NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 169: Crayons for Christmas! (3)
"Wow, holy shh...! Looks like Santa Claus came and went!""I've never seen a 42-color crayon set before...!""Hehe...!"
It was the crayons the children had wanted.Watching them reminded me of my own past.I had mixed feelings when I received crayons, but these kids seemed overjoyed.Maybe it's because they're girls, or maybe they're just genuinely happy, but they were extremely delighted to receive the crayons.
"Thank you."
Tywin, with her high princess energy, was the first to thank my father. Of course, my father, who was watching last night's news on his phone, pretended not to know anything.Wanting to keep up the Santa illusion, huh?
Perhaps due to the sound of children jumping around, the women sleeping in one room gradually woke up.Brigitte, Salome, and Cariote appeared in the living room rubbing their eyes, while Siphnoi was still sleeping in the room.Brigitte, who came out to the living room, was startled to see my mom cooking in the kitchen, but soon approached her and asked.
"Mother, is there anything I can help you with?"
Brigitte was good at cooking.When I first met Naru, she seemed average at best, but after that, she studied hard and finally reached a higher level.However, my mom looked at Brigitte as if surprised and then chuckled.
"My, calling me mother. Honestly, I thought last night was a dream. It's okay! You're a guest today, so just sit in the living room!"
Finally, a grand table was set.Braised short ribs, which we usually only ate during holidays like New Year's or Chuseok, and something that looked like a giant crab were placed on the table from the morning, creating quite a spectacle.My younger sister Ha Rumi shouted towards the kitchen.
"Mom, you said no when I asked you to boil crab for me!""Hey! Is that time the same as now?"It was a noisy morning in many ways.
"Naru, should aunt pick out the crab meat for you?""No! Naru good at picking meat! It is!"
Pop—Naru grabbed a nearby fruit knife and instantly peeled off the shells of the crabs. Her skill was the absolute doom of the crabs.Even my sister seemed at a loss for words at Naru's knife-handling skills.
"How can a child handle a knife so well?""Learned from Dad...! Dad is good at butchering!"
I am indeed good at butchering.But it seemed difficult for Mom, Dad, and my sister to understand the meaning of these words.Perhaps to change the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Mom said.
"It's a bit hard to believe you have three wives... Should I call them in-laws...? Shouldn't we greet them too? Can we meet them?"
Indeed.I wonder if we should have some kind of family meeting—that's what you're curious about, right?I decided to answer Mom's curiosity simply.
"It's fine. I've physically dealt with most of them.""...?"
Mom wore an expression of incomprehension.That's when my sister chimed in.
"Oppa, what are you planning to do today? Can I take these kids to the department store? I want to show them off to my friends, take pictures, and post them on SNS. Is that okay? Huh? Say it's okay!"
Although her intentions seemed a bit impure, it was a pretty good idea for my sister to watch the kids. I was likely to be busy with various things today anyway.
"Alright."
I nodded willingly.
"Wow, holy shh...! Dad, give me your card! I'll buy clothes and stuff for the kids!"
I suspect the kids were just an excuse, and she actually wanted to use Dad's card freely.I had that thought but kept quiet.
And then, a little while later.I decided to go out with Brigitte, Cariote, and Salome.Of course, we couldn't go out in the middle of winter dressed like characters from Arabian Nights, so we borrowed most of the women's clothes from my sister's closet.For the first time in my life, I felt fortunate to have a younger sister.
"I want to stay here."At that moment, Tywin tugged at my arm and said.I wondered if she disliked going to the department store with Naru and the others, or if she found it bothersome to come along with me and my wives. Worried that she might be showing the typical wariness of an adopted child, I examined her expression, but it didn't seem to be the case.
"I'd like to read some of the books here."
I see.She simply wanted to read 21st-century books.But is it okay to leave Tywin alone at home?While I was pondering this, Mom spoke up.
"I'll look after her. Oh my, look how well-behaved she is."
Mom used to work as a kindergarten teacher, so she should be good at watching kids.
"I, Siphnoi, also want to research this thing called a computer! The outside is a terribly cold, nymph-hating winter... The warmth of this 17th floor is nice!"
