LMSAH – 9

It had been a month since I started living at Mister Aiden’s house.

Quite a bit of time had passed, but honestly, nothing particularly noteworthy had happened in the meantime.

My days were just the usual—heading out to the marketplace to get what I needed, eating meals, chatting with Mister.

That was all.

Maybe that’s why each and every day felt even more precious.

But I knew all too well that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this peace for long.

This morning, like always, I woke up early and sat in the cozy room Mister had prepared for me, organizing my plans for what lay ahead.

“Soon enough, Mister will be leaving the house again…”

Just like last time, Mister Aiden, being a mercenary, never stayed put in one place for long.

Of course, the biggest reason for that was probably because Mister was being chased by some power or another.

Once his mercenary company finished a job, Mister would swing by here at irregular intervals.

He’d meticulously make sure nothing was lacking for my daily life, and teach me everything from reading and writing to basic etiquette.

Back then, I’d spend every moment longing for Mister to come back…

But right now, it was actually a bit of a problem that Mister hadn’t left yet.

“A few months from now, the Duke Papiope is going to pick someone from the Elite Ability Training Academy to adopt.”

That meant I had to get into the Academy first and make sure the Duke noticed me.

Duke Papiope.

When she was still a young lady, she executed all the elders and collateral lines that threatened her, then rose to the rank of Duke.

After that, she could rule her house without any interference from within…

Maybe it was thanks to that?

She ended up declaring a truly outrageous heir selection method that no other house would ever dare attempt.

Namely, that she would adopt children to inherit House Papiope.

There was plenty of gossip and scandal surrounding it, but in the end, during the previous time slot, that bold move only made House Papiope even stronger.

“Anyway, I don’t care about the succession battle. All I want is to get adopted by Duke Papiope.”

Because all I needed was the status of a noble.

If I wanted to protect Mister Aiden properly, I needed to become a noble. That way, securing funds or building connections would be so much easier.

“The problem is… if I miss this year’s adoption, I’ll have to wait at least three more years.”

1. Get into the Elite Ability Training Academy
2. Win the adoption candidate competition

Those were the two steps to being adopted by Duke Papiope.

So I knew even if I entered the Elite Ability Training Academy right now, the schedule would already be tight.

Still, I couldn’t just run off without saying a word to the man who’d taken care of me.

That was when there was a knock, and the door opened. Mister came in.

“Tania, stop sleeping and get… oh, you’re already up today.”

Mister’s lips curled up just a bit when his eyes met mine as I sat at my desk.

“I’ve set breakfast out. Come on.”

I cleaned up the books and papers I’d scattered all over from thinking too much, then slowly stepped outside.

Today’s menu was white bread toasted golden in butter, with strawberry jam.

“Wow, that looks so good!”

I gratefully slathered on the jam and was about to bite into the bread when Mister spoke up with a serious look on his face.

“Tania, there’s something important I need to tell you.”

At the heavy note in his voice, I forgot all about the bread and just looked at him.

[Overwriting Time Slot 1 with current point.]

As soon as I habitually saved my place, Mister Aiden’s low voice flowed into my ear.

“I go all over the Empire taking care of jobs. Right now, I’ve stayed here for about a month to look after you, but I can’t always stick around this long.”

Oh, so he was finally about to head out to handle those backed-up jobs.

Good. Looked like I’d be able to execute my plan to enter the Papiope Elite Ability Training Academy without being late.

When I just looked at him without saying anything, Mister Aiden hurried to continue.

“I’m not saying I’m kicking you out of this house because I’m leaving. Tania, I want you to keep living here.”

“So that means…”

“I might not be able to come by often, but at the very least, I promise you won’t go hungry.”

Even in my previous timeline, Mister had made me the exact same offer.

Back then, I’d been constantly on edge, terrified of getting thrown out, so his words had felt like salvation.

But this time, it was still too early for me to keep living with Mister.

“Mister, actually, there’s something I was going to tell you too.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m planning to enter the Papiope Elite Ability Training Academy.”

“What?”

“Like I told you when we first met Mister, I think it’s about time I took the exam for the Elite Ability Training Academy.”

When Mister heard my plan, his face darkened as he asked,

“…Is it uncomfortable for you here?”

“No! Not uncomfortable at all. I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

“I also have no trouble putting food on the table for you. You could live here forever if you wanted.”

“It’s not that I don’t like you, Mister. I just… don’t want to keep being a burden.”

“Tania, that place is full of Abiliters who are the best of the best in the Empire.”

“I’m an Abiliter too, you know.”

“It’s not that I think you couldn’t pass. I know if you set your mind to it, you could get in tomorrow.”

Mister went on, sounding strangely anxious.

“But that place is a jungle. Those students will do absolutely anything to get adopted by Papiope.”

“Doesn’t that just mean my abilities will shine even brighter?”

Unpredictable surprises? Completely useless against me.

“Please trust me.”

Mister fell silent, looking like he was wrestling with something for a long time.

Maybe part of him was thinking it might be better for me to go there than be left all alone in this house without a guardian.

His eyes trembled slightly at my firm resolve.

It’s not like I wouldn’t love living peacefully with Mister.

But knowing how this ending turned out, I couldn’t just get comfortable with reality.

Determined to sway me, Mister asked,

“Then how about coming with me?”

That was absurd.

No matter how capable I was, how could he do mercenary work dragging along a little girl who struggled to walk for even a few hours?

Never mind whether a client would ever allow it—I’d clearly end up being Mister Aiden’s biggest weakness.

“Mister, I…”

Just as I was about to refuse again, I couldn’t quite finish when I heard his small, quiet words.

“I don’t want to let you go. Not like this, with no idea what’ll happen… I’ve gotten way too attached.”

I already knew that beneath his gruff exterior, Mister was actually incredibly kind and soft-hearted.

But I didn’t expect that in just a month, I’d have settled this deeply in Mister’s heart.

What am I supposed to do now…?

✦ ✦ ✦

In the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to turn Mister’s request down.

So we agreed I’d hold off on entering the Elite Ability Training Academy until Mister finished his job and came back.

While Mister was away, he wanted to leave me in the care of the Ageratum Merchant’s Guild. But I absolutely put my foot down on that one and managed to get out of it.  If someone else was hovering over me, it’d be way harder to move around freely—especially under the excuse of “protecting” me.

Once we wrapped up that negotiation, Mister wasted no time. The very next day, he packed his things and was getting ready to head out.

Judging by how quickly he was moving, it must’ve been a pretty important job.

“Food will be brought over every day by the lady next door.”

“All three meals?”

“Yeah. I’ve paid her properly, so if she ever tries to skimp, go get help from Ageratum. And promise you won’t wander far—it’s dangerous. Also…”

He seemed ready to go on forever with the nagging, so I quickly cut him off.

“Don’t worry about me. Believe it or not, I spent a good chunk of time living on the streets, you know?”

“Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still a child who needs looking after.”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

Being stuck in a kid’s body wasn’t exactly something I was thrilled about, but… somehow, it still felt nice when Mister treated me like his little girl.

As I grinned, he looked at me for a moment before finally turning to grab the door handle.

“…I’ll be back.”

“Ah, wait!”

I threw my arms around Mister, chattering on like a kid seeing her dad off to work.

“Don’t get hurt, and be careful out there. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Mister didn’t say a word at first. Then he hugged me so tight, it felt like I might break.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

Creeeak, thud.

As I stared at the door that had just shut behind him, I quietly curled my lips into a sly smile.

“He told me to just stay put at home… but there’s no way I can waste precious time like that.”