Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After Zhang Zian left, Sihwa started to play around with the mobile phone. She was really fond of it and tried to take a few photos.
She finally understood why––whether it was in a television series or in real life––everyone didn’t put their mobile phone down even for a moment. Even the office workers in the morning were still looking at their phones while they rushed to work. They wouldn’t even be aware if they had stepped on sh*t because the phone was just so much fun!
It was hard to imagine that with a phone, one could do so many things!
But… She looked worriedly at the battery icon on the top of the screen. She felt that her phone battery was disappearing too quickly, though it might have just been a psychological effect. It looked as if the amount of battery would change in the blink of an eye.
“Cheapskate!” she complained softly. If Zhang Zian was willing to hand her the charger, then she could play with the phone in peace. Instead, she had to limit the amount of time she spent on it and had to be so careful.
“I’ll stop. I’ll stop playing! If I continue playing then I wouldn’t be able to play with it tonight!” She locked the screen and carefully placed the phone on the shelf next to the bathtub. She closed her eyes and tried to expel the image of the phone from her mind.
Without the phone, time felt very slow, and the bathroom seemed particularly boring.
“Half an hour must have passed, right? I should be able to play with it for a while…”
She swiftly picked up the phone and unlocked it, but was disappointed to find that only ten minutes had passed. If things continued like they were, then the phone was going to run out of battery before night came.
“Awful, stinky uncle! Even if you don’t hand me the charger, then at least charge it before handing me the phone!”
Sihwa was filled with complaints. She was itching to play with the phone, but she was also worried that it would run out of battery before the night.
Suddenly, she caught a flash of gold in the corner of her eye; immediately, she looked up towards the bathroom door with vigilance.
Fina appeared there––only revealing its head and half of its body––its green eyes glaring at Sihwa.
“You… what do you want now? Let me tell you, I’m not afraid of you!” Sihwa gripped the phone tightly, and under the water, her strong fishtail was taut like a slingshot; she was ready to defend herself.
What was she holding in her paw that was hidden behind the wall? Chilli powder? Cat litter? Cumin? Pepper? Or a never before seen, new weapon?
She felt that Fina was here to pick a fight, but she was not afraid since she had discovered it in time. Under the circumstances, Fina was not able to ambush her. Sihwa was able to rely on her turf advantage to gain an absolute advantage over it. She could easily turn the bathroom into a kingdom of water.
Soon, she noticed that Fina wasn’t looking at her, but was looking at the phone in her hands.
The brand-new phone was very pretty and, while the screen was locked, the design of the front and back double-sided glass was jewel-like, just like a fine piece of art.
“See this? This is my phone, it’s really fun to play with! You don’t have one, right?” She proudly raised her phone to show it off.
Fina averted its eyes away from the phone. “Hmph! It’s just a phone… this queen does not care for it!”
Sihwa couldn’t stand the things she cherished to be dismissed by Fina. She was about to start an argument with her. She knew that Fina did not care for it––the phone was so fun, how could anyone not care for it?––because it did not have flexible fingers like humans, so she was unable to operate the phone. Yet, she was deliberately putting on an act that she did not care for it.
Sihwa intended to extend her fingers towards Fina so she could flexibly wiggle them in front of her and ridicule her as a stupid Orange Tabby who was both arrogant and self-deprecating!
However, when the words were on the edge of her mouth, she recalled what Zhang Zian had said earlier: “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.” Suddenly, she felt a little soft-hearted and swallowed the words back. She knew that once the words left her mouth, Fina would definitely retaliate by ridiculing her for being a stinky, salted fish that would never be able to leave the bathtub for her entire life. Then another fight of bloodshed would begin.
Fina saw Sihwa’s lips twitch while her eyes were fixed on its paws. It did not look like she was going to say anything good, so Fina, too, fixed her gaze on Sihwa’s light blue caudal fin, planning to ridicule her for not having legs; it had even thought of the nickname “fish no legs.” The nickname probably came from the television show that Old Time Tea watched. Fina occasionally heard that there was a person with the name Lu Youjiao, which meant Lu with legs…
In the end, Sihwa extended out her fingers but she did not wiggle them. Instead, she held her phone and said softly while pouting, “You… do you want to play with the phone?
The unexpected development left Fina in a momentary blur. Fina could not help but look at her suspiciously, thinking that it was a trap. She was using her phone to lure the queen over, then she would splash it with dirty water… The stupid, stinky, salted fish was able to set up traps now?
Fina did not approach Sihwa carelessly, because once it got wet, its fur would stick to its body, its usual grace would all disappear, and it would definitely be laughed at by Sihwa. Fina did not move from the entrance; its current position allowed it to go on the offensive or to retreat with ease––it was waiting to see what Sihwa had planned out.
Sihwa raised her phone. Offering her phone was already the greatest good will she could offer. The phone was currently her biggest pleasure, so what would happen if Fina were to run away with it? What if Fina damaged the phone by dropping it? Cheapskate Zhang Zian would definitely not buy her a new phone and she could only continue her boring days staring at the ceiling.
Her arm was starting to feel sore, so she swapped hands.
“You… you don’t want to play?”
Somewhere in the bottom of her heart, she was hoping for Fina to reject her offer. She was even wishing for Fina to take the initiative to ridicule her and start a fight so they could just battle it out.
Fina raised its legs and walked two steps inside the bathroom. Most of its body was now exposed, but it was still being vigilant; it was prepared to retreat out of the bathroom at any time.
Fina had absolute confidence in its dynamic vision and speed. From its days of observation, it knew that when Sihwa’s abdominal muscles contracted, it meant that she was going to use her fishtail to attack. Fina didn’t even need to wait for Sihwa’s tail to be out of the water to know.
However, Sihwa’s abdomen remained relaxed throughout. There was no sign of force being used, and Sihwa’s soft, flexible arms did not pose a threat to it at all.
As Fina walked closer, Sihwa waved her phone and said reluctantly, “There’s not much battery left, so I can only let you play with it for a while––only a while, okay? Really just a little while! I can’t even bear to play with it myself!”
Fina hesitated for a moment. If it were to continue to walk towards Sihwa, it would no longer have the confidence to avoid Sihwa’s water attack. Sihwa’s caudal fin was very strong and the water that she splashed out hit like a bullet. If Fina were to receive the attack head-on, it could even send it flying towards the wall.
Fina had always seen Zhang Zian playing with his phone, so it knew that there were a lot of fun things in there. But it also knew that it was unable to operate the phone with its paws, so it had always put on the act that it doesn’t care for it.
What Fina really wanted to know was what exactly Sihwa was planning.
The only way to get the answer was to risk itself.
But it was Fina Paris XIII, the guardian of the Kingdom of Eternity. It was not even afraid of the mighty Caesar, so why would it be afraid of a small, salted fish?
So, Fina leaped forward and in a flash and landed on the edge of the bathtub close to Sihwa.
