Chapter 9. Nicknames (1)

Translator: Lili

“This is your room. Go in.”

As soon as Shushu changed into her new uniform, the guard handed her a small bag and gave her a light push on the back once they reached the designated room. Shushu hesitantly stepped inside, her surroundings proving to be better than she’d imagined. There was a metal bunk bed, a window letting in sunlight, and even a small drawer. It was cramped but far from the grim environment she had feared.

As she slowly looked around the room, the sound of the door closing startled her, and she quickly turned back.

“Wait a second!”

“What?”

Hearing her urgent voice, the guard turned their head to look through the barred window in the door. Seeing the bars above the window reminded Shushu where she was, and the realization made her falter. But as the guard’s expression grew impatient, she quickly got to her point.

“Um, well… shouldn’t someone tell me how things work around here? Like… what I’m supposed to do?”

“Hah!”

The guard let out a derisive snort. Augwell might have been a prison for the rich, but it was still a prison. The guard glanced at Shushu with a strange expression, seemingly taken aback by her naive demeanor, before finally responding.

“Don’t worry. Soon enough, the ‘senior inmates’ will come to show you the ropes.”

With that, the guard left without another word. Alone, Shushu scanned her surroundings again.

‘Room 207.’

She noticed the number plate on the door, then placed her bag on the bed and examined the mint-green uniform she had changed into. That was when she noticed something odd: a white name tag on her top didn’t have her name on it. Instead, it read Cabbage.

“Cabbage?”

‘What is this? Did they give me someone else’s clothes?’

Shushu, confused, was inspecting her uniform when she suddenly felt a warm breath behind her ear, followed by an unfamiliar voice.

“Do you want to take it off?”

“Ahhh!”

The voice had come from right next to her ear, startling Shushu so badly that she let out a scream. She had been convinced she was the only one in the room, so hearing someone so close caught her completely off guard. The voice was so deep she almost mistook it for a man’s, but that couldn’t be. This was a women’s prison. No matter how poorly run this place might be, there were no co-ed prisons in the world.

Shushu clutched her chest and slowly turned around to find the source of the voice. On the top bunk of the bed, a woman lay sprawled, her head peeking out.

Shushu stared at her, both startled by the woman’s silent appearance and struck by her beauty.

‘Wow…’

The woman, lying casually on the bunk, looked like a character straight out of a fairy tale, with her pale skin and striking features. Her hair was disheveled like she had just woken up, and her face was free of makeup, yet she was stunning. If Shushu had been a man, she might have fallen in love at first sight.

As Shushu gawked, the woman smirked, clearly amused, and sat up,

“Aren’t you going to?”

“W-What?”

“Take it off.”

Realizing what the woman meant, Shushu blushed furiously. She had been examining her uniform, wondering if it was a mistake, but how could someone interpret that as her wanting to strip?

“I’m not taking it off!”

She declared, her face red.

“Suit yourself.”

The woman shrugged, stretching lazily and flipping her hair back. It was then that Shushu noticed the name tag on her uniform, partially hidden by her hair: Mini Cat.

Like Cabbage, it was an odd name for a person.

“What a pity.”

Mini Cat muttered, clicking her tongue. Then, flashing a mischievous grin, she added,

“I was looking forward to it.”

Though her face lit up beautifully when she smiled, the mocking tone made Shushu feel uneasy. She shivered as she muttered the name Mini Cat to herself, somehow understanding why the woman might be called that. She was far from ‘mini’, but she did resemble an elegant cat. Meanwhile, Shushu was still stuck with…

Cabbage.

‘Why on earth did I get named after a vegetable?’

***