READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 13
A month passed.
Time really flies.
How did I end up staying for a whole month?
I originally had no intention of sticking around for long. The kids were so annoying that I planned to head back to the base if Red didn’t show up after a week.
But when a week went by without any sign of her, I started packing up to leave—
“Are you going?”
“Stay with us.”
“Your sister might come soon.”
The kids grabbed my clothes and looked at me with eyes full of sadness.
I could shake them off and go on my way, but suddenly the cold air swirling around and the lonely sight of the base came to mind.
Thinking about being alone there again made my feet feel heavy.
Why?
An unfamiliar feeling started bubbling up in my heart.
At first, I frowned under my mask, unsure of what it was.
Eventually, I realized what it was, but I didn’t want to admit it.
What puzzled me more was why I suddenly felt this way.
I’ve managed just fine living there. No issues at all.
When morning comes, I sift through the trash mounds to see if there’s something useful or go out for a stroll.
If snacks run low, I get more, and if there’s someone I don’t like or some punks causing trouble at the dessert shop—
I take note of them and then show my Grim Reaper Form to make them pay.
Then come nighttime, I quietly get some sleep at the base.
It was a routine I was already used to. I didn’t even care when I was causing chaos in the underbelly.
Yet somehow, the thought of leaving this place made me feel this way.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it at all.
On the other hand, it was never quiet here.
The kids constantly tried to peek under my mask and hood.
When snack time came, it turned into a war every time, all chaotic and noisy.
They loved playing outside and dragged me along every chance they got.
They even wanted to study things I never did.
In short, it was all really annoying and bothersome, without a moment’s rest.
For someone like me, who was used to spending a lot of time alone, this was a completely unfamiliar way of living.
Normally, a person would want to escape from an unfamiliar environment quickly.
But oddly enough, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave, and I ended up choosing to stay longer, telling myself “there’s still time” and “I have to because of the kids.”
Thus, a month went by.
I certainly hadn’t planned for any of this…
Some days, I’d take a nap listening to Lena’s songs. Other times, I’d cut up paper into small pieces to sprinkle on Lena and decorate her little stage.
“Oh…! If you sleep while I’m singing, how can I keep going?”
“Did you prepare this? Wow~ thanks a lot.”
Some days I learned to write from a timid, blue-haired girl named Sea, who was much younger than me.
“You made another mistake…”
“It seems you can read well, but you keep getting writing wrong…”
Some days, when the heating broke, we’d cuddle close and share blankets through the night.
“This isn’t cold, you know.”
“Look! Whooo… what do you think? It’s a star shape!”
Every snack time turned into a mini war.
“That’s mine!”
“How could you eat what I was planning to?”
Just the same mundane routine, the days felt dumb and noisy, but surprisingly, I found myself fitting in fine in this goofy little place.
…It’s really fascinating, isn’t it?
“Wow!! You draw so well!”
Ah!? I got caught sketching in my notebook because my hands were bored.
I hurriedly closed it and tried to hide it.
But once a kid saw it, they wouldn’t give up. Plus, the others heard and came flocking over.
One by one, they started begging to see my drawings.
They’d definitely not back down. Okay, I lost.
I finally waved the white flag and showed them what I had been drawing.
The kids’ eyes widened with amazement.
Compliments poured in.
“Wow~ it’s beautiful.”
“How can you draw so well?”
It wasn’t even that impressive, but their constant praise made my cheeks heat up.
Honestly, it wasn’t a masterpiece.
It was just a simple result because I had a little bit of skill.
“It’s pretty…”
The drawing was simple.
The Sea in the forest.
A land rolling like waves.
In the middle of the forest, there’s a little boat with a silver-haired girl rowing, catching the sunlight, just an ordinary picture.
“Teacher, look at this. She drew it, right? It’s good, isn’t it?”
Ah!
One kid snatched my sketchbook to show Rene.
Rene quietly admired the drawing.
Suddenly, I felt nervous, as if I were being judged.
Swallowing hard,
“… She really did a good job.”
I said it with my mouth, but my eyes looked a bit sad.
Why? Was it that bad? I think it’s still better than what the kids could do.
Suddenly embarrassment washed over me.
Ugh.
Anyway, I’m spending such dull and utterly normal days.
*
Dinner time.
“How about taking off your hood and mask?”
I was finally up for a bath when Rene said that.
Of course, I shook my head.
