I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 47: A Person in Need of Help

“You... pfft.”

The chick on her palm spread its wings and opened its beak wide, roaring as if to assert dominance. It was, truly, not the least bit majestic.

“Where did my elegant, graceful form go—! At the very least, I should be able to take the form of a child, shouldn’t I?!”

“I told you, you’re severely underpowered... I definitely told you that.”

Ignis, the chick, let out a sigh through a beak barely the size of a fingernail and muttered in a gloomy voice.

“...Then please make ramen. Quickly.”

“You’re not letting go of that, huh.”

She let out a half-laugh of disbelief and smiled, turning on the faucet to fill a pot she had left overturned in the sink.

She placed the chick-like Ignis on the gas stove and gently set the pot on top of its fluffy-looking head.

Then, standing on a step stool, she opened the cupboard and took out a pack of ramen.

She must have shoved it in hard last time—getting it out took some effort.

...Maybe I shouldn’t have laughed at Ignis.

Hoping that its new form was just a temporary growth phase, she tore open the ramen packet.

Still, seeing the water begin to boil quickly thanks to the stronger heat Ignis now gave off—even compared to when it was just a stone—gave her a faint sense of satisfaction.

No wonder something felt off when we smashed those statues.

She wasn’t sure what kind of trick had been pulled, but it did seem like some of Ignis’s strength had returned.

Even if it was only enough to change from a stone into a chick.

Of course, since Ignis would have to return to stone form for transport anyway, it wasn’t going to change much unless they were secretly eating like this.

Still, it’s hilarious.

Recalling the image of Ignis back in Entera, she sprinkled the dried flakes and soup powder into the pot. Then she snapped the noodles in half and tossed them in, opening the fridge.

She pulled out an egg she’d bought cheap at the big-box store and tapped it twice on the sink.

The shell cracked open with a crunch, revealing a vivid yellow yolk.

She plopped it into the pot and tossed the shell into the trash.

Adding an egg to ramen like this... for some reason, it struck her with a bit of emotion.

There had been a time when she couldn’t even afford to crack an egg into her ramen—but now she could.

That was when her eyes fell on the red chick sitting under the pot.

...Should be okay to add the egg, right?

It wasn’t like it was a real chick, after all.

It would be fine.

She gently stirred the noodles so the egg wouldn’t break and completed the ramen.

With nothing else on the counters, she placed the pot on the sink, which looked clean purely because it was so empty, then took out a paper cup from the cupboard.

She used a pair of scissors that had been lying around unused to slice the cup in half, then ladled out some broth and noodles into it.

Finally, she picked up Ignis—who had been fluffing its body on the stove—and set it down in front of the cup. The once-gloomy chick now chirped excitedly.

“Finally!”

...The savory flavor of ramen was something that didn’t exist in Entera, sure—but was it really something to make such a fuss over?

Still, if that was how Ignis felt, there wasn’t much to say.

She stared at the red chick as it eagerly pecked at the ramen, and then suddenly remembered Aslan, who was still tucked inside her pocket.

“Aslan, are you okay?”

[I cannot taste anything, remember?]

“Oh, right.”

She turned her gaze back to Ignis and saw the yellow yolk smeared across its beak as it devoured noodles.

...This feels kind of wrong.

Of all the things it could have taken the shape of... why a chick?

She mulled it over while dipping her chopsticks into the leftover ramen she hadn’t given to Ignis.

Still tasted good, as always.

The shoot was scheduled sooner than expected.

It likely had to do with the urgency shown by the person who submitted the story.

After getting ready, she opened the front door.

Thanks to the landlord grandma who’d fixed it last weekend, it no longer creaked—just swung open smoothly.

It felt like a sign that life was improving, even just a little, and that thought alone put her in a better mood.

Stepping outside, she was greeted by clear skies—the perfect weather for ghost hunting.

Not that there’s really such a thing as a “perfect” day for that.

Before heading out properly, she checked what she had on her.

First, Ignis and Aslan, both returned to their stone forms.

Next, cash for public transportation.

And finally... coarse salt.

She hadn’t needed it for the stone statues, but since she’d paid for it this time, she hoped it’d prove useful.

With all supplies confirmed, she made her way to the bus stop.

It’s been a while since I took a bus.

Shuffling along toward the stop and waiting there, she couldn’t help but feel the absence of Hyesung.

