Following the end of the banquet, there was a brief two-day leave before the preparations for the main operation would begin.

The morning he opened his eyes was Christmas Eve, one of the rare days Jung-woo could enjoy his first overseas trip with his child.

The day was bustling from dawn.

Since they had come all the way overseas, he wanted to at least soak in the travel atmosphere during the day.

At the same time, he didn’t forget to prepare for the evening’s event.

[Ho-jong: Off to play by yourself, I see. I’m busy buying a Santa outfit, wrapping presents, and decorating the room without a moment’s rest, yet you really know how to have a good time, Mr. Jung-woo.]

[Jung-woo: I’ll buy you something delicious tonight.]

[Ho-jong: My palate is expensive.]

[Jung-woo: They say the beer here is quite good. Shall we have it with yakitori?]

[Ho-jong: Oh.]

Jung-woo chuckled after reading the message.

He knew Ho-jong wasn’t genuinely complaining.

After humoring Ho-jong, the real outing finally began.

Thanks to the snow that had fallen just a few days prior, the entire street was painted a pristine white.

“Daddy! It’s so slippery here!”

“You need to be careful not to slip.”

“Se-gi’s shoes are super tough, so it’s fine!”

She seemed thrilled to walk through the snow, stepping out on her own two feet the moment they left the hotel, brimming with excitement.

Come to think of it, the first snow hadn’t fallen in Seoul yet this winter.

Even if it snowed every year, to a child, it would still be something special.

He had already researched the tourist courses beforehand.

He selected routes the child could enjoy, sticking only to the famous spots everyone visited.

He had heard that was how one should do a first trip.

First, they left Osaka and headed to Nara.

The deer park there was incredibly famous.

“Daddy! Deer! Deer! Their butts are so round! And they’re so bouncy!”

“Should we give them deer crackers?”

“Yeah! Hurry!”

At the sight of deer roaming the streets freely without any restrictions, Se-gi fell into a state of extreme excitement, stomping her feet.

When they fed the deer crackers, the deer would eat them from their hands, and Jung-woo found it quite fun as well.

It was incredibly endearing to see Se-gi startled by the deer saliva getting on her fingers.

“Eek!”

“The deer are just like you, Se-gi. They eat crackers and suck on fingers too.”

“No! Se-gi doesn’t suck on fingers!”

“Really? I think I’ve seen you do it.”

“…”

As she pouted her lips, a gap formed between her and the deer.

With her eyes narrowed in a glare, she seemed genuinely indignant.

It was so amusing that he giggled.

After passing such moments and finishing their tour of the park, they even went to Kyoto.

“Cartoon alley!”

“It’s a Japanese alley.”

“Is Japan a cartoon?”

“Well, it is the place that makes the most of them, right?”

“Then did we come to a cartoon???”

“Hmm, maybe?”

To children, it seemed Japan and the inside of a cartoon weren’t all that different.

Even looking at the facts, half the animations broadcast on children’s TV were made in Japan, so it was only natural that such cultural nuances felt familiar to her.

Rather than experiencing foreign traditions, it felt more like witnessing the reality of things seen in cartoons, but who cared.

Osaka, Nara, and even Kyoto.

They toured all the famous tourist routes, looked down at the scenery from mountain summits, and sampled snacks that could only be found there.

They had a rather enjoyable time.

To Se-gi, everything was unfamiliar, yet not so unfamiliar that she couldn’t enjoy it.

‘Hmm, the points aren’t stacking up.’

Only one Stack remained until the next summon was unlocked.

But he could figure out why it wasn’t filling up.

‘Because we’ve already done similar things.’

The Perfect Caregiver system made Stack grinding impossible.

He had already bonded with animals at the zoo, and he had also gained Stacks from experiencing unfamiliar cultures even within the country.

It wasn’t something to be disappointed about.

It simply meant he had already done that much for Se-gi since his regression.

And there was still a guaranteed opportunity left to earn a Stack.

On the way back to Osaka, Se-gi had played all day and fallen fast asleep, completely drained of energy.

Jung-woo carefully placed Se-gi in the Teddy Bear’s arms.

“You got it? Make sure you lay her down in the room without waking her up, okay?”

Ppok!

Now, it was time to prepare for the surprise party.

After leaving Se-gi in the bear’s care, he headed to the room being prepared.

A hotel room decorated to match the child’s tastes.

A large Christmas tree stood in the center, with a cake and several dishes laid out in front of it.

