Chick 360

360

Creak, creak, creak, creak—

Cabalon stared rigidly ahead.

A small tricycle was scraping its way across the snowfield toward him.

And on it, clad in a conspicuous hot-pink teddy bear suit.

Gru, dressed in a massive teddy costume, gripped the handlebars tightly, pedaling forward, step by determined step.

On her shoulder clung only the little snow rabbit with its sprout on its head.

Crunch, crunch.

The quiet playground echoed with nothing but the sound of small wheels biting into snow.

It was a scene wildly out of place.

A blizzard raged, the air was knife-cold, the whole world seemed poised for collapse.

And yet—

‘How can she get closer?’

Cabalon, staring at the bright teddy bear crunching through the snow, was dumbfounded.

By now, the snowfield was under his control.

Even On Joorim was completely immobilized.

There was no way that tricycle should have been able to move forward either.

And yet, the snow not only failed to block the child—it seemed to welcome her.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Creak, creak, creak—

Gru’s cheerful pedaling never once faltered as she made it to the center of the playground.

‘In that case…’

Cabalon tried to focus his mana, exerting direct force.

But—

‘My body…’

He tried to move his arm, but—

‘It won’t move…!’

A fierce, alien rejection stymied his magic.

‘Damn it!’

The resistance boiling up inside his body was impossible to overcome.

Both Shea and On Ijo’s wills were pressing down on him—an absolute warning from deep within: harm this child, and you will not be forgiven.

‘Damn! Damn it!’

As Cabalon stood helpless, the teddy bear brought her tricycle to a halt and ran, snorting clouds of breath, toward Joorim.

Gru spread her arms wide before the speechless Joorim.

— Dad, I’ve come to save you!

The teddy’s heavy brow waggled as she bellowed in a comically altered voice.

Instead of relief, Joorim wore a look of deep perplexity.

“…Did you come alone?”

He’d thought Mephisto and Bailach would be watching over the child—how had she come all the way here by herself?

Gru, oblivious, answered guilelessly.

— I came with Fer!

Lucifer, perched on Gru’s shoulder, stuck its sprout high and raised its head.

Joorim gave Lucifer a sidelong look and muttered a tired sigh.

“He won’t be any help.”

— Gasp!

“Kkyut!” (Gasp!)

Gru and Lucifer covered their mouths, utterly scandalized.

How could he say such a thing?

Joorim, unbothered, glanced past Gru and asked,

“What about Mephisto and Bailach?”

Tears welled up in Lucifer’s eyes at the mortification.

— Um, over there…

Gru’s teddy paw comforted the sniffling Lucifer’s head and pointed toward the school’s main building.

At that very moment—

Boom!

The building’s corner collapsed, the battle inside turning truly fierce.

Skills flashed and roared across the rooftop.

Bang!

Crash!

— Oh…!

Gru’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ at the action-movie spectacle.

Joorim brushed aside a flying piece of rubble and quickly drew Gru behind him for protection.

Watching this, he decided the playground might actually be safer for Gru.

‘Looks like something’s wrong over there, too.’

Joorim eyed Cabalon cautiously.

He was partly bound himself, but so, evidently, was Cabalon.

Following his gaze, Gru looked at On Ijo and tensed up.

In On Ijo’s mental world, which she had visited with her mother, he’d pushed Gru past the crumbling sea.

When she came to, she was alone in an empty classroom.

Joorim asked, “Did the plan work?”

Gru nodded uncertainly.

— …Maybe?

“‘Maybe?’ What does that mean…”

— Hm. ‘Maybe’ means ‘I think so?’

That wasn’t what he meant. Joorim pressed his forehead.

If the plan had succeeded, On Ijo’s consciousness should have claimed the body. But clearly, that wasn’t the case, making him anxious.

So was that why the attacks had stopped? Joorim looked down at his feet.

But the snowfield had yet to return to Gru’s domain.

His gaze shifted back to Cabalon.

Were Cabalon’s and On Ijo’s consciousnesses still locked in struggle?

‘So now…’

They had no choice but to wait for On Ijo to overpower Cabalon.

But what if On Ijo failed?

Cabalon gritted his teeth, desperate to move his body.

The triquetra in one eye glimmered, his mana flickered dangerously.

‘Gru could be in danger.’

Just as Joorim, anxious, made to step forward—

A golden goldfish fluttered out from Gru’s chest.

It spun lazily in midair, then spoke.

— Um?

Gru stared at it blankly. The goldfish tapped her chest with its mouth.

Then, flicking its tail, it brushed Lucifer’s cheek fondly.

Ah! At last, Gru nodded in understanding.

— Hm! I’ll show Daddy. That ‘we’ can help.

“Kkyut!”

At the same time as Lucifer bounced off her shoulder, Gru tore off the cracked photo-card necklace around her neck.

A card depicting young Joorim with big, shiny eyes landed on the snowfield.

This card, which she’d cobbled back together after it broke, was meant to help her control her skills—it sealed away some of her mana, preventing it from running wild.

With the photo card off, Gru’s magical power surged uncontrollably.

— Whoa…?

Gru’s eyes widened at the sudden rush of energy.

Flutter! The goldfish dived back inside her chest.

Gru’s mana surged deeper and wilder, pouring out unchecked.

— Eeep!

Gru gasped.

“Gru?”

Startled by the wild burst from Gru, Joorim too raised his own mana to steady hers.

But Gru acted first.

She raised a teddy paw high.

— Open, Yolrang!

“Kkyut!”

The white rabbit quivered and straightened its sprout to attention.

Joorim, tense, held his breath.

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze.

Time itself was halted.

Realizing what was about to happen, the bound Cabalon’s face twisted in horror.

He screamed in desperation.

“No!”

At that moment—

Voooom—!

A heavy sound shook the playground.

A circular shockwave erupted from Gru’s small body, like a stone dropped in still water, sending trembling ripples rolling outward to fill the entire space.

Wherever the wave swept, frost settled in its wake.

White, cold enough to imprison all it touched—pure as if it had never melted before.

The air itself froze solid.

Gru’s mana colored the snowfield anew.

Chilled to the bone, Cabalon gasped for breath.

By contrast, Gru took in a deep, contented breath, as if standing on open ground.

— Haah…

The white snowfield was hers again.

With her realm reclaimed, Gru turned her gaze to Cabalon.

She now understood exactly what she was to do.

Just before, when her mother had rushed into her heart, she’d given her a hint.

Gru pulled up the quest window.

[Quest: Imitation Play!]

[When a child observes and mimics their caregiver’s actions, this play activity is known as ‘imitation play.’ This time, let’s try to imitate the strength of caregiver ‘On Ijo’!]