Picking Up A Furball, After 10 Years Chapter 2

Translator : KuRuuRuu
UNEDITED

Second Part

“You!”

That beastman suddenly shouted.

……but, Niam who was busy eating only gave a glance to him, then returned to eat the chicken again.

.

“Your age, what is your age!?”

He was somewhat frantic when he asked, thus, while having a hunch, Ewen answered ini her stead “I think, maybe she’s just past ten years old”.

“You are? What’s this girl’s name?”

“I am Ewen the magician. This girl is Niam”

“Niam……”

He stared at Niam who was wholeheartedly eating the chicken. Seeing his state, Ewen breathed a sigh.

“I picked up this girl ten years ago”

“……picked up? Ten years ago?”

“Yes. She was wrapped in a cloth, and was like a squirming furball, I thought that she was too be to be a kitten so she might be a cat. The name Niam was what I read from the embroidery on the cloth”

“Niam, is it?”

He kept on staring at Niam, who finally ate one and was reaching out for another chicken to eat.

“Ten years ago, my youngest sister went missing. Whether she was carried away by some animal, or kidnapped by someone, we didn’t really know. She was just born so she shouldn’t be able to walk by herself”

“Un”

“Everyone searched around the neighborhood but couldn’t find her, and we tearfully gave her up. But even after that my mother kept feeling down and couldn’t even eat anything for awhile”

“Un”

Listening until that part, Ewen somehow could see the conclusion. He took a peek at Niam, she was chewing the chicken cartilage crunchily.

“Our youngest sister’s name is Niian. Mother sewed her name and charm embroidery on her wrapping cloth”

“I thought so”

His fur color as well as his ‘smell’ was really similar to Niam. The resemblance was so close to the degree that it was impossible if they were not connected by blood.

After he picked her up, Ewen had always wondered whether Niam’s beastman clan would come searching for her. They never came and ten years pa.s.sed, and now just as he forgot about it they appeared.

……Even though I’d never know if I’m not a demon race. Even though I’d never realize the resemblance in their ‘smell’ if I’m not a demon race.

Ewen breathed another sigh, then laughed bitterly at Niam who continued to eat the chicken unconcernedly like usual.

“……Niam, Niam”

“What? You finished talking?”

Niam raised her head, and felt that Ewen seemed somewhat different than usual.

However, she didn’t know what was different.

“Ewen, you’re not eating the chicken?”

“I’ll eat it later. Rather than that, Niam. Perhaps, we’ve found your onii-san”

With a blank look, Niam muttered “onii-san?”, and for the first time looked at him directly.

“I’m Mias. Although you probably don’t remember……for you to be in this kind of place”

“Niam doesn’t have any onii-san. Niam only has Ewen”

Niam stared at Mias suspiciously, then looked back at Ewen.

She made a face as if saying what is he talking about.

“Niam, Niam has an onii-san, you know? That’s this Mias-san. Look, he looks just like Niam, right?”

“……he doesn’t mon”

“Niam has a proper family, you know. Isn’t that great? We found them”

“Niam has Ewen so Niam is fine even without family”

In contrast with the smiling Ewen, Niam’s cheek swelled up as she pouted with a sullen face.

“But, Niam. You finally found your family, you should go home”

“The only place Niam will go home to is that home with Ewen”

“……Niam”

“No way”

“Nia……Aa, you can’t chew the chicken bone! You’ll get pierced!”

Ewen panickedly stopped Niam, who still with a sullen face, started munching on the chicken bone.

“Nii……Niam, it doesn’t have to be right now. But, if you can, would you come home soon? Father and mother surely want to meet you.

Besides, you still have 2 other elder brothers and 3 elder sisters. You also have a younger brother. Everyone will be happy when they know that Niam has been found”

Niam glared at Mias as if being vigilant towards a kidnapper, while Mias looked back at her with a troubled face.

“With this being so sudden, I understand that you’re confused. Even I never thought that I’d find you here”

“Niam will not go anywhere mon”

As if calming Niam who had gotten stubborn, Ewen ponpon patted her head.

“Let’s calm down a little. Na, Niam. It’s so sudden for you both that you can’t follow anything, right?”

“Niam is calm mon”

“Un, I understand.

Mias-san too, can the rest be after Niam calms down a little?”

“……you’re right”

Ewen told Mias to give a little time, to which Mias reluctantly agreed. Anyway, it was too sudden that surely Niam’s thoughts and feelings still couldn’t catch up with each other.

Since Niam had become like this, she’d keep on being stubborn unless she cooled it off a bit.

“I live in a place half an hour away from this town, if you ask the town people for Ewen the magician, you’ll know it soon”

“I understand”

After confirming that Mias had returned to his friends, Ewen once again turned to Niam.

“Niam, let’s eat the chicken for now. We can talk about just now later on”

“You can just end that talk though”

Towards the disgruntled Niam, “We can’t do that” said Ewen while laughing.

“After we go home, let’s talk about this slowly tomorrow”

“Even though, we don’t need to”

“Nope, we need to. But let’s leave it for tomorrow, okay?”

