KCDT Chapter 21

“His Imperial Majesty and Her Imperial Majesty wish for me to become stronger.”

Yet, the response that came despite the effort to calm down almost made Yujin grab his own neck in frustration. Words like Emperor and Empress were unfamiliar, but they were Cairo’s parents after all, weren’t they?

‘But to think that parents would push their child to such extents… How strong can a thirteen-year-old possibly get?’

Yujin wanted to grab them by the collar and confront them if they were in front of him, asking if they were even human or parents to do such a thing.

However, with no one to vent his frustrations on, Yujin instead found solace in gently stroking Cairo’s round head as if to substitute.

“Are you okay now? Does using your powers not hurt?”

He focused on Cairo, who still clung to his waist, wondering if he was in pain, which made his stroke his head even more gently. A mumbling reply came from within his embrace.

“It still hurts a bit. Just patting my head isn’t enough.”

In truth, it didn’t hurt at all. Unlike before, his powers were stabilized by the sigils, so as long as he didn’t overuse them, he felt fine.

But Cairo was not one to kick away a given opportunity. There was no way he would give up this moment where Yujin was focusing on him with such a tender voice.

“Huh? Not enough? What, what more should I do…?”

Yujin was already patting diligently, wondering what more he could do. He hesitated, raising his hands unsurely.

Unable to catch on to what he was hinting at, Cairo eventually had to voice out his desire directly.

“Give me a kiss.”

“A, a kiss?”

“Yes. Quickly. My head hurts.”

‘It doesn’t look like it hurts at all…’

He knew he shouldn’t think this way in front of a child claiming to be in pain, but it was hard not to hesitate when he was asking for a kiss with a face that didn’t look the slightest bit in pain.

It was a common gesture of affection, but it felt like a cautious contact to make, especially since they were not related and he was already thirteen.

“Hey, I could get in trouble for this.”

Unable to explain this awkwardness to Cairo, he fumbled for words, and Cairo, taking his words literally, suddenly perked up and glared daggers at him.

“Who would dare to take my guide away? Don’t worry. Even if something like that happens, I will save you.”

“…Thank you, I appreciate it, but…”

Yujin pondered on what to do. He couldn’t exactly teach a child from a different world about proper sex education.

He found it hard to refuse, worrying that he might actually be in pain but just not showing it. Moreover, outright rejecting a child who had suffered abuse might cause him emotional harm.

“Ah.”

“Hurry up. I told you I’m in pain, didn’t I?”

‘Of course, it doesn’t seem like it…’

Yujin, who had never indulged anyone’s whims like this in his life, found that Cairo was skillfully and shamelessly throwing a tantrum. Despite his insistence not looking the least bit in pain, Yujin chuckled but nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

As Yujin’s lips approached, Cairo’s heart raced uncontrollably, and he closed his eyes. However, the place Yujin’s lips touched was not his lips, or even his forehead or cheek, but the top of his head.

“…What?”

“What do you mean, what? You asked for a kiss. Does it not hurt anymore?”

Proudly stating so, Yujin left Cairo unable to deny it. It didn’t hurt, of course, and from the spot where his lips touched, a guiding force far surpassing that of mere hand-holding seeped in.

It was like the breeze one feels under the shade on a hot summer day, or the feeling of being enveloped in a cozy, soft blanket.

The initial feeling of disappointment vanished, leaving Cairo feeling so drowsy he could fall asleep at any moment. He quietly nodded in agreement.

“Yawn…“

Unable to hold back, he let out a small yawn, and Yujin chuckled softly. Since he couldn’t see his face, it seemed his eyes had already fluttered shut.

“I’ll sleep standing up, I’ll sleep standing up.”

Yujin had intended to try on the clothes he bought for him, but seeing Cairo swaying on his feet, he decided to put him to bed first.

“Yawn, I should probably get some sleep too…”

Exhausted from staying up all night, Yujin lay down next to Cairo and fell asleep. Holding the child who snuggled up to him in his sleep, the warmth made him even drowsier, and he quickly succumbed to sleep.

“Yawn… Ah, what time is it?”

After who knows how long, Yujin woke up on his own, without anyone waking him, feeling as though he had slept for an exceptionally long time. He stretched and yawned, sitting up.

Blinking in confusion and scratching his neck, Yujin noticed that Cairo, who should have been next to him, was missing. Realizing this, he suddenly snapped to attention as if splashed with cold water.

‘He wouldn’t have gone outside because he was bored, would he?!’

