Episode 20

It took about five days.

You might wonder why it took five days.

This was the time needed to finish the maintenance and go to the Guild to enter the gate.

The reason it took as long as five days was because Ma Hana, or Meowi’s living conditions were so poor that we had to resolve that first before starting the maintenance.

That day, even thinking back, I made bold claims and arrogant promises the day after I blurted out impudent words.

I forcibly visited Meowi’s house.

“Meow… are you really going to come?”

“Of course. We’re partners now. Checking on living conditions is essential, not as a supervisor… but as a colleague!”

“…M-meowii…”

Meowi, with eyes full of question, scratched her head in discomfort.

She had rushed out to meet me after receiving my text.

It was just a side note, but the moment I saw her, I felt a violent pain in my heart just like yesterday.

“Kr, Krrrgh…!”
“Meowwii?! Are you okay?!”

Why, you ask?

Nothing much.

‘She is just so, so cute.’

Cute. Lovely. Adorable.

These three ailments mixed together and wildly attacked my heart.

‘Ah, this pervert freak is going crazy again…’

One could say that, but wait! Listen to this!

‘She’s in casual clothes… actual casual clothes! The casual outfit of our Meowii that the game developers wouldn’t release even if they died!!!’

I must have mentioned it before.

Meowii was a character who appeared frequently as a common drop in the gacha game.

Already disliked by the Supervisors and with ambiguous performance, she was less popular in reality compared to her frequent use in various memes and images around SNS.

Therefore, commonly called “disparity,” it was clearly the same person, but changing into different clothes somehow added a cheat skill like a new character release.

It wasn’t like she received any costume support for her character’s build either.

Her default look was always in this stiff armor and carrying a shield.

‘The first encounter was the same as a regular one.’

Back then, in shabby leather armor, shield in back.

Even if you take off her rose-colored glasses and look objectively, Meowi was definitely cute.

If she weren’t a pretty girl, she wouldn’t have appeared in “GAL” in the first place.

So, I hoped she would wear some pretty clothes around me…

‘Now it has become a reality right before my eyes!!!’

As a Supervisor, I wanted to throw up both hands and cheer for her right away.

But instead of that, even if just for a second more…

I had to capture the sight of our Meowi, so I silently observed her.

“Um, isn’t that gaze of yours a bit sinister?”

‘…Wow, such a great choice of clothes.’

A hooded coat tinged with a light pink hue.

Inside, an argyle pattern knit created a cute and lively winter charm.

The pièce de résistance was the cat-faced scarf wrapped around her neck!

They weren’t expensive clothes or branded outfits, but there was no outfit that suited Ma Hana better than this.

‘It must have been Im Hyeja who chose them for her.’

According to the setting, Meowi had no sense of fashion, so she couldn’t have picked out such a cute combination.

‘Sob…’

It was touching. It was really touching to be able to see this.

Once I get closer to Im Hyeja, I should ask to see her secret ‘Meowi Collection’ compilation.

“Um, do you really have to go? Showing up is a bit…”
“Ahem!”
“…Meow.”

I understood her feelings.
We’d only met two days ago, and a sudden visit to her house really wasn’t polite.

‘But we still have to do it.’

In the setting, Meowi was strong in vitality but far from cleanliness.

Precisely, there was no time to care about it.

Her gradually decreasing bank balance.

Every day, the small amounts she had earned from roaming dungeons had to be spent on repairing equipment and healing injuries on her body.

Naturally, there was no money left to invest in her daily life.

The days when I had decided to raise Meowi in ‘GAL’.

As a Supervisor, I felt shocked.

Because the in-game screen displayed a house that looked haunted.

Unorganized blankets and clothes everywhere.

A refrigerator where proper ingredients were nowhere to be found.

Most of the utility bills were cut off, leaving the room enveloped in a chilling cold.

It practically looked like a place where a wild stray cat would find shelter.

Sure enough.

The scene that greeted me upon entering the house did not deviate from my expectations.

“…As expected.”
“…Ehehe.”

It seemed she hurriedly cleaned up when she heard I was coming to visit her.

“Did you pay all those overdue bills?”
“Yes. Let’s see… water bill, heating bill, electricity bill, I’ve paid them all.”

I quietly touched the floor at her words.
It felt completely like a block of ice.

‘Is that a sleeping bag in the corner?’

It seemed like she was shivering through this cold winter with that.

With a sigh, I reached out to turn on the light.

“Ah! Just a moment.”

Meowi, as if restraining me, said there was no need to waste electricity and brought something from the kitchen.

“…A candle?”
“Yes, a candle.”

I examined it with curiosity.

There was something about this candle.

It smelled quite foul.

Should I say it smelled metallic?
Or should I say it smelled like burning pig fat?

It was also grimy in appearance, definitely not a typical candle sold in stores.

“Where did you find this? Did you pick it up after it was thrown away?”
“I made it.”
“…Uh, what? What about the materials used to make it?”

I asked inquisitively, sensing an ominous premonition, and the answer I received was outrageous.

‘…Shit. Monster fat?’

It was made by combining the fat parts that come out during the butchering process after a monster drop.

It seemed illegal, but apparently, it wasn’t that illegal.

“If you hunted it yourself and got a permit, it’s fine. It’s essentially a worthless by-product… so no one really cares about who takes it.”

It was much cheaper and lasted longer than typical candles, among other benefits.
She was promoting its advantages, but my expression remained unyielding.

‘…This won’t do.’

There was the risk of fire and the smell that came from this fat burning.

I wasn’t sure about its exact composition, but it surely couldn’t be good for health.

