Chapter 56

I want a little sister...

"Four years old!"

Larchan, the girl, said it energetically and laughed innocently, seemingly delighted that she had said it correctly.

Up close, her innocent but well-defined features were clear.

Looking at her, I thought she would surely grow up to be a cute young lady. As I was thinking this, she turned her gaze to me, as if urging me to respond.

"I'm Alphried. I'm almost seven."

"Al? Al-niichan?"

"...Say it again."

"Al!"

"That's not it!"

She laughed, finding it fun when I corrected her.

After that, no matter how many times I asked her to say "Al-niichan," she just happily repeated "Al! Al!"

I wonder... why does this feel so soothing? If I had a little sister, would it be like this?

Since I've only been around older people, both in Japan and in this different world, this kind of interaction feels fresh.

"I'm the maid Mina. You can call me Mina-oneechan if you like."

What? Even I haven't been called "niichan" yet, and Mina wants to be called "oneechan"? That's a bit presumptuous.

"Mina, you don't deserve such a title. Being a bad maid is enough."

I slowly shook my head twice and then spoke to Larchan. She then repeated the phrase with pinpoint accuracy.

"Bad maid!"

"Exactly, exactly."

I smiled and gently patted Larchan's head.

"Hehehe."

"Ah! Alphried-sama, how can you say such things! Look, Larchan has learned a bad word!"

"Ah, okay, okay. I'll give you cookies later if you keep quiet."

"I want some too!"

"Can't help it, can I?"

"Ah! Those are the cookies I brought!"

Eating cookies makes you thirsty. It was inevitable that Larchan would complain about it, so two copper coins disappeared from my wallet.

Larchan was drinking a green, healthful-looking juice. It seemed to be made from a mix of various fruits and vegetables.

"Want to try a sip?"

Since Larchan offered, I decided to try a sip.

It was quite delicious. Maybe I should develop a blender and make some myself when I get back to the mansion. It would be nice to make juice with the Libra berries Elinora and I harvested from the forest. It would be healthy too.

"This is delicious too."

"Uh-huh."

"Good. This is relaxing."

Ignoring Mina's smirking, I got to the point.

"By the way, Larchan, what were you doing? You looked like you were looking for someone... Did you get lost—"

"No!"

Larchan shook her head and clearly denied it.

However, the way she was wandering around the street alone looked like she was lost.

"But you were wandering around alone, looking troubled—"

"I was looking for my oneechan because I got lost!"

Larchan looked at me with a determined expression.

No matter what, she wasn't going to admit to being lost. However, if I pushed her further, she might cry. Let's just say the culprit was her oneechan.

"How old is your oneechan?"

"Seven!"

So, she's about my age.

Looking around, I didn't see any girls around my age.

"Where did you get separated from your oneechan... Where did your oneechan get lost?"

Larchan's eyes welled up with tears, so I quickly corrected myself.

"Um... I don't know!"

That's right. If I said she was lost, she would cry. I can't make a younger girl cry on such a busy street.

"I see. You don't know, huh?"

"What does your oneechan look like? For example, her hair?"

"Um, she has the same hair color as me and is very pretty!"

I see, that's not very helpful.

Mina asked more questions about her clothes, and it turned out that:

Her hair was the same color as Larchan's, reaching down to her waist. It was straight and silky, according to Larchan, who said she wanted to touch it all the time.

She was about my height.

The most distinctive feature was that she was wearing the uniform of the magic academy.

I remember seeing children in robes a few times. They were different colors—red, blue, black—and I remember thinking they were probably for different classes.

With such a distinctive uniform, she should be easy to find. We just need to look for people in uniforms.

By the way, her robe is blue.

"So, we should stay on this main street."

"What should we do, Larchan? Wait here for your oneechan?"

"No! I'll look for my oneechan because she's lost!"

Ah, right. If we wait here, it will look like Larchan is the one who's lost.

"I see."

"So, can you help me look?"

Larchan looked up at me with pleading eyes and grabbed the hem of my clothes, which was cute. Her big eyes were watery, probably from anxiety.

Of course, that's how it would be.

"Then let's look!"

I stood up energetically and smiled.

"Okay!"

"Let's do it!"

And so, we started walking down the main street to look for Larchan's oneechan.

× × ×

We were supposed to start looking for her oneechan, but...

"Next! I want to eat that!"

"Sure! A hearty stew. After that, let's eat the meat from that place. It smells delicious and is full of spices!"

I followed Larchan as she pulled me along.

We were still wandering around the main street where we first met, which was lined with market stalls.

It was around the time when people start to get hungry, so the street was getting crowded, and there were lines at the stalls.

Wait, that's strange. We were supposed to look for her oneechan, so why are we in line at a stall?

"It smells good!"

"Sure does!"

The two of us smiled at each other. At this point, Mina could have been her oneechan. This is how it should be resolved. I haven't seen much of the capital yet, just the market stalls.

"Still not here?"

"It's taking so long."

