"Hey, what have you been up to tely?"

  "Tried to make some money, but failed."

  "Hmm."

  It's been almost a week since I transfared to this other world.

  If this were a dream, I would have woken up long ago. But I've already accepted this world as reality. Amidst my busyness, I ended up ing her, which made her upset. Those words came from Nel.

  Hearing that, I couldn't help but recall the results of the past three days, and I felt a bit mencholic.

  "There, there. Even your dad gets down sometimes when his business doesn't go well, but your mom always cheers him up like this."

  "Nel, you're so kind."

  Her small hand reached over the bandana aly patted my head.

  Being forted by a little girl like this—if I were in my inal body, it might have been mistaken for a crime. But since I'm in a child's body now, it's fine.

  "So, what did you do to try to make money?"

  While still patting my head, she seemed curious about what I had been up to.

  "Well, there was something I wanted, so I went to the southern hills to hunt some Mochi."

  I found myself feeling forted by her, so I went ahead and told her about what had happened over the past three days.

  How I mao defeat the Mochi, the jouro get there, and how long it took.

  After I finished expining all that...

  "That's not fair!"

  Nel's hand suddenly stopped, and even though she had been quietly listening just moments ago, she puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

  Huh? Why is she upset now?

  "Liberta, it's not fair that you get to go outside. I want to go out too!"

  "Ah, I see."

  I'm an orphan, while Nel is the daughter of a mert who runs a shop.

  Since I have no parents to worry about me, I take responsibility for myself. But Nel, who has parents who care for her, has a more limited range of activities.

  "I want to go outside too!"

  "Well, I 't just take you out on my own."

  "I want to go!"

  Nel isn't mature enough to uand that kind of reasoni.

  This isn't about logic—it's purely emotional. She must have gotten jealous after hearing about my adventures outside.

  The small hand that had been on my head now grabbed onto my clothes, tugging insistently.

  "Hmm..."

  "I want to go!"

  "Let's at least talk to your parents about it."

  "...Talk to them?"

  But I 't just take her out on a whim. The proper thing to do is to get permission first.

  I took Nel's hand and knocked on the back door.

  Sinel is here, I 't just barge in.

  Her mother, notig the noise, opehe door.

  "Oh, what's wrong? Dinner isn't ready yet."

  "It's not that. Actually..."

  This is the kind of thing you o get a parent's permission for. If Nel expi herself, she'd probably just blurt out that she wants to go outside without thinking, so I tried to expin her wish in a more orderly way.

  "The outside is dangerous. Of course, you 't go."

  Yeah, I figured.

  That's a perfectly reasonable response from a parent. It's only natural for her to say no to the idea of a little girl and a sy boy going out alone. She looked straight at Nel as she said it.

  If Nel would just give up now, this would be easy to resolve.

  "But Liberta goes outside every day!"

  "Liberta is a boy, and he carries a on. You're a girl. There are not only monsters outside but also kidnappers. If you were caught by bad people, you might never e home."

  It's only natural for Nel, who 't trol her desires, to csh with her mother's logic. Since I've already set a pret by going outside, she used me as an example, but that's not enough to break through her mother's reasoning.

  It's dangerous, so no.

  Kids might not uand how dangerous something is until they experie, but adults grasp the risks through information.

  And what Nel is saying is just selfish.

  She wants to go outside just to see it, even though it's dangerous. Of course, her parents would stop her.

  ried tue with her emotions, but none of it got through to her mother.

  "Hmph!"

  "Hey, don't look at me like it's my job to fix this."

  Trying to push emotions ic is an impossible task. But if I just shut her down here, Nel's mood will go from bad to worse.

  I felt a little bad seeing her on the verge of tears, but when I looked at her mother, she was frowning, clearly troubled.

  "There might be... a way."

  "Really!?"

  "But it's not something I do."

  I didn't want to trouble her mother either. But if there's a way to make Nel happy without making her sad, I had to suggest it.

  "Um, Nel's mom..."

  "Ah, e to think of it, we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet. I thought we had, but I guess not. My name is Teresa. You call me Teresa."

  "Ah, yes, Teresa."

  "So? Do you have a way to vince me?"

  "If we're just talking about the result, then yes."

  "Oh? Let's hear it then."

  What's with the women in this town? They're all s-willed. The female barber, the giantess who runs the on shop, and now Nel's mom, Teresa—they're all so assertive.

  Please don't give off the aura of a champion sizing up a challenger.

  And Nel, stop looking at me with those expet eyes.

  "Teresa, you said Nel 't go outside because it's dangerous, right? Is that the only issue?"

  "...Well, no. She helps out at the shop and studies, so it's not like she's ing her responsibilities."

  "Then how about hiring an adveo escort her?"

  The idea of hiring an adveo escort a child who isn't even a noble's daughter might be a bit too out there, right?

  "Hiring an adventurer... Well, that might make it safe enough to go to the hills, but where would we get the money for that? We 't just spend money on a child's whims."

  But Teresa didn't ht reject the idea.

  That was the opening I needed.

  "I have the money!!"

  I had inally po have Nel use her charm to vince her father, but she uedly took matters into her own hands.

  She ran past me, then past Teresa, and headed upstairs.

  "Uh, um..."

  "Sigh, my daughter is causing you trouble, isn't she?"

  "N-no, not at all. I'm grateful for her pany."

  With the main person gone, an awkward silence filled the air.

  As I was w what to do, Teresa apologized first.

