My vision gradually blurred, and once again, the interior of the cabin came into view.
The warm glow of the fireplace, a rabbit munching on grass, the quiet room filled with the scent of wood.
And then─.
The child looked up at me, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I was thinking again.”
“……!”
The child, seemingly relieved, carefully leaned into my arms.
I gently patted the child’s back as she sniffled.
Thankfully, it seemed like it was over this time.
The unpleasant sensation that had been occupying my mind was now completely gone.
“I won’t do it again.”
“…….”
The child stared at me quietly, as if checking whether I was alright.
I held their gaze.
‘…Huh?’
Wait a minute.
Now that I think about it….
‘Do they resemble someone?’
I cautiously reached out and gently ran my hand through the child’s short hair.
Pink hair. Pale green eyes.
Fleeting memories brushed by like an afterimage.
Rags and shining armor.
A withdrawn expression and a dignified attitude.
Trembling eyes and a sparkling smile.
The memories from just a moment ago and the present reality reached out to each other.
Two completely different images overlapped, and strangely, the child formed a single, vivid figure.
I stopped my hand, which had been patting her head.
‘…Could this be the child’s future?’
More precisely, ‘one of the many possibilities of the future.’
The future could always change depending on the child’s choices and the flow of fate.
‘I see.’
Only now did the question finally get answered.
Why it felt oddly familiar, yet I couldn’t find it anywhere in my past memories.
“It was you.”
“……?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
I patted the child’s back again, who was still in my arms.
Her small, steady breaths touched my chest.
A knight.
Is he a knight?
‘…He has no talent for swordsmanship, though.’
After a brief moment of contemplation, I shook my head.
From what I remember, I don’t intend to trap this child in a predetermined mold.
That’s merely a possibility, nothing more.
This child’s life must be decided by the child alone.
What does he want to do?
What does he desire?
What will he strive toward?
Someday, this small heart will make a choice.
‘All I need to do is stay by his side and support him.’
Humans these days— how many years do they live again?
‘…Not even 20 years left until the calamity.’
In the past, humans used to live over 1,000 years.
I may not have enough time left to witness the end of that choice.
“But still, I intend to give you all the time I have, if possible.”
“?”
“Because I’m the one who picked you up.”
The child quietly looked at me.
He tilted his head as if confused, but somehow looked a little happy.
“Right. I bought clothes.”
“…?”
“They’re for you. You were shivering all day yesterday because it was cold.”
The child’s eyes widened into perfect circles.
Her lips parted slightly, and surprise and joy spread across her eyes at the same time.
“Do you want to try them on right away?”
“……!”
At my words, the child blinked cautiously.
Then, very slowly, she nodded.
I took out the clothes I’d bought from the village.
A thick coat made of warm fabric, and a soft, one-piece undergarment.
Slowly, I held out the coat to the child.
“…Huh?”
“?”
I pulled the clothes back.
Looked at the coat in my hands once, then at the puzzled child, and once again brought the clothes up to the child.
This…
No matter how I look at it…
“…It’s… small?”
“???”
How strange.
These were clothes picked out by the shop clerk.
“They definitely said… it was baby clothing…”
“……?”
“…Wait. Now that I think about it.”
The shop clerk’s words came back to mind.
“Baby clothes are supposed to be this small.”
“You don’t need anything bigger, sir — babies grow really fast.”
No way.
Could it be that… in just that short time…
“…Did they grow?”
“……?”
“I’ve heard babies grow quickly, but…”
To grow this much in just a few hours?
Is it the same growth rate as early humans?
No,
Before that…
The child didn’t look any different from before we got to the village.
Going over the memories carefully,
I compared the size of the child in my mind.
No matter how I thought about it, the child hadn’t changed at all.
Her body, height, and the size of their hands and feet — all the same.
‘How strange…’
What could be the reason?
Then suddenly,
A conversation between the old folks at the inn flashed through my mind.
“My eyesight’s getting worse by the day.”
“Ha ha, looks like you’ve got presbyopia too.”
“It’s not like getting old is a crime, but everything’s harder every day.”
“My presbyopia must’ve gotten worse too — can’t even tell what’s in front of me anymore, really.”
No way—
“…Is this that ‘presbyopia’ thing?”
“……?”
“…Hmm, wanna try it on anyway?”
Just like long ago,
May be the clothes adjust to fit the wearer.
The child looked between the clothes and me.
Then, with a small smirk, nodded.
I undid the buttons and gently tried to dress the child.
