Chapter 72 Part 3: Exam

“Jeff. Eat this too.”

“Ugh….”

The distance between us became closer than before.

Strangely, no, to the point that anyone could tell, Shine was clinging to me more often.

Physically and mentally.

I accepted the snack that was held out in front of me.

Shine was feeding me snacks to the point of being burdensome.

Rain, who didn’t even look at me, munched on the snack in front of her without even glancing my way, as if she didn’t find it strange.

The sight of her gulping down a large mug of milk in one go was somehow annoying.

“Jeff, eat more.”

The snack was held out in front of me again.

Although my mouth was already full of snacks, I swallowed the contents with my mouth open at Shine’s sparkling gaze.

“Are you thirsty? Should I get you some milk?”

As I was gulping down the snack, Shine pushed a mug of milk toward me.

The milk that filled my mug sloshed.

“Thank you…”

Thanks to the snacks that kept coming into my mouth, all the moisture in my mouth disappeared.

Unable to bear the rough snack powder wrapped around my tongue, I drank all the milk that Shine gave me.

“Jeff. It’s on your mouth.”

As soon as I put down the mug, Shine immediately reached out.

The tissue in her hand gently wiped my lips.

Wasn’t that what Amy usually did?

Confused, I eventually turned my head away.

“Aren’t you going to eat more?”

“Ugh…I’m full.”

It wasn’t a lie; I actually felt bloated.

It seemed like my digestion was not working well because of the completely different atmosphere than usual.

I jumped down from the chair and headed towards where Baek-shi was sitting.

“Jeff, if you’re done eating, you should brush your teeth.”

I heard Amy’s voice from behind me.

As I walked towards Baek-shi, I flinched and hid behind Baek-shi’s large back.

“Jeff~”

The large Baek-shi would be able to hide my body perfectly.

With that thought in mind, I crouched down and pushed Baek-shi forward.

Brushing my teeth is so annoying.

Isn’t it enough to just do it once before going to bed?

With that thought in mind, I moved my tongue and swept my mouth.

The scent of the remaining cookies and milk mixed together wafted strongly.

Yum yum, I licked my mouth and tried to make it as much as possible to not need to brush my teeth.

“Jeff.”

While I was yum yum, Shine suddenly approached me and put her hand behind Baek-shi’s back.

Her hand grabbed my arm.

My body was dragged out so easily.

Shine didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding me.

“I don’t want to brush my teeth…”

“If I don’t brush my teeth, I’ll get a cavity.”

I pressed my body as tightly as I could to the floor.

My arms and legs spread wide.

My plump belly from eating cookies pressed against the floor.

“Come here.”

But Shine wouldn’t leave me alone.

She completely ignored my resistance of not wanting to go to the bathroom, grabbed my ankle, and dragged me along.

Sizzle-sizzle.

I slid down the floor and away from Baek-shi.

The large teddy bear, Baek-shi, watched me walk away and didn’t move at all.

Thud-

Baek-shi, who had been standing awkwardly, eventually fell backward.

I was dragged to the bathroom, and following Shine’s lead, I headed toward the sink.

Shine climbed up on the small step and grabbed my toothbrush.

After a moment of confusion, she put a generous amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush and held it out toward my mouth.

“Oh, ha.”

“Oh…”

Without even knowing what was going on, I opened my mouth as she told me.

Immediately after, the toothbrush went straight into my mouth.

The countless bristles began to gently sweep between my gums and teeth.

The refreshing scent of toothpaste spread.

My tongue twitched at the sweet strawberry taste that lingered in my mouth.

“Shine…?”

I didn’t expect you to brush your teeth for me, so I immediately pulled away.

When I bit my body, the toothbrush that had been in my mouth fell out.

A long string extending from my mouth hung stickily.

“Why?”

She didn’t seem to find this situation strange.

Was I strange?

“Well… I can do it.”

I spoke, my mouth still clenched.

Shine, who heard me, furrowed her eyebrows and nodded as if she had realized something.

“That’s right. Jeff. Now you can do it on your own, right?”

“Yeah. I can do it on my own.”

Now.

Shine’s words caught my attention, but I didn’t think much of it.

When I reached out to her, Shine put the toothbrush in my hand.

“You have to brush every nook and cranny,” Shine said, the same thing as Amy.

I nodded.

While standing next to Shine and brushing my teeth, Rain, who had eaten all the snacks, was dragged into the bathroom by Amy.

“Rain. You have to brush your teeth too.”

“No!”

Peep, peeep.

The yellow chick swung its arms.

“You can’t come out until you brush your teeth.”

But Amy ignored Rain’s resistance and pushed her into the bathroom.

Rain staggered forward and was pushed ahead.

She looked back urgently, but the small iron bars installed at the entrance to the bathroom were too high for her to climb over.

“No!”

Amy laughed while leaning against the iron bars.

“Wipe it quickly.”

