CH 12

Sitting under the tree in her brother’s training arena, Laiya’s gaze accidentally clashed with that of another. 

Crying out loud, she ran as fast as she could. 

“It’s the little kitty.”

Naturally, that title suited the kitten the most, so she called out to it. 

Laiya squatted in front of the kitten.

It was raining a little while ago, and Roy was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you fine?”

Meow—!

“I ran so fast because I thought you might have been caught in the rain… ”

It doesn’t seem to be in vain. The cat’s black fur is all wet.

The little girl  slowly reached out with the towel carried in her hand. 

I’ll do it very slowly, in case I accidentally startle it and it runs away.

Wrap. Wrap. Wipe.

[T/N: Sounds of her wrapping the towel around the cat and drying it.]

He didn’t avoid me!

Carefully, Laiya rubbed the kitten’s head, making sure that it too remained warm.

It’s odd.

“Why are you alone? Where is the owner who takes care of you every time?”

Meowwww—!

“Oh, you are your own owner? I don’t think so, just look at how cold and drenched you are.”

She might have spoken as if she was placating the kitten, but in her mind, she had already decided that it was good enough. 

She didn’t really blame the cat as she too had left her room. 

“Still, I’m glad that you are still by my brother’s side.”

Without much thought, the little girl gently brushed her wet hair away from her face as she muttered.

“I have no one.”

Absolutely no one.

Before she remembered her previous life, the girl remembered how hard she tried to get someone, anyone, on her side. 

It was sad to live that type of life.  

Soon the figure of the little girl from the past disappeared like smoke.

It’s okay, anyway, if you, Laiya, survive, then the good days will come someday.

After experiencing her past life and her current one, she knew that even if she had to roll around in dog poop, at the end of the day, being alive is best. 

I don’t mind living like a weed if it means that I can survive. 

It was around the time that she dried her own hair that she heard it. 

Drip. Drop.

Huh?

Shaa.

“Aaaaaa!”

Laiya immediately jumped up. 

She shoved her tiny frame against the length of the tree, the kitten tightly snuggled in her arms. 

It’s raining, again?

The rain fell down in a heavy pour. 

The tree grew leaves that were large enough to allow the girl and cat to be sheltered from the rain, but the girl’s clothes still gradually got wet.

Meow. Meow! 

Meowwww—!

The cat refused to struggle away from her, but it cried out incessantly as raindrops dripped on its fur. 

Cats don’t like water, do they?

“Haa… I’m glad it’s not too late.”

Laiya stopped groping around the tree and lowered her head as she felt some wind under her feet.

Glancing down, she saw a knot of vines at the base of the tree.

It’s a pretty big hole, so I think a cat could easily fit in…

She measured back and forth from the cat, to the hole made of vines, then let out a sigh.

Then, with the towel inside the knot to make it into a makeshift nest, she set the cat down. With her bare hands, she removed the rotten soil and  fallen leaves that had accumulated inside the hole.

“Can you bear it even if it’s a little wet? I’ll make it as soft as possible for you.”

She unfolded the towel brought with her and took off her thin cardigan, then she clumsily wrapped them around to form a nest.

It was a cardigan that I was wearing just in case, but it was useful.

“Little Kitten, do you like it?”

Meow—!

Laiya bit her lip hard. The rain was falling more heavily.

“Actually, I want to take you to my room, but the doctor is coming today or tomorrow. When that person sees an animal, he gets excited.”

She was telling the truth.

The doctor said that he had searched all around the continent and brought in another very competent person, but instead he had a bad personality.

At least they were polite, but there was one thing that bothered that person, and that was animals.

Long ago, when I brought in a baby bird that had been injured in the garden, the attending physician—

“Dirty animals are not good for sickness!”

He told my father that the baby bird had to be released before it got better.

A few days later I saw a bird cut to death by a knife. It wasn’t a release, it was killed.

I can’t let this cat be in the same situation.

“I’ll bring you something delicious next time.”

Meow—!

The cat peeked out and rubbed its head on the back of Laiya’s tiny hand. sting. 

With the back of her hand injured from the day before, it was stung, but… 

“Hee hee.” 

Laiya smiled.

“I must have been very lonely before. Seeing how you fall for your charms…”

Meow!

“Okay, then we’ll see each other again.”

This should be good enough to stay warm until the rain stops.

The rain will stop soon.

And I will come back after going to the doctor.

At that time, I will bring something more delicious and attract the kitten and my third brother.

Before she knew it, Laiya was soaking wet. It was only natural that she had to suffer in the rain.

“Goodbye, Kitty.”

The daughter of BlackWinter looked down at her dirty hands, roughly brushed them off, and said goodbye to the cat.

Then stopped in her tracks when she turned around.

“…”

Surprisingly, Roy Blackwinter stood at a distance away with an umbrella.

Perhaps he had the same thoughts as her, his hand was holding onto a towel.

I felt eyes staring at me.

