Chapter 114: Planting a Seed of Kindness, Reaping a Maid
"???"
Wait, did I hear that right?
What did she say her name was?
Mine? That Mine from Night Raid?!
Now that she mentioned it, she did bear some resemblance to the pink-haired, twin-tailed girl from his memories, but the differences were just too stark.
"Are you mixed-race?"
He intended to make a final confirmation.
But the girl let out a small gasp and retreated two steps, her eyes once again filling with fear.
However, seeing that he didn't seem hostile and eyeing the small piece of bread in his hand, she finally gave a slight nod.
"Mm... can... you give me that piece of bread?"
The girl asked again, timidly.
To be honest, the girl who called herself Mine bore no resemblance to the tsundere pink-haired character from the original work.
Thinking this, he ignored her pitiful, pleading gaze and, under her woeful stare, tossed the torn piece of bread into his mouth.
Then, without looking back, he left the alley, leaving the girl with only his receding figure.
"...Why?"
The girl was stunned.
The faint light that had briefly shone in her eyes faded once more into dullness and gloom.
Her outstretched hand dropped limply.
She didn't cry—rather, she was used to it. Behavior like his was actually on the better side.
It wasn't her fault at all. Just because she had Western foreign blood, just because she was mixed-race, she had to endure endless bullying...
Why?
"Mom... what did Mine do wrong...?"
"Mom..."
"Why is it like this..."
Perhaps because he was the first man, aside from her mother, to show her kindness in her life, he had inadvertently breached her defenses.
Mine could no longer hold back her tears. She slowly crouched down, curling into a ball on the filthy ground, and wept quietly.
Perhaps it would be better to just die like this, so I wouldn't have to endure others' bullying anymore.
For no particular reason, the girl couldn't help but entertain such thoughts.
She didn't know how long she had been crying like this when suddenly, footsteps approached from not far away, growing closer until they stopped right in front of her.
At the same time, a warm, strong hand pulled her up.
Mine instinctively looked up and discovered it was that big brother—he had come back. Not only that, but he was also holding a fresh bag of bread.
She could even see wisps of steam rising from it, filling the alley with the aroma of freshly baked bread.
"Here, eat this."
"I didn't give you the previous piece because I had already taken a bite from it. It wasn't clean."
As he spoke, Mahiro took a bread roll from the bag and pressed it into the girl's hand.
"This one just came out of the oven. It's still warm."
Really...
Mine held the bread in her hands, clearly feeling the warmth spreading from her palms, making her heart feel warm too.
The rich scent of wheat wafted around the tip of her nose.
"It smells so good..."
She couldn't help but murmur softly, and her little stomach involuntarily rumbled.
But she felt too hesitant to eat it, almost unable to believe it was real.
So she lifted her head and asked Mahiro again, "Can I... really have it?"
"Mm, eat it quickly. It'll get hard once it cools down."
With Mahiro's permission, Mine could no longer hold back. She took a bite out of the corner of the bread.
Instantly, the soft texture, accompanied by the rich aroma of food and a warmth that wasn't scalding, spread throughout her mouth.
As she ate, Mine couldn't hold back her tears.
"It's so delicious... really so delicious..."
She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had eaten something so delicious. Though it was just an ordinary piece of bread, she could taste the flavor of her mother's cooking in it.
"Mom..."
Tears gradually blurred the girl's vision. In her daze, she seemed to see her mother right in front of her, smiling at her.
Beside her, Mahiro also took out a piece of bread to taste.
To be honest, freshly baked bread really was much better than cold bread, though its imperfections were still impossible to ignore.
That was his most honest evaluation of this bread.
Maybe when he had free time, he could compile a guide to otherworldly delicacies?
Though this thing is pretty useless, it can only serve as a record.
"...Um... thank you very much... could I have another piece?"
Before he knew it, Mine had already finished the piece in her hand and was staring longingly at the ones in his bag.
Though she knew it was embarrassing, her stomach still wasn't full.
If possible, she wanted to eat until she was completely stuffed, so she wouldn't have to eat for the next few days.
However, ideals are plump while reality is bony.
"No."
Mahiro directly refused her request and explained, "It's not that I won't give you any. Even if I gave you this whole bag, or even threw in ten more bags, it wouldn't be a problem."
"The reason I'm not giving you more is that you look like you've been starving for a long time. If you eat too much at once, you could easily make yourself sick from overeating."
"You don't want to die from stuffing yourself with bread, do you? Let me tell you, people who die from overeating have extremely gruesome deaths..."
Hearing his vivid description, Mine's small face instantly turned pale, and she shook her head repeatedly to indicate she didn't want any more, that she was already full.
"Mhm, that's better."
