It’s a no-brainer, but in games like this, girls and boys are usually drawn to look cute. Boop!
Right. Boys too. Honestly, there aren’t many ways to draw ‘kids’ in a cool way. No matter how cool they look, to an adult, they just look like kids. A fifth grader saying “I will protect you!” is just going to be adorable. Squee!
…Right. Fifth graders.
Come to think of it, I’m currently 15 years old. Taking out the age of the soul inside me and adding the setting age of this body when it was created to how long I’ve lived in this world, that’s what I get.
In Korea, that’s the age of a third-year middle school student. Although I look like a high schooler, really! I don’t know if the modeling from the game works here too.
Thinking about it, dressing these kids in bunny girl outfits is a kind of insane thing to do, but… I often forget that since the characters wear bunny girl outfits and their physical development is different from Earth. In the context of the first episode, these characters were just kids.
If we hadn’t had masks on, everyone at the casino would have immediately figured out we were underage. Ding!
Maybe someone would have recognized Alice as a princess before that.
And obviously, the kid in front of me, who looked a few years younger than me, unmistakably resembled a higher-grade elementary student or probably even a first-year middle schooler, even though the concept of middle school is still vague in this world.
Her green hair, the outfit looking like a children’s butler cosplay, and her very cute, gentle face made it seem like she could have been a regular character in the original, but… I had never seen this face in the original.
Of course, if I hadn’t been living here, she’d probably have been sold off somewhere. If her face wasn’t cute, she probably wouldn’t have been in that orphanage in the first place.
And then that kid looked up at me with emerald-like eyes, showing a slightly surprised expression.
I don’t have the talent to read people’s faces like Alice does, so I’m not sure if she was surprised just by my face or if she realized I was ‘Sylvia Black.’
“You are honored guests staying here for a few days.” Wow!
The butler said this looking at the kid.
“Ah, yes.”
I heard the kid’s voice responding immediately, and the butler’s brows furrowed slightly. It seemed she didn’t like that the kid had zoned out for a moment.
But it seems she wasn’t the type to scold a kid in front of us. No, it really didn’t seem like she would raise her voice to scold anyone. This little prospective butler in front of me wasn’t intimidated at all. If she was treated poorly, she wouldn’t stand so confidently like this.
The kid placed one hand gently on her heart and, while keeping the other hand behind her back, slightly bent forward toward us. The fluidity of her actions showed how well she had been educated.
“I’m Daniel, and I’m in training as a butler. I hope to get along well in the coming days.”
Of course, it was unlikely she would guide us directly around… Ah.
Daniel.
Upon hearing the name, memories buried deep within me slowly surfaced. There was a kid with bright green hair. Very quiet and well-behaved. I guess the vibe was similar to Claire, though younger.
We all were kids back then. Me, Claire, barely at five years old, with even younger kids around. Those were just the kids the old woman from the orphanage brought in from somewhere.
And they were ‘merchandise’ she had kept and later sold at a high price.
Did Daniel follow me around well?
Hmm, I’m not sure. Back then, my attention was almost entirely on Claire. I would share food or awkwardly tell old stories, but that was about it. I had a number of little followers. Not to the level of dozens, but there were many to the point where I couldn’t look after every single one of them.
Still, considering I don’t remember any of them particularly bothering me, he probably was a good follower.
“Daniel!”
Claire jumped forward as if she hadn’t seen him in a long time, then paused to look at her mother.
The baroness gazed at Claire with a slightly stern expression.
I looked at Claire.
Claire raised her hands slightly. It seemed like she was going to run and hug Daniel.
But it would be problematic for a fifteen-year-old lady to do that.
Getting married in the late teens isn’t uncommon in this world, but that doesn’t mean kids in the academy are treated like toddlers all the time.
The lines between ‘adult’ and ‘child’ in this world are very blurred; there are even stories of a 17-year-old who snuck into the army being treated like a hero, while at the same time, when teenagers try to take on various tasks, ‘real adults’ over 20 appear saying kids shouldn’t do those things.
Human rights charters and such hadn’t been created yet. Who knows if they ever will.
“Oh, long time no see?”
Claire hurriedly spread her hands apart as if she had intended to do that all along and waved energetically.
“Haha…”
Daniel looked at Claire, seeming troubled, smiled slightly, and said,
“It’s been a while, Miss Claire.”
“……”
Then Claire made an unhappy face upon hearing that.
The atmosphere between the two didn’t feel romantic at all. In fact, it was hard to imagine it being so. One looked very mature despite being young, while the other was still closer to being a child.
Instead—
I slowly raised my gaze and scanned the room.
It was very neatly arranged. Not empty, but everything was well-placed, giving a comfortable vibe.
There were two bunk beds in the room. It seemed like a room originally meant for several people.
“The other kids have all found other things to do. So for now, the only one staying here is Daniel.”
The butler answered before I could ask, looking at my gaze. The baroness nodded gently in agreement.
Perhaps Claire had spent time here with Daniel. Of course, they would have to have separate rooms for different genders. Still, before being adopted by Grace’s estate, they probably had a sibling-like relationship.
Did they hug each other without thinking twice? Thinking of Claire’s personality, that might have happened.
My gaze, which had been wandering around, slowly came down to lock onto Daniel’s face.
And I carefully examined his face.
Seeing if there were any injuries. Checking if he looked unhappy or sad. I’m not sure why I was looking for those things, but for some reason, I felt I had to.
And I found no signs at all.
Realizing that fact, I felt satisfaction and opened my mouth.
“Are you doing well?”
It might not be polite to ask such a question without properly introducing myself first.
But Daniel answered as if he already knew who I was.
“Yes, I am doing quite well.”
“Is that so.”
I pondered what to say next. How should I continue this conversation?
“I’ve heard there are others from the same orphanage…”
“All are under the protection of Grace’s estate. Right now, we are all looking for ways to repay that kindness.”
“I see.”
I understood from that the others were all doing well.
“……”
I almost carelessly asked if he remembered my face but swallowed that back.
I feel like I already know.
At first, he would have been shocked by a sudden visitor like me. The whole estate must be aware that two princesses are visiting the mansion.
But… the understanding on his face seemed different from that kind of surprise.
“Today is late, but,”
I slowly opened my mouth and carefully ventured into what I wanted to say next.
“If tomorrow your schedule permits…”
I hesitated briefly over whether it was appropriate to say this, then decided,
“Could you introduce me to your friends?”
In that instant, the room fell into a brief silence. It wasn’t a particularly tense silence.
“I’d be happy to do so.”
Daniel said that to me, bowing his head slightly.
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