“That’s not it.”
“Then why?”
Guru toddled forward with quick little steps. Then she stretched both arms wide.
Serhi, unsure what she meant, took her two hands.
“Nooo— piggyback.”
“Piggyback?”
Nod nod.
“Why. Where’s Jena?”
He was about to tell her to go beg Jin Siwon, but Guru puffed out her cheeks.
“Pwease gib Gwuu a piggyback. Wanna get da acown hangin’ up dere.”
“Pweeez?”
Tilting her head as she asked, Serhi eventually gave in and lifted her up.
“Uheehee.”
Guru giggled and pressed close behind Serhi’s neck, then urged him to move over there.
Jin Siwon straightened his back. The oak tree stretching out to the end of the farm fence was covered in clusters of hanging acorns.
...Might be hard to find.
Right now, he couldn’t even tell the difference between an ordinary purified acorn and a special purified one.
If I still had ‘Barrett’s Whisper’ it’d be a different story...
Oh well. Jin Siwon smiled bitterly and started loading acorns into the cart.
That’s when it happened.
“More fowwawd!”
“Guru?”
That was definitely Guru’s voice. Jin Siwon moved toward the commotion.
“Hey, stop coverin’ my eyes.”
It was in front of the huge oak tree.
Serhi, giving her a piggyback ride, was following directions and moving back and forth, while Guru, holding a duck-shaped grabber, was enthusiastically picking acorns with a clack clack.
“Wittwe more fowwawd and to da side!”
“Which side?”
“Da one you eat wiff!”
When Serhi moved to the left, Guru yelled nuh-uh!
“You said the eating hand!”
“Dat’s what Gwuu meant!”
Serhi pointed to the left, and Guru pointed to the right.
“You could’ve just said right from the start! Are you stupid? Don’t you know your left and right?”
“Gwuu not stupid! It’s da hand Gwuu eats wiff! Oppaw didn’t go to kindewgahten eider?”
As the two of them started bickering, Jin Siwon burst out laughing.
“Yeah! I didn’t go to kindergarten!”
“Gasp!”
When Serhi answered in earnest, Guru gasped.
After a brief silence, Guru patted Serhi’s head and apologized.
“Oppaw, Gwuu sowwy.”
“...What? Why are you suddenly apologizing? That actually makes me feel worse? Gwuu, even without kindergarten, Gwuu wivin’ gweat.”
“Wuuwng, sowwy.”
“So annoying.”
With that, the argument wrapped up thanks to Guru’s apology, and Serhi finally adjusted to the right direction.
Guru made clacking sounds and grabbed an acorn with the duck-shaped grabber.
“Gwot it!”
As she opened the grabber, an acorn rolled into her palm.
“That the one?”
“Wook wook.”
Jin Siwon approached Guru. Serhi lowered her down and bent over.
“Dis one!”
Guru spread her hand wide.
All three of their gazes gathered on the single acorn in her tiny palm.
“This?”
“Uh-huh.”
To Serhi and Siwon’s eyes, it looked like a regular acorn—but Guru’s eyes sparkled like stars.
“Super duper acown!”
Serhi sat on a stump /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ at the edge of the farm and spoke seriously to Guru.
“This is the last one.”
“Otay!”
Guru raised her eyebrows and fixed her gaze with fierce determination.
Dis time too, Gwuu gonna guess it!
Serhi clenched his fists, then opened his right hand.
“This one?”
Guru checked the info window on the acorn.
“Just an acown.”
Serhi opened the other hand.
“Then this?”
“Super duper acown.”
“Hmmm...”
Serhi stared at the two acorns in wonder, switching his gaze back and forth.
Even after checking again and again, Guru got it right. They looked completely the same to him.
“You really are a King Squirrel, huh?”
“Ehem!”
Pwooud! Guru put her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out.
Serhi let out a laugh and gave her cheek a light pinch.
Now that it was confirmed Guru could actually tell them apart, the next plan was swiftly put into motion.
“It’s time to head out now.”
At Siwon’s words, both of them nodded.
They now had to take the acorns into the Contaminated Zone.
The special acorns capable of purifying the source of contamination were stored inside Siwon’s pack.
As the group packed and headed out, the squirrels lined up to see them off.
“Chwee!”
“Chwee!”
With the squirrels waving goodbye, Guru waved her hand back. Overhead, puffy white clouds drifted across the sky.
Serhi looked back at the blue-toned farmland, the squirrels, and the clear sky—then locked eyes with Siwon.
Siwon gave him a soft smile, and Serhi quickly looked away.
The only station in the area was quiet. Though it was the villagers’ sole transportation method, there weren’t many passengers coming or going.
The station manager took off his cap to greet the passengers, then walked over to them.
“Oho, are you the famous foreigner family from the squirrel farm?”
Someone they’d never met spoke to them like he knew them well.
“I heard you packed up. Heading to the capital?”
“Not a family. Also, does no one here believe in privacy?”
Serhi scowled. He’d never been in a place so open in every direction before.
Jin Siwon answered the station master’s question.
“No, we’re not going to the capital. We’re heading into the Contaminated Zone.”
“The Contaminated Zone? I’ve heard all sorts of scary rumors about that place. They say wolves are on the move.”
“Wolves?”
“Yeah, be careful you don’t run into them. They’re not just dangerous, they’re criminals. They’ve broken the beastkin treaty, attacking anyone, causing chaos, crimes of all kinds... They never used to come outside their territory, but now? They suddenly rushed out. And this time, it’s the worst of the worst. These ones took out the wolf tribe chief in a single blow, and even all the pursuers chasing them.”
Jin Siwon stroked his chin.
If they were suddenly heading into the Contaminated Zone like that...
Outsiders?
Jin Siwon signaled with his eyes, and Serhi nodded as if he had the same thought.
Siwon murmured quietly.
“Might be Gnosis. It’s best we avoid them.”
“...Yeah, maybe.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle Gnosis.”
His soft voice was rooted with something deep. It carried certainty, determination, a sense of duty.
“...Tch.”
Serhi gave a short reply and moistened his lips.
Meanwhile, the station master bent down to look at Guru with a teasing grin.
“They say the leader of the wolves is a savage black wolf. A real monster. He’d gobble up a tiny squirrel like you in one bite.”
“Haah!”
Guru flinched as the image of a vicious black wolf’s fangs flashed in her mind.
Shivver shivver.
She turned pale, shoulders hunched, ears drooping.
The station master, pleased by her reaction, laughed loudly and straightened up.
“Well, you’ve got your big ol’ snow leopard dad to protect you. Hahaha!”
“I’m tired of saying I’m not.”
“Don’t lose your papa now, squirrels. Hold hands tight.”
He grabbed Serhi’s hands and thrust them forward toward the squirrels.
Guru and Siwon each took one of Serhi’s hands.
They ended up standing in a line, tallest to shortest.
One big hand, one tiny hand, both holding his firmly.
Serhi looked down at each hand’s owner in turn, but even when their eyes met, the two squirrels just beamed up at him.
“The boarding area’s that way. We should go before we’re late.”
“Yaaay~!”
With Siwon and Guru leading the way, Serhi—his hands still held—was dragged along behind them.

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