"Here." Luton offered, "It's your reward."
"C-can I really have it?"
"Yeah, but treasure it." He placed it in my hands, "Put it in your mouth."
Putting it in my mouth, I flushed.
Delicious.
Involuntarily, my teeth closed in on it.
"Ah! Don't bite it!" He smacked my head with a pained cry.
Ignoring him, I bit down again.
"AH!" He pulled the lollipop away from my mouth.
"You'll finish it too quickly!"
Apparently, sweets here were very expensive to the children, but because of the rabbit I caught, Luton managed to buy one for me.
Reaching both of my hands, I tried to grab the lollipop he held in the air away from me.
"NNNNNNNNN."
"Don't bite it." He spoke again.
"Alright, alright I got it~"
Squinting his eyes at me suspiciously, he slowly lowered his hands.
"Don't finish it in one go, here's the wrapper. When you're done keep it or the other children will try to snatch it."
Fumu, how scary.
After a few more licks, I carefully tied it up.
The twins never ate sweets like this, I thought there wasn't such a thing in the world.
Of course, who knew where my knowledge of sweets came from, it was just here in my mind.
How mysterious~
Right now, we were in the yard of the orphanage, it was currently a bit after sunset, and I was just waiting for Luton to come back.
Grabbing his arm, I smiled, "It's dinner time~"
"Let's go, then. " He smiled back.
H-how pure! How childlike!
Entering the run down building, we met with everyone else, who were already seated and started dining.
Today, as well, was a wonderful dinner consisting of vegetables.
...Should I just go back?
Rubbing my head as though he knew what I was thinking, Luton pulled me to the table and placed me on his lap.
Crossing one of his arms across my body, He started to feed me.
...I should just go back, shouldn't I?
"Germaine, tomorrow is the magic aptitude test, don't forget." The old lady reminded.
Compulsory education started at the twelveth year of the children's lives, on the first day of the third month, before that, on the second month of that year, a child would receive an invitation to participate in the magic aptitude test, those that showed talent profiled and recruited.
"Goodbye, Germaine." I spoke sincerely with sparkling eyes.
"Please don't say it like I'm going to die."
With a knock landing on my head, I had no choice but to shut up.
"Be careful." Luton reminded.
"I will." Germaine said seriously, before returning her attention to her food.
But even before anyone could finish their food, a commotion appeared at the orphanage's doorstep.
"Come out, you worthless brats!" A voice could be heard hollering from the door, accompanied by sounds of knocking.
Hearing the voice, Luton's eyes immediately widened as he pulled the hat on my head which was resting on my forehead, down to my eyebrows and placed the mouth mask onto my face.
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"Leave from the backdoor, now." his voice was unusually serious.
Umu, what's this uneasy feeling.
He didn't even sound that mad when he found out I stole his underwear.
Hmm? What was I doing with it? Why do you ask?
"Go." He pushed me off his lap.
"Bye~" I turned and left. It would be an idiots choice to stay here, ohohohohoho.
But before I could leave, the front door was already smashed open with a bang.
"You fucking brats, did you not hear me!" the man angrily shouted as he entered, accompanied by two other fellows.
The shouting man looked extremely lanky and shady, his thin figure rather weak looking, yet the machete in his hands said otherwise.
The two other guys consisted of a tall muscled man with a scar at his right cheek and a fat round man with an evil smile.
What's this? A cliche trio? What movie am I in again?
However, I am not the heroine! Ohohohohoho!
Without hesitation, I ran away as quietly as possible.
But as unlucky as I was, the lanky fellow instantly locked on to me.
"Who's that new kid! Hey, don't move!" He shouted as he waved his machete threateningly.
Ah, does he have 2.0 vision?
Without a choice, I could only turn around.
"Why are you covering your face?! Take it off!" He said with squinted eyes, interest lacing his tone.
"Pervert!" I replied. Who's this pervert? To prey on me?!
"What?!"
"Peeeerrrveeeert!"
"Do you want to die!?"
Ah, a vein popped from his temple as he spouted overused lines.
"Cliche pervert! Die off as a background scenery!"
"You piece of shit!" Another vein appeared as he looked at the muscled man behind him.
Without hesitation, that man took a step forward.
But before I could say anything else, Luton suddenly spoke up, "Sorry, this child was found with a head injury! "
!
