Chapter 174.1

Chapter 174.1

‘He’s definitely a boy. There’s no way someone with such small feet could strike so fiercely unless he’s a boy.’

Yuri grimaced in pain that was beyond description, but forced a smile, trying to appear unaffected for the sake of his pride.

Today, he must get the child to speak. The boy approached again, seemingly tireless.

“Are you worried that I’ll tease you about your little thing?”

“….”

The child took a stance on all fours, ready to pounce at any moment, but Yuri appeared more relaxed.

“I’m not that bad of a person. What would I do by looking at your little thing?”

However, ironically, the moment he said that, he felt like a truly bad guy.

Sigh… Why does this feel so uncool and only make me feel self-loathing? Yuri ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, trying to manage his expression.

If it were up to his temper, he would want to grab the boy and dunk him in the bathtub, but there was no guarantee that he would win just by using force.

Just then, the child stepped back, and the bookshelf wobbled precariously.

“Okay, okay!”

Yuri raised both hands. To lower the child’s guard, he needed to appear non-threatening first.

“Then we can wash together next time, ah!”

A book flew straight at him, hitting him squarely on the head. Yuri looked at the child in disbelief, pressing his hand against his scalp. The little one seemed even angrier, huffing and puffing.

Ha! It was so ridiculous that it almost made him laugh, but if the bookshelf toppled over, there would be no turning back. Yuri glanced at the dark window and quickly pulled the curtains.

“Hey, why keep your mouth shut?”

‘Don’t get angry, set an example, Yuri Solzhenitsyn.’

“Throwing hands first isn’t very gentlemanly.”

“….”

“If you’re a person, you should speak properly.”

“….”

After a bit of nagging, the child abruptly turned his head away. The defiance was as fierce as a cat’s, but it didn’t bother Yuri.

He didn’t want to tolerate the foolish behavior and pranks of his classmates at all, but the rudeness of this child felt somehow different.

Yuri furrowed his brow, tilting his head as he thought, ‘Did I actually want a younger sibling?’

At that moment, the child, who had been quietly observing, began to splash feet in the water, making a sound like “plop, plop.” Yuri slumped down, resting his chin on his knees, and chuckled, letting his guard down.

“Should I touch your feet again?” The secret affair began like that.

The child’s feet, calloused like hooves, were covered in scars.

Yuri barely managed to relax his stiff expression and continued to rub the small foot with a warm towel. Each time he did, the child’s sparkling eyes seemed to be fascinated by Yuri’s hands.

“Did this hurt?”

As he gently brushed over the scars, the child flinched. The sight of the scars running from the ankle to the calf and knee made Yuri grit his teeth. He swallowed the words that pricked at his throat several times, but eventually spat them out as if chewing on them.

“Is this the work of Maxim Solzhenitsyn?”

“….”

However, the child only tilted head, and Yuri was engulfed in a strange feeling of bruises seeping into his chest.

He pondered where to start and how to help the children, and as he momentarily stopped his hands in thought, the child poked at him as if to say, “What are you doing?”

“….”

The sharp little nails grazed his skin. Yuri let out a bemused laugh.

“Are you just going to keep bossing me around without saying a word?”

The large eyes, straight and unwavering, sparkled oddly.

“Instead of hitting, why not try saying something mean for a change?”

“….”

Could it be that he couldn’t speak because of a damaged vocal cord? Even a single syllable would be nice; he wanted to hear a clear voice. But the more the child kept his mouth shut, the more guilt Yuri felt.

“If you don’t speak–”

It was then that Yuri, who had been looking down, suddenly shouted.

“No, no biting!”

The child suddenly grabbed his hand and brought it to his mouth. With a curious “wow,” his fingers were drawn into the child’s slightly parted lips like food. Yuri braced his wrist and held the child at a distance. Strangely enough, a sense of betrayal flickered in the fiercely raised eyes.

“What are you staring at like that, thinking you did something great?”

“….”

“This may be funny, but it’s also a violation. If you treat it carelessly–”

At that moment, the child shook his head vigorously and snatched Yuri’s hand again. Then, as if hiding a stolen fish, he stuffed it under his armpit. Yuri furrowed his brow, trying to read the situation.

“…It’s not a violation?”

Nod, nod.

Ah… Yuri was at a loss for words and embraced the little beast in front of him. What should he do with this poor, clueless child?

Then the child dragged a fluffy blanket over and draped it over Yuri’s shoulder. The posture naturally reminded him of their first meeting when he had wrapped him in a warm fur coat.

Noticing this, Yuri shared the blanket and patted the child, who let out a small puff of air from under his chin.

It was the sound of the child laughing.