  "From your perspective, you're just trying to survive, right? And here we are, getting in your way."

  "No, really, it's no trouble at all. Talking with Nel helps me refle things."

  "Is that so? I know I might be overprotective, but we beastfolk aren't in the best position in this try. Thanks to my husband, we get along well with the neighbors, but there are plenty of bad people out there. I don't want my daughter to have to gh that."

  "Teresa..."

  I've never been married, so I don't fully uand her worries. But I could tell that Teresa truly cares for Nel, which is why she's so firmly against this.

  "Well, I brought it!!"

  Just as I was about to firm if I had overstepped by suggesting a promise, Nel returned.

  In her hands was a cute pink piggy bank.

  Wait, do piggy ba in this world?

  And it's the kind you have to break to get the money out.

  "Here!! we hire an adventurer with this?"

  She thrust it in front of me.

  "Well, I don't know how much is inside, so I 't say for sure... But are you sure you use this money?"

  These kinds of piggy banks are usually for saving up for something important, like wedding funds or future dreams.

  "It's money I've been saving to open my own shop someday!"

  "You 't use that!!"

  As expected, that money was off-limits.

  "That's right, Nel. You should keep that. It's for emergencies, not for something like this."

  "But, but..."

  I couldn't help but interject, but what else could I do?

  Even though we haven't known each other long, I've often heard Nel ily decre that she wants to be a mert.

  She's throwing a tantrum, but she seems to uand how important this money is, as she's starting to show a bit of internal flict.

  "My, my, I thought I heard some noise in the back. What's going on?"

  Then the shopkeeper appeared.

  Perfect timing.

  "Dear, actually..."

  Holy, if I could step up here and decre that I'll proteel like a true protagonist, that would be great. But with my cloth clothes and bamboo spear, I'm just a sy kid who 't even protect himself.

  There's no way anyone would believe me if I made such a grand cim.

  So, hoping to shift the versation, I looked at the shopkeeper.

  "Hmm, you want to go outside, huh?"

  "Dad, I?"

  "Uh, um..."

  And now she's using teary eyes and a pleading look!?

  Nel, you're terrifying!?

  "Well, if we hire an adventurer, it should be safe enough to go to the hills. Gaining some travel experience wouldn't be a bad thing, ow!?"

  He was trying to justify Nel's request, but Teresa promptly pinched his side.

  "You."

  Yep, Teresa is defihe boss of this household.

  "Ouch, but Nel rarely asks for anything. And it wouldn't be a bad thing for her to broaden her horizons if she wants to be a mert. Letting her gain some travel experience would be good for her. Luckily, I know a trustworthy adventurer."

  "Sigh, no alcohol for a week."

  "What!?"

  "If you don't like it, then fet it. Holy, I'd like to cut you off for a month."

  "Dad..."

  And so, the father's desire to grant his daughter's wish mao squeeze out some reasonable logid the tide turned pletely in Nel's favor.

  I feel a bit bad for the shopkeeper, but there's nothing I do about it.

  "Alright, fine."

  "Really!? I go!?"

  "Yes, but you have to treat this as a learning experienot just a fun trip."

  "Okay! I'll do my best! Thank you, Dad!"

  "Haha, it's nothing. It's my beloved daughter's request, after all."

  I watched, believing that Nel's smile was healing her father's heart, when...

  Nel g me and gave a peace sign.

  And Teresa let out a big sigh.

  Wait, was all of this part of her pn!?

  Nel, you're terrifying!?

  I have no idea what kind of mert she'll bee iure, but she's definitely showing some promising signs.

  "Dad, when we go? Tomorrow?"

  "Hmm, I'll have to ask my acquaintance, but it probably won't be tomorrow. At the earliest, we might be able to go in two days. Nel, I'll teach you how to prepare for the trip ter, so get ready."

  "...Okay."

  There's a calcuted edge to her childish behavior.

  Only I and Teresa, who saw it, uand how scary that is.

  At least Nel's mood didn't turn sour, so I'll t that as a win.

  "Liberta, you should get ready for the trip too."

  "Wait, is he ing too?"

  "Is that a problem?"

  "Uh, um, well... I guess it's fine. You two seem to get along."

  It's hat she invited me orip, but the shopkeeper's expression made it clear how flicted he felt as a father.

  Well, at least Nel's mood didn't turn sour.

  "Liberta."

  "Yes, what is it?"

  "Please, please take good care of my daughter."

  This might have made my retionship with the shopkeeper a bit awkward.

  The shopkeeper is way strohan me.

  He's also much bigger.

  So when he walked up to me, pced his hands on my shoulders, and gave me a intimidating smile, it was clearly a warning.

  He said "please" twice, so it must be really important to him.

  "Ah, yes."

  It's only natural to cave uhat pressure.

  "What are you saying to the kid!?"

  "Ow!?"

  When I nodded obediently, Teresa spped the shopkeeper's head with her palm.

  "But..."

  "No buts! The shop's been open for a while nht? We o send a letter to the adveoo. e o back to work."

  "Ugh, my wife is reliable, but she's a bit strict, huh? You'll end up like this too someday."

  As he left, he gave me a glimpse of my future, and I watched his slightly hunched back as he walked away.

  That day, I spent time with Nel, and the day, I went out aloo hunt Mochi. But my luck with drops was terrible, and as I returned, feelied...

  "Libertaaa!"

  I was greeted by Nel, g in front of the stable, with a troubled-looking Teresa by her side.