Mahiro was quite satisfied with the girl's attitude.
Then he continued:
"Now that you've eaten the bread, let's talk about serious matters."
Upon hearing "serious matters," Mine's expression changed dramatically, her face instantly turning white.
She immediately stood up and quickly backed away. Even when she accidentally fell into a mud puddle, she desperately scrambled backward, hoping to put as much distance between them as possible.
"Hey, am I really that scary?"
Mahiro rubbed his chin, a strange look in his eyes.
He thought his handsome face shouldn't be frightening at all.
When he met Asaka in the previous world and she acted so afraid, it was somewhat understandable.
But why is this one, meeting Mine, still so scared of him?
Though he claimed not to care, seeing this reaction repeatedly still hurt his feelings.
"P-please don't hurt me."
While he was lost in thought, Mine had already retreated to a corner, curling her body into a ball and only peeking out with her small head to watch him.
Her eyes were filled with terror.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
She knew very well that some nobles enjoyed capturing children to subject them to cruel, inhuman torture, treating them like toys.
Some were even worse—they would break their limbs and force them to mate with dogs.
Even though this big brother seemed very kind and gentle, having witnessed too much, she didn't dare to take the risk.
She could only hope he would let her go.
Mahiro: "..."
At this, he could only sigh helplessly and slowly walk toward the girl.
No matter how much she cried out, he paid no attention until he stood before her and slowly crouched down.
"Why are you so afraid? I clearly have no intention of hurting you at all."
Mahiro naturally knew this world was like a cesspit, rotten from top to bottom, inside and out.
So, when facing Mine, he did his best to express his goodwill.
Truthfully, he could just turn around and leave right now without any issue, leaving it to fate. After all, according to the original story, Mine would eventually be saved by the Revolutionary Army and become a member of Night Raid.
But he didn't want to gamble.
Who knows if because of this action of his, it might inadvertently cause Mine to miss the chance to join the revolutionary army and end up dying in some alleyway.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
And so, he could only try his best to comfort the girl.
"Don't be afraid, I don't have any ill intentions. It's just that I'm new here and unfamiliar with the area, so I need a guide to show me around."
"Of course, I'll pay you."
As he spoke, Mahiro took out a heavy pouch and placed it before the girl.
Through the open top, one could clearly see it was filled with gold coins.
These were taken from some kind-hearted people, so he didn't care how he spent them.
But this full pouch of gold coins shocked Mine—it was the first time in her life she had seen so much money.
"There are about five hundred gold coins in here. If you're willing to be my guide, this pouch is yours."
"...F-five hundred?!"
Five hundred gold coins might not sound like much, but their purchasing power was extraordinary.
A single gold coin was enough to support a family for a long time.
With this much money, one could buy the best house in this town, purchase over a dozen slaves, and still have plenty left over.
"What do you think?"
"...I don't need that much. Just... one coin would be enough." Mine cautiously tested the waters.
Naturally, she felt drawn to this pouch of gold coins, but she wasn't greedy.
She knew full well what consequences greed could bring.
For a mixed-blood orphan like her, walking around with such a large pouch of gold coins would only end with her being killed and robbed.
"Is it too much?"
Mahiro rubbed his chin, clearly having no concept of money.
In his mind, if spending five hundred gold coins could "buy" Mine, it would be an absolute bargain.
After all, money was external to him, not to mention that gold coins were something he could create endlessly with just a little magic.
One could say they were an inexhaustible supply.
"If you think it's too much, then how about this? Why don't you become my personal maid and housekeeper? I don't know how to manage this much money anyway, so why not let you handle it for me? What do you think?"
"Ah...?"
Mine was stunned.
She had imagined countless possibilities, but she never expected this person to offer her a position as maid and housekeeper?
"...Can I really do it?"
Mine found it hard to believe.
Not that she didn't trust the other person, but that she didn't believe she could do the job well.
After all, she didn't think any noble would use this much gold to trick her—normally, nobles would just order someone to forcibly take her away.
They would never speak to her so kindly and gently.
And this big brother looked so handsome and kind.
If she really could do it...
She was willing to trust this big brother once.
"Of course you can. I believe in you."
"But... I don't know how to do anything. I can't even cook, I can only do some simple cleaning."
"That's fine, I can teach you how to cook."
Mahiro half-knelt down, bringing his eyes level with the girl's.
He tried his best to appear gentle.
Then he extended his hand in invitation:
"So, are you willing?"
"..."
The girl pressed her cherry lips tightly together, her gaze hesitant as she looked at the outstretched hand, as if engaged in a final struggle.
Mine knew very well.
Whether the path ahead would lead to heaven or hell depended entirely on the choice she made now.
But she was already in purgatory—how much worse could things possibly get?
