~Chapter 08~
“There’s so much dust up there! Come down right now! What are you, a cat? How did you even climb up there?”
But Shiz shook her head firmly.
“Mm-mm. I’m not coming down. This is my secret hideout. I can’t leave—it’s my job to protect it.”
“You call that a secret hideout? I can see everything from down here!”
“Hmmph. I’ve decided I’m going to sleep up here from now on!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Get down!”
But Shiz didn’t budge, just like a cat that’s found the perfect box.
If I hadn’t used a levitation spell to pull her down, she probably would’ve stayed up there all day.
While scrubbing her down early that morning, I gave her a stern warning.
“Don’t you ever make the top of the closet your hideout again.”
“Che.”
“Answer me properly.”
“…Okay.”
Thankfully, Shiz kept her promise. Which meant—she didn’t climb the top of the closet again.
Correction: she just caused a different kind of mess.
The next day, I caught Shiz rolling cherries and grapes down the stair railing like it was a slide.
“What on earth are you doing…?”
“It’s a slide game! Do you wanna try too, unni?”
“Why would I?!”
As I cleaned up the sticky juice on the railing and the squashed fruit all over the first floor, I begged her again.
“Please, can’t you just sit still for once?”
“But it’s so boring to do nothing! And I can’t even go outside!”
It was really hard to believe this little troublemaker was me.
Did something go wrong when I crossed time? Where did the magical genius, talented enough to be sponsored by a duke’s family, disappear to?
Sigh… well, she only ever lived in the orphanage. Everything must feel new. I should try to understand. I’m an adult here, after all.
I bought Shiz some drawing paper, paints, and books—hoping she might sit still and paint quietly.
Instead, she covered the entire mansion wall with paint.
“Why are you painting on the walls when I gave you paper?! Why?!”
“But the paper’s too small to draw an elephant! Hey, unni, have you ever seen one? I saw one in a picture book—they’re huge! Maybe bigger than this house! And did you know they eat with their nose? When you give them food, they grab it with their trunk and—”
Blah blah blah blah. Shiz just wouldn’t stop talking.
“…Anyway, can we keep an elephant in this house?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Aw, you yelled at me…”
That day, for the first time, I was genuinely scared—because of a sniffling six-year-old.
Little Shiz was like an untamed pony.
Everything in the world fascinated her so much that any warnings I gave her went in one ear and out the other. I couldn’t take my eyes off her for even a second—I was constantly on edge.
“I’m… I’m going to die…”
Between preparing for the upcoming royal performance review and figuring out how to send Shiz back, just the thought of adding unexpected babysitting on top of it all made me feel like my body was going to give out.
So one afternoon, I came up with a plan.
“Wanna play a game called ‘Who Can Fall Asleep the Fastest’?”
“What’s that?”
“You lie down in bed, and we see who falls asleep first. If you win, I’ll give you a prize.”
Shiz’s eyes lit up with interest. Without even thinking, she nodded.
“Okay!”
Thank goodness she took the bait. I flopped onto my bed with Shiz beside me.
“Starting now… the game begins…”
“Okay!”
Shiz squeezed her eyes shut and started mumbling as she counted sheep.
Nice. It’s working.
My body, tired from the past few days, and the soft, warm bed created the perfect combination.
Before I could resist, I was fast asleep.
Somewhere in the distance, I thought I heard the doorbell… but I wasn’t sure.
That day, the child stood alone in the backyard of the orphanage, staring up at the sky.
Watching the sky had always been her favorite pastime.
Since she’d never been allowed outside after arriving at the orphanage, she filled her world with imagination.
When she stared at the clouds carefully, they always seemed to take on shapes.
‘That one looks like a butterfly. That one’s a flower. And that one’s… a mushroom. Ew, I hate mushrooms.’
She was a very picky eater—just like most kids her age, she avoided vegetables.
Especially mushrooms. She couldn’t stand them. They were slimy and gross, and she couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to eat them.
‘Ugh, I wish all the gross plants in the world would just disappear.’
Then she suddenly smiled, imagining a mushroom running out of the kitchen, escaping the chef’s grasp.
The outside world was so big. Maybe, somewhere out there, walking mushrooms did exist.
‘Or glowing butterflies… or talking fish… or moving pictures…’
It all sounded impossible, but her wild imagination and sense of adventure always made her heart flutter.
‘I wish I could grow up faster. If I were an adult, I could go anywhere I wanted.’
Maybe because she wished so hard—
A flash of light. A dizzy spin. A thud.
And suddenly, she was in a strange place.
“Woooow…”
And there, she met her future self.
Future Relshiz was beautiful, wore pretty clothes, lived in a big house, and had a soft bed!
She was a terrible cook, but…
That didn’t matter. What shocked little Shiz the most was her future job.
Future Relshiz was a magician. A royal magician, no less.
‘Wow. I’m going to be a magician.’
To little Shiz, that was the best thing ever. It made her feel like she was going to become someone amazing. Though for some reason, her future self didn’t seem happy about it.
Even so, the future she had accidentally glimpsed felt sweet and full of wonder—like walking on clouds.
‘I can’t wait to grow up.’
Then I wouldn’t be lonely anymore, and I could be happy…
Shiz smiled softly and peeked one eye open. Relshiz, who had suggested the nap contest, had her eyes completely shut.
Gasp! She’s already asleep?
The game was to see who could fall asleep first. Shiz quickly squeezed her eyes shut.
I have to fall asleep faster than her!
Just then, the doorbell rang out clearly in the mansion’s lobby.
Shiz had just started to count sheep to fall asleep when the sound made her eyes fly open.
“Future Relshiz unni, the door went ding-dong.”
It seemed like someone had come to the house, but Relshiz didn’t move at all—she was completely knocked out.
“Aww, I lost.”
She hadn’t expected future Relshiz to be so talented at napping.
I used to run away all the time during nap time at the orphanage.
Feeling a little disappointed, Shiz wriggled her way out from under the blanket. Then she headed toward the front door where the guest was waiting.
When she got to the door, she paused and looked up at the handle, falling into deep thought.
“Even if someone comes, don’t open the door. Got it?”
Relshiz had told her not to open the door. But she hadn’t said anything about not answering.
Hmm… So maybe it’s okay to ask who it is?
Should I ask? Should I not? Should I ask? Should I not…
“…Is it the kid?”
Just then, a voice spoke from outside. It wasn’t unfamiliar.
I think I’ve heard that voice before.
It didn’t take long for her to decide—after all, besides Relshiz, there was only one person she had met since coming to this future.
Her eyes went wide like a startled bunny as she realized who it was.
“Aska?”
“So you remembered.”
The calm voice belonged to Aska.
Shiz stared at the door, her guard fully up.
Full name: Aska Willovis. Relshiz had told her plenty about him.
“That guy is my longtime rival. The absolute worst. So whatever you do, don’t let him find out who you really are! No matter what, keep it secret!”
In other words, Aska was someone who’d be her enemy in the future!
Shiz’s eyes narrowed sharply like needles.
“Hmph, why are you here?”
If it wasn’t for anything important, she’d make him leave. That was her plan—until Aska suddenly asked:
“Where’s Rel? Is she not home?”
“No, she’s here, but she collapsed a little while ago.”
“…Collapsed?”
And then Shiz witnessed something shocking.
Without anyone touching it, the lock on the door clicked open all by itself—and then the door swung wide.
Before she could react, Aska stepped right inside. His face was so cold and serious, even the brave Shiz shrank back a little.