Here, you’ll eat more, right? he said as he cut up the chicken and gave it to Niam, to which she nodded and started nibbling.

“Ewen, you looked sleepy”

When Ewen had a large yawn fuaah, Niam laughed.

Last night, Ewen carried Niam who spoiled her stomach and slept in the restaurant home. He had planned on letting Niam sleep on her bed, but she clung on him and just wouldn’t let go, thus having no other choice, they slept together on his bed.

Thanks to that, in contrast to the sleepy Ewen, Niam had been in high spirits from morning.

“Because Niam used my stomach as pillow, I had a terrible dream, you know”

“Niam did not do such things”

“Moreover, I was kicked around 3 times, and was almost thrown out of the bed 2 times, even while sleeping Niam is such a tomboy”

“……Niam didn’t do such things mon”

“Since Niam is still a child, it can’t be helped”

Ewen chuckled while Niam slightly pouted. Even though Niam is not such a small child anymore, she said.

“Here, Niam. Come here”

Sitting on the couch, pon pon, Ewen patted the empty s.p.a.ce beside him. Niam immediately ran up to him and plopped down there.

While waiting for her, Ewen took the small box that was placed on top of the table before him. As Niam curiously looked at it, Ewen smiled then opened the lid.

“Ewen, this is, what?”

Settling within the box was a neatly folded cloth. Made from a soft fabric, there was a beautiful embroidery on it.

“This is the cloth that Niam was wrapped in, you see”

Ewen gently took out the cloth and spread it open. The furball he picked up that time, was so small she fitted perfectly within his arms. Since she cried nii nii, he really thought it was a cat.

“See, this embroidery. It matches with the clothes that Niam’s onii-san wore yesterday. Besides……un, certainly the name embroidered here can also be read as Niian”

“……un”

“I heard that the pattern of beastman’s embroidery differs from house to house. The combination of small patterns, as well as the meaning of it was slightly different for each house, that’s why unless they are from the same family, it’s impossible to find the same embroidery design”

“Is that how it is?”

When Ewen nodded, Niam quietly stared at the cloth, then hugged it uneasily. Her tail that had always. .h.i.t everywhere restlessly, was now hanging down feebly, with her ears also slightly bended down.

In order to soothe her, Ewen patted her small back.

“That’s why, Mias who wore the clothes with the same embroidery on this cloth is Niam’s family, Niam’s onii-san, you see”

“But……”

“Mias said it yesterday, right? Your father and mother, were desperately looking for you when you were gone. At least, you should show yourself to them, about how you’ve been properly living and have become this big now.

Besides, I’ll always be here, so don’t worry”

Ewen again laughed with a troubled face. And for some reason, Niam felt anxious when seeing that expression of him.

“But……”

“It’ll be alright. That’s why, go and meet them, okay?”

When he gently patted her head, Niam’s uneasiness grew worse.

“Even so, no!”

“Why?”

Ewen was still with a troubled look. As her fur slightly stood on end, Niam squeezed out the words with all her might.

“Because, when Niam is bigger and becomes an adult, Niam will be Ewen’s bride mon! That’s why Niam will stay here! Always stay here!”

“……Niam, thank you”

Ewen’s troubled face, as expected was still there. Niam put strength in her arms that were hugging Ewen.

“But, Niam. That’s impossible, you see”

“Why? It’s not impossible! Niam will be bigger soon, Niam will catch up to Ewen soon!”

“……even so, we can’t. Demon race and beastman can’t have child no matter how they wish for it. That’s why, Niam can’t be my bride”

“……why?  Niam doesn’t want that”

Niam palely looked at Ewen. As expected he was still with a troubled face, and he slightly smiled with that same expression.

Just in this case, he didn’t want to lie to her and had told her the truth; understanding that, Niam’s eyes were filled with tears as they spilled over and fell.

“No, no……”

“Un, I’m sorry, Niam”

“No, noo……”

“Un”

Niam buried her face on Ewen stomach, and started crying.

Even though I didn’t plan on making her cry like this…… as to soothe her down, Ewen kept on patting, caressing her back gently.

“Niam wants to be Ewen’s bride”

“Un, but, you can’t”

“Every day Niam will catch deer, and make a feast for Ewen”

“……I’m sorry, Niam. Even though it’ll be fine if I were at least a human”

“……No, no, Ewen, no”

Ewen continued on caressing Niam’s back as she sobbed, nevertheless he then told her with a determined expression.

“That’s why, Niam should go back to your family. I can’t teach Niam how to hunt. I can teach how to live as a magician, but since Niam can’t be a magician, that’s also no good”

“But, but Ewen”

“Niam should go back to your family and be taught lots of things”

“But, Ewen……”

“Niam, you’re a good girl so you should go home”

Although Ewen called Niam stubborn, when he became like this Ewen himself too was really stubborn, and would never yield, this was something  Niam knew well.

No matter how much she cried and said no, it was useless.

“Niam, I’ll always be here. It’s not like I’ll disappear”

While heaving with sobs, Niam finally nodded.