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“I’m so sorry for the trouble I caused you…”
“No, no, as long as you understand, that’s all that matters.”

I gave a perfunctory reply to her as she bowed her foxbrown-colored head deeply, then looked around.

……This a stable?

Led here by her, who had said she wanted to apologize, I found myself in a rather dilapidated shed.
A wooden structure clearly not built for human habitation. There was not a single piece of furniture; the only thing there was a pile of straw in the corner of the shed.
There were holes all over the ceiling and walls, giving the impression that wind and rain could blow in freely.
It wasn’t even a stable—it was more like a place to store horse feed. And one that hadn’t been used in ages, at that. There were no houses nearby, so she must’ve lived in a very lonely place.

Speaking of horses, Behaki and I are currently going to our separate tasks.
Since we have the Blood Contract, I can ask him to come immediately if anything happens, and besides, there isn’t enough space in the shed to keep a horse.
We’re sitting across from each other in a place that feels cramped even for two little girls. Eventually, she looked up.

“My name is Kuzuha.”
“Kuzuha, I see. Got it. You can just call me Arje.”
“I see. So, um… Arje-san, if possible, I’d like to apologize with more than just words, something more tangible, but… I’m not sure what I could even offer to you…”
“Hm, I see.”

From the looks of it, Kuzuha seems poor. Her clothes are in tatters, and her living quarters are hardly clean.
Since she herself is saying she’s not sure what she could offer, it’s probably best not to get my hopes up.

……I can’t exactly ask a little girl to support my livelihood, after all.

Though I might consider an adult, I wouldn’t think of mooching off of a small child..
Children are meant to be supported; the idea of being supported by a child seems a bit off to me.
Her tone is calm, and since she doesn’t seem human, she might not be the age she appears to be… but it’s not like she told me her age, and she looks like a young girl. Her tendency to jump to conclusions also makes me feel like she’s mentally immature.
If I can’t tell her age, I’ll just have to judge by her appearance and vibe. And in my mind, she’s a little girl right now, so she’s out as a potential host.
That Loli Grandpa had a loli voice too, but she’s clearly a god-like being who seems like she’d live a long time, so she is a candidate. I wonder if that girl—or god? Either way, I wonder if she’d be willing to support me now.

If I had to name something I want right now, it would be clothes, but judging by Kuzuha-chan’s own outfit, my chances are slim. If she had clothes to spare, she’d probably take care of herself first.
For now, I’m getting by by draping a thin blanket over myself, but I want to avoid being treated like a pervert again. It’s just too much trouble.

“Right now, there’s really nothing I want… maybe just some clothes.”
“Uu… I’m so sorry…”

Yeah, looks like it’s not going to happen.
Why is she living in a place like this, anyway?
I thought about asking, but if the story gets too long, I’ll probably fall asleep halfway through, so I’ll just skip it.

“Actually, I’m here because someone told me to… If things were different, I think I could do more to repay the favor…”

With the corners of her eyes and the tip of her tail drooping listlessly, Kuzuha-chan begins to speak, looking frustrated.
Before I even had a chance to ask, she’s already started telling me her life story on her own. I’ll have to be careful not to fall asleep.

“My mother is cooperating with the lord of the village up ahead.”
“…Cooperating?”
“Yes. Until that cooperation ends, I’ve been tasked with maintaining order in the surrounding area—exterminating monsters—so that the lord and my mother can live without worry.”
“Hm… You said cooperating, but what exactly is the lord doing?”
“I’ve heard they’re researching weapons to end the war with the Empire. The devastation of the land caused by the war between the Empire and the Kingdom isn’t something we beastfolk can ignore, after all. While my mother is admirably fulfilling her duty as—”
“—hwoaa.”
“Arje-san?”
“No, no, it’s nothing.”

Oh no, the conversation’s gone on too long and I just yawned.
I’m sleepy, but even with my drowsy mind, I can clearly tell she’s being deceived.

……Would a decent parent treat their child like this?

In a ramshackle hut, without even proper clothes, and with a collar on top of that.
I have a feeling she’s being taken advantage of. I mean, Kuzuha-chan is an idiot…err, an earnest kid, after all. I don’t know about her parents, though.
Well, it doesn’t really matter to me. Getting involved in conflicts between countries is just a huge hassle.
Kuzuha-chan kept talking for a while after that, but I decided to just tune her out. Basically, it boiled down to “My mother is amazing, and I’ll do my best too,” so I didn’t need to remember the details.

“…That’s why I can’t leave this place, and I don’t have anything with me. Um, but I was wondering if there’s anything else I could do to help…”
“No, no. Don’t worry about it.”

She’s not someone I’d target as a host, and she seems to have a lot on her plate. I don’t feel right relying on her, so I wasn’t expecting an apology in the first place.
That said, she looks incredibly apologetic. It might be just a formality, but if I accept something—even if it’s just a token—she might feel a little better about it. I wonder if I have anything…

“……Ah.”

There it was.
The perfect apology was right in front of me.
I pointed at what I’d found. The fox’s ears twitched, and after confirming that her gaze had followed my finger, she spoke.

“Sleeping on straw looks comfortable, so could I take a nap there? That’ll be the token of apology.”
“Eh?”
“Is something wrong?”
“A-are you sure that’s enough?”
“That’s exactly what I want. Is that a problem?”
“W-Well, I don’t mind, but…”
“Well then, good night.”

Having received her consent, I decided to lie down without hesitation.
Since lying completely naked on the straw would probably prick my skin, I curled up like a caterpillar wrapped in a blanket. Hmm, it’s soft and not bad at all.

“E-excuse me, Arje-san…?”

Kuzuha-chan’s trying to say something, but since I’d already gotten her permission, I decided to ignore her and go to sleep.
After all, she’s the one who interrupted my nap in the first place, so I decided to let my consciousness sink into dreams without hesitation.
I sent a mental message to Behaki saying, “I’m taking a nap, so just do whatever you want,” and began to indulge in my daily afternoon nap. Good night.