Chapter 22: I’m Sa-chan!

Ria followed the direction I pointed.

Ria and I looked at each other, as if familiar with the situation.

“…Senior, what will you do?”

“Ooooh….”

I pouted and pondered.

Even though Elysium is heaven, the atmosphere looked suspicious to anyone.

I don’t want to fight if I can help it……

“Let’s go!”

“As expected of Senior.”

Ria giggled.

She knows my personality better than anyone, and she already knew what choice I would make.

“But that guy seems to be in danger! Bad people should be punished!”

“I agree with that, but you should call him ‘Oppa’ now, right? Senior♡”

“Hiccup… I don’t know! Let’s go!”

“Okay♡”

I clenched my small fist and walked proudly.

Ria also kept by my side and moved her feet.

“So, stop interfering with other people’s business, you piece of sh*t.”

“Why are you always so eager to eat us up, huh?”

“Do you need to ask? …Ugh.”

The man who was surrounded was desperately holding on,

But the suspicious group didn’t release their threatening attitude and stepped on his hand.

“…Ria, are those definitely bad people?”

“Yes, Senior♡ They are perfect villains.”

I jumped and stood at the entrance of the alley.

And spread my arms wide and shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Waaaaaaah—! Bad people!”

The suspicious group and the man who was surrounded looked at me at the same time.

I put my hands on my waist and said.

“This is heaven! You can’t do bad things! No, even if it’s not heaven, you shouldn’t do bad things!”

For a moment, silence fell.

And—

“Puhahahaha!”

“What is that kid? Hey, get out of here if you don’t want to get hurt.”

“You can’t do bad things because it’s heaven? We’re not people from heaven, what are we gonna do?”

‘Not people from heaven? What does that mean?’

As I tilted my head, one of the guys reached out to push my head.

At that moment—.

“Get away.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaack—!”

Before his hand could even touch me, his arm joint was twisted backwards.

The man screamed in pain, grabbing his strangely twisted arm.

Ria, who had approached my side by that time, twisted his arm and was looking down at him with a blank expression.

“That hurt. Poor you.”

“Yes, I agree♡”

“…Kgh, what the hell. This woman!”

One of the group tried to ambush Ria from behind.

I quickly ran over and lightly punched him right there.

The person who got hit by my light punch flew all the way to the wall and was impaled on it.

“Eh, I hit him lightly….”

“Senior, really♡”

I scratched my cheek with a ‘Ueeeee….’

Ria giggled and hugged me.

“Uuung, Senior who can’t control your strength is so cute too♡”

“Heeeeeeek—?! Isn’t this the wrong time?!”

“So what, they are trembling, looking at us like monsters♡”

The people’s faces turned pale blue after only two attacks.

I blinked and looked at them.

“Huh?”

No, what did I do?

I just punched once, and I only swung it lightly.

“Uaaaaaack! Monster!”

“Th, this is cheating! How can a kid have such strength….”

“Run!”

The suspicious group began to flee in a hurry.

Even the injured guys were dragged away by their comrades, and the alley was empty in an instant.

I looked at Ria, flustered.

“I hit them lightly, though…”

“I know. You can destroy a castle wall with just your finger♡”

Ria tapped my cheek and smiled brightly.

I puffed out my cheeks and nodded my head.

“The people here are too weak!”

“That’s right♡ Senior, you are always right♡”

Ria rubbed her cheek against mine as she said that.

I desperately wriggled my body.

“Hnyaaaaaaang!”

“Kyaa♡ Senior’s wiggling is cute too♡”

At that moment, the man who was being threatened a moment ago looked at us blankly.

With his wrist grabbed, his face was full of caution.

“…Who are you?”

“This is Ria! Ria, say hello.”

Ria slightly tilted her head.

Anyway, Ria is shy, so it’s a big deal.

“And I… I am….”

‘What was my name exactly?’

The nicknames the kids gave me are a little awkward.

‘Well, do I really need to use my previous name?’

I thumped my chest and shouted.

“I’m Sajjang! From the amusement park over there, Sajjang!”

“…Sajjang?”

“Uiiii—! It’s not Sajjang, it’s Sa-jjaaaang!”

“…Sajjang?”

“I mean Sa-jjang! Sajjaaaang!”

I stamped my feet in frustration and shouted.

The man still had a bewildered expression.

Ria, who was looking at the two of us with amusement, stroked my head.

“Senior.”

“…?”

“Why don’t you just live as Sajjang? Your tongue is short so you can’t pronounce it well♡”

“…Auuu.”

“Why? It suits the nickname we gave you well♡”

It seemed to be true when I listened to her, huh…?

Having been persuaded by Ria’s persuasion, I thumped my chest again.

“I’m Sajjang!”

“Okay. It’s a cute name.”

“Really?”

The man smiled wryly and extended his undamaged hand.

“Yeah. Thank you for helping, Sajjang.”

