Chapter 12
In front of an estate on the west side of the main city district, the movers were being especially careful as they carried precious belongings out of the truck and into the house.
Inside the hall, Jinwen, who had just moved into his new home, was in an exceptionally good mood. To be more precise, ever since leaving the Marshal’s residence, his mood had not soured once.
At that moment, Jinwen was carefully hanging an oil painting on the wall. After taking a few steps back, he admired it seriously.
In the painting was a beautiful boy dancing atop a music box.
The painting had been created by the artist after watching the latest episode of Exchange Life. Later, it was reposted by an account called Little Music Box Baby Observation Diary, where it gained a great deal of attention. Jinwen happened to see it and immediately bought it at a high price.
It was also because of that that he discovered the little guy he had met at the bathhouse had actually appeared on Joseph’s variety show, even if only as a nameless background figure.
Although the tiny one in the show had not had ram horns and had been wearing a mask… that figure, those eyes—he could recognize him at a single glance!
These past few days, Jinwen had been busy dealing with the new estate and family matters. By the time he finally finished handling all that messy business, he could no longer find any trace of the little one no matter how hard he searched. In the end, he was only able to get the contact information of the little guy’s friend through the owner of a junk collection station.
Throughout the search, Jinwen’s emotions had risen and fallen violently!
The moment he thought of that tiny little body having to pick up trash and collect recyclables while also working all sorts of odd jobs, his heart ached terribly!
Find him immediately! Right away! Arrange the best possible job for him!
Once there was no one left inside, Jinwen began to act.
The moment the video call connected, he got straight to the point and asked the person named Lynn whether he knew the music-box performer from Exchange Life.
The other party was very wary. “Who are you?”
Jinwen tried to sound as sincere as possible. “It’s a long story. I’m a friend who met him at the morning bathhouse. It’s just that he left so suddenly that day…”
Unexpectedly, the other party flew into a rage at once. “Y-you dare harass Mimi?!”
“Uh, I think you’ve misunderstood. I heard he doesn’t have a long-term job, and I very much want to offer him—”
“Bah!” Lynn was so angry his teeth ground together. “Our Mimi will absolutely never do that kind of work! He’s working far away now, and the job benefits are excellent! Mimi has a very good future ahead of him. A disgusting scumbag like you is not allowed to harass him! Otherwise I’ll call the police and have you arrested!”
Then he roared that last line and hung up.
“……” Scumbag Jinwen lowered his head to look at the disconnected light-brain, then looked up at the oil painting in front of him.
Only then did he notice that in the light screen beneath the painting, his own tattoo-covered arms were being reflected…
He had gotten those tattoos on purpose just to oppose his family. Earlier, while organizing his belongings, he had been too tired, so he had simply taken off his shirt.
No wonder the other party had mistaken him for some hooligan harassing Mimi…
…Wait, Mimi?!
So that was his name—Mimi!!!
So! Cute!
After the excitement passed, worry quickly took over again. “He’s that small, and he’s gone to work somewhere so far away? Can he really manage?”
Before long, however, Jinwen’s worry was pushed aside by another trouble.
An unwelcome guest had arrived at his new home.
The moment he saw who it was, he instinctively frowned.
It was Jim, Prince Joseph’s personal secretary.
The other man smiled at him, and after entering the house, explained his purpose in concise terms: “His Highness Prince Joseph would like to invite you to participate in a new program.”
“My apologies, but I have no interest whatsoever in appearing on television.”
“This is a plan Prince Joseph personally came up with. It won’t be too late to refuse after you hear the details.”
Jinwen gave a dry laugh. Inwardly, he very much wanted to suggest that Prince Joseph would be better off pursuing his dreams in the entertainment industry.
Jim said, “The inspiration for this new program came from the response to that episode of Exchange Life. We discovered that the public knows very little about those Snaran outside the main city district who differ greatly from us. As long as we carefully select some rare, short, or oddly shaped Snaran from outside the main city and pair them with aristocratic guests to complete various tasks together, letting two completely different people overcome hardships side by side… the program will be called It’s Okay to Be Different. To be honest, I can already predict how many unusual Snaran this show will make famous in the end.”
“So, making stars?” Jinwen’s already perfunctory expression grew even uglier. “You don’t seriously think you’ll be able to create another Little Music Box Baby, do you?”
“No. The focus of this show is not on creating stars, but on the guests themselves. After all, we are not actually running an entertainment company.”
“?”
“When a high-born royal prince lowers himself and becomes friends, family, or even lovers with some bumpkin from far away, the amount of support the prince will gain will absolutely exceed anything you can imagine…”
And he would also become the perfect contrast to the perpetually lofty and unapproachable Crown Prince.
Jinwen’s gaze darkened. He understood immediately.
…What a move.
He sneered inwardly, but not a trace of it showed on his face.
“Young Master Jinwen, I know what you’re thinking. Your family has already made its choice. If you want to break away from your family now, it actually draws a great deal of attention.” Jim gave him a meaningful glance. “You should think it over carefully.”
Jinwen wanted to laugh, but before he could speak, the image of that tiny little figure soaking in the hot spring flashed before his eyes… The world outside the main city district was simply too vast, with its own different systems and rules. Now that he had severed ties with his family, he had no confidence at all that he would still be able to find that person once he went out there.
