.”
“That won’t happen.”
“······I see. It wasn’t Underclassman Jin Jaro’s body that was a eunuch but his mentality. Were the rumors about you having a fetish for machines true?”
“I said I was going to get really upset, didn’t I?”
Is she trying to pick a fight with me? She is, right? All right, okay. I’m not a man who ignores a challenge! If you want conflict, then I’ll give you conflict!
“······No. It’s fine.”
But I just let out a sigh.
“What’s the matter? As I thought, are you saying that you don’t fight girls? I see that you have quite the premodern way of thinking. Are all the men in this day and age like that?”
While gazing at Upperclassman Nabom, who was throwing sharp jabs at me while chuckling, I let out another sigh. You know you aren’t intimidating at all, right?
“You helped me and I also don’t want to really fight with someone who’s cooperating with me.”
I won’t do something that is unhelpful to me. But if it was helpful, then I can at least disregard something like this. A man like me is tolerant.
“That’s surprisingly cool of you, Underclassman Jin Jaro.”
“What do you mean by surprisingly? I’ve always been a cold-hearted and cool city-dwelling scientist.”
“No, until now, I always thought that you were a complete piece of junk who only knew how to talk. This new side of yours is refreshing.”
“······.”
Hold yourself back. Ignore it. It doesn’t matter how people see me. Everything will be fine as long as I live my life while holding a strong sense of self-respect towards my inner self. If I do so, then, in the end, people will all come to terms with my amazingness. Heh, you can’t fall for me when that happens. My love is already full after all.
“For you to do nothing even after hearing this, your mind is truly that of a eunuch. Of course, you’re the type of man who flips tables with meals on them after hearing those other words after all. Or are you a pedophile who refers to small breasts as a status symbol? Ah, or do you perhaps like other men? I see······ you’re somewhat friendly with Underclassman Shin Nanda, so there is that possibility······. If you don’t like breasts or women and aren’t a eunuch, then······.”
“All right! Come at me! Come at me right now! Tremble, my right arm(Mechanical Engineering)!”
······I feel like the information contamination is more severe on my end.
“Hoo······. That’s nice······.”
Submerging my body in hot water literally felt as if my body was thawing. I’ve been rather tired lately, after all. I’m not an old man.
The anecdote of how Archimedes discovered the principle of buoyancy is famous. They say that when Archimedes, who was given a royal command by the current king to find out if a golden crown was real or not, had seen the overflowing water from his bath, he shouted, ‘Eureka! Eureka!’ and ran outside naked. Was he not embarrassed? In any case, baths are, in other words, a treasury of knowledge.
Let’s organize my thoughts within this treasury of knowledge.
Excluding the bothersome surrounding influences today, I wanted to think about the stagnant repair on Multi.
Yes. It has become completely stagnant. The project was on hold.
It has been nearly 2 weeks since Jaim had appeared. During that time, I suffered at school, and whenever I was at home, I had to suffer trying to deal with both the kid and Saeyeon, so I couldn’t make any spare time. Even though my love is solely for science and Multi-chan.
It wasn’t working out that well anyway, so I thought that one or two days would be fine, but I can’t leave Multi in that state any longer. Thus, I should free up my mind in order to run out naked while shouting ‘Eureka!’.
“Dad, are you in there?”
······Breadth of mine, over.
Knock, knock. Along with the sound of knocking, I could hear Jaim’s voice again.
“Dad? You’re in there, right?”
“If you want to use the bathroom, then go use the one at Saeyeon’s place. I won’t be out for a while.”
“No, it’s not that. You’re taking a bath right now, aren’t you, Dad?”
“Yeah. I’m cleansing my soul, so don’t bother me and go mess around with Saeyeon instead.”
“Okay.”
Click.
“Why are you opening the door even though you said ‘okay’?! Kyaa! Kyaa!”
I should have locked the door! Don’t you know how to knock?! No, she did knock, but still! Once I quickly covered my body and looked at her······.
“······You, what are you planning?”
“I-I want to take a bath together.”
······What?
Milky white skin. Although she was short, her long and slim arms and legs were exposed. Her protruding collarbone. While using a towel to cover her body starting from her chest and down to her knees, Jaim approached me one step at a time.
“I-It’s not that weird to take a bath with your dad, right?”
“It is weird! You should have graduated from that in pre-school! If you’ve matured, then you should know some shame!”
“It’s fine, isn’t it? I’m your daughter anyway. Or what? Are you a pedophile, Dad? From this point forth, you are not my daughter? Did you become interested in me?”
“Like hell I did! Rather, why do I have to take a bath with you? It’s my, my personal time of peace!”
“Eeh, don’t be like that, hm? Now then, scoot over a bit, I’m going in as well.”
“W-Where do you think you’re entering?! Where are you entering?! Get out right this instant!”
“Dad, if you move around like that, then I can see everything, you know?”
“Uu, uuk······.”
My hands, which were desperately trying to push Jaim away, naturally moved downwards. I need two hands in order to cover my jumbo wave cannon after all.
“······Heh.”
“T-This kid! Why did you laugh just now?! Aaang?!”
“It’s nothing. Mhm. It’s not a size that means you’re interested, right?”
“I already said that something like that would never happen! R-Rather, what do you mean by size?!”
“Now, now. I get it, so move over. It’s cold.”
“Uuk, t-this kid······.”
Without being able to stop her, Jaim let her towel fall to the ground and put her foot into the bath. I turned my head.
“You can look, you know?”
“I won’t! I don’t have a hobby of looking at something that’s underdeveloped!”
I’m a scientist! I’m only interested in cutting edge technology that has already been developed! After three or four years, yeah, if you grow up to be like Saeyeon or Upperclassman Nabom, then······ No, wait, that’s not the point!
Really, what is this kid thinking? Did she eat something bad?
Although I didn’t particularly plan to look at her, it was just that, since her thoughts would appear on her face, I turned my head slightly in order to observe that.
Since her body was small, just sitting in the tub was enough to nearly submerge her completely in the water. I couldn’t see the area below where the water was reaching her shoulders, but due to that, her collarbones were more prominent. Whether it was because of the hot water or not, her cheeks were slightly flushed. She gently brushed her slightly submerged hair behind her ear.
······Ah, our eyes met.
“A-As I thought, you’re looking?”
“L-Like hell I am.”
I turned away again.
“······.”
“······.”
Silence. Splash, a drop of water fell from the ceiling.
“I-I’m done washing so I’ll be leaving first!”
“What are you saying? You entered only a short while ago, Dad.”
“You normally aren’t supposed to stay in the bathtub for more than 5 minutes. That’s why······.”
“But I just got in······.”
“Yeah! That’s why you should wash slowly and come out later! Now then!”
Jaim grabbed me by the wrist as I was trying to quickly get out.
“W-Wait! Well, uhm, y-yeah! Dad, I’ll wash your back!”
“I don’t need it!”
“T-Then you can wash my back, Dad······.”
“I refuse!”
In response to my shout, I could faintly hear Jaim’s voice from behind me.
“······Do you dislike me that much, Dad?”
“······Hm?”
What is this kid saying all of a sudden? Once I turned my head slightly, Jaim spoke with cheeks that were flushed from either the heat or something else.
“I-I’m also embarrassed, you know?! But still, in order to take a bath with you, Dad, I was able to get in like this, but······. But, as I thought, Dad doesn’t······.”
While my mouth was twitching as if it were trying to say something instinctively, Jaim’s grip became weaker. This was my chance.
“I-I’ll be leaving first!”
That’s right. Although I’m not sure what this girl is thinking, there’s no reason for me to go along with her! If she has a loose screw in her head, then I’ll tighten it later! That’s why, for now, I should······ make my great escape!
“Jjaro? Jaim? Are you home?”
“······.”
Ah, damn it.
I could hear footsteps and a voice from outside of the bathroom door. I couldn’t see her right now, but I could clearly picture the girl in front of me. She’s most likely going through the rooms while looking around.
“Are they not home yet······? Maybe I should come later······.”
And since she can’t find us, she’ll probably leave the house while tilting her head. Good. Once she leaves, I’ll leave as well. I glanced towards Jaim and raised my index finger to my lips. It seems Jaim was at least able to comprehend the situation as she then nodded her head.
“······Mom! I’m taking a bath with Dad right now!”
“Oi, kid! I was telling you to not say that!”
What’s with this kid?!
Because of Jaim’s shout, I could hear Saeyeon’s voice coming from beyond the door.
“H-hm? Jjaro and Jaim, are bathing······ together······?”
Her voice clearly sounded confused. Her footsteps approached.
“N-No. Don’t come. I said don’t come!”
Please don’t come to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Click.
“······.”
Yeah. There’s no way Saeyeon would listen.
“······Jja, ro?”
Saeyeon opened her eyes wide at the sight within the bathtub. Of course she would.
A_naked_man_and_a_female_elementary_schooler_in_a_bathtub.avi.
A soaked Jaim and I, who was turning his head away while holding Jaim’s mouth shut, were seated in the tub.
“W-Wait a sec. This absolutely isn’t something weird. Uh, this kid barged in here all on her own. Something like forcefully bringing her here absolutely didn’t happen. In the first place, I have no interest in underdeveloped people. So don’t misunderstand and······.”
“······That’s unfair, Jjaro.”
Saeyeon spoke while pouting.
“If you’re going to take a bath together, then you should have invited me as well. We could take a bath together as a family.”
“······What, did you say?”
What did this kid(2) say just now······?
“Upsie-daisy.”
“Why are you performing a strip show without warning?!”
Different to me who had come home immediately, Saeyeon must have just gotten back home from school since she was still in her school uniform. Regardless, with a puchi, puchi, Saeyeon took her blouse off with her own two hands, with a ziiip, her skirt zipper went down, I didn’t know that skirts had zippers, and she lowered her kneesocks······.
“No! I didn’t see it! I didn’t! Rather, I’ve seen it all of the time! I’ve seen it often! I don’t feel anything from something like that!”
“······Dad, what are you talking about?”
I couldn’t even see Jaim who was looking at me with a weird expression on her face and questioning me in a weird voice. I can’t see her. I can’t see anything because of my hands. I seriously can’t see anything so stop insisting I can.
“It’s been a really long time since we’ve bathed together, right, Jjaro?”
“······Mom and Dad even bathed together?”
“Yup! We often did when we were little. Isn’t that so?”
“······.”
“K-Kid, why are you looking at me with those eyes? It was a long time ago!”
Yeah! That was all back in pre-school and elementary school! If I were to bathe together with a mature girl like this, then it’d become dangerous for a variety of different reasons in today’s society······.
Wait, that’s right. There’s no reason to panic. This is Saeyeon, isn’t it?
Think about it. If you have a little sister who’s still young, then who would possibly get excited when that little sister of theirs says, ‘Big brother, let’s take a bath together!’? If there is, then that person is the weird one. You have to watch out for the door.
Yeah. Be it then or now, Saeyeon is still a child. There is no reason whatsoever for me to be panicking like this. Since she’s a child who knows no shame and is entering the bathtub in order to just bathe with a guy.
No matter how much Saeyeon’s body has grown, no matter how much she brushes her bangs behind her ear with her long and slim arm that’s overflowing with refinement, no matter how much her other arm tactfully covers her ample breasts that weren’t excessive or lacking but just perfect to look at, now matter how much she lacked in any fat below that and possessed a smooth body line with a soft stomach and perfectly carved belly button, slender and attractive thighs and calves that drew elegant curves and didn’t have a single fine hair on them, and no matter how much she had perfectly shaped feet that made one want to put crystal shoes on them, she was still Saeyeon.
“But Dad, are you really going to take a bath together?”
“I-It’s a bit difficult right now. Wait a moment.”
It isn’t weird. This is merely a physiological phenomenon. If you’re also a robust man like myself, then you’d end up like this as well. The lower body, since that spot, in particular, wasn’t an area that was dealt with by the sympathetic nerve, it would become like this all on its own at times.
“Okay. It’s calmed down. ······That’s why I’ll just be leaving.”
“Jjaro, where are you going? I said we should bathe together as a family.”
Saeyeon grabbed my arm when I was about to make my escape. Don’t be like this, my Big Shocking Mega Particle Cannon, my large and dull thing is much too massive, thick, and crude, appearing almost like an iron mace, so one hand can’t possibly cove······no, am I supposed to cover my eyes or down there······Uaaaah!
“I came in so that we could take a bath together as a family, but what’s the point if Jjaro leaves? It’s been a really long time since we bathed together, right? Let’s take a bath together, okay?”
“I humbly refuse! You two should just have some mother-daughter bonding time and bathe together!”