“Uh… Amy, wipe it too!”

“I didn’t eat the snack.”

Rain trembled as if indignant after hearing Amy’s answer.

I spat out the foam that had filled my mouth and handed Rain a toothbrush.

It was a yellow chick-shaped toothbrush exclusively for Rain.

“Here.”

Rain, who was shaking, held the toothbrush I handed her and let out a small sigh.

“I shouldn’t have given in to temptation.”

I nodded at her words.

The snacks Amy had prepared for me were quite delicious.

That was the problem.

Even though I knew I had to brush my teeth, the delicious snacks right in front of me were not a temptation I could resist.

Amy, who was watching us, burst into laughter.

“You know you have to go to training after you brush your teeth, right?”

I was rinsing my mouth with a cup of water in my hand.

I tilted my head at Amy’s next words.

Training?

It was well past lunchtime.

It was a lot different from the time I usually go to see Victor.

And since I already met Victor in the morning…

Huh? Did I meet Victor in the morning?

I spat out the water that was in my mouth while wondering that.

“Bae-ee.”

My mouth felt refreshed as if it had been brushed cleanly.

When I looked at my teeth in the mirror, my white teeth sparkled.

I smiled at that.

A little girl’s bright smile.

A healthy smile clears my mind.

“I’m done brushing!”

I rinsed the toothbrush I was holding in my hand and ran to Amy.

“Are you sure you’re done brushing?”

“Yes!”

Amy, who was waiting at the entrance, smiled at me and held out her hand.

I quickly extended both arms to her.

Amy’s hand went between my armpits.

She lifted my body lightly and lowered me over the bars.

“Jeff is first.”

“I’m first!”

Amy handed me a small candy without telling Shine and Rain inside.

I held the candy in my hand and looked around.

Fortunately, no one seemed to notice the candy I had received.

I put the candy in my pocket with my hands in a hurry.

“Amy. Training means going to see Victor, right?”

I asked Amy, hiding the candy, a question that had been on my mind since earlier.

She tilted her head at my question and answered.

“Do you want to meet Victor? Your training with Victor ended a week ago, right?”

“Huh?”

I searched my memory at Amy’s words.

A vague afterimage passed by.

Victor’s image in it.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t remember the content.

As I was groaning and trying to recall my memories, Shine, who had finished brushing her teeth, came running to the entrance.

“Amy! Let me out!”

Shine, who was standing in front of the iron bars like me, spread her arms wide.

She jumped up with her small feet as if telling me to get her out quickly.

Amy quickly picked Shine up and placed her next to me.

“Jeff.”

“Huh…?”

“Let’s go change.”

Without me even being able to answer, Shine grabbed my arm and dragged me along.

I was dragged by her, wondering what was going on.

Shine took off the dinosaur pajamas she was wearing and changed into black tracksuits.

I also changed into the same tracksuits as her.

“You’re going to train…?”

“Huh.”

I blankly looked in the direction where Amy was.

Rain, who had finished brushing her teeth like us, was carried out of the bathroom in Amy’s arms.

“Where?”

“Training grounds.”

Training grounds.

Where could that be?

It didn’t seem to be the gym where Victor and I trained our abilities.

After a brief moment of doubt, Amy, who had finished preparing, led me, Shine, and Rain out of the room.

The once quiet hallway was now filled with people.

It seemed that the vacation season was over.

“It seems that the vacation is over.”

“Right? Because they all came back last week.”

I kept my mouth shut at Amy’s words.

Since they all came back last week, that meant that people had been wandering around the hallway before then.

But, but.

The last hallway I remembered was a very quiet space with not a single person.

There was a gap in my memory.

What had I been doing all this time?

I shifted my gaze and looked at Shine’s face walking beside me.

Her face looked so happy.

The smile that was faintly hanging over her didn’t seem to want to disappear.

I hid my hands behind my back and raised my abilities.

A strange sensation, like a small static electricity, at the tip of my fingers.

I shouldn’t use my abilities in front of Shine.

A small voice came to my head.

As if following that voice, I dispersed the abilities that had gathered at my fingertips.

I slowed down my walking speed little by little.

Now there was a difference in the distance between me and Shine, who had been walking alongside me.

I raised my abilities once again.

Pachi-

A small light appeared at the tip of my finger.

I clenched my fist with strength.

The light hanging on my fingertips was sucked into my fist and disappeared.

There was no problem using my abilities now.

“Jeff.”

“Yeah.”

“Come here.”

Was it because I, who had been walking side by side, fell behind?

Shine looked back and held out her hand.

Her small hand extended to me.

She waved her arm as if telling me to quickly take her hand.

I reached out and grabbed her hand.

Our small hands interlocked, creating a warm sensation.

A feeling of being slightly pulled.

I walked as if I was being dragged, and stood next to her and started walking together.

She didn’t let go of my hand.

Until we arrived at that training ground.