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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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With Estia’s wish fulfilled, I had granted all the children’s wishes and returned to my normal routine.
Teaching Luna and Hare combat in the mornings and afternoons, and then tutoring Saten.
A typical day.
“Mister, I don’t understand this part.”
Saten pointed at a passage in her book.
What didn’t she understand? I looked at the page.
“Which part don’t you understand, Saten?”
“All of it. I don’t understand any of it.”
Saten frowned.
Perhaps the material was too advanced for her. Her tone was laced with frustration.
“Mister, why did the protagonist risk a dangerous fight to save his captured friend? He had poisonous herbs in his bag. He could have just poisoned the enemies’ food during dinner.”
“…That’s one way to do it, but the protagonist was probably worried about his friend.”
“From what I can see, the protagonist only survived because of the author. He’s an idiot.”
[Lionel’s Adventure.]
That was the book I had chosen for today’s lesson.
A story about a young boy named Lionel who learns the importance of friendship and family through his adventures. But Saten, seemingly unable to relate to the protagonist, found his actions frustrating.
From her perspective, the story was poorly written.
I tried to reason with her.
“I understand why you don’t understand. But not everyone thinks the same way. Lionel is no exception.”
“I know that. But there’s always an optimal solution, and I don’t like that the protagonist ignored it.”
…Massacring the enemies with poison was the optimal solution? It was the most efficient way to kill with minimal effort, but…
“Saten.”
“Yes.”
“…The protagonist is eight years old.”
“So?”
An eight-year-old wouldn’t massacre people with poison to save his friend, would he?
Saten often got frustrated when she couldn’t understand something, especially when emotions were involved.
I decided to explain it to her.
“Saten, an eight-year-old wouldn’t normally kill someone with poison.”
“Why not?”
“Because they would feel guilty.”
“Guilty? Would I feel guilty if I killed someone?”
“Probably not. But don’t experiment with it.”
Absolutely no experiments. I emphasized this strongly.
Saten nodded.
“Okay, I won’t experiment with anything you don’t like.”
“…That’s good.”
Perhaps she had learned something from the wish incident. Saten, having somewhat grasped Lionel’s motivations, asked another question.
“And this part. I don’t understand why Lionel’s family is worried about him going on a journey. My family isn’t like this.”
“…”
I patiently explained the context of the story.
Saten understood some parts, but she still seemed puzzled by others. She couldn’t resolve her doubts by the end of the lesson.
“…It’s time to prepare dinner. Let’s end today’s lesson here.”
“Yes, thank you, Mister. I didn’t resolve all my questions, but I’ll ask the other children. About what family is like.”
“Ask the other children…?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
Plenty of problems.
Frankly, only Luna had a normal family background. Asking the others wouldn’t be helpful.
But I couldn’t stop her.
‘…This is almost a first, isn’t it?’
Saten asking the other children something. It was almost unheard of. I couldn’t crush her attempt at social interaction, like clipping a fledgling’s wings.
“…There’s no problem. Ask the other children. I’m curious about their answers.”
Saten nodded and left the room with Blackie.
I was more worried than curious about what the other children would say.
“…I should start preparing dinner.”
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‘I don’t understand at all.’
Mister explained it thoroughly, but… I still didn’t understand.
Saten couldn’t grasp the concept of family. She had thought about it after the lesson, but her limited sample size made it difficult to draw any conclusions.
“Thinking about my own family isn’t helpful.”
Sample size.
I need more samples. More information to understand this concept.
Saten knocked on Hare’s door.
Knock, knock
-…Who is it? M-Mister…?
“…”
-Oh, M-Mister…! C-Come in…! You can come into my room…!
Creak-!
Saten entered.
Hare’s face fell.
“I told Mister to come in… why did you come in…?”
“I have a question.”
“…Are you ignoring me?”
“What is family, Hare?”
“…Family?”
Hare was confused.
She hadn’t expected Saten to ask about family, and she didn’t understand how Saten could be so brazen after ignoring her.
‘But…’
This is the first time Saten has shown such curiosity…
Maybe I should answer…? But…!
“…Tell Mister I was helpful! Tell him Hare’s explanation was the most helpful! Then I’ll tell you…!”
“I can do that.”
“O-Okay…!”
Hare, having gotten what she wanted, decided to answer Saten’s question as sincerely as possible.
“W-Well…! I didn’t have a mom or dad…! I lived with my grandma…! So it’s different for me…! But for me, family is…”
…Warmth!
“Even in a cold place, it’s warm…! Even when things are hard, it’s warm…! Like… a match…!”
“Hmm, like a fireplace? Something you can throw firewood into when needed-“
“N-No…! That’s not it…! I mean… it makes your heart feel warm…!”
Saten’s thought process was alarming. Hare quickly corrected her.
Saten didn’t understand why Hare was so flustered, but she nodded.
“…For you, family is warmth.”
“Y-Yes…! Even though I didn’t have a mom or dad… it was warm…! I don’t have my grandma anymore, but…! I have Mister, so it’s okay…!”
“Hmm, I understand.”
Warm.
Saten didn’t understand the feeling, but she understood the concept intellectually. But a new question arose.
‘…Then what does family mean to me?’
‘I don’t know yet.’
Saten left Hare’s room.
Slam!
She went in search of her next target. She spotted a promising candidate in the courtyard.
“One! Two! Three!”
“Luna.”
“Huh? Saten? What brings you here?”
“I have a question. What does family mean to you?”
“My family!? My family is my cute little brothers and my parents-“
“No, I mean, what does your family feel like?”
“Feel like?”
Hmm…
Feel like…
Luna thought for a moment, then replied,
“My family is noisy! Loud and boisterous! Annoying, but fun!”
“Hmm, noisy. My family is quiet.”
“Really? Well, some families are quiet! Anyway, my family is noisy!”
“I understand.”
‘I understand what you mean.’
Noisy.
‘I understand perfectly.’
Saten, having obtained the information she wanted, was about to move on to her last target. But Luna, wanting to chat with Saten after so long, tried to engage her further.
“I-I’m sorry about last time! So! Saten, do you want to train with me?!”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Then do you want to talk!? I’m bored, so let’s talk! What do you say!?”
“No, thank you. I have something to do.”
“I-I see…”
Luna’s face fell.
Saten left the dejected Luna and went in search of Estia.
‘I can’t train with that monster.’
Saten, being a night owl, had observed Luna’s training session the other night. Luna had started training late at night and was still going when Saten woke up. Saten had already formed an opinion about Luna.
‘She’s a monster.’
A stamina monster.
Her mind might be simple, but her physical abilities were undeniable. Saten’s body still ached from their previous encounter.
She approached her final target.
“Estia, what does family mean to you?”
“…I don’t know! Don’t ask!”
Slam!
No answer.
Estia didn’t seem inclined to answer.
“Why is she hiding under the blanket? It’s not bedtime yet.”
As expected, she was the most difficult to understand. Saten returned to her room, Blackie perched on her shoulder.
Once they were alone, Saten asked,
“…Blackie, what does family mean to you?”
“Meow?”
“…Right, a cat can’t answer.”
That was a stupid question.
Saten sighed.
She still didn’t understand the concept of family, and it bothered her.
“What does family mean to me…?”
And…
How would my family react if they knew I was here?
When would the letter arrive? It had been months.
“They should have responded by now… Did my family abandon me?”
Saten was curious about the Secilia family’s reaction, but ultimately, she didn’t understand what she wanted.
“I should ask Mister.”
Saten walked towards her room, a lonely figure, muttering to herself.
A sharp pang of… something… resonated in her chest.
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