Ellyn stared at Hazuki, tail swaying as she kept pressing him with questions.
"So, Uncle?"
Hazuki groaned.
"WHAT!?"
Ellyn tilted her head.
"Where do you sleep?"
Hazuki sighed.
"I don't know… maybe the stable?"
"Ehhh!?" Ellyn's ears twitched.
"I'm saving money. The stable doesn't cost much. One or two copper, max."
Ellyn frowned.
"Uncle…"
"Hmm?"
"You really like stables?"
Hazuki glared at her.
"HELL NO!"
Ellyn grinned mischievously.
"Then why do you choose the stable?"
"Because it's CHEAP!"
She giggled.
"Do you like hay?"
"No…"
"Do you love sleeping with horses?"
"NO!"
Ellyn covered her mouth, laughing.
"Then why—"
"BECAUSE I'M BROKE, DAMN IT!!"
"How much money do you have now?"
Hazuki twitched.
"Ugh! This kid…"
He gave her a side glance.
"Why do you want to know?"
Ellyn shrugged innocently.
"Nothing… just want to know."
Hazuki sighed heavily.
"Ugh… I have some. Several copper coins and silver coins in my pouch."
Ellyn tilted her head.
"And in the bank?"
"Eeeehhhh!! Why is this girl so damn persistent!?"
He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"I saved some…"
"Oh…" Ellyn nodded, looking satisfied.
But then—
"Uncle?"
"WHAT NOW!?"
Ellyn smiled sweetly.
"Can I see your Adventurer Card?"
Hazuki squinted.
"Why?"
Ellyn swung her legs playfully.
"Nothing… just want to see."
Hazuki stared at her suspiciously.
"This girl… is way too nosy."
Hazuki grumbled, feeling defeated.
"Fine! Here."
He handed his Adventurer Card to Ellyn, who took it with a satisfied smile.
As she looked over the details, her ears twitched.
"Oh~ so you already saved 25 silver coins…"
"EHHH!?" Hazuki snapped his head toward her.
"How do you know!?"
Ellyn tilted the card slightly and pointed.
"Here." She tapped on a set of numbers displayed on the card.
0 25 0
Hazuki squinted.
"Huh? It just appears as '0, 25, 0'... how do you know that's silver?"
Ellyn rolled her eyes.
"Hmm?? The first '0' is gold-colored, which means gold coins."
She tapped the second number.
"The '25' is silver-colored, which means silver coins."
Then, she pointed at the last digit.
"And the last '0' is copper-colored, meaning you have no copper coins left in the bank."
Hazuki froze.
"Ugh! Damn it!" He snatched back his Adventurer Card.
Ellyn smirked.
"Uncle?"
Hazuki gritted his teeth.
"What now!?"
Ellyn tilted her head.
"You said you were broke… but you already have 25 silver coins saved up."
Hazuki clicked his tongue.
"It's still considered broke."
Ellyn blinked.
"Hmm? Really? But in my village, not everyone even has that much saved up."
Hazuki paused.
"Oh…"
"So, Uncle?"
Hazuki felt a vein pop.
"Ugh… this girl."
Ellyn watched Hazuki in silence for a moment, then smiled.
"So, you're saving money for what?"
"..."
Hazuki pretended not to hear.
"Uncle?"
"..."
"Uncle?"
Hazuki groaned, gripping his head.
"Fine! I'm saving it so I can buy some land!"
Ellyn tilted her head.
"For what?"
"Ugh! It's my dream to own land and build a house!"
"Oh."
Hazuki exhaled in relief.
"Stop asking questions already. Why don't we go find your mother?"
"Okay~"
Then—
"Uncle?"
Hazuki froze.
Then slowly turned to glare at her.
"Ugh! REALLY!? Not even a second, and you're asking something again!?"
Ellyn grinned playfully.
"Why do you need to buy land?"
"Ugh! Didn't I already tell you!?"
"Yeah… but…"
Hazuki sighed, rubbing his face.
