Chapter 07
After finishing a simple breakfast at a brunch café in the village, the three of them set out in earnest to buy Neya’s toys.
Since it was a rural village, the main shopping area was small, but it had everything they needed.
“Neya, don’t let go of my hand, okay? You might get lost.”
“Yes!”
Neya firmly held Shane’s hand and nodded. Then, she quickly shifted her gaze to Gary, who was beside her.
With a bright smile, Neya extended her other hand.
“Please hold my hand too, Master of the Tower!”
“…….”
A cold sweat immediately appeared on Gary’s forehead. He glanced at Shane and calmly declined.
“Sorry, Neya. The guy next to you is pretty scary. I don’t want to get yelled at for no reason.”
“Why? I asked you to hold it.”
Shane replied indifferently, as if it didn’t bother him at all.
“……?”
Gary expected Shane to look at him with a disgusted expression, but instead, Shane’s unusually merciful demeanor left him dumbfounded.
“Hand, please!”
Neya waved the hand she held in the air as if to show him. Flustered, Gary ended up holding it.
With both Shane and Gary holding her hands, Neya smiled brightly as if completely satisfied.
“…….”
As they walked, Gary kept sneaking glances at Shane. Feeling Shane’s gaze on him, Shane finally asked irritably:
“What is it?”
“Nothing… I just didn’t expect it.”
When it came to Neya, Shane became unusually gentle, unlike his usual self. Knowing Shane’s temper, Gary couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
“You’re always really harsh with me and Ajuore, right?”
“What more do you expect?”
Shane said seriously. Gary knew well that Shane’s daily life involved dealing with the aftermath of things with Ajuore and him, so he couldn’t argue.
Gary glanced away from Shane, and Shane stared at him before letting out a sigh.
“…It’s also my responsibility since I brought her. The princess isn’t good at taking care of herself, so at least I have to do it.”
“…….”
Gary blinked and said, as if he couldn’t understand:
“If someone like you is sane, why are you working alongside Ajuore?”
“I’ll quit soon.”
“You’ve been saying that for years, you know?”
“Let minor things slide.”
The two of them started bickering again. Neya, watching them, giggled.
‘They get along so well~.’
To Neya, the two seemed extremely close and friendly.
Before long, the three arrived at the toy store.
“Welcome.”
The staff member automatically greeted them, then looked at the three who entered the store: Neya smiling brightly, with Shane and Gary on either side.
“…….”
The store employee alternated glances between the two holding Neya’s hands, then smiled warmly.
“You must have come out for an outing with your daughter.”
“She’s not my daughter……”
Gary quietly avoided the employee’s gaze. He hadn’t wanted to hold hands for fear of such misunderstandings, but, as expected, it had happened.
Shane, on the other hand, ignored the employee’s remark and addressed Neya.
“Neya, pick whatever you like.”
“Wow!”
Neya immediately let go of their hands and ran off, her steps full of excitement. Seeing the variety of toys, she asked Shane with sparkling eyes:
“How many can I buy?”
“It’s your first time, so pick as much as you want. But from next time, only one at a time.”
“Understood!”
Neya answered clearly, making the staff and nearby customers smile warmly at her.
Neya walked around the store picking out various things—storybooks, blocks, and more. Before long, the amount of toys she had selected filled one or two large bags.
Seeing the growing pile of toys, Gary whispered to Neya:
“Neya… Master of the Tower only has two hands. Can you stop picking now…?”
Originally, Gary was there as a packer, so seeing the piles of toys made him uneasy.
“I’m paying for them, so don’t be stingy, Gary.”
“I’m a weak and powerless wizard, you know?”
Shane teased, and Gary made a wronged expression. Shane shook his head.
“You’ve bought a lot already, so just pick one last thing. We have to go to other stores too.”
“Buying more?”
“Just one last thing, Neya.”
Shane ignored Gary’s words. At the mention of the last item, Neya pondered:
“If it’s the last one, what should I pick…?”
“Weren’t you going to get a doll?”
“Ah!”
After all, the purpose of this outing was to buy a doll. But Neya had been distracted by other toys and hadn’t chosen one. At Shane’s words, she immediately ran toward the doll section.
“Hmm……”
Neya stood in front of the dolls, thinking seriously. Then, she spotted something and smiled brightly.
“I want this one!”
She picked up a yellow chick doll, perfectly sized to fit in her arms.
Gary, approaching, said in surprise:
“You like chicks?”
“It’s the same color as Mom’s hair!”
It wasn’t that she chose it because it was a chick, but rather because of the color.
“She really likes Ajuore.”
“She does. Even though she met him just yesterday, she really likes him.”
Shane hadn’t expected Neya to take such a liking to Ajuore. Until yesterday and today, Ajuore hadn’t paid her the slightest attention.
Gary smiled gently and asked Neya:
“Neya, why do you like Ajuore?”
“Because he’s pretty!”
Neya’s answer came without hesitation.
“He’s shiny, his voice is pretty, and he’s like a prince.”
Ajuore was indeed attractive. Neither Gary nor Shane liked him much, but they couldn’t deny that fact.
“And he’s my mom. Of course I should love my mom.”
This was part of the indoctrination Neya had learned at the cat shop. Shane and Gary, who didn’t expect this from a child, just watched her with fondness as she said it.
Hugging the doll tightly, Neya smiled.
“I have to show him to Mom.”
The outing took longer than expected. In addition to toys, they also bought clothes and daily necessities for Neya. By the time they returned home, the sun was already setting.
“Mom!”
Neya ran into the house, calling for Ajuore. Shane and Gary, carrying the bags, followed her.
Ajuore was sitting at the table, drinking tea. Seeing Neya come in so noisily, his gaze naturally shifted to her.
“Look at this!”
Neya held up the doll she had been hugging the whole way.
“You bought all sorts of things.”
Ajuore was, as expected, indifferent. Neya didn’t mind.
“We bought lots of storybooks, pretty clothes, but this is my favorite!”
Neya smiled brightly at Ajuore.
“The yellow color reminds me of Mom, so it’s really pretty.”
“…….”
At her words, Ajuore’s eyes grew cold.
“And I named it Lumi…”
“Hey.”
“……?”
Neya, talking excitedly, stopped and looked at Ajuore.
In a cold voice, Ajuore said:
“It’s noisy, so go to your room.”
Startled by his harsh tone, Neya flinched.
“……”
She hesitated, then hung her head weakly.
Watching this, Shane sighed and approached Neya.
“Neya, let’s go upstairs.”
“……”
Without replying, Neya simply took Shane’s hand and went upstairs.
Only Ajuore and Gary remained on the first floor. Gary looked displeased.
“You want to do that even to a kid?”
“Annoying.”
“You really are consistently hopeless…”
“Shut up. If you have nothing to do, go grab a glass.”
No matter how Gary tried to reprimand him, Ajuore didn’t care at all.
With Shane gone and no one to scold them, the two of them naturally began opening bottles of alcohol.
After drinking just enough not to get too drunk, Gary suddenly stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“The bathroom. Why, want to come because you’re lonely?”
“What are you talking about, are you drunk?”
Ajuore grimaced. Gary laughed playfully and went to the bathroom on the second floor.
After washing his hands and shaking off the water, Gary suddenly stopped. His eyes fell on the sign on the door.
Standing in front of the room, Gary read the sign:
“Neya’s Room”
It was clear that Neya had written it herself.
“She looked really sulky… I wonder if she’s crying?”
Even though quite some time had passed since Neya went into her room, she hadn’t once shown her face outside, and the room was completely quiet.
Curious, Gary peered at the door.
Suddenly, the door swung open.