“Jaim! Grab your dad!”
“Okay! I got it, Mom!”
“Don’t grab me! Y-You, where are you touching?! Don’t grab my other arm! Let me go! Hey, how am I supposed to cover myself if you two are grabbing both of my arms?!”
It’s being made public. Big reveal! My BFG is being releasedtothepublic!
“Okay! I get it! I just have to go in the tub, right?!”
“······.”
I found out for the first time that three people could fit inside a bathtub that was meant for 1.
I was practicing Zen while staring at the wall. Behind me, Saeyeon was leaning her back against mine and holding her knees. Jaim was being held by that Saeyeon.
With a splash, the bath water overflowed slightly as if it were trying to demonstrate the principle of buoyancy which Archimedes had discovered. As I thought, bathtubs are treasuries of knowledge. I wonder what I can find out while looking at this.
What am I talking about? I already found out that life is quite hard to live.
“Jjaro, are you crying?”
“The vapor is condensing in my eyes and flowing down, that’s all. Why?”
“Isn’t it a bit hot? What do you think, Jaim?”
“I think the temperature is just right. How about you, Dad?”
I do think it’s a bit hot. If you consider my headache right now.
“It’s been so long since we last bathed together like this. Right, Jjaro?”
Each time Saeyeon spoke, her back softly rubbed against my own. Now that I think about it, this girl’s skin is also quite nice. I wonder if her skin is a genetic trait.
“We stopped taking baths together after I became an adult, right?”
“······.”
I’m not going to say anything. I’m not.
While I stayed silent, I felt slightly more weight lean against my back. It seems Saeyeon was leaning on me a bit more.
“Even though we took baths together a lot when we were little, isn’t that right?”
“······.”
I said I’m not going to say anything. Seriously.
While leaning her body against my back, Saeyeon spoke in a longing voice.
“At that time, Jjaro, you would wash my body here and there.”
“Dad did?”
······Should I say something?
While I stayed silent, Saeyeon answered.
“Yup. He even washed my hair for me. After putting shampoo in my hair, he’d mess around by making my hair into all these weird shapes.”
“Heeh, so Dad was like that······. Mm······.”
The back of my head felt itchy. It was probably that kid’s gaze.
She had long hair, so it was perfect to play with, you know? Her hair was also healthy, so I was able to shape her hair into any form that I could think of. That’s why, although I don’t know what sort of look you’re giving me right now, stop looking at me like that. The back of my head is itchy, but if I try to scratch it, then I’ll end up touching Saeyeon’s hair.
Now our shoulders were touching. It seems Saeyeon had brushed her hair down.
“At that time, Jjaro said that long hair looked good on me, so I kept it long, but how about you, Jaim? Does it fit me?”
“Yes! It fits you! You’re pretty, Mom!”
“Hehe, thanks.”
They’re really getting along. How harmonious and cozy. Can I leave now?
“I wonder if I should let my hair grow out like Mom······.”
“Long hair would definitely look good on you too, Jaim. Although your current hairstyle is good too since it’s cute. Oh, right!”
Her shoulders moved up and down. She must have clapped this time.
“Jaim, do you want your mom’s hairpin?”
“Your hairpin? Are you talking about that flower hairpin?”
“Yup! You’ll definitely be pretty with it on. My friends also said that when I go around with this hairpin, I look pretty since it looks like I have an actual flower in my hair.”
Though I don’t think that’s what they meant.
“But······ is it okay? If I take it?”
“Ah······.”
For some reason, Saeyeon paused because of that comment. Even though they were just words that were said out of politeness.
Saeyeon gently touched her flower pin for a while. I didn’t know this because I had turned around. It’s because our arms touched.
“Mm~. Then next time, mom will buy you a hairpin. Let’s go together to buy one later.”
“Okay! Hehe.”
Yeah, yeah. You two get along, are cozy together, and smell like lily-scented soap. But are you girls not going to leave? I want to make my way out now. Of course, since it’s obvious that I’d be dragged back in if I said this out loud, I couldn’t say anything.
“Jjaro, how come you haven’t been saying anything since earlier?”
“······What do you want me to talk about?”
“Mm~ I wonder? How life’s been for you lately?”
“I don’t have anything in particular to say.”
“You’re too cold, Jjaro. Even though we’re a family, I feel like you’ve become colder.”
My mind has been going through a lot of hardship lately, after all. Half of it is because of you.
“Then I’ll talk so, Jjaro, you just have to answer, okay?”
After saying that, Saeyeon leaned back slightly. Thanks to that action, she was now completely leaning against my back. Her back was rather hot.
“Jjaro, do you think I’ve gained weight lately?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t be like that. Look at me and tell me. You’ve been just staring at the wall since earlier, haven’t you?”
“Walls are good. They don’t say anything and I don’t have to worry about being arrested no matter where I look at them. For it to have such a regular and artistic pattern······.”
“Jeez, look at me when you’re talking!”
Crack, my neck was turned at an impossible angle. Isn’t this an assassination technique? While rubbing my numb neck, I had no other choice but to turn around and shout at her.
“Guuuuh······. W-What do you want me to look at?! You didn’t gain weight! Are you happy now?!”
“Really?”
However, Saeyeon showed a doubtful expression on her face as if she didn’t believe my lip-service before lowering her head.
“But my chest has been feeling heavy lately as well······. Even my brassiere feels a bit tighter······, Are you sure I really haven’t gained weight? Hm?”
“······.”
Although it wasn’t because I actually wanted to look, I looked down out of courtesy.
So it was true when people say that fat had a lower specific gravity than water. They were floating.
“Of course, even Mom told me that my breasts would get bigger when I become an adult, you also seem to like them bigger, Jjaro, and even though they aren’t as big as Big Sis Nabom’s, my friends tell me they envy me, but······. For some reason, I feel like they’re all teasing me for becoming fatter.”
Saeyeon grumbled as she looked down at her own chest. Those breasts that were milky white and didn’t have a single blemish were being squeezed into all sorts of shapes by Saeyeon’s arms. Whether it was because of the hot water or not, but they were being dyed into an attractive pink color.
“Did I really······ not gain weight? Are they not heavy?”
Saeyeon glimpsed at me and asked me a question in an embarrassed voice.
“Whether they’re heavy or not······. Do you want to try holding them?”
“I won’t hold them.”
I answered sternly.
“······I knew it, you don’t want to hold them because I gained weight and you think they’re heavy, right?”
It seems she wasn’t satisfied by my answer, as Saeyeon then made a glum face. I turned away. Let’s look at the wall. For now, I added one thing.
“If you’re worried about your weight, then eat some vegetables and not just meat.”
“But vegetables don’t taste good······.”
“You’re a high schooler now. Just eat them.”
“Everyone has a food they don’t like!”
How imposing. Yeah, what can I say to a kid? On a side note, they say that if you only eat what you want to eat, then you won’t grow up properly, but what’s with this girl?
“But Dad, in the end, you’re admitting that Mom did gain weight, aren’t you?”
“S-So I really did become fat? Even Jjaro thinks I got fat, huh!”
“I don’t know! I have no idea whatsoever! How am I supposed to know if you gained weight or not?!”
I wanted to avoid this topic at all cost, but did you have to nitpick that?!
In response to my shout, Jaim let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Dad, you still don’t understand even though Mom said this much?”
“What am I supposed to understand? I won’t give empty lip service.”
I’m a Disciple of Truth after all. There’s no answer in the first place. I’ve heard the rumors. If you respond to a girl’s question, then it’ll end up like this.
Q. Did I gain weight?
A1. Yeah. You gained weight. → How could you say something like that?
A2. I don’t know. → So you don’t care about me?
A3. No. You didn’t gain weight. → So you’re saying that I was fat before?
In response to my answer, Jaim let out another sigh and spoke.
“······Is Dad actually a eunuch?”
“Why is everyone so interested in my reproductive ability?!”
That person was like that as well and so is this kid. There’s a limit to how rude you can be! What have they done for me?! I don’t have any problems down there! It’s alive and well!
“W-Wait a second, Dad! Calm down! You’re splashing the water!”
“Yeah! I’m splashing the water! No, wait, more than that, why did you make a fuss and squeeze your way into the bathroom even though I was taking a bath?!”
“Like I said, I wanted to cozily scrub your back as a family······.”
“I don’t need it! If you’re not a kid anymore, then you should graduate from that!”
“······How am I supposed to have graduated?”
For some reason, I could hear a disheartened voice behind me.
“I’ve never taken a bath with you before, Dad. I was also curious as to whether families normally bathed together or not······.”
“No, I don’t think they normally do.”
If a girl over the age of 7 takes a bath together with her father, then even if she’s his daughter, I think that’s still grounds to be taken to the police station. Laws have been like that lately.
“Well, I’ve never done it before either, so I don’t know that well.”
“Dad, you never took a bath together with your, ah······. Uhm, s-sorry.”
Jaim stopped herself mid-sentence and hastily shut her mouth. At least she’s quick at reading the mood.
“It’s fine. In any case.”
I lightly brushed up my wet hair and spoke. My glasses had also fogged up, so I cleaned it with the water.
“Families doing that is all because of the fantasies that were made by the foolish media. That doesn’t exist in the real world. Cozy families, my ass.”
“It’s because you’re like that, Dad, that······.”
“Be quiet, kid! If you’re going to call me dad, then listen to me a bit!”
“Mom, what part about Dad do you even like?”
Because of that question, I ended up inadvertently turning my head as well.
“Hm? Do you want to hear about your mom and dad’s love story?”
“Yeah! I want to hear it!”
No, there wasn’t anything like a love story.
Saeyeon, who obviously couldn’t read my mind, pulled Jaim closer and started her story. She had a longing, and yet relaxed expression on her face.
“Your Dad may be like this right now, but······.”
“He was kind when he was a child?”
“Nope. He was ill-tempered when he was a kid as well.”
“······Eh?”
The once smiling Jaim’s mouth fell open.
“During pre-school, whenever I tripped and fell down, he would knuckle me on the head and ask me why I fell when there was nothing there, when the other kids teased me and I was crying, he would knuckle me on the head and tell me that I was crying like an idiot, and when I asked if we could play together, he would say that the other kids will make fun of him for playing with a girl, so he would ignore my request and go off somewhere by himself.”
“······.”
“He would steal my snacks during snack time in pre-school, hand me his diary and tell me to write it for him, and whenever he broke a toy and felt like he was going to get in trouble for it, he would blame it on me.”
“······.”
The kid’s gaze became incredibly sharp. Miss Rabbit Detective with scary eyes. Why are you looking at me like that?
“······So? Why do you like Dad even though he was like that?”
“It’s because of that.”
“······Huh?”
In response to Jaim’s dumbfounded voice, Saeyeon smiled brightly and spoke.
“That’s why I like him.”
“······.”
Jaim looked at me this time. She was opening her eyes wide, making it evident that she had no idea what Saeyeon was saying. I don’t know either, so stop looking at me.
“The fact that Jjaro did all that, is because he likes me. That’s what Mom told me. Boys only tease the girls they like.”
There wasn’t even a single grain of doubt on Saeyeon’s face as she turned to smile at me.
“Furthermore, do you know how many times Jjaro has helped me? Whenever the other kids teased me, he would always follow after them and teach them a lesson, if Jjaro goes off and leaves me waiting in the playground, he’ll always come back to walk me home, and when my doll fell into the river, I heard a knock at the door at night and found my doll placed at my door after being roughly washed with water. That was you, wasn’t it, Jjaro?”
Without erasing her radiant smile, Saeyeon continued.
“Isn’t that why he’s still taking care of me and staying by my side? Isn’t that right, Jjaro? You like me, don’t you?”
Because that smile, was too bright,
I just turned my head and stood up.
“Well, this is enough, isn’t it? Let’s wash up and get out.”
Saeyeon opened her eyes wide and panicked because of my words.
“Hm? I didn’t even get to wash with soap yet······.”
“Then you should clean Jaim and come out afterward. I’ll be going first.”
“Ah, you’re embarrassed right now, aren’t you, Jjaro? You don’t have to be, you know?”
I ignored Saeyeon’s voice that was coming from behind me and left the bathroom after taking a single towel. I couldn’t stay in that space any longer.
As I thought, that girl, she doesn’t know anything. She really, doesn’t.
The sound I could hear from beyond the door could no longer be heard once I returned to my own room.
Someone had once said that history was written during the night.
Therefore, as I am the genius scientist of this generation who is destined to pave a path in history, I too will obviously write history during the night.
“Move, Multi! Why won’t you move?!”
······I see that writing history is difficult.
I want to shout ‘Eureka!’ and run through the streets naked, but the God of Baths didn’t grant me his blessing. What a cheapskate.
