Chapter 2: "Sweet" Little Girl

Chapter 2: "Sweet" Little Girl

Back to me, Tenshin Trius.

It would be a week in the afternoon. I was inside the small castle in the city of Celine, and it looked like most would expect. Beautiful chandeliers, clean carpets, and most of the windows here didn’t have shutters but curtains instead.

Desha went to do something after she got off, and a demi-human maid was who left me here in this room, which could possibly be some solar room since it seemed like a chill place to be in with a hearth and a couple of coaches, which I was sitting on as there would be a coffee table right in front of me which had a full glass of what I thought would be wine.

I grabbed it and smelled the inside of the cup. Holy crap, this is wine. I mean, I’m more of a beer or energy drink kind of guy, but hey, down the hatch! I gulped down the cup of wine, and I made a sour face. "Oh yeah, not used to that anymore," I said as I set the cup back down. I looked around the room. But wow, this place looks fancy. I mean, I knew Taren had connections, but I didn’t know the noble here had this much. "How come we don’t have a big house at least…?" I muttered with an annoyed facial expression.

I looked at the door in front of me, and I saw it open. A demi-human-looking maid opened the door, and the man as a maid followed behind him. The man looked to have been wearing a navy blue long coat that had golden buttons on it, black pants, blonde hair, green eyes, and also had his hands behind his back.

That must be the guy; I guess I should show some manners then. I stood up and bowed my upper body as I said, "It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Tenshin Trius."

The man looked at me with a small chuckle and said, "Greetings. And manners? Also, that isn’t how you bow to a noble, but we can fix that another time." The man walked over to me and sat on the couch in front of me. I looked back at him as I was standing. "Well, go on, you can sit."

"O-Oh, right." I sat back down on the couch.

"I know who you are, so let me introduce myself. My name is Terits Yanery Trius. I am the noble of this region and also the brother of your Father."

I looked at him in shock. "W-Wait, brother!? You both are related? That must mean…" I looked down to think. The maid would bring him a wine cup and fill it with wine. I looked back at him with shock again. "You’re my Uncle!?"

"Precisely," He said as he nodded. "More?" He said as he pointed at my cup.

"No thanks; I think I had enough," I said with a nervous smile.

"Very well." The man would gesture to the maid to go back to her place as she set the wine bottle back on another table.

But wow, I’m related to a noble? I didn’t even think Taren had any siblings, I said to myself as the maid came to stand beside him.

"Now, how about we get to it? I'm surprised someone your age wanted to do this, but I will warn you this job really won’t be easy, so are you sure you are ready for it?" he asked as he swished his cup of wine.

"Oh right, the job thing. Well, to be honest, I…" I would scratch my head as I paused for a minute. "Wasn’t told anything about this job."

Terits would look at me with surprise.

"As a matter of fact, I didn’t even know my job would be a day away from home."

"Really…?" He sighed. "Guess my brother hasn’t changed so much since we last met."

"Well, I did get some info on it in an envelope, but I had that info in the carriage saying how my job would be here. The other seventy percent talked about how gorgeous Desha was."

Turrets would look unsurprised. "Is that so… well, then I should start explaining the rest myself then."

I nodded as I listened closely.

He would take a swig of his wine. "All right. You will be the tutor for my soon-to-be ten-year-old daughter, Rias. You will be teaching her manners, basic mathematics, writing, and so on."

Ooo, a daughter, huh? So I’ll be tutoring my own cousin, but wait. I looked down and pondered. But years… Lumi… but if this is for Lumi and me, then I should do it. I could ask my father to give me a new job, but without a doubt, this is his main pick… I guess I’ll try and see what I think. I looked back up at him. "I’ll make up my mind after a lesson or two with her if that is all right with you."

Terits smirked. "Very well then, I’ll introduce you to my daughter. You give her a few lessons, and we’ll go from there."

I nodded.

***.

A couple of minutes went by, and Terits would be leading me to Rias’s room, and we were currently walking in the hallway. I sniffed. "Wow, it almost smells like a new car in this castle."

"A new what?" Terits asked as he looked back.