At first, the two of them were having a fun conversation, but they started to get irritated as the line didn't move.

It's understandable to get frustrated when you're hungry and surrounded by delicious smells.

"It seems they're running out of ingredients and making a new batch."

"Aww, standing still is boring."

"Hmm, well... how about I show you a magic trick?"

I sometimes do magic tricks at Celia's restaurant, and this one can be done while standing and is a good way to pass the time.

"What what?"

"What is it?"

Larchan and Mina were both interested.

The man behind us, who was also bored, leaned in curiously.

"Mina, do you have a cookie? Can I borrow it?"

Mina looked wary but, driven by curiosity, hesitantly pulled a cookie out of her pocket.

"Here's a cookie."

I showed the cookie to Larchan and Mina to confirm it was normal.

"Okay, I'll cover the cookie with my hands. The cookie is in my hand, right?"

Larchan, Mina, and even the man behind us nodded.

"Okay, if I shake my hands three times, the cookie will disappear."

"Ah! No way!"

"That's a problem, Alphried-sama!"

Larchan looked skeptical, and Mina shouted, almost grabbing my collar.

The man behind us snorted.

That face is annoying. Just wait. I'll turn that scowl into one of surprise and admiration.

"Okay, here we go. One... two... three...!"

When I opened my hands:

"Ah! Where did the cookie go?"

"Wait, the cookie? Where is it? Did it really disappear?"

The two of them patted my hands and arms, but the cookie was nowhere to be found.

That's because I had used a transfer spell to move the cookie to the man's pocket.

I turned to the man, who was looking confused, and said with a confident smile:

"Sir, check your right pocket."

"O-Okay."

He seemed surprised that I was talking to him and fumbled in his pocket.

"Whoa! Why is there a cookie in my pocket!?"

"Ah! Could it be the cookie from before?"

"Why is my cookie in there?"

The three of them were still trying to understand what had happened, and people around us started to gather, curious about the commotion.

"Here, you can eat that cookie."

"Really?"

"Hey, Alphried-sama!"

"It's fine. I'll make more for you."

Mina calmed down, apparently satisfied with my reassurance.

"The cookie is just the right sweetness. It's delicious."

The man behind us took a bite of the cookie.

"Then I'll make the cookie appear from my pocket next."

'If it's in the pocket, it will come out, right?'

'Yeah, yeah.'

'Didn't you see the first trick? The cookie really disappeared. It's worth watching.'

The crowd had grown, and skeptical voices rose.

I reached into my pocket, turned it inside out to show it was empty, and then said:

"Okay, I'll make the cookie appear from this pocket. Here, here!"

When I reached into my pocket, cookies started to appear, one after another.

'What's going on!?!'

The crowd gasped and murmured in surprise.

"Wh-What? Cookies are appearing from Alphried-sama's pocket?"

"Al, that's amazing! But how?"

Larchan's innocent question made everyone think.

While I was doing this, I turned my pocket inside out again to show it was empty.

'I don't get it.'

'There's no way that many cookies could fit in a pocket.'

'How did he...?'

'Is he the apprentice of a famous magician?'

People scratched their heads and grumbled.

"I don't get it! How did you do it? Tell us!"

Larchan couldn't hold back and shouted, but I couldn't reveal the secret.

The crowd pressed me silently, but I couldn't give in.

I was just using transfer, storage, and retrieval spells, but I couldn't tell them that.

"Everyone! The new stew is ready!"

The stall owner's voice came just in time.

"Okay, the stew is ready, so let's finish. Let's eat the stew."

"Aah! Al, you're dodging the question!"

"That's right, Alphried-sama!"

"I'm not dodging. It's more fun not knowing. Here, have some cookies."

"Yay!"

They were easily distracted.

'Hey, do it again! I want to show this guy!'

'Please, one more time!'

'I'll figure it out this time!'

While we were in line, more people asked me to do the trick again.

If I did the trick, more people might gather, and Larchan's oneechan might find us.

So, I agreed.

"Sure. But I want to eat the stew first. How about you all join us?"

When I said that, more men joined the line.

The stall owner was pleased, and he even said we didn't have to pay for the stew.

After enjoying the stew, I performed the same trick in front of everyone.

I didn't do anything too big, just small items like the spoon and copper coins used in the stew.

People thought there must be a way to do it with small items, but no one could figure out the trick.

The crowd grew, and as I had hoped, Larchan's oneechan appeared from a carriage.

"Larchan!"

"Ah! Oneechan!"

"Where have you been? Don't just watch performances here. I was looking for you."

Wow, she is as pretty as Larchan said. Her hair, which reaches down to her waist, is especially beautiful.

"Come on, let's go, Larchan."

"Okay! Bye, Al~"

"Do you know that girl?"

"Uh-huh, Al is my niichan!"

"What!? What does that mean?"

"That's what it means!"

Larchan and her oneechan held hands and walked away, still arguing.

As for me and Mina, we were surrounded by a large crowd and couldn't leave for a while.

...I want to go home now.