Chick 191
by CristaeHunter of the Chick Class Does His Duty! Episode 191
“You’re home? How was ballet?”
“Today, I learned this!”
Gru greeted her adorably, stood on tiptoe, and demonstrated a plié—a ballet move where the knees are bent.
“Pliiieee—”
Struggling with the motion, Gru groaned, and Joorim, watching her, smiled and kissed her on the cheek.
Gru kissed Joorim’s cheek in return, then suddenly looked around as though searching for something.
“Where is it?”
“Hm? What is?”
“Daddy’s friend!”
“……?”
Did I even have one of those?
As Joorim puzzled over this—
“Gru-chan!”
Kazuki appeared from behind the curtain, pulling up his pants as he cheerfully called Gru’s name.
“……?!”
At the same moment, Gru’s eyes—which had been full of expectation—trembled violently.
“F-friend……?”
Her face plainly said, ‘Good heavens, is that thug…?!’
Gru looked back and forth between the impeccably dressed Joorim and the tattooed man hurriedly zipping up his pants.
‘How could those two be friends?’
The odd pairing rendered her speechless.
“No… Wait just a second…”
Meanwhile, Joorim felt a sudden urgency—the need to clear up this misunderstanding was mounting within him.
He could not let his daughter imagine him friends with such a delinquent and pervert.
Meeting Gru’s gaze, Joorim spoke kindly.
“We’re not friends.”
“Then…?”
“Well…”
Joorim pondered how to explain, then ended up speaking gently.
“He’s just sort of like a machine that makes gloves for Daddy.”
“Gasp!”
He apparently didn’t even treat the man as human.
“Ahaha!”
Kazuki laughed as though he’d heard a hilarious joke, but Gru knew how serious Joorim truly was.
No matter how blinded she was by affection, Daddy was being too much…
Shaken by the shock of Joorim’s attitude, Gru clung to his leg and said,
“…Become friends. Okay?”
A delinquent friend was surely better than a glove-making machine.
“….”
Tsk. Joorim clucked his tongue briefly at the worried look on Gru’s face, regretting his words.
Maybe he’d been too blunt?
Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Kazuki alone was roaring with laughter.
“Don’t worry, Gru-chan! We’re friends.”
“Really friends?”
“Yeah, friends.”
Kazuki flashed a smile, showing pointed canine teeth, and draped an arm over Joorim’s shoulder.
Joorim’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t push the hand away.
Gru’s expression softened a little at the news of friendship, so…
Kazuki stooped to look Gru in the eyes and greeted her.
“Cute Gru-chan, I’m Uncle Kazuki. I missed you a lot.”
It didn’t seem to be a lie.
Because,
[Attachment index fulfilled. Caregiver registration now possible.]
Her attachment index had immediately filled upon meeting him, registering him as a caregiver right away!
‘That’s so fast!’
Of all her caregivers, he must be the fastest.
Gru, about to register him, looked up and asked curiously,
“Uncle, are you S-class too?”
That must be why he could be registered as a caregiver.
“Hm? That’s right.”
Kazuki chuckled, as though enjoying the fact the child didn’t recognize him.
Gru pondered.
‘A Japanese S-class?’
No way.
“Are you Amakusa Bikey?”
“Oh, that’s right. That’s Uncle’s name. Not Bikey, but Amakusa Kazuki.”
“Gasp!”
“So, Gru, what do you like? What should I make you?”
Kazuki twirled his index finger, and, following his movements, threads spun together, forming sparkling, radiant dough in mid-air.
That was…
So the ‘Amakusa’ whom the press constantly framed as Korea vs. Japan—he was this uncle before her eyes!
To think she’d encounter the treasure of Japan here, of all places.
Truly, Amakusa Bikey.
Had he come to visit his fated rival, Jjapso?
‘Hmm…’
Gru scrutinized Kazuki with wary eyes.
Though smartly dressed, the tattoos on his neck and hands only made him seem even more dangerous, in a different way.
‘He looks strong!’
Should Gru put on the bear suit to counter him?
But she couldn’t reveal her true identity…!
Regrettably, must she let her rival from the neighboring country who interferes with her business go without a fight?
Gru glared at Kazuki, her expression the picture of frustration and injustice. Kazuki rolled his eyes and signaled to Joorim.
Joorim, for his part, shook his head, signaling ignorance.
‘Heh.’
Were they close, those two?
Her father’s one (probably only) friend having to be Gru’s rival—how sorrowful.
‘Ah!’