LED bulbs hung on the walls, providing a warm ambiance that was quite nice, and right in the middle of it all, Ho-jong was truly hilarious.

“Mr. Jung-woo, I had a hard time. So many things happened.”

“The Santa suit suits you well, sir.”

“I said I had a hard time?”

“There’s no one quite like you, Mr. Chairman.”

Ho-jong, draped over the sofa like a dried squid, was already fully dressed for the part.

Red Santa suit, white beard, and even the hat.

If only his expression wasn’t so sullen, he would have been the perfect Santa.

“You understand, right? When I give the signal, you have to come in through the window.”

“If I fall and die, are you going to take responsibility?”

“I’ve never heard of an S-Rank hunter falling to their death from a building.”

“Then I’ll be the first. It was a good life.”

“There you go exaggerating again. I signed the paperwork for the variation goods for you. I’m even turning a blind eye to you smuggling out the prototypes, Mr. Chairman.”

“…My granddaughter likes your summons, Mr. Jung-woo.”

“Se-gi likes Santa too.”

“You never let me win a single argument, seriously.”

Ho-jong sluggishly crawled out the window.

The party was starting soon, so he was heading to his position.

Kwon-seung couldn’t attend due to external schedules, so there was only one person left.

Bii!

The doorbell rang.

When he opened the door, Hikaru was bowing her head.

It seemed her uniform was her designated outfit. She was wearing it even today, which was clearly a holiday.

“Hello. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Oh my, you didn’t have to bring so many things.”

“Since I was invited, I wanted to at least give a return gift…”

“Thank you. Would you like to come in first? Ah, and could you help me out a bit with the party preparations?”

Hikaru tilted her head.

He wanted to create a proper Christmas atmosphere, and besides that, he wanted to help relax the stiff expression of this girl who was still tense even today.

Jung-woo pulled out what he had been hiding behind his back and offered it to her.

“…It’s a Rudolph outfit.”

“Yes, it felt a bit off to have Santa but no Rudolph.”

“…Am I supposed to wear it?”

“I’ll be wearing one too. A two-reindeer sleigh is much cooler, right?”

The moment Jung-woo said that with a bright smile, Hikaru’s gaze trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

Her lips moved wordlessly, opening and closing.

It seemed her thoughts had ground to a halt.

Things she was allowed to do. Things she shouldn’t do.

She deeply contemplated such distinctions, desperate not to make a mistake.

He wanted to show her that there were moments where such caution wasn’t necessary.

“Hmm, it’s probably better if I’m the only one wearing the red nose, right?”

Jung-woo spoke, filling the air with as many lighthearted remarks as possible.

Truthfully, Hikaru thought this whole situation was strange.

She thought this man was strange.

The strongest in Korea.

The hero who achieved the world’s first Erosion Zone recovery.

A Transcendent who forced even the arrogant lone-wolf Edmond to acknowledge him.

Despite all the flashy modifiers attached to his name, she couldn’t sense any sense of responsibility from him.

It could be a hasty judgment, but facing an event tied to a nation’s survival, his lack of a sense of crisis was simply too glaring.

Jormungandr was coming.

If they couldn’t stop it, the Japanese archipelago would be destroyed.

At a time when even rushing into a conference room to devise countermeasures wouldn’t be enough, he had brought his daughter and was busy preparing for a party.

This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t the time for this.

That thought rushed to the top of her head, and anxiety welled up from the depths of her chest.

To Hikaru, this was something that ‘shouldn’t be done.’

With the citizens trembling in anxiety, now was the time to shoulder that responsibility.

She wanted to say it.

But she was scared.

‘I can’t make a slip of the tongue.’

Because she couldn’t stop Jormungandr on her own, she couldn’t say anything.

If a single slip of her tongue offended them, the entire subjugation operation might fall through.

She couldn’t bear that kind of responsibility.

She felt suffocated.

“It suits you well.”

“Ah, yes…”

Separately, she felt ashamed.

She thought things like Rudolph costumes were foolish.

She felt foolish wearing it, and Jung-woo, wearing a matching Rudolph costume complete with a red nose, looked foolish too.

She felt like she might actually become an idiot at this rate.

She wanted to finish this quickly.

It was then.

“I’m sorry for calling you out for something like this. You must be flustered.”

“Ah, no!”

She was suddenly frightened, feeling as if her inner thoughts had been seen through.

Jung-woo continued with a beaming smile.

“I want to take care of her no matter the occasion. She’s a very precious child to me.”

