Yokai Come to the Countryside Café

Chapter 47: The Tail Was Too Long (3)

National Intelligence Service Director’s Office.

Three executives had gathered here from the morning, conducting a discussion that could greatly impact national security, befitting their positions.

It was about Ria’s school admission.

“Director Baek, are you trying to drive me mad? You barely finished setting up for kindergarten, and now you want to send her to elementary school?”

“Yes, the child’s learning ability is far beyond our expectations.”

Preparations for Ria’s attendance at kindergarten were nearly complete.

They had selected a kindergarten near the Café with the least foot traffic, and even completed behind-the-scenes system work to admit children of the same age group from NIS employees on the same day.

And now, instead of the already-prepared kindergarten, they were talking about elementary school?

Even though the National Intelligence Service operated above the law, turning an elementary school into an operational zone for several years was nearly impossible.

In the end, it meant letting the Divine Tree live among regular people. For six years, at that.

“Still, this school has too many kids...”

“She’s a smart child. She won’t cause problems.”

“Well, it’s because there’s never been a time she didn’t cause a problem. Remember that incident with the Chairman of Daecheon Group’s son? What about that Home-scooper or whatever it’s called?”

“Are you referring to homeschooling?”

“Yes, Deputy General Manager Choi! That! Homeschooling! That means she goes to school while staying home, right?”

“That’s an excellent idea. Studying at home would significantly reduce the risk of exposure.”

“Then let’s look into homeschooling first and think about the school option a bit more.”

Even at Director Oh Tae-soo’s vague suggestion, Director Baek Mahyeon didn’t leave his seat.

“The semester’s starting soon. If she doesn’t begin with the new school year, she might have a hard time adjusting. The Café owner is also most concerned about that.”

“Tsk, are you sure this won’t cause any problems?”

At the mention of Jinseong, Ria’s de facto guardian, the NIS Director reluctantly picked up his pen.

“Then we’ll proceed with this.”

-Beep-beep-beep.

Just as he finished signing the approval documents, an alert rang from the NIS Director’s phone.

“Oh dear, I almost missed it again. It’s World Boss time. Deputy General Manager Choi, why aren’t you logged in yet?”

“Ah, yes.”

He put down the approval documents and hurriedly launched Path of Heroes.

“Won’t they patch this eventually? I get that party size is tight, but shouldn’t the one who contributes the most damage get the reward? Why give it to whoever lands the last hit? Don’t you agree, Deputy General Manager Choi?”

“You’re right. It’s a very unfair fight for us.”

Originally, the intention had been to investigate the abilities of the Dragon Pearl, but the NIS Director had since gotten deeply engrossed in the game, with his character now quite high-level.

Thanks to his executive position, he could play relatively freely even during work hours.

He even had a helper to support character development.

“Hey, Deputy General Manager Choi! Heal! Heal! Ugh, I died. How many healing skills do you have, and you still can’t use one properly?”

“My apologies.”

“You think a sorry will fix this? That boss only appears once a week, and we just lost it. Deputy General Manager Choi, don’t you play the game at home? Your level’s the same.”

Unwillingly assigned as the NIS Director’s dedicated healer, Deputy General Manager Choi Kyungmoon was the sole victim of the miracle made by Yongman’s Dragon Pearl.

-Rattle-rattle.

As the sound of chair wheels drew closer, Dohyuk’s massive frame blocked half my monitor.

“What?”

When I asked in a grumpy tone, Dohyuk whispered into my ear.

“Is there anywhere to get that talisman? Preferably one that shoots ice or fire.”

“Do you think something like that exists?”

A moment later.

-Rattle-rattle.

“What now?”

“Are there academies that teach wind strikes or shrinking techniques? Like national programs? Or does the NIS offer training?”

“I told you, I don’t know.”

I’d lost count how many times this had happened.

Like a five-year-old, he kept bombarding me with questions, and I hadn’t even finished half the work I should’ve completed long ago.

Since the welcome party last weekend, he had started dropping by the Café every day, and we had gotten comfortable enough to speak casually.

But to think he’d pester me even during work hours.

-Rattle-rattle.

“Seriously, just one last question, okay?”

“This is your last one.”

“To obtain a yokai, you have to beat them nearly to death, right? Did you do that too?”

“Who said that?”

“Sanyi did.”

“That’s ridiculous... or wait, is it?”

Suddenly, a memory surfaced of how the Gumiho Elder had once pummeled Yongman into a pulp and dragged him over.

“Seriously? Whoa, shoot! Pookatmon was real-life based!”

“Hey, keep it down.”

“Oh, right.”

“You two, what are you whispering about? Pookatmon?”

“Oh, that... I was just asking if he plays Pookatmon, that’s all...”

“Hm, really?”

At Dohyuk’s stammered excuse, Assistant Manager Lee nodded indifferently and thankfully returned to being engrossed in his phone.

There were barely ten minutes left until leaving work.

Since it was the precious time where slacking off was legally allowed, Assistant Manager Lee soon lost interest in us again.

Everyone was buried in their phones as the end of the workday approached.

-Ketalk.

-Ketalk.

Notifications popped up simultaneously on Dohyuk’s and my phone.

「Director Baek Mahyeon: Elementary School Enrollment Notice (Kim Ria).hwp

Director Baek Mahyeon: Admission Guide for Geumhyo Elementary School.hwp」

“Huh?”