It’s because of those two kids. Give me back my inspiration.
“······Haa.”
Well, it’s not like they can give my inspiration back to me even if I ask them to. I could only sigh. I desperately need inspiration even if it’s just 1%. Teacher Edison, please help me. Why isn’t this working? Please teach me.
Knock knock, knock knock.
“Dad, are you sleeping?”
“I’m not sleeping. I’m busy. Go sleep.”
“Okay.”
Click.
“If you’re going to say ‘Okay’, then at least show a response that befits that answer! If you’re going to keep doing this anyway, then what’s the point of asking?!”
“No, I felt like it was just etiquette······.”
“I don’t need your etiquette if you aren’t going to uphold it anyway! Rather, aren’t you supposed to be sleeping with Saeyeon today? Go sleep!”
Jaim pouted as if she were discontent.
“Mom is already asleep. I’m not even sleepy yet.”
“You have to sleep early in order to escape that underdeveloped city, kid.”
Jaim glared at me intensely.
“······Can you stop talking about that ‘underdeveloped’ thing?”
“If you don’t want to hear it, then go to sleep. I’m busy right now.”
However, Jaim ignored even this threat and instead sat down on my bed. What did I expect? She’s terrible at listening to orders. I’ll just ignore her as well, then.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
“As a scientist, I’m creating a great invention that will change the future of mankind. Thus, do not bother me.”
Rather, why is this kid here all of a sudden?
Up until now, even on the days where we were supposed to sleep together, we would act like complete strangers and ignore each other, so this abrupt behavior of hers was suspicious. Ah, was it that?
“······I’ll tell you this now, but I didn’t see anything earlier, so I’m not going to give you any money.”
“······.”
Her gaze became incredibly cold. Was that not it?
“······In any case, what is this?”
“Fufufu. Do you want to know? Do you want to know, kid?”
“No, I don’t really want to······.”
“Good question! If you’re that curious, then I’ll tell you!”
Jaim looked as if she were seriously annoyed, but who cares? If this foolish, untaught girl wishes to know about the greatness of science, then so be it! Listen and be surprised!
“This is my ambitious project, Maid Robot Mk. III, ‘Multi’!”
“Maid, robot?”
Jaim opened her eyes wide. That’s right, you’re surprised. Of course you’d be surprised. You can be astonished as much as you want while before my technical skills!
After slowly looking over my work table, Jaim added.
“······This?”
“What do you mean by ‘this’?! Is that what you have to say after witnessing this great invention?!”
“No, but······.”
After glancing over the work table once more with eyes that looked as if she didn’t know what to say, Jaim hesitantly continued.
“······Isn’t this, just a robot vacuum? With some random head attached to it.”
······.
“······That’s right. It is right now.”
Yes, it’s a robot vacuum with a flat cylindrical body that will, when turned on, sweep the floor on its own and change direction whenever it hits a wall.
“You’re calling this toy a ‘Maid Robot’?”
“Toy?! Take those words back right this instant, you brat! My Multi-chan isn’t like that!”
“Ububububu! Aa! Ii hurs!”
I’ll stretch these rice cake-like cheeks of yours as much as possible! Was this the mouth that said those words?! On a side note, her skin is really nice. I wonder if it’s because she just took a bath, but her skin is glossy. It feels good to touch, too.
After letting go of her cheeks, which snapped back into place like a rubber band, I spoke towards the teary-eyed Jaim.
“Although its beginning may look weak, its completed form will be extremely big and strong! With this machine called Multi, mankind will be released from the foolish social groups known as families and advance one step forward! In other words, the end of mankind’s infancy!”
“Uu······. B-But, no matter how you look at it, it’s just a to······.”
In response to my gaze that looked as if I were going to actually rip her cheeks off this time and explain to her why this was a serious problem, Jaim shut her mouth. Good. That’s the way you should behave.
“More than that, if you really did come from the future, then you should have seen my great inventions. You, are you actually a spy who was sent here by some institute?”
“······I feel like your baseless confidence is impressive, Dad.”
While glaring at Jaim who was looking at me as if I were pathetic, I spoke.
“It’s not baseless confidence. Isn’t it impossible for a pathetic word like failure to be attached to this genius scientist’s future? In any case, I’m asking you if you’ve never seen my inventions or not.”
In response to my question, Jaim rubbed her cheeks and answered.
“I’ve seen robot maids before. Not something pathet······ not in their developmental state, but ones that were being utilized properly.”
“As I had expected. There’s no mistake in my development after all.”
I’ll overlook her slip of the tongue which she had quickly fixed.
“But I never thought that you were the one who made them, Dad.”
“Then what do I normally do in the future?”
“I don’t know. I never had a proper conversation with you.”
Jaim uttered and slightly turned her head away.
“Dad, it was like you had no interest in me since you only cared about your work······. We rarely ever had a meal together. I was always by myself.”
My hand that was about to go back to the work table stopped inadvertently.
“Didn’t you say that after Saeyeon left, you lived with just me?”
“I did. But I was barely able to even see your face, Dad.”
“Why? Did I live inside my laboratory?”
Nod. After nodding her head, Jaim glared at me slightly.
“Since you were always at work, Dad, you coming back home from work even once a month was considered a lot. You didn’t even care about me.”
Since her gaze was a gaze that felt as if she were actually looking at her own detestable father, I couldn’t open my mouth.
“That’s why I was all by myself during the entrance ceremonies at my school and during the sports festivals.”
‘So why should I have cared about what you did for a living, Dad?’ I felt as if I could vaguely hear these words.
“That’s why I thought that everything would end up differently if Mom and Dad never broke up, if I also had a mom. If Dad sees Mom as a woman, then. If I’m able to make Dad see Mom as a woman, then······.”
Once she had said that much, Jaim took a breath before continuing.
“If you cared about your family properly, then as a family, cozily······. I thought that we could become like that. That’s why I came here like this.”
“There’s no way that would happen. I told you, didn’t I? That we don’t need something like families, the world is a place where you have to live by yourself.”
“······Dad, I’m asking this since we’re talking about it anyway, but why has your mind become so polluted that it’s making you think like that?”
“I’m not the one who’s polluted. It’s this society.”
“Is that the name of a criminal act?”
“No! Listen carefully. There is no future for a spineless humanity that’s bound by something like one’s families.”
Jaim gave me a pitying gaze because of my statement before speaking.
“Don’t you also have a family, Dad? Don’t tell me you were born after your parents went to sleep while holding hands.”
“Kid, you know that’s really funny coming from you, right?”
For a brat who really appeared after we went to sleep while only holding hands.
“······Fine.”
In response to my answer, Jaim tilted her head.
I’ll return to her as much as she had given to me. If she tells me about her past, then it’s fine for me to do at least that much as well.
“If you want to know that much, then I’ll teach you why families are a fantasy.”
When I was little, the two of them were absorbed in their work.
As they both worked for a living, the two of them were constantly busy since they had started from the bottom.
I was obviously alone.
I had done my best in order to understand my busy parents. I looked after the house with my own strength. I believed that I would be helping them if I made my own meals, cleaned the house, and did the laundry.
These were all impossible for a pre-schooler. Nevertheless, I did my best.
There was a time where I had almost started a fire while cooking.
There was a time where I had put a suit that one of my parents was going to wear the next day in the water.
There was a time where I had knocked over a display cupboard while cleaning.
I worked hard in order to become a good child. I thought that they would turn to look back at me if I did. It’s not like I was expecting much back from them either. ‘Our Jaro is admirable.’, ‘Our Jaro is kind.’ praises like these were enough for me.
And at first, they were like that.
Every time I was praised for doing well on my own, I believed that what I was doing wasn’t wrong. As long as I continued to help my parents, we’ll one day go on trips together like those other families, that’s what I thought would happen. If I worked harder and lowered the amount of work my parents had to do.
However, as time passed, they started to consider the things I did as something obvious. It didn’t take long before ‘you’re admirable’ became ‘that’s obvious’. I was no longer praised.
That’s why I tried causing problems instead this time. I believed that they would pay attention to me if I did.
As expected, that was the case at first. As expected, that also waned.
They ended up not knowing what to do.
Once I entered middle school, studying became important. If I studied well, then I was praised by the teachers. It seems they thought I was a problem child because of how I behaved during elementary school, so they would praise me even more if I did well. Moreover, the two people, they started paying attention to me once more.
Good grades. A good university. A good job.
I was happy about their restored interest in me. It felt as if they would be in a good mood whenever I got 1st place in terms of grades. Each time the teachers praised me, they must hear about it as well since the number of times the two of them would praise me also increased.
I was delighted. This was what I wanted after all.
Then, during that time, I finally discovered something that I wanted to do.
I liked science. I was skilled with my hands. If you think about it, ever since I was little, I liked to fiddle, break apart, assemble, and fix things. It felt like my calling. It was much more enjoyable than something boring like literature and English.
I even took part in competitions. I received awards as well. I was also called a genius.
How’s that? I did well, right? Please praise me.
My teachers praised me.
However, the two people didn’t.
The more results I showed, the worse my grades became. This was obvious. Something you like to do and something you don’t like to do, if you had these two options available to you, then everyone would choose something they like to do.
To the two of them, actions like that were ‘needless’.
The thing I liked to do was disregarded and the things I disliked to do were praised.
That’s why I gave up. I believed that if it was something that wouldn’t be acknowledged, if it was something that only I enjoyed by myself, then there was no meaning to it. I had already made my decision to do what they wanted me to do after all. Because I wanted to be acknowledged.
The two of them became busier because of their work. If they do better at their job, then it’s obvious that they would become busier. Ever since I was little, I was well aware that their expectations would continue to go higher, so I also worked hard in order to not lose to their expectations. Things became more restless.
At one point, the two of them started to go on business trips overseas. But even then, whenever they came back home, they would pay attention to me for a bit. That’s why I hung in there even more.
Eventually, on my birthday during my second year of middle school.
It had been a really long time since the two of them were going to be both coming home at the same time. I was looking forward to it. They both also said that they had something important to tell me. I made a homemade cake by myself and finished all of the preparations. It was a cake that was meant for my parents and not for my birthday since they were working so much more than me. I also had something important to tell them. I was looking forward to it.
A phone call came. They told me that they were both starting a new post overseas. They told me that they wouldn’t be coming home anymore.
“Since Jaro is able to do well even by himself.”
In the end, they had no interest in something like me. I came to that realization.
The more and more I worked, the more obvious it became.
There was no reason to look back. Their own jobs were more important.
What they wanted from me wasn’t a good kid who they didn’t have to be ashamed of.
They merely wanted an existence who wouldn’t hold them by the ankles and interfere with their work.
The saying that ‘family is precious’ was all a lie.
You didn’t need something like that. You live by yourself in the world.
Because I, can accomplish anything even by myself.
Because I, was a child that they couldn’t handle.
An existence that they couldn’t acknowledge, an existence that was needed in the world.
“I see······. So in that instant, you decided it was like that, Dad.”
Although I heard the kid muttering something, I ignored it.
After all that, I felt more grateful than anything else. Thanks to that experience, I didn’t become disillusioned by all of those foolish fantasies and was able to learn about the world at a young age.
“Thus, accordingly, I, the genius scientist who was born in this generation, am now endeavoring in order to teach the untaught masses about the truth and develop society one step forward towards the future!”
In response to my hand gesture towards Multi that I had purposely done in order to change the mood, Jaim made quite the profound and mysterious face. What’s your problem?
“With this, I’ll fix the people’s foolishness and help mankind take a step forward. Although it’s currently in its early state, once it gets through its technical development and is reborn as a proper robot maid, then even those foolish, untaught masses will come to terms with this truth! That you don’t need something like a family! That within an advanced civilization, families are merely an outdated system!”
“······So that’s why you’re calling that a robot maid?”
“If we’re talking about robot maids, then they should have human-like heads! That’s why it obviously has a head! In that regard, I’ve already achieved half of my goal! Something like legs are just decorations!”
“······It’s because you’re like that that you got fired.”
“So I really do get fired?!”
“Haa······.”
Jaim let out a sigh and pressed her hand against her forehead once more. This kid, didn’t I say that that action was really annoying?
“E-Even if it looks like this, it’s incredibly advanced, you know?! The camera that’s attached to the head is able to read the terrain in front of it and its artificial intelligence will utilize that information in order to avoid obstacles on its own. Furthermore, it’s capable of using this claw hand in order to grab objects and move them! If you give it an order, then it’s possible for it to even go on simple errands!”
“Putting aside if it could even grab something and move it, at most, it’ll probably just roam around on the ground······.”