If he had spent more time with Cairo, he might not have been so alarmed. However, given their short acquaintance, Yujin jumped up, thinking in terms of what a thirteen-year-old might do out of boredom or curiosity, and hurriedly got off the bed to open the door.

“Ah…”

Fortunately, as soon as he opened the door, he found Cairo drinking water. Seeing him with his bright, wide-awake eyes, Yujin felt embarrassed for overreacting and cleared his throat to cover it up.

“Ahem, did you sleep well?”

“Why did you wake up already?”

“Huh?”

At his words, Yujin noticed that Cairo looked slightly displeased. Wondering if something had made him uncomfortable while sleeping, he heard him mutter softly.

“I wanted to be next to you when I woke up…”

“My goodness…”

If he had a much younger sibling or a nephew, perhaps this is how he would feel. Unable to contain the warmth spreading in his heart, Yujin reached out and gently stroked Cairo’s head as he came closer.

“You cute little thing.”

“…I’m cute?”

“Of course, you are.”

Cairo was taken aback by a compliment he had never received before, but he didn’t dislike it. In fact, he found it rather pleasant. If anyone else had said such a thing, he might have made them kneel and cut off their tongue for daring to speak so carelessly.

But with Yujin, the notion of being called cute, which would otherwise be an insult from anyone else, only made him think of ways he could use it to his advantage.

“Being cute means you should kiss me quicker.”

Like this, for example.

Yujin, not quite seeing the connection but faced with Cairo’s sparkling eyes demanding a quick kiss, found himself once again pressing his lips to his forehead.

‘He’s not a puppy, yet he smells so sweet.’

With a feeling akin to indulgence, Yujin pressed a kiss to the top of Cairo’s head, noticing his struggle to suppress a smile. The pleasure he seemed to derive from this, more so than from having his head patted, piqued his curiosity about what this ‘guiding’ sensation was like.

However, even if he were to ask, it wasn’t something easily understood, and soon, his attention was diverted by the sound of his growling stomach.

“It’s already dinner time. We’ve slept for quite a while.”

Checking the time, Yujin pondered what to eat before asking Cairo.

“Are you hungry too? Shall we order something?”

“Order? Who are we ordering from?”

Coming from a world without the concept of delivery, Cairo was puzzled by the idea of ordering food.

“You don’t know about this, huh? I’ll have to treat you to something delicious.”

Muttering to himself, Yujin decided on ordering chicken after some deliberation on a delivery app.

“I’ve had chicken dishes before.”

“I know, but this is different.”

Cairo, willing to eat anything Yujin offered, was nonetheless curious about what made this chicken dish any different.

“…!”

However, his opinion changed upon tasting the chicken brought by a man in a peculiar outfit. It was a flavor he had never experienced before.

The hot, greasy, and spicy taste might have been overwhelming without the stabilizing effect of Yujin’s guiding, but now, it felt like a novel experience.

Yujin, who had thoughtfully ordered boneless chicken for ease of eating, breathed a sigh of relief seeing Cairo’s satisfied expression. He had worried needlessly, given that he was from another world, even though it’s said that nobody dislikes chicken.

“Tastes good, right? Eat up.”

He had offered him radish pickles to prevent indigestion, but he seemed to dislike the tangy taste, grimacing, so he gave him cola instead. However, the fizzy drink also didn’t suit his taste, leaving his expression just as scrunched up, prompting Yujin to quickly fetch him some water.

“I can eat it.”

When Yujin took away both the radish pickles and the cola, Cairo reached out again, perhaps thinking he was upset that he didn’t eat them.

“It’s okay. There’s no need to force yourself to eat something you don’t like. Just eat what you enjoy.”

However, since Yujin’s tone didn’t carry any hint of disappointment, Cairo quickly withdrew his hand.

He would have eaten it if Yujin insisted, but there was no need to force himself if he said it was okay not to. Yujin had to suppress a laugh at his candid reaction.

“Ah, I’m full.”

After finishing their meal, Yujin rubbed his belly and checked the time, a habit borne out of not wanting to waste any moment of his days off.

“Ah, I don’t want to go to work.”

“Go to work?”

Cairo, who had been attentively watching Yujin even while eating, asked. He nodded nonchalantly in response.

“I had to take a break today, but I need to go back to the office tomorrow.”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Cairo suddenly stood up so abruptly that Yujin nearly tipped over the table, managing to catch it just in time. He looked up at Cairo in surprise, who had an expression as if he’d been betrayed.