More accurately,
It’d be better to say I attempted to dress them.
From the opening, movement was already blocked.
The sleeves, the fit — everything was far too small.
While I struggled to dress the child, the child looked up at me.
They didn’t say it was too small, but their expression said everything.
A look that clearly said, “…This? Really?”
“Definitely—”
To the child wearing the clothes, and to the clothes themselves, it was something that shouldn’t have been done.
I took the clothes off again.
“…It’s too small.”
“……”
“No, it’s not your fault, it’s my mistake.”
I patted the child’s head, feeling down, and then examined the clothes.
“Let’s see… It doesn’t seem like there’s magic on it.”
“???”
“In the days when the size adjusted, it wasn’t magic, it was technology… How does it work now? Is it the same as before?”
Perhaps it was because I had gripped it too tightly.
As I examined it here and there, I ended up tearing it.
The cotton inside the coat scattered everywhere.
“…Hmm.”
I stared blankly at the piece of cloth that had once been a garment.
‘This kind of thing… can’t be repaired, right? …Should I turn back time?’
While I was debating whether or not to turn back time, I met the child’s gaze as she looked up at me.
Without disappointment or sadness, the child simply stared quietly.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how it works.”
“……”
The child shook her head, as if saying it was okay.
I carefully patted her head.
“Oh, right. I bought some books.”
“……?”
“Maybe the solution is written in one of them.”
It was probably a book about the child, after all.
A method to adjust clothes that didn’t fit the child.
I slowly stood up from my seat and rummaged through the books I had bought.
“Found it.”
I picked up two books that the bookstore owner had recommended.
[The Parenting Encyclopedia]
[Basic Guidelines for Beginner Caregivers]
“Maybe this kind of information is in the encyclopedia rather than the guidelines.”
I opened the [Parenting Encyclopedia].
As soon as I opened it, the smell of fresh paper filled the air.
I carefully turned the first page.
“…Let’s start with the table of contents.”
Turning each page, I followed the world of the small child.
And soon, I found out.
The clothes that didn’t fit…
There was nothing written anywhere about how to adjust it for a child.
I checked other books just in case, but it was the same.
“…Hmm.”
“???”
The only thing related to clothes that I found was,
“Babies grow so fast, so there’s no need to buy too many clothes.”
I sighed and closed the book.
There was nothing I needed, just things I already knew.
“Looks like clothes need to be chosen in person after all.”
“……”
“Next time, let’s pick them together. You can choose the clothes you want to wear.”
At those words, the child seemed to fall into thought for a moment, blinking before nodding slightly.
This time, the movement had a little more strength behind it.
“Alright. Let’s go to the village tomorrow.”
“……”
“It’ll be a hassle, but we’ll have to deal with it…”
The child I brought with me came from the ruins of the village.
A remote place no one visited.
Someone might know the child who was all alone there.
‘It could get noisy again, with people shouting “kidnapping” and such.’
There was enough possibility.
It had happened before.
I’d only carried the child around because she hadn’t let go of her robe.
The guards came, and the child’s parents cried and caused a scene.
Watching that, I thought to myself.
Humans really cherish their children these days.
It was a little strange.
In the past, many humans didn’t feel that way.
I quietly looked down at the child.
‘Even though no one came looking for the child until sunset…’
Still, just like back then,
Someone might recognize the child and come to take them.
“If someone comes looking for you, should I let you go?”
“……!”
The child looked at me in shock.
Her eyes wavered.
Tears quickly welled up in her eyes.
The child’s small hand grabbed my clothes with all its strength.
It was a silent plea, “Don’t send me away.”
For a moment, I couldn’t find the words to say.
I picked up the child carefully.
Slowly, and very carefully, I opened my mouth.
“Don’t worry.”
“…?”
“If something like that ever happens…”
The small shoulders flinched.
The hand still didn’t let go of the hem of my clothes.
“I’ll ask you then. Whether you want to go or stay.”
“….”
“The choice will be yours.”
The child just stared at me quietly.
The small lips pressed tightly together, and the grip on my clothes grew firmer.
It was as if the child was determined not to let go.
“…Do you want to stay with me?”
“…!”
The child quickly nodded.
“Alright. I understand. Then we should stop by the bookstore tomorrow.”
“…?”
“You said to ask if I was curious about something. Well, I’ll ask you how to stay with you when I want to.”
The child’s eyes widened.
Then, the child gently lifted the corners of her mouth and buried her face in my arms.