The Fighting Dog of a Ruined Organization

Yu Jin-ri knows almost nothing except for the field she majored in.

But the moment her field of study comes up, she gets excited and starts talking like crazy.

“You know, a phoenix isn’t as great an animal as a vermilion bird, but it’s still a rare animal because it’s a bird that doesn’t die.”

The way Yu Jin-ri is acting feels like hearing just the word Pikachu and then,

‘Wow! You know Pokémon. There’s a Pikachu called Ash’s Pikachu that wears Ash’s hat, and this Pikachu is so cute that…’

and then rambling on and on.

Shall we listen for a bit?

“Many people confuse phoenix and vermilion bird, but a phoenix is strictly a species while a vermilion bird is a single individual. And a phoenix is a bird that doesn’t die, it just turns to ash when it dies and then resurrects, but its body doesn’t actually burn. However, a vermilion bird’s body is always burning, and it’s known to have better regeneration abilities than a phoenix, so it never dies and is also more powerful.”

Did everyone hear that?

I didn’t catch it all because I let it go in one ear and out the other. Is there anyone who asked what the difference between a phoenix and a vermilion bird is?

What I’m curious about isn’t the difference between a phoenix and a vermilion bird, but what we can do with that feather.

“Hey, so what can we do with a phoenix feather?”

“Oh! About that. A phoenix feather has fire attribute magi, you know? If we use this, we can make clothes that are resistant to fire!”

“You mean it can withstand fire attacks easily?”

“That’s right! Depending on how it’s used, we can also make clothes with cold protection effects.”

“Can’t it have both fire resistance and cold protection?”

“Come on, how can you make something like that with just one phoenix feather? You’re too greedy, Hyeon-woo!”

“Then, is it possible to add new materials to clothes that are already made?”

“Oh! That’s possible. Who do you think I am?”

“A pervert nerd?”

“Bzzt! Wrong.”

“Someone whose ki is not virgin in the theory of virgin ki?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m a virgin, you know?”

“Yeah, if a unicorn sees you, it’ll stab you to death with its horn.”

“Come on, where in the world is there a unicorn?”

What the hell, there are no unicorns in this world either?

There are phoenixes and vermilion birds, but not a single white horse with a horn?

That’s ridiculous.

“I’d rather believe that platypuses are real animals!”

“Those are real animals, though.”

“What? Really?”

Is it not? I’m not sure because this world is so lacking in fundamentals.

“Never mind. Then for now, since it’s summer, make clothes with fire resistance. We can think about cold protection measures when the time comes.”

“Is it for you to wear, Hyeon-woo?”

“No, it’s for the young miss boss.”

No matter how much I’m the core combatant in Fantasia, if Eris dies, Fantasia becomes meaningless. It’s right to go in a direction where Eris can survive as much as possible.

As for me, well, I just need to dodge attacks and that’s it.

“But you said you couldn’t finish making the staff last time. Did you finish making clothes?”

“Of course! Clothes are easier to make than staffs. You just need to process the magi and infuse it into the clothes! It’s possible with any clothes. Isn’t that convenient?”

“That is convenient. It’s excessively writer-convenient.”

“Writer-convenient? Why are you talking about writers?”

“It’s something you don’t need to know, so let’s move on. Can you transfer the power infused into one piece of clothing to another?”

“That’s not possible. So when you make clothes once, you need to make them well for the clothes you want, right?”

“Is there anything you can’t do? Is there something even you can’t do?”

“Of course, with more research it might become possible, but it’s impossible right now. I’d like to dress the boss in various clothes too! The boss is cute after all. The fun of dressing her in different clothes…”

“That sounds impure.”

“What?! Me?”

“I want to take a picture of what your eyes looked like and show it to you.”

Yu Jin-ri might have some suspicious tastes. I should make a note in my brain’s notepad.

“Come on, don’t misunderstand. I just thought that if I get married and have a daughter later, I’d want a daughter like the boss.”

“Really? Who are you going to marry?”

“Th-that’s a secret!”

It’s annoying how she’s blushing. Why are these people who have no intention of getting married showing interest?

“If it’s a secret, I’m not curious, so forget it.”

“R-really not curious? I’m willing to tell you if you’re curious.”

“Yeah, I’m not curious, so go make the staff.”

“Ah! Actually, there’s a problem with that.”