“Let’s throw all of these away. And from now on, let’s properly use electricity and hot water. You got that?”
“…Meow?”
“There! Don’t try to hide the ingredients! Hand them over. I’m going to throw them all away!”
“…M-Meow?!”

“There is no major health issue with you. However, there are signs of malnutrition, so please make sure to eat properly.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

I bowed my head slightly and took Meowi’s hand as we left the clinic.

“……”

Her lips were pouting.

It seemed like she hadn’t completely gotten over her sulk.

About 30 minutes.

That was how long it took me to persuade (force and threaten) Meowi to dispose of all the monster fat candles.

Just to be safe, we even went to the hospital.

‘Anyway, it’s a huge relief that she’s healthy.’

Of course, in GAL, there was only the torment caused by what was commonly called CC (Crowd Control) status effects.

There were no elements like diseases.

But this place is reality now.

Even a superhuman who had awakened the ‘Status Window’ wasn’t immune to illness.

Just in case, I also got tested, but they said there was nothing particularly wrong with my body.

“…Meow. See, I told you it was unnecessary worry.”

“Aha! Such a complacent attitude won’t make a hunter’s life long. Let’s make sure to get checked at least once a month.”

As I spoke soothingly, Meowi seemed displeased, twitching her eyes.

With cheeks still chubby from baby fat, she puffed them out slightly and stomped her foot just once.

“…I-I am a senior by a year compared to you, you know?”
“Aha! No use using age superiority when you throw a tantrum!”
“Meow!”

Next was the meal.

I immediately went to the supermarket and filled the fridge with healthy ingredients.

‘I also bought some rice while I was at it…’

For dessert, though she was a bit of a brat, the taste-savvy GM sent over some perilla mint Mentos.

‘I wish I could cook for you myself…’

I was just a guy who used to only broadcast from the corner of a room… I didn’t know how to make proper food.

What could a guy who only knew how to order food delivery do?

‘I really need to learn.’

[Cooking] skill.

It was a category with quite a variety of utilities, even in ‘GAL’, so I thought I might as well learn it.

The fourth place I forcibly took her to was a comprehensive beauty salon.

First up was a bath.

She was so grimy and dirty that I entrusted her to three famous ladies in this field.

“Please take good care of her.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Young man~”
“Goodness, what a handsome face~ Is she your girlfriend or your sister? Either way, you’re lucky.”
“…M-M-Meow!”

Though Meowi, true to her cat nature, realized the gravity of the situation and attempted to escape, she was caught by the three veteran ladies and literally went through a ‘cat wash’.

“Oh, dear dirty customer. You’ve become quite the looker!”
“This is serious. Don’t go outside today.”
“…I’m not a dirty customer. I’m Ma Hana!”
“Right, right, dirty customer.”
“Meeeoooowww!!”

Having finished grooming, Meowi looked so neat and cute that I thought she seemed like a completely new person.

“…I feel humiliated.”

Of course, she, however, was crouched in a corner, looking quite gloomy.

Anyway, this completed Meowi’s lifestyle improvement.

The last step was equipment repair and replenishment of supplies for her.

Meowi used some of the money she earned to repair her torn leather armor and dented shield.

Naturally, the person she entrusted with the repairs was Im Hyeja.

She sighed deeply upon seeing the state of the shield, but she was a competent person who clearly distinguished between personal and professional matters, so she repaired everything neatly.

But she still didn’t acknowledge me in the end.

‘Well, of course, it was to be expected.’

If someone asks me, I’d say Novelpia is on the same level as Kakao, but it takes time to accept it.

What I needed to do for Im Hyeja wasn’t just to talk big, but to prove myself with actions.

‘I’m confident.’

I’d show her for sure.

It was about the unbelievable growth of our Meowi.

‘…Talent?’

We didn’t need that.

I was a Supervisor.

I’d been a ranked person in GAL for five years.

So I was sure of it.

‘I will make Meowi the world’s best tanker.’

…Uh, hmm.

Thinking it over, being the world’s best might be a bit tough… Anyway, I’d make her a tanker who achieves her dreams.

Then, an unexpected proposal came from Im Hyeja.

It was about making a Normal-grade sword.

“What do you use?”
“…Pardon?”
“What sword do you use? Arming sword? Khopesh? Estoc?”
“Uh, I’d prefer a katana, or maybe a curved blade.”
“…Katana?”

Im Hyeja’s eyes narrowed at the mention of the Japanese sword.

She scanned up and down nonchalantly before continuing.

“It seems you are a [Samurai] class, or maybe a [Swordsman]. Well, if you seduced our cat with that wicked tongue of yours, you must be at least of a mid-level class. You might know this, but both classes have strong attack power but large delays–”

“Excuse me for interrupting, but… neither of those is correct. Didn’t I show you my status window yesterday?”

“I wasn’t interested in looking at you boasting about your status window. Anyway, what are you, then? Don’t tell me you’re something low like a [Swordsman]? If that’s the case, I’ll smash your head with a hammer right now.”

-Feeling the intensity of her mood, I simply revealed it again.

Only the class, though.

“This has been revealed several times, so it’s possible to cut and show it.”

“…Crazy, [Sword Saint]…?”

Im Hyeja stared blankly at me, as if she couldn’t believe it.

Then, she looked me up and down and muttered as if she were enchanted.

“With that handsome face, you seduced our angelic Meowi… This leech with a good face is a Sword Saint? A scoundrel who looks like he’d strip the innocent and kind Meowi bare and then run away… is a Sword Saint…?”

“Hey! I can hear everything you say!”

Anyway, thanks to that, I was able to purchase a normal-grade katana and the ‘Acute Acidic Poison (N)’ I had asked for.

Then, five long-awaited days later.

“I’m sorry!!!”

Meowi’s resonant voice filled the Guild.