"--And then, on a moonless night, Mamiko was alone--"
In a room in the shepherd's territory, Arisa was giving a solo performance with her eyes shining brightly.
"The sound of the wind rustles the shutters--"
Although it was called a solo performance, she was not presenting poetry.
After hearing the ghost story, Arisa started telling a ghost story of her own.
"Mew~"
Tama is covered with a blanket, with only her eyes peeking out.
It's scary, but she is curious about Arisa's story.
"Does Pochi need to cover himself with a blanket?"
"It's okay, nanodesu! Pochi is Yukari...that's why's okay, nanodesu"
Pochi is trying to act tough, but she's sitting on my lap and desperately clutching my arm, so I can tell right away that it's just a bluff.
When Pochi says "Yukari," does she misspeak "brave"?
"There were creaking footsteps in the hallway where no one should have been, and then a knock on the door. Mamiko took a deep breath and, with determination, headed towards the door."
"No, you can't! The sage told you not to open the door!"
"Y-y-yes, is this a trap?"
Pochi and Tama desperately gave advice to the characters in the ghost story.
"Such voices from the outside don't reach Mamiko."
Arisa replied with a laugh, then returned to a serious expression and continued telling the ghost story.
"Mamiko opened the door with a creak--"
Pochi and Tama held their breath.
"--There was no one there. She went out into the dark corridor and looked left and right, but there was nothing there either. It seemed that she was just imagining things."
Pochi and Tama fell into Arisa's trap and let out a sigh of relief.
"Mariko closed the door and turned around--AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Arisa screamed.
"Nyuuuuuuuuuu."
"Ughh ..."
Tama hid under the blanket, and Pochi jumped up and hugged my stomach. Pochi must have been really scared, because she even forgot her usual "nodesu" ending.
"Ah, Arisa! It's against the rules to shout loudly!"
Pochi protested with a desperate look on her face, while Tama nodded from under the blanket.
It's surprising because I had the impression that Tama would be fine.
"Ahaha, sorry sorry."
"That's not the right way to apologize! You'll never become GoShogun if you keep doing that!"
Pochi's words are more confusing than ever.
There is a good chance that she was so upset that she won't even know what he was saying.
Unlike the two of them, Liza and Lulu don't seem to be scared.
Leaving Liza aside, it's surprising that even Lulu is fine.
"Are you good with ghost stories, Lulu?"
"I'm not particularly good at it, but ever since I was a kid, Arisa has told ghost stories every summer, saying it's a 'summer staple,' so I've gotten used to it."
I see, so Arisa has always surprised her since way back when.
I also wanted to see cute Lulu getting scared by a ghost story, but that would be considered sexual harassment, so it's probably best not to say it.
"M-Master place your hands on Pochi's stomach, desu! You have to hold on tightly, nanodesu!"
Pochi sat back down on my lap and used both of my hands as a seat belt.
She looks desperate. She's so cute it makes me want to be mean to her.
Pochi and Tama trembled in fear at the rattling noise coming from outside.
"The wind is getting stronger."
Perhaps it's a sign of a storm, but the windows have been shaking loudly for a while now.
If you listen carefully, you can hear a buzzing sound.
"Did you say something?"
"Nobody said anything?"
--Stop it.
The sound of the wind sounds like a human voice.
"Pochi heard it too, nanodesu!"
"Really? I can't hear anything though?"
Pochi desperately pleaded, but Arisa tilted her head in denial.
"Arisa is being mean!"
"How rude! I didn't. Let's open the window and listen."
Arisa said as she opened the window shutters.
◇
"--Wow."
As soon as she opened the shutters, the wind and rain blew in.
It seemed that rain had started to fall without me noticing.
"Please let me in!"
Along with a voice that seemed to reverberate from the depths of the earth, something black hit the window frame with a bang.
"Ghostyyyyy!"
"Nyuuuuuuh~"
Pochi clung to my stomach, and Tama, who had pushed the blanket off, climbed up my body.
They both are in a panic.
"Are you okay, Melinna?"
I called out to the girl outside the window - Melinna, the farm owner's daughter.
"Huh? Melinna-san?"
Arisa's legs gave way and she fell on her butt, looking up at the window with a stunned look on her face.
"Haha, were you surprised? I was surprised too when the window suddenly opened."
Melinna smoothed her soaked black hair back.
Apparently, it was her hair that had hit the window frame earlier.
"I was surprised."
Tama went limp on top of my head and turned into liquid like a cat's.
"I'm shocked, desu! Melinna is so mean, nanodesu! Pochi wants an apology, nanodesu!"
Pochi must have been really scared because she protested desperately with tears in her eyes.
It feels like onomatopoeic sounds are about to pop out.
"Ahaha, I'm sorry. I'll make you a delicious breakfast tomorrow morning, so please forgive me."
"Will it have any meat, nanodesu?"
"Yeah, I'll splurge on some thick-sliced bacon."
When they heard the words "thick-sliced bacon," Pochi and Tama's eyes turned to "meat." characters.
