Chick 183
by Cristae183
At that moment, Groo’s backpack began to squirm.
Startled, Groo quickly unzipped it—only for Veilach, transformed into a child, to spring out.
“Master, your proficiency has increased.”
“Uh-huh… A little.”
Apparently, proficiency didn’t rise as quickly as Groo had hoped; it had only ticked up slightly.
“You’re taking human form more and more often. Your form and the duration are both much more stable now.”
“Hmm, but does that mean I have to keep turning into a hamster?”
“……”
Veilach scowled in distaste.
“The skill is activated by your will, Master. Whether I become a hamster or take on a human form is determined by your need and intention. That means you require my protection right now.”
Groo, failing to grasp any of this, pursed his lips in a serious expression.
Veilach helped Groo to his feet, brushing off his knees, and said in a matter-of-fact voice,
“I am your retainer—and your guardian.”
“Mm.”
Groo nodded.
What was he talking about…?
“It means you can ask anything of me.”
As if he’d expected as much, Veilach gave a dry, explanatory reply.
“Oh…”
“Therefore, it falls to me to take care of anyone who upsets you.”
“You’d really do that for me, Vei?”
Was Veilach offering to be Groo’s sports day partner?
Groo still wished he could have paired with Uju…
Overcome by sadness once again, Groo’s lips drooped and he pressed a walnut up under his chin.
“Huuh… okay.”
“Then I shall go kill him.”
Groo’s mouth fell open.
“Kill who?”
“The tasty-looking—no, the one who made you upset.”
Groo grabbed Veilach’s wrist, frowning.
“Vei, stop drooling.”
“……”
Veilach wiped his dribbling mouth with the back of his hand.
“Phew.”
It was worrying how much Veilach seemed to want to eat Uju.
“Vei, be my partner for sports day.”
“……”
Veilach’s face scrunched up. He looked truly displeased.
While hiding in the bag, he’d overheard enough to know what the sports festival and “buddy” business entailed.
Groo was asking him to join in on children’s athletic games.
“I am Veilach Shadows. The first Star of the Shadows, and the first Retainer of Shea. For someone of my station to take part in children’s play… it is beneath my dignity…”
Veilach puffed himself up with the airs of a grumpy elder, but Groo cut him off.
“But! If you do your best, you might get something you like.”
“Something I like?”
“A tablet PC.”
Groo brought up a picture of a tablet PC on his phone.
“What is this?”
“It’s like a big phone. Grown-ups usually watch YouTube on it. Also, with this…”
Groo paused, curling his lips into a sly grin.
“You can watch that.”
At Groo’s wicked expression, Veilach sucked in a breath.
“…No way!”
“Mm-hmm—you can watch ‘Zombie Hunter’ on it.”
Groo’s phone and tablet were both locked down with KidsLock, so he couldn’t freely watch whatever he wanted.
These days, there were so many apps that parents could monitor and restrict everything a child did on their devices.
But if Veilach won a tablet of his own?
He could bypass KidsLock and watch “Zombie Hunter” as much as he wanted.
Mephisto, catching on, gave his own look of anticipation.
In a flash, the upset over Uju was banished, and Groo, Veilach, and Mephisto exchanged a deep and silent look—three hearts set on a single goal.
Without a word, they shared the same resolve.
‘Win the sports day. Win, and get that tablet PC!’
Finally, the day of the sports festival arrived.
As an Awakened-specialty school, Justitia drew a lot of attention from the media and guilds. Especially in the upper grades, students prepared diligently for the sake of their future careers.
As a result, the entire campus buzzed with anticipation, their hearts fluttering with excitement for the event.
“Is Serhi coming today?”
“I’ve no clue. But I’m hoping so.”
“Is there anyone who could go up against Serhi? Gidan?”
“Gidan just slacked off last sports day, didn’t he?”
While families, reporters, and guild members milled about in excitement, behind a tree in the park—
Groo, with Mephisto perched on his head, whispered with Veilach.
