Raiden Ei: ( 〟 -_ ・ ) ﾝ?
Raiden Ei was at a loss for words. What was up with this kid? Wasn't she fine just a moment ago? Why did she start crying the moment she saw her? Was she really that scary?
Being stared at by those tear-filled eyes, the calm and indifferent expression on her face was starting to waver; it felt as if she had been the one to bully the child.
She really had no experience dealing with such small children. She used to be a homebody, so how could she have ever handled a situation like this? Now, she just had to bite the bullet and deal with it.
However, this little one was truly adorable—so small, pink, and tender. She had liked her at first sight. It was just that her eyes were full of tears now, making her look a bit pitiful. It would be even better if she could stop crying.
Facing the little girl not far away, Raiden Ei softened her expression, revealed a small smile, and lowered her voice to say to her:
"Little one, don't be afraid. Big sister is not a bad person. The bad guys have already run away, so rest assured! It's safe here."
Raiden Ei was genuinely afraid that this little one would burst into tears the moment she heard her speak! She truly wouldn't know how to coax her if that happened, and she couldn't exactly reason with such a young girl.
Fortunately, the pink-haired little girl didn't cry immediately, though the tears in her eyes were still on the verge of falling. Her gaze remained fixed on Raiden Ei, as if she were terrified that she might disappear.
As if sensing Raiden Ei's goodwill, the pink-haired little girl revealed herself from behind the door and ran toward her on her short little legs.
Mei! Mei!
Seeing this, Raiden Ei quickly strode toward the little girl and crouched halfway down in front of her! She reached out to steady the girl, who was walking unsteadily, and ended up having her throw herself directly into her arms.
Raiden Ei thought to herself: This kid is quite bold. Under these circumstances, she isn't even a little bit shy. But what should I do now!
Feeling the little girl's soft body leaning against her, the scent unique to small children surrounded her.
Raiden Ei looked down at the little girl in her arms. Her eyes were still moist, and feeling her gaze, the girl also looked up at her.
Seeing this, Raiden Ei asked in a low voice: "Little one! Can you understand what I'm saying?"
The little girl's watery eyes blinked, and she nodded at Raiden Ei in a daze. In a childish, slurred voice, she spoke in a babyish tone: "I... I can understand!"
Raiden Ei smoothed out the little girl's slightly messy hair with her hand. Listening to that babyish voice, she praised her: "Oh! That's wonderful. Big sister's name is Ei, you can call me Big Sister Ei. Rest assured! No one can bully you now..."
Hearing Raiden Ei's introduction, the little girl stared blankly at her face, her eyes unblinking, as if she were puzzled by something.
Wasn't she Mei?
Then why did she look so much like Mei?
Raiden Ei continued: "Little one, why are you here all by yourself? Where are your Mama and Papa?"
Although she felt it wasn't appropriate to ask this now, she still wanted to figure out the situation here first so she could make plans for what to do next. She couldn't just leave this little girl here alone!
The little girl in Raiden Ei's arms didn't burst into tears as she had imagined upon hearing her question. Instead, she just lowered her head and answered her as she had before: "I don't have a Mama or Papa!"
Raiden Ei didn't think she could keep crouching here to talk to the little girl, so she picked her up from the ground and sat her on her arm before asking: "Is that so! Then what is this place, do you know, little one?"
Being suddenly picked up from the ground like that, the little girl was clearly not very used to it. Her little hands grabbed Raiden Ei's clothes, and her gaze toward Raiden Ei held a bit more embarrassment and indignation.
Seeing that the little girl didn't answer her, Raiden Ei didn't mind. She reached out and pinched her soft, pink cheek, smiling as she said: "Hehe, what's wrong, little one? Why aren't you talking to Big Sister?"
The little girl held Raiden Ei's reaching hand with both of hers to stop her from continuing to pinch her little face, then said in a babyish voice: "This is the Star Orphanage, and I live here."
It took Raiden Ei several times of thinking it over in her head to understand the little girl's slurred words. She didn't know how old this tiny little thing was, as she couldn't even speak clearly yet. But did such an Orphanage exist in the anime?
"Then are there many other little ones here? Were they all taken away by the bad guys?"
At this, the little girl looked a bit dejected. The tears that had just subsided suddenly welled up in her eyes again, and she said in a muffled voice: "They were taken away by the bad guys last night!"
Raiden Ei quickly wiped away the tears welling up, saying apologetically: "Sorry, sorry! You must have been scared, right!"
The little girl just stared fixedly at Raiden Ei, as if wanting her to take charge for her.
Seeing that the little girl was so well-behaved and wasn't crying or making a fuss, but only looking at her with tear-filled eyes, she couldn't quite understand that look. So, she curiously asked: "Little one, is there something you need?"
The little girl nodded. The tears in her eyes had already been wiped away, leaving only a pair of moist eyes. She said to Raiden Ei: "Big Sister Ei, you must be very strong, right? Can you help me save the people from the Orphanage from the bad guys?"
Raiden Ei looked at this little one in surprise. How old was she? To think she could come up with this—this little one was no ordinary child!
She had assumed the little one was able to escape the Pirate Crew's raid because the adults here had hidden her, which was why the looting pirates hadn't discovered her.
Now it seemed it wasn't entirely the adults' credit; this little one was also very smart and obedient. If it had been an ordinary child, they would have certainly cried at that time.
You have to realize that the little one still slurred her words, yet she was able to clearly and logically ask her for help. This wasn't something just any ordinary genius could do.
She curiously asked: "Oh! How old are you this year, little one? Can you introduce yourself?"
The little girl didn't answer right away. Instead, she shook Raiden Ei's arm, using a babyish voice to act spoiled and plead: "Promise me, and I'll tell you. Will you, will you?"
With Raiden Ei's current constitution, the little bit of strength the little girl used certainly couldn't shake her arm; she was just moving along with the little girl's force.
Seeing this little one with the attitude of "If you don't promise me, I won't let go," Raiden Ei just found her so adorable. She smiled and said: "Alright, alright, I promise you."
Actually, this was nothing. Given her current strength, she was basically in a position of crushing dominance in low-to-mid-tier engagements. It was just a small Pirate Crew, which she could wipe out with a flick of her hand.
It was just that she didn't know where they were yet, and it would take some time to search for them. However, they had just finished looting, so they shouldn't have gotten very far.
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