"Nothing, it just smells nice," I said while giving a thumbs-up. Terits would look back ahead of himself, and I looked at the paintings of people on the walls. Hmm, interesting.

"My brother has told me a lot about you. You are apparently a saint-class lightning mage and intermediate with a sword. Sounds like a magnificent achievement."

I chuckled. "Well, all the training from the best."

"And I was told you went up against a master-class swordsman to protect a young girl. Seems quite heroic and admirable."

"He said that much, huh…" I murmured. "Well, that was mainly the work of my father. I lasted for a good amount, but I guess the saving-the-girl part is true,"

"I see. So, I’ll take it that you have feelings for her, which means you won’t use your parent’s charming looks against my girl?" he asked with a smirk while glancing back at me.

I chuckled, unsure whether to take him seriously. "No, no, I won’t. Besides, I’m only eight years old, and I’m just friends with that girl."

Terits turned his gaze ahead. "Either way, my daughter isn’t very polite to everyone; in fact, she barely listens to me. She mainly listens to her Aunt or Desha. I wouldn’t say she hates me; it’s more like she tends to ignore me, but she is still my sweet little girl."

I would be unsure how to respond. "Right…"

As we stood right at the door, Terits had his hand on the doorknob, and he looked right at me. "Good luck; I will be watching from here."

Good luck is crazy. I’m sure she isn’t that bad; maybe she’s just a teenager in that phase—

"Damn it!!!" I heard in a raging tone behind the doors, and the voice was female, as I also heard a thud.

I jumped back as I heard that scream and thud. Jesus Christ! I gulped as Terits slowly opened the door for me. Inside was a small bedroom, and right ahead of me, at the end of the room was a window and a desk with three chairs. A young-looking girl was sitting on one of the chairs, and she had blonde hair, green eyes, a cowlick, and dressed noble-like.

Actually, she looks younger than I thought. But I sense an intense aura! I took a deep breath and kept a confident facial expression. I walked into the room and looked down beside her. There was a board game, which was what I thought. It was a labyrinth maze game that you probably had to solve.

I stopped walking as she stood up from her seat, and I was only a few feet away from her. She would look directly at me, and I would feel fear. Is it just me, or is this girl scarier than Flurisa? Okay, keep calm. I cleared my throat and walked a little closer. I stood still to put my hand out for a handshake. "My name is Tenshin Trius, but you could also call me Tenshi," I said with a nervous smile.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

She had her arms crossed as she looked at me from my foot all the way up to my head.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my room?" She asked with a frustrated tone.

Manners. Definitely the one that needs to get an A plus first. I put my hand down and tried to smile normally. "Like I said earlier, I’m Tenshin Trius, or just call me Tenshi. From now on." Unless I change my mind. "I’ll be your tutor and teach you basic math, writing, and more."

"Is this some joke!? Why would I need someone younger than me to teach me stuff? I’m probably smarter than you, so what's the point?" She asked with disbelief.

I turned my head around as she spoke, and I looked back at her after she finished. "Can you please stop screaming because you're getting your spit on my face? Younger or not, I can still teach you many things, especially manners, because you need some."

"Don’t talk down to me like that! Know your place. Now get out because I don’t need to be taught by anyone!"

I clenched my fist as I pointed at her. "Look here! You don’t tell me to know my place! I don’t care if you’re above me by age or if you are richer. You’re gonna learn something whether you like it or not, and here’s another damn thing!"

Rias looked at me with shock in her eyes, and Terits was surprised as I continued and said, "Not everything in life is easy, so deal with this hardship!" After I finished, I reacted with embarrassment and shock. Rias looked down as she clenched her fist. Uh oh.

"No one has ever talked to me like that…" She muttered as her fist shook while clenching them. Rias looked back up with pure anger in her eyes. "You are so dead!" Rias punched me right on the cheek, and I flew back.

"Ah!" I yelped as I fell to the ground. I looked back up to see Rias about to punch my stomach, and I rolled over before she could.

"Ow!" She yelped as her fist hit the floor.

I got up and ran. "AHHHHH!" I screamed as I pushed Terits aside and ran out of the room and nearly tripped on the board game.

