The chirping of sparrows woke me up.
「…Nn, nn?」
When I opened my eyes, green filled my vision. ――Not that I was lying in a field or forest. This was my bedroom, on my own bed.
The green in front of me was Yggdrasil-san’s hair.
「A god is sleeping beside me…」
I had ended up spending the night together with Yggdrasil-san.
Well, not in any romantic sense. Besides, Yggdrasil-san looked like an eight-year-old, so there was nothing alluring about it. In fact, finding it alluring would be a big problem.
Anyway, it seemed that we had played together late into the night and eventually fell asleep in the same bed.
「Still, she really is just sleeping normally」
So even World Tree-sama can sleep like this…
I suppose she simply dozed off the same way I did, but still, to think even World Tree-sama can just fall asleep like this…
「She’s even breathing…」
I absentmindedly watched her. Soft breaths escaped her lips, and her chest rose and fell gently.
So even World Tree-sama breathes… I wonder if she absorbs carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen or something like that?
While I was staring at Yggdrasil-san, lost in thought, maybe she sensed my gaze. Her eyes slowly opened…
「W-what are you doing, you fool!?」
「――Fugh」
「Nn, where is this place…? Hm? Alec?」
「Gofh, gofh…」
「Ah, my apologies…」
I had received a brutal front kick to the stomach.
I’m not the type of guy who sees that as some kind of reward. Just how much power was hidden in those slender legs? I nearly brought up yesterday’s rye bread…
Is Yggdrasil-san trying to single-handedly revive the violent heroine archetype? Her hostility toward me feels needlessly high.
Come to think of it, yesterday when we played with spinning tops and yo-yos, she kept hurling them at me recklessly… That feels less like a violent heroine and more like a clumsy girl attribute…?
Anyway, what I really want now is to go to Jisrare-san’s place. That thought grew stronger than ever…
「A-are you alright…?」
「I’m alright…」
I’m not really alright. Talking hurts, and I doubt I’ll be able to stand anytime soon. At least not within a ten-count. They say a body blow is agony straight from hell, and that’s exactly what this is.
「My apologies. I was startled and acted on reflex…」
「No, I should apologize instead…」
Well, thinking about it, staring at a little girl while she’s asleep, listening to her breathing, and gazing at her chest… that’s undeniably the act of a pervert.
So if that pervert suddenly appeared right in front of her as she woke up, of course she’d be shocked and land a front kick.
「Anyway, good morning」
「Umu, good morning. A fine morning, isn’t it?」
「I suppose so…」
「Are you not going to get up?」
Please wait a little longer until I recover from the damage, alright?
◇
「Breakfast was delicious as well」
「Yes, it was」
After somehow recovering, I joined my family for breakfast in the living room, and Yggdrasil-san came too when I asked if she wanted to eat. Her answer was a simple 「Umu」.
During the meal, I felt my parents’ gazes stabbing into me. Well, if your eight-year-old son brought a girl into his room and spent the night together, you’d probably look at him like that.
But I’m still just eight years old. There’s no need to worry about anything like that…actually, maybe that’s exactly why they’d worry. If an eight-year-old was already living that kind of unhealthy lifestyle, it would be concerning…
「By the way, Alec」
「Yes?」
「This village….Meiyu Village, was it? This is my first time here」
「Ah, I see」
「I would like you to show me around, if you would」
「I don’t mind, but…」
It looks like the Yggdrasil arc is still going.
I had been planning to go see Jisrare-san for treatment today, but that might be difficult. It would be awkward to ask for treatment while Yggdrasil-san was with me.
「But there’s nothing special in this village. I’ve never even been outside myself, so I don’t know what other villages are like…」
「That is fine. Watching over the ordinary, everyday lives of the people is also the duty of a god」
「Ah, that sounded very godlike just now」
「I am a god, after all」
The playful banter between us made me laugh out loud. Somehow, I really did feel like I’d grown close to Yggdrasil-san.
But thinking it over… rather than just me, I wanted her to get to know Meiyu Village itself. If possible, I wanted her to like this village and its people.
――Alright. In that case, today I’ll do my best as a coordinator. I’ll give Yggdrasil-san a proper tour of the village.
「So, where should we go first? Do you have anywhere in mind?」
「Hmm, I suppose the church would be first, no?」
「Oh…」
The church, huh… I had just gotten fired up about showing her around, but she immediately picked a tough spot….
The person in charge there didn’t really give off much of a faithful vibe… Would she be able to treat their object of worship properly?
Well, nothing I can do. The church it is, for now.
After that, maybe Jisrare-san’s clinic, or Jered-papa’s home center? Honestly, those are probably the only real highlights of the village.
Were there any other places worth showing her?
…The training grounds? I could show her, I guess? But there’s really nothing there. If I just pointed at a lone stack of rice bales, even Yggdrasil-san wouldn’t know what to say.
「Well then, shall we start by heading to the church?」
「Umu」
Come to think of it….well, this might not be the best way to put it, but――Yggdrasil-san ‘is’ the god of the elves, after all.
If people gathered around us, things might get noisy.
In that case, I’d have to step up as her guard. That sounded like a big responsibility. Still, everyone in this village was kind and gentle, so it probably wouldn’t get that serious.
The only thing I was a little worried about was… Ralina-chan.
Right now, Yggdrasil-san looked like an eight-year-old girl, just like me. If Ralina-chan spotted me walking around with a girl my age… that would be a bit scary.
And on top of that, I was in the position of having to protect Yggdrasil-san.
If Ralina-chan got upset and pressed me, and I stepped in front of Yggdrasil-san to protect her… yeah, that’d just make things worse, like throwing oil on a fire.
…No, it’s fine. It’ll be fine. I have to remember the Ralina-chan who cared for me so kindly that day. She’s basically a gentle girl…
There won’t be any need for J◯mp, G◯ngan, or M◯rgaret-level dramatics.
next chapter: Onii-chan, get out of the way!
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