“Huh? Ria’s going to school?”

“What are you two whispering about this time? Who’s going to school?”

“It’s game stuff, I swear!”

Even lying that blatantly takes some skill.

Anyone else would’ve been interrogated by now, but thankfully, quitting time had saved us.

After returning home, I called for an emergency family meeting(?).

There was less than a week left before Ria started school. But gathering everyone made me realize we didn’t really have anyone to consult.

Even the only Director with kids had sent his child to elementary school over 20 years ago.

As for the two yokai, they didn’t need mentioning.

“There’s a lot to prepare.”

“But they’re all things we already have at home.”

“These are used though. We should buy all new ones. She might get teased.”

“Why would I get teased?”

“Well...”

I was at a loss for words at Ria’s innocent question.

While raising Ria, I hadn’t really put much effort into parenting.

Even when I left for work or worked from home, there were always the Elder, Sanyi, and the shamans by her side.

Especially the shamans, who brought picture books and toys for Ria almost every day whenever they came to the café.

Despite my request for them not to buy new items, they brought things their daughters or nieces had used, and the growing pile of Ria’s belongings had ironically made me more indifferent toward her.

But now things were different.

This wasn’t kindergarten, but elementary school.

Worries came flooding in — whether Ria would be able to adjust well, or if I was inadequately preparing her. It felt like the consequences of all the years I had been inattentive.

Of course, just sitting and worrying wasn’t going to change anything.

“Shall we go to the mart to get groceries and have dinner out for a change?”

“Yes!”

It had been a while since I’d gone out with Ria alone.

Because the Elder and Sanyi always stamped their attendance at the café, I felt bad for leaving Sanyi alone all the time.

So we got in the car and, after listening to about three or four theme songs from Ria’s favorite animated movies, we arrived at the mart.

“You brought the list, right?”

“Here!”

“Listen carefully. We’re not picking what’s cheap. You pick what you want. Got it?”

“What if I don’t want anything expensive?”

“That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself.”

“Hmmm, okay!”

Ria seemed to think for a moment at my words before she dashed off to the school supplies section.

I knew it. Even though I said that, Ria wasn’t going to choose anything expensive.

Even after gaining a soul, Ria had never been greedy.

She enjoyed eating delicious food, liked playing with new toys, or reading picture books.

But that was it. Once she enjoyed what was given, she never showed any sense of longing afterward.

And this was despite hanging out constantly with Sanyi, a specialist in whining and tantrums.

“All done!”

Sure enough, the school supplies Ria picked after a long while were clearly bundled items of a rather cheap quality.

The colored pencils and sign pens looked slightly dull, and the notebooks weren’t decorated with cute characters but were plain office-type bundles.

“Are you okay with that?”

“Yes! Hehe.”

I patted Ria’s head as she smiled and put her in the cart.

Honestly, I wanted to tell her to pick again, but that too was just my selfishness.

If I tried to fulfill my selfish desire for her to be an ordinary child, she would only become more self-conscious, constantly hesitating over choices she didn’t want.

“Then shall we go eat now? What do you want?”

“Tonkatsu!”

“But we have that at home too. No, let’s go and choose when we get there. How’s that?”

With Ria in the cart, we headed to the food court on the first floor.

Food courts at big marts aren’t exactly known for tasty food. Even for someone like me who eats pretty indiscriminately, the food there was just passable — nothing worth going out of the way for.

However, there was one unique charm these places had that other restaurants didn’t — food models that delighted children’s eyes.

“Wow! They look like real food!”

“Amazing, right?”

“This one has all sorts of things on one plate! And this one…”

Ria began enthusiastically taking pictures of the food models displayed beneath the counter.

“Don’t know what to eat, huh?”

“There are too many things that look tasty...”

“Pick the one that looks the tastiest.”

“Hmmm.”

A hard task indeed. Especially when every item is laid out like this and you’re told to choose.

Even adults often froze like statues in front of the counter, so it was no surprise.

While Ria was squatting and deep in thought, a kind-looking housemaid inside the restaurant shouted while waving a ladle.

“Sweetie! Our hamburger steak is delicious! Second row over there! Kids’ hamburger steak!”

“Hey now! Kids love black bean noodles! Over there in the Chinese special, there’s black bean noodles and sweet and sour pork! Hamburger steak can’t even compete! I’ll give you a big serving!”

“There’s also tteokbokki and fritters!”

The restaurant owners, seeing Ria, all started calling out with enthusiasm.

It seemed Ria looked quite cute, standing there debating in front of the menu.

“I can’t choose.”

As grateful as I was for their kind attention, it wasn’t much help to Ria.

“I’ll have this one. What about you, Mister?”

“Me too.”

The menu chosen after careful consideration was the classic of kids’ set meals — hamburger steak.

With an omurice topped with a little flag, the visually overwhelming dish had easily outshined the competition from black bean noodles and tteokbokki.

I didn’t choose to order two different dishes to share.

That way, next time we came to the mart, we’d have another happy dilemma to face.

Still, is it okay to just send her off to school like this? Do I need to go with her on the first day? I heard parents have a separate messaging group too, but I hadn’t even looked into it.

“Mister, why aren’t you eating?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I was just lost in thought.”

An adult’s worries are always just a little less joyful than a child’s.

It’s just school like everyone else goes to. What could go wrong?