episode_0056

The door closed.

“Ugh-.”

I suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed.

When I put my hand to my cheek, it was incredibly hot.

Thinking about it again, what I just did was like a wife sending her husband off to work in the morning!

Aunt Olivia used to greet Uncle Marvin like that every morning.

Why did I do that?

And to Uncle Fosao, of all people?!

I must still be sick.

“Ugh- I don’t know-!”

I flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

A few hours later.

Outside the window, it was still pouring rain.

Even though it was daytime, it looked as dark as night.

The rain poured down.

As I idly watched the rain fall, I realized a problem.

I had nothing to do.

Resting was good, but simply doing nothing was even worse.

The rain made me feel sluggish, and with my period, my body felt completely weighed down.

“Hmm- Should I do something?”

I took a good look around the room.

…It was a mess.

To be honest, Uncle Fosao had always lacked a sense of organization.

He couldn’t neatly organize or categorize his belongings.

It was because of his lazy personality.

So, when I thought of the general store from my childhood, all I could recall was a scene completely covered in clutter.

His ‘bedroom’ was especially bad.

Leftover food was scattered on the floor, and trash was piled up, leaving no space to step.

One day, I told him I didn’t want to enter his bedroom because it was too dirty.

Shocked by that, Uncle Fosao had made an effort to clean ever since.

Was that also when display cases appeared in the store…?

Of course, it wasn’t to my satisfaction, but at least it wasn’t a pigsty anymore, so I could visit the general store again.

Anyway, that was in the past.

This room now was indeed ‘dirty’ by my standards.

Most of all, I couldn’t tolerate clothes lying haphazardly on the floor.

It was perfect timing.

I should loosen up by cleaning the room.

“Let’s start!”

First, I sorted the clothes.

I thoroughly washed the dirty clothes in the bathroom. The moderately clean ones I neatly folded and put away.

I dusted the blankets and pillows, then swept and wiped the floor clean.

Cleaning the window sills and even the bathtub meticulously took up my time.

Before I knew it, it was evening.

“Finished!”

I wiped away my sweat, looking at the sparkling room.

What kind of reaction would Uncle see when he saw the clean floor? Would he like it?

Hehe. I just hoped he would praise me a lot.

I ate the meal the attendant brought, took a bath in hot water, and then leisurely waited until night.

But Uncle Fosao still hadn’t returned.

“He’s late…”

I sat by the window and looked outside.

Naturally, Uncle was nowhere to be seen.

As I quietly watched people passing by on the street, drowsiness crept in.

When would Uncle Fosao come back?

Nothing bad happened, did it?

No. He promised to ‘be careful’ when I saw him off.

Yes. Surely… he’ll be fine.

As I was nodding off.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

And then, the voice I’d been waiting for sounded.

“I-I’m here… Tia.”

As soon as I heard that welcome voice, my sleepiness vanished.

I quickly got up and opened the door.

“Pant- pant-.”

Uncle was completely soaked with rainwater and looked a mess.

“Uncle? Why are you so late!”

“I’m sorry. Th-the story got long… Tia? A-Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Yes! Thanks to you, I rested well.”

“A-And… Th-the room is very clean?!”

I gave an awkward laugh.

“Hehe. I got too bored just staying still.”

“Wow! Tia… You’re r-really amazing! Thank you! Hehe.”

“You’re welcome.”

Seeing Uncle so happy, I felt happy too.

“I filled the bathtub with warm water. Would you like to go in?”

“T-Tia?”

“I’ve already washed.”

“Oh…? S-So it’s bathwater that Tia… used once?”

“Yes. Oh, if you don’t like it, should I draw new water?”

“N-No!! No!! It’s fine!! I’ll-I’ll go in right now-!!”

Uncle suddenly yelled.

Then, with rough breaths, he went straight into the bathroom.

“Ahaha…”

Was his body that uncomfortable?

It was a relief I had already drawn the bathwater.

***

Yesterday, Uncle Fosao braved the storm and found a way to ‘earn a lot of money in a short time.’

Surprisingly, that method was… for me to participate in the ‘arena.’

The people of Deseo greatly enjoyed gladiatorial matches. Young wealthy individuals especially liked them, so a considerable amount of money was said to circulate in the arena.

It mimicked a knight’s ‘duel’… but unlike a duel of honor that only ended when one side died, this was a match to purely test swordsmanship skills.

The winner was the one who acquired the most points within a set time.

It wasn’t as dangerous as I thought.

And I had a certain level of confidence in my swordsmanship.

It was the perfect job for me.

Uncle Fosao seemed to have looked into this option knowing I was skilled with a sword.

It was an ideal proposal, but.

There was one problem.

To participate in the arena, one needed at least basic equipment, but I had lost my protective gear as well as the Rose Saber, leaving me with nothing.

When I pointed that out, Uncle Fosao took out a money pouch.

“L-Let’s use this.”

Our entire fortune: ’50 gold.’

The plan was to buy a sword and armor with this and participate in the arena.

Honestly… it was a rather reckless challenge.

There was no guarantee I would win in the arena.

If I failed… we could both end up on the streets.

My worries deepened.

“Hmm-. Will it be alright…?”

“D-Don’t worry, Tia. I believe Tia will definitely su-succeed.”

