TL: Zimmings
My uniform was hanging onto my small body like a sack, my hands and feet became as small as those of a four-year-old, and my forearms were chubby like sausages.
âIâve gotten younger.â
[Child, are you okay? Huh]
Booneâs urgent voice rang in my head. I know Iâm not in a good condition when I feel the cold sweat all over my body.
I hurriedly looked around.
Mina was lying on the floor.
As I came closer to her, I could see Mina gasping, but she didnât seem to be in a dangerous state. She wasnât even young like me.
âWhy did only Mina was in this state? Her divine power is said to be much stronger than me.â
I looked at Minaâs etwal. Unlike my first life, her etwal was empty.
âDid Boone protect me?â
[Yes, the wave was unusual, so I protected you.]
[Me too! I protected you faster than this idiot!]
Boone spoke in a somewhat proud voice, and Pur quickly intervened, saying that he was faster.
I didnât faint because the devils protected me, but Mina seemed to have fainted because she didnâ have anyone protecting her.
âBut why am I the only one who got younger?â
As I was looking at Mina, I heard the sound of footsteps from afar.
âThe semester must be over soon. These freshmen do not know how to organize themselves.â
âDidnât you grumble like that last year too?â
The maids were walking towards us while hugging the laundry.
âIâm in trouble. If I get caught being youngâ¦!â
I hurriedly ran into the bush.
And I was crouching when the maids approached the back door and saw Mina who fainted, they screamed.
âSheâs a freshman!â
âAnyone here?! A student collapsed!â
People began to flock towards them.
âTheyâll take care of Mina. But what should I do?â
I donât know what would happen if people saw me. What if they said that what I called out in the last battle was actually a devil, not an angel, and that I became young due to the devilâs curseM
âUghâ¦â
What? My voice!
I was surprised and covered my mouth with small hands.
âOops, itâs hard for me to think clearly because Iâm young.â
I slowly got hungry. In this situation, if my mind completely becomes a child, many unwanted things could happen.
âFirst⦠letâs run away.â
After deciding, I tiptoed and quietly turned around.
***
In the senior dormitory, Henryâs room, Isaac sat on Henryâs sofa, messaging his stiff neck.
âUgh, I really canât even sit and talk for hours.â
âItâs a meeting, meeting.â
Henry handed over his teacup. Isaac answered lightly, âAnyway,â and received a glass.
âI donât think Chief Kuhelm has any intention of opening his mouth. What if I end up torturing him until the vacation?â
âI hope not.â
âYes, this year is the kidâs last holiday!â
In this empire, children will be considered an adult on their 18th birthday. Therefore, 17 years old is the last period of adolescence, hence a big festival is held every time this is called the Last Holiday.
âIâll tell you in advance. The kid will come out and do the dance with me for the last holiday.â
âNonsense, sheâll pick me.â
âDamn, as I thought you werenât going to take it easy. Our father and eldest brother are also aiming for the dance, arenât they?â
âUsually, the dance of Last Holiday is performed with their father or the eldest son of their family.â
âI canât lose like this⦠alliance?â
âYes.â
Isaac and Henry lightly held hands. After that, they heard a small knock.
âWho is it?â
He asked, but the answer didnât come back for a long time.
Isaac narrowed his brows and asked again.
âI asked you, who is it?â
A small murmur was heard from outside the room.
âIâm hewe to cwean up. (Iâm here to clean up.)â
âA little girl?â
Theyâve never heard of a child among the schoolâs maids. As soon as Isaac and Henry exchanged strange gazes, a murmur was heard again from outside the door.
âCwean⦠(Cleanâ¦)â
Isaac got up from the sofa and approached the door. He opened the door, but he couldnât see anyone in front of him.
âWhat. No-â
Isaac stopped when he looked down and saw someone.
It was a small girl, who wore oversized clothes.
She was looking up at him.
Curly, light brown hair.
Small hands.
A plump cheek that looks soft.
Blue eyes.
