The Child Who Waits Only for Me
Even after that day, I kept making frequent trips outside. Buying medicinal herbs, making deliveries, volunteering—there was always plenty to do if I bothered to count. Some tasks could have waited a day, but I couldn’t bring myself to postpone them in front of Eve. If she realized I had stayed home despite having work, she would assume it was because of her and become terribly sad.
“Welcome back, Teacher~ Eve has been waiting so, so much for you today.”
As always, Caramel greeted me first, her energy dialed up to its usual maximum. I accepted the cup of tea she offered and glanced over at Eve. Whether from the cold wind or Caramel’s comment, the little girl sitting at the counter startled and quickly lowered her head. From experience over the past several days, I had learned that the word “wait” was no laughing matter to Eve.
According to Caramel, the moment I left the house, Eve would plant herself in the spot with the best view of the entrance and stare endlessly in that direction. If someone opened the door, her ears would perk up as she watched the threshold. When she realized it was just a customer and not me, she would hide her disappointment behind a careful little bow, tummy and all. Like a puppy waiting for its family at the front door.
“By the way, Teacher, you’ve been going out a lot lately. Is something going on?”
“Mm, there’s just been a bit of business to take care of.”
I brushed the snow from my shoulders and answered vaguely. Eve had already trotted over to my side without a word and was now looking up at me. Caramel, quick on the uptake, smoothly changed the subject.
“Eve~ Teacher’s home. Won’t you say hello?”
“…….”
“Don’t be shy~ We practiced this, remember?”
“Yes…”
Eve tugged at the hem of her clothes for a moment before finally speaking.
“Welcome back….”
I had wondered what she was mouthing, but it seemed she had simply wanted to greet me. I gently stroked her forehead.
“How have you been feeling today?”
“I was… fine.”
It had been two weeks since Eve started living with me. Asking about her condition every morning and evening had become one of our little routines. The child always nodded and said she was okay, but in truth there had only been a handful of days when she truly was. One time her fever spiked so suddenly that she collapsed; Caramel had caught her with a shriek. Fortunately there was nothing seriously wrong with her body. The real issue was the accumulated stress—first from the harsh life on the streets after leaving her noble household, then from adjusting to life in a stranger’s home. For the past two weeks I had focused on making sure she took her medicine regularly while keeping a close eye on her condition.
“That’s a relief. Your fever seems to have gone down a lot.”
I let out a small sigh of relief at the lukewarm temperature of her forehead.
“What did you play with today?”
“… Caramel gave me this.”
“Ah, the leftover herbs. They feel like clay, so they’re actually pretty fun to play with.”
What Eve had been fiddling with were the dregs that hadn’t become proper potions. They carried a refreshing herbal scent that made them useful as air fresheners, but their unique texture seemed to fascinate children in particular.
“…….”
I was casually scanning the table where Eve had been playing when I froze. The scattered herbs and grasses were nothing unusual. My eyes had simply landed on the newspaper. It was the usual pile of papers customers had left behind. At first glance it looked ordinary. The problem was that one of the headlines was about a certain ducal house currently embroiled in a fierce political battle—and that house happened to be Eve’s family.
A single newspaper with its front page sticking out. She must have secretly opened it, hoping to catch a glimpse of the article even from the corner of her eye. Thankfully, the content itself was nothing special. It was just a rehash of old news everyone was already tired of. But Eve was a sharp child. In that instant, she immediately noticed where my gaze had gone. Her expression stiffened.
She looked unbearably anxious. The first thing Eve did was check my face.
“……… I’m sorry. I won’t look at it anymore.”
Clutching the hem of my coat tightly, she whispered her apology. Now I was the one at a loss for words. I carefully crouched down so our eyes were level.
“…Are you curious about what happened to your family?”
“……….”
Eve couldn’t answer. She only shook her head vigorously.
“It’s okay to look if you want. As much as you like.”
It was only natural to be curious. In fact, it would be strange if she weren’t.
“Still, there might be things written in there that you don’t want to know.”
“…….”
“If there’s anything you’re wondering about, could you ask me instead? I’ll look into it as much as I can and tell you.”
“…… Yes.”
Eve gave a small nod. I wasn’t sure whether she trusted my words or was simply relieved that I hadn’t scolded her, but her shoulders relaxed. She stood up, saying she needed to use the bathroom.
Left alone with Caramel, I spoke carefully.
“…The truth is, I’ve been looking into Eve’s family these past few days.”
“Is that why you’ve been going out so much this week?”
