GalaxyTL
Urbano-kun twitched when I called out to him. Yeah, he heard me. He wasn’t trying to lift his face, but I decided it was enough for now.
“Um, my name’s Meg. Is it okay if I… sit next to you?”
Of course, there was no answer. But I could feel it, in the atmosphere, like he was a bit bewildered. Well, you’d be bewildered if a stranger suddenly talked to you. Hmm, is it okay to sit down? As I was observing him, trying to decide, I noticed he was trembling slightly.
“Ah, d-did I scare you? I’m sorry for suddenly talking to you! B-But I just wanted to talk to you, even just a little bit!”
Wh-What should I do!? Even if I said I was a harmless elf, I’m sure it wouldn’t get through. Hmm, hmm, ah, that’s right.
“You see, I’m from Special-grade Guild Ortus. I came to see Father-sama… um, the Demon King, today.”
Maybe he’ll relax a bit if I mention someone he knows? Father-sama’s the Demon King, but I’ve heard he’s a kind, approachable king loved by everyone. And with a nursery school like this within the Demon Castle grounds, I thought he must be well-liked by children too. Then, to my surprise, Urbano-kun reacted to that word and slowly lifted his face.
“The Demon King…? Ah…”
Our eyes met the moment he lifted his face, so I reflexively smiled. A smile is important! Urbano-kun’s staring at me wide-eyed. I can see right through his deep blue eyes, the same color as his hair. They’re sparkling, so beautiful. His eye color was similar to mine, so I somehow felt a sense of closeness to him.
“Yeah, I’m the Demon King’s daughter. I don’t get to come here very often though.”
I answered as I scratched my head, eheh. Sorry, for the Demon King’s daughter being such a tiny child. But still, he’s big, Urbano-kun. His face looks younger than mine, but his body’s huge, almost as big as an adult. It really makes me realize he’s a giant.
“But I’m happy I was able to come here today. It seems like I’ll be able to make a friend!”
When I said that, Urbano-kun crouched down again, hiding his face. Ah, that’s too bad. He had these kind, beautiful eyes. But it can’t be helped. Don’t rush, don’t rush.
“Th-They’re over there… everyone… you should… go there…”
Oh? He spoke! I was prepared for him to not say anything at all, so this is a pleasant surprise. Putting aside what he said!
“Yeah, I’ll go later. You see, I thought I wanted to be friends with you too.”
He basically told me to go away, but I won’t be discouraged by something like this. It’s just that you’ll scare someone off if you push too hard. Finding the right balance is hard. I’m not being too pushy, right? Hmm.
“Me…?”
“Yeah. Is that… not okay…? We just met, so maybe it’s a bit weird?”
It’s natural for him to be troubled, being suddenly asked to be friends. And even more so since I’m a stranger. But how do you even become friends? When I met those twins, Rune and Goot, we just became friends before I knew it, I guess. It was smooth because Rune was so friendly. Hmm.
“Ah! I know, I’ll write you a letter!”
I have a great idea! I exchange letters with Father-sama and Licht, and I promised to exchange letters with Rune and Goot. How about exchanging letters with Urbano-kun too, at first? Maybe he’s better at expressing himself through writing, even if he’s not good at talking.
“I’m not… good at writing…”
Oh, is that so? But he’s still younger than me. It can’t be helped. But since he said “not good,” it doesn’t sound like he can’t write at all.
“What about reading? Is that okay?”
“Y-Yeah… I-I can… read…”
“Then let’s definitely exchange letters! The more you use reading and writing, the better you’ll get at it! It’s fine! You can just write a word or two at first. Okay?”
I pressed the issue, a bit worried that I might be pushing too hard. Because, I mean, I want to get to know him! And I do think it’ll help improve his reading and writing.
“Ah, u…”
Did I stare for too long? Urbano-kun, who had been peeking at me from between his arms, his ears bright red, seemed bewildered. Was I too forceful!? Moderation is hard.
“…I’ll write you a letter, okay? So I’d be happy if you could… send a reply when you feel like it.”