And so, she slowly reached out both hands and grasped the man's palm before her.
"Alright..."
"Very good. My name is Yotsuba Mahiro. Pleased to meet you."
"I am Mine... pleased to meet you."
Her voice trembled slightly.
And in that tremor, her destiny was rewritten.
Fallen leaves carried a message.
In this foreign world, Mahiro had finally acquired his first loli maid.
Not like Asaka—who had been raised all wrong with that strong samurai vibe—but a genuine little maid!
Though she was still quite immature in many aspects, he believed that under his guidance, everything would improve.
But first things first: he took her out of the alley, bought her a complete set of new clothes from the inside out, then brought her to the town's most luxurious inn, rented a room, and helped her freshen up.
And indeed, once cleaned up and dressed in new clothes, the girl looked just like the Mine from his memories.
Her features were delicate, with smooth pink twin tails cascading down to her waist.
The small black-and-white maid uniform, adorned with lace trim at the hem, suited her perfectly without any hint of incongruity. Her slender, jade-like legs were snugly encased in sheer black stockings, and she wore a pair of pure black leather shoes.
Perfect.
Though still somewhat immature, her figure a bit thin, and her complexion slightly sallow from prolonged malnutrition.
But overall, it was close enough.
She just needed some gradual nurturing.
However, even in her lovely new clothes, Mine still drew pointing and whispering from passersby on the street.
"Hey, am I seeing things? Isn't that brat that disgusting half-breed?"
"Hah, lucky her, catching a noble's eye."
"Lucky? I doubt it. From what I know, nobles have some pretty wild tastes. A half-breed like her probably has to serve her master in bed, and then maybe his pets in private."
"Ew, how filthy."
...
Some mocked, some sneered, while others oozed jealousy like sour lemons.
Overhearing these malicious remarks, Mine instinctively lowered her head, her steps lagging a beat behind Mahiro's.
Until Mahiro suddenly called her name.
"Mine."
"...Yes?! Wh-what are your orders!"
Mine nervously looked up, only to find Mahiro gazing at her with a gentle smile, his large hand resting atop her head, softly stroking her hair.
"Mine, as someone who belongs to me now, remember this: from today onward, no matter who you face, I forbid you to lower your head. Understood?"
"When you hear malicious words, strike back fiercely."
"If someone insults you, beat them up mercilessly."
"No matter what happens, I'll always stand behind you and take responsibility. But remember this one thing—you are never allowed to bow your head to anyone. Because when you disgrace yourself, you're not just shaming yourself, you're tarnishing my reputation. Understand?!"
As the saying goes, a loud drum needs a heavy hammer.
He never cared about face to begin with—or rather, he was the type to be both shameless and thick-skinned.
The reason he spoke this way was because Mine herself was a resilient girl. To help her grow quickly, even harsh words were acceptable.
As it turned out, his words had an effect.
Mine looked up at him, her pink eyes shining with a bright light, then nodded vigorously and replied:
"I understand, Master!"
Hiss—
Master...
The title was a bit awkward, yet inexplicably satisfying!
He didn't refuse or correct her, instead taking her hand to head out for dinner.
In the dining room, faced with a table full of dishes,
This time, Mine didn't devour her food like she had with the bread in the alley. Perhaps remembering Mahiro's words and understanding that she represented his reputation, she began to imitate the young lady at the next table, eating her meal slowly and elegantly.
Though her attempt was slightly amusing.
Mahiro took a sip from his silver goblet to suppress his laughter.
Seeing that the girl had almost finished eating, he finally asked:
"Mine, I have a question for you. Where exactly are we in the empire?"
Upon hearing the question, Mine immediately stopped eating, answering without even wiping her mouth:
"Master, I'm not entirely sure about the specifics... but I know this town is on the western border of the empire, adjacent to the territories of the western ethnic groups."
It was precisely because of this that Mine, being of mixed heritage from two ethnic groups, faced discrimination from others.
"I see, so this is the border. That means we're quite far from the imperial capital."
Mahiro nodded with partial understanding, then looked at the girl with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "But next time, remember to wipe your mouth before speaking, okay?"
As he spoke, he picked up a napkin and gently wiped the sauce from the corner of Mine's mouth.
Feeling embarrassed, Mine's face instantly flushed red, and she replied softly:
"I... I understand, Master."
Seeing his maid already blushing, Mahiro didn't lecture her further, instead taking a slow sip from his goblet.
The taste was quite good—rich and aromatic, definitely well-aged.
This was one of the redeeming qualities of this otherworldly place.
However, getting to the imperial capital would be a bit troublesome...
But it was just as well. His little maid needed some training—at the very least, she had to learn how to cook and gain the ability to protect herself during this time.