"Ellyn?"
"Yes, Mother?"
Her mother's gentle voice held a strong certainty, reminding Ellyn of an important truth.
"You know a pinky promise cannot be broken. It is a sacred oath."
Ellyn nodded, her smile bright and unwavering. "I know, Mom." She placed a hand over her chest, her eyes shining with belief. "Because he is my destiny."
Her mother looked at her daughter, a mysterious smile on her lips. In the dim light of the carriage, Ellyn's right eye glowed faintly, with strange patterns swirling inside—signs of something ancient.
Ellyn's voice was steady but strong. "With this oath, no man would dare take advantage of me."
She tilted her head, her tail swishing gently beneath her cloak. "They know how serious a pinky promise is. No one would dare break it… and those who try—" she paused, her smile still bright, "—will pay the price."
Her mother chuckled softly, amused by her daughter's confidence. The carriage rocked gently along the road, but inside, there was an unseen power—a promise that no man would dare to break.
"Are you sure he's the right man?" her mother asked, her voice warm with understanding.
Ellyn nodded quickly. "Yes, Mom. Besides… he's not from this world."
Her mother's smile stayed, but curiosity filled her gaze. "You do know that humans don't live as long as beastkin, dwarves, elves, or any other races. Even we, as half-bloods, will outlive him."
Ellyn's right eye shimmered again, patterns flickering inside. Yet her expression remained confident.
"I know, Mom," she said gently. Then, with a strange certainty, she added, "But he's not from here… and believe me, he will live longer than us."
Her mother's laugh faded into thoughtful silence.
Outside, the carriage continued down the road, but inside, an unspoken truth hung in the air—one that only Ellyn seemed to understand.
Meanwhile, in Yumia Town…
Hazuki plopped down onto a wooden stool, resting his elbows on the counter as he waited. The warm scent of roasted beans and fresh bread filled the air, making his stomach growl in anticipation.
As he tapped his fingers on the table, he slowly noticed something… off. The other customers nearby were staring at him.
"Hmm?" Hazuki furrowed his brows, glancing around. Why is everyone looking at me?
Feeling self-conscious, he cleared his throat. "Errr… excuse me? Did I do something wrong?"
An older man sitting beside him chuckled awkwardly. "Ah… no, lad. It's just…"
Another patron pointed at Hazuki's hand. "We were just looking… at your ring."
Hazuki blinked and slowly looked down at his own hand.
Oh.
His engagement ring. The one Ellyn made him wear.
…
"Ah. Shit."
"So… that's a pinky promise ring, right?" one of the patrons asked, eyeing Hazuki's hand.
"Huh?" Hazuki blinked. "How do you know?"
The man raised an eyebrow. "You didn't notice?"
"Notice what?" Hazuki asked, feeling a bad premonition creeping in.
The old man beside him chuckled and pointed. "The color of the ring. And the stone."
Confused, Hazuki lifted his hand and finally looked at the ring. The metal had a strange silver-pink hue—not bright like candy, not dull like a toy, but a deep, almost magical pinkish metal. A small gemstone shimmered faintly in the center.
Hazuki's stomach dropped.
"EHHHHH!???" he screamed in realization.
The entire shop turned to look at him.
"So, you're getting married to this girl, huh?" one patron asked with a smirk. "When's the big day?"
"Err…" Hazuki scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I don't know… maybe eight more years?"
Another man raised an eyebrow. "Eight years? Why wait that long?"
Hazuki's eye twitched. "Are you serious!? She's a kid! Of course, it's eight more years!"
For a moment, silence filled the air.
Then—
"PFFFFFT—!!!"
The whole crowd burst into laughter.
"BAHAHAHAHA! You made a pinky promise with a kid!?" one man wheezed, slapping his knee.
"ARE YOU STUPID!?" another howled, clutching his stomach.
Hazuki slumped over the counter, gripping his coffee like it was the only thing keeping him sane.
Why was his suffering always public entertainment!?
Hazuki slammed his hands on the counter. "Then tell me how to stop this! Or at least take off the damn ring!"
The vendor chuckled and shook his head. "No can do, young man. The pinky promise is a sacred oath. No one dares to interfere with it."
Another patron nodded seriously. "The only thing that can break it is death."
Hazuki froze. "W-Wait, what?"
The man shrugged. "Yeah, so… err… no."
The other customers agreed, nodding. "Yeah, we don't want the curse."
Hazuki paled. "C-Curse!?"
"Of course! The pinky promise oath is absolute! If someone tries to break it or interfere, bad things happen."
Hazuki slumped back onto his stool, staring at his cursed engagement ring like it was a shackle from hell.
"Eight years," one man chuckled, patting Hazuki's shoulder. "Just try to live your life until then."
Another grinned. "And one more thing, young man… good luck."
Hazuki blinked. "Good luck for what…?"
The vendor smirked. "The pinky promise oath means you'll never get another girl."
The crowd nodded. "Yeah, if you're an adventurer, you can team up with girls. But trust us—we're 100% sure you won't get lucky with any of them."
Hazuki felt like his soul left his body. "…I'M SCREWED!!!"