“There might still be someone desperately searching for her. I thought I should check, just in case.”
“I see… Did you find anything?”
“I did. Mostly unpleasant things, though.”
“I figured it would involve nobles and family matters, right?”
I looked at Caramel with slightly surprised eyes. She shouldn’t have known anything about Eve’s background, let alone her status. I had only given her the barest summary—that I had brought Eve home from the slums. Yet she spoke with quiet certainty.
“At that age she can already read newspapers, and she knows more than other children her age. Her table manners during meals are impeccable too. Those aren’t things you can pick up from casual lessons.”
“…… So it shows to other people as well.”
I clicked my tongue lightly. There was no point in trying to hide it.
“To put it simply, Eve’s parents have passed away. Among the remaining family, there was no one who could—or would—help her. No one was even looking for her.”
“……….”
“And I think Eve already knows.”
“……….”
“In all the time she’s been with me, she’s never once asked for her mother or father.”
The only exception was the occasional sleep-talking at dawn.
“To be honest, I’m still clumsy when it comes to children. Or more accurately, I have no sense of how much of reality a child can rationally accept.”
Just because something was true didn’t mean they could understand it. Especially when the other party was a young child, one had to be even more careful.
“Even so… if Eve is curious, should I tell her the truth? Does she really need to know that she no longer has a home to return to?”
Unlike her usual dramatic self, Caramel asked me this in a surprisingly calm tone.
“What do you think, Teacher?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think now isn’t the right time.”
“Probably… I would have done the same.”
“…That’s an unusually cautious answer coming from you.”
“Eve trusts and follows you more than anyone right now. It’s obvious when the two of you are together. She waits for you all day long.”
Just then Eve returned. Even while drying her hands with a towel, she was staring intently in our direction. Only then did Caramel flash a bright smile and murmur softly.
“So you should trust Eve too, Teacher.”
It’s not exactly something to brag about, but Eve is far more well-behaved than I expected. It’s also not something to brag about, but I think she’s more mature than most adults in some ways.
“Eve. Ah, we have to do this.”
Even so, there were times when even Eve wouldn’t quietly go along with things… and that was when it was time to take her medicine.
The struggle began the moment I set the liquid medicine she had to drink after dinner in front of her. For the first few minutes, Eve would pretend not to see it, fidgeting and kicking her feet in an obvious attempt to distract herself.
“Eve, I know it’s bitter. Even adults hate this medicine. But you have to take it to get better.”
“………”
When I saw her like that, I couldn’t stay silent. Only then would she make a sullen face and reluctantly pick up the cup. In moments like these, she was every bit a child.
“If you finish your medicine, I’ll give you a tasty snack.”
Even as a pharmacist, I couldn’t make bitter medicine taste good. The best I could do was tempt her with a small snack. While Eve held the cup and took slow sips, I decided to brush her hair. Since she had only towel-dried it after her shower, her pretty locks were sticking up in every direction.
“I’ll comb your hair while you drink.”
“Yes…”
“Let’s see…”
But my clumsy attempt at styling hair ran into trouble from the very first stroke.
“How do people even manage girls’ hair…?”
I asked while remembering how neatly Eve’s hair had been tied when I brought her home.
“Eve. Did Caramel do your hair?”
“Caramel did it for me.”
Whether it was a pleasant memory, Eve swung her legs cheerfully as she answered.
“I see…”
Maybe it was different because they were both girls. A twin-tail like the one Caramel had done might be too difficult, but a simple ponytail should be…
“…Let’s just try.”
There had been a time when I thought that. Was a ponytail supposed to be this loose…? Should I tie it tighter? No… now it was leaning to the right. The balance was off.
After struggling for a long while, I somehow managed to complete what could generously be called a ponytail. The stray bangs were bothering me, but… well… for a first attempt, I decided it wasn’t bad.
I handed Eve a mirror. She stared at the hairstyle I had given her for a long time before finally breaking into a bright smile. Yeah… even I can see how funny it looks.
“Sorry. Next time I’ll tie it prettier.”
The fluffy pajamas and this stubby little ponytail were incredibly cute… or so I thought… wait.
Pajamas?
“If I tie it like this, won’t she have trouble lying down properly when she sleeps……?”
“………?”
“………”
In the end, I untied the hair I had worked so hard on and retied it in a way that would be comfortable for sleep. Eve handed me the empty cup—the one that had held her medicine.
“All done.”
“Really? Here, as promised—a snack. Make sure you brush your teeth after eating.”
Within the warm glow of the hearth, I could hear Eve humming a small, happy tune.