A few minutes later, we found ourselves seated at a small café. Riveria sat beside the girl while I sat across from them. Watching the two of them together felt strangely natural. The little girl had barely spoken ten words since we found her, yet she hadn't let go of Riveria's sleeve once.
When the food arrived, Riveria noticed the dirt covering the girl's small hands. "...Allow me." She tore off a small piece of bread, dipped it into the warm soup, and held it in front of the girl. "Open your mouth."
The little girl obediently did as she was told.
"...Delicious..." she murmured after swallowing.
It was quite a sight. I had heard stories of how roughly Riveria had handled Ais when she was little, so seeing her be this gentle almost felt surreal.
Well... she had gained some experience since then, so perhaps it isn't that surprising.
After feeding her another bite, Riveria spoke calmly. "My name is Riveria." She glanced toward me. "And he is Arin." Her emerald eyes returned to the little girl. "...What should we call you?"
"Riveria? You're…Riveria!" the little girl repeated Riveria's name with excitement.
"Yes, I am Riveria. And what may we call you?"
"nhgn…I…don't know…"
"I see…" Riveria gently stroked the girl's head. "Very well. We can worry about that later. For now, eat while the food is still warm."
After she had eaten her fill, the girl dozed off with her head resting on Riveria's lap. Riveria gently placed a hand on the girl's head, supporting her as she slept.
"So, what do you think?" She looked up at my words.
"She is not a human," she said, looking down at the girl, "Her presence is similar to the spirits I have seen before."
"I knew something was strange about her, but a spirit, huh? But if she's a spirit, shouldn't she, like, I don't know, have some kind of strength?"
Riveria gave a small nod. "From what I have observed, she herself seems unaware of what she truly is."
"…"
"For the time being, I do not believe it would be wise to leave her unattended."
"I agree." I scratched my cheek. "Should we take her back home? Though explaining all this to Loki is going to be a pain."
Riveria carefully lifted the sleeping girl into her arms. "Leave Loki to me. I shall explain everything."
I left enough valis on the table to cover the rather impressive amount of food she had devoured before standing up as well. For someone so tiny, she certainly had a monstrous appetite.
After leaving the café, we began making our way back to Twilight Manor. The streets had grown quieter, with only the occasional adventurer passing us by as the evening settled over Orario.
It didn't take long for Riveria to suddenly break the comfortable silence. "...I must apologize." I turned toward her. "Our date came to an end rather sooner than I had intended."
...
So it was a date. I tried my best to keep my expression from changing. "Don't worry about it," I replied with a smile. "It couldn't be helped. Besides... we'll have plenty of chances to go on another one."
Riveria looked at me, then the corners of her lips lifted into a smile. "Certainly. I would like that." Then she muttered something under her breath so quietly that it took a conscious effort from my part to hear it. "...I suppose that will have to wait…"
What's "that"?
Just as I was about to ask her, Loki's voice cut through the air. "Eh! Riveria! Arin! What's this?! Did you have a kid already?!"
"Is that the first thought that comes to your shitty brain!" I retorted.
"Then what else am I supposed to think?!" Loki pointed dramatically at the little girl sleeping peacefully in Riveria's arms. "You two disappear for one afternoon, come back all lovey-dovey, and suddenly there's a kid! Explain yourselves!"
"First of all, that's biologically impossible." I tried to reason to no avail.
"You're a high human, so these things must work differently!"
"No! They don't!"
Riveria let out a quiet sigh. "Both of you, quiet down. She's sleeping."
"Oh," Loki's voice immediately dropped into a whisper. "Ohhhh…" She tiptoed closer, peering at the little girl. "…She's cute."
Riveria turned to the side, almost as if shielding the girl from Loki, "Don't try anything strange with her."
"What do you take me for!" Loki cried, only to go quiet as Riveria glared at her. Loki coughed lightly then spoke, "So, where do you find this child? You don't just happen to stumble upon a spirit, right?" she asked.
"We kind of did," I answered.
Loki raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
I nodded, "Yup, though the girl herself doesn't seem to be aware that she's a spirit."
"That's weird." Loki replied, "Maybe she's a newborn one? That's why?"
"How do you know she is newly born?" I asked, curiously. To which Loki puffed her flat chest out.
"He-hem, I am a goddess after all, of course I can tell."
"Both of you, first we should get inside. She will be able to sleep more comfortably on a bed." Said Riveria, and neither Loki nor I objected. Riveria carried the sleeping girl through the entrance of Twilight Manor while the two of us followed behind.
The moment we stepped into the living room, several pairs of eyes turned toward us.
More specifically—
Toward the little girl in Riveria's arms.
"…A child?" Raul blinked.
"Whose?" Tione asked immediately.
Before anyone else could speak, Tiona's eyes sparkled. "She is adorable!" she said and rushed forward, only for Riveria to calmly shift to the side.
Tiona embraced empty air. "Eh?"
"She is sleeping," Riveria replied simply.
"...aww…." Tiona whined before Tione dragged her back, and just as we started climbing the stairs, soft footsteps echoed down the hallway. Ais walked down the stairs, her golden eyes first landed on Riveria, then on the girl, and she stopped walking.
"...Spirit?" she muttered.
The three of us exchanged a glance, then Riveria nodded.
"We are not yet certain."
Ais slowly approached, and unlike Tiona, she didn't immediately reach out. Instead, she simply stood beside Riveria, quietly looking at the girl's sleeping face.
"…She feels…" Ais hesitated. "…Warm."
Riveria's expression softened. "Is that so?" Ais gently brushed a loose strand of dark hair away from the girl's face with a single finger. The sleeping girl stirred slightly before unconsciously leaning closer to Riveria.
A faint smile appeared on Ais's lips. "…Cute." Then she looked at Riveria. "…She reminds me… a little."
Riveria understood immediately. "…Your mother?"
Ais gave a tiny nod. "…A little bit..."
Riveria adjusted the sleeping girl in her arms, then patted Ais on the head gently before speaking. "For now, let us prepare one of the guest rooms. Everything else can wait until she wakes."
Everyone silently agreed.