I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 654

"What's this neighborhood for?"

"Try to guess."

"Uh... I'm not sure? It kind of feels like a plaza with a bunch of billboards around... though, there are a lot of easels nearby. I guess it looks a bit like an artist's street."

"You're close enough. The name 'Artist's Street' is quite impressive, so we'll use that when we open tomorrow... Anyway, as you guys mentioned, this place is for painting. But the tools are a bit different."

"Tools?"

"Tail, I mean, tail."

• What the heck, hahahahahaha
• So they're seriously going to use tails to paint as content now, hahahahahaha
• They really do anything, hahahahaha
• Eugene's big plan to evolve humans into Biyams, damn
• I get it, but hurry up and open it already!!!

Ah.

Everyone finally showed signs of understanding, but unfortunately, it was only a half-realization. Just that alone couldn’t explain the billboards around us.

It wasn’t entirely wrong to call them billboards. After all, they were going to advertise something. The expo and theme park were meant for that purpose, but... what would be displayed on those screens was something a little more unique.

As the saying goes, seeing is believing, so I waved my hand.

The screens around us simultaneously turned on and displayed a few images — nothing particularly impressive.

Some pictures and text. English sentences written in beautiful cursive and delicately drawn pictures, and in between, photos of 3D sculptures with quality that stuck out like spikes.

Although it wasn’t particularly impressive for something shown with such confidence... what exactly did they use to draw those pictures?

One by one, the friends began to notice.

"Wait, could it be...?"

"Yes, what you’re thinking is right. These were all... drawn with this."

Swish.

At the same time, the snake-like tail gently swayed. Its smooth curves captivated everyone. Harmony, Dice, and Iris all shook their heads. They were in awe. Probably, only these three could feel that way.

And no wonder. These three were all Awakened, and because of that, they now realized just how difficult it was to control their tails so delicately.

As everyone looked on in amazement, I led them closer to the easels and added:

"We're going to hold a small event. We'll select the best drawings or the best-written quotes and display one or two of them on those screens. There will be small rewards for those who rank high or win."

"Whoa, can we join too?"

"If you have the skill to win, I don’t see why not, but, well... it won’t be that easy."

"Eh? Is it really that hard?"

• Kim Stonechek is trying to act tough again, hahahahaha
• Who among us can even draw? Sonia and Evelyn from Class 3 are probably the only ones
• That cursive looks like the one Yukjin used when he went to the maid cafe, hahahahaha
• Limit also draws sometimes
• Who cares, even writing instead of drawing works, hahahaha

Glancing.

I borrowed an old saying, "recent confidence." I’m not sure if it’s because they’re streamers, but the moment a prize or something enticing was dangled in front of them, confidence seemed to bubble up from nowhere.

Or maybe it’s because they suddenly became aware of a confidence they hadn’t noticed before, so now they thought it might be worth trying.

The people sitting in sturdy chairs looked at the easels, but less than 10 seconds later, they all inhaled deeply with a sigh.

Naturally, their reactions were easily noticeable to me and Dice, and that’s why we couldn’t help but laugh quietly. It was probably a pretty difficult task.

First, let’s see if they can even bring their tails to touch the reinforced plastic easels by their own will.

"Ugh, ugh, eeek...!"

"Wow, what is this? This isn’t easy, ugh, why is this so hard?"

"Eugene, my tail isn’t listening! This seems like a defective product. Can I exchange it... eek!"

"Don’t even say something so ridiculous."

"Aah, I feel like I’ve turned into a kindergarten student...!"

• Hahahahahaha
• What are they doing, hahahahaha
• This looks like the first drawing I made on Paint, hahahahaha
• Why are they struggling so much, hahahahaha
• Fact: Tomorrow, everyone at the theme park will draw even worse than this, hahahahaha

The giggling behind them grew louder.

And no wonder. They’d underestimated the difficulty of controlling their tails. Just controlling strength, horizontal and vertical movements would be quite a struggle. It was like watching people fall on the ice rink when they first try skating.

And as they said, it was quite a spectacle. It was hard to even find someone who could draw a straight line horizontally or vertically. Just tensing their buttocks and spine wasn’t enough, you know?

