CHAPTER 439: GRANDCHILDREN.

A few minutes passed before the door opened. The little girl, Marie, came out dressed in a new outfit. Dante wasn’t that knowledgeable about such things, so he had ordered a few different things and hoped that she would be able to put together an outfit for herself.

Going by her stature, Dante guessed she was around nine or ten. He didn’t want to make that judgment when he knew another kid who looked ten but was actually fourteen, but there was no point in thinking too much about it. Either way, the girl seemed to know how to dress herself, at the very least.

"Hm..."

From what he could see, she chose a regular pair of pants, a normal shirt with a photo of a cartoon unicorn, and some sneakers. That much was pretty normal. Her choice of coats, on the other hand.

"Didn’t you like the jackets I brought you?"

The reason he asked that question was that she was still wearing the red jacket he had given her the first time they met. It was far too big for a child her size, so it looked more like a coat than a jacket.

"I..." the girl opened her mouth to say something, but ended up casting her gaze down.

Dante noticed the way she pressed the jacket to her body, only fingers showing from the long sleeves. After a moment of thought, he let out a sigh.

"You can keep it for now."

As soon as he said those words, her expression brightened.

"Th-thank you." She said.

As he had yet to decide what to do with her, Dante decided to give her something to eat while he thought some more.

"By the way, Marie." He asked. "Do you know where you are from?"

She seemed to think for a moment, then shook her head. Dante considered asking about her story, how she ended up being trafficked, but something told him that wasn’t a topic he should bring up just like that.

[I have looked her up as you had asked.] Volcan said. [She doesn’t appear on any of the missing person lists.]

Hearing that, Dante couldn’t stop his mind from coming up with the worst conclusion possible.

[By the way, Dante.]

’What?’

The web browser popped up, and a page quickly loaded. The site seemed to be the database for missing persons in the Radmir Union. The profile currently displayed on it was that of a young boy. He looked to be around fifteen, and his most distinct features were crimson hair and blue eyes. Reading the name beside the photo, Dante closed the app with a thought.

[Am I right to assume you already knew?]

’Yeah, don’t worry about it.’ Dante said. ’It doesn’t really matter at this point.’

Banishing the topic from his mind, he went back to the problem at hand. In the end, he was forced to ask one of the bitter questions he wanted to avoid.

"Marie... do you want to go back to your parents?"

As soon as he said the words, the little girl froze up. That told him everything he needed to know.

’This is... gonna be troublesome...’

~[ ]~

"Old hag! You there?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Nobara rushed over to her shop, ready to go on a rant. Though it was rush hour, she saw no need to keep her voice down. She had put a "Closed" sign on the door, so no customers came by that day.

"Boy! Tell me I was wrong! Tell me I-" As soon as she leaped over the counter, the words betrayed her, and her eyes went wide.

There, standing at the entrance, was the red-haired boy. He seemed to be fine. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t injured at all. That wasn’t what stole her voice, however.

"Boy... it can’t be..."

Someone was there beside. She was almost half his size, had long blonde hair, and wore a rather large jacket. That much wouldn’t have looked so strange if it weren’t for one thing. The little girl, whoever she is, was holding the boy’s hand. Seeing that, Nobara’s eyes slowly shifted toward him, her eyes wide open.

"Boy... how could you..."

~[ ]~

In the Bowl of Fortune, Dante slumped in one of the chairs, holding a pack of ice to his head. As the minutes passed, he moved it away. He tried touching the area it covered, and as soon as he did, his face twisted in a grimace.

A closer look would reveal that the shape of his head was a little off. On the left side, a little to the back, was a rather obvious bump, one left behind after receiving a very violent impact.

"Oh, quit being a wuss." Nobara frowned at him. "If you had sent a text beforehand, we wouldn’t be here."

"Mind explaining why you immediately assumed the worst?"

"You’re a single young man with no relatives. The girl couldn’t be your kid, so there could only be one explanation."

Dante realized that he couldn’t even argue the point. After all, what the old cook said was mostly true.

"Well, I might have kidnapped her, but it’s not what you think." He said, holding the ice bag to his head.

Nobara stared at him for a moment, then turned to look at another corner of the shop. There, Marie was sitting alone, silently sipping from juice through a straw while watching something on an old tablet. Turning her gaze back to him, Nobara’s expression darkened.

"Well, out with it already." She said.

Dante glanced at the little girl as well. He then let out a sigh. Though it seemed like a long story at first, he realized that it was quite simple once he started telling it. Of course, he had left a lot of details out.

"I... I was hoping you could look after her for me..." he said. "Just until I figure things out..."

How long would that take? He did not know. Nobara seemed to have figured out that much, which is why her frown never faded.

"C’mon, think of it like babysitting your grandchildren," Dante said, trying to lighten the mood. "You keep asking me for one, so..."

"This was not what I meant."

Heaving a sigh, Nobara finally gave in.