“Ehe─. No. It’s natural.”

“Thank you too, Ria!”

“Ria, you should greet them!”

Ria, who is always shy in front of other people,

Turned her gaze slightly and mumbled softly.

“…Don’t mention it.”

“Ria is shy by nature!”

I said, holding Ria’s hand tightly.

The man looked at the two of us in turn and gave a faint smile.

“I see.”

“But ton-, no, op-, ah, ugh… oppa.”

“Oppa?”

The man tilted his head in surprise.

I became even more anxious at that sight, so I repeatedly moved my lips, but……

‘…I really can’t call him oppa!’

In the end, I closed my eyes tightly and shouted.

“Eit, Ajusshi!”

“Yeah, what?”

“That, your right hand. Does it hurt a lot? Bad people stepped on it.”

“……………Ah, it’s okay. It will recover soon.”

But his condition wasn’t good at all.

The man’s right hand was bruised blue, and it was bleeding,

And his wrist was also unnaturally twisted and swollen.

‘How can that not hurt? For an ordinary person.’

I sighed and reached out to him.

“Don’t lie. Give me your hand.”

“…Huh?”

“Hand—!”

The man reluctantly held out his hand.

I gently placed my hand on his right hand and used healing magic.

A pink rabbit popped out of my fingertips with a ‘Byung’.

The rabbit, with chubby cheeks and big ears,

sniffed the man’s hand and approached, ‘ho’ and blew warm breath.

My heart felt as if it would burst at the sight.

Every time the chubby cheeks shook slightly,

Every time the fluffy ears flapped,

I really felt like I was going to faint on the spot.

…Cute, cute. Should I switch to being a healer?’

I seriously considered changing jobs, the healing rabbit was so lovely.

Even now, it was thump―. on the injury.

And was gently tickling the injured area, shaking its fluffy tail.

‘I, I want to get hurt too.’

I couldn’t escape from the rabbit’s charm, so that thought kept coming up.

The man seemed to have similar thoughts.

He mumbled in admiration, looking at the rabbit.

“…Wow, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Oh! It’s really cute!”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

The man wasn’t admiring because the rabbit was cute.

I thought he surely did…

I turned my head away a little, feeling embarrassed.

‘…Ah, right. Rabbit—!’

I realized that I almost missed the cute and lovely rabbit, succumbing to a moment of embarrassment.

I quickly turned my head and looked at the rabbit.

But—.

….

…It’s okay.”

“…Ue-e-e-e.”

I had to say goodbye to the cute rabbit because of my foolish choice.

“I couldn’t even say a farewell….”

“Don’t be sad, Senior! I’ll break the arm!”

“…You don’t have to go that far.”

“Haha, it’s a fun combination.”

Our conversation seemed funny.

The man laughed like he was watching an interesting skit.

‘But, hey, this guy is serious…’

I glanced up at Ria, who was staring intently at her arm.

“Uncle. Who are those people? This is heaven. Why are there bad people?”

“Um, well….”

The man paused for a moment.

His gaze turned to the distant alley and then back to us.

“Sajjang. Are the two of you always together?”

“Yeah! Ria and I are always together!”

“I do♡”

…because of the bracelet, even if I wanted to separate, I couldn’t.

I smiled bitterly at the truth I couldn’t utter.

Ria, the one who put the bracelet on, smiled brightly and held my hand tightly.

“Good, that’s good.”

The man nodded, smiling meaningfully.

Then he lowered his head towards me and lowered his voice.

“Don’t separate from your unnie. Not at least in this village. It’s really dangerous here.”

“Whyee?”

“They might be bad people from Hell and catch you.”

Hell?

This is heaven.

As I wondered, I remembered the words of the bad people from a moment ago.

‘You can’t do bad things because it’s heaven? We’re not people from heaven, what are we gonna do?’

Was that true?

Looking at the man’s expression, he didn’t seem to be lying or joking.

His eyes were still full of wariness.

I, too, reduced my voice to the size of an ant and asked cautiously.

“…Are they really from hell?”

“Um….”

The man looked at Ria and me alternately.

Then he reached out his hand to me.

“Shall we go to my house? I’ll give you delicious cookies as a thank you for the treatment.”

“Cookies?”

I looked up at Ria with sparkling eyes.

“Ria, it’s cookies!”

“…You want to come with me?”

“Yeah!”

I grabbed Ria’s hand and nodded at the man.

“Let’s go, Ajusshi!”

“Okay. I’ll go first, so follow me.”

The man smiled wryly and moved away.

Ria sighed, but in the end, she held my hand tightly and followed.

‘…Actually, I don’t really like cookies.’

I could tell it wasn’t a simple invitation at a glance.

But why are we going even though we know it’s…

‘It’s probably a story that can’t be told outside.’

Ria must have understood my intention too.

She couldn’t not know that I don’t like sweet things that much.

I walked, thinking that this little kid’s form would be easier in such a situation.