The thing in front of him looked to be about a size larger than his remote-control off-road car—and it was perfectly round.
"Could it be a soccer ball that got blown here by yesterday's typhoon…?"
"Hehehe, if that's the case… then let's play something even more fun!"
When Suneo walked closer to take a look, he realized that the milky-white sphere really did look like a soccer ball.
When his remote-control car had accidentally dragged it out from the bushes earlier, it had bounced slightly—it was elastic and springy.
Round, bouncy… what else could it be if not a soccer ball?
And since it really had stormed heavily last night, with a strong typhoon blowing, maybe it had rolled or been blown into their yard from somewhere else.
To Suneo, this kind of gift delivered straight to his doorstep was a rare stroke of luck he'd never turn down.
Even though his family was quite wealthy, they had a habit of saving whenever they could—and never refusing a free benefit. So when such a windfall appeared before him, Suneo gladly accepted it as his own.
Without the slightest hesitation, he continued to control his remote-control off-road car, repeatedly ramming the milky-white sphere, treating it as if it were a soccer ball toy for his car.
"This is fun! So much fun!"
"That's it—shoot!"
After a while, Suneo started to feel that just pushing the ball around the open courtyard with his car was getting boring.
So he adjusted the car's direction and drove it hard, slamming the ball straight toward the courtyard wall.
He just wanted to imitate the feeling of a forward taking a powerful shot.
Bang!
Sure enough, the milky-white ball was full of bounce. When it struck the wall under the car's push, it immediately rebounded with great force.
But unexpectedly—whether due to sheer bad luck or poor positioning—the spot where Suneo's car had stopped happened to be right in the path of the rebound.
The ball slammed directly into the remote-control car sitting in the courtyard.
The toy, made of nothing more than plastic, instantly shattered from the impact.
The ball itself bounced again, then fell to the ground with a crisp crack!
"Ah—! My new remote-control car…!"
Seeing this, Suneo—who had been standing a little distance away—rushed over in dismay, nearly crying.
He hadn't expected things to turn out like this. He'd only meant to play for fun, but he'd ended up destroying his brand-new car.
He'd begged his dad for ages before finally being allowed to buy it, and he'd barely played with it a few times. Now it was ruined. Suneo's heart ached miserably.
Crack!
But then, the clear sound coming from inside the milky-white ball immediately drew his attention.
"Huh? Don't tell me… this thing isn't a soccer ball after all?"
Though still grieving for his broken toy, Suneo's curiosity was now completely piqued by the strange object before him.
Crack, crack…
The crisp sounds grew more frequent, and fine cracks began to spread across the surface of the white sphere.
Looking closely now, it didn't look like a ball at all—but like a perfectly round… eggshell?
Just as Suneo wondered what on earth this thing was, the cracks suddenly burst open from within.
A surge of orange wind shot out from inside, forming a tiny whirlwind that was so strong it blew Suneo—who had been leaning in to take a closer look—clean off his feet.
Shu~! Shu~!
The little orange whirlwind hovered in the air, seemingly startled by the sight of a human for the first time. Its large, innocent eyes blinked curiously at Suneo as it let out soft, chirping sounds: "Shu~! Shu~!"
"What… what is this thing?"
Staring at the orange whirlwind floating before him, Suneo's face filled with astonishment.
Instinctively, he reached out a hand to grab it.
But the whirlwind clearly didn't want to be caught. It playfully puffed a small gust of wind at his face.
"Whoa—!"
The gust knocked Suneo backward again. This time, though he didn't tumble over completely, he landed hard on his backside.
Luckily, the courtyard was covered in thick grass, so it didn't hurt much.
"Shu-shu-shu~!"
Seeing Suneo land on his butt, the orange whirlwind seemed quite amused. It floated in front of him and flashed an innocent, mischievous smile.
"Ugh… damn it…"
Though the fall hadn't hurt too badly, it was still irritating. As Suneo grumbled under his breath, his gaze met the whirlwind's bright, childlike eyes—and suddenly, a sly grin curved his lips.
"Heh… really now? Fine then—just you wait!"
Ignoring the soreness in his backside, he sprang to his feet and dashed into the house.
"Shu~?"
The little whirlwind tilted curiously, wondering where he was going.
Moments later, Suneo came running back out—this time holding a butterfly net.
It was the same one he'd used when he and Gian went up the hill to catch bugs.
Now, he intended to use it to catch this orange whirlwind.
"Hehehe… come here, come here… that's right…"
Standing by the doorway, Suneo hid the net behind his back and stretched out one hand, beckoning the orange whirlwind toward him.
"Shu~? Shu~!"
The orange whirlwind seemed to understand him a little, but it had no reason to be wary. Curious and carefree, it slowly floated closer.
"Ha-ha!"
The moment it drifted within range, Suneo struck without hesitation—swinging the net down in one quick motion.
The hunt had begun!
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