Sophia glanced at the drawing Winter had made and let out a quiet chuckle.  

Despite saying she hated water, here she was, drawing herself swimming in a pond.  

Maybe the image of a shark had been too overwhelming for a child.

Sophia pressed her fingertip against one of her sharp fangs.  

She had always disliked them, finding them violent and aggressive.  

But perhaps, in the eyes of the child, they looked impressive.  

In the drawing, she bared her teeth confidently.

*Sigh…*

Winter was just a child she had met because of the *Blessing of the Beast Spirit*.  

It could be considered a businesslike meeting, if one thought about it that way.

*The more I see her, the more impressive she is.*

She had heard that Winter had suffered abuse so extreme that even the beast-kin were horrified.  

Yet, despite her fear of humans, the child did not avoid them completely.  

She tried to approach them little by little, her bravery resembling that of a fearless adventurer.

*…You’re stronger than me.*

Winter had said that people were more important than material things.  

Even after everything people had done to her.  

Sophia felt a deep respect for this child who, despite weathering storms that could tear her apart, had not been broken.

A child who was impossible not to love.  

Sophia decided to finally acknowledge it.  

She and Winter were no longer just connected by business.  

Perhaps, Winter might become the family she had vowed never to have.

“Winter.”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

“I want to try this, but I don’t know how it works.”

Winter held out a long rectangular device.  

Sophia immediately recognized it as the tool used to turn on the television.

*Isn’t this called a remote?*

She knew what it was, but she had no idea how to use it.  

She had never wasted time on that “box of fools.”  

It seemed Winter was in the same position, as the remote was very different from what she had known in her past life.

“Just try pressing anything for now.”

“Okay…”

Winter began pressing buttons on the remote one by one.

She pressed this, pressed that.  

The two of them focused intently on the small device.  

At that moment, a buzzing sound filled the air, and Winter’s ears perked up.

“It’s on!”

“You did it.”

Both Winter and Sophia turned their gazes to the television screen.  

It was a huge television, something you would see in a movie theater.  

The television, now turned on, was set to a movie channel, and a giant monster was opening its mouth wide, ready to devour an extra.

“Ah!”

“Gasp…!”

“Eek!”

The sudden image made both Winter and Sophia jump.  

Even Levinas, who had been drawing nearby, leapt into the air.

They had turned on the TV just in time to catch a monster movie.  

With my heart pounding, I placed my hand on my chest and glanced at Sophia.

“Sophia, are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

Was she really fine?  

Considering her age, it wouldn’t be good if she had too big of a shock.  

I looked at her worriedly, but aside from her slightly rapid breathing, she didn’t seem to be in bad condition.

“That monster startled me.”

Maybe it was due to her beast-kin physique, but her movements in reaction to the scare were far quicker than any human's.  

“The ways of human civilization are still difficult to grasp.”

*Sigh.*

Just as Sophia sighed, Levinas shrieked and ran toward the kitchen.  

I considered whether I should comfort her, but since Yeoreum was in the kitchen, I decided to trust her.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“There’s a monster in the house!”

“A monster?”

I listened carefully, hearing the conversation from the kitchen.  

It seemed this was Levinas’s first encounter with a television as well.

When the first movie was created, people had reportedly been so scared that they fled the theater.  

And here was Levinas, seeing a monster with far more detailed, vivid visuals. Of course, she was startled enough to run.

“The monster ate a person! It’s going to eat the king next! It’s dangerous!”

“There’s no way that…”

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and Yeoreum appeared from the kitchen.  

Her wide eyes took in both me and Sophia, before she turned to look at the television.  

On the screen, the giant monster was devouring people indiscriminately.

“Ah.”

Yeoreum suddenly seemed to understand, her mouth opening in realization.  

She gave an awkward, sheepish laugh.

“Winter, don’t worry. That’s just on the screen. The monster isn’t going to come out and eat you.”

“Y-Yes…”

Of course, I knew that.  

But I still felt a little embarrassed.  

I glanced at Sophia, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Were you really that scared?”

“N-No, not that much.”

“Really?”

Yeoreum’s gaze shifted to the tail behind me.  

It was then that I realized the fur on my tail was standing on end.

Hurriedly, I grabbed my tail and placed it on my thigh.  

But it was too late.  

I could only mutter a clumsy excuse.

“I was a little startled.”

