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You want me to look at Teacher Logis?
I raised my head before I could write a word.
Did it feel any strange energy? Could TeacherLogis be in danger too?
“Is there a problem?”
Sensing my gaze, Teacher Logis asked me.
“N-No.”
I can’t see anything.
But Ser kept urging me to look at her face as it bothered by my side.
In the end, I only wrote words up to Ser and handed them out to the teacher.
Then I stared at the teacher until class was over.
“…I didn’t see anything, though?”
Class was over.
I returned to my room and grunted at Ser, sitting on the bed and dangling my legs.
“A strange smell…”
“A strange smell? Didn’t you see anything dangerous?”
“Nope-ing. I keep glancing at you-ing.”
“Haven’t you seen how well I write? W-Why are you glaring at me…”
When Ser’s one red eye flashed, my body shrank.
“I don’t know-ing. It smells fishy-ing.”
I still couldn’t understand Ser’s words.
Still, Ser was quiet when I was with other teachers, so I decided to trust him.
“Got it. I will be careful with Teacher Logis.”
Valliot with many enemies on all sides.
I’m a Valliot too!
***
Grandpa was just as busy as Uncle.
Even though I kissed him for 2 million gold as a morning greeting, he returned home at night.
As soon as I heard that Grandpa’s carriage had entered the garden, I ran out to the front door.
“Grandpa!”
Grandpa, who had just entered and was about to lean his cane, threw away his cane, took off his gloves, and opened his arms to me.
“Oh my, our princess. Grandpa is too late.”
I jumped up and gave Grandpa a hug.
“Very much!”
Grandpa’s eyebrows curved in the shape of eight.
“Grandpa was very busy today. I also bought a doll for Aika, so can you forgive Grandpa?”
I inflated my cheeks and then laughed, hee.
“Hee, it’s actually fine! Uncle is always busy and comes home late. I took class today and played with Zenda! I wasn’t bored at all.”
“Oh my, you played well. Good job, good job. Instead, Grandpa will make sure to listen to everything Aika wants tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Really?”
“Of course. Let’s buy a golden carriage and do it all.”
Ah, no golden carriage.
But if we don’t buy the golden carriage, Uncle will ask what I did, won’t he…?
“G-Grandpa. I like a small golden carriage.”
Grandpa came into the hallway with me in his arms.
“A small one? What are you going to use the little carriage for?”
“I’ll… put a doll there! It’s a very small doll.”
A golden carriage the size of a palm would be fine.
“Come, come. Grandpa will do it all for you. Have you eaten dinner?”
“Yes! What about Grandpa?”
“Ahem , ahem. G-Grandpa has eaten too. I ate something very hearty and delicious.”
I opened my eyes slackly.
Grandpa was lying now.
Regarding how do I know…
Because every time Mom didn’t eat dinner, she was acting!
“Hmph. Grandpa, I hate you.”
“Aika? Y-You say you hate Grandpa?”
Grandpa’s eyes widened as if he had heard a taboo word that should never be heard.
“Mom always stuttered when she lied that she had dinner when she hadn’t eaten. And she just laughed out loud. Just like Grandpa.”
Beside him, one of Grandpa’s aides, Benzel, burst into laughter.
“Your Grace, I think you should be honest with the Miss.”
“Ahem, Aika. I was actually going to eat, but I was too busy.”
“Not even once?”
“I won’t forget to eat it tomorrow. Hmm? This Grandpa cannot live if Aika hates me.”
Grandpa even rubbed my cheek against his.
My cheek was pressed and a little rough, but I liked it because it was Grandpa.
“Then let’s eat together now!”
“Now? Shall we?”
“Aika will be by Grandpa’s side while you eat. Hurry up!”
I reached out my hand toward the restaurant, saying let’s go quickly.
***
“Aika.”
In my sleep, I felt Ser’s face patting my cheek.
“Mmm, sleepy…”
After watching Grandpa eat a late dinner, I fell asleep listening to Grandpa read a story to me.
I was traveling in the land of dreams, yet Ser kept waking me up.
“Hurry. There are strange noises outside-ing.”
