The Rogue, Genius, Chaebol's Daughter is a Baby Master Detective! - Chapter 10
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A delinquent, a genius, and a conglomerate heiress walk into daycare—as a pint-sized Great Detective!
Episode 10
Haru gestured for Siou’s help.
Flutter-flutter.
Siou narrowed the space between his brows and turned his head away sharply, ignoring her. When Haru saw him start playing with blocks again, she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
“Haru?”
The teacher’s gentle smile snapped her back to attention, and Haru wrung her gloved hands together. Thump-thump went her heart. But Haru was a genius—she could handle this! That’s what Mother always said. With enough confidence, there was nothing she couldn’t do!
Haru drew in a deep breath. And then it came to her.
A false identity!
Concealment was hard work and difficult business.
Haru became Detective Dodo and observed the teacher carefully. The teacher had just returned from cleaning up after Kim Hojun’s accident and looked utterly exhausted.
Was villainy a difficult profession too?
Detective Dodo Episode 39: When facing a crisis, say something your opponent doesn’t expect! Haru, who had been mulling this over, suddenly opened her mouth.
“Teacher, you must be really tired, huh?”
The teacher stopped in her tracks.
“I was saying you look so very tired. Haru knows. Can’t even go to the bathroom whenever you want. Have to clean up after kids like Kim Hojun. That’s what I’m saying.”
The teacher’s eyes wavered slightly.
Haru’s small gloved hand patted the teacher’s shoulder gently.
“But what can you do, right? Gotta eat to live, so you do what you gotta do. Haru will always cheer you on, teacher.”
The teacher gazed down at Haru without speaking. Then she smiled softly.
“My goodness, Haru. What are you saying? I love being here with you and all your friends so much.”
Hmm.
Haru rubbed her chin thoughtfully with her gloved hand.
“But you don’t look happy at all, teacher.”
Haru placed her gloved hand on the teacher’s hand with a tap. Then she patted it again.
Haru was no longer afraid of the villain-teacher. The teacher was a villain, yes, but tired and worn down.
“It’s okay. Tomorrow Haru will bring you some yummy candy to cheer you up. You can look forward to it.”
The teacher smiled, but there was no light behind it.
“Haru, you have such a kind heart. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
That evening.
Haru lay sprawled across the sofa in her Yellow Duck Pajamas, completely engrossed. Kang Taejun, freshly home from work, loosened his necktie and casually spoke to her.
“Haru.”
Haru was so focused that she seemed about to be sucked into the television screen, hugging Gomi to her chest. An animated character wearing glasses was deducing the culprit on the screen.
By his nature, Kang Taejun would have shut off the television immediately, but he hesitated.
‘What if my baby gets mad at me?’
Just then, Haru’s feet stopped swinging on the sofa and she spotted Kang Taejun. She bounced down from the sofa and bowed politely to him.
“Hello, sir.”
“So. How was daycare today?”
“It was fun!”
“Yeah? Nobody was mean to you?”
Hmm.
Haru rubbed her chin and thought seriously.
‘I have to be good so Mother comes home sooner. If I catch the villains, I become even better! So I can’t give up my chance to catch them to sir!’
“Nobody was mean to me.”
“You can tell Dad the truth, you know.”
“I’m really telling the truth.”
“Yeah?”
Haru beamed up at him. She was a good Great Detective—she would take care of both Kim Hojun and the teacher herself!
Haru clenched both her little fists tight.
That night. Haru wrote in her picture diary. She scrawled the teacher’s face clumsily with crayons.
[April 16, Thursday. Sunny.
Even villains have hard jobs. The teacher is a villain but she looks kind of pitiful. I should give her Strawberry Candy. Then she might stop being a villain. Same with Kim Hojun. Mom says you have to pull out the sickly shoots so the healthy ones can grow.
Haru is a good child so she can’t let the world rot!
Just you wait, Kim Hojun and Teacher!]
Haru closed her picture diary and hugged Gomi tight.
The next morning.
As she stepped out of the car, Kang Taejun bent down and looked Haru in the eye.
“Haru. Like I said yesterday. If anyone ever bullies you, you have to tell Dad right away, okay?”
Haru’s large brown eyes wavered for a moment, then hardened with resolve.
“Yes.”
Haru clutched the strawberry candy in her pocket, her mind made up.
‘Today, I’ll settle this once and for all!’
Even as Haru took her seat, Siou didn’t glance over, absorbed entirely in stacking blocks.
“Hmm.”
The moment Haru reached for a block, a shadow fell across her head.
Kim Hojun. Haru’s shoulders stiffened. But today wasn’t yesterday’s Haru!
Episode 45 of the Great Detective Dodo. A true detective never repeats the same mistake.
“Kim Hojun.”
Haru sprang to her feet and cried out, causing the approaching boy to stop short.
Her bright eyes swept over him like a scanner. Puffier than yesterday. Fists clenched tight enough to hurt. Jaw locked shut.
Haru hummed, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
“Did you cry yesterday?”
Kim Hojun’s shoulders twitched.
“Wh—what?”
“Your eyes are all puffy.”
“I didn’t cry!”
Kim Hojun’s voice pitched higher. Haru crossed her arms, her gloved hands settling firmly in her armpits.
“Lies don’t work on Detective Haru.”
“Shut up!”
Kim Hojun slammed his hand on the desk. Siou, who had been stacking blocks, looked up. His expressionless eyes moved from Kim Hojun to Haru and back again.
“Why did you cry? Did your mom scold you?”
Kim Hojun, finding his composure, sneered at Haru.
“My mom doesn’t scold me.”
“Well then. Haru will scold you instead.”
“What?”
“Kim Hojun. You’re five years old—don’t you know that if you do something bad, you get scolded?”
“You’re smaller than me!”
He had a point. Kim Hojun was built more like a six-year-old than someone his age.
“Well, you’re right. It would be hard for Haru to scold Kim Hojun. But that’s not because of your size. Scolding has to come from love. And Haru doesn’t love Kim Hojun, so it’s hard to scold you.”
Kim Hojun’s mouth fell open. He didn’t understand right away. He repeated it in his head. Love. Scolding. Hard. Somehow his chest ached, as if something had stabbed him.
“What are you talking about?”
“My mom says so. Only people you love can scold you. If you don’t love them, don’t worry about it. But if you do love them, and they do something wrong, you have to scold them.”
Haru looked up at Kim Hojun, her arms still crossed.
“Kim Hojun.”
“…What?”
“Does Kim Hojun’s mom scold him?”
“…She doesn’t. But my mom loves me! Look! She buys me expensive things. Gives me lots of allowance! She doesn’t scold me because she’s too busy.”
“That has nothing to do with it.”
Haru shrugged.
“Haru’s mom is busy too. But she still scolds Haru every day for eating too many chocolate puffs and for leaving my gloves lying around.”
Haru added earnestly.
“Being scolded is a good thing. It means my mom is thinking about me.”
“Yeah, well, you get lots of love and it’s so great!”
Kim Hojun, who had been glaring at Haru with resentment, suddenly burst out shouting. Haru blinked.
“Yeah. Haru gets lots of love.”
“Don’t lie! You don’t even have a mom!”
“What are you saying?”
“When you first came to the daycare! Why didn’t you come with your mom? You don’t have one!”
“That’s not true. Haru’s mom is on a trip!”
“Lies! She abandoned you and ran away.”
Haru’s eyes widened. The classroom went silent. She could feel the other children glancing over. Siou’s hands stilled over the blocks.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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