Chapter 182
Permafrost (3)
Before telling this story, it is necessary to briefly point out the story of Anya’s past, a story that is unreasonable to say that it is interesting.
Because this frozen land is the hometown where she was born and raised, there is no point in understanding Anya well.
Anastasia Ivanov was an obscure child.
It’s not that the family lives exceptionally well.
Her parents were ordinary people, her father a carpenter and her mother a teacher.
Even if the income of the two were combined, they could never escape the category of ‘normal’.
The ability he had was not great.
As a child, before she was ten years old, she was a ‘normal person’. That’s why I lived a life completely unrelated to superpowers.
Her awakened trait is Gunner. Compared to Tier 1, and the title of ‘Hidden Heroine’, her ability was shabby.
Anya, whose family and abilities did not fall outside the category of ‘normal’, but there was something extraordinary about her.
Beyond extraordinary, even special, there is only one characteristic of Anya.
‘appearance’.
Her appearance could be described as ‘shining’.
Although she was only 10 years old, her good looks made her famous in her hometown of Ussuriysk.
The story began when Anya visited Seoul in the year she turned 12, and destruction was scheduled at the same time.
* * *
Following Anya who was leading the way, I stepped into her house.
According to the setup I know, her family is practically non-existent due to the Han River Gate incident five years ago. … .
“… … Excuse me.”
… … Her house, which she faced after leaving behind the sound of twisting hinges, was well-maintained without a speck of dust.
Entering the house where the lights were all turned off, Anya smiled lightly at the customary greeting, and gestured to Elizabeth and Desiree, who were following me through the snow in the yard.
“Children, there is no one there, so don’t worry and come in quickly.”
“yes.”
“… … okay.”
There was nothing special about the living room, except that it was a bit wide. Dining table, sofa and chairs. It’s just that, the look of an ordinary family home.
As we all entered, Anya strode past the short shoe cabinet as if she was used to it, and turned on the light in the living room.
“hahahaha, I think I’ll live a little longer now.”
She casually lifted off her snow-soaked outerwear on the kitchen table in one corner of the living room, immediately adjusted the boiler and sat down on the sofa.
“Anastasia? Where can I put my coat?”
“there! There should be a hanger in the corner, put it there. I’ll take a little rest and guide you to your room, be comfortable, kids!”
… … Is it because it’s your house? It is the same for everyone to leave a hanger alone and break out anywhere.
Elizabeth, who looked around, soon found a hanging hanger in one corner of the living room.
There, Elizabeth carefully put on her coat and immediately sat across from Anya.
Elizabeth sat on the edge of the long sofa and swept the armrest once before tilting her head.
There was not a speck of dust on her index finger as she swept the sofa.
“Families… … ?”
“Oh, no?”
“Ah, you went out for work, didn’t you? If you both work, I can say hello in the evening.”
“… … .”
Elizabeth’s words made Anya noticeably depressed.
Witnessing this, I closed my eyes and hit my forehead with a ‘tap’.
No, did you see something so inconsiderate… … .
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Just after putting the coat on the hanger, Desiree, who was sitting next to Elizabeth, shrugged and poked the side of the princess sitting next to her, whispering softly.
‘Elizabeth—!’
“uh… … .”
“… … .”
“Sorry, no… … . I really didn’t know.”
“are you okay. I’m kind of used to it now.”
I threw myself on the single-seat sofa and sighed.
Elizabeth’s idea was a universal response, but this one was a little rude.
Elizabeth lowered her head with her mouth slightly open, and Anastasia shook her hand.
The bright atmosphere settled down in an instant.
Desiree, who was sitting in her seat and rolling her eyes around her, tried to put her hand on the armrest of the sofa like Elizabeth, but then put on a curious expression as if she had noticed something strange.
“Me, no sheep?”
“huh? why?”
“If no one was home, it would have been neglected for quite some time… … . It feels like the maintenance of this house has continued… … ?”
“ah! Is that—?”
When Anya clapped and clapped, the awkward atmosphere was instantly broken.
It was fortunate that I was contemplating what to say.
Yes, Desiree. I’m glad to have you too.
“—Actually, there is someone who takes care of this house.”
“If you live at the academy, you will be empty for a very long time, so can you just leave it like that?”
Feeling the atmosphere refreshed, I finally exhaled and leaned back comfortably on the sofa.
‘Whoa.’ My sigh quietly disappeared, locked in Desiree’s question.
“huh! it’s okay-“
However, it didn’t take long for my body, deeply buried in the sofa, to lean forward again.
“—A very long time, so… … hmm. We’ve known each other since elementary school.”
It was the first time I heard the story flowed from Anya’s mouth. It was after Anya had finished talking that she found me leaning forward.
Hearing her words, I felt strange.
Come to think of it, her feelings were cut off five years ago.
She is now 17 years old, and no matter what happened in the meantime, it would be nothing more or less than a ‘long-seen, business relationship’ at best.
And as long as the relationship with her was not very deep, at most it would be nothing more than a fleeting extra in this story.
