Hazuki leaned back in his chair, watching Ellyn happily munch away at her meal.
After a moment, a thought hit him.
"Ellyn?"
"Yes, Uncle?"
"If you're eating here… what about your mother?"
Ellyn paused mid-bite, blinking.
"Hmm? I don't know…"
Hazuki smirked.
"Oho~ someone's becoming selfish."
Ellyn pouted, ears twitching.
"Umm… Mother is meeting someone and said I can go around town and eat." She took another bite. "When I walked around, I saw you."
"Oh…" Hazuki nodded slowly.
Then—
"Uncle?"
"Hmm?"
Ellyn leaned forward, her tail swaying slightly.
"Can I order more?"
Hazuki raised an eyebrow.
"Wooo… for a small girl like you, you really can eat a lot. Not worried about getting fat?"
Ellyn tilted her head, completely unfazed.
"Hmm?? Beastkin rarely get fat no matter how much they eat."
Hazuki stared.
Then sighed.
"Damn it. That's not fair."
Meanwhile, Ellyn grinned and waved to the owner.
"One more plate, please~!"
As Ellyn continued eating her meal, Hazuki leaned on the table, thinking about something.
"By the way, you said your mother was meeting someone."
"Hmm?" Ellyn looked up.
"Who is she meeting?"
Ellyn shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a guy?"
Hazuki grinned. "Oh~ so you don't mind having a new father?"
Ellyn paused for a moment, then shook her head.
"Hmm? She has the right to be happy."
Hazuki blinked.
"You're pretty open about it."
Ellyn took another bite, speaking casually.
"My father already left her when I was still a baby."
Hazuki narrowed his eyes.
"Huh? You said he was an adventurer before, right? What if something happened that made him unable to go back to your family?"
Ellyn paused, then smirked.
"Hmm? No… nothing like that."
She wiped her mouth and leaned back.
"Mother said he found someone else and went back to his hometown to marry that girl."
Hazuki stared.
"Huh? And how can you be so sure?"
Ellyn shrugged again.
"Mother signed the divorce papers at the capital city before."
Then, she sighed.
"But because we didn't have a lot of money to return to Yumia Town right away, Mother had to work a little before we saved enough for the trip."
Hazuki felt a weird tightness in his chest.
"That's… kinda rough."
Ellyn smiled softly. "Maybe, but Mother doesn't seem sad about it anymore. So, I don't think I should be either."
Hazuki fell silent for a moment, watching her.
She really was more mature than she looked.
He sighed.
"Haaa… alright, let's eat."
Ellyn grinned. "Yep!"
Hazuki leaned back, rubbing his chin.
"Damn… why didn't I just accept your offer to be your father before?"
Ellyn blinked, then smirked.
"Hmm? But aren't you lucky?"
Hazuki raised an eyebrow. "Huh? How?"
Ellyn grinned, tail swaying playfully.
"You got me."
Hazuki twitched.
"You're still a kid!"
Ellyn shrugged.
"Yeah, but in eight more years, I'll be an adult and still younger."
Hazuki paused.
"Well… that's true."
Before he could think too much about it—
"Uncle?"
"What now?"
Ellyn tilted her head.
"How old are you?"
Hazuki frowned. "You know it's rude to ask someone's age…"
Ellyn smiled innocently.
"Not really. We're engaged, right?"
Hazuki felt an instant headache.
"Ugh…"
Ellyn leaned closer, waiting.
"Sooo… how old are you?"
Hazuki sighed.
"24…"
Ellyn grinned wider.
"In eight more years, you'll be 32, and I'll be 18."
She tilted her head, ears twitching mischievously.
"Aren't you lucky? Having a young, beautiful half-catfolk as your wife?"
Hazuki froze.
His brain completely shut down.
"...….."
"Wait… WAIT… WHY DOES IT SUDDENLY SOUND LIKE A GOOD DEAL!?"
Ellyn wasn't done yet.
She smiled mischievously and held up her hand, showing off her ring. Then, she pointed at Hazuki's ring—the Pinky Promise.
"And with this…"
Her eyes glimmered with amusement.
"I can't cheat. No man can make a move on me."
Hazuki scratched his cheek.
"Uh… that's true."
But then—
Ellyn's grin widened.
"And that same rule applies to you, Uncle."
Hazuki froze.
"Ugh!"
"DAMN IT! I'M LOCKED OUT OF THE HAREM ROUTE!!"
Hazuki paused, thinking back to what Ellyn had said earlier.
"Wait… you said you and your mother didn't have enough money to return to Yumia Town."
He furrowed his brows.
"But I only paid 20 copper for my trip. A single day's job should've been enough, right?"
Ellyn tilted her head.
"Hmm? It costs 50 copper per person. So for both of us, it was 100 copper."
Hazuki blinked. "Oh…"
Ellyn continued, calmly picking at her food.
"Mother worked as a helper at a bakery and earned 30 copper a day."
She smiled slightly.
"Luckily, the shop owner gave us free food, so Mother could keep her money and pay rent for us."
"Oh…" Hazuki nodded.
"But…" Ellyn poked at her bread. "Because the rent was too expensive, Mother managed to save little by little. And now, we're here."
Hazuki leaned back, exhaling.
"Oh…"
"Damn… living in this world really isn't easy."
He glanced at Ellyn, who was casually eating as if none of this was a big deal.
She had gone through so much, but she still smiled like it was nothing.
"She's really strong, huh?"
After finishing their meal, Hazuki walked up to the counter and paid for the food.
As they stepped out of the restaurant, Ellyn smiled brightly.
"Uncle, thank you for the food!"
Hazuki waved a hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah… whatever."
Then—
"Uncle?"
Hazuki raised an eyebrow.
"What now?"
"What are you doing after this?"
Hazuki stretched.
"Hmm? Maybe looking for a place to sleep."
Ellyn's ears perked up.
"Oh! Which inn?"
"No, no, no… I'm saving my money."
Ellyn tilted her head.
"Oh… for what?"
Hazuki narrowed his eyes.
"Huh? Why do you want to know?"
Ellyn smiled innocently.
"Hmm? We're engaged, right? So no secrets."
Hazuki froze.
"Ehhh!? For real!?"
Ellyn nodded seriously.
Hazuki crossed his arms, looking away.
"Nope. Not gonna tell you."
Ellyn pouted.
"Hmph! I'll find out anyway."
Hazuki groaned.
"Damn it… she's way too persistent."
( End of Chapter )