Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: What the Child Needs (3)
The alley where Loren's clothing store was located was quiet.
Sunlight filtered sparsely through the awnings draped over the street,
And there were more flocks of sparrows huddled together on the stone road than pedestrians.
The flock of sparrows suddenly flew up into the sky all at once.
A familiar face was waving her arm as she approached from this direction.
It was Loren.
"There."
"?"
"Loren."
"!"
The child quickly turned her head to look toward the alley.
Soon,
upon spotting Loren, the child too
raised both hands high and shook them vigorously.
The child's lips curved up nearly to her ears.
"Hello. Loren."
"!"
"Yes! Good afternoon!"
Loren came running over and pinched the child's cheeks.
She pressed down on them with both hands,
and pulled them to the sides while chuckling.
Yet the child seemed delighted, her face blooming into a full smile.
"Ehehe, our little one! Does sis make you that happy?"
"!"
"Yeah, I really missed you too!"
"……!"
"How can you be this cute, huh?"
The child's face flushed pink as she cupped her cheeks with both hands.
Still, her eyes sparkled.
Loren chuckled and stroked the child's head.
Then she looked up at me.
Her eyes narrowing—it felt like she'd give me the same nagging as always.
"Decided yet?"
As expected.
I silently gazed at Loren and shook my head the same as always.
The child's name still hadn't come to mind.
Loren placed her hands on her hips and let out an annoyed sigh.
"Jeez, really! Does it take this long just to come up with one name?!"
"I did come up with one."
"Is that a name?!"
The child once,
Loren once,
Hubert, who was locking the door and coming over, once.
I looked at the three of them in turn, tilted my head, and opened my mouth.
"…Is Pink that bad?"
"What kind of name is Pink for a child, you fool!"
At Loren's shout, the child startled and widened her eyes.
Gently stroking the child's head, Loren
glared sharply again and poked my chest repeatedly with her finger.
"Is this so hard? Put your heart into it, sincerely, thoughtfully—a pretty one!"
"Pink is pretty."
"That's not the point!"
Loren huffed and puffed, then cleared her throat.
"Put yourself in her shoes. If someone called you Yellow because your hair's yellow, would you like it?"
"I've been called that."
"…Huh?"
"Was fine with it."
"……Sigh. You, really."
Loren let out a long sigh as if the ground would cave in.
It's still hard.
Humans.
Something utterly commonplace for dragons.
Why do they take it so sensitively?
Dragons often name themselves after their scale colors.
It's the simplest way, and for dragons with faint senses of belonging,
it's a way to affirm their affiliation, however faintly.
'I can't be classified by color, though….'
Did he overhear our conversation?
Hubert chuckled heartily and strolled over leisurely.
"Heh heh, quarreling over a name again."
"Not quarreling. Persuading this dry blockhead."
Hubert glanced at me, then turned his gaze to the child.
"…Well, back in the old days, simple names from appearances or birthplaces were common enough."
"That's ancient history!"
Loren bristled right away.
"These days, kids get teased for names like that! Pretty ones, full of meaning, special! Isn't it obvious?"
"Heh heh, there's logic to it."
Hubert turned kindly to the child.
"Kiddo, what name do you think you'd like?"
"……."
"If you want, sis can pick a pretty one instead of that blockhead!"
The child's eyes wavered slightly.
No words,
but her pupils shook faintly, as if lost in thought for a moment.
Then she grabbed my robe with her small hand.
Loren looked at the child with a defeated expression, then soon bowed her head.
"…Ugh, persuasion failed again today."
"Like Pink?"
"……."
"Mr. Row, if you settle on Pink for real, I'll sew that mouth shut."
Hubert laughed and wedged himself between us.
Loren was still glaring at me, face full of dissatisfaction.
Hubert soothed her as he spoke.
"Don't get so mad, Loren. He's not being insincere. Last time, he bought several naming books."
"…Really?"
"Yeah."
Loren's expression softened considerably.
Looking back and forth between me and the child,
she lightly pinched the child's cheek while shooting me a side-eye.
"Then pick one as quick as you can. How does it make sense for such a cute kid to still have no name?"
"…I'll try."
"Good. And don't bring something like Pink as your 'effort'."
The child's eyes turned toward me.
Her small finger gripped my robe even tighter, carefully.
From that fingertip came
a very small wish… that I'd give her a name.
The child seemed to vaguely sense what significance a name holds.
"…Got it."
"Really?"
"Yeah. For real this time."
Loren nodded with a smile.
Then she knelt down and wrapped her hands around the child's small hand.
