Kazusa-chan's Little Brother

I let Master know I was heading out, then left.

"Azu, will you be all right on your own? I can send Elza with you if you'd like."

"I'll be fine. I've gotten used to a lot of things by now."

He worried about me to the point of being overprotective.

But I could handle an errand on my own. Probably.

I checked my bag to make sure the draft I'd been entrusted with was still there.

This draft was worth five hundred gold coins. Losing it would not be something I could just brush off.

To get to Kazusa-chan's house, I needed to use the portal to travel to the Royal Capital.

I had my adventurer's proof, so I used that to apply for portal access and made the trip.

Nobody seemed inclined to travel long distances in this cold, so I was able to use it without waiting in line.

Maybe it was all the portal trips I'd made recently, but I was getting used to that strange sensation.

I arrived at the exit.

This was my first time going to the Royal Capital alone.

A touch of nervousness crept in as I started walking.

The Royal Capital looked the same as the last time I'd seen it, its buildings grand and steeped in dignity and history.

A world apart from Kassad, even though they were both cities.

Though now that I thought about it, Alsarm had been even more impressive.

I'd heard it was the wealthiest city in the Kingdom, and compared even to the Royal Capital, it had certainly lived up to that reputation.

The Royal Capital was a bit colder than Kassad.

I was glad I'd worn a jacket.

Despite the chill, the streets were bustling.

That was just how many people lived here.

I left the Royal Capital, heading for one of its satellite cities.

Part of me wanted to look around, but first things first.

The last time I'd come here, I'd been so overwhelmed trying to get used to everything that I hadn't even remembered the city's name. But if I recalled correctly, it was…

Right. The satellite city of Luido. The city where Kazusa-chan lived.

Being a satellite city, it was close to the Royal Capital.

A short walk was all it took to arrive.

Luido appeared to handle the Royal Capital's livestock and agricultural needs, and the people here had a relaxed air about them.

There were no city walls. A large fence served that purpose instead.

When I showed the gate soldier my adventurer's proof, he gave it only a quick glance before waving me through.

It seemed like a city where problems rarely came up.

I pulled out the parchment with the address Kazusa-chan had given me before.

Something resembling a street number was written on it, so I asked the gate soldier. He was kind enough to explain in detail.

Kazusa-chan lived on the western edge, apparently.

I thanked the soldier and stopped at a shop along the way to buy an assortment of baked sweets.

She'd mentioned having a little brother, so he'd surely be happy.

I had enough pocket money from Master for this much.

As I headed toward my destination, the foot traffic gradually thinned out.

Along with it, the surrounding scenery grew more run-down.

It reminded me of the slums in Kassad, but unlike that area, while things were worn down here, everything was clean and free of litter.

It was simply that not many people lived in this part of the city.

Further along, I came across a dilapidated church.

It didn't appear to belong to the Church of the Sun God.

The cross on its roof had crumbled with age, clearly showing just how many years had passed.

This was the place I'd been told about.

Was she using the church as a home?

I hesitated for a moment, then went to knock, but the door cracked open before I could.

A young boy stood there.

"Who are you?"

"Is Kazusa-chan here?"

"My sister's out right now."

The boy looked a little wary.

So Kazusa-chan wasn't home.

That was a problem.

"Hmm, well, when she gets back, could you tell her Azu stopped by?"

"Okay. Azu-san, right? My sister's mentioned your name before."

So he'd heard of me. His guard came down.

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

"She went shopping, so I don't think she'll be too long."

"I see. Maybe I'll go kill some time somewhere…"

"Um, if you'd like, you could wait inside?"

The boy opened the door wide.

It seemed he was inviting me in.

"Then I'll take you up on that. Pardon the intrusion."

"Please, come in. My sister is very grateful for everything you've done."

The boy said that with a polite bow.

Then I stepped inside the old church.

"Oh!"

"What is it?"

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Leo."

"Leo-kun, then. Nice to meet you."

When I smiled at him, Leo-kun turned shy and walked a little faster.

He was just a boy, but I didn't mind the reaction.

The inside was less church-like than I'd expected.

Dividers had been used to partition the main hall into several rooms.

Apart from the high ceiling, it didn't feel all that out of place.

"Here, have some water."

Leo-kun poured water from a jug into a cup.

I took it and had a sip.

It was cold, but there was no staleness or dustiness to it.

Proof that it was changed daily.

(Three-day-old water tasted awful…)

A memory from the past flashed through my mind.

Back then, even though I was the one who fetched water for the household, I was never given any of it. I'd had no choice but to drink the old water.

Getting sick had been a regular occurrence.

I'd thought maybe I just had a weak constitution, but ever since Master took me in, I'd been perfectly healthy. So it really had been that awful environment.

"Oh, right. I bought these as a gift, so here you go."

I pulled out the assortment of baked sweets and handed them to Leo-kun.

The effect was immediate.

His eyes lit up as he stared at the basket of sweets.

He looked like he was about to pounce, but he held himself back.

Pretty impressive restraint for his age. Kazusa-chan must have raised him well.

… I hadn't asked whether they had parents.

Given how things looked, the two of them were probably living alone.

"Want to have a little taste?"

"Can I?!"

"Sure. In exchange, I'd love it if you could tell me about Kazusa-chan."

"Okay!"

I took one of the baked sweets from the basket and handed it to Leo-kun. He said a proper thank you before digging in.

He polished off two, then three in the blink of an eye, then drained his cup of water in one gulp.

"That was delicious. Thank you very much."

"There's more, you know?"

"The rest is for my sister. If there's extra, she'll share with me."

"I see. You're a good kid, Leo-kun."

I meant it from the bottom of my heart.

Now I understood why Kazusa-chan worked so hard as a porter.

After that, I chatted with him about Kazusa-chan and waited for her to come home.