043
Elzen was taken aback.
He had never thought about it from that perspective before.
That was because the time he spent with Shupetty was very short.
Though they had been meeting more often lately, most of his interactions with Shupetty occurred before bedtime, when he read her a story to help her sleep.
Naturally, during that time, there wasn’t any eating involved.
Elzen knew well that the youngest loved and valued her snacks, but he had no way of knowing how much food she consumed in a single day.
And the same went for Lina, the maid responsible for Shupetty.
Even though she was a dedicated maid, she didn’t follow her to mealtimes.
There was no way to know how much she ate in the dining room and then how many snacks she ate afterward.
On the other hand, even Diegon, who ate meals with her, didn’t observe Shupetty for a full 24 hours.
In other words, everyone spent only short periods with Shupetty, simply admiring her appetite and thinking, ‘Oh, she eats well,’ without giving it much further thought.
“Shupetty, do you feel hungry again shortly after eating something?”
“Uh-huh.”
“That means your energy consumption is high. But you’re not doing any exercises or training, right? And while you are plump, you’re not really overweight.”
Joy analyzed the situation insightfully. Then, after briefly contemplating something, she turned to Elzen.
“Well, since she’s connected to the Spirit King, maybe that’s why she needs so much energy.”
“But she hasn’t made a contract yet.”
“Exactly, and that makes it even more likely. My theory is that it unknowingly causes a lot of energy consumption.”
“Hmm, that does make sense. The only person who knew a lot about spirits was Mother… but she’s no longer with us.”
Spiritists were rare to begin with.
There weren’t many of them, and information about the Spirit King was even scarcer.
There were no studies or findings on the impact of receiving protection from a spirit without having formed a contract.
“Oh! You can’t go in there!”
At that moment, Shupetty suddenly stood up, having spotted something, and ran off in a hurry.
She was heading toward the forest.
“Let’s follow her.”
“Yeah.”
Elzen and Joy immediately chased after Shupetty.
Whoever it was, it seemed like some troublemaker had wandered into the forest.
***
The forest near the riverside was dense with trees.
There weren’t any paths, so she had to hop around on fallen leaves scattered across the ground.
“Hey! Stop right there!”
She called out loudly several times while chasing the round head in front of her, but the boy didn’t stop.
“Huh?”
After struggling to climb over some bushes, she stood still, a leaf stuck on top of her head, staring blankly ahead.
No one was there.
The boy who had been there just moments ago had disappeared!
“Shupetty.”
“Brother Elzen.”
“What were you thinking running off on your own like that? You could’ve gotten lost.”
Elzen gently scolded her while glancing around.
Hearing the loud noises from the riverside, it seemed they hadn’t gone far.
There was even a lake nearby, so heading back along the water seemed safe.
‘I don’t know who Shupetty was chasing after…’
There didn’t appear to be any immediate danger.
‘Still, there must’ve been a reason for her to chase after someone.’
It was better to be cautious.
“Oh? Brother, look at this!”
At that moment.
***
The lake water was crystal clear, almost completely transparent.
I crouched by the edge of the grassy area and peered into the water after spotting something gleaming like platinum, reminiscent of Lacifer’s hair color.
“Jellyfish… They’re jellyfish!”
The jellyfish, about the size of my fist, were perfectly round.
Their short tentacles looked like frills.
The golden, shimmering jellyfish gathered in the warm sunlight, and when clouds moved and the light shifted, they all swam together toward the new sunny spot.
“Ah, that’s right. This is your first time here, isn’t it?”
“Brother, you knew about this?”
“Yeah. This is a lake filled with seawater. Several generations ago, one of our ancestors, who particularly loved jellyfish, created it. Instead of building an aquarium, they made a lake.”
“I like jellyfish too.”
They were so soft and fluffy that just watching them made me feel happy.
Then I suddenly remembered something: jellyfish stings could hurt a lot.
My teacher in the Carrot Class had warned me to be careful.
“Should I not touch them?”