Siphnoi, who had woken up late, also said she wanted to stay at home.Come to think of it, I remembered hearing that many nymphs are vulnerable to winter. Some nymphs even hibernate to get through the cold winter, right?
Anyway.This is how our group was divided.I headed outside with my prospective wives, and every time we stepped on the white snow that had fallen overnight, the crunching sound was quite fascinating.
"It seems snow falls in this world too."
Brigitte said, stepping on the snow as if amazed.However, Cariote looked a bit uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?""This outfit, it's a bit tight around the chest."
It couldn't be helped.My sister Ha Rumi's size was quite different from Cariote's.Fortunately, the black coat seemed roomy enough.
"This is the university I attended."
I introduced the university I went to and the university street to the women. It was to prove that I was a college-educated person.No one in the Pangaea continent believed that I had attended university, you know?But everyone seemed too busy looking at the cars and buses passing on the road, people's faces, and stores, as if they didn't care much about that.For my wives, this place must be another world, so it's understandable that their eyes were darting around.
And the same was true in reverse.We were like sponges absorbing the gazes of people walking down University Street. Probably because my wives' faces were the prettiest among the people passing through this street.
"Brother, what are you looking at right now?""Nothing... I wasn't looking at anything."
Because it was Christmas morning, there were quite a few couples on University Street, and I felt quite proud receiving envious and jealous glances from the men.
***Because it started snowing heavily again, we entered a nearby cafe.We had already toured the neighborhood for about two hours, so we had seen most of the area.Brigitte, holding a mug of steaming Americano, looked around the cafe and said.
"What an interesting world. Where in the universe is this place? How many light-years away from the Pangaea continent is it?"
Brigitte had learned about the unit 'light-year' for the first time last night, and she seemed to really like the word.I was also curious about how many light-years away Pangaea was from here, but well, there's no way to calculate that.Cariote also chimed in.
"It's a peaceful world. No one carries weapons while walking down the street."
So that's what she was observing.As Cariote said, this was indeed a peaceful place.That fact seemed quite perplexing to Cariote.
"And I find it very surprising that someone who grew up in such a world could become as corrupt as you, Judas. Can a person change that much in just 2 years?"
Like a hunter hitting the bull's-eye, it was a question that pierced the core.If asked why I'm so wicked now despite growing up in such a peaceful world, how should I answer?
"Judas, it's quite shocking that until two years ago, you hadn't even held a sword.""That's possible.""And in the end, you weren't really from the Mokele Mbembe tribe."That Cariote.
She still seemed to be hung up on the fact that I had lied about being from the Mokele Mbembe tribe. But I had a defense for this.
"Would you have believed me if I said I was from this world?""I guess not."
Cariote easily conceded the point.As she said this, Cariote lightly looked around, seeming quite intrigued by the people in the cafe staring at their phones.Soon, Salome, who was drinking juice through a straw, also spoke up.
"It's really amazing. To think that we, who lived completely different lives in such different worlds, would meet and even have children together. What are the odds? One in ten thousand? One in a billion? Trillion? Quadrillion?"
Trillion.Quadrillion.It was an incredibly astronomical number.But I felt that even that might not be enough to explain our current situation.
It would probably be more surprising than the odds of a person being struck by lightning ten times in a row in one day and surviving.However, as long as the probability isn't an absolute zero, all events have the potential to inevitably occur. I now understood this deeply in my very existence.Of course, I didn't explain such things.There was no need to explain, as everyone would understand and accept it as we lived on.
"Is Elle Cladeco here too?"
Brigitte asked me.I nodded to that question.
"Probably.""That woman, honestly, she was annoying, but looking at it this way, I think she's amazing. Traveling to what could be considered the end of this universe to find someone."
Brigitte was right.I didn't know where Elle Cladeco was or what she was doing, but honestly, I felt like cheering her on.Imagine if one day I suddenly returned to Earth and disappeared without even saying goodbye to my family in the Pangaea continent.Children like Naru, Cecily, and Hina would have missed me and waited for me their whole lives, not knowing where I had gone.
Brigitte, Salome, and Cariote would have also tried various methods to meet me again.Of course, I too would have certainly spent my entire life trying to find a way back to the Pangaea continent.Seen that way, Elle Cladeco could have been us.
"Let's go back now."
Swish—I pushed back my chair and stood up.