“Theresia, could you prepare the bath for me? Also, may I borrow some scissors, a comb, and a few newspapers?”
“Certainly! No problem! But… is this young lady the companion you mentioned yesterday…?”
Seeing Nisha standing behind me, clutching my coat, dressed in tattered clothes, not only Theresia but also the innkeepers and regular guests frowned.
This was because slum dwellers faced strong discrimination, regardless of whether they were adults or children.
“Yes. She hired an escort, but it seems she was still robbed along the way. Fortunately, she managed to escape and make it here. Right, Nisha?”
“Yes… When I was caught… *sniff*… I thought I was done for…”
Playing along with me, Nisha put on a fearful expression and spoke in a trembling voice. Her acting skills made everyone in the inn feel guilty.
In situations like this, it’s best to say little. Let others fill in the rest with their imagination.
“Oh, I see! I-I’m sorry, I thought…”
“It’s alright. Anyway, that’s why she doesn’t have any clothes to change into now. I plan to take her shopping for some, but it would be pitiful to leave her in this state. I wonder if Theresia might have some old clothes she could lend her?”
I asked, handing Theresia a silver coin.
“Y-you already gave me one yesterday, I can’t accept this!”
“That’s right, young man! We appreciate your kindness, but it’s too much to accept!”
“Ma’am… In that case, while Nisha is bathing, I hope you can showcase your culinary skills. The girl has traveled all this way without eating or drinking, her stomach must be growling with hunger.”
“Young man… Alright! Both my husband and I will give it our all! Right, dear?”
“Yeah! We’ll treat you to this meal!”
“Then I’ll treat the handsome lad to some drinks!”
“And I’ll offer fruit juice for the poor young lady!”
“Well then, I… what’s left for me to offer?!”
The hospitable voices of the innkeepers and regular guests echoed throughout the inn.
“Thank you all. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Nisha and I will return to our room. Please call us when the bath is ready.”
“Certainly! I understand!”
After returning to our private room and confirming no one was around, Nisha finally spoke:
“You’re quite smooth with your lies, aren’t you?”
“Your acting skills aren’t bad either. However, there’s one point I want you to correct immediately.”
“What is it, Master?”
“Your choice of words. Soon, we’ll be serving the noblest person in this world. So remember to speak politely.”
“What??”
“Pfff…”
Seeing Nisha’s predicted frown, I couldn’t help but laugh. This was probably the first time I had laughed genuinely in front of someone else.
“Master, w-what’s so funny?!”
I patted the head of the blushing and pouting Nisha.
“It’s because you’re so adorable. I’m counting on you, Nisha.”
“Adorable!? F-fine… After all, you are my master. If the master says so, the disciple must obey, right?”
“Good girl. I’ll teach you how to behave and act, but that’s for later.”
As we were talking, Theresia brought the scissors, comb, and stack of newspapers, and then left the room.
“By the way, Master, what do you need the scissors and newspapers for?”
“To cut your hair, of course.”
“Eh!?”
“Come on, sit down here.”
I told Nisha to sit in front of the dressing table, spread some newspapers on the floor, used the last one to wrap around her neck like a paper apron, then dampened her hair with some drinking water and combed it.
“Your hairstyle is terrible. Did you cut it yourself?”
“Y-yes… But how did you know?”
“I know many things. But really, this is too bad, it’s ruining your cute face.”
“C-cute!?”
Nisha wavered at my words, her face turning red.
“I’m going to cut now.”
“O-okay…”
Nisha squeezed her eyes shut, as if afraid to look at the scissors.
“Nisha…”
Ah, I understand now. As someone who has always lived in a dangerous place like the slums, for Nisha, exposing her unguarded back to someone holding a sharp object must be very uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry, Nisha… I was careless…”
I put the scissors down on the floor and gently hugged Nisha from behind. Perhaps due to malnutrition, her body was frail, not fitting for a twelve-year-old.
“M-master, why suddenly…”
──────
Nisha’s eyes welled up with tears at Raptor’s unexpected embrace – a person she believed to be full of compassion, without hidden motives – and she raised her voice as if trying to avoid it.
“Nisha, I won’t ask you to trust me. But rest assured. I won’t harm you. I won’t betray you either. So you don’t need to be afraid like this. I’ll protect you.”
Hearing Raptor’s gentle words, Nisha couldn’t hold back her tears, even if she wanted to.
“*Sniff*… Master… Don’t do this… Nisha isn’t that weak…!”
“Hmm… that’s right. Nisha is a strong girl.”
“*Sniff*… That’s enough… Master, please cut my hair now! Before I show any more unsightly sides…”
“Alright, I’ll cut it now. If you feel uncomfortable, let me know right away.”
──────
I slowly released Nisha and began cutting her hair. First, I evened out the length of the messy hair, then styled it into a beautiful short haircut.
Although Nisha’s body was still stiff with tension, she didn’t complain and sat still for me to cut.
“How does it look?”
