６０
Feeling refreshed after chatting with Haruka, I leave the market after buying the ingredients for supper. In order to make Haruka’s husband feel better at least a little, I bought some food from his stall. And thus, we will be having takeout dinner, I’ll also make a soup dish.
I walk on the street in the early afternoon. As usual, no one passes through here. There are also no schools here. But they can read words. I wonder where and who teaches the children how to read. Is it their fathers?
There are no people but I meet the stray goats and sheep. Maybe it’s still the stray horse’s meal time, it’s not back in town yet. It seems to know that it’s a fast runner. It plans to run away when monsters appear. The horse.
I call out to the familiar goat, sheep, and cat, and I stop walking.
Meeh-chan* the sheep has a good personality, but Jicchan the goat doesn’t lose in that aspect as well. That’s because it often lets cats or birds ride on its back. And, even at this moment, it has something on it. (TN: Little Meeh)
[Jicchan…… is that your friend?]
When I asked, Jicchan shook its head with ‘bururu’. Ah, it’s an unfamiliar one as I expected.
I look around. No one is here. To be precise, there are no people. I placed my groceries on the ground and gently picked up the one that’s on Jicchan’s back with both hands.
[I’m taking away it, okay?]
Jicchan cried out once and agreed.
I hid it inside my clothes and brought it home. I locked the door after getting inside the house. I lit the fireplace and breathed a sigh of relief at the now bright room. After that, I took out the one I hid in my clothes.
I put the ingredients for dinner and the take-out meal on the kitchen shelf and turned around to find it sitting politely on the desk. As I stared at it, it tilted its head with a ‘kyuru~’.
So… so cute…… ugh!
I inadvertently brought it because of its cuteness, isn’t this that? Will Saine get mad once he gets back?
Maybe I’ll bring it to the vacant plot of land in the outskirts before Saine returns. But with its smallness, will it be able to survive? He might get angry but I want to ask Saine’s opinion. I’ll tell him that I want to take care of it until it can survive by itself if it currently can’t.
I sit on the chair and nudge the one on the table with my fingers to play. It’s body is small, but its voice is even smaller. It cries with ‘kyuu~’, or ‘kyuru~’, and my heart also squeals with it.
The door opens with the clanking sound of a stone falling. Sine stepped in, saw it, and paused for a moment. But he came inside as if nothing was going on.
[Uh, well, you see…… I picked it up.]
Ehe, I shrugged my shoulders with a laugh. I stood ready thinking that he’ll hit me, but I was okay. Saine wordlessly sits on the chair. Saine’s pitch-black eyes were staring at it right in front of me.
[Is this an adult?]
[I don’t know.]
[It’s this small, will it be fine on its own? Even if I’ll do it alone, I’d like to look after it until it can survive on its own……]
My voice is getting smaller. Saine’s eyes are scary. As I thought, it’s impossible. A male Reincarnator like me is already unusual. Yet wanting to add another mouth to feed is not good, is it?
[…..I shouldn’t, right? I will take this to the vacant lot……]
[I don’t mind.]
Saine’s voice overlaps mine that was trying to say that I’ll take it.
[What?]
[If you’re the one looking after it, do whatever you want. However, never show it to others.]
[Is it okay? Are you really fine with it?]
When I braced myself from happiness and asked, Saine firmly nodded.
[It’s still a monster despite being small. Don’t show it to others. Not to Dole or Olphynn, not even to other Reincarnators.]
I’m the one who nods this time upon being reminded.
I know. The Priests will get rid of any monster that enters the town no matter how small it it. Even if that’s not the case, it may cause panic to the townspeople that are terrified of monsters. I scooped the small fellow with my hands and made it sit on my hands.
[This is a monster after all, isn’t it.]
It’s a very small monster. A monster that’s so small that I can easily place it on top of my hand. Its current appearance is that of a horse. But while I was staring at it, it turned into a small tiger with a ‘kurun’.
[You’re so~ adorable.]
[It’s still a monster even if it’s cute.]
[But it’s harmless, right?]
[Well…… it is.]
