Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 327

**#327. Side Story 2. The Girl Inside the Marble (3)**

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“Hmm-hmm-hmm\~”

With a parasol unfurled in one hand and her suitcase trailing behind, Veronica quickened her excited steps.

Her pace quickened steadily.

She couldn’t hide her excitement.

Because it was her first return to Sector 49 since she’d set out on her journey.

*‘I hope Malta and Yulfin are doing well?’*

The two younger brothers she had left behind at the bookstore.

They weren’t related by blood, but having grown up together in the orphanage, they were as close as family.

> *“We’ll take care of the bookstore, sis.”*
> *“We’re grown now. The days when we needed a guardian are long gone.”*

When she left this place, they had put on a rather boyish bravado.

*‘No way the bookstore’s gone under, right?’*

A sudden ominous thought made Veronica shake her head firmly.

Mm-mm, that can’t be.

They’d be twelve years old this year. At that age, they should be more than capable of managing themselves and handling the hardships life throws at them.

Besides, the hotel kids had said they’d help with running the bookstore too.

She passed through several streets.

In the distance, a familiar building came into view.

**\[Bookstore Veronica]**

*‘At least the sign’s still there!’*

A deep sense of relief welled up inside her.

As she continued walking, she studied the bookstore.

The second floor, which had originally served as living quarters, had its windows open, and beyond them she could see bookshelves and the silhouettes of customers.

*‘They expanded the shop!’*

Even the exterior—walls, entrance, and all—had been remodeled into something more sophisticated, resembling a bookstore from a higher sector.

Beautifully arranged book displays now stood outside, drawing the eyes of passing pedestrians.

Her little brothers seemed to be doing much better than she’d expected!

Veronica couldn’t hide the pride and joy swelling in her heart.

Determined to surprise them, she pulled her wide-brimmed hat down low and entered the store.

*Ding-ling!*

“Welcome!”

With the chime of the bell above the door, a loud greeting rang out from the man at the counter.

Through the hat’s brim, she caught sight of a well-defined jawline adorned with an impressive mustache.

With a small nod, Veronica silently greeted him, keeping her hand on her brim as she quickly made her way inside.

*I don’t know him… Did they hire someone?*

She wondered, but soon her attention was completely stolen away.

“Wow…”

Had they bought out the adjacent stores and knocked down the walls? The bookstore had not only expanded upward but outward on both sides as well.

The levels had been combined into one, with floating bridges spanning overhead where ceilings once were.

There were quite a few customers browsing the splendid interior.

Veronica stepped forward as if entranced.

*‘That book still hasn’t sold, huh.’*

*‘Ah! That’s the one I set aside to read later!’*

*‘…There are so many more books now. Can they even handle all this inventory?’*

As she wandered the store, taking it all in, she searched for Malta and Yulfin.

But they were nowhere to be found.

The initial excitement faded, replaced by growing anxiety and unease.

*‘Don’t tell me… someone took over the store? And the boys got kicked out?’*

Her heart sank.

She approached the tall man with the striking beard who had been giving directions to staff.

“Um, excuse me. Sorry to bother you, but could I ask you something?”

“Yes, miss. Go ahead.”

“Weren’t there two boys who used to be here?”

“Boys?”

“Yes. Two boys. One with gray hair and a scar on the back of his neck, and one with black hair and sharp eyes, and, um…”

She continued listing their physical traits.

The bearded man, who had been studying her carefully, suddenly widened his eyes as if something had just clicked.

Then—

“Veronica noona?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Veronica instinctively looked up. Their eyes met squarely.

A joyful voice rang out.

“It’s you! Veronica noona! It really is! Yulfin! Yulfin! Get over here! Veronica noona’s back!”

“What? Noona’s back?!”

The mustached man at the counter sprang up and strode over quickly.

*Wh-what?*

Veronica was utterly confused.

Why were these grown men calling her by name?

This made no sense.

Her mind stalled.

Reflexively, she stepped back and shouted:

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

*Fwoosh!*

Her parasol opened like a shield.

The two men, who had been rushing forward with arms outstretched to hug her, stopped in their tracks.

“Noona, what’s wrong?”

“It’s us—Yulfin and Malta.”

*You’re saying you’re my brothers?*

These huge, bearded men?

From behind her parasol, Veronica shouted boldly:

“Lies! You villains! What did you do to my brothers?! D-Don’t tell me you sold them to slave traders!”

The two men exchanged awkward glances.

“She doesn’t recognize us.”

“Maybe it’s the beards?”

“Could be. Beards really change a guy’s image.”

“Noona, it’s really us. Your sweet little brothers, Yulfin and Malta.”

Veronica peeked her head over the top of the parasol to examine them more closely.

“You two are Yulfin and Malta? That can’t be…”

Her words trailed off.

But… there was something familiar.

They just looked older because of their height and beards, but their voices still sounded like they were in the midst of puberty, and their faces retained a hint of youthful softness.

“You two… are really Yulfin and Malta?”

“That’s right. I’m Yulfin.”

“And I’m Malta.”

“Then tell me—what was the weather like the day we first met Grandpa?!”

“It was foggy from dawn—gloomy all day.”

“We were too scared to even go outside.”

She fired off a barrage of other questions, and they answered them all with ease.

Eventually, Veronica had to accept that the two really were her brothers.

“H-how did you grow this much in just two years?!”

Malta and Yulfin exchanged looks.

“Philip-hyung said it, remember? Boys in puberty grow like crazy overnight.”

“What doesn’t break a boy only makes him stronger. And once he overcomes that, he grows in ways you wouldn’t believe.”

“Mhm. That’s right, that’s right.”

Veronica felt dizzy.

*… What kind of ordeals have you had while I was away?*

*
*
*

Veronica sat at a table on the second-floor skybridge and listened to what had happened during her absence.

