The Rogue, Genius, Chaebol's Daughter is a Baby Master Detective! - Chapter 11

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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 hooligan, a genius, a tycoon’s daughter—she’s actually a baby detective!
Episode 11
“…No, she didn’t.”
Haru’s voice grew smaller.
“Mom didn’t abandon me.”
“She did, though. She ran away. All grown-ups do that. A trip, sure.”
“No.”
“Yes!”
“No!”
Tears hung suspended from her wide eyes. Mom didn’t abandon me. She went on a trip. If I’m good, she’ll come back soon. That’s what she promised.
“Sniff.”
The last image of her mother’s face surfaced in Haru’s mind—the strange atmosphere, the sound of her footsteps growing distant.
“From now on, Dad will raise Haru.”
No. Mom didn’t abandon me.
Transparent letters floating above her head, nosebleed trickling down, a secret base….
Haru’s heart pounded. Heat flooded her head. Mom will come back. She said if I eat my spinach, go to bed early, and wake up early, she’ll come home. She promised me.
A tear dropped from Haru’s eyes. Kim Ho-jun flinched and stepped back. Haru bit her small lower lip hard and wiped her eyes roughly with her sleeve.
“I’m not crying. I just got dust in my eyes.”
I can’t cry. If I cry, Mom might come back even later.
“Mom will come back.”
Her voice wavered.
“She promised me.”
She said I didn’t do anything wrong to make her leave. But I secretly threw away my gloves, and because of that, Mom….
Haru raised her sleeve again and rubbed her eyes hard.
With a sniffle, Haru looked up at Kim Ho-jun with reddened eyes.
“Kim Ho-jun.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“I’m not crying. I don’t cry. Because my mom will come back.”
“H-how do you know that?”
Haru remembered her mother’s final words.
“I know. Because Mom loves me. And I believe in that love.”
Kim Ho-jun closed his mouth. As Haru stepped forward, he stepped back.
“But why do you dislike me so much?”
Kim Ho-jun recalled the day Haru first came to Lala Kindergarten. Even though her mother didn’t come with her, the way she smiled so brightly had simply bothered him.
“Just do.”
“There’s no ‘just.’ Mom always says people have reasons for everything.”
Kim Ho-jun pressed his lips tightly shut.
“It’s okay, so tell me.”
“…Coming to kindergarten without your mom.”
Kim Ho-jun kicked at the floor with his toes.
“And you were smiling.”
“Huh?”
“Why are you smiling when your mom’s not here? I can’t smile without my mom.”
Haru blinked. Her eyelashes were still wet.
“Can’t you smile without your mom?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Don’t know.”
Kim Ho-jun shrugged his shoulders. Haru noticed that his toes kept rubbing against the floor.
Detective Dodo, Episode 22: When people lie, they move their hands or feet.
“What do you do when you get home?”
“Video games.”
“With your mom?”
“Alone.”
“What about meals?”
“…Alone.”
“When you sleep?”
…….
Kim Ho-jun’s voice grew softer and softer until he clamped his mouth shut. Haru reached a solemn conclusion.
Kim Ho-jun isn’t a villain. He’s just a little boy without his mom.
“Kim Ho-jun doesn’t laugh when he’s alone. You have to be with someone for things to be funny. If I watch Detective Dodo by myself… it’s fun, but it’s even more fun when we watch together. Tickling is no fun by myself either. I need to do it with Mom. Kim Ho-jun has forgotten how to laugh.”
Kim Ho-jun’s mouth fell open. He wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, he hung his head low.
“…You haven’t forgotten how to laugh, have you?”
“No. Haru hasn’t forgotten. Even without Mom, Haru has it inside me. Because Haru remembers.”
Haru extended a gloved hand toward him.
“What is it?”
“I’m forgiving you for bothering me. If you take my hand, we make up.”
Kim Ho-jun hesitated, then grasped Haru’s hand. She shook it firmly.
“Don’t worry, Kim Ho-jun.”
Haru smiled brightly.
“Now that we’re friends, let’s do something fun together.”
Kim Ho-jun’s eyes widened. He wriggled free from her grip and hung his head, muttering something under his breath.
“W-well, okay.”
In that instant, words materialized in the air.
