(Yuuta POV)
For a few seconds, the entire butcher shop remained silent.
The butcher stared at Elena, his mouth slightly open, while my daughter stood in front of him with the most innocent smile imaginable. She seemed completely unaware that she'd just casually told a group of strangers about her mother ripping someone's spine out.
Then, suddenly, someone laughed.
"Hahaha! Oh my goodness!"
The laughter quickly spread through the shop as the customers realized that the little girl was probably making up some ridiculous story. After all, who would seriously believe that a woman could pull out someone's spine just because she was annoyed?
The butcher finally relaxed and burst into laughter himself.
"Oh my goodness, little one! You almost scared this old uncle!" He chuckled, wiping his forehead. "That was quite a joke, though. You've got a wonderful imagination!"
"She's so adorable, isn't she?" one of the women commented.
"Children these days are getting so creative with their stories!"
"Look at that innocent face! Who would expect such a scary story from someone so little?"
Everyone seemed thoroughly entertained.
Everyone except Elena.
Her cheerful smile slowly disappeared, and she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Elena not lying!"
The butcher blinked.
"Hm?"
"Uncle rude!" Elena declared, hugging her shopping bag against her chest. "Elena telling truth, but uncle laughing!"
Oh, dear.
I knew that expression.
Whenever Elena puffed out her cheeks like that, it meant she was genuinely offended. And considering how much she disliked being called a liar, I couldn't exactly blame her.
The butcher quickly raised his hands apologetically.
"Oh, I'm sorry, little one. Did this old uncle make you angry?"
"Hmph!"
Elena turned her face away.
The man chuckled awkwardly before glancing toward the small jar of candies beside his counter. Apparently, he'd dealt with upset children before, because his expression immediately brightened with an idea.
"Well, well... Look here, little angel."
Elena refused to turn around completely. Instead, she folded her arms as best she could while holding her shopping bag and gave him a suspicious sideways glance.
"What?"
The butcher held out his closed fist.
"Guess what I've got."
Elena stared at his hand.
Slowly, he opened his fingers, revealing a brightly wrapped candy resting in his palm.
"Candy!"
Her entire face lit up.
In an instant, the offended little dragon disappeared, replaced by an excited child who looked as though she'd just been handed a priceless treasure.
"For Elena?!"
"Of course!"
"Yay! Candy!"
She eagerly accepted it, holding the little sweet up with both hands before smiling at the butcher.
"Thank you, human uncle!"
The customers immediately melted.
"Oh, look at her!"
"She's so precious!"
"That smile! I can't!"
Meanwhile, behind our hiding spot, I was barely holding myself together.
"Erza..." I whispered, pressing a hand against my chest. "Did you see that? Did you see how she smiled?"
"Yes, Yuuta."
"She's so cute! I'm dying here!"
"Then die quietly."
"How can you say that when our daughter is being this adorable?!"
Erza sighed, but I noticed that she hadn't taken her eyes off Elena either.
Back inside the shop, the butcher was still smiling at my daughter when something suddenly caught his attention.
"Hm?"
He leaned forward slightly, studying her face.
"Wait a moment..."
Elena tilted her head.
"What, uncle?"
"Those eyes..." he murmured. "I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."
He looked at her red eyes, then at the shape of her face, apparently trying to remember someone familiar. After a moment, his expression changed.
"Hold on! Are you Yuuta's niece?"
Elena blinked.
"Niece?"
"Yes, little one. Is Yuuta your uncle?"
She tilted her head again.
"What is niece?"
The butcher chuckled.
"Oh, it means you're the daughter of his brother or sister."
Elena considered that explanation for a moment before shaking her head.
"No!"
"Oh?"
"Yuuta is Papa name!" she announced proudly, placing a little hand against her chest. "And Elena is Papa's princess!"
The butcher froze.
"...Papa?"
"Yes!"
"Wait... You mean Yuuta is your father?"
Elena nodded enthusiastically.
"Mm! Elena's Papa!"
CLANG!
The butcher's knife fell onto the floor again.
I stared at him from behind the pole.
Old man, how many times are you planning to drop that knife today?
