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 child…

At that moment, our eyes met. Why are you looking at me while I’m having a snack? Her staring eyes were asking that. And I could feel the soft skin on my fingertips.

“GASP!”

Only then did I see the atrocities I had committed. Why are my fingers there? The little child wasn’t even angry, but I took my hand away in surprise. Even after I went away, my fingertips were tingling. What a waste. I couldn’t 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? Won’t the little child be offended? What if she gets upset and says she won’t study with me again?

“That, I didn’t do it on purpose…”

It was when I was struggling in confusion. The little child’s 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 couldn’t even lift my finger for fear the little child would turn around.

“So, what’s the big deal about touching my cheek? I don’t think it’s something to be so surprised and wary of.”

I breathed in the permission that I could continue to touch it casually. The little child’s 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 couldn’t eat anymore because of me, I couldn’t 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 wouldn’t be beating so loudly. I don’t want to get my hands off it. Wanting to keep feeling this warmth, I fiddled with the little child’s 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 don’t know, but knowing that she cared for me and allowed me to touch her casually, made my nervousness go away a bit.

I didn’t 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 didn’t 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. It’s not like we’re 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 didn’t go there often either. Will the little child like it too?

I know it’s a place I shouldn’t 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 Father’s 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.