Sophia, Levinas, and I all sat together in the backseat of the police car.

"Ugh..."

Was this it? Was I really going to be taken to prison and spend my life behind bars?  
With sad eyes, I took in what could be my last look at the outside world.

The buildings of the city, the people walking on the streets.  
Who would have thought that I would grow nostalgic for the everyday life of this world that I once hated so much?

When I’m done serving my sentence, I’ll become a person who appreciates the small things in life.  
That was what I thought as I stared out the window.  
Then, my eyes met with Yeoreum’s as she walked along the street.

- Gyeoul, what are you doing there...?

That’s what her eyes seemed to say.

- Goodbye.

That’s what my eyes seemed to say back.

I had so many things I wanted to tell her, but there was nothing I could say now that I had been caught.  
All I could do was wave goodbye, knocking on the window with my clenched fist.

Just as the car started moving and Yeoreum disappeared behind a corner, I saw her chasing after us in a hurry.

I worried she might bump into people as she ran, but she skillfully dodged them, weaving her way through the crowd to keep up with us.  
The people around her didn’t even seem surprised at the sight, as if they were used to such situations.

Right.  
This was a world with fantasy elements, after all.

As I watched Yeoreum following us, the female officer driving the car spoke up.

"Gyeoul, it’s dangerous. Sit properly."

"Yes..."

"And put your seatbelt on."

"O-okay..."

I adjusted my position and reached for the seatbelt.  
As I fumbled with it, I glanced at Levinas sitting beside me.

There was no seatbelt in the middle seat, so it seemed like a good idea to share one with her.

"Levinas, hold still for a second."

"Why?"

"So we can share this."

I fastened the seatbelt around both of us.  
It was meant for one person, but since we were small, we could fit together.

"What is this? Levinas doesn’t like feeling trapped!"

"It’s to protect you if there’s an accident. You have to wear it whenever you’re in a car."

"Gasp...!"

Not wanting to get hurt, Levinas clutched the seatbelt tightly with both hands.  
And so, we quietly made our way back to Yeomyeong Park.

"Huh?"

We’re not going to prison?  
What are we doing here?  
I looked around in confusion, and the middle-aged officer in the passenger seat got out and opened the back door for us.

"Alright, we’re here. Time to get out."

"G-get out...?"

Were they really just taking us home?  
As I blinked in surprise, Yeoreum came skidding to a stop right in front of us, winded from running.

"Gyeoul...!"

Yeoreum placed her hand on my shoulder with such strength that it hurt.  
I winced in pain, looking up at her with teary eyes.

"Ouch..."

It hurts... Please let go.  
I stared at Yeoreum, hoping she would notice, but her attention was focused entirely on the middle-aged officer.

"Officer, did something happen with our kids?"

"Oh, no. It just seemed dangerous for the beast-kin children to be alone, so we brought them back."

"I see..."

Yeoreum sighed in relief, and I found myself relaxing as well.

"So I’m not getting arrested?"

"Of course not. You didn’t do anything wrong."

Thank goodness.  
I wasn’t going to prison after all.

Phew.  
Just as I let out a long-held breath of relief, the middle-aged officer leaned in and whispered quietly to Yeoreum—quietly enough that it should have been meant for her ears only, but I heard everything.

"You're Yeoreum from Yeomyeong Guild, right?"

"Yes, that’s me."

"Are you sure the guild is taking care of these kids properly?"

The officer’s gaze shifted from me to Sophia and then to Levinas.  
It felt like he was interrogating Yeoreum.

"Why do the kids look like this? One of them was digging through the trash."

"Well... Our kids are a bit too independent..."

Yeoreum lowered her eyes, avoiding the officer’s gaze.  
The officer’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Independent?"

"Yes... They enjoy living in harmony with nature, so..."

"Gasp! How did they know? Levinas loves trees so much!"

"I, too, prefer the smell of grass over concrete."

Sophia and Levinas both chimed in, and I nodded along in agreement.  
Recently, I’d started liking nature more as well.

"...I see. It seems we misunderstood something. My apologies."

"No, no, I understand why you were concerned. Thank you for looking out for them."

Hehe.  
Yeoreum awkwardly waved her hand, and the officers said to call them if anything happened before walking away into the distance.

"Phew..."

