“Waaah!”

Guru, eating milk bingsu with Woojoo and Nayeon while organizing her review, rubbed her chin.

So adults really care about form too.

Things like drones were one thing, but when it came to items that required direct use and attachment, it was definitely inconvenient for adults.

Up until now, she’d just modified store-bought toys.

Especially the carrot knife with debuffs—Guru thought it’d be better to distribute it team-by-team in a form adults could actually use.

If up until now the toys were for ages 2 to 4—

“Now it’s for ages 5 and up!”

To think she could finally use 5+ toys.

“Gwuu a gwown-up now......”

Guru sniffled as she thought, once again, how much she’d grown.

“S-Rank, huh......”

While she could make S-Rank items, even the syrup for skill enhancement barely ever surpassed C-Rank.

“Hmm......”

Thanks to the Criteito Reactor, her energy efficiency had improved a lot, so crafting high-rank items had become easier—but it still wasn’t enough to be called something special.

S-Ranks were within reach for top-tier artisans too...

Of course, the options and features were different, so the grade wasn’t everything, but—

“Gwuu wanna make da S+ sewies too!”

Unless she could make that level of stuff, the older girls and boys wouldn’t want Guru’s items.

“Only way is endless twaining, huh.”

As Guru folded her arms and continued pondering, Woojoo and Nayeon tilted their heads in confusion.

“Eat the bingsu first, Guru.”

Nayeon pulled the bowl closer to her.

“Pweee—”

Then Mephisto opened his mouth wide and whined to be fed.

Guru scooped up a big spoonful and fed the Mephisto on her head, who puffed out both cheeks full of bingsu and trembled with a wink.

At that scene, laughter burst out at the table—

And someone approached them.

A woman, wearing a bucket hat pulled low, lowered her mask and smiled.

“Not late, right?”

“We just got here too.”

At Nayeon’s response, Iromi sat in the empty seat and chuckled.

“Two babies sitting together like that—sooo cute.”

“Right?”

Nayeon replied with a grin, and Guru giggled, Heehee, but Woojoo frowned, clearly displeased by being called a “baby.”

“Come to think of it, Jjang Nayeon, I heard your ranking went up. Why didn’t you brag about it?”

“Ahaha, well. It’s not really my doing—it’s all thanks to Guru.”

“Huh? Guru’s that good at Hunter stuff?”

“Yes, she is.”

It was Woojoo who answered in Nayeon’s place.

“So that tiny kid goes into dungeons and fights with you?”

“No. She makes all kinds of stuff so I can fight well.”

“Wow... So like a genius engineer or something?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Oh my gosh! That’s seriously amazing, little baby!”

Iromi excitedly squished Guru’s cheeks between both hands.

“Uuu—”

Guru puffed her lips like a fish, and Woojoo quietly pulled Iromi’s hands away.

“Noona, Guru’s uncomfortable.”

“......!”

Iromi gasped, looking back and forth between Guru and Woojoo, then smacked Nayeon’s shoulder. Nayeon burst out laughing.

Woojoo realized what that reaction meant and flushed bright red.

“So cute.”

“Too cuteee.”

Iromi and Nayeon rested their chins in their hands and stared endlessly at Guru and Woojoo.

Guru looked puzzled, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° but the Mephisto on her head squinted and shot Woojoo a side glance.

As the gazes bore down, Woojoo slowly drooped his head and then, trembling, began to speak.

“I think I’ll get going—”

“Ookie ookie. We’ll stop teasing now. The noonas were being dense.”

Iromi smacked Nayeon’s shoulder again, and Nayeon nodded.

“Yeah, Woojoo. Hang out a little more.”

“Pway a bit more.”

“......”

With both Nayeon and Guru holding him back, Woojoo clamped his mouth shut.

“’Kay......”

Iromi chuckled softly and changed the subject.

“By the way, Hunter On Ijo? Wasn’t he a genius like Guru? I heard he was from the crafting side or something.”

On Ijo.

At the familiar name, Guru perked her ears.

“Mm. He was.”

Nayeon responded with a slightly awkward smile.

Seeing that, Iromi lowered her voice.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just... inside the guild, there’s kinda an unspoken rule not to talk about Hunter On Ijo. So it feels awkward.”

“Ah—yeah, I get that......”

Since he had family left... Iromi furrowed her brows with sympathy.

Ordinary citizens still often brought up his name as Korea’s genius and hero, so she hadn’t even thought about the fact Jurim was his surviving family.

“Oh, Jjang Nayeon. Remember my old agency CEO? Ahn Sanghyeon.”

Iromi shifted topics smoothly.

“CEO Ahn? What about him?”

“Lately he can’t sleep. Says he’s possessed by a ghost or something. Been desperately searching for some famous shaman, eyes all bloodshot.”

“A ghost?”

“I knew it. That’s what happens when you live like an asshole—you get haunted!”

Guru looked at the laughing Iromi while stuffing a huge spoonful of milk bingsu in her mouth.

As the sweet ice melted on her tongue, her gaze turned toward the shop’s big front window.

Suddenly, Suhyeong’s words came back to her—how he’d pointed at a banner of On Ijo and said he was her uncle.

“Uncwe......”

What kind of person had he been?

Just like Nayeon said, talking about On Ijo was sort of an unspoken rule.

Even Guru had avoided bringing him up subconsciously. She knew it was a sensitive subject.

But now that she was On Guru—now that she was part of the family—maybe it was okay to want to know more about her uncle?

Of course, she didn’t have the guts to ask Grandpa or Daddychann directly.

“Humm......”

Losing her appetite, Guru set down her spoon and propped her chin.

That’s when it happened.

The very spoon she’d just put down slowly raised its head.

Nayeon and Iromi were busy chatting, so the only ones who noticed were Woojoo and Mephisto.

“......?”

“Pweet?”

What the heck?

Neither of them knew why the spoon was moving, so their mouths dropped open.

The spoon, as if mocking their surprise, rose completely upright.

“What?!”

“Pweeeee?!”

Startled, Woojoo half rose from his seat—

“What’s wong?”

When Guru turned her gaze, the spoon was back to normal.

“No, nothing......”

Woojoo shook his head.

“Hmm?”

What the heck? Woojoo tried to wipe the shocked expression from his face and looked at Mephisto.

Mephisto, too, had opened his triangular beak into a diamond shape and locked eyes with Woojoo.

“.......”

“.......”

They exchanged silent glances.

It wasn’t a mistake.

Then what was that?

“Pwee......”

Mephisto furrowed his brows and rubbed his chin with a wing.

It was clearly Guru’s power that had made the spoon move.

But Guru didn’t seem to realize she’d done it.

If that was the case... it might be a sign she’d grown too quickly to control her power properly.

Meanwhile, as Guru turned her gaze back out the window, Mephisto and Woojoo sharply turned their heads and fixed their eyes on the spoon.

“.......”

“.......”

Tense with anticipation—but the spoon didn’t move again.

Only then did the two finally sigh in relief.