The Babysitter Wants to Stop Dying

Chapter 27: Let's Ask Before Buying a Baby Gift (1)

Of all the known unions of superhumans, there were more than a few that were desperate to show themselves off.

The Ranker union interview section of the weekly magazine 'Ranker Life Manual' was always bursting at the seams.

So, was that why rumors of the Rodeo Knights being an illusion circulated among the public? Because they thoroughly concealed themselves?

Come to think of it, I had never heard of who belonged to them other than Romero Rodeo. Except for the tidbit I picked up at Remble that they had quite a few members.

Now that I see it, this is a completely veiled group, isn't it?

“And you travel like this because of that?”

“It would be troublesome if we moved conspicuously. The conclusion is that a cargo wagon is the best.”

Romero smiled brightly and patted the haystack. My face progressively stiffened.

‘So I have to live like this from now on, is that it?’

Her bright smile wasn't enough to make me accept it.

“Ah, enough with the boring talk. You'll find out everything even if you don't want to, so why explain? Hey, newbie.”

While my thoughts were paralyzed by the hard-to-believe reality, Phillip pointed a finger at me with a sullen face.

“Me?”

“Who else is the newbie besides you? Anyway, what was all that about earlier?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and the Professor were saying things that were completely incomprehensible. What was that about?”

He seemed to be referring to the talk about me being a key. I didn't have much to say about that right now.

‘Camila did say something meaningful.’

Looking at Phillip's expression, it didn't seem like he had heard it properly.

After confirming that Delphi didn't seem particularly interested and that Romero was just busy finding a comfortable position, I decided on my answer.

“Well. I'm not sure about that either. What you're talking about.”

I raised and lowered my eyebrows as if in regret, and the reaction I got was unexpected.

“Ah, really? Then just let it go. The Professor must have read some strange book again.”

Thought it was something interesting. Phillip, who cleaned his ear, saying he was let down, blew a puff of air and added.

“You'll know if you spend even a few days with her. The Professor is a total oddball. Sometimes she says things that don't make sense, but you don't need to worry about every single one of them.”

“……”

“It's just stressful for me.”

I had thought he was similar to Cobe, but it seemed his intelligence was similar as well. Usually, when someone like Camila says something strange like that, wouldn't you feel like you should listen carefully? Especially if they're a colleague.

There was no need to argue or say something different, so I just smiled silently, and Phillip, thinking I was an easy person to talk to, stretched with a satisfied face…….

“Oof!”

Phillip shot up to the ceiling in an instant. Then, Delphi and I, who were also in the cargo bed, were lifted high into the air and brought back down.

Everything in the cargo bed except for Romero lurched up and down.

“My tailbone!”

Phillip, who had landed again with a clatter, clutched his butt.

The cargo bed shook violently as if the wagon had run over a thick log. Boxes and haystacks tumbled over with a clatter. It was complete chaos.

“I can't just shield my butt! Hey, driver! Do it properly!”

“Is Lottie okay? Arsen?”

Unlike the frantic Phillip, Romero, who had been sitting with a strange sense of peace, asked urgently. Lottie's eyes were wide open in surprise, but she seemed to be fine.

It's a good thing I was holding her. She might have rolled over otherwise.

“I'm fine. More importantly, is Ms. Delphi okay?”

Since Delphi was at the open entrance of the cargo bed, I was naturally worried. After checking on Lottie, I immediately looked her way, and Delphi, with a slight frown, gave a nod.

She looked a little annoyed, but she seemed to be fine.

“Vice-Captain! I really can't take it anymore!”

“Phillip, please don't shout. The driver will really hear you at this rate.”

In the still rattling situation, Romero calmly put the rolling boxes and piles of luggage back in their places. Phillip, as if making a proclamation, raised his voice to her.

“I don't care if he hears me or not! Is there still no news about what you said back then?”

I take back what I said about him resembling Cobe.