[Is it a child?]
[There are no adult or child monsters. Only strong or weak.]
So that’s the case. It’s small but it’s already grown up. But I was allowed to keep an adult monster. Which means that as long as I’m in Saine’s place, I can be with it.
For some reason, I was so happy that I grinned. The monster also laughed with a ‘kyaa~’ as if it was caught along.
The monster was named “Kyui”. I have zero naming sense. It’s mostly based on the cry or appearance. Kyui sits on my head and peers into the pot. It’s grabbing my hair so it doesn’t fall. Kyui has turned into a monkey.
[Can Kyui only change its appearance?]
[Probably.]
Saine stands beside me and looks at the pot with us. Since the takeout food was pork teriyaki*, I made a light-flavored soup. The broth is made from chicken bones and only seasoned with salt. I then add the thinly sliced mushrooms and leaves, and the eggs. Once the eggs are added, quickly stir it and it’s ready to serve. (TN: Teriyaki definition.)
The food is arranged on the table and we take a seat. Saine had alcohol and I had tea. I found some tea leaves the other day and bought some to try. It has no crease and is quite delicious. Saine also had this tea in the morning.
[What do you think Kyui should eat?]
Turning into a white rabbit, Kyui puts its hand on a plate with pork on it. Saine swats it with chopsticks. After its tiny hands got swatted, Kyui hops towards me. After jumping 2-3 steps, it turned into a tiny bird. It’s a pea-sized red bird. It seems it can change not only its appearance but also its size. Kyui landed on my shoulder and cried softly.
[Salt is just fine.]
[Salt?]
[Monster food can be anything. Once it enters their mouths, they eat.]
[Anything……?]
I stand up from my seat and show Kyui a sugar leaf. Sugar leaves can be used as sugar once it’s chopped up, but the grannies said that it’s better to dry it first when I asked them. That’s why I plucked some and dried it under the sun. It gets humid at night so I take it inside the house and bring it back out the next morning. Salt can be dried in one day, but sugar is said to need about three days.
Today is the second day of drying the sugar leaves. When I showed it to Kyui, the tiny bird on my shoulder flew down and transformed, turning into a small squirrel.
It held the leaf with its small squirrel hands. Kyui started munching the leaf that looked like a big mattress compared to it.
[U……gh!? S, so cute……]
I’m doomed. The small animal is making me squirm. Looking at me hanging onto the shelf where Kyui was on, Saine exasperatedly said.
[Eat your food.]
I scoop Kyui together with the leaf and carry it to the table. It continued to eat the leaf on the table beside our food.
[It’s kind of nice. We’re like a family.]
When I said that, Saine snorts. But for some reason, he looked happy.
The effect of the red wine is long gone and I have no memories of my previous life. I have completely no idea how to make Saine feel good. But I want him to get aro*sed and embrace me. It doesn’t matter if it’s a misunderstanding or a whim, I just want him to hold me.
Even once is fine. Once I had s*x with Saine, I think I can bear being sold. With the memories with Saine in my heart, I believe that I can put up with my next husband even if he’s a terrible man.
But, but you know. If, like Saine said, we will be together forever then I think that would be great. Although truly, that is such an extravagant thing.
I wish that I can have a child with Saine. I never thought about having s*x with another man nor giving birth to a child when I first reincarnated. There was only shock, fear, and rejection. But it’s a different story if it’s Saine. I want to be held by Saine, and I want to give him what he wishes.
It would have been great if I were a miraculous Reincarnator. Saine will probably be happy if I get pregnant. Saine might not sell me if I give birth to his son. Maybe he’ll always be with me. If I give birth to his child, he might let me stay by his side forever.
Because then I will become a miraculous Reincarnator.
Kyui, who finished eating the sugar leaf, fell asleep with its swollen belly facing upwards. Both Saine and I were laughing as we watched it change into a tiny bear and rolled over.
Can we live like this if a child is born?
When I put down the teacup and gently reached out, Saine’s big hand immediately grabbed it. The hand that held me tightly was so hot that I couldn’t help but feel a twinge in my lower back.