Chapter 69

After leaving the underwater world aquarium and having lunch, Aichi and Shizuka decided to take a walk in the maze garden or the literary avenue. Shizuka was holding several bags of food bought from an open-air food store, and now she was savoring a vanilla ice cream.

"Really taking your time... Is it that good?"

"Awooo... Yes! It's really delicious. As expected of Furen. Even the open-air stores have such high standards."

"...You'll get fat if you eat too much."

"...Mr. Aichi, that's not something you should say to a girl."

At the moment Aichi said this, Shizuka's hand stopped eating, but she muttered, "I'll do some exercise later... I'll restrict it a bit tomorrow..." and then resumed enjoying the delicious food from the open-air store. Seeing this, Aichi, who was walking beside her, could only smile wryly. Suddenly, he looked puzzled and glanced down.

Noticing Aichi's change, Shizuka tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong? Mr. Aichi?"

"Hmm? Nothing, I just sensed a human presence with my aura sensing, but..."

"You used aura sensing?"

"It's usually always on."

"Umm? But, what's bothering you? You said it was a human presence..."

Shizuka looked around and tilted her head, saying, "There are people everywhere?"

"No, not like that... I sensed it below us."

"Below? ...In the sewer? Is it a facility manager?"

"If it were, I wouldn't be worried... The aura is chaotic, small, and weak... Probably a child? And quite weak."

"–!? That's not good! They might fall into a hole and get washed away soon! Mr. Aichi! Let's go after them! Is it that way?"

After hearing Aichi's words, Shizuka ran off. Aichi, who was trying not to become the "lonely lifestyle" that Aiko had mentioned, could only smile wryly at the fact that Shizuka's actions were faster than his. Indeed, Shizuka's cheerfulness and straightforwardness had a good influence on Aichi.

Aichi and Shizuka chased the aura moving steadily underground. From the city's structure, it seemed the aura was drifting in the sewers along the streets. Aichi rushed ahead of the aura and placed his hand on the ground to perform alchemy. With a red flash, a hole appeared directly below.

Aichi and Shizuka jumped into the hole without hesitation. Before they fell into the foul-smelling sewage below, Aichi used [Air Force] to jump and land on the walkway on either side of the waterway, holding Shizuka in his arms.

"Mr. Aichi, I've also caught that aura. I'll jump in and pull them up!"

"No, it's not necessary."

Shizuka, not caring about getting her clothes dirty, was about to jump into the sewage. Aichi stopped her by grabbing her neck and placed his hand on the ground to perform alchemy again. With a red flash, a grid-like filter rose from the sewer. The filter, at a 45-degree angle to the walkway, blocked the child being washed away, moving them towards Aichi and Shizuka. Aichi activated the mechanism in his left arm, extending it to grab the child and pull them onto the walkway.

"This child is..."

"Well, they're still breathing... Let's get out of here first. It's too smelly."

Seeing the child they had pulled up, Shizuka's eyes widened in surprise. Aichi, who only knew the appearance of the child from descriptions and had never seen a real one, was also quite surprised. However, this place was unsanitary both physically and mentally, so they quickly moved to a better location.

It seemed that the child's situation was not just an accident. Aichi hesitated for a moment, using alchemy to seal the hole that had opened directly on the street. Instead, he recalled the layout of the buildings above and used alchemy to create a horizontal tunnel in the side wall of the sewer. Then, he took a blanket from the [Treasure Vault] and wrapped the child in it, carrying them and starting to move.

At the end of a small alley, a red flash suddenly appeared on the ground, and a hole opened. Out of it jumped Aichi and Shizuka, carrying the child wrapped in a blanket. Aichi used alchemy to seal the hole and looked at the child he was holding.

The child looked to be about three or four years old. It was a girl with emerald green long hair. Even though she was young and a bit dirty, it was clear that she was very pretty. However, the most distinctive feature was her ears. They were not the ears of a normal human but fan-shaped, fin-like ears. And the small hand that peeked out from the blanket, with webbed membranes between the fingers, was like a maple leaf.

"This child is... a Mermaid child... Why is she here..."

"Well, it's probably not for a good reason."

