“...Daddychann?”
“Mm. Did you sleep well?”
“DADDYCHANN?!”
Without even opening her eyes all the way, Guru sat up and shouted for Jurim.
“That’s right, Daddychann.”
Her noise roused all the followers, who rubbed their eyes and yawned.
Jurim wrapped his arms around Guru as she climbed into his lap.
“Daddychann, Gwuu misshed you so vewy much.”
“Mhm, Daddychann did too.”
“Hold on. About Mephi.”
“Mhm?”
“Didn’t you make him from eggs in the fridge?”
Guru, mid-yawn, tilted her head.
“Mhm? Nuuuh. Gwuu made him fwom a dungeon cowe.”
“That’s even possib—... well, for you, I guess.”
This child never failed to surprise him. Her production skills weren’t just outstanding—they went far beyond anything he’d expected.
His thoughts stopped at a particular memory: the moment Mephisto had turned human.
Jurim’s sharp eyes moved between Veilach and Mephisto.
“You can’t turn Mephi back into a dungeon again, can you?”
“Nope. Not gonna.”
“Pii-pii!”
Mephisto lashed out with an angry kick. Jurim turned his head aside to dodge and let out a sigh.
Two dangerous seeds sticking so close to Guru...
“...Fine.”
But what could he do? He always ended up giving in to her. Raising both hands in surrender, Jurim accepted defeat.
Guru giggled and burrowed deeper into his arms. Jurim bent close and whispered into her soft little ear.
“I love you, my daughter.”
Guru squealed with laughter, twisting away at the ticklishness, her cheeks glowing with mischief and joy.
“Gwuu wuvs you too.”
Jurim smiled. Somewhere, he thought he heard Sheir laughing.
Chapter PPL
A few days after the amnesia incident with the Hyeonak Guildmaster was resolved—
An announcement went up that Inoue Haruna’s special exhibition was suspended for “various circumstances,” drawing criticism from Hunters.
Haruna herself had not shown her face, seemingly holed up in the hotel.
The Japanese side was on edge, afraid it might become public that the items in the exhibition weren’t actually made by Haruna—
—but Jurim’s side seemed content to leave it at halting the exhibition, making no further moves.
The real reason Jurim took no other action was something else entirely.
Guru had pressed her face close to the camcorder lens.
When her face appeared in the reflection, she smirked and spoke quietly.
“Hewwo, dis is Gwuu.”
Starting a few days ago, Guru had begun filming Hyeonak’s in-house content, Today’s Guru.
She claimed to have the Guildmaster’s permission, but how she had gotten Jurim—who usually avoided having her appear in guild-related media—to agree was anyone’s guess.
Both Jurim and the PR team leader had told her multiple times she could stop anytime if it became too hard—
It soundsh fun!
And she had a bit of a manual to follow, plus...
“Mmm. Today, Gwuu gonna patwow Hyeonak, keep evewyone in wine, an’ catch peopwe who bweak da wuwes.”
...most of all, there was a concept!
Wearing a police cap and a uniform plastered with sponsor logos, today’s Guru was more fired up than ever.
Today’s role: one-day police officer!
A day when the child who’d always been on the receiving end of crackdowns could finally do some cracking down herself!
“Oh, an’ today Gwuu haz a hewper.”
Doo-goo-doo-goo-doo-goo—
Guru made drumroll sounds with her mouth.
“It’s Daddychann! Today Daddychann is super adowabwe. Pwease wook forward to it.”
Kikikik.
Grinning mischievously, Guru spun the camcorder around.
On screen appeared Jurim, wearing a police uniform identical to hers, sponsor logos and all.
His half-lidded eyes and obvious displeasure radiated his distaste for the situation.
He’d said he no longer needed to wear the glove, but perhaps to avoid explaining it every time, he still kept one on his left hand.
“Daddychann! Intwoduce youwsewf!”
“On Jurim.”
At his curt, gruff reply, Guru scooted closer and tilted her head up at him.
“Daddychann, awe you cwyin’?”
