kscans

Chapter 2 - The Kitchen's Little Person

"This is my house."

The place he brought her to was a small mansion built within the castle's outer walls. Small, yet it was five times the size of a standard single-family home in Japan.

Chihiro stared blankly at the neat little mansion before her.

My name is Sagami Chihiro. I was supposed to have died in a traffic accident on Earth, but when I came to, I was inside a child on the brink of death. I struggled desperately, not wanting to die, and was taken in by some kind cooks. And now here I am. It seems this is another world.

The large man, built like a bear, who held Chihiro in his arms, laughed cheerfully. He was Drago, the head chef of the palace. He was a strange man, willing to take in a mysterious child with no parents and no place to live.

"From today on, this is Chihiiro's home. Remember that."

With those words, Drago opened the door.

Doesn't he lock it? Is that just how this world is?

As Drago opened the door with a kachari, she saw a spacious interior with double doors straight ahead. To the left and right were staircases leading to the second floor.

This would be a mansion in Japan. I've seen places like this on TV. This is not the home of a mere cook.

Placed down on the thick carpet, Chihiro clung uncertainly to Drago's leg. Looking down at her gently, Drago called out.

"Naya, are you here?"

As Drago called towards the back of the house, the patter of footsteps was heard, and a man and a woman appeared.

And Chihiro couldn't help but stare.

"We apologize for the wait, Master."

The two bowed respectfully.

One was an elderly man. His brown hair, mixed with white, was neatly combed back, and his posture was impeccable. His name was Naya. He was apparently the butler here.

And then there was another. Red hair and pink eyes. She was a maid named Sasha. On her head were large, fox-like ears, and swaying behind her skirt was a fluffy, fluffy tail.

She was a beast-human!!

Uwaaaah, she's the real deal! Not cosplay! Her ears are twitching, piku piku!!

Drago gave a wry smile at Chihiro, who was frozen, wide-eyed, and explained to the two before him.

"This is Chihiiro, who's in my care from today. She's my daughter. Please treat her well."

He then stared into space for a moment before glancing at Chihiro.

"She is a daughter, right?"

That's what you're asking now?!

Seeing Chihiro nod with a sullen look, Drago seemed relieved. Oh, he's actually kind of cute. Even if he looks like a bear.

Drago instructed them to give the dirty Chihiro a bath and tasked the butler with procuring children's clothes. Then he himself returned to the kitchen to finish his work.

Until the bath was ready, Chihiro was made to sit in a small chair. Before her were tea and dried fruits. At the long-awaited taste of something sweet, her mouth began to water. It is sweet, right?

"Time to eat."

She joyfully popped one into her mouth and chewed a few times. Chihiro tilted her head with a complicated expression.

It's not very sweet. This is just the fruit version of dried vegetables.

Her disappointment as great as her expectations had been, Chihiro was picked up by Sasha and carried to the bath. Chihiro was still chewing wistfully.

The bath was... yeah, it was normal. Soaking in the tub, she let out a sigh of relief.

A bath really is nice. It's only been a little over ten days since I escaped that room, but I was filthy from even before that. I took sponge baths when there was water in the laundry tub, but other than that, I could only wipe myself down.

As the little girl relaxed, mofuun, Sasha carefully washed her hair with warm water. The itchiness on her scalp was gone, leaving her feeling clean, refreshed, and completely satisfied.

After asking a few questions, she learned that Drago was a skilled cook, and for his service, he had been granted the title of baron and a mansion. It was a peerage for one generation only, so it had nothing to do with Chihiro. He had his salary as head chef and a pension as a noble, so he seemed to be quite well-off.

I see. So supporting one more person like me is no problem.

After hearing various things and being given a tour of the mansion, Chihiro was just starting her nap when Drago returned for a moment. He looked worriedly at the napping Chihiro's face, and then his own expression suddenly froze. Drago's eyes widened, his thoughts coming to a halt.

A lovely child, washed clean, sleeping peacefully, suyosuyo.

Staring at her with an expression of shock, he returned to the kitchen with unsteady steps.

"This is bad."

"Huh?"

Though flustered, Drago had completed his work. He started whispering to Adoris, who was cleaning up.

"Do you remember the color of Chihiiro's eyes?"

"Her eyes? Uh, I think they were a light brown. Like milk tea."

"I wish they were brown..."

"Heah?"

Adoris tilted his head at Drago's grave expression.

"What's wrong? Chihiiro's hair and eyes are both light brown, right?"

"Not brown, gold."

"What??"

"When I bathed her and washed her, it turned out her hair was blond."

"Whaaaat?!"

The two stared at each other in silence.

Blond hair was the mark of the royal family. This meant Chihiiro had royal blood. But they hadn't heard of anything happening to any of the princesses. If such a small princess went missing, it should have caused a huge uproar.

"The princesses who haven't been baptized are in the Inner Palace. They shouldn't be coming to the back of the castle like this."