"Oh dear," He said as he watched me run.

"GET BACK HERE!" Rias shouted as she ran in my direction.

I looked back and noticed Rias still chasing me down. Oh, sweet girl, right, Terits!? She isn’t sweet. She is the most dangerous tsundere! A loli!

***

As I was being chased through the halls, Desha was in a room holding a sword, the blade on her left palm and the handle in her other hand as she looked at it.

It was Taren’s sword that he had left with me. "Hm. I’m jealous, Taren, I really am," Desha said. "Should’ve taken it before you had the chance." Desha started to stroke the handle of the blade. Desha walked over to the wall beside the bed, and there was a sword hook.

She placed the sword right on it and left the room, closing the door. She would go to the left and see two people running, that person being me and Rias. "AH—" I continued screaming, but my shouting was cut as I landed right on Desha’s breast.

"Uh?" She said with confusion as she looked down at me.

Ooo, how soft. Demi-human breast for the first time. I quickly looked back as Rias inched closer. "Ah!" I shouted as I quickly stood behind Desha, and before Rias could punch me, Desha’s hand blocked the punch.

Rias had pure anger in her eyes as she would look at me with a deadly stare. "Lady Rias, calm down," Desha said, a calm look on her face.

Rias would back away and have her arms crossed. "Hmph, fine." She said as she looked away.

I sighed with relief.

***

Ten minutes passed by, and earlier, I tried to find Terits, but he wasn’t by Rias’s room anymore. So I went to the room I was in when I first met him, and as I opened the door, looking really tired, I saw him sitting on the couch reading a book, and he closed it as he noticed me.

"Ah, yes, Tenshin, come sit," he said, gesturing for me to take a seat on the other couch.

I walked over and sat down. I noticed Desha leaning on the wall a little far behind Terits. I would look back at Terits, take a deep and tired breath, and lean my head back.

"So, how was it with my daughter?" he asked.

I looked at him and replied, "She is quite an interesting creature. Truly the definition of a tsundere."

"Excuse me?" he responded, slightly confused.

"Nothing! I mean, she is a beautiful and remarkable girl. With all due respect, she just needs a bit more uhh… kindness in her. Or maybe she's nice enough as she is," I added, trying not to offend Terits.

Terits chuckled at my comment. "Now to what I was going to say."

I looked up at him curiously. "Hm?"

"Since you have already met my daughter, what now? Are you going to give up and take a carriage home, or will you stay until you finish? Keep in mind that the job could take years, about four to five."

I looked down, deep in thought, as my hands clenched tightly in my lap. "I’ll..." I struggled to gather my thoughts. Now, the choice is harder to make the more I think about it. If I stay for a few years, I could earn money, and Lumi and I could finally go to Seria. But would that make a difference? There’s no way Taren would find me another job… I looked back up at Terits. Thank me later, Lumi, and you can hate me now. "I’ll stay."

Terits stared at me in surprise, a smile spreading across his face. "Really? Many tutors older than you gave up in an instant. I guess your father was right; you truly are special."

"Well, I need the money, so I can’t give up."

"If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly do you need the money for? What’s driving your motivation?" Terits inquired.

"Well… for my friend. I want to go with her to the Seria University of Sword and Magic, and if I give up now, then I’ll be failing her." Desha would look over at me and Terits. "I’m sure this job is a risk to my and her friendship, and I’d also not grow a relationship with my baby sisters, but I’m determined. I won’t fail another friend like the first one I ever made. So that’s why I most dearly need this job," I said with determination on my face.

Desha had a small smile as she looked down. That kid, Desha said to herself as she looked directly at my face. Maybe he does share something with the Taren I knew.

"...Such words coming from you," Terits said. "You’re already exceeding many expectations I have of you. I was expecting a kid your age to make some money and buy mage equipment or something like that, but you have such a good reason. But tell me how do you understand failure? How did you fail your first friends when you must’ve been so young?"

I looked at him with embarrassment. "O-Oh, I-I mean, uh." My stupid mouth. "I meant I don’t want to make mistakes with her in general. She deserves to have me gone for a bit because I’ve been keeping her in a shell from facing her fears and had more of a connection with me than anyone else, so she deserves to stay away from me for a bit until I can get us both to the university and we can have all the time to ourselves."