“I’m not. Stop asking.”
It was already the tenth time since he’d started wearing that sour look.
Guru, solemn-faced, leaned in toward the camcorder.
“Evewyone, da Hyeonak Guildmastuh nevew cwies, even when he’s sad.”
With that, she pulled a square Post-it from her tiny bag—the kind she’d be using to hand out countless “tickets.”
Instead of ticketing him this time, she wrote: [Award: Didn’t Cry] and handed it to him.
Jurim crumpled it up and tossed it away, only for Guru to scurry after it like a puppy and pick it up again.
While Jurim silently despaired with his hands over his face, she stuck the Post-it to his lapel like a medal and patted it firmly to make sure it stayed.
“Okay, Daddychann, you’ da # Nоvеlight # camewaman.”
She offered the camcorder, and he took it with an unenthusiastic expression.
“Wet’s go!”
“Where to?”
“Pawking wot!”
She checked the time and hopped in place.
“Quick-quick!”
Pulled along by her small hand, Jurim pressed B1 in the elevator and looked down to see her rummaging in her bag.
“What? What are you planning?”
“Speed...!”
“Speed?”
Guru peeked at the one-day police manual sheet.
“Speed viowation contwow!”
She read brightly, then chuckled to herself and pulled a toy gun from her bag.
“Speed gun! Dis can measuwe speed! If it’s over ten kiwometuhs, Gwuu gonna catch ’em aww!”
Ten kilometers? She really meant to nab everyone commuting by car.
“...That’s entrapment. Speed limits only apply inside the building—pick something else.”
“Ssshhhk...”
She narrowed her eyes into triangles and pouted.
Jurim smirked and pinched her little lips. Clearly, she still held a grudge over being stopped herself.
“Let me see. What else is there?”
“Gwuu wiww wead it. Uhh... stop suspishush peopwe, hewp peopwe in twoubwe, check dat impowtant pwaces awe safe...”
Jurim was thinking this was a bit too real for a variety segment when the elevator doors opened.
“Guru?”
“Nayeon unnie!”
“Oh my! Today you’re a little police officer?”
Guru and Nayeon clasped hands and squealed.
Jurim, watching how they got so excited every time despite seeing each other daily, shamelessly met the stares falling on him.
“What are you looking at?”
“...Ahem. Hello, Guildmaster.”
Kim, team leader of Raid Team 1, who’d boarded with Nayeon, gave a belated greeting after glancing sidelong at him.
Even after greeting, he stood slanted in the corner, sneaking glances.
“What? What is it?”
“No, it’s just... you look so cool and cute today...”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Of course~ Our Guildmaster, who even got an award for not crying...”
Kim barely suppressed his laughter, and Jurim crushed the Post-it again, eyeing him with a heavy-lidded glare that said he could crumple him too if he felt like it.
Kim promptly shut his mouth.
The awkward silence was broken by Guru pulling out a Post-it and speaking to Nayeon.
“Gwuu’s a one-day powice today, so Gwuu haz to ticket you, unnie.”
“Why? What did I do wrong?”
“Mhm, you too pweety.”
Her cheeky answer made Nayeon burst out laughing.
The men, caught in the cold atmosphere, smiled at the flower-like scene between the two—only to cough and turn their heads when Jurim caught them looking.
Nayeon stuck the [Too Pretty] ticket on her chest.
Watching with a grin, Kim asked eagerly once Guru put her Post-its away,
“Guru, what about me? Don’t I get a ticket?”
Guru gaped at him.
“Wooks wike no ticket for you.”
Jurim smirked, curling his lip, and Kim turned his back with an awkward cough.
“I mean, it’s not like I needed one...”
Just then, Guru tried to stick a [Ugwy] ticket on his back.
Jurim spotted it and snatched her up by the scruff like a kitten, stepping off at the mid-floor.
“But Gwuu didn’t stick it yet...”
“That’s rude!”
Rude? Guru asked in shock.
“Team weader’s face...?”
“It’s rude to say he’s ugly!”
“Ahhh!”

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