Volume 3 Chapter 8 I Encountered A Lost Child, But...
I'm not just a newcomer who just arrived in the royal capital. I've spent a fair amount of time here and have gained some familiarity with the area. I also have some knowledge of places and shops that would appeal to women.
"(Nom nom) Ah, just being able to taste this again makes it worth sneaking out."
"That's a bit exaggerated."
The young lady had a happy expression as she savored the grilled meat on a skewer.
Although they are more geared towards commoners, I know of several shops that would appeal to women, compared to before. Thanks to Kyunei and Mikage, I naturally started gathering information about that area. I tried to guide her to one of those places, but as we were walking side by side, she unexpectedly spotted the same shop as before and pointed at it with sparkling eyes.
Even without words, anyone could understand what she was seeking.
Who could possibly disregard the wishes of a young lady who had such a sparkle in her eyes? As a result, both she and I ended up with skewered grilled meat in our hands.
"Is it really not possible to have this kind of meal inside the mansion?"
"Actually, there aren't many opportunities to simply enjoy a meal..."
It seems like etiquette and manners can be bothersome, especially for nobles. Even when eating with just family, it seems like there are many things one must be mindful of.
"So, being able to eat freely without worrying about our surroundings is quite relaxing and nice, don't you think?"
"I see. In that case, please enjoy to your heart's content."
It appears that the young lady would be more delighted by this kind of casual street food rather than dining at a restaurant. While I know of similar places that serve this type of food, they are not suitable for accompanying a young lady. So, it's safer to explore other food stalls where there are more people around.
──Tug.
"Huh?"
As I walk around enjoying the food stalls with the young lady, suddenly my pants are pulled.
I turn around to see what's happening, but there's no one behind me. Yet, the sensation of my pants being pulled persists.
"Um..."
This time the young lady tugs at the hem of my shirt. She looks troubled and lowers her gaze.
Following her lead and looking down, I see a young girl, not even ten yet, looking up at me with tears in her eyes.
"Mom... Where?"
"...Where could she be?"
I instinctively respond with a Tsukkomi.
'Lost child, found.'
Shut up.
Annoyed by the dramatic words, the girl's lips tremble.
"Oh well, it can't be helped."
I quickly pick up the girl. She sobs uncontrollably, clutching onto my clothes and body tightly.
I gently pat her back. Despite the mess of tears and runny nose, she holds on tightly to me. With a sigh, I endure it all.
"Sure, go ahead and cry as much as you want."
"You're really kind, aren't you?"
"No matter how much you tell a child to stop crying, they won't stop."
The young lady said with a smile, but I shrugged my shoulders.
Even adults don't easily stop crying once they start. So it's better to let them cry it all out and feel better.
"I'm sorry, young lady. We'll have to cancel our date."
"There's no other choice, right?"
For now, there are a lot of people passing by here. Once we find a place where we can sit and calm down for a moment, I let the little girl sit down.
"Here, have a snack."
I hand her a lollipop that I bought along the way. The little girl takes the lollipop while still sobbing and starts licking it. She seems to have calmed down a bit, as there are still tears, but she has mostly stopped crying.
"Here, young lady, you too."
The young lady also takes a lollipop and sits on the right side of the little girl. I settle down on the left side facing them. Of course, I have a lollipop with a stick in my hand.
For a while, the three of us stayed silent and licked our candies.
When the time was right, as expected, we heard the girl's story. She had gotten separated from her mother while they were shopping and had been wandering alone in the midst of people.
"For now, let's just keep licking our candies. Once we're done, we'll go look for your mom together."
"...okay."
I lightly tapped the girl's head, and she began to focus on licking her candy.
"You seem used to this."
"Huh?"
"I mean, dealing with kids. If it were me, I would have been flustered and unable to do anything."
"Well, I come from a small village, so..."
When a child is born, the whole village takes care of them. Especially for children who can't do any physical work yet, taking care of babies born in the neighborhood is like a job.
"But still, this is the first time I've had to deal with a lost child."
Getting lost is something that only happens in big cities like the royal capital. In a small village, the chances of getting lost are almost nonexistent. If a child cries, someone will always come running to help.
Although I'm good at using a sword and getting into tricky situations, I don't know how to find the parents of a lost child.
"Maybe we should start by going to the guard post?"
"Oh, I see."
I clapped my hand with the candy I had, in response to the young lady's advice.
The guard post the young lady mentioned is where soldiers protect the safety of the royal capital. It's the most familiar public institution for ordinary citizens.
"Since it's a child's pace, the parents shouldn't be too far from where they got separated. If we go to the nearest sguard post, maybe there's a search request for this child."
"Okay, then that's our next destination."
With a plan in mind, the young girl suddenly looked at me and the young lady with great interest.
"What's wrong?"
"...Are brother and sister, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?"
""Wha─!?""
To the innocent question without any ulterior motive, we were both taken aback.
"Why, why did you think that way?"
"Well, because both brother and sister seem really nice."
"I-I see."
Even though it was a child's words── no, precisely because it was a child's honest words── I felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment.
However, there was something different. While I was getting excited all by myself, the young lady had a smile on her face but also seemed somewhat melancholic. As soon as I saw her expression, it felt like the excitement I had been feeling suddenly disappeared.
"...I'm sorry. This person and I are not lovers."
And then, the young lady delivered a decisive statement.
"I have someone chosen by my parents as my partner."
──Despair set in.
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