“That wasn’t what I meant. What I’m saying is, living with the hood and mask on all day is inconvenient, so how about wearing something like a mask instead?”
Wearing a mask, huh?
I guess I was feeling a bit, no, a lot suffocated from keeping the mask and hood on all the time.
If I wear a mask, my hair might show, but petty things like that are fine.
The important part is whether my face is covered or not.
I nodded.
“Really? I’m glad. Come on, follow me. I’ve prepared a lot.”
I followed Rene into the room. She placed several masks on the table.
So many masks lined up there.
“Alright, pick one that you like. Actually, there’s no need to stick to just one; you could just change it up daily.”
That makes sense.
Still, I need to pick a mask to wear after washing up.
I began scanning through the masks. They had everything from animal masks to strange shaped ones.
‘The simplest must be the animal one…’
Just as I was about to pick one of the cute animal masks, one caught my eye.
I chose a skull-shaped mask.
“Eh?! Really?”
Rene, who had prepared them, looked quite surprised I chose that among so many options.
I nodded.
The reason I picked the skull mask was that it somehow felt right for me.
After all, I am nicknamed the Grim Reaper.
Rene didn’t stop me since it was my choice anyway.
I held the skull mask and walked to the bathroom.
A few kids bathed together, but I showered alone. After all, I didn’t want to show my face to anyone. So I was always the last to wash up.
Shwaaaa.
The feeling when warm water cascaded down my body was heavenly.
“I want to stay like this forever…”
After washing every corner quickly, I stepped out.
I dried off with a towel, put on my underwear and clothes, then stood in front of the mirror hanging on the wall.
The mirror reflected me. Well, more accurately, a beautiful girl.
She had an incredibly serene face, something indescribable. But her blue eyes were as cold as ice. The tightly closed mouth added to her sorrowful look.
She looked like a doll.
A uniquely precious and adorable doll in this world.
People would do anything to have that doll in their hands. They always had.
Thus, I hid the doll from the world.
I covered my face with the skull mask.
‘My hair showing is fine, I guess.’
As I started walking back, I could hear the kids chatting inside the room.
When I opened the door and entered, silence fell suddenly.
They all looked surprised.
Well, I removed my mask and hood after all.
The kids gathered around me, eyes sparkling as if they wanted to see something awesome.
“Your hair is pure white. It looks just like your eyes. What if it suddenly melts when I touch it?”
“It won’t melt.”
“Sniff sniff, it smells sweet.”
“That’s just soap.”
“Can I taste it?”
“Of course not.”
As I mentally shot back at their comments, regret surged in. The attention I was getting was more than usual, and my head was starting to spin.
I made sure the mask didn’t slip off.
Amid the whirlwind, I suddenly heard rapid footsteps approaching from outside.
It was Rene.
“Kids, Red will be here shortly.”
What?
Silence fell instantly. All the kids froze. Then three seconds later, they erupted into cheers and started jumping around.
The room turned into a whirlwind of excitement.
“Teacher, is that true?”
“Woohoo! She’s coming!”
Everyone was hyped up at the news that Red was coming.
Meanwhile, I felt a bit tense.
Shudder.
*
Red arrived well past midnight.
Of course, the kids had bravely held out waiting for her but ultimately couldn’t resist sleep anymore, falling over one by one.
As for me?
I was wide awake until then. I was used to being up late anyway.
The reason was simple—I wanted to see Red.
The person entering the front door late at night was indeed Red, her face reeking of exhaustion, likely from a job.
In each hand, she carried two hefty gift parcels, presumably for the kids.
Anyway, with her red pigtails, fierce eyes, sharp teeth, and the black coat she wore that night, she left a strong impression I wouldn’t forget.
‘And how could I not remember after we fought like that? Just thinking of that day makes me shiver.’
Rene went out to greet Red.
“Red, welcome!”
“Are the kids sleeping?”
“Yes, they all fell asleep waiting and got tired.”
“Then don’t wake them.”
“Ah, speaking of that…”
Pitter patter.
I stepped out in front of Red.
Rene didn’t seem surprised to see I was awake.
On the contrary, Red looked a bit surprised when she saw me and turned to Rene.
“Who’s this girl?”
“Oh, she’s the one you mentioned before.”
Red’s brows furrowed in contemplation. Then, her eyes grew wide as she seemed to remember.
“What…?!”
I debated whether to wave or bow, but ultimately, I just raised a hand for a greeting.