Meanwhile, a few baby Biyams had quietly sat at the easels. They’d probably given up on drawing and were now writing their names or screen names in English or Hangul. Naturally, they were much more skilled due to their experience.

As the friends who had gone through a similar TS process went around asking Dice and the others for tips-

"...When did Shark sit down? No, wait, is this a hand-drawn picture?"

"Yes, it’s a tail-drawn picture, but if you're not interested in winning, drawing it by hand isn’t a big deal. The hologram plates also support oil paintings and watercolors, so it’s quite fun."

"Wait, what? Is that really you?"

"Who else could it be?"

• What the heck, hahahahaha
• He’s been sitting for just a few minutes and already... hahahahaha
• Hah, what can’t this person do? Seriously, is he insane???
• He's lying with his drawing, hahahaha. What shark is this calm? Hahahaha
• Doesn’t match his usual image at all, www

...How on earth did he create this saintly shark-nun drawing?

Somehow, he created an intense color contrast, almost like a halo, that made it look so sacred... How did he learn this? This person seems to have done almost everything in the art world.

We had once been left speechless when we saw him carving art out of anything—wood, stone, you name it—whenever he had nothing to do. Why on earth did heaven give this man such talent?

Anyway, apart from that, everyone started struggling with their drawings.

The surprising thing was that Kato was actually doing better than expected?

But my wish to praise him was quickly dashed.

The reason was simple. During the lunchtime stock replenishment break, I had called over the Mecha juniors to this place.

The usually unseen appearance of Hoddeok's group and the Class 3 students caught the attention of the Mecha members, who added their comments.

"Lots of new faces!"

"I was wondering what you were all doing, but it looks like you’re having fun. Are you having fun while we’re working?"

"Are you drawing? Everyone seems lost. Want some help?"

"No, I think I’m starting to get it... eeek?!"

"Now we’re starting to hear some screams, Cartographer."

• Hahahahahaha
• What the heck, they're trying to turn Kato into a TS too, hahahahaha
• Seriously, what is going on here, hahahahaha
• Is the tail also providing feedback? This is crazy, hahahahaha

As Marv brushed Kato's tail with his hand, a scream erupted.

Well, it was inevitable. The tail was a very sensitive part of the body, and since the feedback sensitivity was set to that level, it would feel quite ticklish, or like some strange sensation when touched.

While the third member was having fun messing with Kato, Jin quietly sat in front of an empty easel. I approached him, and a brief conversation followed.

"What should I do?"

"Just try anything. A drawing or writing."

"Then I’ll try drawing a picture I downloaded recently."

Jin, blinking his teal eyes, pondered for a moment before raising his tail and began to move it skillfully.

And then-

"...What is that?"

"Aha, that’s a cheat."

• What’s this now, hahahahaha
• Mecha juniors, take it easy, hahahahaha
• Wow, what is that, a photo???
• Everyone else is drawing, and a copier jumps in, hahahahaha
• They must have called them to crush the Biyams' enthusiasm, hahahaha

As he said, inside the easel was a view of rainy New York that looked like a photo—impossible to distinguish from the real thing.

You all can have it.

"...Teacher, this isn’t the beginning of a grand plan to change everyone’s bodies just because I’ve been transformed, is it?"

"Did you eat something strange before coming here?"

"No, that’s not it... Aah!"

• Hahahaha, busted right away
• Fine, just do it to me first then!!!
• Got caught, hahahaha
• This is so random, hahahaha
• But seriously, won’t there be more people transformed into TS in like 10 years?
• This isn’t TS, it’s species ascension, hahahaha

Bang!

With a clear sound, Iris' white cheek puffed out like cheese.

I remembered that on Awakeners' Day, various pages had been created on the Tree Wiki. I was somewhat aware of what had happened, and to be honest, it felt quite awkward.

In fact, I was considering that it might be better to prevent such things from happening in the future. But the one who was most involved was the one making this joke. I was seriously losing it.

...But well, let’s think positively. If they hadn’t adjusted by now, they wouldn’t be making these jokes.

Taking this opportunity, I decided to exchange a few words.