A worse one has appeared. Cobe wasn't this chaotic.

“Can't you speak a little softer? But what news?”

Romero, who was trying to calm Phillip with a troubled face, widened her eyes. At her innocent expression, Phillip's nostrils flared rapidly.

“You said it back then, Vice-Captain! That you'd take responsibility and bring someone who can do spatial transport!”

“Ah. That's not spatial transport, it's teleportation.”

“That, or that! What happened to it!”

“Well……”

Romero, who had subtly averted her gaze, muttered in a voice as small as a mosquito's.

“I couldn't find one because those kinds of ability users are too rare.”

“What!?”

It seemed that since getting a car was out of the question, they were looking for a mobility-type ability user as an alternative.

It's true that those types are extremely rare. Even if they existed, most of them worked as bodyguards for the highest-ranking executives of the Association.

‘That's right.’

Speaking of teleportation, that woman came to mind.

Rowena.

The Ranker who died in the Center terror incident. She died a miserable death while breaking one of the invading bastards' flanks.

As I was wondering if they had given her a proper funeral, the quiet Delphi opened her mouth.

“I heard from Mago that the Ranker named Rowena who died at the Center this time was a teleportation ability user.”

“She died? Why?”

“……Ms. Romero, please just read the investigation files.”

At Romero, who covered her mouth with a shocked face, Delphi turned her head back outside the wagon as if resigned. Phillip's brow furrowed as he listened to their conversation.

“That's a real shame. If she had lived, we could've snatched her up.”

“Watch your mouth. Is that something to say to someone who died protecting children?”

Delphi muttered, still looking at the flying dust and green meadows. That being said, she didn't seem to be mourning Rowena either.

It was just something said out of human decency, that was all.

“No, I'm just genuinely sorry because such a talented person died.”

“That, that. He needs to have a twelve-hour consultation with the Professor.”

“Sunbae, that's harsh. Just tell me to die.”

“Die.”

“Ah, really!”

I turned my head at the miraculous cycle of them fighting as naturally as they breathed. Sometime during all that, Romero was sneakily trying to touch Lottie's cheek.

“Would you like to hold her?”

At this point, it was getting a little pitiful to see her being shunned when she was so desperate.

“C-can I? But she seems to really hate me.”

Romero's eyes lit up as if she had been waiting for it, and she opened her arms and groaned. She was already fully prepared to hold her, so what was she talking about?

“Uu-!”

“Here, Lottie…… oof.”

I had intended to gently detach her and hand her over to Romero, but I had to cough a couple of times from a sudden attack. Lottie, trying to grab my collar, had grabbed my Adam's apple right next to it.

“Keok……”

“U!”

While I was trembling, Lottie glanced at Romero and then quickly hid in my arms again.

Romero's expression was not just pitiful, but pathetic. It must have been a shock for an adult who had been looking forward to seeing her for the first time since she was a baby.

But still, Hyung-ah's Adam's apple…….

“Wahahaha!”

The moment Romero lowered her outstretched arms, a loud laugh echoed through the cargo bed. It was Phillip, who had finished his argument with Delphi.

“Vice-Captain, are you really her auntie? The kid seems to hate you too much for that.”

“What are you talking about, she's the spitting image of me. Right, Lottie?”

It's just because she's still, still unfamiliar, right?

Despite Romero's desperate call, Lottie remained glued only to me. Not whining, not laughing, just the look she gets when she's in a low mood.

At times like this, starting my morale-boosting 'Children's Song Medley' was effective, but I had no intention of doing that here, even if it killed me.

“That's right!”

Romero, who had been staring blankly at Lottie with a dejected look, shot up from her spot. Her great height made her bang her head on the ceiling, but she paid it no mind and rummaged through her clothes.

“This is a gift for Lottie, I forgot.”

As Romero flamboyantly flapped her suit jacket, the gazes of everyone except Lottie gathered in one place. Even Delphi's indifferent gaze, which had been looking outside, turned to her.

