A wide attack from the enemy surged toward us.  
I knew that moving the joystick backward would dodge it, but Levinas, oblivious, kept pushing forward.

Tap, tap—  
I quickly nudged the joystick back for her, dodging the water barrage by a hair’s breadth.

“We dodged it! Gyeoul and Levinas dodged the attack together!”

Levinas bounced with excitement, and my tail flicked in delight as well.

“Doing it together is even better than playing alone!”

“Yeah! When Levinas is with Gyeoul, I’m invincible!”

Invincible, huh? Was that how much she trusted me?  
It always made me happy to feel Levinas’s trust. Determined to play even better for her, I focused fully on the game.

“Oh, it’s the boss.”

We had already used our powerful water bomb attack earlier in the level, so we only had the water gun to defeat the boss. Still, it didn’t matter; I could predict every one of the boss’s chaotic attacks.

“Whoa…”

As the enemy’s attacks rained down mercilessly, Levinas shook the joystick wildly. I moved it for her, guiding our character to narrowly avoid dozens of attacks.

“What… are you two doing, a stunt?”  

Kwon Arin had come up beside us, watching our gameplay. She seemed fascinated by our unique approach of controlling a single character together and couldn’t take her eyes off the screen.

“Isn’t it awesome? Only Gyeoul and Levinas can do this!”

“Yeah, it’s impressive. This is a really tough game.”

Kwon Arin wasn’t wrong; it was a challenging game, with dozens of attacks coming at us at once.

But my senses allowed me to read everything, and in the end, we managed to defeat the final boss.

“We… we won!”

Levinas froze in her seat, her eyes wide with amazement, caught up in the thrill of victory.

“Wow, beastkin reflexes really are incredible.”

“I don’t think it’s just because they’re beastkin,” someone else said. “The younger one was clearly struggling.”

“Oh, really?”

Looking around, I noticed a crowd had gathered to watch us. It wasn’t unusual for arcade-goers to watch others play, but I still felt a bit shy with all the attention.

“Can you believe they beat that game… and without even knowing the attack patterns?”

“Right? They cleared it purely on reflexes.”

Maybe I couldn’t dismiss the attention after all; having so many eyes on us was a bit embarrassing. Scratching the back of my neck, I gently patted Levinas’s tummy, who was still sitting on my lap.

“Levinas, let’s enter our name.”

“Our name?”

“Yeah, here.”

The screen prompted us to enter a name. Levinas thought for a moment before typing “RCC.”

“What’s RCC?”

“It stands for one Rabbit and two Cats!”

“Oh, I see.”

Acronym for ‘Rabbit’ and ‘Cat.’ I was impressed that she knew enough English to come up with that.

“You’re good at English, Levinas.”

“Yep! I learned it from Animal King cards!”

“I see.”

The Animal King cards had English written on them, and she had picked it up on her own. Just as I was about to give her a congratulatory pat, Levinas turned around and hugged me tightly in her seat.

“Thank you, Gyeoul!”

“Of course.”

“And thanks to the King of Darkness, too!”  
Levinas reached over to pat Saebyeok, who was sitting on the next seat, seemingly asleep. But her tail flicked from side to side, showing she was awake.

It was a heartwarming scene. Smiling, I suddenly felt Kwon Arin’s hand resting on my head.

“So, are you all planning to stay a bit longer?”

“No, we’re going to head home. I’m pretty tired from focusing so much.”

Using so much mana had left me feeling dizzy. I needed a good rest back home.

“I’ll walk you guys home then. Let’s go together.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It’s not that far.”

“No way. I’ll get in trouble if I leave you behind.”

“Ah…”

Right. She would probably be scolded if word got out that she left us here alone to play. I nodded to show I understood.

“All right. Let’s head home together.”

“Sounds good.”

—

In the guild’s living room, Midsummer paced back and forth, anxiously biting her nails as she wondered who to talk to and how to approach them.

Creak—  
The front door opened, and the three of us entered. Midsummer hurried over, looking expectant.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah…”

Gyeoul’s eyes were half-closed, looking utterly exhausted, like someone who had lost all motivation. This made Midsummer’s heart sink.

“You look really tired. Did something happen?”

“I’m just a bit worn out… I just want to rest…”

“Oh…”

Wanting to rest because of exhaustion. Midsummer swallowed nervously, unsure of what to think.

“I used a lot of mana, so I’m feeling drained.”

“Oh, right. Using a lot of mana can tire you out.”

She sighed with relief, realizing she had jumped to conclusions.