The butcher, however, seemed completely unaware of his fallen weapon.
"WAIT! YOU'RE YUUTA'S DAUGHTER?!"
His voice echoed through the shop.
A nearby shopkeeper immediately turned toward him.
"What? Yuuta's daughter?"
"Where?"
"That little girl?"
Within seconds, several people had gathered near the entrance, looking at Elena with renewed curiosity.
My daughter, meanwhile, simply stood there holding her candy, apparently wondering why everyone had suddenly become so interested in her father.
Beside me, Erza slowly turned her masked face toward me.
"...You're quite famous around here, aren't you?"
I straightened my back proudly.
"Well, what can I say? I'm an author, after all. It's only natural that people recognize me."
"An author?" Erza repeated coldly.
"Yes?"
"Yuuta, you used to work nearby, and you spent half your free time standing around this market gossiping with the shopkeepers. That's why everyone knows you."
I stared at her.
"...That's rude."
"It's the truth."
"Can't you let your husband feel proud for five seconds?"
"No."
What a heartless woman.
Meanwhile, the butcher had finally recovered enough to examine Elena properly.
"Goodness gracious! So you're really Yuuta's daughter?"
"Yes!"
He rubbed his chin, looking between her white hair and her adorable little face.
"But are you sure? You're far too cute to be his daughter!"
My eyebrow twitched.
Excuse me?
The butcher continued laughing.
"Look at those beautiful features! That little face! Hahaha! You look nothing like that fellow!"
What the hell, old man?!
Before I could recover from that insult, the butcher's wife emerged from the back of the shop. She'd apparently heard the commotion and came over to see what was happening.
"Oh my! Is this really Yuuta's little girl?"
"Yes, dear! Can you believe it?"
The woman crouched slightly to get a better look at Elena.
"My goodness, she's absolutely beautiful! Just look at her hair and those lovely eyes!"
Elena smiled happily at the compliment.
"Thank you, human auntie!"
The woman laughed.
"Such a polite little girl! I wonder how beautiful Yuuta's wife must be."
The butcher nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly! She must have inherited all that beauty from her mother!"
"Hahaha! Certainly not from her father!"
The surrounding customers laughed again.
I slowly clenched my fists.
That's it.
I'm banning you, old man.
I'm never buying chicken from this shop again!
"Calm down, Yuuta," Erza whispered beside me.
"Calm down?! Did you hear what he just said? He's insulting me in front of my own daughter!"
"He's only praising Elena."
"By destroying my appearance!"
Erza placed a hand against her mask, clearly trying to hide her amusement.
"Well, he isn't entirely wrong."
I turned toward her.
"Erza!"
"What?"
"You're supposed to be on my side!"
She looked away, but I could tell she was smiling beneath that ridiculous pink cat mask.
"Hmph. At least those humans have good eyes."
I narrowed my eyes.
Oh, I knew exactly what she was thinking.
So you're enjoying this, huh?
Fine.
Let her enjoy it.
I was already preparing a mental list of reasons to boycott this chicken shop when the butcher's wife suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, don't say that about Yuuta!"
I immediately stopped.
The woman smiled warmly.
"Yuuta is quite handsome himself, you know."
My ears practically perked up.
Oh?
"Really?" one of the customers asked.
"Of course! He's always been a good-looking young man. Do you know how many women around here used to have a crush on him?"
My entire body straightened.
Ohoho!
Now we were talking!
The butcher's wife continued, completely unaware that the subject of her conversation was hiding behind a pole a short distance away.
"His wife must be a very lucky woman to have such a handsome husband!"
I slowly turned toward Erza.
She was silent.
Very silent.
I couldn't see her expression behind the mask, but that didn't stop me from smiling triumphantly.
"Well, well, well..." I whispered, folding my arms proudly. "Did you hear that, Erza?"
"..."
"Apparently, your husband was quite popular with the ladies."
"Mortal."
"And handsome too! Who would've thought?"
"Yuuta."
I leaned a little closer.
"You should be proud, you know. Not everyone gets to marry a man like me."
Thwack!
"Ouch!"
