kscans

Chapter 193 - Promotional SS. Adonis's Needless Worry

"Gunununu....."

A blonde little girl dragged a smallish basket from the kitchen. Huffing and puffing, zehizehi, she headed for the service entrance at the back of the laundry area. Behind the stairs next to that door was this little girl's home.

Her name was Chihiro Sagami. An unfortunate Earthling around thirty who, by some twist of fate, had been reincarnated in another world.

When she came to, she was on the verge of dying from weakness in a dim castle room. With a small body that could barely walk, she bustled about wachawacha to get some food, and using the dead space under the stairs, she brought in blankets and sheets and lived a modest, dollhouse-like life. Worried about her wandering the castle like a vagrant child, people took her in, and she now had a guardian, but she still missed her home under the stairs and was still working to improve it.

Bringing the basket she had dragged zuruzuru under the stairs, the little girl wore a satisfied smile.

"I finally got a table, nyon♪"

Chihiro turned the basket she had brought upside down and prepared tea on top of it. Until now, she had placed things directly on the floor, but it felt much more settled to have them on a properly raised surface. The little girl clashed her hands niheh and leaned against the basket table.

"Haa..... I'm so tired."

So much had happened up to now that she was a little over capacity, and she drifted off, utsura utsura, tempted by sleepiness.

She had been found half-dead by a cook in the kitchen, given food, and in return, she had helped out, working hard to secure her meals. The head chef of the kitchen found out and became her guardian, and now she was a respectable young lady.

I was really lucky.

The little girl, drifting in and out of consciousness nyamunyamu, fell asleep just like that. Unaware that the cooks waiting with her lunch were starting to worry.

"Isn't she late?"

"She's usually here by now, isn't she?"

The two looked at each other dubiously. The tall man with spiky red hair pinpin was Adonis. He was the one who had found the little girl and given her food. The man even bigger and sturdier than Adonis was Drago. After Adonis consulted him about Chihiro's situation, he decisively made her his daughter. His charming feature was his mojamojah beard that connected to his hair.

Staring at the food that was gradually losing its heat, the two exchanged worried glances.

"Don't tell me something's happened again?"

".....I'll go look for her."

Hearing the anxiety in Drago's murmur, Adonis couldn't stand it any longer and rushed out of the kitchen, still wearing his apron. When he found her, the little girl's hair was sooty and she was covered in grime dorodoro. So small, and yet she had cried when she said the food was delicious.

A scene that was burned into Adonis's mind and wouldn't leave.

Isn't she hungry somewhere again? Is she in a situation where she can't come to eat? A series of bad premonitions assaulted Adonis's chest one after another. Because the little girl had a history of being confined without food or water. He didn't know who was responsible, but it was a small life that had been fading away in a corner of the castle. Adonis, who had saved her in the nick of time, doted on Chihiro to an excessive degree. No matter how much love he gave her, it wasn't enough. The misfortune that had befallen the small child could not be wiped away, no matter what.

Where are you? Chiihiro.

Adonis searched the vicinity with quick steps. He couldn't quite catch the name of the little girl who had introduced herself as Chihiro, nor could he pronounce it. It's a common experience for foreigners hearing Japanese for the first time. The little girl was affectionately called Chiihiro by the people around her.

"Chiihiro? Hey, are you there?"

Reacting to the voice, the little girl under the stairs woke up.

Oops, I fell asleep.

Rubbing her eyes kushikushi, Chihiro peeked out from under the stairs. It seemed Adonis's voice was coming from outside the service entrance. He must be looking in the garden. The little girl popped out choroh from under the stairs and called out to Adonis from the open service entrance.

"I'm here, nyo. What's wrong?"

Seeing Chihiro waving her small hands, Adonis's eyes wavered greatly.

Oh, thank goodness.

With a sigh of relief, Adonis rushed to the little girl and hastily swept her small body up into his arms.

"You didn't come by at noon, so I was worried. Did anything happen?"

"I was taking a little nap. See, the sun felt so good."

Even though she had been under the stairs, where the sun was a stranger, the young lady declared this ikeshaashaa without batting an eye. But at her answer, Adonis's face broke into a heartfelt smile. She was happy enough now to indulge in a nap. She was living in peace. That made him happier than anything.

"I see. Well then, let's have lunch."

With a soft smile, Adonis stroked the little girl's hair and suddenly noticed a red mark on her cheek. A mark like a mesh pattern was clearly visible.

"Where were you napping? Were you using a colander as a pillow or something?"

At Adonis's exasperated words, the little girl hastily hid her cheek. The gesture was so cute that Adonis's eyes melted at this happy moment.

I wish every day could be like this forever.

Adonis casually prayed, but he had no way of knowing that a fantastical adventure story awaited him in the future.

A little later, the little girl who would be called the Little One, and the cook who took her in.

The unknown legend that would one day save the world began here.

~Fin~