Going back an hour.
She explained what had happened to the police at the local police box who had come to protect her, but in the end they were unable to provide her with protection.
There are two main reasons.
The first is that there are too many unknowns about her.
She does not fit the description of any of the missing persons currently reported to the police, so it seems there is little that can be done until a missing person report is filed, but of course the police will continue to thoroughly investigate her background.
The second reason is that based on the series of events I explained and her behavior, it was determined that there was no suspicion that we had kidnapped her.
Ever since we arrived at the police box, she'd been basically observing our interactions, and for some reason she kept holding onto my sleeve.
If the method used was forceful, such as kidnapping, it is unlikely that she would have behaved in this way, even if she was unable to speak, and it was determined that she would not have come to the police for protection in the first place.
Due to all of the above, and the fact that he is an elderly man who has lived in the town for many years and is trusted by many people, the police ended up asking him to protect her, saying, "Although it would normally be impossible, could you please take care of her at home until they can gather more information about her?"
To be honest, I didn't really want to take her in, but even if the police station were to take her in, it seems that it would be difficult to provide her with clothing, a room, etc.
Seeing that as it was, my grandfather agreed to take care of her, and so the three of us returned home again.
"Cherry, I 'll go prepare the girl's room for now. It's a bit dusty."
With that, Grandpa went upstairs.
I returned to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and let out a sigh.
She followed me into the living room and, just like before, began looking around at the photos and furniture on display.
Thinking about what will happen next makes me anxious, but when I asked Lina to help with things a man can't do, like taking a bath or changing clothes, she agreed, so it looks like the biggest problem can be managed.
--I can't sleep at night anymore, I'll definitely go and thank her properly next time.
With that in mind, I went to the fridge to get some tortoiseshell candy.
I grab the last of the prepared food and close the fridge door.
Then, when I turned around with the candy in one hand, she, who had been patrolling the living room until then, was now right behind me.
"Wow! That's a surprise!"
While I was surprised, I realized that the object of her attention was not me.
Up until now, whenever she looked at me, she would stare intently at my face, but now she was looking at my hands instead of my face.
Yes, what she was interested in right now was the tortoiseshell candy I was holding.
"This isn't yours! It's mine !"
She seems to have heard what I said, but she stares at the candy again.
"You shouldn't stare at me with that face, okay?"
But of course my words didn't get through to her. When she tried to touch the candy I was holding, I quickly raised my hand holding the candy above my head, moving it out of her reach.
" It's mine !"
She then continues to reach for the candy cane that is taller than her.
This was the first time she'd come to this house and made such a bold statement.
She looks a little dissatisfied and sulky because her interests are not being pursued as she would like.
I was shocked to see this new side of her, whose facial expression has hardly changed at all up until now.
At that moment, she jumped with her hand reaching out for the candy, but she couldn't reach it.
However, she doesn't give up and keeps jumping up and down again and again.
"I'll make it later! This one is mine !"
This was the biggest concession I could make, but she still couldn't understand it and continued to jump.
She then stopped jumping, lowered her gaze just a little below the tortoiseshell candy, and jumped again. Unlike before, instead of reaching for the tortoiseshell candy, she grabbed onto my arm that was holding it with both hands, lifted her feet and put her entire weight on it.
"What? You...!"
Even though she's a woman, I'm not strong enough to support her entire weight on one arm.
The reason she lowered her gaze was probably because she realized that in order to get the tortoiseshell candy, it would be more efficient to aim at the arm holding it.
Unable to bear the weight of her hanging position, mt arms gradually droped.
As soon as the candy came down close to her eye level, she went straight for it and ate it in one go.
"Ahh! My tortoiseshell candy!"
My voice mixed with a scream echoes.
Having lost one of my few joys, and knowing that we would not be able to communicate because we had only just met today, I glared at her, wanting to give her a lecture.
However, she didn't pay me any attention and continued tasting the candy. Her expression was just like that of an innocent child... no, it was even more than that.
To put it in another way, her expression was filled with shock and happiness, as if she had never eaten anything this delicious before, and it was as if I could see a happy aura all around her, and her face was sparkling with excitement.
Looking at her like that, the anger I had felt towards her just a moment ago disappeared somewhere.
While I was unable to say anything, my grandpa heard my voice, came down from the second floor, and peeked into the kitchen.
"Cherry ,what's wrong? I heard some loud voice all the way up to the second floor."
"This guy ate my candy! "
"Oh, that's it. I can just make some more candy."
Grandpa sighed and looked at her.
Just like before, she was tasting the candy with a very happy look on her face.
"Maybe she is hungry? She hasn't eaten anything since we found her..."
I agree with what my grandpa said, but if she's hungry, candy won't fill you up.
Since we decided to take care of her even though she couldn't speak, it is our responsibility to provide her with food, clothing and shelter.
Seeing her look of dissatisfaction as the tortoise shell candy was gone and only the toothpick handle remained, I stood up and headed towards the kitchen to prepare something for her to eat.
"I..."
I heard a beautiful woman's voice that neither I nor my grandpa could ever produce.
If you were to hear a woman's voice in this situation right now, there's a definite identity for it.
With a moment's thought, I reflexively turned towards the voice.
"I... I... I!"
It happened so suddenly that I was speechless.
She hadn't spoken since our first encounter at the shrine, but now she was holding out the toothpick that had been the handle of the tortoise shell candy and repeatedly saying "I" to try and express something..