Miaâs body was shaken by something. She moaned and rubbed her eyes.
Hmm⌠did I fall asleep? I feel like I had a very scary nightmareâŚ
Mia slowly opens her eyes⌠and sees the ghost face of a girl looking into herâŚ
âHnnggh-â
Again! Mia was about to fall over and faint. ButâŚ
âUhm. Could you stop pretending to be asleep?â
Huh? Did I just now hear a voice?
Hearing that voice, Mia stopped. Then she observes the girl she was terrified of. The girl was gazing up at Mia. Her face had a poor expression, and she seemed to be apprehensive.
Ah, this child ⌠isnât a ghost.
Mia guessed. Miaâs common sense said that ghosts wouldnât be apprehensive. At the same time, Mia reached out and touch the girlâs hair. The sticky liquid on itâŚ
This red liquid is âŚ
Now that she has seen it closely, it was too red to be bloodâŚit is
âOh, I see, this is⌠the sap for writing on a whiteboard.â
Hearing this, the girl tilted her head a little and gave a confused look.
âUhm, I donât know what it is, but I tipped a container over. But please donât worry. I made sure to clean it up properly.â
The girl answered in a polite tone.
âI see, thatâs what happenedâŚâ
Mia chewed her lip while thinking.
Well, of course, I knew from the beginning that she wasnât a ghost, but a normal human being ⌠but, of course, I knew that there couldnât be a ghostâŚÂ But who, in the heavenly moons, is this girl?
With her ragged appearance, the girl would fit right in with the people of Newmoon District. Her matter hair looked like it hadnât been brushed for a while. The abundant rips and holes in her dress made it look more like a frayed rag than an article of clothing, and the limbs protruding from it were unhealthily thin.
A starving child who snuck into the academy.
This was Miaâs impression of the girl.
âSo, what exactly did you come here for?â
â⌠I think you dropped this, so I came to give it back.â
That said, the girl held out the pair of indoor slippers that Mia had been wearing until a while ago. She had lost them when she was scrambling back to her room.
âWell, you came here just to deliver these?â
When Mia asked, the girl shook her head a little.
âNo, thatâs not all. I want to ask a favor.â
A favor? Does she want some food? Mia wondered, although it seems to be her own desires.
âPlease donât tell anyone that Iâm here. Please.â
With that said, the girl bowed down. Hearing that, MiaâŚ
Hmm⌠I know what you are playing now!
After a brief moment of thought, Miaâs mouth spread in a devious grin. At a glance, the girl looked like one of those townsfolk who could no longer stand being in poverty. In her desperation, sheâd even managed to knock a container of sap over onto herself, covering her in sticky red liquid. This made this girl look even more pitifulâŚ. But no! This girl was only pretending. Mia, in her infinite wisdom, has seen through her act!
St. Noelâs security isnât so lax that random poor people could wander in.
Itâs hard just to step on the island. In addition, the school itself boasts a security system that is more like a fortress than an academy.
That means that this child is a person who can escape from strict security.
Moreover, Mia already noticed that she called herself âIâ (TN here: the girl uses ă㯠= Boku in referring to herself. It is commonly used by men. The normal way would be to use ăăŻ, = watashi. But English only has the word I. So, a bit lost in translation.)
She was a girl no matter how you look at it, but she uses the boyâs way of referring to herself.
This means that she has experience pretending to be a boy. The only reason she would do that⌠is to lie about her identity.
Until then, Mia could only think of one kind of person who dare to sneak into St. Noelâs, and who would be successful in doing so⌠It is no other than the members of the secret society who aims to destroy the world.
Chaos serpent! Hah! Nice try but you canât fool me. Iâve foiled your disguise.
Miaâs reasoning is plausible! Although her conclusion was wrong because of flawed insight, still, it was plausible.
Hmm, you didnât waste your time showing up. Too bad, Iâll send you directly to Rafina.
Proud and haughty of her accomplishment, Mia snorts and glares at the girl.