Was Yeoreum exhausted from the sudden situation?  
She collapsed onto the grass nearby.

I glanced at her for a moment before sitting down next to her.  
I knew that this whole situation was my fault.

"...Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I’m always okay."

Hehe.  
Yeoreum gave me a playful smile, but it wasn’t until much later that she spoke again.

"...But Gyeoul."

"Yes?"

"Have you really made up your mind about not living at the guild? You don’t need to worry about rent or anything; I’ll take care of it."

"Well, I..."

I knew she wanted to help me.  
But I didn’t want to live off someone else’s kindness for free.

I wanted to say that I appreciated her help, but I was fine.  
However, after today’s incident, I hesitated.  
I realized that both Yeoreum and the Yeomyeong Guild had been misunderstood because of me.

"Hmm... Gyeoul, how about this?"

"How?"

"Why don’t you try living at the guild just once a week? Think of it as a trial period. What do you think?"

A trial period?  
She was suggesting I try living there a few times before making a decision.  
After a moment of thought, I nodded.  
I felt guilty about the trouble I had caused her.

"Alright, I’ll give it a try..."

"Really? Is once a week okay with you?"

"Yeah..."

It wasn’t like I had to live there forever.  
And besides, experiencing a higher standard of living didn’t sound so bad for someone like me.

---

The next morning, I entered the guild building with everyone.  
Perhaps it was because Levinas and I looked particularly scruffy, but I could feel the curious glances from the people around us.

The building was as overwhelming as ever with its enormous size.  
Levinas, however, didn’t seem to care, running around the building like a child at a playground.

"Do you remember where you woke up last time, Gyeoul?"

"Yes..."

"That was on the first floor, where we greet guests. The actual living quarters are much higher up."

It was dozens of floors high.  
And we had to go all the way up there?

I sighed and started climbing the nearby stairs.

"Going all the way up there sounds exhausting."

"Hmm... Gyeoul, have you never heard of an elevator?"

"Oh."

Right.  
Elevators.  
I hadn’t used one in almost eight years, so I hadn’t even considered it.  
I had always avoided being in small, confined spaces with people.  
Of course, I had also never been inside a building big enough to have an elevator.

"If you use the elevator, you don’t have to climb the stairs. Isn’t that amazing?"

"Yeah... Elevators are amazing..."

Was I really being treated like some primitive person who didn’t know what an elevator was?  
It was sad, but I couldn’t deny my ignorance.  
I said nothing in response and followed everyone into the empty elevator.

"See these numbers? You press one, and it’ll take you to that floor."

"Wow..."

Clap, clap, clap.  
I clapped awkwardly.  
Levinas, eyes sparkling, clapped along with me.

"Levinas has never been in such an amazing thing! What about you, king?"

"M-me neither..."

It was the first time in this life, at least.  
My heart raced a little at the thought that my life was improving in some way.  
Even my tail was swaying gently, which only happened when I was in a good mood.

"Lots of people use elevators, so you shouldn’t treat them like a ride, okay?"

"Got it!"

"Okay..."

Levinas raised her hand enthusiastically, and I had no choice but to do the same.

We arrived at the living quarters.  
Yeoreum led us inside and opened the door.  
Sophia was the first to enter.

"Hmm..."

Sophia looked around the house with an intrigued expression.  
Her shark tail swished back and forth excitedly, something I had never seen her do before.

‘Wow.’

It was the first time I’d ever seen Sophia this happy.  
If I had known she would be this pleased, we should’ve come here sooner.

Feeling a bit guilty, I silently followed her around.  
Just then, a very wet Levinas came running toward us.

"Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong!"

"Huh?"

Had Levinas caused some kind of

 trouble?  
Sophia and I quickly turned toward her.

"Hot water comes out even though there’s no fire!"

Hot water.  
That one phrase made my eyes widen.  
Even the normally calm Sophia was so surprised that her tail shot up into the air.

"Hot water comes out?"

"Yes! It gushes out! This must be a place where gods live!"

"W-wow..."

A house with hot water flowing freely.  
I clasped my hands together in awe, as if in prayer, before realizing that hot water was something normal for most homes.  
Of course, it wasn’t normal for me, though.

"Hot water..."

I looked up at Yeoreum with admiration in my eyes.  
She just scratched her cheek and looked down at us with a slightly embarrassed smile.