Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: This Is Why Elders...
The door opened, and a cold wind brushed past.
Leaving the warm interior behind, the outside air felt quite chilly.
The sky was clear, but the pre-winter air hung subtly heavy.
“We should hurry.”
“……”
The child in my arms huddled up tightly.
Her small hand clutched the robe firmly.
“It’s okay.”
“……”
I whispered softly, and the child buried her head deeply into my chest.
I carefully lifted the robe to wrap her body snugly.
Her breathing grew a little calmer.
“This way.”
“Okay.”
I followed behind the elder.
Warm sunlight filtered down onto the street.
Some people’s gazes were still unkind.
But perhaps because I was with the elder,
it didn’t feel as unpleasant as before.
The elder ahead pointed somewhere.
“Over there.”
“...Ah, there.”
It was the same place we’d gone yesterday.
A small sign,
neatly cleaned glass windows,
and beyond the clear panes, clothes in various colors.
The elder pushed the door open first.
Ding-a-ling, a small bell rang out clearly.
“Welcome.”
The shop clerk’s bright voice, just like yesterday, rang out.
“...Oh my.”
“Doing well?”
A moment later—
a different expression from yesterday showed on the shop clerk’s face.
Fortunately, it was one of delight.
The shop clerk smiled brightly and approached us.
“Bookstore Elder!”
“Here to buy some clothes. But your mother…”
“She twisted her back a little while ago. Still bedridden, but she’s getting better.”
The elder nodded.
“I see. Glad to hear it.”
“Anyway, shopping again? Didn’t you just get winter clothes?”
“Not for me, for her.”
The elder gestured toward me.
Only then did the shop clerk’s gaze shift my way.
She widened her eyes and pointed at me with her finger.
“Huh? Weren’t you here yesterday…”
“Yeah. Back to shop again.”
“Sorry, but you don’t need to buy that many baby clothes, sir.”
“She’s not a baby.”
The child was completely wrapped up in the robe.
I glanced up at the elder.
He nodded slowly, as if it was fine to show her.
I carefully lifted the robe.
Then, the child huddled inside revealed herself.
A small, frail frame.
Shoulders shrunk tight.
Gaze looking up at me anxiously.
And—
“……”
“Huh? …Oh.”
The child’s and shop clerk’s eyes met.
A short silence.
The shop clerk’s expression softened.
“Hi there?”
“……”
“We saw each other last time, right?”
The child’s hand gripped the robe tightly.
She nodded ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.
The anxiety in her eyes had faded a bit.
“...You know her?”
“Well, not super well or anything.”
The shop clerk scratched her cheek and looked up at the elder.
The elder smiled faintly and pointed at me.
“This one’s decided to raise the child.”
“Aha…”
The shop clerk looked up at me and slowly nodded.
“...I see.”
“Would be great if you could help.”
“Of course. Anything you need, just say the word.”
At those words, the child looked up at me.
Her eyes had softened just a little.
I gently patted her head.
The shop clerk, who’d been watching us, hesitated a moment before approaching slowly.
Then, with a soft smile, she extended her hand toward the child in a friendly manner.
“Good thing. Glad it worked out.”
“……”
The child stared blankly at the unfamiliar hand.
The hesitation lasted a while.
But soon,
her slightly curled fingers uncurled bit by bit.
The shop clerk’s hand and the child’s small, delicate one overlapped just barely.
The shop clerk smiled.
She withdrew her hand very slowly.
Watching that, the elder stroked his beard and murmured lowly.
“...You were looking out for this child too, weren’t you.”
“Yeah, well. I’d sneak her some food now and then, that was it.”
The shop clerk scratched her head.
She seemed a bit embarrassed somehow.
“People nagged me, saying what if an unmarried girl like me brings home a kid first,
or where would that family’s seed end up going, stuff like that. Couldn’t bring her over.”
“Heh.”
“...Kinda weird to say this, but good thing Mom hurt her back.”
The shop clerk let out a quiet sigh and continued.
“Mom… she has a lot of bad feelings toward that family.”
“Yeah, figures.”
“If that aunt hadn’t pulled her scams… Ah, sorry. I’m talking too much.”
The shop clerk covered her mouth and smiled awkwardly.
The elder waved it off lightly.
“Pick out some clothes the child can wear, quick.”
“Yes, got it.”
The shop clerk turned her gaze back to us.
This time, she examined the child with even more care.
A moment later, her brows furrowed slightly.
“Hmm…”
“...What?”
“To put new clothes on her, she’s got a lot of dirt on her body.”
I looked down at the child quietly.
I’d wiped her down with water on the robe, but she was still grubby.
I nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. I still don’t know how to bathe a human qui—mmph.”
The moment the shop clerk’s eyes went wide—
my mouth was suddenly covered.
I tilted my head and looked to the side.
The elder who’d clamped my mouth shook his head slowly.
“He’s a foreigner, you see. His words are a bit clumsy.”
“...Aha.”
The shop clerk nodded with a smile.
“If it’s okay, I can wash her. I’ve got lots of nieces and nephews, so I’m good at it.”
“...Is that alright?”
“Yes. Better to clean her up before dressing her in our clothes.”
“...I see. Please do.”
The shop clerk nodded and smiled warmly.
“Come here, little one. To big sis.”
“……”
I met the child’s eyes.
After a brief hesitation, the child squirmed in my arms.
