(Yuuta POV)
Our secret mission continued without any major problems until Elena suddenly stopped in front of a small bakery.
More specifically, a bakery selling freshly baked cross buns.
The sweet smell of warm bread drifted through the street, and several golden-brown buns were neatly arranged behind the glass display. Elena stood in front of them, her little shopping bag hanging from one hand as she stared at the delicious treats.
Her mouth slowly opened.
And then...
A tiny trail of drool appeared at the corner of her lips.
Oh, dear.
I knew that expression.
From our hiding spot behind a nearby utility pole, I watched my daughter stare at the buns as though she'd just discovered the greatest treasure in the world. Her little eyes followed every movement of the shopkeeper's hands as the woman arranged another tray of freshly baked buns.
"Elena, focus on the mission," I whispered desperately. "Remember why you're here. Papa will buy you all the buns you want later, okay? Just get the chicken first."
Unfortunately, my daughter couldn't hear a single word.
Beside me, Erza stood with her arms folded, watching the scene through her ridiculous pink cat mask. Meanwhile, I was leaning so far around the pole that she eventually grabbed my jacket and pulled me back before anyone noticed.
"Stop leaning out like that," she muttered.
"But look at her! She's practically drowning in her own saliva!"
"Then perhaps you should have fed her properly before sending her outside."
"She was supposed to be buying ingredients for breakfast!"
Before Erza could respond, the elderly woman running the bakery finally noticed the tiny customer standing in front of her display.
"Oh, my! What a cute little girl!"
The woman leaned forward slightly, smiling warmly at Elena.
"Hello there, sweetheart. Are you here all alone?"
Elena didn't answer.
Her attention was still completely occupied by the cross buns.
The old woman followed her gaze and chuckled when she realized what had captured the little girl's interest.
"Oh, I see. Do you want to eat one of these?"
Elena immediately nodded.
"Yes! Old human, Elena want to eat!"
I nearly choked behind the pole.
Old human?!
"Elena!" I whispered in horror. "You can't call people that!"
Fortunately, the shopkeeper didn't seem offended. Instead, she burst into a delighted laugh.
"Oh, goodness! What an adorable little thing you are!"
She picked up a freshly baked cross bun and held it out.
"Here you go, sweetheart."
Elena's eyes widened with excitement. She eagerly reached toward the bun, but just before her little fingers could touch it, she suddenly stopped.
Her expression changed.
"Ah..."
The old woman tilted her head. "What's wrong, dear?"
Elena slowly lowered her hand and looked at the shopping bag she was carrying. Her lips trembled slightly as she remembered something important.
"Elena... Elena don't have money."
"Oh?"
"Papa said..." She sniffled, looking between the bun and her bag. "Papa said money only for chicken."
Her little shoulders drooped, and tears began gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"Elena can't buy..."
Oh, no.
Not that face.
I knew that face.
That was the face that could make me surrender my entire wallet without a second thought.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one vulnerable to it.
"Awww! Look at her!"
One of the women waiting near the bakery immediately covered her mouth.
"She's so adorable!"
"Poor little thing. She wants a bun but doesn't have enough money!"
Another customer stepped forward.
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll buy one for you."
"No, no! Let me buy it!"
"She's just a child. Here, I'll get her two!"
"Then I'll buy her some too!"
Within seconds, several customers had gathered around Elena, each offering to buy her something. The little girl stood in the middle of them, looking completely bewildered by the sudden attention.
Even the old shopkeeper couldn't stop smiling.
"My, my! Look at that. You're quite a popular little girl, aren't you?"
Elena blinked at the people surrounding her.
Then she looked at the buns being offered to her.
Her eyes sparkled.
"Really? For Elena?"
"Of course, sweetheart!"
"Thank you!"
The old woman gently patted her head.
"What a good little girl. Your parents must be very proud of you."
Elena hugged her shopping bag and smiled so brightly that I could practically feel my heart melting from across the street.
"Humans are so kind!"
The customers laughed again, apparently finding her unusual way of speaking even more adorable.
Meanwhile, behind the utility pole, I was experiencing something that could only be described as an overwhelming attack of fatherly pride.
I covered my mouth with both hands.
"Oh my God, Erza. Did you see that?"
"Yes, Yuuta."
"She's so cute! I can't believe it! She actually got free cross buns!"
"Lower your voice."
"Look at her little face! Look at that smile!" I whispered excitedly. "She totally takes after me. That's definitely my face!"
Erza slowly turned toward me.
"...Your face?"
"Obviously."
"Stop dreaming."
I blinked. "Huh?"
Erza pointed toward Elena, who was now carefully accepting another bun from a delighted customer.
"She has my face, Yuuta. My hair color, my features, and even my eyes, except for the color. Where exactly do you see yourself?"
"Well..."
I looked at Elena.
White hair.
Little horns.
