CH 342

Words : 899 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

Liza Woke Up “Sorry, did we wake you?” “…Mmm…no. Sorry for sleeping first. I was going to wait for you to come back…” “Haha, it’s fine. After all, you’re still not used to everything. It’s no wonder that you’re tired. Besides, you even helped with the medicine.” “Yes, I did my best. Papa…did it turn out well?” “Of course. You were a great help.” “Wuff-wuff.” Lisa must have seen us when her eyes were half open. And so she rubbed her eyes and sat up, even though she still looked sleepy. While I didn’t want her to stay up if she was tired, it was nice to have someone waiting for you. Was this what it was like to be a father…? Apparently, aside from her interest in the medicine, Liza had also wanted to make herself useful. Leo nodded with a gentle expression. “Well, you must still be tired. Why not go to sleep in the bed?” “…No. I want to talk to papa and mama a little longer.” “I’m fine after sleeping a little.” “I see. Well, why don’t you get on the bed then? That way, you can sleep any time while you talk.” “Okay.” She nodded and then moved away from Leo to sit on the bed. It really did seem like she didn’t want to sleep yet. Perhaps she saw being asleep as being away from me and Leo. I wonder if it was related to losing her grandfather… She might also have bad dreams… Or maybe I am overthinking it. I suppose that unless Leo and I appeared in her dreams, it would be like we were separated. That was a childish way of thinking. “So, what do you want to talk about?” “Anything is fine. I just want to talk with you and mama.” “Really? In that case…” If talking with us was that fun, then I would humor her, even if it meant less sleep. Of course, I’m sure Leo wouldn’t let it go for too long. Regardless, this was a good opportunity to discuss certain things. Like what Ms. Claire had asked me about. “Uhh… Do you know about the beastkin rules, Liza?” “Hmm… I don’t!” Apparently, she did not know about the beastkin rules that Sebastian and Ms. Claire had talked about. She had been abandoned in the slums shortly after being born, so I guess there was no one to teach her. Even if the grandfather who raised her wasn’t prejudiced, he probably didn’t know enough about them. “I see. To put it simply, there are rules that beastkin are supposed to follow. And they get mad if you break them. Though, this isn’t the beastkin country, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.” “I see. What makes them angry?” “Well… Like following people that you don’t know well.” “Grandfather told me that. Strangers will try to hurt me. So I should stay away.” “Yes, that’s right. You never know what people are like, so it can be dangerous.” Though, now that I thought about it, Mr. Ekenhart had appeared suddenly and helped her. And then we took her to the orphanage. In a way, she had gone with us, in spite of us being strangers. “Uh… I guess you sort of did that when you followed us… Perhaps it was too sudden.” “I was surprised that anyone who isn’t grandfather would help me… But I know that you and mama are kind!” “I see. Well, good then.” While Liza had been scared of Leo at first, that was because of her appearance. And it was right after she was attacked, so it could not be helped. Still, Liza seemed to have sharp senses or some kind of beastkin ability. And she felt that Leo and I were good people. Regardless, what was the point of these rules anyway? It seemed like she was perfectly capable of observing her surroundings and making decisions… Well, maybe Liza was just special, and other beastkin were different. Perhaps being raised in the slums had made her more cautious of her surroundings. In any case, there wasn’t much I could say, as I didn’t know the beastkin very well. “Also… How do you feel about people touching your ears or tail?” “I see. Now, calm down Leo. I’m sure you understand what that’s like.” “Wou…” I suppose it reminded her of the times she was bullied. After all…the ears and tail was what stuck out the most, and outed you as a beastkin. Upon hearing Liza say this, Leo had stood up as if angry, and so I had to tell her to calm down. It looked like she was ready to charge into the slums in order to find the culprit… That would cause chaos in the city. I was upset too, but not as much as Leo. I suppose I had expected as much. Leo did not look satisfied, but sat back down anyway. “There, there. So I suppose you don’t care to have your ears or tail touched?” I asked while I stretched out a hand to Leo and petted her gently. If that was the case, I would have to tell Ms. Claire. And everyone would be more careful when interacting with her.

CH 342

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