"Fine! It's… for… the future."
Ellyn suddenly beamed.
"Oh! For us? Aww, Uncle… you're so sweet~"
Hazuki choked on air.
"W-WHAT!?"
Ellyn just giggled.
Hazuki covered his face.
"Damn it! I walked right into that one!"
After walking around for a while, Hazuki and Ellyn finally spotted her mother near the bank, finishing up her business.
Ellyn waved cheerfully at Hazuki.
"Uncle! Thank you for treating me!"
Hazuki smirked, waving lazily.
"Yeah, yeah."
Ellyn grinned. "See you tomorrow!"
Hazuki chuckled.
"Heh! Like you're anywhere near this town."
With that, he turned around and started walking away.
Just as he was about to leave—
"UNCLE!!!"
Hazuki flinched.
"DON'T FORGET OUR PROMISE!!"
His eye twitched.
Then—
"AND OUR DREAM HOME!!"
The entire street turned to look at him.
Hazuki froze.
Slowly, he turned back toward her.
Ellyn just grinned innocently, waving goodbye.
"D-Damn it… she made it sound like we're already married!"
Hazuki covered his face and groaned.
"Ugh… this girl…"
With quickened steps, he hurried off, ignoring the stares from random strangers.
Hazuki stretched his arms, looking around as he walked through town.
"Now… where's that stable?"
He strolled casually, occasionally checking out the scenery.
Well… more specifically, he wanted to ogle the sexy women passing by.
But—
The moment he even considered it, a chill ran down his spine.
"Tch… damn it."
He quickly looked away, pretending to admire the town's architecture instead.
"Looks like I have no choice but to wait for Ellyn to turn into an adult…"
"If the Pinky Promise Oath really can't be broken, I can't do anything about it."
He sighed deeply.
Accepting his fate.
Then, as he glanced up at the sky, he realized—
It was still bright.
And then—
A horrifying realization hit him.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
Several passersby turned to look at him.
Hazuki clutched his head in frustration.
"THE BOOK!! HOW TO CONTROL MANA!!!"
He froze in place.
"WHY DIDN'T I ASK ELLYN TO READ IT FOR ME!?"
His entire body sagged.
"Damn it…!"
He felt the weight of his own stupidity crushing him.
Hazuki groaned.
"Ugh… now I have to go back to the guild… or…"
His stomach sank.
"…Do I have to ask Ellyn again tomorrow!?"
Hazuki groaned, rubbing his temples.
"Fine…"
He exhaled deeply, accepting his fate.
"If she's still around town, maybe it's best to ask her to teach me how to read in this world."
Then, he paused.
His eye twitched.
"Damn… being taught by a kid."
He gritted his teeth.
"Well… my future wife, I guess…"
The words tasted bitter in his mouth.
If Ellyn wasn't around, then he'd just have to postpone learning to read for now.
"Haaa… guess I'll check the quest board or do some leveling."
He shrugged.
"No rush anyway."
Then, he smirked to himself.
"Still got eight years before I can finally fulfill this stupid Pinky Promise."
His grin twitched.
"Eight… long… years."
He felt a headache coming.
"Damn it."
Hazuki sighed, kicking a small stone as he walked.
"Well… eight years isn't that long…"
He paused.
Then frowned.
"It's just… waiting for romance is…"
He shook his head violently.
"Whatever!"
He grumbled to himself, rubbing his face.
"If she's really serious about this, what can I do?"
The Pinky Promise Oath was unbreakable.
His fate was sealed.
He couldn't look at other women for too long, and even if he tried…
A mysterious force (probably fate… or a damn curse) would stop him.
Still…
He glanced up at the sky, deep in thought.
"I just hope Ellyn really grows up to be a beautiful half-catfolk."
A slow grin crept onto his face.
"If I'm stuck with this promise, at least let me get a reward at the end."
For once, he actually felt a little hopeful.
Hazuki sighed.
"…But for now, let's survive another day first."
( End of Chapter )