Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

“They’ll definitely be fine.” Aine gave herself a thumbs up. “I believe in them.”

Xiao Su Shi squinted at Aine.

"You know what? Your eyes have absolutely no persuasive power." She sighed softly, put the blackened bread aside, and walked out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Ai Yin asked.

"Go get the broom and mop." Xiao Su Shi turned her head. "You should clean up the mess yourself."

"...Go."

Aine nodded.

"I also went to the cellar to get rid of the rats."

=========

Squeak s ...

The fat rat struggled in Aine's hand.

Ai Yin looked at the fat rat in her hand, living a carefree life in the cellar, and sighed deeply, exhaling a wisp of white smoke. The cellar was freezing cold; she didn't know how this guy had managed to sneak in and not freeze to death, and even live so comfortably.

She carried the mouse outside, walked around the cellar twice, and finally found a small mouse hole.

Cold air was still wafting out of the mouse hole.

She grabbed a stone and blocked the mouse hole, then turned and leaned against the wall, slowly sitting down.

Looking at the small garden that Lin Hai had carefully tended, Ai Yin's pupils began to dilate.

The small yellow and purple flowers turned into blurry spots of light in her eyes, and her thoughts drifted further and further away.

Aiyin recalled the plans Xiangzi had made before he left.

Since Tobacco had mentioned beforehand that some of the fragments were in the hands of the Empire, Xiangzi was worried that opening the gate to the Starting Land in advance would be discovered by the Empire. So she made an agreement with Xiaosu Shi to wait until a month later before opening the Rainbow Bridge gate to the Starting Land. By then, having found the fragments, they could quickly reunite through the gate.

Then, organize the cards you have and decide what to do next.

Although Xiangzi's plans always only have a general framework and he takes things one step at a time, it is precisely because of this that they are particularly good at adapting to changing circumstances, and the whole plan will not be unable to be executed due to a problem in a certain link.

With only a few days left until the agreed-upon time, everyone remaining at the starting point felt increasingly depressed.

Worry and a faint anxiety lingered above the church dome all day long.

While everyone else set off to search for the fragments of the Holy Grail, only one person remained at the starting point, guarding the Rainbow Bridge gate.

This person is Aine.

Of all the magical girls, only she remained at the starting point.

Xiangzi left her behind as a last resort to ensure the safety of Xiaosushi and the others.

Aine spent almost a month with Xiaosushi at the starting point. During this time, Aine lived a carefree, idyllic life, unlike her companions who were somewhere unknown but certainly in dire straits.

However, she was not happy.

They wouldn't feel fortunate to avoid taking risks.

in contrast.

She felt she had been "abandoned" at the starting point, unable to move forward.

When the tasks were assigned, Aine wondered if Xiangzi trusted her enough to entrust her with the task of protecting Xiaosushi, or if she felt that Xiangzi couldn't be of much help and that's why she didn't take her along.

Ai-yin kept this question to herself and never asked it.

Even as Xiangzi embarked on his journey back to the threshold of anger, she never voiced the question. It remained buried in her heart, fermenting like yeast each day.

Has she really grown?

Has it become stronger?

Is there a way to redeem oneself from mistakes?

Ai Yin pursed her lips, looked up, squinted, and felt the sunlight becoming less glaring under the cover of her eyelashes.

A tiny, inconspicuous tear welled up in the corner of my eye from the sunlight.

She was afraid that if things continued like this, her heart would ferment like yeast, becoming riddled with holes.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be catching mice?"

A slightly hoarse, seemingly weak voice rang in Ai Yin's ears.

Xiao Su Shi walked over at some point and sat down next to Aine.

From their current position, they can see the entire small garden.

Red flowers, white flowers, yellow flowers, purple flowers, in clusters, a feast for the eyes.

Xiaosu didn't hear Aiyin's response, and didn't bother to care. She hugged her knees and looked at the flowers in front of her.

"The nun has taken such good care of these flowers."

"Hmm, it's quite pretty." Aine snapped out of her reverie. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't I already say...?"

Xiao Su Shi turned her head to the side, and the strands of hair at her temples fell down her cheeks, seemingly shimmering with a hazy glow in the sunlight.

"...I'm afraid of being lonely."

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child - Chapter 377 (End of Daily Life)

Afraid of loneliness...

Ai Yin was stunned for a moment when she heard this.

It wasn't that I was surprised that Xiaosushi was afraid of being alone, but rather that she was so frank.

The Su Shi she knew was a shrewd and sophisticated person who never shared his inner thoughts with others, while the girl in front of her was as frank as the other extreme.

Is she really Su Shi?

In Xiaosushi's eyes, Aine's pupils appeared to be dilated very noticeably.