“But everyone participating in the arena is male, aren’t they? They must have handled swords much longer than I have. Can I win?”

I asked with an inwardly anxious voice, but Uncle Fosao didn’t hesitate.

“I k-know. That Tia worked hard… So as not to lose to men… You-you even cut down trees.”

“……!”

I was startled.

That was something even Ritsu didn’t know.

I was so angry about not being recognized just because I was a woman.

To prove that I was as strong as a man.

I had cut down trees secretly from the villagers, with Ruyef’s tacit approval.

But I soon stopped.

Because Ritsu disliked breaking village rules.

Even if I wasn’t recognized, I didn’t want to do anything Ritsu disliked.

“……”

Anyway, Uncle Fosao knew I had broken the rules, yet.

He had just pretended not to know until now.

Just like I hadn’t reported his actions to the villagers.

“So… Ti-Tia can do it. I think Tia is… strong e-enough.”

Uncle said in a serious voice.

“-I see.”

I deliberately turned my head to look out the window.

If I hadn’t, I felt like tears would fall.

…It was truly what I wanted to hear.

Those words, ‘You are strong.’

It was such a joyous thing to be acknowledged by someone.

If so, as Uncle said, I could do it.

Just as I had grasped Uncle’s outstretched hand and risen again.

I could wield a sword.

I nodded.

“Then… I’ll do it.”

As soon as I made my decision, we immediately headed to the weapon shop.

The first thing we looked for was a sword that fit my hand.

We needed to buy a blunt-edged sword to use in the arena.

But it turned out that all competitive swords were made to fit adult males, so they were large and heavy.

After searching for a long time, fortunately, we found a short sword that was reasonably usable.

The price was 20 gold.

It was a bit burdensome, and I was about to change it for something else, but Uncle Fosao said it was fine and told me to just buy that one.

Next, we went to the armor shop.

Plate armor and chainmail were too expensive.

I was about to give up early and just look at leather armor, but this time too, Uncle insisted I wear steel, saying I shouldn’t get hurt.

The chainmail alone cost 50 gold.

It was an impossible price with the 30 gold we had.

Uncle didn’t give up and persistently haggled with the shop owner.

“Uncle. That’s enough, let’s just pick leather. He said he absolutely won’t go below 40 gold.”

“B-But… Tia shouldn’t get hurt…”

“They say leather armor is sturdy these days too. It’s light and cheap. Rather than spending all our money because of me, it’s better to have a little left…”

“No.”

Uncle Fosao shook his head.

“Tia is more… important than m-money.”

“……”

In the end, after a long negotiation, Uncle purchased the chainmail for 30 gold.

We had acquired weapons and armor, but.

Now, we had no money left.

Despite that, Uncle Fosao didn’t seem anxious at all.

Instead, he merely praised how cool I looked wearing the chainmail and with a sword at my hip.

After finishing all preparations, we went to register for the arena.

As soon as the attendant saw me, he made a puzzled expression.

“…A girl?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not joking, are you?”

That was the reaction I expected. I swallowed bitterly, but.

Uncle Fosao, who was beside me, suddenly interjected.

“It’s not a joke. D-Don’t underestimate our Tia.”

“But female participants are generally…”

“Is there a rule that women ca-can’t participate?”

As Uncle raised his voice, the attendant hurriedly flipped through a book.

A moment later, the attendant replied in a much softer voice.

“Ah, there’s no such rule. Then I’ll accept your application. What’s your name and age?”

“’Tia Anshier.’ Fifteen.”

“Where are you receiving sponsorship from?”

“…’Sponsorship’?”

Uncle answered instead.

“Modaless Trading Company.”

“Understood. You have obtained participant qualifications, and the match will be held two days from now, starting at noon. Please come prepared.”

After finishing the registration, we left the arena.

People around us stared intently at me.

The sight of a girl wearing chainmail and a sword at her hip was unfamiliar to them.

I ignored it and walked confidently down the street.

Uncle Fosao wiped away sweat.

“It’s, it’s going well according to plan-. Hehe.”

“But Uncle.”

“Hm?”

“What was that just now? ‘Our Tia’…?”

Uncle’s mouth fell open.

His eyes trembled widely, as if anxious.

“Ah, th-th-that…! I’m-I’m sorry! You were being underestimated, Tia… I-I couldn’t help myself… P-Please forgive me…!”

On the street in broad daylight. A large man was prostrating himself, begging for forgiveness.

People were already curious, and now they started looking at us with even more puzzled expressions.

“Ugh- That’s enough! Get up quickly!”

“Are y-you forgiving me?”

“I wasn’t even angry to begin with. Do I look like such an ill-tempered woman?”

“No! No…”

I crossed my arms and thought about what had just happened.

Honestly, I was surprised.

That Uncle Fosao could raise his voice like that.

I had never seen him like that before.

I scratched my cheek.

“Well- just now… it wasn’t bad. You defended me.”

“…Hehe. R-Really?”

“Yes! You can do it too, Uncle! From now on, speak just as firmly to anyone who treats you badly.”

“Ah, okay…”

“So then- now, shall we go back to the inn?”

“Y-Yes!”

Uncle and I walked back to the inn together.

And the next day, my period ended.