“Hey, Midsummer, I’m sleepy too.”

“Okay. Go get some sleep.”  
Gyeoul and Levinas headed toward the bedroom, where Levinas promptly cuddled up to Gyeoul like a stuffed animal.

“Hehe.”

After checking that the two were sleeping soundly, Midsummer returned to the living room and sat down next to Saebyeok, who was lying on the couch.

“Hey, Saebyeok…”

“Yeah?”

Saebyeok’s tail swayed back and forth. Midsummer hesitated before speaking, trying to find the right words.

“…Did Gyeoul come from another world?”

Saebyeok’s tail froze mid-sway. She looked up at Midsummer, then sat up on the couch, facing her directly.

“…You figured it out?”

“Yes. It just sort of happened.”

“I see.”

Seeing Saebyeok’s ears and tail droop, Midsummer couldn’t help feeling sympathetic. She knew how much Saebyeok cared for Gyeoul, which only made it harder.

“You did it for Gyeoul, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Thank you. You’ve done an amazing job.”

Without prying into the details, Midsummer simply expressed her gratitude, which seemed to surprise Saebyeok, who stared at her with wide eyes.

“You’re… not mad?”

“Why would I be mad at you, Saebyeok? You did your best.”

“…”

Saebyeok lowered her head, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. After a moment, she looked up at Hanyeoreum with a determined expression.

“Just… give me a day.”

“You need some time?”

“Yes. My thoughts are all jumbled right now… I’ll tell you everything once I’ve sorted things out.”

“Okay. Just remember, I’m on your side, Saebyeok.”

Hanyeoreum hugged Saebyeok tightly, gently rubbing her back, grateful to share the burden of her worries.

—

The next morning, Levinas dragged me excitedly to a tent. Holding onto the entrance, she giggled gleefully.

“Hey, Gyeoul, guess what’s in here?”

“What’s inside?”

“The answer is…”

Drumroll sounds came from her lips as she dramatically opened the entrance to the tent. The first thing I saw was a massive carrot sliced in half.

“A… carrot?”

“Yeah! I made a carrot boat!”

“Really?”

Stepping inside, I saw a carrot large enough to fill the tent, shaped—somewhat clumsily—into the form of a boat.

“I resisted the urge to eat it, just so I could keep it for this!”

“That’s really amazing.”

“That’s right! Levinas is amazing!”

Levinas hopped around excitedly, then turned to look at Saebyeok, who promptly lifted the carrot boat.

“Are we taking it to the pond?”

“Yep! Let’s all ride it and play in the pond!”

“Okay.”

Carrying the oversized carrot boat, Saebyeok ran towards the pond. The boat was several times her size, yet she sprinted with it effortlessly.

‘But… will it float?’

I didn’t know much about boats, so I could only watch anxiously as Saebyeok lowered it into the water.

Splash!  
The carrot boat bobbed up on the surface. It looked a bit precarious, as if it could tip over at any moment.

‘Hmm…’

This seemed risky. I decided it would be best to test it myself first to make sure it was safe.

“Just in case, I’ll get in first to check it.”

“Got it!”  
Levinas and Saebyeok stepped back. I carefully climbed onto the carrot boat, which wobbled slightly, but I was able to keep my balance thanks to my feline instincts. I settled down in the middle, stabilizing it.

“Hey, Gyeoul! How’s it feel?”

Levinas shouted from right in front of me as if she were speaking to someone far away. I gave her a thumbs-up.

“As long as you keep your balance, it’s fine.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah.”

But… how was I supposed to get the other two on this shaky carrot boat? Just as I pondered the logistics, the boat started to sink.

Splash—  
Water began filling the boat, and the weight caused it to sink even faster.

“Oh, Gyeoul!”

“

Uh-oh.”

Water soaked my pants and tail. Luckily, the pond was shallow, so there was no real danger. Levinas was the only one panicking.

“Gyeoul! Grab my hand! Gyeoul!”

She extended her hand toward me, and I couldn’t resist playing along with a little mischief.

“It’s too late for me…”

“Gyeoul! Nooooo!”

Her scream echoed throughout the park. The sound must have caught someone’s attention, as Hanyeoreum and Jung Yuna soon appeared.

“What’s going on…?”  
I locked eyes with Midsummer from the sinking carrot boat.

The water rose up to my chest, then to my neck. Even as it continued to rise, I just sat there quietly, watching them all.  

Bubbles rose from my lips as I exhaled.

______________________

TL NOTE: Please don’t skimp on the stars and likes of the translation – it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep