I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

Chapter 18 Little Gretsch, do you want to leave here?

"Let...Tarua open it and take a look."

Instead of immediately answering Talulah's questions, Gretsch first handed the painting she was holding to her.

"Okay, thank you."

Although still somewhat confused, Talulah accepted the painting from Gretsch and thanked her.

"The reason I asked... Sister Alina to leave was because I was afraid this painting would affect her."

After Talulah took the painting, Gretchen began to explain it slowly and deliberately.

"So, this is the magical painting that Alina was talking about?"

After hearing the little girl's explanation, Talulah suddenly remembered the information Alina had revealed to her and Patriot that night.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Gretchen simply nodded slightly, then continued watching Talulah's actions without saying a word.

She was neither surprised nor bothered that Alina had told others about her situation and characteristics.

Rather, if Gretchen cared, she wouldn't have told anyone in the first place. Since she did tell, it means she didn't care if it got out.

Then, under Gretsch's attentive gaze, Talulah completely unveiled the canvas, taking in the painting below.

"...It is indeed a very good painting, and the painting technique is impeccable. But...I feel that you're being quite suggestive, little one. And, nothing actually happened."

After observing carefully, Talulah raised an eyebrow slightly and gave her evaluation.

"So, did Alina tell you about his existence?"

After giving a brief evaluation, Talulah fixed her gaze on the black snake in the painting. She pointed at it gently and then looked at Gretsch and asked.

"...?"

Gretchen tilted her head slightly, a deep sense of doubt flashing in her large purple eyes as she looked at Talulah.

At this moment, she wasn't puzzled by the question Talulah had asked her, but rather by why nothing had happened.

'How do you draw the world?'

"Why are you looking at me with such a puzzled expression, you little rascal?" Talulah said helplessly as she looked at Gretchen's adorable face.

Although Talulah now harbors a slight resentment towards Alina for telling her secret to such a young child.

However, looking at the adorable little one in front of her, she couldn't bear to be harsh with him at all.

"Hmm...it really is...it's so strange..."

Gretchen, whose little face was being pinched, said in a somewhat indistinct way.

"What's so strange about that? Speaking of which, shouldn't we call Alina in now? We have some things we want to tell you." After pinching Gretchen's cheek again, Talulah let go and said helplessly.

After gently rubbing her slightly reddened cheeks, Gretchen said, "...put the painting in, and then we can call Alina in."

Although she didn't know why the painting had no effect, Gretsch still decided to be cautious... After all, she still trusted her intuition when she painted.

"Okay, then go and call Alina in. I'll put the painting away."

Although Talulah was unable to witness the "magic of the painting" firsthand, she began to doubt the authenticity of the matter.

However, she listened to Gretsch's advice and carefully covered up the artwork in her hands, then gently set it aside for the time being.

For Talulah, regardless of whether the story is true or not, the painting in her hand is a gift. And since it's a gift, it should be treated with care.

----------------

"Sister Alina, Tarua wants you to come in..."

Gretchen lifted the tent flap and stepped outside, immediately spotting Alina waiting there.

"So fast? Did something happen?"

Alina turned around after being called out by Gretsch, and asked with some confusion.

"Nothing happened, but my paintings usually don't lose their effect... It's strange, why is Eisho like this?"

Faced with Alina's question, Gretchen gently shook her head, her large eyes filled with doubt.

"You mean Talulah saw the painting, but nothing happened?" Upon hearing this, Alina summarized the information in the little girl's words.

“Hmm…but it’s also possible that it happened, but I didn’t see it.” She nodded her head first, then, as if she remembered something, Gretchen added another sentence.

"So, can I sleep with Tarua tonight?"

"Well, you'll have to ask Talulah about that. Alright, since there's nothing else going on right now, let's go inside quickly." As she spoke, Alina reached out and gently patted Gretsch's soft, delicate head.

……

After following Alina back into the tent, Gretsch became curious about what the two of them wanted to tell her.

However, after sitting together and exchanging glances for a long time, neither of them spoke first.

"Ah~"

Time passed minute by minute, and soon it was almost bedtime again. Gretchen slowly yawned, and a few tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

And just then, as if she had made up her mind, Alina suddenly spoke up: "Little Gretchen... do you want to leave here and go back..."

Go back to normal life?

"!"

Upon hearing Alina's unexpected words, Gretchen's drowsiness, which had been building up due to the approaching bedtime, was instantly swept away.

The little girl looked up at the two people sitting not far from her with her big, still glistening violet eyes, and asked, "Sister Alina, don't you want me anymore...?"

"No...no, how could I not want little Gretchen?"

When Gretchen looked at her with those big eyes, Alina's conscience was immediately pricked, and she quickly stood up and began to explain in a flustered manner.

Seeing her little deer's flustered appearance, Talulah helplessly took over the conversation and explained, "No, it's not that I don't want you anymore."

"Patriot talked to us tonight. We think what he said makes a lot of sense. After all, you're not an infected person, so staying in an infected camp might not be safe."

"Moreover, the nature of our organization... means we're destined to never have a peaceful life. That's why we wanted to ask for your opinion."

After Talulah finished speaking, she and Alina looked at Gretchen quietly, waiting for her answer.

"I...I won't leave here."

P.S.: If the previous chapter wasn't particularly jarring, I wouldn't have changed it. I've been looking for this angle for a long time, writing about several different people, but ultimately I felt they weren't good enough and deleted them. The previous chapter also went through several revisions before it reached a state of only slight jarring.

The reason for choosing this angle is that I felt the plot was a bit bland, or rather, the development was a bit slow, and I wanted to speed things up. But I couldn't speed it up, given Gretchen's personality.

Chapter 19 Awakening

"I...I won't leave here."

Looking at the two people waiting for her answer, Gretchen gently shook her head, her eyes filled with seriousness.

“But you would be better off living in a normal family. You could have a normal life, without going hungry or encountering danger.” Although she heard Gretsch’s answer, Talulah still hesitated as she tried to persuade her.

Talulah didn't dislike the little guy who had only been there for two days; in fact, she quite liked him. After all, who wouldn't like a cute and well-behaved child?

But it is precisely because of their love for each other and their understanding of what they will face next that they are now wavering and have the idea of ​​sending Gretchen to a safe place.

;;?

"Um... Little Gretsch, can you tell your older sister why?"

Seeing Gretchen's serious expression, Alina slowly stood up, walked to her side, and asked in a gentle tone.

As for Gretchen, Alina was even more reluctant to part with her than with Talulah, but she couldn't deny that what Patriot had said earlier made a lot of sense.

“Because Gretchen doesn’t want to leave you… I’ll be very good.” Gretchen said earnestly, looking at the gentle Alina beside her.

And whenever this happens, Gretchen hates her overly youthful body.

Because this completely undermines the credibility of her words... everyone will just treat her like a child.

"I see..." Upon hearing this, Alina reached out and gently patted Gretsch's head, then looked at Talulah beside her.

After Alina looked at Talulah, Gretsch followed suit, casting her gaze intently at her with her large, expectant eyes.

"Sigh... In that case, if you don't want to leave, then stay here for now. I remember you seem to have a knight who can protect you in the camp. We can talk about the rest when you're a bit older."

Seeing the expectation in Gretchen's big eyes, Talulah sighed helplessly and then said softly.

"As for the Patriots, I'll handle persuading them."

“…Tarua is so good.”

As Talulah finished speaking, Gretchen's anticipation instantly turned into joy, and she cheered in a calm tone.

Although Gretchen's strength was such that she could safely follow Reunion even without Talulah's permission, secretly following behind and legitimately acting together were vastly different things.

However, when it comes to danger, Gretchen actually feels that in every sense, she is in far greater danger than the infected...

"That's the same way you address me again. You little rascal, you won't even call me 'sister'."

Seeing Gretchen's eyes filled with joy, Talulah couldn't help but reach out and pinch her little face again.

"Um... Talulah... Sister Talulah." After hearing Talulah's words, Gretchen thought for a moment and then changed her way of addressing her.

"You... never mind, at least call me 'sister'."

Talulah was even more exasperated by the way she was addressed as Gretchen, a name that had been changed but not completely replaced. However, the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth betrayed the fact that she was actually in a pretty good mood.

"So... can I... sleep with Talulah tonight?" As if sensing that Talulah was in a good mood, Gretchen asked the question that had been on her mind since earlier.

She hadn't forgotten that Tarua had seen the painting, but was completely unaffected.

To prevent the situation from being effective but only delaying, Greta decided to stay with Talulah that night and observe her carefully.

"Hmm? Why do you suddenly want to sleep with me? Don't you like to stick close to Alina?" Hearing this, Talulah released her hand from Gretchen's cheek and asked curiously.

“画

...It's strange, I want to see more. So I want to spend the night with Tarua-neechan.

Gretchen didn't hide her thoughts and spoke frankly.

"Oh, I see. No problem."

Although Talulah had never witnessed the power of the painting and had not noticed any abnormalities in her body, she did not fully believe Alina's claim of "the magic of the painting."