Yu Jin-ri’s expression suddenly turned serious. What’s the problem?

“This house is too small to bring the manufacturing equipment from the workshop. So I need to make it at the workshop!”

“Then go do it. What’s the problem?”

“I-I’m scared! What if I get kidnapped again while I’m alone?”

“There’s no Ponkashi or Banana Man, who would kidnap you?”

“For example, kukuku… You’re the beautiful researcher of Fantasia I’ve only heard rumors about. I’ll kidnap you and do this and that! Someone could say that, you know?”

“What the hell is in your head? Even if someone kidnaps, they’d kidnap the young miss boss, why would they do you?”

“Phew─ Still!”

“Hmm…”

But Yu Jin-ri has a point. There’s nothing more worrying than leaving someone without any combatants.

It would be different if everyone had the strength to protect themselves at least.

“It would be dangerous indeed.”

“Right? Don’t you think it would be really dangerous for a beautiful researcher like me?”

“No, not you, but the young miss boss.”

“No, no, I’m saying I’m in danger! Me!”

“I know. Actually, I was joking.”

It’s not like Yu Jin-ri isn’t in danger. To be frank, among Eris, Shizu, and Yu Jin-ri, the one with the highest combat power is Shizu.

Is it because she’s been doing intense part-time jobs? Shizu’s combat power is 10. But Yu Jin-ri’s combat power is 5, so she’s twice as weak as Shizu.

And Eris is twice as weak as Yu Jin-ri.

“Looking at just combat power, it’s worrying to leave all three of them alone.”

“Right? It’s really dangerous, isn’t it?!”

“Okay, I get it, so be quiet. It’s so noisy I could die.”

Can’t even make a joke.

She’s pretty, but it’s because of things like this that I don’t see her as a potential partner. I wonder what kind of man would live with this chattering nerd.

Most men would probably treat her as a disposable toy just based on her looks. I guess I’ll have to protect her until then. She’s a valuable researcher after all.

“Anyway, since it’s already evening, let’s all have dinner, get clothes, and then go to the workshop. That should work, right?”

“Oh! That sounds good. How about we sleep at the workshop tonight?”

“Is the workshop environment that good?”

“It’s ten times better than this semi-basement, you know?”

Wait, then you can sleep in a much better environment.

“Why are you only telling me this now?”

“You didn’t ask!”

“Haa… Let’s not talk about it. Just get ready to go out.”

“Okay!”

Yu Jin-ri went into the bathroom to wash up, doing a little shoulder dance. Women usually take a long time to wash up, so I’ll lie down and rest for a bit─

“Ah, I feel refreshed!”

“Why are you done washing already?”

Yu Jin-ri came out with a towel wrapped around her clothes, her hair dripping water.

Looking at the clock, only 3 minutes have passed. Is it possible to wash up in just 3 minutes? And for a woman at that?

“Why? Isn’t it better to wash quickly?”

“Are you actually a man?”

“What? Even I would be hurt by such words.”

Even a man would find it difficult to wash up and come out in 3 minutes.

“Hyeonu! I want to wash too, it’s hot.”

“Okay? Then the young miss boss should go wash too.”

“It’s no fun and takes too long to wash alone, so let’s wash together!”

“No, the young miss boss is a girl, remember? And I’m a man?”

“It doesn’t matter! I want to wash with Hyeonu!”

What should I do with a boss who has no awareness of being a girl?

“If Hyeonu doesn’t wash with me, I won’t wash either!”

What should I do with this childish behavior that really makes her seem like a daughter?

“Fine, fine. Let’s wash together.”

“Yay! I’m washing with Hyeonu!”

Eris stripped off her clothes and beckoned me to come in. Her body really looks like a young child’s everywhere, so I don’t feel anything in particular.

“I’ll undress after I go in.”

“Whaaat?”

“Just because the young miss boss is okay with it doesn’t mean Yu Jin-ri will be too, right?”

“Hyeon-woo, I’m fine with it. You can undress in front of me, I won’t mind at all.”

“Wipe the drool flowing from your mouth before you speak, you pervert.”

“Calling me a pervert is too harsh!”

Yu Jin-ri glared at me with her lips pouting. Should I give her a nose-nose-nose-nose punch?

But if I do the nose-nose-nose-nose punch like I did to the goblin, Yu Jin-ri might not return from the other world. Regretfully, I decide to do it when Yu Jin-ri’s endurance becomes stronger and enter the bathroom.

