“…Could it be that she is a child who lost her family?”
“…Yeah. She might have come here after wandering around having lost her parents.”
Seeing the girl suddenly shedding tears, the two men exchanged sympathetic glances, perhaps thinking she was a child who had lost her family.
“Teacher…”
“…I was just thinking about that. So don’t look at me with those eyes.”
The man, exhaling a sigh at the girl next to him who seemed to be asking, ‘Are you really going to just let her go…?’ turned to the girl and asked.
“…Kid, what’s your name?”
“…I don’t have a name.”
The girl fell into silence for a moment before slowly shaking her head and answering. Unlike those in front of her, such as Emily or Peter, she did not have a name.
Upon hearing that she had no name, the two looked at her with an even more pitiful gaze.
The girl noticed that they were misunderstanding her as a child who had lived such a hard life that she didn’t even have a name, but she did not correct them.
She wanted to observe the two who had evoked such feelings in her from a little closer, knowing that they wouldn’t just leave a poor child like her behind.
And perhaps because she acted that way.
“If you have no place to go, would you like to stay here with us?”
“…Is that really okay?”
“Of course it is.”
The girl was able to stay with the two of them.
“Teacher, since it would be inconvenient to stay together without a name, let’s give her a name!”
“Sure. What would be a good name…?”
“Hmmm, how about ‘Eve’?”
“Eve… That’s a nice name. What do you think, is ‘Eve’ alright for you?”
“…I like Eve.”
She received a name from the two of them.
“Alright then, let’s get along well from now on.”
“Let’s take care of ourselves.”
Thus, the nameless girl became Eve.
*
“Emily, Eve. Wake up and have breakfast!”
Eve quickly blended into the life of the two.
“Yes, Teacher! Emily, wake up. It’s already morning.”
“Yawn, Eve. Just five more minutes…”
“If you keep being lazy, the teacher will get sad like last time when the food gets cold?”
“Ugh, okay… I’ll get up.”
Originally, it wasn’t just that Peter and Emily warmly welcomed Eve; there were other reasons as well.
“Ever since Eve came, mornings have become nice. When it was just me before, it took ages to wake Emily up.”
“That’s because you’re too soft on Emily, Teacher. Every time she says five more minutes, if you let her, it would probably take a lifetime to wake her up.”
Eve knew both of them very well.
She was aware of what actions would win their favor and how to behave to make them happy better than anyone.
“Ah, Eve! Even so, it’s not that bad! It’s true that I sleep a lot, but…”
“Hahaha, still, Emily, I’ve seen that beautiful women are usually sleepyheads. Since you’re pretty, it’s only natural that you sleep a lot.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“Of course! You’re very pretty, Emily.”
“Hehe…”
For Eve, winning the hearts of the two was not a difficult task at all.
However, it didn’t mean that she only acted calculatively.
Eve was also sincere with them.
She simply understood the roles they expected from her, so she acted perfectly in accordance with those roles.
“Hahaha, I’m glad you two get along well. Then I’ll head out for a bit, so you two take care of the house.”
“Have a good trip, Teacher. You can leave the cleaning and tidying up to us.”
“Yeah, I’m always grateful. I’ll be back.”
Peter, a middle-aged man, was always filled with concern for the fragile Emily each time he had no choice but to go outside for work.
That’s why Eve always showed him a reliable side.
So that he could worry less about leaving only Eve and Emily at home.
It was an added bonus that it relieved him of some of the burdens he carried at home.
“Then, Emily, shall we clean this up first and start on the homework the teacher assigned us?”
“Ugh, I don’t want to study…”
“Instead, let’s finish quickly and continue the pretend play we stopped last time.”
“Oh! Then let’s finish quickly and play!”
The young girl, Emily, was aware that her frail body constantly burdened Peter with worry.
She was also stressed out for not being able to help him much.
So Eve took on chores that would not strain Emily’s body while allowing her to feel like she was of assistance.
At the same time, she became a good friend to Emily, who had no one to play with due to her illness.
“Hey kids, I’m back.”
“You’re back! Teacher, we’ve finished our homework!”
“Haha, really? Well done. How about instead of difficult math studies today, we go over some historical stories?”
“Wow, sounds great!”
In order to become a great person, one must not neglect their studies, so Peter, after returning from work, took on the role of a teacher who teaches a little bit of everything each day.
And Emily, who always maintained a bright smile despite her frail health.