But there was something I overlooked.
“So long? What kind of person are you?”
“Oh, is that so? How did you meet?”
While I was thinking for a moment, Elizabeth and Desiree, intrigued, were pulling themselves toward the table, urging Anya to respond.
“We were in the same class when we were in the first year of elementary school, and our parents were very close. So-.”
… … uh? Are you our age?
Something is out of place. For a moment, I felt that things were going strangely.
Anya’s emotions were cut off at the age of 12, but according to her words now, the person who managed this house met when she was 8 years old in the first grade of elementary school.
OK, so here’s the problem.
What will she think now of the ‘feelings’ she felt before being cut off?
“—We always went together, even in middle school. Well, come to think of it, he’s a very old friend. lol.”
Anya’s face as she gently scratched her slim jawline was the same as usual, making it hard to see what was inside.
“It certainly is. No, don’t waste your time and tell the story in detail.”
“Yes, yes. Talk to me.”
The moment when Elizabeth and Desiree were bursting with exclamations of ‘Oh’.
– Kiki profit.
The sound of hinges twisting was heard once more.
someone came into the house
Although they were clearly in the same room, Desiree and Elizabeth were listening to Anya’s voice, so it seemed only my ears could hear it louder.
Anya continues.
“hmm… … . His name is Nikolai, Nikolai Smirnov. The kids in the neighborhood just called him Collie.”
As she continued to speak, the sound of cautious footsteps approached little by little from behind.
“It sounds a bit like that, but there is a reason—”
The moment she wants to continue for a long time.
‘Take off.’ The sound of something with the contents inside falling to the floor was heard.
“—As for the reason… … .”
“who… … ?”
“uh… … ?”
The children’s gaze returned at once.
When three people look at one place, others will also see it, so my head naturally turned to the back.
There stood a man from the wall, young to be called a young man, but tall to be called a boy.
“… … It resembles a border collie.”
As if muttering, Anya’s mouth fell open.
Next to his right foot lay the paper bag he had just dropped.
His eyes were blankly focused on one place.
“… … no?”
“uh… … collie.”
A few bright red apples tumbled out of a brown pulp paper bag that fell to the floor and touched the leg of my sofa.
“Hey, how are you? long time no see.”
Anya, with a dazed smile, gently waved her hand at the man called Collie.
“oh? Are you handsome?”
If she had the personality to pay attention to the people around her, Elizabeth would have blown a whistle.
I immediately knew why he was nicknamed Collie.
It was because the appearance of a blond young man with curly hair covering his ears long for a man looked like a dog to the same man.
Nikolai ran towards Anya and hugged her tightly.
I see it,
… … I couldn’t erase the embarrassment.
* * *
Anya’s house was spacious.
There were as many as six rooms in this house, including three on each floor and up to the second floor, including the yard, so it was such a space that it is difficult to find if you live in Seoul.
However, Anya’s house was not special.
Originally, it was a large land mass, and considering the price of land in Primorsky Krai, which was destroyed after the decisive battle in the Bering Sea 50 years ago, it was at such a level that it could be called an ordinary family house.
Thanks to that, I was able to fly all the way to Manita and enjoy the luxury of occupying a room and a private bed without paying a dime.
How many times have you been lying in bed?
“Hey guys, have dinner—!”
Nikolai’s now somewhat familiar voice came through the door.
After reuniting with Anya, the guy put a friendly smile on his dog-like face and asked if we had dinner.
‘If you haven’t eaten yet, I’ll do it for you.’
In the meantime, it was Nikolai who took care of Anya’s house.
This handsome, blonde bystander. In addition, the white teenager voluntarily went into the kitchen to see if he was confident about housework.
… … It’s like a scam character like this.
In my mind, the guy’s score went down even more.
In the case of Lee Young-woong and Cha Seung-hyuk, it wasn’t to this extent because of the background that could not be seen in reality. Is it because he is a character that is likely to exist in the neighborhood? I was particularly concerned.
“I still have to eat and live… … .”
Regardless of how I felt, my stomach was screaming for food, so I naturally opened the door and headed to the first floor.
When I opened the door and came out, a sweet smell stung my nose.
The smell is not bad.
Elizabeth and Desiree also came out and sat down at the table, dressed in comfortable clothes, as if they had heard his voice.
“It’s a mushroom stew, but it’s a bit hot, so eat with care.”
A total of 5 members of our team, including the 4 of us, and Nikolai, who had a friendly smile, raised spoons from the table.
I sipped my spoon for a while, then took a big spoonful and put it in my mouth.
“… … Is it delicious?”
I was taken aback by the different taste than I expected. And Nikolai, who saw me like that, smiled coolly and opened his mouth confidently.
“Of course it has to be, who did it? Oh. Is it right in your mouth? I made it just like your favorite recipe.”
I felt strange when I saw the guy looking straight at Anya.
It was definitely the smile of a guy I’d never seen before, but I don’t know why it felt familiar.