“That…”

“You have no idea how much she threw a fit wanting a party for her birthday this year. She even begged me to get her presents for two anniversaries.”

At those words, Hikaru’s expression clouded over.

“Is, that so…”

“I hope you’ll like her. I’m sure you will? Se-gi likes Ms. Ichijomodori too, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to spend time with you.”

Her insides twisted.

The smile on her lips must be unnatural right now.

Hikaru wasn’t someone with the magnanimity to purely mock others.

Every moment of her life had been like that, so she eventually found the cause within herself.

It was because she was inadequate.

Sneering at Se-gi, being unable to say anything about this situation, constantly walking on eggshells.

It was all because she was a half-wit who possessed the power to shoulder the nation’s future but trembled in fear because she couldn’t even control it properly.

Even now, even in this very moment, she thought it.

‘It shouldn’t have been me. My mother should have lived.’

If that had been the case, Jormungandr wouldn’t be so terrifying.

If it were Ichijomodori Hasumi, who perfectly controlled this power and was always a beacon of light for the people, everything would have been different.

She felt like throwing up.

At that moment, Jung-woo spoke.

“Thank you so much. I feel reassured thanks to you, Ms. Ichijomodori.”

It was pure gratitude.

It felt like a stark contrast to herself, who was covered in nothing but negative emotions.

I don’t deserve to hear such things.

The truth is, I don’t even know how to use my powers properly.

I’m just bowing my head, full of thoughts to push the subjugation onto you.

She wondered if she would feel better if she just said that.

In the end, she couldn’t.

She was scared.

An anxiety that everything would collapse with a single word washed over her.

“…Of course, it’s something I must do.”

She forced a smile.

It’s diplomacy. I’m doing my job. I’m taking responsibility.

If she thought of it that way, this foolish affair felt a little less foolish.

“It’s almost time.”

Jung-woo said, and then.

Dalkak!

“Ah, ahhhh!!!”

Se-gi, escorted by the Teddy Bear, Sea Otter, and Shark as she entered the hotel room, let out a scream.

“Rudolph!!!”

Se-gi ran over with pitter-patter steps and squealed.

Jung-woo’s lips curled into a smile.

“Merry Christmas! And happy birthday, Se-gi!”

Hikaru also spoke.

“Happy birsday, Se-gi…!”

“Sister’s Rudolph is so pretty! It’s super cute!”

“Se-gi says you’re pretty, Ms. Ichijomodori. This is the first time she’s ever said something like that.”

The child, clinging tightly to her leg and hugging her, smiled so purely.

The sight of her lighting the candles on the cake and blowing them out with a ‘phew’ was incredibly endearing.

“Haha, Merry Christmas~”

Se-gi found it hilarious when she saw Ho-jong sneaking in through the window.

“Gasp! It’s Santa Mr. Ho-jong!”

“Not Mr. Ho-jong, it’s Santa.”

“But he looks like him! They look exactly the same!”

“It’s Santa, who happens to be Mr. Ho-jong’s twin.”

“Then is it not Grandpa Santa, but Mr. Santa?”

“Santa ages quickly, so he’s Grandpa Santa.”

“Gasp! That’s sad…!”

Se-gi giggled.

Jung-woo’s summons danced merrily and shook the lights.

Jung-woo, holding Se-gi, sent her over to Ho-jong’s Santa sack, and Se-gi stomped her feet in excitement as she hugged a character backpack and rabbit-shaped fuzzy slippers.

It was a picture-perfect Christmas scene.

Everyone was smiling.

Only Hikaru couldn’t smile.

Amidst this scene, she had that thought.

‘Ah, it’s different.’

That child’s life was different from her own, and that must be the norm.

Smiling like that must be normal.

At the smile imprinted on her retinas, a thought inadvertently surfaced in her mind.

‘…What a blessed life.’

Flinch!

Hikaru clamped her mouth shut.

Even though she only thought it, her stomach twisted at the realization of just how ugly she had become.

She hesitantly took a step back.

Se-gi looked at Hikaru.

“Let’s eat cake together, big sister!”

“Se-gi wants to have a slice of cake with you?”

“Uh, ah…”

Her words stopped for a moment in panic.

I’m making a mistake. I’m doing something wrong.

Her vision spun.

She felt like she might actually make a slip of the tongue.

Here, she felt like the only filthy person.

I must take responsibility.

I’m scared.

The two emotions chaotically intertwined.

Her breathing quickened.