“Lottie, look at this!”

What she triumphantly took out was a shiny black box.

‘That's?’

It was the very thing she had left at old man Philemon's place.

“I don't know much about babies. I thought a baby might need it, so I bought it.”

Even in the shaking cargo wagon, Romero maintained an astonishing balance and bent down. The black box was held out to me.

“I'm already getting anxious. Has the Vice-Captain ever bought anything normal?”

“Phillip, didn't I tell you to keep a close eye on Ms. Romero?”

“I'm the town punching bag. If that person suddenly dashes off, how am I supposed to chase her? I'm so wronged. Then Delphi-sunbaenim should watch her.”

“Oh? Now you're talking back to your sunbae about your assigned task?”

“Ah, are you really going to be like this over a one-month difference in joining date?”

In the midst of Phillip and Delphi fighting, trying to eat each other alive as naturally as they breathed, I calmly examined the box that was handed to me. It was the one I had seen at the old man's place, and it was still heavy.

I had been interested in it because it was the protagonist's item, but it was also true that I was curious about what it was.

What could it be.

What did the protagonist buy for a little kid?

The question I had been holding onto was about to be answered. I could feel my pulse quicken at my fingertips.

Romero's sparkling eyes. Phillip and Delphi, showing no expectation whatsoever. Lottie, tilting her head to see what I was doing.

Amidst the different kinds of attention, I carefully opened the box.

Click.

The lid lifted, and the inside was revealed.

Ah.

A subtle exclamation, almost a sigh, escaped everyone's lips. And then a brief silence.

“……It's a baby bottle.”

I picked up the smooth object from inside the box.

So this was in it.

The big, beautiful, and even luscious black box contained a baby bottle.

“I picked it out myself. The store owner said it was definitely the most expensive and best baby bottle in Astava!”

Romero's voice was overflowing with pride, but I couldn't give much of a reaction. Putting aside the feeling of emptiness, this was really…….

“Uh, um. So, umm.”

The words I had to say kept swirling in my mouth. I had to tell her it was the most useless gift ever.

“I didn't know what Lottie would need, so I put a lot of thought into buying it. How is it? Ah. And the baby bottle was more expensive than I thought. Even though it's the highest quality, it's 10,000 quri for just a container for a baby's formula.”

As Romero rambled on happily as if recounting her own heroic tale, the inside of the wagon fell silent as if cold water had been thrown on it.

When there was no reaction, Romero tilted her head, and as expected, angry roars erupted from two places.

“What? 10,000? Te-en th-ou-sand? Are you crazy! Vice-Captain, are you a real idiot?!”

“This person caused trouble again the moment I looked away!”

“Ugh, don't shout.”

Even as Romero covered her ears, Phillip and Delphi raised their voices and went wild.

And it was the same for me.

‘What? 10,000 quri? What on earth did you buy?’

That amount was my interest for two months.

As Romero scratched her head with a face that said she didn't know what she had done wrong, I held up the baby bottle.

Come to think of it.

What's with this dazzling appearance?

What's the intention behind this weight?

The empty baby bottle weighed more than a full beverage. It seemed to be because of the gold-plated top and the somewhat opaque and shiny body.

‘How are babies supposed to hold this.’

I have to hold it for her even when it's just full of formula, but this is, it's not a dumbbell.

……Aha.

Is it some kind of item for perverts with unusual tastes?

I came to a conclusion and put the baby bottle back in the box. Thinking of it that way, I didn't want to touch it.

But I feel like I should tell her.

“Um, you know. Ms. Romero.”

“Hm?”

Romero, who was in the middle of getting scolded by Delphi and Phillip, looked at me. Behind her were the two Knights, glaring with daggers in their eyes, waiting for me to finish my sentence.

“Well……”

I debated for a moment whether to say it or not, but in the end, I had no choice but to add.

“Lottie doesn't drink formula. She's already two.”