She looked up at him in embarrassment and scratched her cheek.

“…I just did it because I wanted to.”

It seemed like an excuse when she said it so casually. 

No, the excuse is correct.

Why am I making excuses for this little brother? It’s not even his cat.

…It seems as though the cat would be taken care of even if I wasn’t here.

“I didn’t come to see you.”

Roy Blackwinter narrowed his eyes slightly. 

Did you come to bother me again today?

That’s what that look in his eye must be saying.

“Just—  Well, because it’s raining. Well…”

It’s weird? I’m not the kind of person who stutters  like this.

I don’t know if it’s the timidness from before when I couldn’t recall my previous life, but it’s not the me of now who remembered  my previous life.

It seemed like it was because it rained too much, but Laiya felt her body tremble slightly.

You don’t want to see me, do you, brother?That kind of makes me angry.

I’ll have to get another good treasure for this little brother later. 

When the rain stopped and the sky cleared up, the little girl walked slowly and passed her younger brother with an umbrella.

“…You—”

“…”

“Hey.”

My head is a bit heavy. 

Because of that, Laiya was slow to turn around and look at Roy Blackwinter, who was also facing her. It was raining too hard.

“You… Why?”

“Do not be angry. That’s scary.”

…What?! The Roy BlackWinter spoke more than two or three words?! What’s happening? Why?!

Does it look like the world has turned upside down?

At the same time, Laiya felt a dull pain. 

Before she knew it, she was parallel to the ground.

Oh, I fell down.  After all, it’s a weak body…

“…!”

The little girl’s eyes came to a close as the sound of Roy’s shouting reached her ears.

Oh, please. Leave me and go away. 

She passed out while muttering inwardly.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, it was dark.

No, the black smoke is clearing, and I can see properly.

“Teacher?”

“Sister?”

In front of my eyes, a child tilted his head. 

Um, where did you see him before? 

Looking around, she nodded.

This is where I did volunteer work a long time ago.

These kids were the ones who came to see my performances.

I used to tell stories at charity performances sponsored by state aid organizations.

I usually liked my sonorous voice telling stories, and there were times when a certain amount of money was used to support that place.

The place where she told the stories  was usually a hospital, an orphanage, or even a department store hall.

It was now a hall in a department store.

Sometimes, after the performance was over, I could see people moving equipment in the back.

After the storytelling, curious children would come to visit them.

“Sister! Sister, so what happened to the swallow?”

“Right! He says the swallow is dead!”

Um, today is the day I read ‘Heungbu and Nolbu’. I

The girl shrugged her shoulders and gave a rough explanation.

I don’t feel bad.

It feels good when someone comes to me after the performance, because I fell like I have become a person of worth.

That was until one child brightly asked a question.

“By the way, sister! Why don’t you have a mom and a dad?”

…Huh, this young friend is throwing shade with a bright face.

But the girl wasn’t taken aback. It wasn’t anything to be particularly upset about.

Perhaps someone far-out in this organization was talking behind my back again.

This group would sometimes write nasty introductory notes such as ‘Stories of fairy tales told by an orphan who grew up strong’.

“Over there, the teacher said that my sister grew up well even though she doesn’t have a mother or a father!”

“That’s right! My mother said you are pitiful, so must please take good care of you!”

The child even grinned and held out something like candy. 

[T/N: The parents are gossiping about her being an orphan and are whitewashing themselves by telling their children that they are only talking about her because she is pitiful and that they must ‘help’ her. The children’s actions will feel like she is getting mocked.]

The girl clicked her tongue inwardly.

Behind the child stood a woman who looked like her mother, and when our eyes met, she looked at the girl in displeasure. 

Usually, if your child says something like this, you can stop it. You mean that you won’t, right?

The girl smiled brightly. Then she stroked the child’s head.

“Little friend, did you ask about swallows earlier?”

Glancing at the mother, her smile grew even thicker.

“Swallows appear to good people, but if you talk like that, the swallows won’t come.”

Then she whispered softly into the child’s ear.

“Oay? Are you a swallow,  little friend?”

When she lightly squeezed the child’s shoulders before letting go, the child burst into tears.

I’m sorry, but this older sister is a bad older sister who won’t come and be controlled by a swallow. Got it?

“Hey, what are you doing to my child!”

Okay. I have no parents so I can’t even say anything.

While she muttered to herself, the mothers of the children got angry at her and turned around with the children by the arms.

The girl stared blankly at the wall, then looked down at the children’s book in her hand.

Heungbu and Nolbu, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, The Happy Prince, Aesop’s Fables…

She clutched the books she once loved so much.

“…I have parents too.”

Yes, I have a family too.

Don’t I have great people that love me too?

…I finally have a family with all of you, so why am I like this?

The girl watched their backs as they walked away for a very long time.

I also have a family now. So, why do you feel envious?

She slowly opened her eyes. 

It was time to wake up from the dream and back to reality.