“These—we’re on the blue team, so we need to tie these on.”
Veilach took the ribbon Groo handed him and tied it around his forehead.
Groo tied a tiny blue ribbon around Mephi’s head, too.
Since Uju wasn’t participating in the sports day, the Chick Class teacher, seeing how down Groo was, specially allowed another friend to join the team.
With her hair gathered in a high ponytail, Groo fastened her own blue headband proudly.
For the Chick Class, the essential events were “Pinata Smashing” and the three-legged race.
The teacher had recommended the three-legged race be done as a family, but Groo had purposely not called Jurim.
Veilach’s participation was a secret!
If the prize was a tablet PC, and Jurim found out Veilach had won one?
‘Vei would end up with KidsLock, too!’
That’d spell disaster for their whole “Zombie Hunter Plan.”
…Not that that was the only reason.
‘Dad should stay home, too.’
If the number-one-ranked Awakener turned up, no one would even stand a chance.
Sports should be enjoyed fairly, and Jurim was a living, breathing form of cheating.
There was no better candidate to be booed at a kids’ sports day.
Even if Hyun-ak’s Guild was notorious for all sorts of reasons, there was no need for the school to earn more scorn on an innocent day like this.
Her dad had seemed a bit hurt by this…
‘Sorry, Dad.’
Groo offered a silent apology to the sky, then stood up.
‘But I just can’t miss Zombie Hunter!’
With his blue headband tied firmly, Veilach held out his hand with grave determination.
“Ready, Master?”
“Of course, Vei.”
Smack! Groo slapped his hand into Veilach’s.
“Bweet!”
Mephi raised one leg and spread his wings wide.
Let’s go—for Zombie Hunter!
[Blue 0:0 Red]
When the sports festival began in earnest, a hologram appeared in the sky.
It displayed the point totals for Blue Team and Red Team.
From now on, every event’s scores would be tallied up there.
“Hmph.”
Groo was determined—she would claim Blue Team’s first victory.
She snorted twice, mustering her resolve.
The first event was the ball rolling race.
Groo, with a large #3 label stuck onto her back, would face off against Red Team’s Giraffe Class.
Before her was a ball so big that it’d take two kindergarteners to roll it.
She rolled her shoulders, trying to relax; her hands were slick with nervous sweat.
‘Excluding mana, all my stats are 2.’
Meanwhile, the opponents… Groo sneaked a peek at #3 from Giraffe Class.
Six-year-olds, a year older than Groo. Their larger muscles meant they were both at least ten centimeters taller.
“This won’t be easy,”
Groo whispered to Veilach, sensing the other kids’ competitive energy.
Veilach whispered back,
“Don’t worry, Master.”
He summoned just a hint of mana.
“I am your retainer and your guardian.”
With that, the ball suddenly began to float.
“Huh?”
Adjusting gravity, he’d caused the ball to rise.
Veilach bared his predatory teeth in a grin.
“There’s no need to struggle with such a weak body.”
Bwee—
The whistle blew.
There was no time to be surprised.
Groo reached out and, with just a nudge, changed the direction of the floating ball.
It was light as a feather—so smooth it barely felt like she was pushing at all!
“A-amazing!”
Groo exclaimed, while the event announcer gaped, pointing at Groo’s team.
“What’s that?! The ball is floating! Is this a demonstration of superconducting ball rolling?!”
Groo frowned.
“Super? Conduct? What?”
What were they even saying?
But Veilach didn’t know what superconductivity was, either.
“Conduct—what?”
What was any of this?
Anyway, while Groo and Veilach scrambled after the drifting ball…
“Hey, Blue Team, number 3!”
Startled, Groo whipped around.
“You’re on the Awakened team, aren’t you?!”
Groo nodded quickly.
“Ball rolling means you’re supposed to roll the ball! Number 3—disqualified!”