Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

The little boy ran out of the building as fast as he could. He ran towards a young man walking not too far away and clung to his departing uncle’s leg from behind.

“Whoa! Be careful!”

Kairen staggered, about to fall down from the heavy thing that suddenly got attached to his leg.

Where did the kid learn to do such a thing? Kid, I’m not your dad! He had a nice body unlike me I will break if you do the things you did to him with me!

The performance had ended just a few minutes ago. The kids were allowed to leave early today so that they could go home with their parents. Kairen was just about to leave the building to wait outside for Ariyan to come when the kid flew to him instead.

“Ariyan!”

Kairen held onto the wall to stop his fall while nagging internally. He then grabbed the kid by his clothes and pulled him back, separating him from his leg.

“Don’t do this again! You might fall really hard next time and get hurt!”

.....

‘And you might accidentally break your uncle’s bones.’

The kid obediently let go of Kairen’s pants and stood aside.

“Uh...”

He gave Kairen a small nod with a look of understanding. But then he approached Kairen again and grabbed his pants for the second time.

“Uncle, are you mad?”

Kairen answered with a scolding tone.

“You do any kind of dangerous things, then ask if I’m mad, huh?”

“No. Not that!”

Ariyan mumbled as he hugged Kairen again.

“About the theater...”

“...”

Kairen closed his mouth.

“Is uncle mad that I didn’t tell him?”

Ariyan said, raising his lowered head slowly and then staring at Kairen’s eyes with his own big, round, dark gray eyes.

“...Not specifically mad...”

Kairen barely held himself back from closing his eyes and looking away from the kid’s puppy-eyes attack.

‘Gah! That was too much!’

The cute face of the kid got him off guard.

In the past few weeks of living together with the kid, Kairen had realized that he was weak to this kind of expression Ariyan would make from time to time. It was just... Too cute, too adorable, too lovable! How could he not be weak to it? It was too much! Kairen hadn’t realized how cute the kid was when he was living with Kain and Alessia. Were the two of them the previous victims of the kid’s ruthless attacks? Poor them!

And Ariyan, as a smart kid, had long found his uncle’s weakness. That must not have been hard to understand as it was likely that he had experienced such things with his parents before.

Knowing about the impact of the puppy-eyes attack on Kairen, the kid managed to use the technique well and gain a giant amount of snacks for himself.

Seeing that his ultimate attack didn’t work on Kairen this time, Ariyan smacked his lips and went back to hugging Kairen with his head on the older man’s leg.

Pat Pat

Kairen put his hand on the kid’s head.

“So? Why didn’t I know about this theater of yours?”

“T-that...”

Ariyan mumbled.

“But uncle is always busy... I thought you wouldn’t have come even if I told you.”

“...”

Kairen was at a loss for words.

“Still, you should’ve told me. I would try to come even if I was busy.”

“No.”

Ariyan shook his head.

“Uncle doesn’t need to come. Ariyan won’t ask uncle for such things!”

They were currently standing in front of the kindergarten’s building. The place was crowded with kids and their parents moving around, going to their homes while happily cheering on their little kids. In the meantime, there stood a man with a kid hugging his leg seemingly having a serious conversation. Kairen was feeling a lot of gaze on himself at the moment. He really wanted to leave this place and continue his conversation with Ariyan somewhere else.

“Why is that?”

But instead of running away, he bent his back and lowered his body, and whispered to the kid.

“Because...”

Ariyan also lowered his voice.

“Uh... Because...”

Kairen looked at the kid that was having difficulty talking his mind and wondered what he was about to say. He patted Ariyan’s head and talked in the softest voice one could have while wearing a smile.

“Yes?”

Ariyan peeked at Kairen’s face before averting his gaze.

“If... If uncle gets too tired... then he will not come home too...”

Mumbled the kid in an almost unhearable voice.

“....”

Kairen’s hand, patting the kid’s head, froze in one place. The smile he had on his face was gone in a second and his face was now pale and blank.

“What?”

That was the only word he could utter.