Still, since it wasn’t rush hour on a weekday, the crowd wasn’t bad.

She stared blankly up at the sky as she waited.

Before long, her bus came into view in the distance.

Thump!

The door opened with a clunk, revealing an older bus driver.

Their eyes met, and when she gave a slight bow, he chuckled and nodded her aboard.

The warm welcome felt a bit much, but there was no harm in it. She pulled two crumpled thousand-won bills from her pocket.

Should I get a transit card if I’m going to be taking buses more often?

Carefully, she fed the bills into the machine and heard the clink of coins being dispensed as change.

But something was off.

She should’ve received either a single 500-won coin or five # Nоvеlight # 100-won ones—but the amount seemed too much.

She checked her hand: 900 won.

Tilting her head, she checked the fare chart. Sure enough, the adult fare was listed as 1,500 won.

After a moment’s hesitation, she decided she couldn’t in good conscience keep the extra, and was about to return the 400 won—when the driver asked in confusion:

“Miss, why are you putting the coins back in after I gave you change?”

“I got too much. I should’ve gotten just 500 won back, but I got 900.”

The driver gave her a blank stare, then started the bus and replied:

“For students, it’s 1,100 won.”

“...Huh?”

She looked back at the fare chart again.

(Adult fare / Transit card: 1,450 won | Cash: 1,500 won)

(Youth fare / Transit card: 1,010 won | Cash: 1,100 won)

...Hmm.

She stiffened slightly, then opened her mouth again.

“I’m an adult, though? So I’m supposed to pay 1,500 won.”

“Huh...?”

The driver glanced at her with a doubtful look, then simply told her to find a seat.

He must’ve thought she was just a stubborn kid refusing to accept a discount.

There was no point arguing further, so she flopped into an empty seat.

...Guess I saved some money.

So why did her mouth taste so bitter?

She stared out the window at the passing scenery, trying to forget about it.

After riding for quite a while, she got off the bus and stretched to shake out her stiff body.

Checking the time, she realized it was almost time to meet Hyeyeon, so she hurried toward the address they had agreed on.

Soon, she entered a neighborhood full of the classic red-brick houses.

In the distance, she spotted Hyeyeon.

She was looking down at her smartphone, seemingly waiting.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

Feeling playful like last time, she moved quietly, trying to sneak up—but Hyeyeon turned her head in her direction.

Startled, she flinched, and saw Hyeyeon smirking.

“How’d you know?”

“I just checked because it was about time for you to arrive.”

“....”

Maybe that prank she pulled last time had left more of an impression than she thought.

...If she ends up streaming together with Arin... will that be okay?

She felt a flicker of concern, but it still felt like a distant future.

“So, the person we’re meeting today?”

“They’ll be here soon. Want to wait at the café over there in the meantime?”

“Sure.”

Following Hyeyeon’s casual suggestion, they walked to a nearby café they’d passed on the way.

The moment the door opened, a rich coffee aroma tickled her nose.

She naturally followed behind Hyeyeon toward the counter, and stood next to her checking the menu—and froze.

Her body stiffened at the sight of coffee prices that far exceeded her expectations.

She could buy five packs of ramen for that.

The iced Americano seemed like the most reasonably priced item, so she went with that.

She took her coffee, sat down at a table, and slurped a bit through the straw.

...Ugh. Bitter.

It was way too bitter.

Hyeyeon giggled from across the table and said:

“If you don’t like it that bitter, you could’ve picked something else.”

“...Didn’t think it’d be this bitter.”

Maybe it was because she kept comparing it to the one Hyesung had bought her—it tasted even worse now.

“There’s syrup over there. Add some.”

“Yeah?”

She looked where Hyeyeon pointed and saw a pump bottle of syrup on the condiment table.

She shuffled over, opened the cup lid, and pressed the syrup pump three times.

After stirring with her straw and taking another sip, the bitter flavor transformed into something sweet and nutty.

She nodded in satisfaction and returned to her seat, savoring the upgraded taste.

“Isn’t that basically sugar water now?”

“Huh? It’s not that sweet.”

“...If you say so, unnie.”

Hyeyeon gave her a strange look.

It’s just right...

By the time she finished her coffee and was crunching on the leftover ice cubes, a stranger approached their table.

A woman with a haggard expression.

If Hyeyeon gave off a gloomy vibe, this person looked like someone who had simply been worn down.