Surviving as a Child [2]

"Thanks for the meal!"

It had been a satisfying meal.

Eating something warm really seemed to have helped chase away my cold. My body felt much more energized than before—so much so that I felt like I could tackle anything right now.

"First, let's put the leftovers away..."

I scooped up the remaining food and put it back into the pot, carefully covering it with the lid to keep the warmth in.

There was more ABC Soup 'Not Really' than I'd expected, so there was no way I could finish it all in one sitting.

...It wouldn't spoil just by leaving it out for a bit, right?

It's not like it'll last until tomorrow, anyway. I'll just finish it later today.

"Ngghhh...!"

After putting the pot back in its place, I stretched my body, stiff from spending the night curled up.

Since I was still in a kid's body, there weren't any of the cracking joint sounds I used to hear, though.

All that accompanied my stretch was the faint sound of my slightly chubby belly jiggling.

"...Yawn. I'm already tired again."

The moment I finished stretching, fatigue came crashing over me like a wave.

I guess I was experiencing a food coma.

I'd heard that little kids get sleepy after eating even a single apple, and apparently, it was true.

But there was no way I could let myself nap right now.

I still had a mountain of things to do, and giving in to a food coma would only make things worse.

"Nngh... Nooo..."

Desperate to wake myself up, I slapped my cheeks lightly.

Then I tried pulling at my thighs to stretch them out.

Unfortunately, all I felt was a soft, squishy sensation instead of any actual pain.

"...Guess I'd better get to work."

Staying inside the house was making me even sleepier.

Maybe if I chopped some firewood outside, I'd shake off this drowsiness.

With that thought in mind, I rubbed my tired eyes and shuffled toward the door.

"Yawnnn..."

The small workspace behind the orphanage.

Calling it a 'workspace' felt a bit generous, but I couldn't think of a better term, so that's what I went with.

In any case, the area had three main features:

A small well 'which I'd visited earlier for water'.

A large pile of logs stacked in the center.

A wood-chopping area tucked into a corner.

In the wood-chopping area, there was a small axe embedded in a stump.

It seemed to be for chopping firewood.

I should check its condition.

"Oh, the axe looks pretty good."

The axe was in better shape than I expected.

Though it was caked in dirt and grime, a few wipes with my hand revealed that it was intact and clean enough to use.

"Alright, time to chop some wood!"

The sun was shining brightly, my belly was full, and the day was perfect for some manual labor.

I rolled up my sleeves and flexed my arms to show off some muscles.

"...Nope. Not a single one."

To be precise, I tried to flex.

But no matter how hard I strained, the only thing that moved was my slightly pudgy belly bouncing in the air.

My arms didn't even have the tiniest hint of muscle.

"That's a little depressing."

If only my arms weren't so soft, short, and squishy.

Still, chopping wood wasn't about brute strength—it was about technique and finesse.

At least, that's what I told myself to stay positive.

"Even though I've never actually chopped wood before."

I headed toward the pile of logs with that optimistic thought, imagining I could just swing the axe and split the wood in one go.

Spotting the smallest log in the pile—the one that looked easiest to handle—I bent down and grabbed it to drag it over to the chopping block.

Or, at least, I tried to.

"...Huh? What the..."

Why was it so heavy?

Something had to be wrong.

"Nnngh... Nghhh...!"

No matter how much effort I put in, the log refused to budge.

For such a small piece of wood, it was ridiculously heavy.

"...Guess I'll just chop it here."

After wrestling with the log for what felt like an eternity, I gave up on moving it and decided to chop it right where it was.

"Alright. One... two... THREE!"

CRACK!

With a loud war cry, I swung the axe down as hard as I could.

The blade embedded itself into the log with a satisfying thud.

The force of the swing was so intense that my whole body trembled from the impact.

"Wowww..."

An involuntary gasp escaped my lips.

Though I hadn't managed to crack the log with my first strike, the fact that I'd hit it dead-on without missing was an incredible achievement in itself.

I did it!

"Alright! With this momentum, let's go again!"

One... two... THREE!

"..."

Huh.

"...Where's the axe blade?"

Where did it go?

Why did my axe suddenly become bald?

Clang!