“What? Ariyan? Who told you such a thing?”

Kneeling down right in front of the kid, Kairen grabbed Ariyan’s shoulders with a firm grasp.

“Where did you get such a thought from?”

“Who said I would do such a thing? Huh?”

“N-no one!”

Ariyan’s eyes widened from shock and a little bit of fear from his uncle’s sudden unexpected reaction.

“How could you think that I’ll leave you?”

Kairen stared at the kid’s face.

‘Am I that unreliable even to a kid like you?’

Kairen didn’t say that part out loud.

“B-but...”

Long have let go of his uncle’s pants, Ariyan started to fidget with his fingers.

“But mama and papa...”

His voice sank down.

“Ariyan was a bad boy. The teacher said if you don’t listen to your parents then you are a bad kid. Thes she said that if you are a bad kid, people will run away from you. Then mama and papa too-”

“Ariyan!”

Kairen stopped the kid from continuing.

“What are you talking about?”

He didn’t care about the people’s gazes anymore.

“How can you think like that about your mom and dad?”

How in the world did such a thing even cross this kid’s mind.

“I’ve told you before. All your parents did was for you! Don’t you get it? How could you think that those two abandoned you, huh? They fought until the end only for you, stupid kid.”

“Uncle I-”

.....

“Why would you think about such things, huh? Why would such silly thoughts even cross your mind, huh?”

Kairen shook the kid’s body while also being careful not to use too much force and not to hurt the kid.

“Don’t you trust your parents? Don’t you trust your uncle?”

“I-I do!”

Ariyan, still shocked and anxious from his uncle’s reactions, answered back immediately.

“Sigh.”

Seeing Ariyan’s face, Kairen stopped himself from continuing to scold the kid, barely holding himself back with a sigh.

“Look, Ariyan.”

Kairen released his grasp on the kid’s shoulders and instead held his small hands.

“I know I might not seem too reliable. I don’t spend much time with you and I don’t even know what I’m doing with my life. I am too weak to protect anyone and too dumb to even protect myself.”

“....”

Blink Blink

Ariyan blinked as he listened to his uncle’s strange words.

“But still, I will never leave you.”

Kairen pressed the kid’s hands in his grasp.

“Do you get it?”

Nod Nod

Ariyan nodded his head.

“Neither I nor your parents will ever abandon you, even if we are not by your side.”

“Uh.”

Ariyan nodded his head again.

“....”

Kairen wanted to say more, but he just closed his mouth and sighed. Letting go of Ariyan’s hands, Kairen pulled the kid’s cheeks once before patting his head.

“Let’s go home, okay?”

“Yes.”

Ariyan agreed.

Grabbing Kairen’s hand, he started to walk along the street. The two of them walked towards the nearest bus station.

“By the way, you were amazing!”

Kairen suddenly said.

“Huh?”

As the kid looked up with a confused face, Kairen smiled and continued to talk.

“The theater! You played really well.”

Ariyan tilted his head.

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“...But I was just a tree.”

“Yeah! You were the best tree!”

“The best tree?”

“That’s right. You were amazing! A tough, strong, and always sturdy tree! No one could’ve been a better tree than you. Who could’ve been able to stand in one place like you did the whole time? No one! Your acting was also amazing! The way you moved your branches and shook the leaves whenever the wind blew, was so natural! You are really talented!”

“....”

Looking up at his uncle, Ariyan’s eyes widened. The widened eyes then started to sparkle like stars in the night sky.

“Really?”

He asked, his voice filled with excitement and happiness.

“Yes. You were also absolutely adorable!”

“I was?”

“Yes, you were!”

“Hehe!”

The kid chuckled happily and pulled Kairen’s hand.

“Uncle, uncle!”

Kairen looked down at him.

“Yes?”

“Hold me!”

“....”

Blink Blink Blink Blink

Kairen blinked several times. Meanwhile, Ariyan released his hold on Kairen and spread his arms.

“Hold me!”

“....”

Kairen then realized. He realized that tomorrow, he would be exploring a temple with severe back pain.