Whoosh—
[Haru’s Case Notebook]
Made up with a friend!
★Excellent Work★
Good Detective Stamp [2/10]
Bang—the stamp was imprinted, and Haru’s eyes went wide.
‘Wait? I didn’t catch the bad guy?’
The Kim Ho-jun she’d thought was a villain was just little Kim Ho-jun, after all.
‘Making up is a good deed too, I guess.’
Two stamps already! If she collected all ten Good Detective Stamps, wouldn’t Mom come back even sooner?
Haru pressed down the urge to wiggle and dance. She could dance once she’d collected all ten stamps!
Siu, who had paused while stacking blocks, watched Haru beam and Kim Ho-jun scratching the back of his head with a blank stare.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the classroom.
Teacher Kim stood with her mouth agape, unaware that the water she’d heated for her instant coffee had already gone cold.
Kim Ho-jun—the one who’d chewed through three teachers—was being pacified by a single comment from a five-year-old?
She could taste something bitter in her mouth.
***
Haru fingered the candy in her pocket. She’d thought Kim Ho-jun was a villain, but he wasn’t. So maybe Teacher wasn’t one either?
Teacher was watching Siu in secret. But Haru was also watching Teacher in secret.
Watching in secret wasn’t always bad. She needed to investigate. A true detective doesn’t catch criminals without evidence!
Still, she felt she ought to tell Siu first. Haru crept close and whispered.
“Do you remember what I told you yesterday? About how Teacher has a secret?”
“…….”
“Teacher is watching you in secret. Surveillance.”
“Kindergarten teachers are supposed to watch and supervise children. It’s their job, dummy.”
“That’s not it! She’s only watching Siu! And don’t call me dummy!”
“So?”
“So you need to be careful! It could be dangerous!”
“Don’t care.”
Siu ignored Haru and returned to the blocks. Haru’s lips puckered in indignation.
To ignore Haru! When it was something concerning her!—why was Siu saying it didn’t matter?
That moment, Ho-jun approached.
“You said you’d do something fun. What are we gonna do?”
Haru looked up at Ho-jun, who’d started clinging to her like glue, and crossed her arms.
“Kim Ho-jun.”
“Yeah?”
“Haru is working toward a greater cause. Will you help?”
“What’s a greater cause?”
Haru let out a small sigh.
“And you’re five years old not knowing that? It’s in Detective Dodo.”
“I don’t watch that.”
Thump.
Haru was shocked. There existed a child who didn’t watch Detective Dodo?
“Anyway, what is it?”
“A greater cause is defeating bad people.”
“Bad people?”
“Shh.”
Haru brought her index finger to her lips and glanced around. Fortunately, they were at a distance from the other children.
“Who’s the bad person at Lala Kindergarten?”
Haru pointed directly at Kim Ho-jun.
“Me?”
“If we held a vote for the biggest villain at Lala Kindergarten, you’d win first place without question.”
“That’s not fair!”
“But Haru knows. You’re not actually a villain.”
Kim Ho-jun’s pouting lip, which had puffed out indignantly, settled back down.
“So who’s the real villain at Lala Kindergarten?”
Haru cupped her hands into a cone and whispered.
“Teacher from Sprout Class.”
“What?”
Ho-jun’s loud exclamation drew everyone’s eyes.
“Shh!”
Haru quickly clapped her hand over Ho-jun’s mouth. He shook his head vigorously and brushed her hand away, then spoke.
“Is this supposed to be funny? Come on, that’s not funny at all.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be my friend?”
Kim Ho-jun, meeting Haru’s eyes, glanced away awkwardly.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Bad guys get caught!”
“Huh?”
“That’s why I’m going to make the teacher feel better!”
“Um?”
“You have to help too. For the greater cause.”
“Me?”
“We promised to do this together.”
Since there were only three strawberry candies, she had to use them only on the real villain. So, the big operation to identify the villain!
“But this doesn’t sound fun at all.”
“It’s for the greater cause!”
Kim Ho-jun fell quiet.
“So you have to watch and see if the teacher does anything bad!”
Haru, paying no mind to his hesitation, whispered directly into Ho-jun’s ear.
“You have to spy on the teacher without getting caught!”
“…Okay.”

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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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