“Love?”
I repeated what Loretto, the owner of the bar, said after hearing us.
“That’s right. That girl’s lacking love right now. All she feels for this world is despair. Nothing’s going to save her from that except for love. And you’re the one who needs to give her the love she’s missing, Weiss.”
“You’re talking like a damn priest…”
Maybe it was because it was still early, but there was no one else there. Horo and I were sitting at the counter directly facing Loretto.
The words said by this old man with completely white hair, who squinted with a kind look on his face didn’t suit me too well, so I gulped down my drink in embarrassment.
“I think he’s right. Weiss, you need to love that kid.”
“…That’s easy to say, but what do I do exactly? You know I don’t swing that way.”
“Kya, you dirty man. That’s not the kind of love we’re talking about. Like family love, right?”
“Exactly. I see Horo understands what I mean.”
“See? Well… It’s not like I can picture you loving someone like family either.”
Horo looked away and shook her glass, making a nice sound as the ice hit the glass.
“Don’t think too deeply into it. You decided to raise her because you felt something for her, right Weiss? Just follow your heart and treat her accordingly.”
“Follow my heart uh…”
I just bought her because she was a high elf. There was nothing more to it. Being told to follow my heart honestly didn’t mean much to me.
“But it’s perfect, isn’t it? A guy without even a bit of charm like you living with an elf girl sounds like the perfect match.”
“Just saying whatever you want now, uh…”
I finished my rum and got down from the high chair at the counter.
“Oh my, going home already?”
“I don’t think I’m going to get any more out of this.”
In the end, all I got was advice that just sounded like nonsense to me. ‘Treat her with love’. I wasn’t even sure if it was worth going there.
“Drink with this, Horo.”
“Oh dear, aren’t we generous?”
I left a gold coin on the counter, and hurried home.
◆
“…Love uh…”
I thought as I sat at the table in the living room with Ririi on my lap. It was dinner time.
Love… What was that anyway, I thought.
Even someone like me who was loved by his parents couldn’t immediately answer that question. At the very least I knew it wasn’t the same as pampering.
“Open wide.”
After making sure it cooled enough to not burn her, I moved a spoon and the fried rice on it to Ririi’s mouth.
I guess even the emotionless Ririi knew she had to eat, because she would eat food if I brought it to her mouth. She opened her small mouth, and I put the spoon in it.
“Is it good?”
“…”
“…No response. That’s fine.”
I just pat her head after every spoonful. I figured that sort of physical contact was a kind of love.
“All right. Here it goes again. Open wide.”
After checking to see if she was done chewing and swallowing, I took the spoon to her mouth again. She chewed, swallowed, and I pat her head. This pattern repeated a few times until dinner was over.
“And now we take a bath.”
Ririi’s clothes were now pretty fancy, so it took longer to take them off, but Horo taught me how to do it, so I managed it without much trouble. I thought she should get in quickly before her body got cold. I got naked in one second.
Preparing a hot bath also took only a moment with water magic and fire magic, and then I carried her into the bathtub. Her long, pale blue hair spread as it floated on the water.
I washed my body quickly, took her out of the bathtub, and sat her in front of me. Washing her long hair took time, so I figured I should do it after letting her body heat up in the bathtub first.
I took my time without rushing, and finished washing her hair. I couldn’t do it like mine. Horo made sure to hammer into me that a girl’s hair was her life, and to be careful when I washed it.
I was also starting to get the hang of cleaning her characteristic thin ears, and finished washing her body. It was beautiful for a former slave. Gess was complaining about not being able to sell her, but I didn’t think that would be a problem. Well, she’s mine now.
Then I took her back to the bathtub, and talked to her despite knowing she wouldn’t respond. And sure enough, bath time ended with me still being disappointed every time she didn’t respond.
I dried our bodies with magic, and dressed her in pajamas. Horo really brought a lot of clothes, including many kinds of sleepwear.
She even balanced the sizes so I wouldn’t have to buy new clothes for a while, even as Ririi grew.
“We should go to sleep soon.”
It was actually still too early for bed, but I took her to bed with me anyway. I remembered when I was little, very little, I liked sleeping in the same bed as my mother. Unfortunately, I was a complete stranger to Ririi, but I decided she was going to be my daughter. That made me both her father and her mother.
This went on for a few more days, until her behavior started to change slowly.
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