ââ¦Kid?â
âWhat?â
Henry approached Isaac in a hurry. The child seen over Isaacâs back was definitely Leblaine in their childhood.
When the two were stiff, Leblaine tried to explain it to them.
âYouwgerâ¦â (Youngerâ¦)
***
Henry and Isaac looked at me as I ate bread in a hurry.
Even though Iâve already finished four slices of bread the size of Isaacâs hand, I was still hungry.
âCough! Cough, cough!â
Henry handed over a cup of milk when I choked while eating bread.
âEat slowly, Leblaine.â
Isaac, who was holding his chin while I drank the milk, said.
âSo, Minaâs devil passage and your amethyst overlapped, and this is what happened?â
âYwes. (Yes.)â
â⦠My pronunciation!â
I quickly replied again with a stern look.
âYwesh. (Yes.)â
â⦠No, why canât I even say that properly!â
Be serious. Be serious
Fortunately it was easy for my brothers to understand my words.
âHow old are you?â
âFour.â
âNo, youâre smaller than when you were four years old.â
âItâs twue. Iâm four.â (Itâs true. Iâm four.)
âNo. You were as small as a bean when you were four, but now youâre even smaller. Itâs definitely not your age.â
âThen twee yeaws oldâ¦â (Then three years old?)
I also do think my pronunciation is worse than when I was four.
âItâs difficult to estimate my age.â
âSo what are you going to do now?â
âTwatâs the pwoblem. How can I attwend schoow? (Thatâs the problem. How can I attend school?)
âItâs amazing that youâre worried about school first. Brother, what do you think?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âBrother?â
Henry didnât answer, just staring at my hand holding the glass of milk.
ââ¦ute.â
âWhat?â
âNothing.â
Henry coughed and sat down next to me.
âItâs okay. There is a way.â
As expected, Henry is more dependent than Isaac.
I waited for Henryâs answer. Henry smiled kindly and patted my disheveled head.
âYou can live again from the start like this.â
ââ¦Wha? (â¦What?)â
âYouâve done it once, so Iâm confident youâll do better the second time, Leblaine.â
âItâs weird!â
I banged my glass and protested, waving my arms recklessly.
âIf pweople found out that Iâm youngew, itâll be a mess. I hwave to hide. How awe you going to make me an idwentity?
(If people found out that Iâm younger, itâll be a mess. I have to hide. How are you going to make me an identity?â
Then Isaac said.
âWe can say that youâre fatherâs illegitimate childâ¦â
âAwe you cwazy? (Are you crazy?)â
âIâm joking. I have another idea, kid.â
I looked at Isaac with anticipation again this time. Isaac said with a triumphant look.
âLetâs call you our eldest brotherâs illegitimate child.â
ââ¦â¦.â
ââ¦â¦.â
Me and Henry looked at Isaac with astonished looks.
Isaac continued,
âNo way. No one will believe us. Our older brother is perfect. But it might also ruin his reputation.â
âIsyak. (Isaac.)â
âYes?â
âYou dwonât need to think from now on. (You donât need to think from now on.)
Isaac became sullen, and Henry nodded.
âFirst of all, you should apply for a leave of absence. Letâs say youâre recuperating in the mansion.â
âI gwess so. Bwut what do I do when Iâm young? (I guess so. But what do I do when Iâm young?)â
âI canât send you to the mansion where our father and brother are. The two of them are so busy that they donât have time to take care of you.â
âWhat about sending the kid to aunt?â
âIf itâs the capital city, it will be more dangerous as people could recognize her.â
âBut we canât hide the kid from remote areas. If Dubbledeâs soldiers suddenly move to remote areas, it will be suspicious.â
I also agreed with both of them.
âIt canât be helped.â
I take a deep breath.
âI hwave a way. Bwefore that⦠(I have a way. Before thatâ¦)â
âWhat?â
âTell me.â
âAre there strawberries?â
⦠Letâs eat strawberries first.
[Strawberries!]
Itâs hard for me to think when Iâm hungry. Itâs not like I really want to eat strawberries.
N-no way.