She pouted, turned her gaze to the beautiful flower field, and said sullenly:

"Do you think I'm childish?"

"...No, absolutely not, not even a little bit." Ai Yin shook her head. "Su Shishi is cute just because she's so small, I don't dislike her at all!"

"I have no problem, don't you find me annoying!" Su Shi said angrily. "Doesn't that mean you think I'm childish? Or are you saying you weren't even listening to me?"

"Eh, yeah." Aine suddenly realized, "Although it doesn't seem like she's wrong."

"Stupid, smelly pink-haired girl."

"How am I stupid? I get good grades, okay?"

"I don't care, you're just a big idiot."

"How can you be so unreasonable!"

"Heh heh, you don't need to reason with idiots."

"I'm not stupid!"

"You stupid, smelly-haired idiot!"

"I'm not stupid!"

"You tasteless, stinky pinky!"

"My transcendent aesthetic sense is beyond the comprehension of you mere mortals! And why are you resorting to personal attacks?!" Ai Yin was so angry at Xiao Su Shi that she gritted her teeth. "You childish brat!"

"Fool!"

"Kid!"

"stupid stupid stupid!"

Bang-!

The argument escalated into the most pointless stage of personal attacks. In the end, their heads were locked together like two fighting bulls, sparks flying between their eyes. This continued until both of them were exhausted from shouting, and only then did this childish bickering finally come to an end.

......

"What exactly did we start arguing about?"

Aine sat on a stone bench in the small garden, with Su Shi sitting beside her. After things calmed down, they resumed their previous listless, flower-viewing manner.

"do not know."

Xiao Su Shi seemed too lazy to argue anymore, and sat quietly to the side, as if having someone by her side was enough.

Indeed it is.

Her original purpose was simply to have Aine keep her company, nothing more.

"This stronghold will be discovered by the Empire sooner or later, right? We were just hoping to keep it hidden from view..." Xiao Su Shi said in a low voice, "Not to mention that I'll have to open the Rainbow Bridge gate myself later."

“By then, we won’t need to hide it anymore,” Ai Yin said. “Little Master has already made plans.”

Suddenly, she changed her words:

"But if you're discovered before then, I'll protect you."

"I am the Red Queen. The Empire can't harm me, no matter what. You should worry about yourself." Little Su Shi snorted twice. "But... if it really comes to that..."

Her voice grew softer and softer.

"...Don't let me be taken away."

"Absolutely not!" Ai Yin patted her chest, making a loud thud. "Although this was originally supposed to be Little Master's line, I'm the only one here now, so..."

She smiled.

"...Leave it to me."

"Really?" Xiao Su Shi breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed. "Then I'll reluctantly believe you, you stinky pink-haired bastard, for a while."

Aiyin felt a weight on her lap as a small, flaxen-colored head rested on her leg.

“I’ve already said I’m not called Stinky Pink Hair.”

"I'm too lazy to argue with you." Xiao Su Shi closed her eyes. "You stinky pink-haired girl, let me lie down for a while... just a little while... I'm sleepy..."

Aine raised her hand and stroked Xiaosushi's hair, as if this scene had happened many times before.

Before this, there had been many times when Xiao Su Shi would fall asleep immediately after arguing or playing around. Children are in a stage of growth, and they get sleepy when they are tired.

Ai Yin exhaled the stale air from her lungs and looked down, only to find that Xiao Su Shi was really asleep.

She curiously poked Xiaosu Shi's soft cheek.

She used to envy her little master for being able to rub Xiao Su Shi's face, and now she can enjoy it too.

Aine couldn't help but smile.

Hey, it's so soft, like a marshmallow.

The initial gloom was somewhat relieved after the argument, and the feeling of being abandoned and stagnant disappeared after Xiao Su Shi got closer.

My master told me to protect her, so I'll protect her even if it costs me my life.

Ai Yin thought to herself silently.

It's probably hard for most people to understand how their relationship could be so good, and even Aine herself didn't realize it.

She didn't realize that although she kept telling herself that she was "protecting" Xiao Su Shi, in reality, she was the one taking from her.

Aine gained a sense of being needed from Su Shi from a young age.

Xiao Su Shi was also taking something from her—she wanted the feeling of having someone to accompany her.

They asked each other for something and sat quietly side by side.

The object of one's desire is not necessarily limited to a specific person, but at this moment, in this small garden, during this almost empty month, the only people they spend time with are each other, and the emotions they desire can only be obtained from the other person.

It's like having to eat meal replacements when there's nothing else to eat, which creates a strange yet harmonious relationship between Aine and Sose.

The afternoon sun shone through the flying buttresses of the church, casting a warm glow on the small garden.

This is perfect weather for airing out blankets.