The talk about being my benefactor was just an excuse, but the change in treatment is true. Laila smiled as she looked at the child.
“It must have been tough spending time in the underground prison, right? From now on, that won’t happen. Promise.”
“Why are you…”
“Huh?”
The child fell silent, locking eyes with Laila.
“What did you say?”
“Pretend you didn’t hear anything.”
“Why, what’s the matter? Tell me.”
“…….”
“…… On second thought, I don’t think I heard anything.”
Was it just her imagination? The air around the child seemed to grow colder, so Laila quickly changed the subject.
“Oh, anyway, let’s get along well now that you’re my benefactor.”
“…….”
“I’ll be really… good to you.”
So please don’t kill me in ten years.
Please.
Unable to voice her true feelings, Laila swallowed hard and looked into the child’s eyes.
The child remained silent.
‘Well, whatever. Not glaring at me is much better. This makes things easier.’
There’s a saying that wanting to be satisfied with the first drink is being greedy.
Laila let go of her greed.
Anyway, she had a conversation of sorts without receiving any curses. She was satisfied with that for today.
‘Now, should I leave?’
Laila was about to get up but hesitated, looking at the child.
“Oh, by the way.”
“…….”
“Now that I think about it, we still don’t know each other’s names.”
It was a lie.
She didn’t know about the child, but Laila knew the child’s name very accurately—very well!
Well! Because she heard it to the point of having it drilled into her ears before her regression.
‘Everywhere she went, people were talking about that name..’
However, Laila intended to hear the name she knew directly from the child.
‘It’s essential to use each other’s full names when becoming friends.’
Laila kept a smile on her face as she spoke to the child.
“My name is Laila. When others are around, you can call me Miss Laila.”
For the record, Laila didn’t mind being called by her first name, whether others were present or not.
But her siblings probably wouldn’t think so.
Laila remembered her siblings’ terrible temper.
‘I have to educate them, but it’s almost certain they’ll cause a commotion.’
It was exhausting to think about.
Besides, Laila was powerless. If her siblings really went on a rampage, there would be no stopping them.
‘Oh, I have to correct their informal way of speaking too… I don’t know……. I’ll do that later.’
Laila felt a bit tired. Right now, she just wanted to walk away.
“What’s your name?”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Laila waited patiently.
But silence.
More silence.
Laila cautiously broke the silence first.
“Perhaps you don’t want to tell me?”
Another silence.
Laila’s smiling face slightly crumbled.
‘Is this…’
Is this how it’s going to be?
He’s unbelievably stubborn for a single name.
A childish idea crossed Laila’s mind at that moment.
It was inevitable.
She had been accumulating a bit of resentment since the first time she was ignored, and it was about time for it to burst out.
‘Let’s tease him a little.’
Just a little.
Laila, looking at the child, casually opened her mouth.
“Then don’t tell me. Instead, I’ll call you whatever I want.”
“…….”
“It’s the name of a super cute stuffed bunny I used to have when I was younger…….”
Although it doesn’t quite match a rabbit doll, it doesn’t matter since it’s a lie.
Laila spoke the name she had heard countless times from the future.
“How about Cassion?”
Laila expected the child to be surprised to hear the name he’d never given her.
Or maybe even a little flustered.
But…….
‘What’s this?’
Laila froze.
The child glared at Laila terrifyingly at the mention of the name ‘Cassion.’
And it was a chilling gaze.
Laila felt like she couldn’t breathe.
The child’s gaze was unusually fierce.
Despite being in a bright bedroom, the gaze was more intimidating than anything Laila had seen before, both before and after regression.
Like a mouse in front of a snake, Laila remained frozen in thought.
Why?
Why is he glaring like that?
Just because I called you that name? Just because of that?
Laila pressed her lips together, almost as if they were stuck.
Thinking about the why’s could wait.
There was something more immediate to address right now: resolving this situation.
If he was upset because she called him that name, then she should take it back.
If Laila just declares that she won’t call him Cassion…
“H, hiccup!”
“…….”
“H, hiccup, hiccup, hiccup!”
It was a disaster.
Laila’s face turned pale.
While she managed to open her mouth, the severe hiccuping prevented her from uttering the words she intended to say.
‘Why now!’
Well, of course, considering the situation, hiccuping was expected.
But still!
She cursed her body for being so quick to react with fear and surprise.
Laila didn’t know what to do, and in an attempt to stop the hiccups, she resorted to a well-known folk remedy.
Holding her breath.
How long had she been desperately holding on to her breath?
Gradually turning red—struggling to hold her breath—Laila’s face caught the attention of the child, who was watching her silently. Soon, the child’s eyes lost their intensity.
Breathing out a sigh, the child messed up his own hair and said to Laila, “Sion.”
“……?”
“You asked for my name. It’s Sion.”
“Puah-haah-haah.”
Laila, who had been holding her breath, finally took a deep breath and exhaled.
Her gaze, filled with bewilderment, turned to the child.
The child was no longer glaring at Laila menacingly.
“……Sion?”
“Yes.”
“I-Is it okay to call you by that name?”
“Sure.”
‘What?’
Laila’s expression involuntarily twisted strangely.
‘You glare at me fiercely when I call you Cassion, but it’s fine to call you Sion?’
Cassion and Sion…
She couldn’t understand why they seemed the same, but Laila decided not to try to comprehend it.
After all, the other person wasn’t someone she could understand.
It had been like that almost from the beginning.
“Uh, okay. Thanks for allowing me to call you by your name.”
“…….”
“Um, then. I’ll be going! I just remembered something urgent. Rest well!”
Laila abruptly stood up from the chair and headed towards the door.
Just before opening the door, she turned back to the bed with a determined expression.
“See you later, Sion!”
Thud.
As soon as Laila closed the door and stepped into the hallway, she placed her hand over her heart.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of her heart pounding echoed, resounding like a drum in her chest. Taking a moment to compose herself, Laila soon began walking down the hall.
Her destination was the kitchen.
Feeling somewhat thirsty, she planned to have a sip of lukewarm water and, on top of that, tell them to bring the child breakfast.
‘I’m scared to death.’
Laila recalled the terrifying gaze of the child and shook her head.
‘No, let’s not think about that.’
Let’s focus on something else.
For example, she successfully completed the introduction and got through the situation.
‘Sion, Sion…’
Muttering the name permitted by the other person, Laila clenched her fist.
‘We will definitely become friends.’
And thus, by doing so, she would avoid dying in the future this time!
Thinking about living until the age of ninety, Laila walked down the hall with renewed determination.
- 𝑺𝒊𝒐𝒏
The child knew exactly how old he was.
So if someone were to ask,
‘How old are you?’
He would say
‘Five years old.’
He thought he would confidently answer…
However,
“What’s your name?”
This was a question he wasn’t expecting…….
Standing in the orphanage living room, the child hesitated before opening his mouth.
“Street Rat.”
“What?”
…Wasn’t it this?
After scrutinizing the expression of the person in front of him, the child spoke again.
“Bum.”
“…….”
It wasn’t this either?
“Dirty kid, germ, garbage, filthy…”
“Stop, stop.”
The boy who had asked the child the question clapped his hands.
Except for the couple running the orphanage, he was the oldest among the people living there. Though he had just turned fifteen not long ago,
“Do you not have a name?”
