"Levinas brought the police with her!"

Hop, hop.  
Levinas hopped around the store like a horned rabbit.  
I couldn't believe that Levinas, whom I thought had grown close to us, had reported us to the police.

She must have reported us for kidnapping.  
There was nothing I could do but apologize for the situation, even though I couldn't make excuses.

"Levinas, I'm sorry..."

"For what?!"

"For keeping you at the guild..."

Even if it was a fake, we had put a bomb collar on her.  
I knew it wasn’t something you should do to a child, but we thought it was necessary because she came from a dangerous group.  
Through today’s conversation, I realized that the real danger wasn't Levinas herself, but the people who had been with her.

"Huh? But Levinas didn’t report anything!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah! Levinas doesn’t know how to report things! I’ve never learned how!"

If she didn’t report us, then why was she with the police?  
I turned to the three police officers in the store, confused.

"Are you here to arrest us?"

"Well, uh..."

The three officers hesitated, exchanging looks.  
It was clear they were silently communicating with each other through some sort of signals.

"Aren’t these kids from Yeomyeong Park?"

"Yeah. We get frequent reports about them."

At the female officer's words, the oldest-looking officer hesitated and approached us.  
In that tense moment, I found myself stepping back instinctively.

"What’s your name?"

"Han Gyeoul..."

"I’m Sophia."

"Sophia and Han Gyeoul..."

The middle-aged officer wrote something down on a small touchscreen device.  
He repeated our names several times, as if verifying our identities.

Was it really because of me that the police were here?  
As soon as that certainty hit me, I started trembling.

"I-I'm sorry..."

I should just admit my wrongs and apologize.  
That would reduce my punishment.  
But I had done so many wrong things that I didn’t even know where to start.  
I decided to confess the lighter offenses first.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For not having an ID..."

A beast-kin without an ID.  
I wouldn’t be able to argue if they treated me like an illegal immigrant.  
The middle-aged officer coughed awkwardly at my confession.

"...It’s normal not to have an ID."

Normal not to have an ID?  
Was he sure I was illegally residing here?  
Maybe the police were trying to dig deeper into something worse about me.

'...Oh no.'

Could it be that?  
I looked up at the officer with trembling eyes.

"Last week, I went to the recycling center..."

"Yeah? You did?"

"Yes. And there was a kettle there that looked almost brand new."

"Mm-hmm."

Go on.  
The officer gave me a look, urging me to continue.

"...I took it, even though it might’ve had an owner."

It was a perfect silver kettle that reflected my face like a mirror.  
I thought it might’ve been lost rather than thrown away.  
The owner might have reported me after all.

"Are you saying you took something from the recycling center?"

"Yes. I don’t have much money, so..."

"Oh dear."

The middle-aged officer sighed in exasperation, his expression disapproving.  
The young female officer next to him mirrored his reaction.

"Doesn’t Yeomyeong give you anything?"

"Give me what?"

"Clothes, food, basic support."

They do give us a lot of support.  
I didn’t have to pay rent thanks to clearing the horned rabbit dungeon, and we were even allowed to fish in the pond.  
Honestly, I had received more support than I deserved.

But why were they asking about support from the guild?  
As I stared at the two officers in confusion, they started having a conversation I couldn’t understand.

"This is quite shocking..."

"Indeed."

What was so shocking?  
Were they talking about my criminal record?  
Feeling ashamed, I lowered my head.

"I’m sorry. I won’t do it again..."

Like any other criminal, I begged for forgiveness, my gaze fixed on the floor.

Even without looking up, I could tell what kind of expressions the two officers were making.  
They were probably giving me the same disapproving look they’d give any pathetic criminal.

"You’re talking about the kettle?"

"Yes. It was so clean that I knew it was too good to be true... From now on, I’ll only pick up dirty things."

Clean items were more likely to have owners.  
I had forgotten that fact because I got so excited when I found that new-looking mattress.  
Or maybe I had known and just chose to ignore it.

"Hmm..."

"Oh dear..."

"Tsk."

The three officers near me all sighed.  
Sophia, standing a bit further away, remained silent, while Levinas wandered around the store, fascinated by everything.