Well, now that I know who you are, you donât really scare me anymore. Though come to think of itâŚ
No matter how young this girl is, she may be strong because she was able to infiltrate the academy. If so, it is a good idea to pretend to be deceived and deceive her as well. The brain of the tactician Mia is on a roll! Hopefully it wonât roll downhill and off a cliff.
âI know that terrible things will happen if people find out that youâve been letting me stay here in secret, but even so, please, please donât tell anyone.â The girl pleaded.
âFufufu, of course,â Mia said with a gentle smile, âIâll keep your secret.â
ââŚReally?â The girl looked surprised at Miaâs answer.
âMore importantly, are you hungry?â
Mia picked up a small box on her desk. The contents of the box are cookies. In Miaâs room, emergency food (=snacks) is stockpiled in case of emergency. This is to ensure that it is possible for her to survive a three-day siege (= weekend of not going out her room).
Moreover, the cookies are not just ordinary cookies. As a result of the investigation that Mia ordered Anne to do, these cookies were judged to be the best tasting ones that are available at a low price.
Fufufu, if you eat this when youâre hungry, youâll surely be hooked. Then I will have you.
However, the girl shook her head a little.
âNo, thank you for the offer but Iâm not hungry.â
âHuh? But âŚâ
âItâs true. I am not hungry.â
As if to deny the girlâs words, a sad rumble was heard coming from her stomach.
ââŚâŚâŚâŚâ
Mia stared at the girl silently. The girl did not change her expression, but rather puffed her chest in a show of confidence.
âIâm not lying. And to prove it, Iâm willing to swear upon the name of my grandmother, whom I hold in the highest regard.â
My, your grandmotherâs name isnât worth very much to you, is it?
Mia resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she held a cookie.
âTake one. No need to hesitate, okay? You see, thereâs plentyâŚâ
âBut⌠I was told that food is scarce and preciousâŚâ The girl said, staring at the cookie as if spellbound. â⌠Besides, I have trouble you enough by asking not to tell anyone about me.â
But having said that, the girlâs gaze is still glued to the cookie. As a test, Mia tried to move the cookie in her hand from one side to the other. The direction of the girlâs face kept on following it.
ââŚI canât ask another favorâŚespecially foodâŚâ
Mia threw a cookie towards the girl. The girl snapped at it in the air with her teeth! Tears slowly filled her eyes as she greedily chomped on the cookie.
âOh, itâs so deliciousâŚâ Then, she stared at Mia, her benefactor, âAre you some sort of goddess of charity and compassion?â
She said while sniffling.
Well, well. This girlâs a real sucker. Mia snorted inwardly.
Seeing that her foe had taken the bait, Mia put on her most amiable smile.
âThereâs plenty, so donât hesitate. For now, cookies are all I have; but tomorrow morning, youâll have something decent to eat. And âŚâ Looking over at the girlâs body, Mia nodded. âYou need a bath.â
Even if sheâs going to send her to Rafina, she canât send her in such a dirty state.
Rafina might feel sorry for her and be lenient. She looks so miserable right now, even I feel sorry for her.
It was at that time. The door of the room opened.
âOh, Mia-sama, Iâm glad youâre back.â
It was Anne who was standing at the doorway. She looked relieved upon seeing Miaâs face. It seemed that she was worried and had gone looking for her.
âYes, I went to the bathroom. You came at the right time, though. Do you mind preparing the bath?â
âI donât mind at all milady, but⌠who is this girl?â
What should I say?
Mia looks at the girl, worried a little. WhenâŚ
âHuhâŚ, Anne? You mean Mother Anne? And now you just call her milady, Mia-sama⌠eh? Then that meansâŚâ
The girl looked confused at Anne and then at Mia.
âWell âŚ?â
Mia, on the other hand, looks just as confused with the little girlâs reaction.
Authorâs Note:
By the way, Iâm very sorry to everyone who thinks there will be a love-angle, but Miabel is a little girl.
Iâm not a lolicon.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!