Erza smacked the back of my head before I could continue.
"Yeah, yeah," she replied coldly. "I'm very proud."
I rubbed my head, staring at her in disbelief.
"Then why did you hit me?!"
"Because you're getting annoying."
"Can't a husband enjoy being complimented for once?"
"Not when he's hiding behind a pole wearing that ridiculous mask."
I opened my mouth to argue, but after glancing at my reflection in the nearby shop window, I reluctantly decided to keep quiet.
Fair enough.
Still, beneath that pink cat mask, I could tell Erza was smiling. And somehow, despite everything she'd just said, I had a feeling she really was a little proud.
Anyway, back to Elena.
My daughter was still standing in front of the counter, holding her shopping bag with both hands. After all the attention she'd received, she seemed quite pleased with herself, although I was beginning to wonder whether she even remembered why she'd come here in the first place.
The butcher leaned forward with a playful grin.
"So, what can I do for you today, little Yuuta?"
Elena blinked at him before breaking into a cheerful smile.
"Elena is little Papa! Uncle funny!"
The butcher burst into laughter, clearly delighted by her answer. His wife, who was standing beside him, immediately covered her mouth as another affectionate smile spread across her face.
"Oh, goodness! She's so adorable! How can a child be this precious?"
Elena turned toward her, tilting her little head.
Then she smiled.
"Elena like human auntie too!"
The woman froze.
For a moment, she simply stared at Elena, her expression slowly changing as though those innocent words had struck her directly in the heart.
Then she grabbed her husband's arm.
"That's it, honey!"
The butcher blinked. "What?"
"Let's adopt her!"
"...What?"
"Let's adopt this little angel! Look at her! She's absolutely adorable!"
The butcher stared at his wife in disbelief.
"Darling, what are you talking about? She already has parents! She's Yuuta's daughter, not some stray cat we found on the street!"
"But she's so cute!" his wife protested, looking at Elena with sparkling eyes. "It's unfair! How does Yuuta get to have such an adorable little girl all to himself?"
"Because he's her father!"
"Then we can become her parents too!"
"THAT'S NOT HOW ADOPTION WORKS!"
The nearby customers burst into laughter at the couple's ridiculous argument. Elena, meanwhile, stood there holding her shopping bag, looking from one adult to another without the slightest idea that someone had just suggested taking her home.
Unfortunately, someone else had heard every word.
Me.
Behind the pole, my entire body stiffened.
...What did that woman just say?
Adopt?
My Elena?
I slowly stepped out from behind the pole, my fists tightening at my sides.
"Oh, you've done it now, old hag..." I muttered through my smiling mask. "You think you can just take my daughter because she's cute? Today, we're settling this!"
I was already preparing to march straight into the shop when a cold hand suddenly caught mine.
"Stop."
I turned around.
Erza was holding my hand firmly, her pink cat mask facing me.
"Let go, Erza! Didn't you hear what she said?! She wants to adopt Elena!"
"She's joking, mortal."
"Joking?! Who jokes about stealing someone else's daughter?!"
"Apparently, that woman."
"Exactly! That's why I need to teach her a lesson!"
I tried stepping forward again, but Erza tightened her grip and pulled me back behind the pole. Despite using both my legs to resist, I barely managed to move an inch.
"Mortal," she said coldly, "stop embarrassing yourself and behave like a mature adult for once."
"How can I be mature when someone's trying to steal our daughter?!"
"Nobody is stealing her."
"She literally said she wanted to adopt her!"
"And her husband already told her no."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"
A few pedestrians glanced in our direction, probably wondering why a man wearing a creepy smiling mask was struggling against a woman in a pink cat mask.
Erza didn't seem bothered in the slightest. She simply continued holding my hand while I desperately tried to free myself.
"Erza, let me go!"
"No."
"Just five minutes! I only want to talk!"
"You don't look like you want to talk."
"THEN STOP LOOKING AT ME!"
Erza sighed.
"...What an idiot."
Meanwhile, inside the chicken shop, Elena was still smiling innocently, completely unaware that her father was currently being restrained by her mother a few metres away.
To be continued...