Jaim glanced at me and asked.
“Then at that time, when you said that you were going to conquer the world or whatever, is it because of that as well?”
Her memory is better than I expected.
“Yeah. It’s exactly because of that. If the untaught masses are unable to understand my great mind until the bitter end, then I will have no other choice but to resort to force. I’ll have no other choice but to achieve global conquest.”
“······How exactly do you plan to do that?”
I smirked at Jaim who was looking at me with pitying eyes and explained gallantly.
“For starters, if I have the technical skills to create robot maids, then creating weaponized combat cyborgs will be a breeze. Using them to declare war on the world is one method.”
However, since the American defense corp is scary.
“Once robot maids are released to the public, there will probably be at least one in every household. If that happens, then I’ll make it so that I can control them all, and with them, I’ll be able to rule the world just like that. A robot rebellion is scary after all.”
“Ah, is that so?”
This brat, what’s with this unenergetic answer? Well, what did I expect? This is why the untaught masses who don’t know science are······.
“I knew that you weren’t sane, Dad, but I didn’t think it was this bad······.”
“I’m a full-fledged mad scientist. A proper one at that.”
I declared to the kid who was shaking her head.
In truth, among the ‘mad scientists’ that often appeared in the media, none of them were actually proper mad scientists. At the very most, if they just make a bunch of machines in order to conquer the world, then they aren’t ‘mad scientists’, but instead they’re ‘mad engineers’.
“But I’m different. I’ll be carrying out a proper scientific experiment and verification. About why humanity no longer needs families!”
“Ah, is that so?”
Really, your answer is dampening the mood a lot······. Well, whatever. I didn’t expect that this foolish, untaught girl would be able to understand my great plan in the first place. We were roughly able to return the mood back to what it was as well.
“Now then, since you’ve heard everything, go to sleep. I’m busy.”
Shoo, shoo. In response to my hand gesture that was telling her to leave, Jaim stood up. All right, now you’re finally listening to me.
Jaim spoke.
“But this here, isn’t the coefficient of friction wrong on the changed motor?”
“······Hm?”
What did this kid, just say······?
Once I turned around, Jaim, who had been walking towards the door, spoke while looking over my shoulder and at the blueprint that was spread out on top of my work table.
“It is, isn’t it? If you look at it, because of the attached head and the devices put inside of it, the weight should have increased, but looking at your calculations on your blueprint, I think you put less on your estimate of the coefficient of friction, Dad.”
“T-There’s no way! There’s no way that this genius scientist of this age could have gotten such a fundamental calculation wrong!”
That’s right! Miscalculations don’t exist for me!
“In the first place, if you consider the maximum output of the motor······.”
“That’s the maximum output. You need a decent amount of excess in order for it to roll properly. Wait. It’d be a problem if you only paid attention to that motor. Since you changed the balance of the weight, you’ll have to add another driving head, and since the amount of energy consumption has increased, you have to build additional batteries······. Also, you’d be better off bypassing here······.”
“Wait, wait a second! Don’t scribble on another person’s blueprint as you please!”
This brat! That isn’t a drawing paper! Give me back my pen!
Without being able to stop Jaim who, at one point, had picked up my pen and started drawing something on my blueprint, Jaim displayed a satisfied grin on her face as she put the cap back on my pen.
“······All right. This should be a bit better now.”
“What’s with that satisfied smile? If you’re going to scribble on something then borrow a drawing paper from Saeyeon! Where do you think you’re······.”
······.
······Huh?
Jaim spoke towards me who was staring holes into the blueprint.
“It’s good, right?”
“······Kid.”
I had no other choice but to ask a question while looking at the confidently grinning Jaim.
“You, where did you learn this?”
“I didn’t particularly learn it from someone. I just get a rough grasp of things when I look at stuff. Like how it moves and where the problem is.”
While sticking out her chest, Jaim answered as if she were answering something obvious. Are you able to perceive the coefficient of friction with your eyes? What a scary kid······.
“Also, I’m the daughter of the ‘self-proclaimed genius scientist’, so of course I’d be able to do at least this much.”
“Don’t put an emphasis there!”
Jaim grinned broadly because of my reaction.
“Rather, how were you even able to make that lie detector, Dad, when you couldn’t even do something like this properly?”
“G-Geniuses don’t pay attention to something like trivial calculations!”
No, that’s not the problem. More than that······.
“All right. Kid. I’ll bestow upon you a glorious position.”
I grabbed Jaim’s wrist and spoke.
“From this point forth, you are my assistant. Feel free to be grateful.”
“That’s too bothersome. I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed.”
I quickly shouted at Jaim who was rubbing her eyes.
“D-Don’t be like that! How about this? I’ll even record your name as my assistant! You’ll be able to leave your name behind in history! How about that? Isn’t that a good deal? Right?”
“But I don’t need it.”
“Don’t be so difficult! Fine! A plastic model! I’ll give you an expensive one! 30, no, 50 thousand won! How’s that?! It’s a good deal, right? Tell me it’s good!” (TL note: 30 thousand won = Roughly $30)
“It’s getting late and you even said so yourself, Dad. You said that if I wanted to escape from being underdeveloped, then I have to sleep early. That’s why I’m going to go sleep.”
“Okay! I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please help me!”
After seeing me end up hitting my head on the ground as I tried to pull Jaim by her leg, she grinned widely at me.
“100 thousand won.”
······So expensive.
“······All right. I’m turning it on now. Are you ready, Jaim?”
“I’m all ready on my side. Turn it on, Dad.”
“Please move this time, Multi!”
Once I flipped the switch, the motor started to hum. Different to before, it was making a good sound. Surely, surely this time······?
“O-Ooooooh!”
She’s moving! She’s moving properly! Multi is standing, I say!
······Although she’s moving around on wheels since her legs are just decorations. In any case.
Just as she was programmed, the sounds of suctioning and wheels rolling were emitting from Multi as she started to roam around the room. The camera must have been properly perceiving its surrounding situation since it was avoiding the obstacles that we had purposely placed here and there around the room all on its own.
“She’s working! She’s working! I knew I wasn’t wrong!”
“See? It ended well since you listened to me, right?”
Clap. Jaim and I, who were watching while taking refuge on top of the bed, hit our palms together. High five. If you succeed in something, then you have to do this.
Dawn was now showings its face outside of the window.
We had quite the difficult time at first.
In the beginning, I fixed the blueprint with Jaim.
“What? You’re going to do that there? How does that make sense?!”
“Why wouldn’t it?! Look, look! If this part becomes like this and drdrdrdrs, then wouldn’t this part go wengweng? If that happens, since that place will start to clickclackclickclack, you have to do this here!”
“I have no idea what you’re saying, you pseudo-scientist! Explain it using proper details and numerical values!”
“Dad, you’re the one who needs to fix your terrible handwriting! I have no idea what you wrote!”
This was why I thought that I couldn’t work with people who did things with their intuition.
After that, we had to search for the parts.
“Dad, you need to clean this place regularly! This is a completely different shelf!”
“It’s going to go all over the place anyway, so what’s the point of organizing everything? Wait, what are you doing?”
“Organizing! Really······. If I go back to the future, then I’m going to have to clean your room. You’re definitely still like this in the future. Rather, what is this supposed to be? Why is this in the tool cabinet?”
“Did Saeyeon leave that there when she was playing here? Rather, does your generation not know what dress-up dolls are? Well, it makes sense if you consider the kids these days. Look, if you do this with it······.”
······Well, we discovered a nostalgic toy so we messed around with it for a bit.
We also took the parts we needed from other inventions that were no longer being used.
“Dad, are you not using this either?”
“Oh. Was that still around? That might still be useful.”
“But what is it?”
“It’s a heater I invented in the past while I was researching ways to peacefully use nuclear energy. I had planned to save on electricity by turning on the nuclear reactor and use the heat that emanated from it in order to spend my winters warmly······. Wait, why are you running away?”
Like that.
If I did this by myself, then it would have probably taken me several days in order to do this even if I had the blueprint, but thankfully, Jaim was quite the useful assistant, so we were able to finish it within one night. ······Well, she’s useful as an assistant.
“Uu, I’m tired······.”
There were bags underneath the eyes of Jaim who was stretching while receiving the morning rays coming from outside of the window. She looked like a panda. I ended up laughing.
“What? Your face isn’t a joke either, you know? You need a shave.”
I felt my chin and it was definitely rough. I grumpily scratched Jaim’s smooth cheek with my chin stubble.
“Hi-hiik! W-What are you doing?! You’re giving me goosebumps!”
“Hahaha! I did that so you would!”
I grinned at Jaim who was rubbing her cheek and complaining.
I felt like I heard footsteps outside of the door, but it must have just been my imagination.
It’s still Saeyeon’s dreaming time after all.
TL note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This chapter had a rather heavy part in it, albeit surrounded by lighthearted stuff. Some people may not think it’s a big deal, but Jaro’s past is a topic that’s a rather major issue here in S. Korea. One of the several leading causes of why S. Korea has the 2nd highest suicide rate in the world. Although Jaro’s example is more of an extreme case, it’s true that the majority of kids here are pressured to keep studying and show good grades in order to meet their parents’ expectation. Not being able to meet that expectation and all the stress from their non-stop studying will cause them to do drastic things.
Honestly, I guess one of the main reasons why I got drawn to this series is because it touches that topic. Or I guess it mainly revolves around that topic. What happens when you neglect your kids. No, I don’t have any issues in my life. I’m just aware of one of the major issues in Korea and like seeing it addressed like this.
In any case, I’ll do my best to finish this volume before DD volume 5 comes out. I’m certain I’ll get it done and have time to spare. Especially if they decide to delay it. Well, I’ll probably just use that gap in time to catch up on all the other series I’ve been reading and go look for more things to read.
“As I thought, are you a eunuch, Underclassman Jin Jaro?”
“Thank you for the fastball! ······No, wait, I’m not a eunuch!”
If I really were a eunuch, then I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.
After I finished giving my regular ‘report’, Upperclassman Nabom held her forehead as if she were having a headache.
“Underclassman Jin Jaro, do you not have the resolve to fix this situation? I’ve said it a countless number of times, have I not? If you wish to send Miss Jaim back, then the fastest method would be to unite.”
“About that, I’ve thought about it for a while now, but as I thought, wouldn’t uniting now cause a time paradox?”
“Setting a pretext like that by yourself and declaring it as a reason to not work is the excuse of losers. But the fact that you’re thinking along these lines must mean that you’ve started to gain the resolve to actually do it.”
“I didn’t.”
She keeps leading the topic towards a weird direction. I bared my teeth and displayed a fed up expression on my face.
“The reason why I’m trying to send Jaim back home is in order to prevent a time paradox from happening, as it’s the duty of a scientist. Weren’t you also dispatched to the past in order to prevent this, Upperclassman Nabom?”
That’s right. If a time paradox is something that occurs when the future and the past collide with one another, then it’s not as if one would occur if Saeyeon and I were to unite early on. Of course, I don’t plan to ever do that anyway.
Upperclassman Nabom let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Underclassman Jin Jaro, I’ve told you several times already that I currently do not have a reason to take Miss Jaim back. However, if a problem were to occur with Miss Jaim as the source, then there would be a reason to take her back. Isn’t that the most efficient method?”
Upperclassman Nabom spoke while tapping her ballpoint pen on the desk.
“As a government employee, I hold efficiency as my highest of priority.”
“······Even though you’re leaving everything to me.”
“I absolutely despise tiresome things. Isn’t that efficient? Outsourcing is a basic among basics. It’s because you didn’t know something like that that you were fired.”
“Do I really get fired?!”
“In any case.”
Tap, after audibly placing her ballpoint pen down on the desk, Upperclassman Nabom hid her mouth behind her interlocked hands. I’ve seen this pose a lot somewhere.
“The fact that Miss Jaim has started to feel dissatisfied with the current situation is a bad sign. What have you been doing until now, Underclassman Jin Jaro?”
“What do you mean what have I been doing······?”
“I’ve told you once before, but ‘information contamination’ occurs when a gap appears in one’s memories and what they see in real life. Within Miss Jaim’s memory, she recalls this point in time to be a time where you were, at the very least, ‘happily living together’.”
Upperclassman Nabom looked at me with serious eyes and continued. Although her eyes were tired, they contained power.
“However, that is not the case in reality. Moreover, if she’s exposed to this situation continuously, then the chance that an ‘information contamination’ will occur will also increase. I had advised you to be wary of this in order to prevent this from occurring, but as I thought, Underclassman Jin Jaro’s job performance skill is a solid 0 points.”
“No, like I said, why are you making me······.”
