Chapter 31

Aina's words, "Please lend me some money," flew out of her mouth.

At this statement, I blinked in surprise.

In response, Aina, with tears welling up to the brink of overflowing, stared straight at me.

Her body was trembling, probably out of fear of being disliked by me.

But Aina had mustered all her courage and was prepared to be rejected as she spoke.

We haven't known each other for long, but I can understand that much.

After all, whenever I was at the store, Aina was almost always by my side.

"..."

Aina continued to stare at me intently.

She was waiting for my answer.

I was at a loss for what to say.

"Um..."

At my words, Aina flinched.

The tears she had been holding back finally overflowed.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Even though it was not my intention, I had made a small child like Aina cry.

This is bad. I need to say something quickly.

"Y-You need money, right? How much do you need?"

Somehow, I managed to respond.

"Sniff... I'm... sorry. Aina... sniff, Shiro... I don't... want to... cause... trouble... for Shiro... sniff... I'm... sorry... sniff..."

She finally burst into sobs, covering her face with her hands and crying loudly.

"Hic... hic... sniff..."

"It's okay. It's okay, really. Come on, let's calm down. Sit here for a moment."

I pulled Aina's hand and guided her to a chair, then gently patted her back to help her stop crying.

"Hic... hic... sniff..."

"It's okay. It's really okay."

"Shiro... to... Aina, to... Shiro..."

"It's fine. Don't worry about me. More importantly, you did a great job. It took a lot of courage, didn't it? You're really brave. Truly brave."

Aina had asked me for money.

That much was obvious.

Aina is very devoted to her mother.

I've known that since we met.

That's why there's only one reason why Aina would need money.

"Aina, did something happen to your mother?"

"!?"

Aina's eyes widened in surprise.

But soon, tears welled up again, and she started crying once more.

It seems I was right.

"Aina, if there's anything I can do, please tell me, okay?"

"......"

After sobbing many times, Aina finally nodded slightly.

"Hey, Aina! If you're done with the store, let's go get some food—"

Suddenly, the store door opened, and Laiya came in.

"Sorry... It seems you were busy."

Laiya scratched his head awkwardly.

Behind him, Combat Priest Rolf was also there.

The two of them exchanged glances and looked as if they had made a mistake.

"Laiya..."

"Really sorry! I saw the lights on and thought you were—"

As Laiya was speaking,

"Shiro! I came to hear your opinion on the town's development—"

Imagine that.

This time, Karen came in.

What's going on?

It's like a traffic jam of events.

"Looks like I should come back another day..."

Karen looked at the crying Aina, then at me, and finally at Laiya and the others.

"Hmm. Did something happen to Aina?"

"Who knows. We just got here. Right, Rolf?"

"That's correct. We came to invite Shiro to dinner, but when we entered the store, Aina was crying."

"Aina, did something happen to you, even though you're so young?"

"We were just about to ask her."

"Right. Sorry for the bad timing. Should we come back later?"

"Aina, Laiya said that. What do you want to do? Should we ask them to leave for now?"

When I asked gently, Aina shook her head.

"It's... okay. It's... fine... if... the... big... brothers... stay... it's... okay."

"Okay. I understand."

I patted Aina's head and turned around.

"Right. If you don't mind, could you listen to and advise us?"

"Sure! Leave it to me! Rolf is good at that kind of thing. Rolf, it's up to you."

"Guiding those who are lost is part of a priest's duty. I can't promise to give the right advice, but please feel free to speak."

"I also want to help the residents as the mayor. Aina, if you have any worries, please share them."

"See, Aina? Everyone is saying that. Of course, I also want to help you. I'll listen to you carefully. So, please tell us."

"...Okay."

Aina wiped her tears with her sleeve, placed her hand on her chest, and took deep breaths to calm down.

"Um... well. Aina's... mom..."

Aina grabbed my hand.

I squeezed her hand back.

With a trembling voice, Aina finally spoke about what she had been carrying inside.

"M-Mom... is... sick."