I thought it would be uncomfortable to wash together because the bathroom is quite narrow, but it was fine because Eris’s body is so small. So this is why poor parents don’t have space issues when raising young children. Children’s bodies are really small.

“Hyeonu! Scrub my back!”

Eris pointed at her back with her tiny finger. But there’s only a green scrubber that looks like it would hurt. Is it really okay?

I carefully scrubbed her back, and,

“Ugyagyaaak!”

Eris’s feeble scream echoed.

“Why, why are you scrubbing so painfully?”

“I did it gently.”

“Wuu! You’re talking exactly like our dad?!”

“No, I really did it gently.”

“Stop joking and really scrub gently!”

Swoosh.

“Ugyagak! I hate Hyeonu! Don’t scrub me, Hyeonu!”

Eris tried to snatch the scrubber from me with tears in her eyes. But seeing her jumping up and down trying to snatch it with that tiny body made her look so cute that I wanted to tease her more.

Swoosh, I pushed her outstretched arm with the scrubber,

“Kyaaaak!”

Eris’s snow-white skin turned bright red. Oops, that must hurt a lot. Maybe I should stop.

“Hueeeng… Hyeonu is bullying me…”

Ah, she ended up crying.

“I’m sorry, young miss boss.”

At times like this, you should hug her, pat her head, and comfort her while saying,

“I did it unconsciously because the young miss boss is too cute.”

“R-really? Am I cuteee?”

“Of course, the young miss boss is the cutest in the world.”

“Hehe, then I can’t help it. But that doesn’t mean you can scrub me again! I’m letting you off just this once.”

That’s a pity. I wanted to scrub her one more time since she said she couldn’t help it.

“But every time I hug you, I feel that Hyeonu is really huge after all?”

What? What’s huge?

“You’re talking about height, right?”

“Yep! What else is there to talk about besides height?”

“You should be careful saying such things during a bath, it could be misunderstood.”

“Ah? That thing besides height? Hyeonu’s that is really huge too!”

“H-hey, Hyeon-woo! What are you doing to Eris in there right now?!”

“I’m not doing anything, you pervert.”

And so, we finished bathing healthily without any problems.

After Shizu, who came back from her last part-time job today, also took a bath, we headed out.

“It’s hot…”

But the scorching heat that made our bath seem meaningless came to torment us. Maybe because it’s summer, it’s still quite bright even though it’s 6 PM.

Wang… wang…

“It’s itchy…”

“It gets itchier if you scratch.”

“How can I not scratch when it’s itchy?!”

There was also the mosquito dilemma.

In many ways, it’s the worst weather.

“Hey, does the workshop have air conditioning?”

“Of course! The optimal environment is essential for a scholar! When you’re drenched in sweat, it’s hard to research because you start having lewd thoughts.”

“I think that’s just you. Then, do you have anything to drive away mosquitoes?”

“Yes! The special mosquito repellent I developed completely prevents mosquitoes from entering.”

“That mosquito repellent doesn’t have any weird ingredients, right?”

“Weird ingredients? Come on, of course not.”

Why do I feel uneasy, shit.

Yu Jin-ri is the kind of woman who could make mosquito repellent with weird ingredients and have some left over. She’s such a pervert that even if a unicorn got angry and stabbed her to death with its horn, it would be ruled not guilty.

“I’ll trust you for now anyway.”

“Why ‘for now’? What were you thinking inside?”

“Nothing…”

“Waaah!”

As I was about to say I wasn’t thinking anything, I bumped into a passerby. The passerby screamed as if in pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

When I apologized and looked, it was a student in a school uniform. About four of them forming a group, and one student who looked like either a lackey or an errand boy, making a sad face while forcibly putting their arm around his shoulder pretending to be close.

Looking at how they’ve narrowed their pant legs and haven’t buttoned their shirts properly, they seem to be delinquents.

“Ah, shit. Mister, is saying sorry enough? Do you fucking know who I am?!”

What’s this? Does he want to get hit?

I was hesitating because he looked like he might die if I hit him, when one of the group behind him suddenly got surprised and stopped the delinquent.

“Gasp! Stop! This person is the Red-eyed Mad Dog!”

“What’s that?”

The delinquent and I asked simultaneously, looking at the group member.

Because I heard a nickname for myself that I didn’t know.