"...Am I going to be arrested?"

"No, you won’t get arrested for that."

"Really? Then is it a fine?"

I quickly pulled out my coin pouch.  
Since most of my money was kept by Yeoreum, I only had three 1,000-won bills and a few coins on me.

‘Hmm.’

It wasn’t nearly enough to pay a fine.  
But in any world, there was the concept of paying in advance.  
I gathered the money in both hands and respectfully held it out toward the officers, showing my intent to pay the fine.

"Would this be enough for now...?"

Just as I was extending my hands, Sophia shook her head.

"Taking money from a child’s pocket? How low the police have fallen."

"N-no! That’s not it!"

"There’s no fine! You don’t need to pay anything!"

The officers, looking flustered, frantically waved their hands.  
Seeing their panicked expressions, Sophia chuckled quietly.

"So then, why are you here...?"

"We were just patrolling. We were curious about what the beast-kin kids were doing."

"Is that so...?"

It made sense.  
Seeing two beast-kin in a furniture store must’ve been unusual.  
Relieved that they weren’t here to arrest me, I relaxed a little.

"Anyway, let the officers take you home. Have you decided on a mattress yet?"

"No, not yet..."

Just as I was about to say I hadn’t decided, I heard a loud thumping sound behind me.  
Turning around, I saw Levinas jumping on a mattress with dirty feet.

"This is fun! Levinas can jump so high!"

Though the mattress was wrapped in plastic, it seemed like we’d have to buy that one.

"...Let’s go with that one."

Sophia sighed, seeming to have the same thought as me.  
And so, we finally purchased a mattress, after all the trouble.  
It cost a whopping 400,000 won.

"Sophia, are you sure this is okay? It’s really expensive."

"It’s fine. It’s better than sleeping in a box, isn’t it?"

That was true.  
As I came to terms with that reasoning, the three officers sighed in unison.

"A box..."

"The Yeomyeong Guild really needs to step up..."

"It’s a bit much, isn’t it?"

What were they talking about now?  
I glanced at them in confusion as Sophia returned after paying.

"They said they’ll deliver the mattress later today."

"That’s a relief."

I had been wondering how we’d carry such a big mattress, but thankfully they offered delivery.  
Just as I was feeling relieved, the middle-aged officer gestured toward the door with his thumb.

"If you’re done, let’s go. I’ll give you a ride home."

"O-okay..."

Were the police going to escort us?  
Maybe they were just worried about us since we looked like children.  
After all, beast-kin children were rare and more likely to be kidnapped than human children.

And so, we followed the officers.  
Just as I was thinking we’d safely make it home, the first officer tapped on the window of the police car’s backseat.

"Do you want to ride in here?"

"Huh?"

"It’ll be more convenient if we drive you."

No.  
This was 100% them taking me away.  
Everything until now had been an act to arrest me.

I stared blankly at the police car, unable to move.

---

"I want to see Gyeoul."

Yeoreum was walking briskly toward the guild, eager to see cute little Gyeoul and the other beast-kin children.  
Although, of course, one of them was much older than her.

‘But why hasn’t Lady Sophia aged at all?’

Did it have something to do with the unique traits of the beast-kin?  
As Yeoreum pondered that, she suddenly heard a tapping sound beside her.

"Hm?"

Naturally, she turned to look, only to widen her eyes in shock.  
There was Gyeoul, tapping on the police car window with her tiny fists, on the verge of tears.

"Gyeoul?"

Why was Gyeoul in the back of a police car?  
And why did she look like she was about to cry?

As Yeoreum stood there, blinking in confusion at the sight of Gyeoul in the backseat, the traffic light turned green.

Vroom—

The police car carrying Gyeoul moved forward with a soft engine sound.  
In the car, Gyeoul’s feline fangs were visible as she opened her mouth in a silent cry, resembling a kitten meowing.

"Gyeoul...?"

Yeoreum could only watch the back of the police car as it drove away.  

Even as the car disappeared down a narrow alley, Gyeoul and Yeoreum’s eyes stayed locked on each other.

 

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!