“Is this your first time seeing a television, Winter?”

“Yes. It’s my first time, and unfortunately, a monster appeared.”

This really was my first time watching television in this life.  

So, I hadn’t lied.

“Even I was startled, so it’s no wonder the kids were.”

“Ah…”

*Kids?*  

I felt a bit irked, but considering her age, I was practically a newborn compared to her.  

I decided not to complain and just accepted it.

“Beast-kin children often act on instinct, so you have to be careful.”

“Instinct?”

“Yes. If it had been a more ferocious race, their body would have moved before their mind, and they might have destroyed that television.”

“You mean, they react before thinking?”

“Exactly.”

Sophia nodded at Yeoreum’s question.  

Yeoreum seemed to think about it for a moment before chuckling.

“Our kids just got scared.”

“They’re not a ferocious bunch.”

It wasn’t an insult, but something about the conversation made me feel embarrassed.  

I quickly pointed toward the kitchen to change the subject.

“What’s going on in the kitchen?”

“Your sister is making shabu-shabu.”

“Shabu-shabu?”

“Yep. It’s a hot pot dish where you can add whatever you want.”

Did she think I didn’t know what shabu-shabu was?  

Yeoreum started explaining various things.  

As I listened quietly, Levinas suddenly jumped up from her seat.

“Can I really add whatever I want?”

“Yeah, as long as it’s something that goes in a hot pot.”@@novelbin@@

“Then I’ll go gather things to put in it!”

Levinas dashed out the front door.  

I had a pretty good idea she was off to collect ingredients.

“It’s almost lunchtime…”

“I’ll go get her.”

“Thanks. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

---

The Dawn Guild had a small counseling room.  

Since adventuring was a stressful job, a professional psychological counselor was always available.

Jung Yu-na sat in one of the counseling room’s chairs, staring at the screen of her smartphone.  

A picture of Winter’s drawing was displayed.

“Jung Yu-na?”

“Ah, yes…”

Was it because the counselor was so gentle and calm?  

Even though she wasn’t here for personal counseling, she already felt her tension easing.

“You mentioned you were curious about something?”

“Yes. The child doesn’t seem to be in a good state. Could you perhaps provide some help?”

“Hm… Would it be possible to bring the child here?”

“No. It’s still a very sensitive situation.”

“I see.”

The counselor began jotting down notes in their notebook.  

Jung Yu-na’s attention was drawn to the counselor’s skilled movements.

“The main thing I’m wondering about is what emotions the child might have had while drawing this…”

She hesitated, then held out her smartphone.  

The counselor’s hand froze upon seeing the image of people bleeding and a crumbling city.

“How old is the child?”

“She’s eight.”

“Eight… Does she like video games? Or has she watched violent movies?”

“Uh…”

Winter didn’t play games.  

She wasn’t in an environment where she could watch movies either.  

Jung Yu-na shook her head.

“She drew this without any games or movies?”

“Yes. And she said something else, too.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she hopes the people around her won’t turn into this.”

Jung Yu-na tapped the twisted people in the picture.  

The counselor stroked their chin for a long time.

“If this drawing reflects the child’s mental state…”

“…”

“The good news is that she’s beginning to trust the people around her.”

“Ah.”

As expected.  

That was a relief.  

Just as Jung Yu-na let out a sigh of relief, the counselor’s next words shattered the moment of comfort.

“But it’s not a good situation.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yes. I’ve been a counselor for ten years, and I’ve never seen an eight-year-old draw something like this.”

The counselor stared intently at the drawing on the smartphone.  

It was far too graphic, filled with blood and contorted bodies—something no eight-year-old should have been able to imagine.

“The child has been through a lot of trauma.”

“Trauma?”

“Yes. She lived on the streets without a home,

 scavenged for food, and even when she was dying with a hole through her stomach, the adults around her only laughed.”

“...Who would do such a terrible thing?”

One of the basic rules of counseling was never to use harsh language.  

But the counselor had broken that rule out of sheer shock.

In a world where even a slap could get someone arrested, adults had laughed at a dying child.  

It was such an unimaginable scenario that the counselor felt dizzy.

“Well…”

Meeting the counselor’s eyes, Jung Yu-na lowered her head.  

Because she was one of the adults who had done such a horrible thing.  

Her guilt was so overwhelming that her eyes began to tear up.