After thinking deeply for a moment, he quickly came up with an idea.
Since this was a prime-time show aimed at all Snaran, why not take advantage of such a perfect opportunity to send a signal to Mimi, who was very likely to see him?
“I can participate! But on one condition.” Jinwen stood up and walked closer to him. “I won’t be paired with the people you’ve chosen. I want to be a lone wolf.”
“…What?”
“Aren’t you people looking for a contrast group? A lone wolf can serve as the contrast to all those touching little pairings, can’t he?”
“……”
At five in the afternoon, Yomi and Ansius sat face-to-face at the dining table, eating dinner.
Once he finished this last bite, it would be time to get off work!
Satisfied, Yomi wiped his mouth with a napkin. He put down his chopsticks, stood up, and nodded toward Ansius. “Then I’ll be going now. See you.”
“……” The other party was clearly stunned for a moment.
It was still early. Yomi wanted to use his off-work time to take a nice walk around the estate. He waved goodbye to the motionless monster, then turned and left the dining room without looking back, walking out through the doors.
The air outside was especially fresh. Yomi took a deep breath of the flower-scented breeze, then slipped his hands into his pockets and strolled happily down the path lined with white wooden railings on both sides.
Before he had even entered the main road, a servant running over stopped him. “Mr. Yomi, Lord Karl is looking for you. Please come with me!”
Seeing how hurried the other man looked, Yomi’s expression also turned serious. He quickly followed the servant’s pace. “Did something go wrong with my work today?”
The servant paused, then immediately shook his head. Not long after, he brought Yomi to what was clearly a garage.
The moment he reached the entrance, Yomi’s eyes were dazzled by the luxury cars inside.
In front of several gigantic luxury cars suited to the size of Snaran, there were also two rows of children’s electric toy cars in various colors.
Only, these “children’s cars” in Snaran’s eyes were, for Yomi, just slightly smaller four-wheeled sedans.
Karl motioned for the servant to leave, then turned to explain to Yomi, “It’s like this. This afternoon, our staff held a meeting. Considering how large this place is, and that you do not have a driver’s license, for the sake of your convenience in getting around, we arranged a few cars for you. They’ve just been delivered. These are them… they should be all right, yes? Although they are electric toy cars, they do not require a license.”
Yomi looked at those cars again, and only after a long while did he come back to himself. “There’s no need for so many.” He was somewhat flattered, straightening both hands behind his back before pointing at one of them. “Could I use that red sports car?”
“You can! Of course you can! All of these are yours. Would you like to try one now?”
Yomi nodded, a little shyly.
Karl immediately opened the car door for him and handed him a red key. “Please be careful.”
A few minutes later, a red toy electric car drove straight out of the garage.
It was Yomi’s first time driving. Both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, he drove at a slow, leisurely pace.
The speed of the car felt a bit like the elderly scooters he remembered.
The red sports car soon entered the estate’s tree-lined lane. Roses bloomed on both sides of the road, wide grasslands stretched into the distance, and the golden dusk at the horizon made the whole place feel like a dream.
Cruising around like this felt wonderful.
Yomi’s heart felt light and open as he enjoyed himself. By instinct, he pressed the music button, only for a noisy children’s song to blast out from the car at once:
“Ahhh ahhh, I am a driving driver,
Ahhh ahhh, I’m the best little driver…”
Yomi was so startled that he hurriedly shut it off.
Karl, who had been jogging after him from behind, asked, “How does it feel? Is the speed just right?”
Yomi nodded. “The speed is very good, and the seat is very comfortable.”
As he spoke, suddenly he heard the heavy sound of footsteps coming from the bend ahead. They were fast, urgent. He quickly honked the horn and stomped on the brakes.
With a sharp ka, the little red sports car stopped.
The footsteps had already reached the front. A pair of legs covered in scales stepped onto the road ahead.
The tall monster stood firmly in front of the little car like a giant tree.
“Your Highness Ansius? Why are you here?” Karl asked in surprise.
Ansius did not look at Karl, but lowered his head and looked toward the little car, and toward Yomi inside it.
His narrowed pupils shifted slightly.
Yomi let out a breath of relief, still a little shaken.
Even though the car was so slow that it probably would not hurt anyone even if it hit something, he was still afraid of causing a traffic accident.
He looked up and said apologetically to the monster, “Are you all right? Sorry, it’s my first day on the road…”
“……”
Ansius stared silently at his tiny convertible, the wings on his back trembling slightly, then asked in a hoarse voice, “Where to?”
Yomi replied, “I want to go look at the big garden over there, and practice driving while I’m at it.”
The monster stared at him for a while, then suddenly took a step back, turned around, and began walking ahead. After a few steps, he looked back at him again.
Yomi had no idea what that meant. He had been waiting for Ansius to leave completely so he could practice driving.
At that moment, Karl had finally calmed his heart, which had been trembling from excessive cuteness. He explained in time, “His Highness Ansius wants to lead the way for you. Mr. Yomi, just drive and follow His Highness Ansius.”
“I won’t hit him, right?”
“Ah? Oh… absolutely not!”
Looking at the monster who turned back once again, Yomi had no choice but to press the start button, sit properly with both hands on the wheel, and follow after him with a cheerful little beep beep beep.