“The fact that Miss Jaim is saying that she’s bored is because Underclassman Jin Jaro isn’t working properly, right? Are you not embarrassed even though you’re being paid? Should I appoint you to the storage? Do you not want to work?”
“No, I’m sorry······. Spare me from the storage······. I’ll do my best from now o······. ······Wait. I don’t recall ever receiving something like a wage?”
“But I let you touch my breast.”
“I don’t remember that ever happening! If that did happen, then this hand would have never forgotten that sensation!”
“······He isn’t a eunuch if you consider this response······.”
“I told you I wasn’t!”
“Well, putting aside the fact that Underclassman Jin Jaro is a seedless watermelon.”
“If you say something like that one more time then I’ll really get upset, you know?!”
I let out a sigh, making it clear that I had enough.
“I told you that I’ve never been interested in a kid like that, so please stop stimulating Saeyeon towards a weird direction. Do you know how much trouble I had to go through because of what you said, Upperclassman Nabom?”
“I’m also repenting because of what happened last time.”
“Repenting?”
Hearing this person say a word that she would usually never say felt refreshing.
“Although I’m a trained agent, as long as I’m capable of causing problems, I have to limit my contact with the present. However, last time I had inadvertently gotten myself involved. I have to submit a written apology.”
“That’s surprising. I thought that you had definitely squeezed in because you were enjoying yourself.”
“Honestly, I don’t particularly want to come in contact with Underclassman Ja Saeyeon and Miss Jin Jaim. It’d become difficult then.”
“Why’s that? As the affair partner, is dealing with the legal wife and daughter difficult for you?”
“Since that’s a subject matter that I’ll be writing, do not use it. It feels like I may accidentally confess everything while talking with someone who is unaware of the situation. Furthermore, in regard to Miss Jin Jaim’s issue, it somehow feels like I’m intruding on something so it’s hard to get involved.”
I see. It’d certainly be a good idea to keep the number of people who know that you’re from the future to a minimum. Especially if it’s someone like Saeyeon who might tell people on accident.
Furthermore, from what I can tell, Upperclassman Nabom and Saeyeon’s personalities didn’t match. Although they were both fourth-dimensional, different to the childish Saeyeon, this person was the type of person who at least thought about this and that even if she behaved irrationally. That was difficult for the thoughtless Saeyeon.
“That’s why it’d be good if Underclassman Jin Jaro could take care of things on your own without my involvement. I’m certain I told you last time as well, but there are two conditions for me to take Miss Jin Jaim back to the future.”
That’s right. Either a problem had to occur or the person in question had to say on her own that she wanted to go back.
“In other words, making Miss Jaim think, ‘I guess I don’t have to be here anymore. They’ll unite and do everything else even if I’m not here’ on her own is also a method that’s available to you. So try to occasionally spend your time together with them like a cozy family.”
“Spend my time together with them like a cozy fa, mily, huh.”
“Don’t put a comma in a weird place. Well, as I thought, the best method would be uniting, though.”
“That won’t happen.”
“······I see. It wasn’t Underclassman Jin Jaro’s body that was a eunuch but his mentality. Were the rumors about you having a fetish for machines true?”
“I said I was going to get really upset, didn’t I?”
Is she trying to pick a fight with me? She is, right? All right, okay. I’m not a man who ignores a challenge! If you want conflict, then I’ll give you conflict!
“······No. It’s fine.”
But I just let out a sigh.
“What’s the matter? As I thought, are you saying that you don’t fight girls? I see that you have quite the premodern way of thinking. Are all the men in this day and age like that?”
While gazing at Upperclassman Nabom, who was throwing sharp jabs at me while chuckling, I let out another sigh. You know you aren’t intimidating at all, right?
“You helped me and I also don’t want to really fight with someone who’s cooperating with me.”
I won’t do something that is unhelpful to me. But if it was helpful, then I can at least disregard something like this. A man like me is tolerant.
“That’s surprisingly cool of you, Underclassman Jin Jaro.”
“What do you mean by surprisingly? I’ve always been a cold-hearted and cool city-dwelling scientist.”
“No, until now, I always thought that you were a complete piece of junk who only knew how to talk. This new side of yours is refreshing.”
“······.”
Hold yourself back. Ignore it. It doesn’t matter how people see me. Everything will be fine as long as I live my life while holding a strong sense of self-respect towards my inner self. If I do so, then, in the end, people will all come to terms with my amazingness. Heh, you can’t fall for me when that happens. My love is already full after all.
“For you to do nothing even after hearing this, your mind is truly that of a eunuch. Of course, you’re the type of man who flips tables with meals on them after hearing those other words after all. Or are you a pedophile who refers to small breasts as a status symbol? Ah, or do you perhaps like other men? I see······ you’re somewhat friendly with Underclassman Shin Nanda, so there is that possibility······. If you don’t like breasts or women and aren’t a eunuch, then······.”
“All right! Come at me! Come at me right now! Tremble, my right arm(Mechanical Engineering)!”
······I feel like the information contamination is more severe on my end.
“Hoo······. That’s nice······.”
Submerging my body in hot water literally felt as if my body was thawing. I’ve been rather tired lately, after all. I’m not an old man.
The anecdote of how Archimedes discovered the principle of buoyancy is famous. They say that when Archimedes, who was given a royal command by the current king to find out if a golden crown was real or not, had seen the overflowing water from his bath, he shouted, ‘Eureka! Eureka!’ and ran outside naked. Was he not embarrassed? In any case, baths are, in other words, a treasury of knowledge.
Let’s organize my thoughts within this treasury of knowledge.
Excluding the bothersome surrounding influences today, I wanted to think about the stagnant repair on Multi.
Yes. It has become completely stagnant. The project was on hold.
It has been nearly 2 weeks since Jaim had appeared. During that time, I suffered at school, and whenever I was at home, I had to suffer trying to deal with both the kid and Saeyeon, so I couldn’t make any spare time. Even though my love is solely for science and Multi-chan.
It wasn’t working out that well anyway, so I thought that one or two days would be fine, but I can’t leave Multi in that state any longer. Thus, I should free up my mind in order to run out naked while shouting ‘Eureka!’.
“Dad, are you in there?”
······Breadth of mine, over.
Knock, knock. Along with the sound of knocking, I could hear Jaim’s voice again.
“Dad? You’re in there, right?”
“If you want to use the bathroom, then go use the one at Saeyeon’s place. I won’t be out for a while.”
“No, it’s not that. You’re taking a bath right now, aren’t you, Dad?”
“Yeah. I’m cleansing my soul, so don’t bother me and go mess around with Saeyeon instead.”
“Okay.”
Click.
“Why are you opening the door even though you said ‘okay’?! Kyaa! Kyaa!”
I should have locked the door! Don’t you know how to knock?! No, she did knock, but still! Once I quickly covered my body and looked at her······.
“······You, what are you planning?”
“I-I want to take a bath together.”
······What?
Milky white skin. Although she was short, her long and slim arms and legs were exposed. Her protruding collarbone. While using a towel to cover her body starting from her chest and down to her knees, Jaim approached me one step at a time.
“I-It’s not that weird to take a bath with your dad, right?”
“It is weird! You should have graduated from that in pre-school! If you’ve matured, then you should know some shame!”
“It’s fine, isn’t it? I’m your daughter anyway. Or what? Are you a pedophile, Dad? From this point forth, you are not my daughter? Did you become interested in me?”
“Like hell I did! Rather, why do I have to take a bath with you? It’s my, my personal time of peace!”
“Eeh, don’t be like that, hm? Now then, scoot over a bit, I’m going in as well.”
“W-Where do you think you’re entering?! Where are you entering?! Get out right this instant!”
“Dad, if you move around like that, then I can see everything, you know?”
“Uu, uuk······.”
My hands, which were desperately trying to push Jaim away, naturally moved downwards. I need two hands in order to cover my jumbo wave cannon after all.
“······Heh.”
“T-This kid! Why did you laugh just now?! Aaang?!”
“It’s nothing. Mhm. It’s not a size that means you’re interested, right?”
“I already said that something like that would never happen! R-Rather, what do you mean by size?!”
“Now, now. I get it, so move over. It’s cold.”
“Uuk, t-this kid······.”
Without being able to stop her, Jaim let her towel fall to the ground and put her foot into the bath. I turned my head.
“You can look, you know?”
“I won’t! I don’t have a hobby of looking at something that’s underdeveloped!”
I’m a scientist! I’m only interested in cutting edge technology that has already been developed! After three or four years, yeah, if you grow up to be like Saeyeon or Upperclassman Nabom, then······ No, wait, that’s not the point!
Really, what is this kid thinking? Did she eat something bad?
Although I didn’t particularly plan to look at her, it was just that, since her thoughts would appear on her face, I turned my head slightly in order to observe that.
Since her body was small, just sitting in the tub was enough to nearly submerge her completely in the water. I couldn’t see the area below where the water was reaching her shoulders, but due to that, her collarbones were more prominent. Whether it was because of the hot water or not, her cheeks were slightly flushed. She gently brushed her slightly submerged hair behind her ear.
······Ah, our eyes met.
“A-As I thought, you’re looking?”
“L-Like hell I am.”
I turned away again.
“······.”
“······.”
Silence. Splash, a drop of water fell from the ceiling.
“I-I’m done washing so I’ll be leaving first!”
“What are you saying? You entered only a short while ago, Dad.”
“You normally aren’t supposed to stay in the bathtub for more than 5 minutes. That’s why······.”
“But I just got in······.”
“Yeah! That’s why you should wash slowly and come out later! Now then!”
Jaim grabbed me by the wrist as I was trying to quickly get out.
“W-Wait! Well, uhm, y-yeah! Dad, I’ll wash your back!”
“I don’t need it!”
“T-Then you can wash my back, Dad······.”
“I refuse!”
In response to my shout, I could faintly hear Jaim’s voice from behind me.
“······Do you dislike me that much, Dad?”
“······Hm?”
What is this kid saying all of a sudden? Once I turned my head slightly, Jaim spoke with cheeks that were flushed from either the heat or something else.
“I-I’m also embarrassed, you know?! But still, in order to take a bath with you, Dad, I was able to get in like this, but······. But, as I thought, Dad doesn’t······.”
While my mouth was twitching as if it were trying to say something instinctively, Jaim’s grip became weaker. This was my chance.
“I-I’ll be leaving first!”
That’s right. Although I’m not sure what this girl is thinking, there’s no reason for me to go along with her! If she has a loose screw in her head, then I’ll tighten it later! That’s why, for now, I should······ make my great escape!
“Jjaro? Jaim? Are you home?”
“······.”
Ah, damn it.
I could hear footsteps and a voice from outside of the bathroom door. I couldn’t see her right now, but I could clearly picture the girl in front of me. She’s most likely going through the rooms while looking around.
“Are they not home yet······? Maybe I should come later······.”
And since she can’t find us, she’ll probably leave the house while tilting her head. Good. Once she leaves, I’ll leave as well. I glanced towards Jaim and raised my index finger to my lips. It seems Jaim was at least able to comprehend the situation as she then nodded her head.
“······Mom! I’m taking a bath with Dad right now!”
“Oi, kid! I was telling you to not say that!”
What’s with this kid?!
Because of Jaim’s shout, I could hear Saeyeon’s voice coming from beyond the door.
“H-hm? Jjaro and Jaim, are bathing······ together······?”
Her voice clearly sounded confused. Her footsteps approached.
“N-No. Don’t come. I said don’t come!”
Please don’t come to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Click.
“······.”
Yeah. There’s no way Saeyeon would listen.
“······Jja, ro?”
Saeyeon opened her eyes wide at the sight within the bathtub. Of course she would.
A_naked_man_and_a_female_elementary_schooler_in_a_bathtub.avi.
A soaked Jaim and I, who was turning his head away while holding Jaim’s mouth shut, were seated in the tub.
“W-Wait a sec. This absolutely isn’t something weird. Uh, this kid barged in here all on her own. Something like forcefully bringing her here absolutely didn’t happen. In the first place, I have no interest in underdeveloped people. So don’t misunderstand and······.”
“······That’s unfair, Jjaro.”
Saeyeon spoke while pouting.
“If you’re going to take a bath together, then you should have invited me as well. We could take a bath together as a family.”
“······What, did you say?”
What did this kid(2) say just now······?
“Upsie-daisy.”
“Why are you performing a strip show without warning?!”
Different to me who had come home immediately, Saeyeon must have just gotten back home from school since she was still in her school uniform. Regardless, with a puchi, puchi, Saeyeon took her blouse off with her own two hands, with a ziiip, her skirt zipper went down, I didn’t know that skirts had zippers, and she lowered her kneesocks······.