At that moment, a wicked, cunning idea flashed through Gru’s mind, one sure to utterly squash Kazuki.
She hesitated—Wasn’t it too devious?—but only briefly.
Gru dropped to her knees, folding them together.
The two adults sprang forward, startled, attempting to help her up; but Gru rested both hands on her knees and declared with resolve,
“Uncle! Please become Gru’s master!”
“Master?”
Gru’s lips were tightly pressed in a straight line as she nodded gravely.
Hidden from the stupefied adults, Gru bowed her head ever so slightly and raised a secret, sly smirk on one side of her mouth.
Her rival, Gru, begging to become his disciple must have caught them off guard.
But in ‘Zombie Hunter,’ episode 19, subtitled ‘The Trojan Horse!’—
That was when the protagonist became the disciple of a human hunter to defeat him.
‘That’s it.’
No matter how high the affinity, Uncle Kazuki could never be a caregiver.
He was Gru’s rival, after all!
Instead—
Like a Trojan Horse, Gru would sneak in as a harmless disciple under his wing!
She’d learn everything she could, raise her proficiency, and then…
‘Uncle Kazuki. I’ll dispose of you thoroughly, without ever registering you as my caregiver.’
Such evil thoughts about an adult—Gru’s shoulders trembled.
‘Gru, you’re so wicked.’
But sometimes, she had heard, one simply had to get their hands dirty to survive.
“Master!”
Gru gazed up at Kazuki with pleading eyes.
“M-master?”
Joorim retorted sarcastically, obviously displeased with the idea.
“Umm…?”
Kazuki, looking flustered, crouched all the way down to meet Gru’s eyes.
“Gru-chan, you’re an Awakened, aren’t you?”
She nodded eagerly.
“You want to do skill training?”
“Yes!”
Ah, then… Kazuki tilted his head, seeming to think, before finally extending a large hand toward Gru.
“Gru-chan, your hand.”
Hm? Reflexively, like a puppy, she placed her hand in his. Kazuki repeated, “So small, so cute,” as he held it.
Then—
Slurp!
“Eeeek!”
Slick!
Feeling the wet touch of a tongue on her palm, Gru let out a strange squeal.
Joorim sighed and grabbed Kazuki by the scruff of his neck, pulling him upright.
“Do you plan on doing horrible things to my daughter?”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Gru-chan, did I scare you?”
Kazuki scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, then continued with a slightly more serious expression.
“But honestly, Uncle was more surprised. Gru-chan, are you S-class?”
“Y-yes… Gasp?!”
Surprised by the sudden question, Gru clamped her hands over her mouth.
“H-how’d you know?”
Kazuki stuck out his tongue.
Tattooed across it was the character ‘知’ (knowledge), which now glowed.
[Sensory Analysis (SS)]
He could completely analyze anything he licked.
“I’ve never seen a skill like Gru-chan’s before. Not since Lee Jo-sang has there been an L-class, right?”
Kazuki looked to Joorim, seeking agreement, and Gru burst out,
“Uncle, have you really licked that many?”
Kazuki grinned wryly and hesitated.
“Uh, well… Can I say?”
“No.”
Joorim interjected.
Gru nodded as if she understood. He’d obviously licked a lot.
‘He really is like a big dog.’
Now that she thought of it, there almost seemed to be a wagging tail behind Uncle Kazuki…
Kazuki smiled at Gru’s wary glances.
“You’re cute, Gru-chan.”
Hm? That smile—who did it remind her of?
Who was it?
Gru shook her head, lost in thought.
This wasn’t the time! She pressed her hands to her knees again.
“Uncle! Please! Become Gru’s master!”
“Hmmm, I think Gru-chan, being L-class, is more impressive than Uncle…”
Kazuki shrugged off Joorim’s hand and sat down to meet Gru’s gaze again.
“All right.”
“Wow—”
Just as Gru was about to cry out in triumph, Kazuki tapped his cheek.
“A kiss here, first.”
“What?!”
The voice that rang out in shock was Joorim’s, but the one who leapt into action was Gru.
Smooch!
Gru hugged his neck and kissed his cheek. Kazuki then picked her up in his arms.
“Okay, from now on Gru-chan’s my disciple!”
She did it! Gru’s cheeks flushed red.
“Master!”
“Disciple!”
“Master!”
“Disciple!”
Watching the two S-class makers hug and spin around together, Joorim rubbed his face in exasperation.
Why, he wondered, was he only ever surrounded by people whose mental age matched that of a five-year-old?