A Gift for Eve
In more ways than one, it was a day Eve should never find out about. At first, I politely declined her offer. The only time we had ever met was during that school tour with Eve. After that, we hadn't shared any real interaction. Taking time out of my day for the guardian of a student I'd only brushed past once wasn't something I could easily justify, even to myself.
But she waved her hands dismissively and spoke with a playful tone. "If it were one of our own students, I couldn't do something like this. Helping a guardian pick out a gift could easily be seen as favoritism toward a particular child."
"I'm sorry for taking up your time like this."
"Please don't worry about it at all. The weather's lovely today, so I came out for a walk. We elves tend to wither if we don't get enough sunlight, you see."
She smiled gently, then suddenly perked up her elf ears with a soft "Ah." "Does this make you uncomfortable?"
"Not at all."
…Well, it wasn't like I felt zero hesitation.
"Then there's no problem!"
She genuinely wanted to help. I was caught off guard because I wasn't used to this kind of kindness. But when I thought about it calmly, I was the one who needed a helping hand more than anyone. And there was no one better suited for this than her—she knew more about children than anyone else.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I said, "Then… could I trouble you for just a little while?"
"Of course."
Her answer was so refreshingly decisive that my earlier reluctance felt foolish.
"Hmm~ Shall we get started right away? Where would you like to look first?"
"I'm not sure. I was thinking about toys… but the more I look, the less right it feels."
At the word "toys," she immediately began walking as if she'd been waiting for it. There were countless toy stores, filled with items whose names I couldn't even guess, let alone figure out how to play with. She rattled off explanations for things that children around Eve's age might enjoy.
"That one's a popular character these days. But it might feel a bit too childish for Eve. And the one next to it is a magical tool that helps improve children's mana, but… honestly, it's closer to an educational device, so I wouldn't recommend it."
She was amazing. She seemed to have most of the toy names memorized.
"What about that architectural model over there? It looks enormous."
"Ah, that one's based on the setting of a cartoon that was popular the year before last. The trend has passed, and it's the kind of thing you have to assemble yourself. Girls Eve's age usually aren't very interested in…"
"…I nearly stepped on a landmine. Thank you."
After a light lap around the toy stores, our conclusion was that this wouldn't be as simple as we'd hoped. The teacher offered me another direction.
"It seems like toys have a high chance of failure unless you ask Eve directly."
"I suppose you're right…"
"Yes. Especially since toys just become clutter if they're not played with."
"That's what others told me too."
"Others?"
"I asked for advice at the pub. Most people with children seemed to have similar concerns…"
As I spoke, I realized my mistake. If you cut out the context, it sounded exactly like some middle-aged man who'd gone out for a daytime drink under the excuse of shopping for his child's birthday present.
Sure enough, she let out a soft chuckle. "I thought I smelled alcohol on you. That explains it."
"…Haha… ha…"
"Anyway, considering Eve's age, toys are a bit borderline. Shall we look for something else?"
"I think that would be best."
The teacher thought for a moment before asking, "What are Eve's hobbies?"
"She loves drawing more than anything else."
"Something related to art, then…"
"I did consider getting her some rather special art supplies, but… I'm not sure how much a child would actually enjoy professional-grade equipment."
"That's true."
After that, we wandered around for quite a while, but for various reasons, we couldn't settle on a gift. In the end, we decided to step back and clear our heads.
"Ah… haha… I'm sorry. I said I'd help with such confidence, but I don't think I've been much use at all…"
We stopped by a nearby teahouse for a break and a cup of tea. She spoke apologetically as we sat there.
I shook my head. "Not at all. Thanks to you, I've avoided the worst outcomes. If I'd been alone, I probably would've grabbed some weird toy and forced it on Eve."
"Hehe, a weird toy, you say~ I had a similar experience when I was young."
"Similar experience?"
"A birthday present from my parents. Especially since we elves are a long-lived race, the generational gap can be quite significant."
Considering the average lifespan of elves, that made sense.
"What did you receive?"
"A chess set and pieces made from a thousand-year-old dead tree that had been circulating as an antique for two hundred years."