I stumbled, half-raised, and looked at Ser with only one eye open.
“Strange noises?”
I endured heavy eyelids that seemed to spill at any moment and focused on the sounds outside.
I can’t hear anything.
“Ser, I can’t hear anything.”
“Now!”
As soon as I heard Ser’s lowered voice, clank! And there was a faint but sharp sound.
Knife…?
A sound rang out again, clank!
This sound…
[Aika, my princess. Just open your eyes for a second.]
[Mmmm…?]
[Shall we get up and play hide and seek with Mom?]
[Mom, it’s night now. We can’t play hide and seek at night…]
I jumped up from my bed feeling that I was waking up.
Because now I know what sound that is.
As soon as I came down barefoot, I gathered the dolls in the room.
“What are you doing. This isn’t the time.”
“I know… It’s dangerous. I have to hide.”
“Call someone.”
“I know how.”
Ser’s voice was seriously low, like a voice that often comes out from time to time.
But I didn’t care and first gathered the dolls in the room and put them inside the blanket.
[Mom has once told you, right? Sometimes scary shadows appear.]
[Mmmm, shadows?]
[Looks like it shows up today and hides. Let’s play hide and seek with Mom. Do you remember what I taught you?]
[…Under the closet?]
[Yep. If you hide, your doll friends will protect Aika.]
After making the same shape as my sleeping posture with the dolls, I covered them with a blanket.
I put my slippers on and turned around.
Still, I took the rabbit slippers given to me by Russphe, which were right next to me.
This never happened when I was at Uncle’s house.
Or did I not hear?
The day Mom told me about the shadow appearing, there was a terrifying sound like this.
It was very occasional though.
Mom woke me up then, but today Ser woke me up.
I was very fortunate. I almost couldn’t play hide and seek.
“Q-Quickly.”
But it was my first time playing hide-and-seek without Mom, so I was very scared.
Still, I held back and opened the closet.
Because now I know I have to do it alone.
There is a separate dressing room, but there is another large closet in this room.
The house where Mom and I lived also had a closet like this in the room.
[We made the same at Grandpa’s, so if the shadow comes to Aika someday, you have to hide well, okay?]
[Yeees, Aika can hide well.]
[How pretty, my daughter.]
But I really didn’t know Grandpa could play hide and seek.
I quietly opened the closet.
“…”
The bottom of the closet full of dresses was made of flat wood.
I pushed my fingertips in.
Pushed.
“…There is.”
There really is, as Mom said.
Just like the one at my house!
It just looks like a floor, but it’s not.
This is a door
Clank!
“Gasp.”
Suddenly, the sound came from outside again.
I heard a moan of pain, ugh.
The sound was still far away.
I tossed my slippers through the half-open door and entered the closet.
“I have to get in here.”
“Here?”
“Mmhm.”
A space barely large enough for one person to fit in.
Because Mom told me to stay here.
Even as I sat down, it was getting noisy outside.
I closed the closet door and got under a wooden board that was pushed in.
Mom had to crumple her body, she said, but I was still not as big as Mom, so I lifted it easily.
When the wooden board was removed, there was a fire on the inside, so there was no problem for me to see things.
As soon as I hid under the board, I closed it again.
Then I crouched down and held my breath.
“Ser, you can’t talk to me anymore.”
Ser’s voice can’t be heard by anyone else, but it seems that I must answer it.
I just have to stay like this until the game of hide and seek is over.
As the noise outside grew louder, my hands were sweaty.
I wasn’t so scared when I was with Mom.
‘Scary. I’m so scared.’
Ser, who dangled from my neck, rubbed its face against my cheek without saying a word.
“Ser…”
“I’m here, it’s okay.”
I nodded and crouched down even more.
I hope the dolls will protect me this time too.
When I was hiding here, the game of hide-and-seek was over and Mom came to see me…
Wait.
I raised my head.
So who’s coming this time?
Does Grandpa know this too? What if he can’t find me?
It was strangely quiet outside.
Until just now, I heard a noise.
It was then.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a door opening.
I held my breathing, hmp!