Chapter 2: Because I’m the head of the orphanage!

The village was farther than it seemed.

To be exact, the distance wasn’t actually far, but walking there with these short legs made it feel like it took forever.

“Hah… hah…”

With nothing in my stomach and walking such a long way, my small body was utterly exhausted, barely able to keep going.

If it had been an ordinary child instead of me, they’d probably have collapsed on the spot.

“So they say kids have endless energy, huh? Looks like that’s just a lie.”

Even so, with steady persistence, I managed to keep moving my legs and finally reached the village entrance.

At the edge of the village, I saw small houses made of bricks and wooden planks.

Chimneys in every house puffed out faint smoke, likely from preparing late lunches.

In the center of the village stood a little well—straight out of the kind you’d only see in textbooks.

“Definitely the countryside.”

No matter how you looked at it, this place was worlds apart from the modern cityscape I knew, full of apartments and high-rise buildings.

Would a village this remote even have a restaurant?

Feeling uneasy at how much more rustic the village was than I had expected, I anxiously shuffled my feet.

Every time I moved, the coins in my pocket jingled softly.

Meanwhile, my stomach growled loudly, almost keeping rhythm with the clinking coins, as if to demand attention.

“So hungry…”

I was starving. Desperately.

“Buy now! Fresh produce! Only today… special deals available!”

It was then—just as I was clutching my growling stomach and looking around—that I began to hear the sound of lively chatter coming from deeper in the village.

The voices were faint since it was far away, but judging by the context, they seemed to be merchants shouting to sell their wares.

“No way… could it be?”

This was a rural village.

And in a place like this, there was only one reason for merchants to yell so loudly.

“Today’s market day!”

The market was open!

My guess turned out to be spot on.

Deeper into the village, people who appeared to be residents had set up tents and were shouting enthusiastically as they sold their goods.

No wonder there hadn’t been a single soul wandering around the village earlier—everyone was gathered here.

It was a small blessing amidst my misfortunes.

Now, with the three coins jingling in my pocket, all I had to do was buy enough wood to fix the door and some food to fill my stomach.

Since I had already spent a lot of time just getting here, I’d need to move quickly to find what I needed at a good price.

I had to hurry.

I had to move.

But my legs refused to budge.

I had encountered an unexpected obstacle at the market entrance.

“Step right up! Only today! Try the lizardman skewers—delicious, sizzling, and fresh off the grill!”

“…Gulp.”

There it was—the type of stall you’d always see at markets, targeting children with cheap, junky food.

Normally, I’d pass right by something like a skewer shop without a second thought…

But now…

“That looks so good…”

My gaze was already glued to the sizzling meat being perfectly grilled on the skewers.

Honestly, how could anyone resist that? It wasn’t just regular lizard skewers—it was lizardman skewers.

A fantastical food I’d never seen before, making me curious to the point of madness about what it might taste like.

On top of that, I’d been starving for hours on end.

There was no way I could resist this.

“Hah, but…”

I had to resist.

I was only at the market entrance, and I didn’t know the value of this world’s currency yet.

I couldn’t afford to recklessly spend money in a risky place like this.

If I wasn’t careful, I might end up penniless, unable to buy wood to fix the door or food for tomorrow.

So…

“…Hey there, little one?”

“No, no… No, I can’t… huh? Me? You mean me?”

While I was locked in an intense internal struggle, shaking my head furiously, something suddenly interrupted my chaotic thoughts.

It was the voice of the bald man behind the stall, casually turning the skewers over the grill.

Wait, was he talking to me? No way, right?

Panicked, I glanced around.

But there wasn’t anyone else here who could be called a “little one.”

Just me.

“Are you staring because you want to try the skewers?”

“N-no! I’m not hungry!”

I shook my head desperately.

This had to be one of those infamous “hard-sell” tactics street vendors sometimes used.

You know, the kind where they hand a skewer to a kid and later demand payment from their parents—shameless and downright dirty.

“…Well, you were standing there for over ten minutes.”

“T-that’s… it’s just…”

Grrrrr!

“…Ah.”

Silence.

After that loud, undeniable growl thundered from my stomach, a heavy silence settled between the bald vendor and me.

I wanted to die from embarrassment.

I wished I could crawl into a hole and disappear.

“Sounds like someone’s really hungry, huh?”

“…Yeah…”

“Here, take this. It’s the best-cooked one.”

“W-wow, thank you so mu—wait, no, I can’t! I… I don’t have any money…”

“It’s okay. This one’s on me.”

“Really? I don’t have to pay?”

Free? Seriously?

I looked up at the vendor suspiciously, only to be met with his warm, gentle smile.