I happened to look at Liza and noticed that her eyes were the same as the other two. They were still meat lovers.
"You're doing a great job, Melinna. You didn't have to go out in the storm just to surprise Pochi and Tama."
"Haha, I'm not that busy. I just went to check if there were any problems with the cowshed because of the storm."
"That must be tough work."
Arisa muttered in admiration.
People who work in livestock farming must have a very tough time.
but--.
"Melinna-san, if you need something like that just let us know and we'll do it."
Maybe she's used to it, but it's too dangerous for a young woman to do it alone.
"Thanks Satou-san. But, I do it all the time."
With that, Melinna closed the shutters from the outside and left, saying, "Make sure to lock the door properly."
"Arisa, can you stand up?"
"It's okay. Just a little surprise."
Lulu was concerned about Arisa who had lost her balance.
"You two are being disrespectful to our master."
"I'm sorry."
"Pochi was warming up master, nanodesu?"
Liza mercilessly peels off Tama and Pochi who were stuck to me.
"It seems Pochi has not shown enough remorse."
"I'm sorry, nanodesu. Pochi is reflecting on her actions, nanodesu."
Pochi, who made an excuse, looks like she's about to be lectured in seiza.
Even Pochi seems not to be a "professional at self-reflection."
--Bang bang.
A loud noise came from the direction of the shutters, and everyone flinched.
"Did it hit something?"
"Melinna again?"
"They're trying to scare Pochi and the others, nanodesu!"
Pochi goes to the window angrily.
Tama follows behind her.
"Enough, desu!"
"Right?"
Pochi and Tama opened the window with a bang and sprung up the shutters on the other side.
However, it wasn't Melinna who was there.
In the dark night, there was a two-headed creature with a glowing head and four dangling arms - just like the monster the rancher had described.
"Gimyaaaaaaaah."
"Unnyuuuuuuuuu."
Pochi and Tama screamed and ran away, hiding behind Liza who was right in front of them.
The shutters lost their support and closed, hiding the monster.
"--Huh?"
The light spot on the radar is not red.
"Master, don't go near the window."
Liza, who was standing in front of the window holding her spear, warned me in a serious voice.
"It's okay, Liza."
Saying that, I opened the shutters.
If you look closely, you'll see that it's not a ghost.
"Good evening, young lady."
"Eh? Young lady?"
"Was that a human?"
It wasn't the person I was calling out to who was surprised, but my comrades.
"Confirming that we are in a safe location. I will inform you that we will be switching from combat doll mode to normal mode."
It's a young voice.
"I propose that we leave the young organism with you."
Through the window, I see a young lady - a blonde woman who takes the child she was carrying on her back.
Looks cold.
"Lulu, give the child a blanket."
I use the life magic "Dry" to dry the children's clothes and then pass her on to Lulu.
"You come inside, as well."
"Yes Mister, I say that I accept your kindness."
She tried to grab the hand I was offering her, but suddenly it was like a switch had been turned off.
--Oops, bad.
I climb over the window frame and jump outside into the raging storm, catching the woman just as she was about to hit the ground.
A soft sensation was felt on my palm.
--Oops, my bad.
I quickly move my hand to a safer spot.
"Are you okay?"
The woman I picked up was surprisingly young and beautiful.
"Generator fuel empty. Entering sleep mode to conserve remaining energy. 3. 2. 1."
She continued the countdown with a blank expression, and as soon as he announced "0," it was as if a switch had been turned off and she lost consciousness.
"Hey, you!"
Feeling impatient, I glanced over at the AR display beside her.
"Master, shall we come to you ?"
"No, it's okay."
Arisa suggested, to which I replied by shaking my head.
Her state was sleep - that is, she was so tired that she fell asleep.
I glanced over the remaining information displayed on the AR screen.
Her name is No. 7. She is a blonde with big breasts and looks like she is in high school. She is not human, but is 〇 years old homunculus. Apparently.
"Master!"
I waved at Liza who was running towards me in the rain.
When I thought she was no longer in the room, it seemed she had come around through the back door to help me.
With Liza's help, I shouldered No. 7 and carried her into our room.
As expected, I can't just do whatever I want in someone else's house, so I was getting consent after the fact, but I asked Lulu and Liza to go and tell Melinna and the farm owner that we had found the two lost children.
"Master, this child."
Arisa points to the child she had put to bed earlier.
"Her ears are pointy, nanodesu!"
"Her hair is the color of spring leaves?"
When Pochi and Tama separated, the child's face came into view.
Her name is Misanaria Bornan. She has light blue-green hair and slightly pointed ears.
She is an elf.
They are the most famous race in the fantasy world.
A homunculus girl and a young elf girl is quite an unexpected combination.
If this were a story, it would be a sign of trouble to come, but being a common man, I would rather just protect a lost child and part ways peacefully.
"I have a feeling something is going to happen."
Arisa muttered meaningfully while posing like a great detective.
Please stop raising those flags.
*Next time will be in the new year.