Red eyes.
A face so beautiful that strangers were practically competing to give her free food.
Then I thought about my own face.
"...Her smile?"
"That's not how resemblance works."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I waved my hand dismissively. "She's still cute, and that's what matters."
Erza sighed at my answer, but when I glanced toward her, I noticed something interesting.
She was smiling.
It was only a small smile, barely visible beneath the edge of her pink cat mask, but I could tell she was enjoying herself. For all her complaints about my overprotectiveness, she seemed just as happy as I was to see our daughter being treated so kindly.
I decided not to point it out.
Some things were better left unspoken, especially when your wife could destroy the planet.
By the time Elena finally left the bakery, her little shopping bag was already half-filled with cross buns. She had thanked everyone several times before waving goodbye to the old shopkeeper, who watched her leave with a fond smile.
"Bye-bye, old human!"
"Goodbye, sweetheart! Come again!"
I watched Elena happily skip away, clutching her bag as though she'd just returned from a successful treasure hunt.
"...Erza."
"What?"
"She went out to buy chicken."
"I know."
"And somehow she got half a bag of free bread."
"I can see that."
I slowly nodded, feeling strangely impressed.
"At this rate, we should send her grocery shopping every day."
Erza immediately struck the back of my head.
"Ouch! I was joking!"
"Then stop having stupid ideas."
Rubbing my head, I hurried after her as we resumed following Elena from a safe distance. Fortunately, our daughter seemed to have remembered her original mission, because she continued down the street without stopping at any more shops.
A few minutes later, she finally arrived at her destination.
The chicken shop.
The chicken shop was a familiar place to me. I'd been buying meat from the same butcher for years, so naturally, the man knew me quite well. He even knew about my writing career, since we'd occasionally chatted about my novels whenever I stopped by to buy groceries.
Which meant that if Elena mentioned my name, he'd probably recognize her immediately.
Well, that was reassuring. At least there was someone familiar nearby if anything went wrong.
Elena approached the shop with her little shopping bag swinging from one hand. Meanwhile, Erza and I quietly positioned ourselves behind a nearby pole, maintaining what I considered a perfectly reasonable surveillance distance.
"Excuse me, human uncle!"
Elena's adorable voice rang through the shop.
The butcher, a large middle-aged man wearing a bloodstained apron, was busy cutting chicken on a wooden chopping board. He raised his head when he heard her voice, but just as he turned around, his knife struck the meat with a loud chop.
Splatter!
A few drops of blood splashed across his cheek and forehead.
Oh, damn.
Even I flinched at the sight.
The man was already intimidating enough with his muscular arms, thick beard, and enormous butcher's knife. Now, with blood covering part of his face, he looked less like someone selling chicken and more like a murderer who'd just finished disposing of evidence.
I immediately became nervous.
Elena, don't get scared. It's just chicken blood. Papa knows this uncle. He's a good person, okay?
However, my daughter didn't scream.
She didn't cry.
She didn't even take a step backward.
Instead, Elena simply tilted her head and pointed at the man's face.
"Uncle, you got blood on face."
The butcher blinked before touching his cheek. When he noticed the blood on his fingers, he let out an embarrassed chuckle.
"Oh, my! You're right, little one. I really should be more careful when cutting meat."
He grabbed a nearby towel and wiped his face before looking down at Elena again. For some reason, he seemed rather amused by how calmly she was standing in front of him.
"Hey, little one. Aren't you scared of me?"
Elena blinked.
"Scared? Why, human uncle?"
The butcher smiled and casually raised his knife, gesturing toward the pieces of meat on his chopping board.
"Well, look at me. I'm a big, scary man who cuts things apart all day. Don't you think I look like a monster?"
He was obviously teasing her.
Judging by his grin, he probably expected Elena to become frightened or at least hide her face. After all, most children her age would be terrified of a huge man holding a butcher's knife, especially after seeing blood splatter across his face.
Unfortunately for him...
He had absolutely no idea whose daughter he was talking to.
Elena stared at him for a moment before shaking her little head.
"No, uncle."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes! My mama much scarier!"
I froze behind the pole.
Elena?
The butcher laughed.
"Your mama? Hahaha! Is your mother really that scary?"
Elena nodded enthusiastically, apparently delighted that someone had asked about her mother.
"Yes! One time, Mama ripped human spine out of back just because she was annoyed!"
CLANG!
The butcher's knife slipped from his hand and struck the floor.
The entire shop fell silent.
A woman who had been waiting for her order slowly turned toward Elena. Another customer stopped counting his money, while the butcher stood completely motionless, staring at the adorable little girl in front of him.
Elena, meanwhile, continued smiling innocently, her little white hair swaying as she tilted her head.
She clearly had no idea what she'd just said.
Behind the pole, I slowly covered my face with both hands.
Shit, Elena.
To be continued...