Then, it felt as if something inside her head snapped with a *pik*.

“I, have an, urgent matter…”

Hikaru backed away, then fled the room.

She felt like she couldn’t stay in there any longer.

Ichijomodori Hikaru was standing on the edge of a cliff.

If one knew the future, it was clearly visible, and even without it, it was easily deduced thanks to the shadow that occasionally fell over her face.

Today was no different.

Jung-woo knew that this setting would be uncomfortable for Hikaru.

Whenever her lips occasionally parted, he sensed a gloominess trying to escape through them before stopping short.

There could be many reasons, and he could analyze them one by one.

But when he fundamentally asked the question ‘why’, the answer was clear.

‘Because she’s cornered.’

Goodwill, joy, and happiness stem from having room to breathe.

Human consciousness isn’t that resilient; it can easily be crushed and broken by external factors.

It was even more so at an age where the ego hadn’t fully matured.

Too much was placed on those shoulders.

She was in a position where she had to hide the fact that it was a weight she couldn’t handle on her own.

The crushing pressure weighed down on her.

She might become sick of everything.

So he just wanted her to realize that there were enjoyable moments too.

If she couldn’t, then the things surrounding her were simply that atrocious.

When thoughts become entrenched, it was only natural for one’s vision to narrow.

It was a defense mechanism kicking in.

“Mr. Jung-woo, Rudolph just bolted at the speed you clock out of work.”

“Must you always put it like that?”

“That’s the highest praise I can give.”

Ho-jong said casually, mumbling around a mouthful of cake.

How could that sharp-eyed man not know such things?

It seemed to mean he was leaving it to him.

Jung-woo steadied his breath.

Right, he had to go after her.

He must have strongly triggered something within her.

Just then, Se-gi grabbed the hem of Jung-woo’s pants tightly.

“Daddy.”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t we going to go look for big sister?”

She spoke up first.

She had a worried face.

Right, Se-gi was always the best at reading adults’ moods.

Her eyes for reading the nuances of emotions were exceptionally outstanding.

“Do you want to go look for her?”

When he asked, Se-gi nodded.

Then, pulling out a small gift box from her embrace, she showed it to him and spoke.

“I have to give big sister her Christmas present!”

It was a gift they had picked out together while out today.

She had a resolute expression.

That was the moment.

Ttiring!

【”Because Christmas is a day for smiling!” Joy is meant to be shared! A truly wonderful child doesn’t just receive presents, but knows how to give them too—that’s just common sense!? The child is trying to share a smile with a giving heart! [Great Caregiver (10/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock skills!*】

【[Great Caregiver (10/10)]. Congratulations! You have collected all the Praise Stickers!】

The keys clicked into place.

【A skill is being unlocked!】

【Skill: [Children Need Heroes!] is growing!】

Jung-woo’s eyes widened.

Ppi—

Ppi—

Ppi—

Ppam!

【Slot 4 Unlocked: Acquiring Snow Rabbit Saint (S).】

【Summoning Snow Rabbit Saint (S)!】

Ppok!

Se-gi erupted in astonishment-laced excitement.

“R-Rabbit King!!!”

Along with a puff of cloud effect, the summon appeared.

It was a pure white rabbit doll. It wore a cross necklace around its chest and held a whip in its hand.

‘…A whip?’

A moment of panic at the weapon that completely mismatched the word ‘saint.’

Regardless, the appearance of the new summon seemed to ignite a fire in Se-gi’s heart.

Burning with intense zeal, Se-gi hopped up and climbed onto the rabbit’s back.

“Daddy! The Rabbit King says she’ll help! Let’s go find her!!!”

“Mr. Jung-woo, I told you to tell me beforehand if you got a new summon.”

“…Surprise?”

“Let’s goooo—!”

Ppok!

Chwak!

Despite being a saint, the rabbit struck the floor with the whip like a slave trader.

A Shark Avatar rose from the floor, carrying the rabbit and Se-gi on its back.

It was quite a bizarre sight.

But there was no time to appreciate the spectacle.

“Departuuuure!!!”

The Rabbit King whipped the Shark Avatar with chalssak-chalssak sounds.

Then, the Shark Avatar activated Fluidification on Se-gi and the rabbit, shooting out the window with a *chwaaak*!

“Ah, wait! Hold on! Shark! Chase after them!”

Jung-woo scrambled after them in a panic.

“Have a safe trip. Don’t forget our beer date tonight.”

Ho-jong waved his hand lazily, seeing them off.