Just as I was beginning to panic at the absurd sight of a bladeless axe, a sharp clang echoed from the direction of the house.

My head snapped up instinctively toward the source of the sound.

And then... I saw it.

"Oh no."

The one unbroken window in the entire orphanage—the only one left intact—was now shattered, a jagged hole torn into it by none other than the axe blade.

Truly, the axe blade had lived up to its reputation of being "merciless."

"...Looks like it's going to be twice as cold tonight."

Seriously.

Nothing was going my way.

* * * *

Maru Village was usually quiet in the mornings.

But today, it was unusually lively. The villagers had gathered early to chat, and the air was filled with their voices.

"Did anyone see that kid yesterday? Long white hair, about half my height?"

"Oh, I saw her. She was darting around the market like she was in a big hurry."

"I've never seen her around here before. Where do you think she came from?"

"...Could she be a spy from another country?!"

"A spy? Are you daft? She's just a kid!"

"You never know!"

The reason for the villagers' morning chatter was none other than the mysterious little girl who had visited the market yesterday.

For a village like Maru, where the only visitors were the occasional traveling merchants, the arrival of an unfamiliar 'little customer' was enough to stir everyone's curiosity.

Of course, some of the more suspicious villagers speculated wildly, wondering if she was a spy or even an evil witch.

"Hey, Alex! You saw that kid, right? You were even chatting with her!"

"Yeah, she was staring at the skewers, so I gave her one. Honestly, she looked like some noble's daughter with that fancy appearance of hers, but... she's a bit... uh, clueless. I don't think you need to worry about her being a spy or anything."

"Right, I noticed that too. Even from a distance, she was eating that skewer with such focus. I almost forgot I had customers!"

Thanks to Alex's firsthand account of the girl, the villagers quickly dismissed their wild suspicions.

"If you'd seen that kid's face even once, you wouldn't be spouting such nonsense."

"So, what did she look like?"

"She was ridiculously cute for her age. Her clothes were nice, her skin was flawless—I honestly thought she was some noble's child at first."

"Ugh, I should've gone to the market yesterday!"

But, with little actual information to go on, the conversation soon began to drift off course.

"Come to think of it, she said she lives up at the orphanage."

"Orphanage? That place has been abandoned for ages."

"Yeah, she said she's the director."

Rumors.

Rumors always start with a small truth...

"A director? So she owns the place?"

"Seems like it."

"How can a child run an orphanage? Wait, didn't you mention a noble family falling on hard times recently?"

"Oh yeah, I heard one of the frontier villages got attacked by demons."

"Right, and the family that ruled the village was completely wiped out during the attack!"

...And as the rumors spread, they mix truth with fiction, growing larger and more dramatic with each retelling...

"The attack was about a month ago, wasn't it? Wait a minute... Could it be?!"

"I heard the noble family lost everything, and the survivors scattered."

"No wonder her clothes looked so fancy! Do you think that orphanage is the last gift left to her by her family?"

"Oh, dear heavens! How tragic!"

...Until finally, they create a completely fabricated truth'.

"Shh! Let's keep this story between us, alright?"

"Agreed. I can't believe such a heartbreaking story was hiding in plain sight..."

And so, the villagers, having crafted a tragic backstory for the mysterious girl, swore to keep their 'discovery' a secret.

As they were wrapping up their conversation and preparing to return to their daily routines, a voice called out from the direction of the orphanage hill.

"Ugh! Why is this so heavy?!"

The villagers turned to see a small girl, sweating profusely, struggling to carry a piece of firewood barely the size of her arm.

Even those who had seen her yesterday were stunned by her appearance, while those seeing her for the first time were equally amazed by how strikingly pretty she was.

"It's her! That's the girl!"

"Kiddo! Hey! This skewer selling uncle is coming to help you, so don't push yourself too hard!"

"I'll help too!"

"Wha—why is everyone running over there?!"

The petite girl, clearly lacking in strength, was huffing and puffing as she wrestled with the log.

"No! Don't take my firewood! Get back!"

"Hand it over!"

"Let me carry it for you! Give it here!"

"No! Nooo! Don't do it!!"

And so, the star of the morning's gossip—the mysterious, adorable girl—made her grand entrance, leaving the entire village in a commotion.