"So, how’s our editor doing lately?"

"...It’s getting to the point where it’s scary. Since the gender change, things have suddenly been going way too well for me... even my bank account..."

"Okay, that’s enough. There are a lot of ears listening."

• Deceiver!!!!
• Living point: Iris, if you just touch her, liquid more valuable than gold will come out.
• Iris cutting it off quickly, hahahaha
• So if you win the drawing contest and get first place, will you get TS-ed?
• Fact: Kato would become a TS way faster than these chat trolls.

When streamers start talking about money on a broadcast, it never ends well.

Anyway, as everyone was diligently drawing, Iris and I moved to the back and had a little chat. As I’ve said before, Harmony and Dice... they graduated long ago.

It’s a bit ironic that they still consider themselves Biyam graduate students, but since they wanted to stay under me, with their tails, what could I do? It’s different from the editor who got bombarded in first class.

Apart from that, Iris was talking about her friends in real life. It was a subtle hint that her mental state had completely recovered.

"...Around tomorrow, my real friends and military juniors will come by. Some unfamiliar people might show up on the broadcast."

"They might show up, sure. Well, that’s up to their skills or luck. If it’s something the editor can handle, let them take care of it."

"Yeah. Even if a bunch of avatars with red instructor hats appear on the broadcast, don’t worry about it."

"...Aren’t instructor hats usually black now?"

"I wouldn’t know."

• Red hat, hahahahaha
• If they come in military uniform too, we can let it slide.
• What about Iris' reservist training? Hahahaha
• Suddenly talking about reservists, hahahaha
• Where did the red hat come from, hahahaha

...This is so unnecessarily meticulous.

Anyway, as I said earlier, the issue with those friends is for Iris to handle, and if they appear on the broadcast, fine. If not, then whatever.

The real important thing right now is the D Building mock combat room, which will undergo the same update as Tail Park starting tomorrow. It’s not a huge upgrade, just adding the ability to overlay avatars, similar to what’s here.

With that in mind, I opened up the folded tablet to check if the facility inside was working smoothly. Various attractions, restaurants, theaters, and cinemas... everything was scheduled to operate tomorrow.

Then, our editor quietly added:

"By the way, Teacher. One person didn’t come today."

"Who do you mean?"

"Olivia... oh, should I call her 'sister'?"

"Call her however you feel comfortable. Anyway... since she didn’t say anything, I guess it's fine for her not to come early today."

"Maybe..."

• Sister, hahahahaha
• Sister???
• Right, she was a Biyam editor just a couple of months ago, hahahahaha
• Living point: If you want to know how this person looked back then, watch the housewarming video
• Argh, took the red pill!!!!

Well, it's still confusing with the titles.

When I was in the States, I memorized everything, so it wasn’t an issue, but I’m not sure if it’ll sound right in Korean.

Speaking of which, now that she mentioned 'sister,' I wonder what Logan is doing now. He seems like he’s trying to outdo me and Shark in everything...

Maybe he’ll come when he gets some vacation.

Anyway, after the expo ends, Incheon Tourism Organization, Korea Tourism Organization, and Incheon City will bring piles of money and beg us to keep the D Building mock combat room and the theme park around, so we don’t need to worry about that.

In about a month, I’ll have to fly to the U.S. for humanoid business, so there’s a chance I won’t meet him at all.

Just as a brief silence fell over us, we were suddenly interrupted:

• [Warning: Unidentified presence detected.]
• [Warning: Human identification failed // Tracking impossible // Logic circuit calculations in progress.]
• [Warning: Unidentified presence has entered 'Tail Park.']

???Thud!

"...Eh, ah, eh."

"We need to tighten the drone surveillance, junior."

"...Can you come in like a normal person, please?"

• Hahahaha, what the heck?!
• ??????
• I blinked and something appeared, hahahahaha
• This is why Awakened ones are treated like strategic weapons, hahahaha
• I think... that’s only true for Biyams and their acquaintances...

I’m losing it. Seriously.

This person isn’t normal either.

"...So, when should I go out next...?"

Meanwhile, about a hundred meters away from us, a silver craft with glowing green eyes was staring at the central plaza.