“No! I didn’t see it! I didn’t! Rather, I’ve seen it all of the time! I’ve seen it often! I don’t feel anything from something like that!”
“······Dad, what are you talking about?”
I couldn’t even see Jaim who was looking at me with a weird expression on her face and questioning me in a weird voice. I can’t see her. I can’t see anything because of my hands. I seriously can’t see anything so stop insisting I can.
“It’s been a really long time since we’ve bathed together, right, Jjaro?”
“······Mom and Dad even bathed together?”
“Yup! We often did when we were little. Isn’t that so?”
“······.”
“K-Kid, why are you looking at me with those eyes? It was a long time ago!”
Yeah! That was all back in pre-school and elementary school! If I were to bathe together with a mature girl like this, then it’d become dangerous for a variety of different reasons in today’s society······.
Wait, that’s right. There’s no reason to panic. This is Saeyeon, isn’t it?
Think about it. If you have a little sister who’s still young, then who would possibly get excited when that little sister of theirs says, ‘Big brother, let’s take a bath together!’? If there is, then that person is the weird one. You have to watch out for the door.
Yeah. Be it then or now, Saeyeon is still a child. There is no reason whatsoever for me to be panicking like this. Since she’s a child who knows no shame and is entering the bathtub in order to just bathe with a guy.
No matter how much Saeyeon’s body has grown, no matter how much she brushes her bangs behind her ear with her long and slim arm that’s overflowing with refinement, no matter how much her other arm tactfully covers her ample breasts that weren’t excessive or lacking but just perfect to look at, now matter how much she lacked in any fat below that and possessed a smooth body line with a soft stomach and perfectly carved belly button, slender and attractive thighs and calves that drew elegant curves and didn’t have a single fine hair on them, and no matter how much she had perfectly shaped feet that made one want to put crystal shoes on them, she was still Saeyeon.
“But Dad, are you really going to take a bath together?”
“I-It’s a bit difficult right now. Wait a moment.”
It isn’t weird. This is merely a physiological phenomenon. If you’re also a robust man like myself, then you’d end up like this as well. The lower body, since that spot, in particular, wasn’t an area that was dealt with by the sympathetic nerve, it would become like this all on its own at times.
“Okay. It’s calmed down. ······That’s why I’ll just be leaving.”
“Jjaro, where are you going? I said we should bathe together as a family.”
Saeyeon grabbed my arm when I was about to make my escape. Don’t be like this, my Big Shocking Mega Particle Cannon, my large and dull thing is much too massive, thick, and crude, appearing almost like an iron mace, so one hand can’t possibly cove······no, am I supposed to cover my eyes or down there······Uaaaah!
“I came in so that we could take a bath together as a family, but what’s the point if Jjaro leaves? It’s been a really long time since we bathed together, right? Let’s take a bath together, okay?”
“I humbly refuse! You two should just have some mother-daughter bonding time and bathe together!”
“Jaim! Grab your dad!”
“Okay! I got it, Mom!”
“Don’t grab me! Y-You, where are you touching?! Don’t grab my other arm! Let me go! Hey, how am I supposed to cover myself if you two are grabbing both of my arms?!”
It’s being made public. Big reveal! My BFG is being releasedtothepublic!
“Okay! I get it! I just have to go in the tub, right?!”
“······.”
I found out for the first time that three people could fit inside a bathtub that was meant for 1.
I was practicing Zen while staring at the wall. Behind me, Saeyeon was leaning her back against mine and holding her knees. Jaim was being held by that Saeyeon.
With a splash, the bath water overflowed slightly as if it were trying to demonstrate the principle of buoyancy which Archimedes had discovered. As I thought, bathtubs are treasuries of knowledge. I wonder what I can find out while looking at this.
What am I talking about? I already found out that life is quite hard to live.
“Jjaro, are you crying?”
“The vapor is condensing in my eyes and flowing down, that’s all. Why?”
“Isn’t it a bit hot? What do you think, Jaim?”
“I think the temperature is just right. How about you, Dad?”
I do think it’s a bit hot. If you consider my headache right now.
“It’s been so long since we last bathed together like this. Right, Jjaro?”
Each time Saeyeon spoke, her back softly rubbed against my own. Now that I think about it, this girl’s skin is also quite nice. I wonder if her skin is a genetic trait.
“We stopped taking baths together after I became an adult, right?”
“······.”
I’m not going to say anything. I’m not.
While I stayed silent, I felt slightly more weight lean against my back. It seems Saeyeon was leaning on me a bit more.
“Even though we took baths together a lot when we were little, isn’t that right?”
“······.”
I said I’m not going to say anything. Seriously.
While leaning her body against my back, Saeyeon spoke in a longing voice.
“At that time, Jjaro, you would wash my body here and there.”
“Dad did?”
······Should I say something?
While I stayed silent, Saeyeon answered.
“Yup. He even washed my hair for me. After putting shampoo in my hair, he’d mess around by making my hair into all these weird shapes.”
“Heeh, so Dad was like that······. Mm······.”
The back of my head felt itchy. It was probably that kid’s gaze.
She had long hair, so it was perfect to play with, you know? Her hair was also healthy, so I was able to shape her hair into any form that I could think of. That’s why, although I don’t know what sort of look you’re giving me right now, stop looking at me like that. The back of my head is itchy, but if I try to scratch it, then I’ll end up touching Saeyeon’s hair.
Now our shoulders were touching. It seems Saeyeon had brushed her hair down.
“At that time, Jjaro said that long hair looked good on me, so I kept it long, but how about you, Jaim? Does it fit me?”
“Yes! It fits you! You’re pretty, Mom!”
“Hehe, thanks.”
They’re really getting along. How harmonious and cozy. Can I leave now?
“I wonder if I should let my hair grow out like Mom······.”
“Long hair would definitely look good on you too, Jaim. Although your current hairstyle is good too since it’s cute. Oh, right!”
Her shoulders moved up and down. She must have clapped this time.
“Jaim, do you want your mom’s hairpin?”
“Your hairpin? Are you talking about that flower hairpin?”
“Yup! You’ll definitely be pretty with it on. My friends also said that when I go around with this hairpin, I look pretty since it looks like I have an actual flower in my hair.”
Though I don’t think that’s what they meant.
“But······ is it okay? If I take it?”
“Ah······.”
For some reason, Saeyeon paused because of that comment. Even though they were just words that were said out of politeness.
Saeyeon gently touched her flower pin for a while. I didn’t know this because I had turned around. It’s because our arms touched.
“Mm~. Then next time, mom will buy you a hairpin. Let’s go together to buy one later.”
“Okay! Hehe.”
Yeah, yeah. You two get along, are cozy together, and smell like lily-scented soap. But are you girls not going to leave? I want to make my way out now. Of course, since it’s obvious that I’d be dragged back in if I said this out loud, I couldn’t say anything.
“Jjaro, how come you haven’t been saying anything since earlier?”
“······What do you want me to talk about?”
“Mm~ I wonder? How life’s been for you lately?”
“I don’t have anything in particular to say.”
“You’re too cold, Jjaro. Even though we’re a family, I feel like you’ve become colder.”
My mind has been going through a lot of hardship lately, after all. Half of it is because of you.
“Then I’ll talk so, Jjaro, you just have to answer, okay?”
After saying that, Saeyeon leaned back slightly. Thanks to that action, she was now completely leaning against my back. Her back was rather hot.
“Jjaro, do you think I’ve gained weight lately?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t be like that. Look at me and tell me. You’ve been just staring at the wall since earlier, haven’t you?”
“Walls are good. They don’t say anything and I don’t have to worry about being arrested no matter where I look at them. For it to have such a regular and artistic pattern······.”
“Jeez, look at me when you’re talking!”
Crack, my neck was turned at an impossible angle. Isn’t this an assassination technique? While rubbing my numb neck, I had no other choice but to turn around and shout at her.
“Guuuuh······. W-What do you want me to look at?! You didn’t gain weight! Are you happy now?!”
“Really?”
However, Saeyeon showed a doubtful expression on her face as if she didn’t believe my lip-service before lowering her head.
“But my chest has been feeling heavy lately as well······. Even my brassiere feels a bit tighter······, Are you sure I really haven’t gained weight? Hm?”
“······.”
Although it wasn’t because I actually wanted to look, I looked down out of courtesy.
So it was true when people say that fat had a lower specific gravity than water. They were floating.
“Of course, even Mom told me that my breasts would get bigger when I become an adult, you also seem to like them bigger, Jjaro, and even though they aren’t as big as Big Sis Nabom’s, my friends tell me they envy me, but······. For some reason, I feel like they’re all teasing me for becoming fatter.”
Saeyeon grumbled as she looked down at her own chest. Those breasts that were milky white and didn’t have a single blemish were being squeezed into all sorts of shapes by Saeyeon’s arms. Whether it was because of the hot water or not, but they were being dyed into an attractive pink color.
“Did I really······ not gain weight? Are they not heavy?”
Saeyeon glimpsed at me and asked me a question in an embarrassed voice.
“Whether they’re heavy or not······. Do you want to try holding them?”
“I won’t hold them.”
I answered sternly.
“······I knew it, you don’t want to hold them because I gained weight and you think they’re heavy, right?”
It seems she wasn’t satisfied by my answer, as Saeyeon then made a glum face. I turned away. Let’s look at the wall. For now, I added one thing.
“If you’re worried about your weight, then eat some vegetables and not just meat.”
“But vegetables don’t taste good······.”
“You’re a high schooler now. Just eat them.”
“Everyone has a food they don’t like!”
How imposing. Yeah, what can I say to a kid? On a side note, they say that if you only eat what you want to eat, then you won’t grow up properly, but what’s with this girl?
“But Dad, in the end, you’re admitting that Mom did gain weight, aren’t you?”
“S-So I really did become fat? Even Jjaro thinks I got fat, huh!”
“I don’t know! I have no idea whatsoever! How am I supposed to know if you gained weight or not?!”
I wanted to avoid this topic at all cost, but did you have to nitpick that?!
In response to my shout, Jaim let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“Dad, you still don’t understand even though Mom said this much?”
“What am I supposed to understand? I won’t give empty lip service.”
I’m a Disciple of Truth after all. There’s no answer in the first place. I’ve heard the rumors. If you respond to a girl’s question, then it’ll end up like this.
Q. Did I gain weight?
A1. Yeah. You gained weight. → How could you say something like that?
A2. I don’t know. → So you don’t care about me?
A3. No. You didn’t gain weight. → So you’re saying that I was fat before?
In response to my answer, Jaim let out another sigh and spoke.
“······Is Dad actually a eunuch?”
“Why is everyone so interested in my reproductive ability?!”
That person was like that as well and so is this kid. There’s a limit to how rude you can be! What have they done for me?! I don’t have any problems down there! It’s alive and well!
“W-Wait a second, Dad! Calm down! You’re splashing the water!”
“Yeah! I’m splashing the water! No, wait, more than that, why did you make a fuss and squeeze your way into the bathroom even though I was taking a bath?!”
“Like I said, I wanted to cozily scrub your back as a family······.”
“I don’t need it! If you’re not a kid anymore, then you should graduate from that!”
“······How am I supposed to have graduated?”
For some reason, I could hear a disheartened voice behind me.
“I’ve never taken a bath with you before, Dad. I was also curious as to whether families normally bathed together or not······.”
“No, I don’t think they normally do.”
If a girl over the age of 7 takes a bath together with her father, then even if she’s his daughter, I think that’s still grounds to be taken to the police station. Laws have been like that lately.
“Well, I’ve never done it before either, so I don’t know that well.”
“Dad, you never took a bath together with your, ah······. Uhm, s-sorry.”
Jaim stopped herself mid-sentence and hastily shut her mouth. At least she’s quick at reading the mood.
“It’s fine. In any case.”
I lightly brushed up my wet hair and spoke. My glasses had also fogged up, so I cleaned it with the water.
“Families doing that is all because of the fantasies that were made by the foolish media. That doesn’t exist in the real world. Cozy families, my ass.”
“It’s because you’re like that, Dad, that······.”
“Be quiet, kid! If you’re going to call me dad, then listen to me a bit!”
“Mom, what part about Dad do you even like?”
Because of that question, I ended up inadvertently turning my head as well.
“Hm? Do you want to hear about your mom and dad’s love story?”
“Yeah! I want to hear it!”
No, there wasn’t anything like a love story.
Saeyeon, who obviously couldn’t read my mind, pulled Jaim closer and started her story. She had a longing, and yet relaxed expression on her face.
“Your Dad may be like this right now, but······.”