The whole shop erupted in laughter.
Hazuki held his head in despair. "WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME!? Now I can't get the harem route!"
The vendor laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, young man… that's not happening."
Another customer smirked. "No girl or woman would dare break a sacred oath."
A third man sipped his coffee and chuckled. "It's the same for the girl you promised, too. No man would dare mess with her or try anything inappropriate. So, lucky you! You've got a faithful future wife."
Hazuki slammed his hands on the counter. "LUCKY!? HOW IS THIS LUCKY!?"
One of the men grinned. "Hmm… why'd you make that promise to a kid?"
"OI! I DIDN'T! SHE TRAPPED ME!" Hazuki shouted, his face turning red.
Another man rubbed his chin, amused. "Oh? Then it makes me wonder even more… why did she choose that? She must have known what she was doing, even as a kid."
Hazuki stiffened. Wait. Why did Ellyn do that? He gulped. Did she… plan this from the start!?
The thought terrified him.
The other customers continued sipping their coffee, grinning at his misery, while Hazuki sat there, re-evaluating his entire life.
"Well… whatever." Hazuki shrugged, deciding to ignore his doomed fate for now.
He took a big bite of his bread, enjoying the soft, warm texture as he washed it down with a sip of coffee. At least the food here was good.
As he chewed, he pulled out his pouch and checked his remaining money. His funds were getting low.
"Let's see…" he muttered, counting. He still had 1 silver and a few copper coins left.
Not too bad—he didn't need to panic just yet. Plus, he had savings in the bank—13 silver coins safely stored away.
Inside Hazuki's mind: Maybe I should do something…
Check the Adventurer's Guild?
Explore the town?
Find a place to sleep?
After thinking it over, he raised his hand. "Hey, can I ask something?"
The coffee vendor glanced at him. "Yeah?"
"Is there a stable in this town?"
The vendor's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Yes… why do you ask?"
Hazuki scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Errr… I need a place to sleep."
The customers nearby chuckled.
One man leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, you'll find one on the south side of town. But… why the stable?"
Hazuki cleared his throat. "Err… to save money?"
The vendor smirked. "Can't afford an inn?"
"Well…" Hazuki hesitated. "I mean, how much is it?"
"Three silver coins per month. And it's a good place."
Hazuki's eye twitched. That's… actually not bad at all.
Still, he sighed. "Yeah, but I want to save more so I can buy my own land or maybe a house someday."
A few customers grinned.
"Oho~~" The vendor smirked. "Already planning for the future with your future bride, huh?"
Hazuki spit out his coffee.
"COUGH—WHAT!? NO!"
The shop erupted in laughter.
Hazuki buried his face in his hands. Why did everything always lead back to that damn pinky promise!?
After finishing his breakfast, Hazuki paid the vendor, slung his bag over his shoulder, and strolled through the town. His bag wasn't heavy—only some extra clothes and pants stuffed inside.
"Hmm…" he muttered to himself. "I better find a stream to wash up… or maybe a public bath."
Looking around, he spotted a nearby stall run by a catfolk girl. Her ears twitched as she lazily swayed her tail, licking the back of her hand before glancing up at him.
Hazuki stepped forward. "Excuse me, can I ask something?"
The girl blinked at him before tilting her head. "Hmm? Nyaaan? What do you want, Uncle?"
Inside Hazuki's mind: Oh, damn, she's a full catfolk. Fur all over her body… and she even says 'nyan'?
His thoughts drifted to Ellyn. I wonder if Ellyn can do that too…
Wait, wait, wait! What the hell am I thinking!?
"HEY! I'M NOT A PEDO, OKAY!? JUST WONDERING! YEAH! JUST WONDERING!"
Hazuki shook his head violently, banishing those thoughts before continuing.
"Ahem… can you point me to the public bath?"
The catgirl blinked, then flicked her tail playfully. "Nyaan? Public bath? Over there, nyan~" She pointed lazily with her furry hand.
Hazuki nodded. "Ah, thanks."
As he walked away, one thought lingered in his mind—why did she have to say 'nyan' at the end of every sentence?!
As Hazuki walked through town, he kept glancing at the signs, trying to find the bathhouse.
There was just one problem.
He couldn't read a damn thing.
Yeah… figures. It's not in Japanese, so why would I understand it?
Still, he trusted the catgirl's directions and continued walking toward the area she pointed out. Eventually, his eyes landed on a wooden sign with a carved logo—a simple symbol of steam rising from water.
Bingo.
He stepped inside and walked up to the counter, where a receptionist greeted him with a polite smile.
"Welcome to the public bath."
"How much?" Hazuki asked, already fishing out his pouch.
"Five copper for a bath."
She gestured to the side. "You can use the towels provided there. When you're finished, just drop the used towel in the basket over there."
Hazuki followed her finger, spotting a neatly arranged basket for used towels.
"Got it," he said, placing five copper coins on the counter before heading inside.
He wasted no time cleaning himself before sinking into the warm bath.
"Ahhh…" Hazuki let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes as the heat soothed his tired muscles.
For the first time in a while, he could finally relax.
( End of Chapter )