unedited
In the meantime, the little child, who had emptied her mouth, picked up a new chocolate choux the size of a fist. And after biting several times, she put it all in her mouth. The bulging cheek looked like it was about to explode.
The bulging cheeks moved incessantly. The more I watched her roll her big eyes and eat, the more she looked like a squirrel.
Come to think of it, those cheeks were soft when I touched them before. She seems to like chocolate choux better than me, but why did this little childâ¦
At that moment, our eyes met. Why are you looking at me while Iâm having a snack? Her staring eyes were asking that. And I could feel the soft skin on my fingertips.
âGASP!â
Only then did I see the atrocities I had committed. Why are my fingers there? The little child wasnât even angry, but I took my hand away in surprise. Even after I went away, my fingertips were tingling. What a waste. I couldnât feel the touch properly because it was an accidental act. If I had really touched it, I would have felt it more closely. My nerves kept going in that direction.
Sometimes I thought I would like to touch it, but I really had no intention of touching it. I did, but why? Why did my hand move freely? Wonât the little child be offended? What if she gets upset and says she wonât study with me again?
âThat, I didnât do it on purposeâ¦â
It was when I was struggling in confusion. The little childâs hand held my hand and put it on his cheek.
I held my breath at the soft texture that felt more vivid than before. I only focused on my fingertips because I was afraid that if I breathed, my nerves would be diverted elsewhere. I couldnât even lift my finger for fear the little child would turn around.
âSo, whatâs the big deal about touching my cheek? I donât think itâs something to be so surprised and wary of.â
I breathed in the permission that I could continue to touch it casually. The little childâs cheeks were much softer than they were in my memory. It feels like my chest is filled with a mysterious touch. Even though I knew that the little child couldnât eat anymore because of me, I couldnât take my hands off it.
When I touched it slowly, the warmth gradually passed from the soft texture to the fingertips. To my heart. Otherwise, my heart wouldnât be beating so loudly. I donât want to get my hands off it. Wanting to keep feeling this warmth, I fiddled with the little childâs cheek for as long as I could.
From that day on, the caution towards the little child disappeared a little. Of course, I was worried that the little child would run somewhere I donât know, but knowing that she cared for me and allowed me to touch her casually, made my nervousness go away a bit.
I didnât study like I was being pushed anymore. Before, even when I read a book, I felt like my head was blank. But now since I didnât force myself to do it, I could clearly see what I was learning. As my grades improved, the little child would play with me. I played various games with the little child while informing me of the importance of a break sometimes.
The best thing to do was to separate the escort knight and play alone. Itâs not like weâre doing anything huge, but I really liked the situation where it was just the two of us. It seemed that the little child would be focused only on me without paying attention to others.
What would the little child like?
While thinking hard to do something nice, I remembered a place that the little child had never been to before. It was a treasure trove. There were a lot of really valuable things there. I occasionally stole the key and went into the storage room without permission, but I didnât go there often either. Will the little child like it too?
I know itâs a place I shouldnât take anyone. However, since the little child was not a child who would cause accidents in the treasure trove, it seemed like it would be okay to give her a sneak peek at least once. She is a smart kid.
So, I stole the key without Fatherâs knowledge, left Sir Henry, and went on an exploration of the treasure trove together. At first, the little child acted sternly for stealing the key. But in the end, it was cute when she expressed her desire to see it.
When I entered the treasure trove, I was excited to see the little child who was busy looking around with her eyes wide open.