"The Inner Palace has its own kitchens. I've only heard rumors, but age-wise, she could be the Seventh Princess or the Eighth Princess."

"The Sixth Princess too. I hear she's twins with the Seventh."

"...If one of them disappeared, it would have been a huge fuss by now, right?"

"Right."

The two looked up at the ceiling with serious faces. The only other possibility was...

"...An illegitimate child?"

"That's about the only thing it could be."

An illegitimate child born from the dalliances of some high and mighty person.

"Either the mother who couldn't raise her abandoned her, or someone tried to destroy the evidence of an affair."

"Either way, it's not good..."

A chill ran down their spines. The latter possibility was more likely. Because Chihiiro had been confined in that room. If she had been a normal child of her age and couldn't escape that room, she would have certainly died. What if that was the parent's intention?

"...We have to hide her."

"Thank you."

Adoris bowed his head to Drago, who was fully prepared to shelter her.

"Hm?"

"For not abandoning Chihiiro."

At those words, Drago's face twisted into a fierce scowl.

"Of course! How could I stand by and watch an innocent child die?! If it comes down to it, I'll carry her and run!"

Adoris broke into a smile watching Drago, whose eyes were blazing with anger as he huffed and puffed.

He had not chosen the wrong person to consult. He would surely protect Chihiiro well.

Adoris gave the bear-like man, who was practically shouting for them to bring it on, an exasperated look.

No, it would be best if they didn't come at all, you know?

He fixed him with a deadpan stare, retorting only in his mind.

"And so, this."

The next morning, Drago dressed Chihiro in a hooded poncho Naya had prepared. It was a light green poncho, a cute thing with dark green leaves and small orange flowers embroidered on the hem. The little girl gave a twirl to show it off, and Drago nodded with a goofy smile.

"You must not show your hair to people. Hide it with the hood. Understand?"

Ah, so there's something about it. A bad reason.

Understanding without needing an explanation, Chihiro nodded her small head several times. Drago touched her cheek and stared intently at her.

"Her eyes, too... They could pass for brown, I guess. But they have a golden sheen, don't they?"

Gold? Chihiro had not yet seen her own reflection. She had only seen her bangs, so she knew her hair was blond. I wonder if my eyes are gold too.

As the child tilted her head, Drago hugged her tightly and tried to leave the house, still carrying her. The startled butler stopped him with all his might.

"Master, you have work to do! We will take care of the young mistress!"

"But, if something happens... Chihiiro is so cute, and so light. What if she gets kidnapped?"

"This is the royal palace, sir! Who do you think would kidnap her?!"

In fact, someone had tried to kill Chihiiro.

Swallowing the words that rose to his throat, Drago reluctantly... truly reluctantly, handed Chihiro over to Sasha.

"I'll be back early. Be a good girl, okay?"

"Okay. See you later, Daddy."

She waved her little maple-leaf hand, a soft smile on her face.

Something warm spread through Drago's chest.

Daddy. Daddy. Daddy. That's right, I'm a dad now.

Ahhhh, are all children this cute? Or is Chihiiro just especially cute? It must be the latter. My Chihiro is the cutest in the world!!

"Chihiiro, you should come with me after all!"

"That is quite enough, sir!!"

Thrown out by the butler's roar, Drago headed to the kitchen, on the verge of tears.

"Honestly, the Master..."

Grumbling to himself, Naya looked down gently at Chihiro and took her into his arms from Sasha.

"It's 'Father,' you know? You are now a baron's daughter, young mistress. Please call him 'Father.'"

"Faw-ther."

Oops, I messed it up.

My toddler enunciation...

Even when I'm careful, I slip up sometimes.

Naya let out a snort of laughter at the child who was pulling at her own mouth and cheeks. He carried her to the living room. He sat her down on the sofa and began to talk about various things to come.

"As a baron's daughter, young mistress, you must be educated. This means studies and lessons. Do you understand?"

Chihiro nodded slowly.

His eyes widened slightly at that. Naya recalled what Drago had said the previous night.

'That child is clever. Don't judge her by her appearance. She probably has the comprehension level of a student in the lower division of the nobles' academy.'

Drago had inferred that from Chihiro's greetings and demeanor.

Confirming this, Naya continued his explanation to Chihiro, as if probing her.

"Can you read? Can you do arithmetic?"

He then handed a book into Chihiro's small hands. It was a thin book made of thick paper.

They have paper books. This civilization must be quite advanced.

Chihiro turned the page and her eyes widened slightly.

There were phonetic guides written above the characters. But they weren't printed on the paper. They were floating above the surface of the book.

Is this my reincarnation bonus? Not having trouble with the language is important.

"One day, a mother, in a field, a little bird, found."

Though halting, she was reading. Naya's eyes widened in admiration. Just as he was about to say something, Sasha came rushing in from the back, looking a little flustered and holding a wooden tag.

"Naya-sama, this doesn't add up."

