(Attendances… plz…)
….
An hour, then two, melted away under the warm sky. Gojo and the children now lay in a scattered pile on a grassy patch at the edge of the village, watching the clouds drift by.
Gojo was in the middle, hands laced behind his head and one leg casually crossed over the other.
The children, in a clear act of imitation, had adopted similar poses around him.
"So," Gojo said, his voice lazy as he stared at the sky. "What's the big plan? What do you guys wanna be when you grow up?"
The girl with the reddish-brown hair and red ribbon was the first to answer. "I… I want to move to the royal capital and become a famous tailor," she said, her voice filled with a determined sort of dreaminess. "I'll make beautiful dresses and become so wealthy I can eat and wear whatever I want, whenever I want."
"Hmm, hahaha good one kiddo," Gojo approved. "When you make it, I'll be sure to visit your shop and be your first customer."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?!"
"Why not?" he said with a grin. He turned his head slightly. "Alright, who's next?"
One of the twin boys spoke up immediately. "I'm gonna grow up and marry Petra!"
"No, you're not, stupid!" his brother shot back, sitting up abruptly. "I'm going to marry Petra!"
"In your dreams! She likes me more!"
In an instant, the two were a tangle of limbs, rolling and wrestling on the grass.
The chubby boy ignored them, a blissful look on his face. "I want to make a big, beautiful crown of flowers and give it to my mother."
"Good one chubby," Gojo nodded. "I'm sure she'll love it."
"I'm going to be a big sister soon!" the girl with the blonde pigtails announced proudly. "I'm so excited!"
Gojo added, "well congrats twin tail."
"And I'm gonna be the best woodcutter in the whole village!" declared the boy with a perpetual smile and a drip of snot under his nose.
Gojo let out a hearty laugh. "haaah You guys sure have some big dreams. Good very good."
"What about you?" Petra asked, having extricated herself from the sphere of the wrestling twins. "Do you have a dream, Mister Mage?"
Gojo's smile softened into something more thoughtful. "Hmm, interesting question. To be honest… I don't really have one right now. I had a dream, once. A big one actually. But I'm not sure if it came true or not." He paused, looking back at the endless blue sky. "For now, I guess you could say I'm a blank slate."
…
..
.
They fell into a comfortable silence, the only sounds being the rustling leaves and the muffled grunts of the twins. Time slipped by until the angle of the sun warned Gojo that his time was almost up. He could already picture the pink-haired maid, foot tapping impatiently, ready to lecture him like a truant child.
With a heavy sigh, he sat up, stretching his arms high above his head. The children, still in mimicry mode, copied the motion. A low chuckle escaped him.
"Well, kiddos, it's been fun hanging out with you small ones. I'm sure you had the time of your lives with the ultra-cool me. And if you say you didn't, you're just lying to yourself."
He pushed himself to his feet. "Gotta go now. Otherwise, the scary maid will probably tie me to the back of the carriage and make me run all the way home."
As if summoned by his words, a cold, flat voice cut through the air from behind him. "Perhaps I should. At least the running might keep your mouth shut."
The children immediately averted their eyes, suddenly fascinated by the grass. Gojo turned to see Ram standing there, her arms crossed and her face a mask of stern disapproval.
"You know, Ram," Gojo said conversationally, "scaring children is bad form. It's not very becoming of a top-tier maid."
"Whatever," she clipped. "It is time to leave. I have finished the shopping."
Just as Gojo was about to concede, Petra scrambled to her feet and rushed to his side. "Wait! You haven't met Meili yet!"
Gojo looked down at her. "Meili? I thought you guys were the whole crew."
"She usually plays with us," Petra explained, a worried frown on her face. "But she's been really quiet the last few days, just staying by herself in the shed at the edge of the village. Maybe… maybe if you made her fly, even for a little bit, it would make her happy?"
Gojo sighed, glancing from Petra's pleading face to Ram's impatient one. "Well… can't have any kid missing out on my unparalleled coolness, can we? It'll tank my approval ratings." He waved a hand at the group. "Alright, go get her, but make it quick! Otherwise, the pink demon here will hang me from a tree. Then I'd have to crash at one of your places, and trust me, I'm a very messy houseguest."
"Wait right there! Don't move! We'll be right back!" Petra shouted, and with that, the entire squad took off at a full sprint toward the edge of the village.
Gojo was left alone with the silent, pink-haired maid. He turned to face her, a mischievous glint in his eye, and reached out to pinch her cheek.
Pinch. Poke.
Ram slapped his hand away with surprising force. "Do not touch my face with your filthy hands."
"Filthy?" Gojo recoiled theatrically, cradling his hand. "I am the epitome of cleanliness! How dare you! And look, now my hand is all red because you hit it so hard. So cruel."
"We have to leave. Now," she repeated, her voice dangerously low.
"Can't we wait a few more minutes? The kids asked us to. Don't take your anger out on me just because children don't flock to you. You could try smiling, you know. Or are you just shy?"
"I do not like you," Ram stated, her expression utterly blank.
Gojo stared at her for a long moment. "I get it. My handsomeness is so blinding you can't see it with your normal eyes. And I know you're lying, because your face doesn't change. You should really try moving those facial muscles once in a while. You'll get wrinkles before you're old. I hear that's a serious concern for you ladies."
Before Ram could respond, or more likely, choose not to, the children came sprinting back, their faces pale with panic.
Petra ran up to Gojo, gasping for breath. "She isn't there! We looked in the shed, and all around it! She's gone!"
The chubby boy added, his voice trembling, "We found her footprints near the edge of the forest… and there were monster footprinta right next to them."
….
A/N: Well how was it?! Next chapter gojo vs dogs. And gojo saving ram.
&
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y