After a little break, we then went back to the village chiefs house, in my suggestion. The purpose? It's obvious. It's to convince the village chief of course.
If I managed to convince him, then it'll be easy to convince the rest of the humans in the search group.
"You know, Snow, even if I said that I'll believe you, don't think that it'll be easy to convince the others."
"I don't."
"I only believed because I think that for a kid like you to survive in the forest all alone, you must have something up your sleeve to be able to do that, right? Even more unbelievable is how you did all that while you have your sunlight condition."
I simply nodded at his words.
Though, by thinking about it all, wouldn't I seem completely unbelievable?
What I told them was simply the truth back then. I didn't think or would care if they will believe me or not. And if you ask me, I only think that they found it a great story.
But they seem to believe it anyway.
What I told them is definitely not in the realm that humans are capable of doing. At least as far as I've observed and shouldn't he have doubts on the story, at least a little bit?
I stopped for a moment, to ponder about this.
"Big sister?"
And Leo noticed my sudden action.
"What's wrong, Snow?"
Hearing what Leo had said, Chris stopped for the moment and looked at me, wondering why I stopped suddenly.
"Do you think I'm weird?"
"Huh?"
"Like what I said. Am I weird?"
There's also the white skin topic. Though Trish has called me weird, she sounded like she meant that she was simply surprised or something the like.
The fact that they seem to not question it much as well, I don't find it normal.
"Weird, in what way?"
"I don't know? Anything about me. From where I was found and how I survived. And my white skin. That kind of weird."
"Hm?"
I don't think that Chris got what I meant by that.
And the one who answered my question is Leo.
"Isn't it fine? Even if you're weird, your still big sister Snow."
As expected of Leo's answer, it's rather innocent sounding.
I didn't really get what he meant by that. Even if your weird, you're still you? What does that mean? Is he saying my weirdness is simply who I am?
If so, then it might be similar to what Sun had told me when we first came here then, that everyone has something weird about them. And despite it all, you'll still be able to get along with everyone.
"Ah... Did you mean if we really believed the story you told us about you?"
Finally, Chris has got it now. His smirk though, it feels like he's finding the whole thing funny.
"Of course we do. Your story isn't the most unbelievable real story in this world you know? And your first impression to us tells us that you look like your someone who is a bit out of touch with people so it's all the more credible."
Is that right? I feel relieved hearing that. Both from the fact that I may not be so strange that I initially thought and the fact that they believed me.
"Oh! Big sister is smiling!"
"Huh?"
Am I really? I don't feel that I did.
Are my facial muscles really moving on its own without me realizing it?
"Am I really smiling, Leo?"
"Yeah! You should smile more often, big sister, since you look really cute!"
Oh my, isn't the cute one you, Leo?
"Woah!"
Thinking that I grabbed Leo up in the air, wrapping my arms around his small body and hugged him like that.
"You're cute too, Leo."
"Hehe~!"
It feels like Leo is super soft today. Kinda like Trish's pillow. I'd like to bring him to bed tonight.
Not that I'm unsatisfied with Sun and Night but, you know, it wouldn't hurt to add more.
"Uh... Hey..."
Oops, we forgot about Chris.
When I turned to him, his cheeks are red for some reason. And also, oddly fidgety.
"We should... Continue walking."
"Alright. I think it's because of what you said, that I'm smiling."
"Huh!? Oh, no need! And you're also smiling when you were hugging Leo, even before so it's not like I did something amazing."
"I think I'm smiling unconsciously when I'm hugging someone because it feels comfortable. I also smiled without hugging someone before as well."
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"Y'see? It's nothing special."
"Still, thanks for believing me. I felt relieved and happy, I think, from that."
I smiled consciously at him to give my gratitude towards him but he looked away with apple red cheeks. Did I say something bad?
But he didn't seem to be angry so I think it should be fine.
After that whole ordeal, we stopped our feet in front of the village chief's house without any incidents.
And upon opening the door, we found the village chief—wasn't there.
Thinking that he might have just been inside one of the rooms in the house, we looked. But after checking all of them, there's not a sign of the village chief.
"Grandpa must have gone out."
Well, that should delay my plans.
And also, regarding Sun's and Night's help, I don't know how they do it but it looks like it isn't today. I'll them about it when I returned to the house.
"We'll still look for Trish in the village. What about you?"
Chris asked me. And concerning his search...
"Wouldn't it be pointless to look in the village? I'm sure they've checked already?"
"... Yeah, you're right but... I just can't keep still while they're missing so even if it's pointless, I still want to do something."
Chris then made a weak smile as if accepting what he's really doing is simply inconsequential.
Then he's just like me, huh?
"I'll go back to the house."
I simply said and after waving goodbye, I left.
While on my way home, I encountered a wondering Night, with a basket full of fruits and vegetables and her maid clothes more dirty than usual.
Though I did see her, I didn't immediately called out to her but instead approached her quietly.
Upon getting very close to her, poked her arm.
"Hyaah! Wha-what the...!? Snow!? Please don't do that!"
The scene the I got from doing that is a very shocked Night that almost jumped in surprise. Though amazingly, she didn't let go of the basket she's holding or did any of its contents fell.
My reason for doing that? Because she looked tired. I just did it to give her a bit more energy. And to try teasing her.
"I'm sorry."
"You don't look like you're sorry..."
From that, we headed back to the house together with no great incidents in between. Though Night did ask me about my day today and I told her honestly.
How we've been at it with Chris and Leo, walking around the village in a futile attempt to find her. Night was undoubtedly Impressed by it which I don't find too impressive myself.
And I also inquired her about the convincing thing. How could they help.