I asked seriously, and brother Elzen burst out laughing.
“No, it’s fine. These jellyfish aren’t toxic. They get their nutrients through photosynthesis. Since they have no predators, they no longer need to maintain their venom.”
“Really?!”
“I’ll place one in your hand.”
The wet jellyfish drooped as soon as it was taken out of the water.
Feeling sorry for it, I only observed it for a few seconds before releasing it back into the lake.
“It looks like Lacifer’s hair.”
“Who’s Lacifer?”
“He’s someone I met when I got caught by that ‘Grandpa Sackman.’”
I didn’t know where he lived, but I wanted to meet him again.
Lacifer often came to mind like this.
“He’s an insolent jerk. Not worth worrying about, Elzen.”
But Joy suddenly said that.
I widened my eyes and stared at Joy.
“Lacifer is kind!”
“He was kind to you.”
“So, does that mean he’s not kind to others…?”
But I didn’t see him as the type to act mean to anyone.
As I tilted my head in confusion, brother Elzen called out to me from the lake.
“The weather is nice, and it’s just the three of us here. Why don’t we dance?”
No joke, he was standing on the water!
“That’s so cool!”
I want to do something like that too, but I probably can’t, right?
I’m not really part of Pashayen.
“Come here. I’ll hold you, Shu.”
“Me too? Can I do it too?”
“I’ll hold you up.”
Brother Elzen extended his hand toward me first.
I grabbed his hand tightly and turned to look at Joy, but she just shrugged and stepped back.
“I don’t really like water. You go ahead.”
“Okay! But should I take off my shoes?”
They’re new shoes, after all.
Brother Elzen smiled.
“It feels nice to stand barefoot in the water.”
“Okay, just a moment.”
Struggling a little, I took off my shoes and stood barefoot on the soft grass.
It tickled my feet, and I couldn’t help but giggle.
I stepped into the lake, splashing as I went, feeling the mud spreading between my toes.
So I wasn’t really standing on the water yet.
“Here we go.”
At that moment, brother Elzen lifted me up effortlessly while holding my hand.
“Wow!”
“See? As long as you’re holding my hand, it works, doesn’t it?”
“Yes!”
To be precise, I wasn’t really standing on the water. It was just that brother Elzen was holding me up.
But it was still exciting.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ rejoices but feels sorrow at the same time.]
[My child, all of this should have been yours.]
[The Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ gives a warning.]
[Speak carelessly, and you might receive a warning or even be suspended.]
A warning? Suspended?
Curious, I called out to Yupyrhos in my mind.
[The master of explanations! The ultimate explainer! Yupyrhos is here! (n˘v˘•)¬]
‘Yuppy, remember how the Spirit King of Emotions disappeared for a few days because of that 140-character limit?’
[That’s right, that’s right. You see, this ‘Parenting Show’ channel technically shouldn’t even exist. It was approved due to the unique circumstances surrounding the Water Spirit King. Spirit King viewers can receive up to three warnings before their communication accounts are permanently suspended.]
‘Why would they get warnings?’
[Warnings are issued when they exceed the 140-character limit with excessive messages or when they provide information beyond what causality allows to the child participants. ₍₍ ◝(●˙꒳˙●)◜ ₎₎]
Holding brother Elzen’s hand, I spun around once on the water.
Since I was wearing pumpkin shorts, moving around was totally comfortable!
[No matter how adorable the child participants are, Spirit Kings must maintain boundaries. Please remember this and continue enjoying the show!]
With that, Yupyrhos’s bright orange letters disappeared.
By then, brother Elzen and I had reached the center of the lake.
“The ground beneath my feet is transparent.”
“Isn’t it fascinating? Do you want to see something even more amazing?”
“Something more fun?”
“Just trust me.”
Before he even finished speaking, a whirlpool formed beneath us.
It didn’t feel scary or overwhelming—it was actually incredibly cute and beautiful.
The whirlpool rose to the surface, creating a mist of water around us.
“Jellyfish… and a rainbow!”