They said the success of the bookstore was largely thanks to the support of the Phillip Hotel.

“Honestly, business was rough at first. In this sector, books are something only people who read actually bother with.”

“You could say there just aren’t that many literate people.”

So, they came up with an idea: to teach people how to read and foster future customers.

“At first, we only taught the hotel kids.”

“Only the bright ones we selected.”

It didn’t take long before kids who could freely read and write started spreading out into the streets.

Adults found it strange and asked what was going on, and the kids replied:

**‘Reading? We learned it.’**

**‘Learned? Where on earth?’**

**‘Over there.’**

Then the adults began to come.

They asked if they could learn to read too.

“There was no reason to refuse.”

“It was exactly what we had hoped for.”

And so, the literacy classes began.

Children teaching literacy?
Doubt and pride quickly crumbled.

Because someone actually succeeded in learning to read in a short period of time.

**‘They say the bookstore teaches reading for free.’**

**‘It’s true! They’re really offering that valuable literacy education at no cost!’**

As rumors spread, more and more locals began flocking to the bookstore.

“It wasn’t just a handful. That’s why we now hold weekly writing classes here.”

“Mmhm, so we’ve completely repurposed the back room as a classroom.”

The students were all lower-class residents.

They had never had the opportunity to learn simply because no one had offered it to them—but their passion for learning was intense.

And then.

Once they finally held the tool called literacy in their hands for the first time, they naturally took a certain action.

“They started buying books.”

“Whatever books related to the subjects they were interested in.”

Books were originally far too expensive for the lower-class residents to afford.

Malta and Yulfin deliberately sold them at a heavy discount.

They didn’t want to deprive people of the chance to acquire knowledge.

If they’d stuck to the original prices, the books wouldn’t have sold anyway.

“So, it was a strategy of small profit and quick turnover.”

“Mmhm, as the number of class attendees increased, the books started flying off the shelves. We did end up with a lot more work, though.”

From there, the bookstore Veronica continued to thrive and became what it is today.

Veronica was speechless.

*If everything they’re saying is true…*

It meant her two younger siblings had joined forces and sparked a wave of change in a once underdeveloped community.

“You guys… really? You’re not making this up…?”

“It’s true. Otherwise, how do you think the bookstore got to be like this?”

“It wasn’t all just us, either. A bunch of the hotel kids with good business sense helped out.”

There was sincerity in their voices.

Now that she thought about it, on her way here she *had* noticed a shabbily dressed local leaning against a wall, reading a book.

It had been a scene sparked by the positive influence of Bookstore Veronica.

*I thought they were just kids…*

Her younger siblings had grown up to be so dependable.

Veronica’s eyes welled with tears.

She slammed the table and stood up.

“Guys!”

“Noona!”

“I missed you so much!”

The siblings opened their arms to embrace one another.

But the moment she saw her brothers’ faces, Veronica flinched and took a step back.

“Noona?”

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

…No matter what, this is just *too* much of a change.

Where did my small, cute, precious Malta and Yulfin go?

*First of all, I need to do something about those beards.*

*Ding-a-ling.*

A bell chimed from below the railing.

When she looked down, she spotted Ray and Curiosa looking around at the entrance.

They saw her too.

Ray gave a slight nod of greeting, and his gaze turned to Malta and Yulfin.

Oh, there’s no way he’ll recognize them.

She hurried to explain who they were.

But just then—

“Malta, Yulfin, it’s been a while.”

“No!”

Veronica shouted without meaning to, her voice full of indignation.

“How on earth did you recognize them?!”

“What do you mean, *how*?”

“Malta and Yulfin!”

Ray looked at the brothers.

He tilted his head, as if he couldn’t understand her reaction.

“Isn’t it obvious? They’re Malta and Yulfin.”

“As expected of Ray-hyung.”

“We knew you’d recognize us.”

Veronica protested again.

“No! No! How could you tell at a glance?! They’ve changed *so* much! Their faces are broader! They’ve got weird beards around their mouths!”

“Noona, that’s mean.”

“Beards are a symbol of manhood, you know.”

Only then did Ray realize Veronica was talking about their *appearance*.

The coordinates of their facial features had shifted in a different direction, and their facial contours had about doubled in thickness…

*But I don’t really see much of a difference.*

Even if they were doing somersaults, they were still clearly Yulfin and Malta.

Appearance aside, there was a decisive clue that proved they were Veronica’s brothers.

“The feeling in their vessels is the same.”

“Ah.”

Veronica accepted it.

Ray had a special way of identifying people.

“And Veronica, boys are supposed to grow like bamboo in the rain every time you look away.”

“That’s something Phillip said, isn’t it?”

Ray’s eyes widened in surprise—something rare for him.

“How’d you know?”

“Of course I’d know! Phillip—when did that kid start filling their heads with sayings like that again?”

Later, once the two had come up to the second floor—

Veronica asked Curiosa,

“Curie-nim, how was the place you visited?”

She meant the former site of the orphanage.

That same question Phillip had once asked, full of concern.

It made her heart feel strangely ticklish.

Curiosa cleared her throat and replied,

“Hem-hem, I didn’t recall anything in particular. Maybe I was just getting my hopes up. I did pick up a toy, but I’m still not sure if it was mine.”

“But we don’t know yet! They say memories aren’t retrieved in an instant but return slowly, right? If you visit a few more times, something might come back!”

The encouragement and support, more enthusiastic than from the person involved, left Curiosa momentarily speechless.

The heaviness she had felt from returning empty-handed from the old orphanage site lifted just a little.

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Beneath the warm lights of the bookstore,

Curiosa thought—

It’s still too early to give up hope.

It’s okay to try just a little bit more.

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