The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 189
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story 12
“…?”
Sanyu looked at Gaya with a blank expression.
“Do I need to say it twice?”
“Weren’t you going to leave me behind?”
“Should I just go then?”
“….”
Sanyu naturally thought he would leave him behind.
‘Come to think of it, earlier too….’
Even when they were ambushed by the demon beast earlier, Gaya had saved him.
Of course, it’s natural for a person to save another person, but it was a bit surprising that that nasty-tempered Baek Gaya showed such an extremely human side.
“Then excuse me.”
Soon Sanyu smiled brightly and got on Gaya’s back.
Step, step.
Gaya silently kept his mouth tightly shut and walked forward steadily, looking only ahead.
How long had they walked? After walking in silence for a while.
“I don’t dislike you, Lord Gaya.”
Sanyu revealed his true feelings.
“I like you, Lord Gaya. I want to become close with you. Really.”
“But I dislike you. Really.”
However, Gaya replied coldly without a moment’s hesitation.
“Hahaha. That’s regrettable.”
“My ears hurt. Don’t laugh.”
“I’m talking about this nasty way of speaking that flows out every time you open your mouth. You’d be quite a decent tiger if you just fixed this rude habit of yours.”
To Gaya, who was frowning and showing disgust, Sanyu spoke with a cheerful laugh.
“…You, do you really want to become close with me?”
“Yes, I told you, really…. Huh?”
Sanyu suddenly stopped speaking and looked somewhere.
At this, Gaya’s steps also stopped.
“…?”
Gaya’s eyes, following Sanyu’s gaze, widened.
“That’s….”
“I’ve only seen them in books, but now I’m seeing them with my own eyes.”
There was a swarm of fireflies sparkling and flying around under the black night sky.
“Someday when the war ends, I want to show this scene to my little sister. I think she would really love it if she saw this.”
Sanyu spoke in a longing voice.
Imagining Soya jumping around with sparkling eyes brought a small smile to his face.
‘How strange.’
Gaya couldn’t understand such a Sanyu.
Even when I see things like fireflies, I don’t think of my siblings.
“Do you also have something you wish for when the war ends, Lord Gaya?”
At that moment, Sanyu suddenly asked him a question.
“….”
Gaya didn’t answer, but he too had one thing he wished for when the war ended.
Although it was now taken by the Azure Dragon Family… getting Mother back.
It wasn’t only the baby tigers who missed Mother.
Though he had never expressed it, Gaya also wanted to see Mother.
But he didn’t want to tell this guy about his wish that he couldn’t even tell Father.
So Gaya changed the subject with a blunt voice.
“But if you have a little sister, um, what’s different about it?”
Actually, this was something he had been curious about for a while.
What exactly was so different about this little sister that made him so happy about it every time.
“You said you only have two younger brothers, Lord Gaya.”
Sanyu explained with a gentle smile.
“Both younger brothers and little sisters are cute, but they’re a bit different. It’s hard to express this feeling in words….”
Sanyu deliberately furrowed his brow as he chose his words.
“Um…. Should I say soft…? Or fluffy? Gentle?”
“…?”
The more he listened to the explanation, the more confused Gaya became.
However, he vaguely felt that his siblings were far from being ‘soft, fluffy, gentle.’
“I know that child is absolutely not a weak child. She’s a child with a naturally pure, kind, and beautiful heart. That’s why she’s a strong child. No evil heart could break that child’s good heart.”
‘What. Is he starting to brag about his little sister again?’
“And she’s from Jujak’s direct lineage, isn’t she? She may be small in stature, but she’s obviously much stronger than most beast-people.”
‘Hmm, well, that’s true.’
“But strangely, I keep wanting to protect her. From all the evil things in the world…. So that child can always see only good things, hear only good stories, so she can do that.”
Gaya quietly pondered Sanyu’s words.
‘Really, really strange.’
Wanting her to see and hear only good things.
That way, she obviously wouldn’t be able to grow into a strong beast-person.
Gaya, to raise his siblings to be strong, would put on a terrifying goblin mask and appear to startle them ―he received Ga Hyeon’s contemptuous gaze for a while because of this― and would make Gayul cry with spooky ghost stories.
Although behind that justification was mixed the purpose of satisfying his own amusement, anyway.
Besides, even I am out here on the battlefield like this.
Fighting against hideous demon beasts to become a stronger beast-person.
“And when I see that child cry, my heart hurts as if it’s being torn apart even more.”
That was also strange.
When I see my siblings cry, I find it amusing and have even made them cry on purpose. No, many times.
“Ah, come to think of it, I must never show my little sister to you, Lord Gaya.”
“Why?”
“Because you like shiny things.”
“Huh?”
How did he figure out what I like in just those short two months.
Gaya clicked his tongue at Sanyu’s perceptiveness and replied bluntly.
“Your sister isn’t a sparkling jewel, so why would I covet her.”
“But she is a jewel.”
“…?”
This crazy guy is now insisting that his perfectly normal beast-person sister is a jewel.
“Especially my little sister, her eyes are a lovely pink color like spring flowers. Sometimes they look like sparkling jewels….”
What started as explaining the difference between younger brothers and little sisters gradually turned into Sanyu bragging about his sister.
Gaya thought he shouldn’t have brought up this topic and started walking again.
“…Until recently she was bragging about her upcoming first beast transformation, but lately her letters have completely stopped.”
“….”
“According to the person sent from the family, Father is unwell, so it will be difficult to contact us for a while.”
“….”
“Actually, I’m very worried. About Father, and also about my little sister who must be worrying while watching Father suffer. If it weren’t for this war, I would fly to the Southern Lands right away….”
Sanyu muttered in a bitter voice, then soon smiled brightly and said.
“Haha, but don’t worry too much. My little sister has a strong heart, so she’ll cry just a little and overcome it well.”
“Worry…? Me, about you? Why?”
Gaya asked back in an incredulous tone, but Sanyu didn’t seem to be listening to him at all.
But somehow. After listening to that guy’s story all this time, for some reason….
‘I’m jealous.’
Suddenly, Gaya finally understood why he had felt strangely bad and irritated whenever Sanyu bragged about his little sister.
It seemed I was envious of that guy who had a little sister that I didn’t have.
‘How pathetic.’
Gaya let out a bitter laugh as he faced his own emotions that he didn’t want to acknowledge.
All his life, he had thought no one was better than him, so he had never even considered that a day would come when he’d envy others.
‘A little sister…’
That was a little, no, extremely… enviable.
‘Forget it. Well, I’m not at an age where I can throw a tantrum to Father asking for a sibling like the youngest tiger.’
As Gaya walked along nonchalantly, a certain thought suddenly popped into his head.
‘Actually, no. Should I try throwing a tantrum once?’
Gaya thought with a deliberately serious expression.
Since I’m good at everything, I might be good at throwing tantrums too.
So like the youngest tiger, I should also send a wish letter to the Dragon God or a stork or someone.
* * *
It was three years later that Gaya got a little sister.
Gaya, who had been unfolding a letter that arrived from the family clan with a bored expression, suddenly froze.
Father had adopted a girl.
But she wasn’t a tiger, nor a mountain beast… but a bird, he said.
If it had been others, they would have questioned how a bird could become part of the White Tiger Family’s direct lineage, but such thoughts didn’t enter Gaya’s mind.
Just…
Thump―
“Little sister…?”
He was captivated by those two words.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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