I slowly handed her over to the shop clerk.
The small body was carefully cradled in the shop clerk’s arms.
The child gripped the edge of the robe but soon let go.
“I’ll have her washed quick.”
“How long?”
“Mm… about 30 minutes?”
“Okay.”
The shop clerk carried the child up to the second floor.
30 minutes.
30 minutes, huh.
Better to buy what we need in the meantime.
“Be right back.”
“Hm? Where to?”
“Need a lot. Bedding too, and the alchemy shop.”
“I see. I’ll come along.”
The elder pulled on his hat and headed for the door.
I stared at him blankly for a moment, then tilted my head.
“Why? I’m alone now, should be fine.”
“True, but you… look like a kid left out in the market.”
“...Me?”
“Yes. Your face and demeanor draw too much attention.”
The elder cleared his throat and opened the door.
I followed behind his leisurely steps.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Running errands here and there took over 30 minutes.
I hadn’t planned to buy this much,
but one thing led to another, and soon the luggage piled up like a mountain.
Most of it was picked by the elder.
“You need the basics.”
“No cutting board, utensils, or dishes at home? Unthinkable.”
“One blanket? No way, at least two quilts.”
Swept up in his momentum, I added everything he pointed to,
and before I knew it, both my hands were full of bags.
I looked down blankly at my heavy hands.
“...How to carry the kid.”
“Leave the stuff at the bookstore. Kid at home, come back after.”
“...Right.”
I nodded and sighed.
As the elder said, I dropped the luggage at the bookstore and headed back to the clothing shop.
Opening the door,
I saw the child, much cleaner now, held by the shop clerk.
Her eyes brimmed with tears,
and her reddened eyes suggested she’d just stopped crying.
The shop clerk yelled the moment she saw us.
“Where’d you go!”
“Needed to shop.”
“You should’ve said something! She cried her eyes out when you vanished!”
“...Ah, sorry.”
The child’s lips trembled.
Then, she squirmed in the shop clerk’s arms.
“Hm?”
“……”
I slowly spread my arms.
The child’s small hand reached out into the air.
Toward me.
I carefully took her into my arms.
She sniffled and buried her face in my chest.
“Sorry. I’ll say something next time.”
“……”
Worried she’d burst into tears again,
I gently patted her back with one hand.
The shop clerk sighed and said,
“Fine. Just tell us next time. Leave a note or something.”
“Yeah, will do.”
“Heh, sorry about that. Their place lacks so much, I meddled and delayed us.”
“...Good grief. …I picked some clothes. Over here.”
With the child in my arms, I followed.
New clothes were neatly displayed.
A light yellow dress, airy and flowing.
A pink cape with ribbon decorations.
A light green dress with a full skirt, and more.
The shop clerk proudly put her hands on her hips.
“What do you think? Cute, right?”
“Mm…”
“Hmm…”
A subtle sound escaped the elder and me at the same time.
“Won’t these be cold?”
“Yeah.”
“Argh! This is why elders won’t do!”
The shop clerk tossed her long hair and continued.
“Girls pursue cuteness even if it means sacrificing warmth.”
“Ahem, even so, these are too…”
The elder tilted his head, inspecting the cape.
The outer fabric was thin, and the lining wasn’t thick either.
Thin enough that even a breeze would cut right through.
No matter how I looked—
we needed something thick,
warm-looking,
and easy to move in.
The elder and I scanned the rack of children’s clothes.
A moment later—
our eyes locked on the same outfit.
“This one.”
“This should work.”
“Argh! Who wears such clunky clothes—!”
The clothes we pointed to—
a thick brown coat stuffed with padding.
Buttons up to the neck,
sturdy seams,
a waist cord to cinch it.
Perfect insulation and durability, unmoved by blizzards.
It screamed “this is it” at first sight, but
the shop clerk recoiled in genuine horror, waving her hands no.
“Mom stocked it, but kids these days absolutely won’t wear this!”
“Is that so…?”
“Totally! Anyway, this is why elders…”
The shop clerk clicked her tongue and wagged her index finger.
“...Is it really that bad?”
“Of course it is! That’s why kids talk about generation gaps!”
“……”
“...Why do you keep shrugging your shoulders since earlier?”
I coughed lightly and averted my gaze.
Then,
the shop clerk showed the child both our pick and hers.
“Here, little one. Which do you want to wear?”
“……”
The child’s eyes slowly went back and forth between the two outfits.
One airy dress,
the other a thick coat.
After much deliberation,
she slowly reached out and pointed to the dress.
“Heh…”
“……”
“Ohoho, see? Come on—let’s get you changed, little one. Big sis’ll help.”
The shop clerk beamed triumphantly and picked up the dress.
The two headed into the changing room,
and the awkwardly smiling elder stroked his beard, murmuring,
“...Heh, is this the generation gap?”
“Generation gap…”
Why,
though it was a unfamiliar word, worry flooded in.
With my head down in thought, the elder tapped my shoulder.
“Why worry about that already? You’re still young.”
“...Me?”
“Yes. Looks like twenties, right?”
“...Me?”
The elder paused a moment, then burst into laughter.
“You must age well. Still, no need to fret over generation gaps. You’re plenty young.”
“...Yeah. You’re still young too.”
“Kehkeh! Thanks.”
I smirked at the elder’s hearty laugh.