But what Night replied is quite disappointing.
"I'll do what you ask of me, Snow. I'm sure you've thought of something."
Clearly, they're overestimating me. And contrary to their beliefs about me, I don't actually know how I could convince the village chief or any other adult humans for that matter.
So I really would want some suggestions from Night which I would like to discuss when we reached the house.
And after a couple of minutes, we arrived.
I took a last look on the sun and I saw that it's slowly going down the horizon, giving off a melancholic feeling of the day's end.
After gazing at the oddly majestic view of the sunset, I turned and followed after Night who had just entered the house.
When I entered, I saw a Sun doing her writing work on the table.
Needless to say that the top of the table is filled with papers that she uses to write her summary.
"Welcome home, Snow! How's the search going?"
"We didn't find any clue."
I answered her dejectedly.
"Why the long face?"
Then Sun asked me something strange. Long face? What's that? Though I feel that she's asking about why I'm feeling what I'm feeling so I answered that instead.
"Having trouble to come up with a plan."
"Hm? But didn't you already have a plan for this?"
Huh? When did I even say that?
"No, I don't."
"Oh, really? But now that I think about it, it wouldn't be strange if you still don't have a plan. After all, Snow is still isn't that much knowledgeable regarding this right?"
I guess that was true. I find that the main factor of a plan is the knowledge prior to making the plan. If one didn't have any idea or information, then a plan wouldn't be able to form.
And with a limited amount of evidence that suggests that the kidnapping is caused by goblins, which is actually only one and I'm the only one who can detect that, it looks like the plan to convince the village chief is still not so doable currently.
Though, the plan with that only contains the objective can't be called a plan.
So I inquired about them to what I should do.
"In these cases, Roosevelt knows more than me."
When I looked at Sun for answers, she said that.
Then I turned my gaze towards Night to see if she has something to share.
Night scratched her cheek and avoided my gaze by turning her eyes to the left before speaking.
"... In cases like this where you don't find any sort of lead as to what the next path should be, it's advisable to look outside the box to search there instead."
"Look outside the box?"
"It means to broaden your scope and not just focus on one area. It could also mean to look contrary to the norm."
Night's words sounded like a good plan.
From what I can infer, rather than just searching in the house, it'll be worth a try to look for somewhere else.
And it might also give me a different perspective on the problem which might help me solve my problem.
"Have you thought of something?"
Night asked, knowing full well that I've gotten an epiphany from her words. Her smiles seem to tell me 'good job' as well.
"Yeah... Not just the house... Maybe in other areas too, that those goblins might've gone to..."
I started to mumble to myself which Night tilted her head to why I was mumbling to myself.
But anyway, then if I searched in other areas other than the house, I may find something that those humans would even believe. If there's something then that would make everything a lot easier.
Thanks to that, it became clear on what I should do from now on.
"Thank you."
To signify my thanks to her even more, j rubbed Night's head in a gentle manner.
That act had made her blush but if it were from embarrassment or simply the joy of being thanked, I can only guess.
After that, it was the usual routine.
Night made dinner. Sun cleaned up the table and played with me for a bit and went the food was done, we ate then we went to sleep.
But what's different this time is rather than responding to the goblin attack that occurred at night, this time I didn't.
It was simply out of respect towards Sun's and Night's wishes for keeping me safe. Even if I wasn't acting, I still stayed awake and listened in on the situation in the village, if whether I should intervene or not, with Sun's and Night's permission of course.
Soon after, I heard humans shouting from the outside with a few humans holding on to a thick wooden stick, a branch of some tree perhaps, with a bright flame at its tip and odd looking things that seem to be used in 'farmwork' through the glassless window.
They all look anxious and in a hurry. Adding to that, they also look tired as well. But I guess that wasn't surprising because their sleep was disturbed.
While looking at them, I thought if an idea.
Wouldn't it be fine if I just looked? I mean, I wouldn't be directly in danger then and with that, I'll also learn how a group of humans would work together to fight off a group of goblins.
And that idea excited me a little bit as well.
So with that, I woke up Night. Only her.
"Hm? Huh...? Snow, what's wrong?"
Night then groggily stood up and rubbed her eyes then she procured a bit of energy when she noticed that it was oddly bright when it was in the middle of the night.
"What's happening...?"
"Goblins are attacking the village."
"Ah... Is that so...? Um..."
"Can I go and watch? How humans fight goblins?"
"Huh?"
Night looked at me dumbly when I asked that if her. Did she not understand?
"Can I go and watch?"
"What...? Sure... But just stay out of sight, alright? And don't ever engage. I don't want to see you hurt."
Then Night gently rubbed my head and smiled at me sweetly. She looked a bit confused still though.
"Go to sleep. I'll come back in the morning."
The cause of her confusion should be because she still hasn't gotten enough sleep so I asked her sleep first before going.
"..."
But it didn't look like she heard me. It seems her mind is preoccupied for the moment.
"Roosevelt?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'll go to sleep later so don't worry about me."
Her smile was sweet but also stiff. She seems to be thinking about something. Though with her being confused because her sleep was cut, her mind isn't fully away yet so it might not be something important.
So I persisted on having her take a sleep in this instant. And of course, I can't just force her to. So I whispered to her something that'll convince her to.
"I'll come back early so when I return I'll do what you want for a while. So please go to sleep now. I'll wake you up then."
Her face turned full red from what I just told her, resulting in her giving a nice scent that made me want to get a taste of her blood but I firmly resisted for now.
I'm sure she'll ask me to do that later anyway.
Then, with Night's approval, I headed off to observe the human villagers and how they fend off the goblins.