In that connection, Eve had naturally become an indispensable existence.
Such a peaceful and happy daily life.
But Eve knew.
She understood how precarious that peaceful and happy existence was.
Eve knew.
That Emily and Peter were not related by blood.
That Peter was simply caring for the orphaned Emily.
And that it was Peter who had killed Emily’s parents, no one else.
*
War isn’t something uncommon, but it isn’t very rare either.
Peter was also a war orphan.
Being an orphan meant he had suffered terribly as a child, but by chance was picked up by the military and managed to survive.
Thus, Peter became a loyal soldier who served the wishes of the country that raised him, and he participated in wars.
He had no particular thoughts about it.
He did it simply because it was what the country ordered.
And so Peter killed enemies, again and again, for the sake of the country he served loyally.
Then one day, Peter discovered a necklace from a defeated enemy.
Absently wearing the necklace as a trophy, Peter stayed overnight in a city they had captured that day.
And as Peter went into a house to sleep, he witnessed a woman trembling in fear while taking care of a baby, who collapsed at the sight of him.
Peter hastily checked on the woman, but she was already lifeless where she had collapsed.
And Peter saw it.
The same necklace he had noticed in the morning hung around the woman’s neck.
Inside the broken necklace, there was a picture of a young couple holding a small baby.
With a dazed expression, Peter took a glance at the inside of the necklace around his own neck and saw a small baby crying for her lost parents.
Only then did Peter realize.
That the actions he had unconsciously taken until now had created orphans like her.
For the first time in his life, he felt something like self-loathing.
He had been smiling foolishly for a while before suddenly pointing a knife at his own neck.
And at that moment, he heard the sound of a baby crying.
Peter witnessed the baby he had left alone with no one to care for her, and memories of his childhood suffering came flooding back.
He, who had been smiling, realized that he must not die, and began to weep.
That day, Peter quit being a soldier and took in a child.
That was the secret he could never tell Emily for his entire life.
The reason he insisted on being called ‘Teacher’ rather than ‘Father’ whom he had nurtured with all his heart.
And the reason he was still alive to this day.
That’s why Peter was living today, always with a smile, carrying that secret.
For the sake of the Emily he loved so much.
Yet Eve understood.
That Emily already knew that secret of Peter.
Unfortunately for Peter, Emily was a very observant child.
She remembered vaguely enough to recall the time she was a little baby.
And regrettably for Peter, Emily was also a sharp listener.
She could hear Peter mumbling apologies in his sleep for his wrongdoings.
And regrettably for Peter, Emily was a keen enough child to sense when Peter might take his own life.
Thus, Emily continued to live each day with a bright smile, hiding all those truths.
For the sake of the Peter she loved so much.
Only Eve knew all of those truths.
And that was why Eve loved the two, who lived not for themselves but for each other, who loved each other so deeply.
She thought it was both truly unfortunate and incredibly beautiful.
Therefore, Eve wished for their happiness.
But the fact they supported each other meant that if one were to disappear, the other would collapse as well.
Regrettably, Emily was a sickly child.
*
As the days went by, Emily grew thinner.
Peter tried to get medicine for Emily, but no matter what medicine he used, her condition didn’t improve significantly.
However, even in that situation, Emily did not lose her bright smile.
Of course, that wasn’t her true feelings.
Because when Peter was briefly away, Eve was able to hear Emily’s inner thoughts under the condition of keeping it a secret.
“…I don’t want to die.”
Facing death, Emily finally spoke of not wanting to die.
Since she had never expressed such a sentiment before, Eve realized Emily was sensing her impending demise.
“…I can’t die. That won’t work.”
However, it was evident without needing any powers that her desire to live stemmed from concern for Peter, not fear of death.
“…I want Teacher to live for a long time.”
Even in her last moments, Emily prioritized others over herself.
“…Don’t worry. Teacher will live a long time. I will definitely grant that wish.”
“…Hehe, since Eve said that, I feel a little relieved. So, Teacher, I’ll be counting on you…?”
“…Yes.”
Thus, Eve promised Emily.
That she would grant her wish no matter what.
“Good night, Emily.”
Seemingly reassured by that, Emily smiled and closed her eyes.
*
The next morning.
“Emily! Have you seen where Eve has gone? I wanted to thank her at the table… Ah.”
“…Teacher.”
Eve had disappeared.
“I think I’m feeling better now.”
Emily had regained her health.
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