Mermaids are a special race among the demi-humans. Beyond the [Gruen Great Desert], at the edge of the Western Continent, there is a city built on the sea called [Marine City Enison]. They live there. Using their racial characteristics, 80% of the seafood sold on the continent is collected and delivered by them. Therefore, as demi-humans, they are also a race openly protected by the Helix Kingdom. Despite the discrimination, they are protected because they are useful, which is clearly opportunistic.

Given that Mermaids are so protected, it should be impossible for their child to be drifting in the sewers of an inland major city. A criminal smell was in the air.

At this moment, the Mermaid child's nose twitched, and she opened her eyes, blinking. Then, her large, round eyes began to stare at Aichi. For some reason, Aichi did not look away and stared back. A sense of tension hung in the air, and Shizuka, who was about to do something, approached with a look of surprise. At the same time, the Mermaid child's stomach made a cute growling sound. Her nose twitched again, and she shifted her gaze to the food Shizuka was still holding in her arms.

Shizuka was puzzled and moved the bag of skewers from side to side. The child's eyes followed the movement like they were attracted by a magnet. It seemed she was quite hungry. Aichi stopped Shizuka from taking the skewers out of the bag, spoke to the child, and began to perform alchemy.

"Then? What's your name?"

As the child's gaze was captured by the skewers Shizuka was holding, a red flash began to run across the ground, and a box-shaped object rose. The child, startled by the sight, shrank back. Then, when Aichi asked her name again, her gaze wandered for a moment before she mumbled her name.

"...Miu"

"Is that so. I'm Aichi, and this is Shizuka. Miu, if you want to eat those skewers, let's clean the dirt off your body first."

Aichi completed a simple bathtub, filled it with clean water from the [Treasure Vault], and used a firestone to adjust the water temperature, creating a temporary bath. Eating with the dirt from the sewers still on her body was very dangerous. She probably drank some of the sewage, so she needed to eat something with detoxifying or antibacterial properties (over-the-counter).

After the Q&A, Aichi removed the blanket and the dirty clothes the child was wearing, placing her in the bathtub. At first, Miu curled up in fear, but as she felt the warmth enveloping her body, she closed her eyes in contentment. Aichi handed the medicine, towels, and soap to Shizuka, asking her to take care of Miu, while he went out of the alley to buy clothes for Miu.

Soon, when Aichi returned to the alley with Miu's clothes, Miu had already finished bathing and was wrapped in a new blanket, being held by Shizuka. Shizuka was also peeling the meat off the skewers and saying "Ah~ um" to feed Miu, who was eagerly chewing. Miu's hair, which was a bit dirty earlier, had returned to its original bright emerald green, reflecting the sunlight and forming a halo around her like an angel.

"Ah, Mr. Aichi. You're back. Although it's just a layman's judgment, I think Miu is fine."

Shizuka, noticing Aichi's return, stroked Miu's still slightly damp hair and reported to Aichi. Miu also noticed Aichi's presence and, while still chewing, began to stare at him again. She was probably judging whether he was a good person or a bad person.

Aichi nodded at Shizuka's words and took out the clothes he had bought. It was a feminine, milky white dress similar to what Shizuka was wearing. He also bought shoes similar to Roman sandals and undergarments. When he bought them at the store, the clerk, upon hearing that they were for a child, gave a very concerned look.

Aichi walked over to Miu, removed the blanket, and quickly put the dress on her. He then hurriedly had her put on the undergarments. Kneeling in front of Miu, he helped her put on the shoes. Finally, he took out a wind-emitting artifact from the [Treasure Vault], a hairdryer, and dried Miu's damp hair. Throughout this series of actions, Miu kept staring at Aichi, and then, feeling the comfortable warm wind, she closed her eyes in contentment.

"...Somehow, Mr. Aichi is really good at taking care of others."

"What? That's out of the blue..."

While drying Miu's hair, Aichi frowned at Shizuka's words. However, his posture was indeed that of someone who was good at taking care of others, and with the evidence clear, Shizuka's cheeks relaxed into a smile. Feeling a bit awkward, Aichi changed the subject.

"Anyway, what about the future..."

"What to