“He was kind when he was a child?”
“Nope. He was ill-tempered when he was a kid as well.”
“······Eh?”
The once smiling Jaim’s mouth fell open.
“During pre-school, whenever I tripped and fell down, he would knuckle me on the head and ask me why I fell when there was nothing there, when the other kids teased me and I was crying, he would knuckle me on the head and tell me that I was crying like an idiot, and when I asked if we could play together, he would say that the other kids will make fun of him for playing with a girl, so he would ignore my request and go off somewhere by himself.”
“······.”
“He would steal my snacks during snack time in pre-school, hand me his diary and tell me to write it for him, and whenever he broke a toy and felt like he was going to get in trouble for it, he would blame it on me.”
“······.”
The kid’s gaze became incredibly sharp. Miss Rabbit Detective with scary eyes. Why are you looking at me like that?
“······So? Why do you like Dad even though he was like that?”
“It’s because of that.”
“······Huh?”
In response to Jaim’s dumbfounded voice, Saeyeon smiled brightly and spoke.
“That’s why I like him.”
“······.”
Jaim looked at me this time. She was opening her eyes wide, making it evident that she had no idea what Saeyeon was saying. I don’t know either, so stop looking at me.
“The fact that Jjaro did all that, is because he likes me. That’s what Mom told me. Boys only tease the girls they like.”
There wasn’t even a single grain of doubt on Saeyeon’s face as she turned to smile at me.
“Furthermore, do you know how many times Jjaro has helped me? Whenever the other kids teased me, he would always follow after them and teach them a lesson, if Jjaro goes off and leaves me waiting in the playground, he’ll always come back to walk me home, and when my doll fell into the river, I heard a knock at the door at night and found my doll placed at my door after being roughly washed with water. That was you, wasn’t it, Jjaro?”
Without erasing her radiant smile, Saeyeon continued.
“Isn’t that why he’s still taking care of me and staying by my side? Isn’t that right, Jjaro? You like me, don’t you?”
Because that smile, was too bright,
I just turned my head and stood up.
“Well, this is enough, isn’t it? Let’s wash up and get out.”
Saeyeon opened her eyes wide and panicked because of my words.
“Hm? I didn’t even get to wash with soap yet······.”
“Then you should clean Jaim and come out afterward. I’ll be going first.”
“Ah, you’re embarrassed right now, aren’t you, Jjaro? You don’t have to be, you know?”
I ignored Saeyeon’s voice that was coming from behind me and left the bathroom after taking a single towel. I couldn’t stay in that space any longer.
As I thought, that girl, she doesn’t know anything. She really, doesn’t.
The sound I could hear from beyond the door could no longer be heard once I returned to my own room.
Someone had once said that history was written during the night.
Therefore, as I am the genius scientist of this generation who is destined to pave a path in history, I too will obviously write history during the night.
“Move, Multi! Why won’t you move?!”
······I see that writing history is difficult.
I want to shout ‘Eureka!’ and run through the streets naked, but the God of Baths didn’t grant me his blessing. What a cheapskate.
It’s because of those two kids. Give me back my inspiration.
“······Haa.”
Well, it’s not like they can give my inspiration back to me even if I ask them to. I could only sigh. I desperately need inspiration even if it’s just 1%. Teacher Edison, please help me. Why isn’t this working? Please teach me.
Knock knock, knock knock.
“Dad, are you sleeping?”
“I’m not sleeping. I’m busy. Go sleep.”
“Okay.”
Click.
“If you’re going to say ‘Okay’, then at least show a response that befits that answer! If you’re going to keep doing this anyway, then what’s the point of asking?!”
“No, I felt like it was just etiquette······.”
“I don’t need your etiquette if you aren’t going to uphold it anyway! Rather, aren’t you supposed to be sleeping with Saeyeon today? Go sleep!”
Jaim pouted as if she were discontent.
“Mom is already asleep. I’m not even sleepy yet.”
“You have to sleep early in order to escape that underdeveloped city, kid.”
Jaim glared at me intensely.
“······Can you stop talking about that ‘underdeveloped’ thing?”
“If you don’t want to hear it, then go to sleep. I’m busy right now.”
However, Jaim ignored even this threat and instead sat down on my bed. What did I expect? She’s terrible at listening to orders. I’ll just ignore her as well, then.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
“As a scientist, I’m creating a great invention that will change the future of mankind. Thus, do not bother me.”
Rather, why is this kid here all of a sudden?
Up until now, even on the days where we were supposed to sleep together, we would act like complete strangers and ignore each other, so this abrupt behavior of hers was suspicious. Ah, was it that?
“······I’ll tell you this now, but I didn’t see anything earlier, so I’m not going to give you any money.”
“······.”
Her gaze became incredibly cold. Was that not it?
“······In any case, what is this?”
“Fufufu. Do you want to know? Do you want to know, kid?”
“No, I don’t really want to······.”
“Good question! If you’re that curious, then I’ll tell you!”
Jaim looked as if she were seriously annoyed, but who cares? If this foolish, untaught girl wishes to know about the greatness of science, then so be it! Listen and be surprised!
“This is my ambitious project, Maid Robot Mk. III, ‘Multi’!”
“Maid, robot?”
Jaim opened her eyes wide. That’s right, you’re surprised. Of course you’d be surprised. You can be astonished as much as you want while before my technical skills!
After slowly looking over my work table, Jaim added.
“······This?”
“What do you mean by ‘this’?! Is that what you have to say after witnessing this great invention?!”
“No, but······.”
After glancing over the work table once more with eyes that looked as if she didn’t know what to say, Jaim hesitantly continued.
“······Isn’t this, just a robot vacuum? With some random head attached to it.”
······.
“······That’s right. It is right now.”
Yes, it’s a robot vacuum with a flat cylindrical body that will, when turned on, sweep the floor on its own and change direction whenever it hits a wall.
“You’re calling this toy a ‘Maid Robot’?”
“Toy?! Take those words back right this instant, you brat! My Multi-chan isn’t like that!”
“Ububububu! Aa! Ii hurs!”
I’ll stretch these rice cake-like cheeks of yours as much as possible! Was this the mouth that said those words?! On a side note, her skin is really nice. I wonder if it’s because she just took a bath, but her skin is glossy. It feels good to touch, too.
After letting go of her cheeks, which snapped back into place like a rubber band, I spoke towards the teary-eyed Jaim.
“Although its beginning may look weak, its completed form will be extremely big and strong! With this machine called Multi, mankind will be released from the foolish social groups known as families and advance one step forward! In other words, the end of mankind’s infancy!”
“Uu······. B-But, no matter how you look at it, it’s just a to······.”
In response to my gaze that looked as if I were going to actually rip her cheeks off this time and explain to her why this was a serious problem, Jaim shut her mouth. Good. That’s the way you should behave.
“More than that, if you really did come from the future, then you should have seen my great inventions. You, are you actually a spy who was sent here by some institute?”
“······I feel like your baseless confidence is impressive, Dad.”
While glaring at Jaim who was looking at me as if I were pathetic, I spoke.
“It’s not baseless confidence. Isn’t it impossible for a pathetic word like failure to be attached to this genius scientist’s future? In any case, I’m asking you if you’ve never seen my inventions or not.”
In response to my question, Jaim rubbed her cheeks and answered.
“I’ve seen robot maids before. Not something pathet······ not in their developmental state, but ones that were being utilized properly.”
“As I had expected. There’s no mistake in my development after all.”
I’ll overlook her slip of the tongue which she had quickly fixed.
“But I never thought that you were the one who made them, Dad.”
“Then what do I normally do in the future?”
“I don’t know. I never had a proper conversation with you.”
Jaim uttered and slightly turned her head away.
“Dad, it was like you had no interest in me since you only cared about your work······. We rarely ever had a meal together. I was always by myself.”
My hand that was about to go back to the work table stopped inadvertently.
“Didn’t you say that after Saeyeon left, you lived with just me?”
“I did. But I was barely able to even see your face, Dad.”
“Why? Did I live inside my laboratory?”
Nod. After nodding her head, Jaim glared at me slightly.
“Since you were always at work, Dad, you coming back home from work even once a month was considered a lot. You didn’t even care about me.”
Since her gaze was a gaze that felt as if she were actually looking at her own detestable father, I couldn’t open my mouth.
“That’s why I was all by myself during the entrance ceremonies at my school and during the sports festivals.”
‘So why should I have cared about what you did for a living, Dad?’ I felt as if I could vaguely hear these words.
“That’s why I thought that everything would end up differently if Mom and Dad never broke up, if I also had a mom. If Dad sees Mom as a woman, then. If I’m able to make Dad see Mom as a woman, then······.”
Once she had said that much, Jaim took a breath before continuing.
“If you cared about your family properly, then as a family, cozily······. I thought that we could become like that. That’s why I came here like this.”
“There’s no way that would happen. I told you, didn’t I? That we don’t need something like families, the world is a place where you have to live by yourself.”
“······Dad, I’m asking this since we’re talking about it anyway, but why has your mind become so polluted that it’s making you think like that?”
“I’m not the one who’s polluted. It’s this society.”
“Is that the name of a criminal act?”
“No! Listen carefully. There is no future for a spineless humanity that’s bound by something like one’s families.”
Jaim gave me a pitying gaze because of my statement before speaking.
“Don’t you also have a family, Dad? Don’t tell me you were born after your parents went to sleep while holding hands.”
“Kid, you know that’s really funny coming from you, right?”
For a brat who really appeared after we went to sleep while only holding hands.
“······Fine.”
In response to my answer, Jaim tilted her head.
I’ll return to her as much as she had given to me. If she tells me about her past, then it’s fine for me to do at least that much as well.
“If you want to know that much, then I’ll teach you why families are a fantasy.”
When I was little, the two of them were absorbed in their work.
As they both worked for a living, the two of them were constantly busy since they had started from the bottom.
I was obviously alone.
I had done my best in order to understand my busy parents. I looked after the house with my own strength. I believed that I would be helping them if I made my own meals, cleaned the house, and did the laundry.
These were all impossible for a pre-schooler. Nevertheless, I did my best.
There was a time where I had almost started a fire while cooking.
There was a time where I had put a suit that one of my parents was going to wear the next day in the water.
There was a time where I had knocked over a display cupboard while cleaning.
I worked hard in order to become a good child. I thought that they would turn to look back at me if I did. It’s not like I was expecting much back from them either. ‘Our Jaro is admirable.’, ‘Our Jaro is kind.’ praises like these were enough for me.
And at first, they were like that.
Every time I was praised for doing well on my own, I believed that what I was doing wasn’t wrong. As long as I continued to help my parents, we’ll one day go on trips together like those other families, that’s what I thought would happen. If I worked harder and lowered the amount of work my parents had to do.
However, as time passed, they started to consider the things I did as something obvious. It didn’t take long before ‘you’re admirable’ became ‘that’s obvious’. I was no longer praised.
That’s why I tried causing problems instead this time. I believed that they would pay attention to me if I did.
As expected, that was the case at first. As expected, that also waned.
They ended up not knowing what to do.
Once I entered middle school, studying became important. If I studied well, then I was praised by the teachers. It seems they thought I was a problem child because of how I behaved during elementary school, so they would praise me even more if I did well. Moreover, the two people, they started paying attention to me once more.
Good grades. A good university. A good job.
I was happy about their restored interest in me. It felt as if they would be in a good mood whenever I got 1st place in terms of grades. Each time the teachers praised me, they must hear about it as well since the number of times the two of them would praise me also increased.
I was delighted. This was what I wanted after all.
Then, during that time, I finally discovered something that I wanted to do.
I liked science. I was skilled with my hands. If you think about it, ever since I was little, I liked to fiddle, break apart, assemble, and fix things. It felt like my calling. It was much more enjoyable than something boring like literature and English.
I even took part in competitions. I received awards as well. I was also called a genius.
How’s that? I did well, right? Please praise me.
My teachers praised me.
However, the two people didn’t.
The more results I showed, the worse my grades became. This was obvious. Something you like to do and something you don’t like to do, if you had these two options available to you, then everyone would choose something they like to do.
To the two of them, actions like that were ‘needless’.
The thing I liked to do was disregarded and the things I disliked to do were praised.
That’s why I gave up. I believed that if it was something that wouldn’t be acknowledged, if it was something that only I enjoyed by myself, then there was no meaning to it. I had already made my decision to do what they wanted me to do after all. Because I wanted to be acknowledged.
The two of them became busier because of their work. If they do better at their job, then it’s obvious that they would become busier. Ever since I was little, I was well aware that their expectations would continue to go higher, so I also worked hard in order to not lose to their expectations. Things became more restless.