"Our little one, you'll have a pretty name soon, okay?"
"……!"
"Don't worry. Sis will nag him till a pretty one comes up."
Did she understand the meaning?
The child looked up at Loren and grinned broadly.
I looked down at her and lightly stroked her head.
"……?!"
"I'll try."
"!"
The child's cheeks flushed pink.
After staring at me intently, she buried her face in my robe again.
'…A name just for this child.'
Tonight,
I had a reason to open the books again.
"Ah, right. Look at me, forgetting."
"Hm? What's that?"
"Nothing big. Just something for you two."
Loren rummaged in the basket she'd been carrying.
It was homemade potpourri and herb tea bags.
A faint fragrance spread on the breeze.
A harmonious scent of fragrant petals and dried herbs blended together.
Loren carefully placed them in Hubert's and my hands.
"Here. The herb tea's mixed with ones good for colds only."
"Thanks."
"Heh heh, much obliged. With the cold season around, perfect."
Loren grinned and nodded.
"Weather's turning chilly, everyone's feeling low. Thought a nice scent might perk them up."
"Still as skilled as ever."
"Yeah. Well made."
"Hehe, right?"
Loren shrugged proudly and turned to the child.
"Got one for our little one too."
"……!"
She pulled out another potpourri the size of the child's palm.
Pale pink cloth embroidered with a tiny rabbit pattern,
and inside, apple-scented potpourri.
"Made specially for kids. No strong scents, just mild calming ones. Good by the pillow for better sleep."
"……!"
"Oh, she loves it? That into it?"
"!!!"
The child's eyes sparkled brightly.
She gripped the potpourri tightly in her small hands,
hugged it to her chest, and nodded vigorously at Loren.
"Ehehe, so cute. When the scent fades, tell sis. I'll make more!"
"!"
The child smiled radiantly.
She stared at the potpourri for a while, then hugged it tight again.
No intention of letting go—her grip was firm.
"If you get tired of this scent, be sure to tell me. I'll make one with your favorite then."
"……."
"It's okay. Sis specializes in this stuff."
Loren winked playfully,
and the child nodded shyly, tugging lightly at my robe.
'…Ah, right.'
I tapped the child's hand.
The child tilted her head,
and when I held out the basket, she beamed.
The child's movements quickened.
Rummaging in the basket, she offered the sandwich she'd made.
Perhaps because Hubert had accepted gladly last time.
Unlike at the bookstore, this time she offered the sandwich without hesitation.
A hint of confidence shone in her eyes.
"Hm? What's this?"
"!"
"…Sandwich? What happened? Did it roll on the way? The shape's…."
"!!!!!!!"
The child looked shocked, eyes widening as she hunched her shoulders.
Her small lips quivered, her face on the verge of tears.
I quickly stroked her head.
"The child made it."
"…What?"
"……."
Loren froze.
The flattened, crooked sandwich once.
Then the child's face, desperately holding back tears right in front of her.
"Ah…!"
Suddenly, Loren's face went pale.
Her eyes widened white, she clapped a hand over her mouth and bowed deeply.
"Aaaahhh─! Sis is sorry! Really sorry!"
"……!"
Loren poured out apologies with the force of headbutting the ground.
The child startled, eyes rounding.
Tears glistened on the verge of falling from her eyes.
Seeing that, Loren nearly knelt, clasping her hands together.
"Sis was an idiot. Didn't realize you made it. Waaah, I'm the worst."
"……."
"Heh heh, winter must've loosened my tongue. Lips get numb, happens."
"R-right!"
Her face lit up like she'd met a savior.
Loren nodded frantically and shouted desperately.
"I really thought it looked delicious. The moment I saw it, I got so hungry— that's why my words came out weird. For real!"
"She says so."
"……."
The child's eyes shook just a little.
Reading that tiny tremble,
I gently took the sandwich from her hand and offered it to Loren.
"Here."
"……!"
"Whoa, looks super tasty!"
Loren sprang up and snatched the sandwich.
She took a big bite right away.
Crunch.
The sound of lettuce crunching rang in my ears.
Loren chewed for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
"…Huh, what. It's good?"
"……!"
The child cautiously lifted her face.
Her lips began to curve upward.
"Really good! You don't sell this?"
"……!"
"If you did, I'd be your regular… What a shame."
Loren winked playfully and gave a thumbs up.
Only then did the child smile brightly.
Relief filled her eyes,
sparkles replacing the beading tears.
"Good thing, right?"
"!"
The child nodded vigorously.
It was a relief.
Because the child's face was filled with a smile as bright as sunlight.