"…That doesn't sound like a matter of trends or generations."
I think so too, she agreed with a gentle smile. "Still, my sister and I played with it quite a bit."
"You must have liked chess."
"Not so much chess… it was more like playing with dolls. I didn't know the rules back then. I'd hold the pieces and pretend this one was a knight and that one was a queen."
"That's adorable."
"I was just a child."
Perhaps a little embarrassed, she fanned her face even as she laughed brightly.
"Does Eve have any siblings?"
"No, she's an only child."
In truth, I knew there were half-siblings from the ducal family, but they didn't see Eve as family.
"I've heard Eve spent a lot of time alone even when she was very young. I'd like to send her to school now if I could, but…"
"Hasn't Eve said anything since the school tour?"
"Well, the thing is…"
I mentioned in passing that Eve wanted to go to school. I also told her that Eve seemed to be keeping it a secret from me. I wasn't expecting any particular reaction.
But the teacher's gentle smile suggested she already knew something.
"Hmm~ It seems Eve hasn't told you directly yet."
"Pardon?"
"The truth is… Eve came to the school by herself not long ago."
"…Eve came to see you?"
"It looked like Nina and Lucia from my class half-pushed her into it."
"I… see…"
It felt like a refreshing shock, as if I'd been hit hard by a hammer.
"She asked what was good about going to school, what she'd learn if she advanced later, and oh, she also asked about the tuition fees."
"……I see. She could have just talked to me about it."
"Don't make that face. She probably didn't want to disappoint you."
She smiled softly and comforted me.
…Me, disappointed in Eve? I couldn't imagine that happening, especially not with her.
I let out a sigh. "Haa… It's difficult. How much should I watch over her, and how much should I interfere? I still don't know what's right…"
Nearly half a year had passed. It wasn't an eternity, but looking back, I'd already flipped through quite a few calendar pages. And yet I still couldn't tell if I was doing things well.
"Anyway, thank you for talking with Eve. I'll have to work harder from now on."
When I expressed my gratitude, the teacher, who had been pondering something, asked cautiously, "If it's not too intrusive… may I ask you one question?"
If she was asking at this moment, there was only one thing it could be.
"You're asking why I'm taking care of Eve, aren't you?"
"I'm sorry if it's a sensitive topic. It's just… it doesn't seem like you've known Eve for very long, yet you seem to care for her so deeply."
"Do I?"
I smiled as if it were nothing, but inwardly I was surprised. Was it the elves' unique intuition that made her sense something off?
"It's not something I need to hide, so it's fine. A single man who isn't even married raising a child does look strange, after all."
I had expected this kind of question to come up sooner or later. Of course, I'd have to mix in a few lies.
"Last time, I only mentioned that she was a distant relative, right?"
"Ah, yes… I remember."
"The family tree is… a bit complicated. When there are family events, it's hard to even keep track of titles, and sometimes I end up mingling with distant relatives who are practically strangers. I met Eve by chance."
In a noble society so deeply rooted that the concept of a villainess could emerge at any moment, it wasn't uncommon among the countless branches of aristocratic families accumulated over thousands of years to find hollow nobles who possessed nothing but a noble bloodline.
"There was a bit of an accident. When I first met her, Eve was already alone. Later, I learned that none of her relatives were in a position to take care of her. So I took her in."
"You're very kind. That couldn't have been an easy decision. You're not even close relatives, are you?"
"Do we not look alike at all?"
When I said it as a joke, she let out a soft chuckle. "Now that you mention it, your atmospheres are completely different, so… wait… oh!"
At that moment, the teacher suddenly stood up from her seat and clapped her hands.
I was startled.
"I just thought of something! It came to me right now!"
"Did you forget to turn off the gas?"
"The gift! The gift!"
"The gift?"
I tilted my head in confusion.
"What about something like this?!"
With her ears perked up in excitement, the teacher whispered to me. For a moment, the distance between us closed, and the scent of her shampoo brushed past my nose.
"………That sounds perfect."
I barely managed to focus on her words. Of course, I had no objections.