With a deep bow, he spoke again, "Please let him go."
"Hah?! Let him go? That little shit dared to go against me!" He turned his head back to the muscles man, "Grab him!"
With big strides, he walked from the entrance all the way to the dining table, but blocked in front of him were children, stopping him from coming to me.
Luton spoke, "Please reconsider."
"Stop with the rubbish and grab him! " the lanky man ignored Luton.
Pushing the children away, the muscled man came over with open arms.
I'd receive your embrace, but I'm straight!
Without hesitation, I ran.
Ohohohohoho! I would be an idiot to stay there and get caught, you know?
But as fate willed it, I was stopped yet aga-
Just kidding~ I ran towards the border of the slums and the residential area for the commoner families.
There was a big difference between the poor and the average, the poor lived in run down stone houses, while the average resident lived in stone brick houses.
But after running so far, I could only turn around to see a group of men chasing me.
Oops? Did I forget to mention that creeps like that frequent the unlit streets at night for prey?
Teehee?
In an instant, I was surrounded.
I'm sorry for exciting all of you, but I'm not the heroine!
----------------------
[Meanwhile at the twins residence]
"Ah, she's on the move? So late, at that?" a puzzled expression appeared on Naomi's face.
Currently, she was enjoying an extravagant meal with her brother and his pet, each of them receiving plates piled with meat, vegetables and fruits.
"Fluffy?" the head maid asked.
"Yeah," Naomi replied, "To move around at night at that kind of place..."
"It is not safe?" Nathan looked up from his meal.
"No, it isn't." Naomi replied with furrowed brows, but as quickly as it appeared, the crease disappeared.
"Well, it's her problem~"
----------------------
"Achoo!" Strangely in such a predicament, I sneezed.
And with that sound shocking the creeps back to reality, they closed in with a creep's smile while showing creep tendencies.
Should I go, "Sta-stay away!" ?
...
Ah, I almost puked.
After coughing a bit, I saw the creep walking even closer.
"I'll destroy your family jewels." I chose a reply as I raised my leg to the nearest creep's tighs.
"Look at this kid!" One man laughed creepily.
Ah, my goosebumps are standing.
Involuntarily, my leg flew upwards to the space between the creep's legs.
But before it could land, I fell backwards.
My legs.
They were too short...!
With a bang, the back of my head smashed against the ground.
"It hurts!" I instinctively curled up on the ground, "Ah!"
After rubbing my head for a bit, I looked up to see the muscled man I had just ran away from.
"Goo-good night?" I greeted.
Without a reply, he picked me up by the collar of my shirt, like he was picking up a puppy with the nape of its neck.
How rude, to not greet back.
Did your parents teach you manners?
Ah, children these days!
"Ah!" I was hit on the head by the man.
.....can the demons here read minds?
With such a strong grip holding on to me, I could only curl up my body while he brought me to their base.
It seems, I may have been caught in a bad situation.
"He-hello. " I greeted the lanky man with a smile.
But as expected, the rude fellow didn't reply to my greeting, instead he reached his hands to the mask on my face.
"This face....." He spoke with a smile, "He can be sold. "
Haah? Am I not a guy in your eyes? Sold???
"I'm sure some perverted Noble out there will buy you. " He sneered.
Is this the country you'll rule in the future, Naomi? No, I'm sure it'll get worse, in her hands, won't it!?
In fact, she'll definitely be one of those perverted nobles buying children for her own pleasure, won't she!?
This country...! My condolences!
"Throw him in the cages, ah~" He groaned while rotating his arms, "stupid kids had to go crazy, what a waste of my energy. "
At his words, a bad feeling creeper up on me.
"Did, did...."
"Huh? Nah, I didn't, they're precious money makers, after all." He sneered, before leaving.
All the while, I was held by the collar of my shirt, lifted in the air by the muscled man, and after the lanky man had left, I was carried to a room filled with cages.
My sensitive nose was instantly provoked by the horrid smell of decay, death and disease.
Only after I was left in the cage did a strange feeling wash over me.
Undoubtedly, I was raised like a [dog] and I lived as a [dog], but perhaps because of my vague awareness of morals because of my barely remembered past life, I felt disheartened.
I've always ignored this fact, but the things going around me, it was all......no good, was it?
Ever since I left mothers fluffy embrace.
Ah, how I want to go back to her fluffy belly to sleep.