At one point, the two of them started to go on business trips overseas. But even then, whenever they came back home, they would pay attention to me for a bit. That’s why I hung in there even more.
Eventually, on my birthday during my second year of middle school.
It had been a really long time since the two of them were going to be both coming home at the same time. I was looking forward to it. They both also said that they had something important to tell me. I made a homemade cake by myself and finished all of the preparations. It was a cake that was meant for my parents and not for my birthday since they were working so much more than me. I also had something important to tell them. I was looking forward to it.
A phone call came. They told me that they were both starting a new post overseas. They told me that they wouldn’t be coming home anymore.
“Since Jaro is able to do well even by himself.”
In the end, they had no interest in something like me. I came to that realization.
The more and more I worked, the more obvious it became.
There was no reason to look back. Their own jobs were more important.
What they wanted from me wasn’t a good kid who they didn’t have to be ashamed of.
They merely wanted an existence who wouldn’t hold them by the ankles and interfere with their work.
The saying that ‘family is precious’ was all a lie.
You didn’t need something like that. You live by yourself in the world.
Because I, can accomplish anything even by myself.
Because I, was a child that they couldn’t handle.
An existence that they couldn’t acknowledge, an existence that was needed in the world.
“I see······. So in that instant, you decided it was like that, Dad.”
Although I heard the kid muttering something, I ignored it.
After all that, I felt more grateful than anything else. Thanks to that experience, I didn’t become disillusioned by all of those foolish fantasies and was able to learn about the world at a young age.
“Thus, accordingly, I, the genius scientist who was born in this generation, am now endeavoring in order to teach the untaught masses about the truth and develop society one step forward towards the future!”
In response to my hand gesture towards Multi that I had purposely done in order to change the mood, Jaim made quite the profound and mysterious face. What’s your problem?
“With this, I’ll fix the people’s foolishness and help mankind take a step forward. Although it’s currently in its early state, once it gets through its technical development and is reborn as a proper robot maid, then even those foolish, untaught masses will come to terms with this truth! That you don’t need something like a family! That within an advanced civilization, families are merely an outdated system!”
“······So that’s why you’re calling that a robot maid?”
“If we’re talking about robot maids, then they should have human-like heads! That’s why it obviously has a head! In that regard, I’ve already achieved half of my goal! Something like legs are just decorations!”
“······It’s because you’re like that that you got fired.”
“So I really do get fired?!”
“Haa······.”
Jaim let out a sigh and pressed her hand against her forehead once more. This kid, didn’t I say that that action was really annoying?
“E-Even if it looks like this, it’s incredibly advanced, you know?! The camera that’s attached to the head is able to read the terrain in front of it and its artificial intelligence will utilize that information in order to avoid obstacles on its own. Furthermore, it’s capable of using this claw hand in order to grab objects and move them! If you give it an order, then it’s possible for it to even go on simple errands!”
“Putting aside if it could even grab something and move it, at most, it’ll probably just roam around on the ground······.”
Jaim glanced at me and asked.
“Then at that time, when you said that you were going to conquer the world or whatever, is it because of that as well?”
Her memory is better than I expected.
“Yeah. It’s exactly because of that. If the untaught masses are unable to understand my great mind until the bitter end, then I will have no other choice but to resort to force. I’ll have no other choice but to achieve global conquest.”
“······How exactly do you plan to do that?”
I smirked at Jaim who was looking at me with pitying eyes and explained gallantly.
“For starters, if I have the technical skills to create robot maids, then creating weaponized combat cyborgs will be a breeze. Using them to declare war on the world is one method.”
However, since the American defense corp is scary.
“Once robot maids are released to the public, there will probably be at least one in every household. If that happens, then I’ll make it so that I can control them all, and with them, I’ll be able to rule the world just like that. A robot rebellion is scary after all.”
“Ah, is that so?”
This brat, what’s with this unenergetic answer? Well, what did I expect? This is why the untaught masses who don’t know science are······.
“I knew that you weren’t sane, Dad, but I didn’t think it was this bad······.”
“I’m a full-fledged mad scientist. A proper one at that.”
I declared to the kid who was shaking her head.
In truth, among the ‘mad scientists’ that often appeared in the media, none of them were actually proper mad scientists. At the very most, if they just make a bunch of machines in order to conquer the world, then they aren’t ‘mad scientists’, but instead they’re ‘mad engineers’.
“But I’m different. I’ll be carrying out a proper scientific experiment and verification. About why humanity no longer needs families!”
“Ah, is that so?”
Really, your answer is dampening the mood a lot······. Well, whatever. I didn’t expect that this foolish, untaught girl would be able to understand my great plan in the first place. We were roughly able to return the mood back to what it was as well.
“Now then, since you’ve heard everything, go to sleep. I’m busy.”
Shoo, shoo. In response to my hand gesture that was telling her to leave, Jaim stood up. All right, now you’re finally listening to me.
Jaim spoke.
“But this here, isn’t the coefficient of friction wrong on the changed motor?”
“······Hm?”
What did this kid, just say······?
Once I turned around, Jaim, who had been walking towards the door, spoke while looking over my shoulder and at the blueprint that was spread out on top of my work table.
“It is, isn’t it? If you look at it, because of the attached head and the devices put inside of it, the weight should have increased, but looking at your calculations on your blueprint, I think you put less on your estimate of the coefficient of friction, Dad.”
“T-There’s no way! There’s no way that this genius scientist of this age could have gotten such a fundamental calculation wrong!”
That’s right! Miscalculations don’t exist for me!
“In the first place, if you consider the maximum output of the motor······.”
“That’s the maximum output. You need a decent amount of excess in order for it to roll properly. Wait. It’d be a problem if you only paid attention to that motor. Since you changed the balance of the weight, you’ll have to add another driving head, and since the amount of energy consumption has increased, you have to build additional batteries······. Also, you’d be better off bypassing here······.”
“Wait, wait a second! Don’t scribble on another person’s blueprint as you please!”
This brat! That isn’t a drawing paper! Give me back my pen!
Without being able to stop Jaim who, at one point, had picked up my pen and started drawing something on my blueprint, Jaim displayed a satisfied grin on her face as she put the cap back on my pen.
“······All right. This should be a bit better now.”
“What’s with that satisfied smile? If you’re going to scribble on something then borrow a drawing paper from Saeyeon! Where do you think you’re······.”
······.
······Huh?
Jaim spoke towards me who was staring holes into the blueprint.
“It’s good, right?”
“······Kid.”
I had no other choice but to ask a question while looking at the confidently grinning Jaim.
“You, where did you learn this?”
“I didn’t particularly learn it from someone. I just get a rough grasp of things when I look at stuff. Like how it moves and where the problem is.”
While sticking out her chest, Jaim answered as if she were answering something obvious. Are you able to perceive the coefficient of friction with your eyes? What a scary kid······.
“Also, I’m the daughter of the ‘self-proclaimed genius scientist’, so of course I’d be able to do at least this much.”
“Don’t put an emphasis there!”
Jaim grinned broadly because of my reaction.
“Rather, how were you even able to make that lie detector, Dad, when you couldn’t even do something like this properly?”
“G-Geniuses don’t pay attention to something like trivial calculations!”
No, that’s not the problem. More than that······.
“All right. Kid. I’ll bestow upon you a glorious position.”
I grabbed Jaim’s wrist and spoke.
“From this point forth, you are my assistant. Feel free to be grateful.”
“That’s too bothersome. I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed.”
I quickly shouted at Jaim who was rubbing her eyes.
“D-Don’t be like that! How about this? I’ll even record your name as my assistant! You’ll be able to leave your name behind in history! How about that? Isn’t that a good deal? Right?”
“But I don’t need it.”
“Don’t be so difficult! Fine! A plastic model! I’ll give you an expensive one! 30, no, 50 thousand won! How’s that?! It’s a good deal, right? Tell me it’s good!” (TL note: 30 thousand won = Roughly $30)
“It’s getting late and you even said so yourself, Dad. You said that if I wanted to escape from being underdeveloped, then I have to sleep early. That’s why I’m going to go sleep.”
“Okay! I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please help me!”
After seeing me end up hitting my head on the ground as I tried to pull Jaim by her leg, she grinned widely at me.
“100 thousand won.”
······So expensive.
“······All right. I’m turning it on now. Are you ready, Jaim?”
“I’m all ready on my side. Turn it on, Dad.”
“Please move this time, Multi!”
Once I flipped the switch, the motor started to hum. Different to before, it was making a good sound. Surely, surely this time······?
“O-Ooooooh!”
She’s moving! She’s moving properly! Multi is standing, I say!
······Although she’s moving around on wheels since her legs are just decorations. In any case.
Just as she was programmed, the sounds of suctioning and wheels rolling were emitting from Multi as she started to roam around the room. The camera must have been properly perceiving its surrounding situation since it was avoiding the obstacles that we had purposely placed here and there around the room all on its own.
“She’s working! She’s working! I knew I wasn’t wrong!”
“See? It ended well since you listened to me, right?”
Clap. Jaim and I, who were watching while taking refuge on top of the bed, hit our palms together. High five. If you succeed in something, then you have to do this.
Dawn was now showings its face outside of the window.
We had quite the difficult time at first.
In the beginning, I fixed the blueprint with Jaim.
“What? You’re going to do that there? How does that make sense?!”
“Why wouldn’t it?! Look, look! If this part becomes like this and drdrdrdrs, then wouldn’t this part go wengweng? If that happens, since that place will start to clickclackclickclack, you have to do this here!”
“I have no idea what you’re saying, you pseudo-scientist! Explain it using proper details and numerical values!”
“Dad, you’re the one who needs to fix your terrible handwriting! I have no idea what you wrote!”
This was why I thought that I couldn’t work with people who did things with their intuition.
After that, we had to search for the parts.
“Dad, you need to clean this place regularly! This is a completely different shelf!”
“It’s going to go all over the place anyway, so what’s the point of organizing everything? Wait, what are you doing?”
“Organizing! Really······. If I go back to the future, then I’m going to have to clean your room. You’re definitely still like this in the future. Rather, what is this supposed to be? Why is this in the tool cabinet?”
“Did Saeyeon leave that there when she was playing here? Rather, does your generation not know what dress-up dolls are? Well, it makes sense if you consider the kids these days. Look, if you do this with it······.”
······Well, we discovered a nostalgic toy so we messed around with it for a bit.
We also took the parts we needed from other inventions that were no longer being used.
“Dad, are you not using this either?”
“Oh. Was that still around? That might still be useful.”
“But what is it?”
“It’s a heater I invented in the past while I was researching ways to peacefully use nuclear energy. I had planned to save on electricity by turning on the nuclear reactor and use the heat that emanated from it in order to spend my winters warmly······. Wait, why are you running away?”
Like that.
If I did this by myself, then it would have probably taken me several days in order to do this even if I had the blueprint, but thankfully, Jaim was quite the useful assistant, so we were able to finish it within one night. ······Well, she’s useful as an assistant.
“Uu, I’m tired······.”
There were bags underneath the eyes of Jaim who was stretching while receiving the morning rays coming from outside of the window. She looked like a panda. I ended up laughing.
“What? Your face isn’t a joke either, you know? You need a shave.”
I felt my chin and it was definitely rough. I grumpily scratched Jaim’s smooth cheek with my chin stubble.
“Hi-hiik! W-What are you doing?! You’re giving me goosebumps!”
“Hahaha! I did that so you would!”
I grinned at Jaim who was rubbing her cheek and complaining.
I felt like I heard footsteps outside of the door, but it must have just been my imagination.
It’s still Saeyeon’s dreaming time after all.
TL note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This chapter had a rather heavy part in it, albeit surrounded by lighthearted stuff. Some people may not think it’s a big deal, but Jaro’s past is a topic that’s a rather major issue here in S. Korea. One of the several leading causes of why S. Korea has the 2nd highest suicide rate in the world. Although Jaro’s example is more of an extreme case, it’s true that the majority of kids here are pressured to keep studying and show good grades in order to meet their parents’ expectation. Not being able to meet that expectation and all the stress from their non-stop studying will cause them to do drastic things.
Honestly, I guess one of the main reasons why I got drawn to this series is because it touches that topic. Or I guess it mainly revolves around that topic. What happens when you neglect your kids. No, I don’t have any issues in my life. I’m just aware of one of the major issues in Korea and like seeing it addressed like this.
In any case, I’ll do my best to finish this volume before DD volume 5 comes out. I’m certain I’ll get it done and have time to spare. Especially if they decide to delay it. Well, I’ll probably just use that gap in time to catch up on all the other series I’ve been reading and go look for more things to read.