I brushed off the hair clippings and held up a hand mirror for Nisha to see the back of her head.
“It’s…”
“Hmm?”
“It’s beautiful! Master, are you a professional hairstylist?!”
Nisha was moved when she saw her new hairstyle.
“Ah no, I’m just someone who knows a bit of everything but isn’t an expert in anything.”
As we were talking, Theresia came to inform us that the bath was ready. Seeing Nisha’s neatly trimmed hair, she praised it profusely.
“You’re being complimented, feels good, right?”
“Y-yeah… it doesn’t feel bad.”
“Well, go take your bath now. Oh, do you know how to bathe properly?”
“Stop underestimating me, Master! Of course, I know!”
“Heh, then take your time. I’ll wait.”
“U-um… O-okay, I’m going.”
Nisha shyly took the bath set and headed to the bathroom. I left the explanation to Theresia and focused on cleaning up the hair clippings.
After I finished cleaning, Nisha returned while drying her hair with a towel, wearing Theresia’s old dirndl dress.
“This was the only one of my old clothes that fit Nisha-chan. What do you think?”
The dress was predominantly red, complementing Nisha’s tanned skin and black hair, looking very suitable for her adorable yet strong appearance.
“Hmm… it looks cute. Thank you, Theresia.”
“C-cute!?”
“You like it, don’t you, Nisha-chan?”
Hearing my comment, Nisha blushed and looked down. Seeing Nisha’s reaction, Theresia giggled.
“Well then, shall we go down for our meal? You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
“Yes… I’m starving.”
“Oh my, perfect timing! I was just about to call you! Come this way! This is the inn’s special menu!”
When we went downstairs, the innkeeper led us to a table instead of the counter. The table was laden with luxurious dishes.
“W-what an extravagant meal… Thank you very much, sir, madam, and Theresia.”
“T-thank you.”
Nisha bowed her head following my lead.
“No need to be so formal! Eat up, the little one is far too skinny!”
“That’s true, but the missus is a bit on the plump side!”
“Where’s the Miss Londinium of yesteryear?”
“The drinks and fruit juice are on me, you hear!”
“Compared to earlier, the young lady looks completely different now! She’s so adorable!”
“We truly appreciate everyone’s kindness. As the saying goes, ‘Respect is best shown through obedience.’ Nisha, please sit down.”
“Y-yes.”
“Let’s enjoy our meal.”
“Let’s enjoy our meal.”
The table was filled with steak and eggs, french fries, baked sweet potatoes, baguettes, salad, marinated salmon, pickles, ham, sausages, cheese, fruits, wine, and fruit juice. There were so many dishes.
“Nisha, this meal is from the innkeepers’ kindness, so feel free to eat as much as you like, don’t hold back.”
“Y-yes…!”
Nisha nodded, seeming to understand my meaning, but she must have been really hungry because she started grabbing food with her hands and stuffing it into her mouth, gulping down fruit juice as if dying of thirst, without any table manners at all.
“I apologize, everyone. She’s not usually like this, she’s just very hungry. Please forgive her impolite behavior.”
“Don’t worry about it, young man. We all understand the girl’s situation. On the contrary, seeing her eat so heartily makes us feel our efforts were worthwhile. Right, dear?”
“Yeah! Young lady, if you like any dish, just ask for more, don’t be shy!”
“Yes! *Munch munch* Thank you everyone! Everything’s so delicious!”
Nisha replied while gobbling down a mouthful of food.
“Eat up, young lady!”
“It’s a man’s nature to treat cute girls!”
“It awakens our protective instincts!”
“At first I thought she was from the slums, but how could such a cute girl come from there?”
“Hehe… Is it good, Nisha?”
“It’s delicious!”
“Look at you, there’s sauce all over.”
“Mm~~”
I wiped the tomato sauce from the corner of Nisha’s mouth. Seeing her eat so happily made me happy too.
“Eat more, you’re the star today.”
“Yes!”
I finished off any dishes that Nisha left unfinished.
“My, I didn’t expect you to have such a hearty appetite too.”
It’s one of my skills. I’ve been trained to operate without eating for a month and also trained to eat a lot in one sitting.
“Hehe, it’s because the food is so delicious. Right, Nisha?”
“Yes! The food here is the best in all of Londinium! Thank you again, everyone!”
“Such polite manners!”
“It was worth the effort!”
“You two are amazing! Just watching makes me hungry!”
After the meal, we said goodbye to everyone and returned to our room. Nisha seemed quite tired and lay down on the bed immediately.
“How do you feel, Nisha?”
“This is the first time in my life I’ve eaten such delicious food…”
“Is that so…?”
I patted Nisha’s head.
“Master… Is this a dream…?”
With drowsy eyes, Nisha looked at me with an anxious expression.
“No, this is reality, Nisha. From now on, you can live like this forever, so don’t worry. Now then… sweet dreams…”
“Yes… Good night… Master…”
Nisha closed her eyes, and I continued patting her head until she fell asleep.