Hmm… he did look like a kind, generous countryside uncle.

But what if he asked for payment later after I’d eaten it?

“Are you really, really, really giving it to me?”

“I’m really, really, really giving it to you. Go on.”

“…Well… thank you! I’ll eat it well!”

“It’s hot, so make sure to blow on it… ah—”

“Hoo! Hoo! Ha! Ow, hot! Hot! Hoo!”

Despite his warning, I couldn’t wait and nearly burned my tongue, frantically blowing on the skewer while trying to take a bite.

“Goodness, you’re quite the impatient young lady, huh?”

It’s so hot.

But I can’t spit it out.

It’s way too delicious.

I’ve never tasted anything this good before.

“Mmff, haah…”

“You don’t have to eat so fast. It’s not like anyone’s chasing you. Here, if it’s too hot, have some water.”

“Th-thank you…!”

Gulp.

“Phew…!”

“…Noisy eater, aren’t you?”

The burning sensation in my mouth slowly started to subside.

As my mind began to focus on the heavenly taste of the skewer, I couldn’t help but also recall all the embarrassing noises I had just made.

“A-ah, sir, um, about that…”

“It’s fine. My friend’s daughter goes crazy for skewers too.”

If I tried to explain myself here, I was sure my face would turn even redder, so I decided to just keep quiet.

Hopefully, the kind vendor would understand.

I mean, it was my first meal after starving for hours.

Anyone would have reacted the same way.

…Right?

Chomp.

Feeling a bit awkward, I took another bite of the skewer.

Now that it had cooled down a lot compared to when I first got it, I could eat it without any trouble this time.

The skewer was still delicious.

It tasted like a cross between chicken skewers and heart skewers—such an intriguing flavor.

And the texture? It was like steak, making it feel like a special treat.

“So, where are you from, young lady? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

“Well, you see…”

“You can swallow before answering, you know.”

“…Right.”

Chew, chew.

Since the vendor was waiting patiently, I tried to move my jaws faster than usual.

But no matter how much I chewed, the meat refused to break apart into smaller pieces and remained in one large chunk.

It wasn’t that the meat was tough—it was just that my teeth weren’t fully developed yet.

I didn’t have the strength to bite down properly.

“Take your time.”

In the end, it took me another three minutes of chewing before I finally managed to swallow the skewer.

Gulp.

Haaah.

“See that hill over there? I live in the building at the top.”

“Up there? That’s supposed to be an old orphanage that’s been abandoned for ages.”

“Yep! I’m the head of that orphanage!”

“Hmm…”

The vendor narrowed his eyes slightly, as if trying to gauge whether or not to believe me.

Was he doubting me?

Well, I couldn’t blame him.

If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t believe that a tiny kid like me was living alone in a decrepit orphanage either.

But what else could I say?

I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth: that I used to be an adult man, freshly discharged from the military on Children’s Day, only to wake up as a little girl the next morning.

Like I’d risk being dragged off to a mental hospital.

Not that I even know if they have mental hospitals here.

“I-I’m telling the truth!”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if introducing myself as the head of the orphanage was even necessary.

After all, it was just an abandoned building with no apparent owner.

But I wanted to indulge myself and pretend I was the owner of the place, even if it was just a facade.

“I see. That must be tough.”

“You believe me?”

“Of course. There’s no reason for you to lie to me.”

Wow, that actually worked.

To be honest, even I thought my story was absurd, so I hadn’t expected him to believe it.

Was it because of my childlike appearance? People say kids aren’t good at lying, after all.

“So, how long have you been there?”

“Since yesterday! The building’s definitely old, but it’s livable!”

“Haha, you’re a spirited one. Would you like another skewer?”

“…Um, actually, I’m a little full.”

I shook my head at the skewer the vendor kindly offered with his warm smile.

It wasn’t because I was worried he’d try to push it on me—I was genuinely full.

You might wonder how just one skewer could fill me up, but trust me, it did.

The skewer he’d given me earlier wasn’t the typical portion you’d find at most stalls.

It was enormous—so much so that I still hadn’t finished the first one and was still holding it in my hand.

If I took another, I wouldn’t be able to finish it, and I didn’t want to waste food. That would be a shame.

“Just from that? Hmm, well, I guess there’s no helping it. But you know, you need to eat a lot while you’re young if you want to grow taller…”

“You’ve already said that once. Why say it again?”

For some reason, his gaze was starting to annoy me.

It was that condescending look, the kind that mixed amusement with a hint of mockery.

“No matter what you say, I can’t eat more. I’m seriously full!”

“Well, if you don’t eat, you’ll never outgrow being a shorty…”

“… …”