‘Alright. What story should I start with?’

I pondered and pondered.

If she were an ordinary child, I would have told her the story of Snow White with her honey-coated poisoned apple and the seven dwarfs, or the cruel tale of Hansel and Gretel, who outwitted their stepmother and stepsister with the help of talking animals.

But this girl had asked us to tell her about ‘our’ adventures.

So that’s what I had to do.

But I couldn't just bore her with stories of my daily life.

‘Well, I guess any story will do.’

“The story of when I first went to the Bares family….”

“Boring. Tell me something else.”

“....I haven’t even started yet.”

“I can tell it'll be boring even without hearing it. Tell me something else.”

“....”

‘What kind of girl is this?’

I was speechless.

Seeing my dumbfounded expression, the girl started to fidget again.

“S-sorry. Are you mad that I interrupted?”

“No, not at all.”

To be honest, I was a little annoyed, but I couldn't stay mad after her apology.

‘Let’s see. What kind of story should I tell her?’

She didn’t seem interested in hearing about the Bares family.

I couldn’t think of anything else.

My gaze shifted.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Kyle, with pebbles still stuck in his orifices, was looking at me desperately.

It seemed like this little sister enthusiast had plenty of stories to tell.

However, I couldn't risk leaving him unsupervised, who knew what he might do.

I swiftly took off Kyle’s jacket and tied his hands together. Only then did I remove the stones from his mouth and nose.

“You bastard!”

Kyle lunged at me, but with his hands bound, he couldn't reach my collar.

I smirked at him and tilted my head.

“It seems the thief doth protest too much. Lever, what should we do with him?”

I left the decision of how to punish this dangerous individual to Lever.

Lever, who had been staring at Kyle, finally spoke.

“He doesn’t seem like a bad brother.”

“Cough! Cough!”

Although Lever’s tone implied that she wouldn’t punish Kyle, he collapsed, coughing up blood as if his heart had been severely damaged.

‘No, Lever, you're wrong. This guy is really dangerous.’

“Such a cute, kind, and wise girl, just like my little sister….”

“Hey, get a grip!”

Slap, slap.

I slapped Kyle’s cheeks, trying to wake him up, but he didn't budge, even as blood splattered everywhere.

‘Ugh, what a useless guy.’

It seemed like I had no choice but to tell the story myself.

“Well, it might not be that interesting, but I’ll tell you a story.”

“Okay.”

As I began, Lever sat down on the ground outside the cell, her ears perked up, ready to listen.

She was quite cute, but something about her reminded me of Fron, which helped me maintain my composure, unlike Kyle.

If she had resembled Luna, my heart might have stopped.

Anyway.

“I’ll tell you about my school days.”

“Wow.”

Lever clapped her hands softly.

It was a somewhat dull reaction, but her eyes seemed to sparkle with anticipation.

Telling a story to a child wasn’t so bad.

Feeling a strange sense of novelty, I continued my story.

“It was about eight years ago, I think. It was when I was a first-year student.”

“….?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“But big brother, you’re a first-year student now.”

“....I hate smart kids.”

I had planned to tell her about my school days in the modern world since Sytan’s story was a bit too brutal.

But wait a minute.

How did Lever know I was a first-year student in Sytan’s time? I was sure I hadn’t told her.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Lever suddenly stood up.

“Sorry, I have to go. It’s a shame, but you’ll have to tell me the rest next time.”

“Ah, okay. See you.”

As Lever walked away, I heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside the cell.

It was Fron.

“Lady Fron?”

“Well, well. You seem to be in good spirits.”

Fron smiled coldly at me. I chuckled lightly and replied,

“Yes, well. I just met a rather charming young lady.”

“A young lady?”

“Yes, a girl who looks a lot like you. She ran off in the direction you came from.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t seen anyone. Anyway, just take your meal.”

Fron brushed off my words with a dismissive wave of her hand, offering me a loaf of bread.

‘Wait, what about the meal?’

“But a girl just brought us food….”

“What are you talking about? I’m the only one who can authorize meals for you.”

“Really?”

I blinked in confusion.

Lever had definitely brought us food….

I turned my head, looking back to where Lever had placed the tray.

But there was nothing there.

Only the empty floor remained.

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