Although Hajime frowned at Shia’s words while he was still drying Myuu’s hair, his appearance was the evidence he was good at taking care of others, so Shia’s cheeks loosened with a smile. Hajime somehow felt embarrassed and averted the topic.
“Well, about what to do…”
“About what we should do with Myuu-chan, right…”
Because she understood the two were talking about her, Myuu alternately looked up between Shia and Hajime.
For now, Hajime and Shia decided to hear Myuu’s situation.
As a result, the content Myuu spoke of with her faltering voice was almost exactly what Hajime had expected. On a certain day, she got lost while she was swimming with her mother in a nearby coastline, and while she was wandering around, she was suddenly captured by a man from the human race.
After many harsh days had passed, she was transported quite a distance to Fhuren, and was then put in a dim, prison-like place. Inside the place, there were a lot of children of the human race. After she spent who knows how many days inside, several children who were with her were taken out on a daily basis but never returned. A slightly older boy said they were going to be displayed to guests and priced.
When it was finally Myuu’s turn, there was by chance a drainage maintenance that day, so the hole leading to the underground waterway was open. Myuu, who heard the nostalgic sound of the water, immediately jumped inside. Usually, there was nothing a 3 or 4 year old could do because the hurdle was too high, but fortunately, she wasn’t handcuffed. Myuu swam with all her might while enduring the unpleasantness of the filthy sewage. Though she was young, she was a child of the Sea-dweller’s tribe. The men could do nothing but run on the passageway to try and catch her, but failed to do so while she rode the current.
However, because she wasn’t accustomed to long travels, coupled by the stress of getting kidnapped, the unpalatable food, and the bad environment where she was soaked inside the drainage for a long time, Myuu finally lost her consciousness when she reached both her physical and mental limits. Her consciousness faintly returned thanks to being wrapped in a warm back, and she noticed she was being held by Hajime.
“The guests set the… price. An auction, huh. For children ranging from the human race and Sea-dweller’s tribe to be there, it should be an underground auction.”
“… Hajime-san, what should we do?”
Shia, who looked distressed, embraced Myuu closely. Her eyes were clearing expressing she wanted to do something about it. It was normal for the demi-human race to be captured and turned into slaves. Shia who was deprived of her family because of it, understood the fear and pain.
However, Hajime shook his head.
“It should be better to entrust her to the security office.”
“That’s… you’re going to abandon this child and the other children…”
When Shia heard Hajime’s words, she gritted her teeth. She closely embraced Myuu as she received the shock and looked at Hajime. What Hajime meant as security office was an organization similar to the police force on Earth. By entrusting her to the government-like facility, Myuu could be separated from them. Although it wasn’t an abandonment but a regular procedure of finding lost children, Shia didn’t think so.
Hajime tried to explain it to Shia in an easy-to-understand manner.
“You know, Shia. It is the natural thing to send the lost children you find to the security office. Even more so when Myuu is a child of the Sea-dweller tribe. She will surely be protected by them. In addition, to auction someone from Sea-dweller tribe is a great problem. They will investigate it and the other children will be saved. Isn’t that enough? Though I’m just guessing, this is probably the dark side of this big city. When Myuu was caught, she would surely placed in a location where the public officials couldn’t get their hands there. In other words, this is Fhuren’s problem. That’s why, isn’t it necessary to report it?… Considering your circumstance, I understand your feelings of wanting to do something, but…”
“Th-That… that is true… But, at the very least can we be the one who take this child? After all, we are going to the sea in the west…”
“Haa~, listen. We are going to the Great Volcano first. Don’t tell me, are you going to take her along to the dungeon? Or, are you going to tell her to wait in the desert alone? In the first place, we will be considered as the kidnapper’s comrade if we take the kidnapped child of Sea-dweller tribe without permission. So, don’t say anything unreasonable like this.”
“… Uuh, I understand…”
Apparently, in just a short time, Shia had come to adore Myuu. Maybe because she read the mood regarding her situation, Myuu clung onto Shia tightly. Myuu seemed to like Shia as well, and felt the need to resist parting from her.
However, what Hajime had suggested was the right thing, so Shia could only nod and droop her shoulders. Hajime bowed to match Myuu’s gaze, and began to explain in a way Myuu could understand him.
“Listen, Myuu, we are going to bring you to people who will protect you. Though it might take time, you will surely be returned to the sea in the west.”
“…What about Onii-chan and Onee-chan?” Myuu asked what the two were going to do with an uneasy tone.
“I am sorry but, it will be a goodbye.”
“No!”
“Wait, it shouldn’t be—”
“No!”
“…”
“Myuu is okay with Onii-chan and Onee-chan! Myuu want to be together!”
Hajime flinched because of the strong rejection. Myuu began to flail around on Shia’s lap, just like a spoiled child. Until now, they thought of her as a quiet child, but that apparently was because she was still trying to ascertain Hajime’s and Shia’s character. Maybe because she judged them to be people she could trust, she acted spoiled. However, she might still be an originally quiet and a bright child.
Hajime didn’t feel bad to be trusted by her, but it was necessary to report the situation to the official, and they could not take Myuu along as they were going to conquer one of the Great Dungeons, «Great Volcano» on their way. Even so, “No— —!!,” Myuu rejected with all her might, so he gave up on persuading her, and just took her in his arms to bring her to the security office.
Because Myuu didn’t want to separate from the people she met miraculously and could actually trust, she strongly pulled Hajime’s hair, eye-patch, and scratched his cheeks on the way to the security office as a form of resistance. If not for Shia smiling courtesy beside him, Hajime would have likely been reported as a kidnapper. With his hair in a mess, one eye shut because his eye-patch was removed, and the scratches on his cheeks, Hajime arrived at the security office and explained the circumstances to the pop-eyed security personnel.
The expression of the security member who heard the circumstances steepened, and promised to protect Myuu inside the security office, together with the investigation and procedure to bring Myuu back to her home. Just as Hajime had expected, it was a big problem, and he wanted to excuse himself since the reinforcement should arrive immediately from their headquarters. However…
“Does Onii-chan hate Myuu?” Said by the little girl with moistened eyes together with an upward gaze, no sane person would be able to endure it, including Hajime. “Uh.” He groaned. Although he perseveringly explained she would be able to return home if she was with the security uncle, Myuu’s sorrowful expression didn’t let up in the slightest.
The security member couldn’t endure it any longer, somewhat forcefully separated Myuu from Hajime’s party while he was trying to calm her, and Myuu pulled the man’s hair while letting out a sad voice. Hajime and Shia had finally left the security office, but naturally, they didn’t feel like continuing their date. Shia’s eyebrows were wrinkling in worry while she kept looking back at the security office.
Before long, the security office was no longer in sight, and Hajime wanted to say something to make the depress Shia feel better in a place considerably far away from the office. But at that time…
BooOOooMm!!!!!
An explosion occurred behind them, and black smoke could be seen. The location was,
“Ha-Hajime-san. Over there is…”
“Tch, the security office!”