Sasha had brought five tags with numbers written on them. She laid them out on the table one by one and placed a hand on her cheek in confusion.

"The total on the wooden tags doesn't match the amount in the cash box."

Naya picked up the tags and took out a calculating device, checking them one by one. The calculator, made of leather cords with knots, seemed difficult to use and was taking time. Peeking at it from the side, Chihiro pointed at the tags.

"Here. The number is wrong. Here too."

She could read the numbers. However, here they used character-based numerals like in Japan, and there didn't seem to be a simpler system like Arabic numerals. You would understand if you tried to do three-digit multiplication using Japanese kanji numerals. The columns don't line up, making it hard to calculate. The same thing was happening here.

"This one, three hundred fifty and two thousand two hundred, that's six hundred seventy-five thousand and..."

Chihiro did the calculations in her head, adding them up as she spoke. She had attended an abacus school for six years until she started middle school. She held a second-grade certification in abacus. Mental arithmetic was her specialty. She rattled off the calculations one after another, and before they knew it, all the incorrect numbers had been identified.

"So many... I must file a complaint. Sasha, bring me some stationery."

It seemed they were being overcharged for ingredients. Glancing at the visibly angry Naya, Chihiro tapped the wooden tags with her finger.

"This is for dealing with commoners, right? Are you going through a merchant?"

"No... we purchase directly from the farmers."

"The fractions are being rounded up with rough estimates, aren't they? Can't you let it slide?"

If they were commoners, and farmers at that, it was doubtful they could do arithmetic properly. There were some large amounts, but most were just small fractions. It was possible they couldn't calculate well and just gave a rough figure.

Explaining this to Naya, Chihiro dangled her legs and grinned.

"From next time, let's prepare a calculation sheet for our transactions. We know the quantities, so we can do that, right? We shouldn't be unreasonable with the farmers."

The smirking toddler left Naya speechless, breaking out in a cold sweat. Just how old are you?

This is taking age fraud too far, isn't it? That off-the-charts arithmetic, that tone, that explanation. You're definitely lying about your age, aren't you?? Ahhh, and not just your age, your status too!

This child before him was without a doubt someone who had received a high-level education. Possibly higher than that of nobles or royalty. Higher than royalty? That's impossible. It can't be...

But the reality is right here in front of me. So impossible is not impossible.

With a somewhat distant, philosophical look in his eyes, Naya suddenly remembered the picture book from earlier.

"Young mistress, you seem to be good at arithmetic, but are you not skilled at reading and writing?"

Chihiro's eyes darted around as if troubled.

Seeing this, Naya felt a sense of relief and nodded in understanding. That's right. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You get good at what you love. There's still plenty of time.

To turn the small child into a fine lady, Naya arranged for tutors. But at that moment, he didn't realize that his mind was already being clouded by the extraordinary child.

Hiring a private tutor for a two-year-old was something even nobles didn't do. Until their baptism, it was normal for them to learn from their families or by observing, a very relaxed process.

In his interactions with Chihiro, Naya's sense of normalcy had completely vanished.

"I see, Chihiiro is clever."

After hearing the story from Naya, Drago beamed and ruffled Chihiro's hair. That afternoon, a merchant came by, and they bought underwear and clothes for Chihiro. They then went into town and bought study supplies. The bulky items were arranged for delivery, and they took a leisurely tour of the city in a carriage.

In terms of era, it was like Earth's Middle Ages. You know, that transitional period like the Renaissance, where old and new things coexisted. That was the impression the city gave.

With Chihiro on his lap, Drago took out a small box from his pocket. From inside, he took out a thin necklace and put it around Chihiro's neck. The pendant was a cute apple motif. The embossed apple sparkled brightly.

"This is my crest. Since it's only for one generation, I chose something familiar. Chihiro Giorge. That is your name."

With that, Drago flipped the pendant over. There, in elegant script, was written 'Chihiro Giorge'.

"If anything happens, show them this. It will serve as your identification."

And there was more, a single document. Placed on the table, it was the adoption paper for Drago and Chihiro.

"I said I was taking in a child from a distant relative, and the civil official recommended it. With this, Chihihiro is officially my daughter."

Drago's smile was full of affection. Overcome with emotion, Chihiro hugged him, unable to speak.

A sting went up the back of her nose. To think she had met such wonderful people.

She had thought she was unlucky with parents in this life, but she had been blessed with enough good fortune to make up for it and more.

I want to do something. What can I do?

Alright!! I'll work for my meals. I have to earn my keep!

From the next day, the little person appeared in the kitchen again.

If potatoes or carrots were left out, they would be neatly peeled before anyone knew it.

A light green shadow darted through the deserted kitchen. Before long, the dishes were all washed.

One mysterious phenomenon occurred after another.

Among the perplexed cooks, only Adoris covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Drago tried to catch the little person, running around, but for some reason, he always lost sight of her near the back staircase. And on the neck of the giggling little person, a beautiful apple pendant was said to shine.