Yeah, this much should be reasonable. It’s too much to demand a response. But I think letters make it easier to organize your thoughts, compared to talking directly. You can think while writing, and I feel like it’s perfect for Urbano-kun right now.
But because I decided everything on my own, I also added that he can tell a teacher if he doesn’t want to receive letters. Because I don’t want to force him to do anything.
“It won’t… be a bother… but…”
“Ehehe, I’m happy to hear that.”
But it seems like it’ll be fine. I hope we can slowly become friends. I was so happy with his positive response that I couldn’t help but smile. And then I said, “See you later,” with a huge smile. Urbano-kun looked at me again, but he froze when our eyes met, so it seems like we have a long road ahead. But we have plenty of time, so I’ll take what I can get!
I then ran back to Kron-san to report. When I told her we were going to exchange letters, her eyes widened and she praised me, saying, “That’s a good idea.” Ufu~.
“And, um… it seems like Urbano-kun’s not good at writing, so…”
“I understand. I’ll ask one of the staff members.”
“! Thank you!”
As expected of the Demon King’s capable right-hand woman! Kron-san, the super maid! Well, she’s not actually a maid. But she’s always wearing a maid uniform. I’m sure it’s her battle attire… It’s fine though, since it seems like she likes it.
“It’s my pleasure. I never imagined you’d be able to get him to talk that much.”
She muttered this as she gently stroked my head, saying, “Cuteness is justice.” Hmm? Cuteness is justice, but is she talking about me? But I’m glad if my appearance helped to lessen Urbano-kun’s wariness! I have such a harmless face. Like there’s no intensity. I wonder if that’s okay, as the Demon King’s daughter.
“Um, do you have any plans after this?”
“No, nothing in particular. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Though it’ll have to be within the grounds…”
I think that concludes the favor Kron-san asked of me, so I asked about her plans. Dad and Father-sama are probably still talking, and if we have time, I thought we could continue with “Operation Make More Friends”!
“Um, I’d like to… talk to the other kids in the nursery. Are there any… other kids my age?”
When I looked around, I had the impression that most of them were older than me. But I don’t think the age gap’s that big. It’s hard to tell by appearance. But they’re all kids because they’re here, that’s for sure. I want child friends! Ronny’s an adult now, so I feel so left behind!
“Of course. Please talk to them. The children outside are the older ones, but there are children inside who are the same age as you, Meg-sama, and even younger children. And you’re famous, Meg-sama. I’m sure they’ll be happy.”
“Famous?”
When I tilted my head, wondering what she meant, Kron-san told me this shocking truth.
“Yes. Zahariash-sama’s always bragging about you, Meg-sama. About how cute and kind you are. Your popularity around Demon Castle is off the charts.”
Father-sama, what are you doing!? Wait, wait, isn’t it a bit scary to have people know about me, without me even knowing? And it seems like I’ve been heavily embellished. I-I can’t do anything stupid now. Not that I was planning on it, b-but it’s making me nervous!
And that’s probably why Urbano-kun acted so strange when he realized I’m the Demon King’s daughter… Father-sama, I’m happy about your love, but please tone it down!
“Um… okay. Then I’ll go…”
I’m aware that I’m making a strange expression. That’s why Kron-san chuckled again. I do want to see her smile, but it feels… wrong, somehow. It’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll give up.
And so we headed inside the nursery school, but as expected, we were surrounded every few steps, which was tough. I’m happy, you know? I’m happy, but it’s also difficult. We might have been there until nightfall if Kron-san hadn’t sternly told them to move aside, clearing the way!
I was able to talk to various children, but I feel so bad because they were all looking at me with sparkling, admiring gazes. I-I’m not that amazing! Even the toddlers, still struggling with words, were saying things like, “Meg-shama sho pwetty.” They were cute, but it also put a lot of pressure on me. And they were all using honorifics.
It seems like making friends near Demon Castle’s going to be a difficult task. Everyone around here is a demon, after all. They’re all demi-humans, but they’re a race that worships the Demon King, so it can’t be helped. They look up to me, but it’s different from the feelings you have towards a friend.
“Making friends is… hard, huh…”
I unintentionally muttered this, dejected, as we left the nursery school. Sniff.