"How sweet of you." Terits would crack his neck. "Now, on to business, shall we? What's your plan to have her listen to you?"

"Oh, my plan? Uhh." I looked down and pondered. It's gonna be hard to think of one when trying to not get myself hurt. She probably hates me more after I spat out a bunch of stuff to her. Hmm. I looked back up at Terits "Is it okay if I think a little longer about this and make my decision up some point today or tomorrow? After seeing her, it will take me a bit to think of a proper way."

Turits nodded. "Take all the time you need. There should be a maid out the door that should take you to your room."

"Oh, okay." I stood up and bowed. "Uh, thank you for giving me this job."

Terits nodded. I stood up straight and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

I took a deep breath as I was out of the room. All right, this is my new job. Now, first things first is to think about how I will get Rias to allow me to tutor her or just not have her trying to kill me in general. I looked to my right and noticed this maid standing there, waiting for me with a mild expression, but she didn’t look like a demi-human like the other maids.

She appeared shorter than I expected. Dressed in a typical maid's outfit, she had green hair and red eyes. Oh, so she was just right there? I thought to myself as I scanned her from head to toe. No signs of demi-human features, but she looks relatively young… hm. "Um, are you supposed to take me to my new room?" I asked.

She nodded silently.

"Oh...Well, I'm ready to go now," I said.

Turning around, she began to walk away.

I guess I follow? I began to follow her.

***

A couple of minutes went by, and the girl opened the door to my room. It was in the same hall where I ran into Desha’s breast.

"You’re new room." She said with a soft and shy tone in her voice as she stood aside.

I walked into the room and took a look around. "Wow, this isn’t bad," I said. Ahead of me, I noticed a balcony. A balcony!? For me!? Oh, Terits, you shouldn’t have! I’ll be just fine living here. To my left, I spotted a king-size bed and Taren’s sword on the sword hook. Oh, that’s just amazing.

I turned back to the maid to express my gratitude but noticed her flushed cheeks and still kept a mild facial expression. Is she… shy? Huh...Well, as a former introvert, I know what to say. I smiled as I said, "Thank you very much for bringing me here. You are free to go now."

"Thank you— I mean, of course." She would bow her head and walk away as she closed the door.

Cute girl. Almost reminds me of Lumi. I started walking over to the bed and noticed a clock on the wall. Oh, so they do have clocks here; I guess this world has time, after all.

"Wee," I said as I hopped on the bed and face-planted it. "Oh yeah, this is awesome," I said as I rolled around on it. "Ow!" I yelped as something hit my ribs, and I looked over to see it was two small wooden boxes.

"Whoever placed that there sucks." I grabbed the box and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hmm, I wonder what’s inside," I said as I started to open the box.

My eyes went wide as I saw what was inside. "No way! They sent my magical guidebook!" I exclaimed with a smile. I looked at what else was inside as I placed my guidebook on the bed, and the other item in the box was my short sword. "Don’t really need that anymore." As there was nothing else in there, I set the box aside, grabbed the other one, and opened it; it was just my winter coat.

I threw it aside and looked in to see if there was anything else, but there was nothing more and I looked in the box with worry. "Wait...Why isn’t my wand in here?" I looked around to see if I had thrown it anywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. "No, are you kidding me!? How could they forget my wand!? Wait, Seris forgot the hair of my goddess! Nooo!" I exclaimed as I looked all around the room.

I would get tired and lie back down on the bed with a sigh. "Was Mother or Aunt Seris not able to find it or something? They could at least have left a note," I said with an annoyed expression as I referred to the wand. "Guess I have to go out and buy one." As I lay there in silence, I lifted my hand up above my face as I looked at the ring Larah gave me right before she left. "At least I still have this memento."

My eyes widened as I had an idea, and I would sit up on the bed. "Going out! That’s it! I could have some bonding time with Rias and bring Desha out with us just in case she kills me." I smiled as I ran to the door and said, "Terits is gonna love this idea."