Just one more night of sleep, and I’ll be able to go back to daycare, right?
That was what I thought.
But no matter how many nights passed, I was still here.
At the Duchy of Pasayen.
My Carrot Class teacher had come personally to explain my situation.
“So, Chuu, you were chosen by the Ancestor Whale. You’re a special child, which is why you’ll be living here now.”
I knew who the Ancestor Whale was.
After all, before every meal, we always prayed:
“Ancestor Whale, thank you for protecting the seas of Pasayen today as well.”
Then she had said:
“Lord Diegon is going to be your father now. You always said you wished you had a father, didn’t you?”
Father.
Standing in front of the dining hall, I sucked in my round little belly and puffed out my chest.
Then I whispered the word quietly to myself.
Father.
But it still felt strange.
If words like carrot, grape, and bread were sweet as sugar cubes, then father was like broccoli or spinach.
Undercooked broccoli and spinach.
The kind that would make you go bleh if you ate it.
“Miss Shu has arrived.”
“Hellooo.”
The dining hall contained an absurdly long table.
The man sat at the very end of it.
Following everything I’d learned over the past few days, I marched forward bravely and plopped down into my assigned seat.
A crab-shaped plate marked my place.
“...”
The man didn’t speak during the meal.
He merely watched everything that went into my mouth with a cold, severe expression.
Most children would probably lose their appetite under that stare.
But I wasn’t most children.
I was a glutton.
I ate diligently until my stomach was about half full.
Then he finally spoke.
“You may feel this is rather sudden, but as an Awakened one, learning should pose no issue for you. Starting today, you will study alongside the other children of Pasayen.”
“Yes!”
I answered energetically.
Teacher had already explained that I’d be attending a new class and meeting new friends.
“At the Pasayen Educational Hall, three positions are selected. The next family head, a Resonator of the Ancestor Whale, and the admiral who will command the navy.”
I swallowed the roasted chicken drumstick I’d been chewing and nodded eagerly.
I wanted him to know I was listening.
Though in reality—
I want to be an amazing chef.
Or own a wonderful pastry shop.
Or maybe a bakery.
Still, Teacher had repeatedly warned me before leaving.
“Chuu, you’re fearless. Naturally fearless... I think you’ve been that way since birth. Other than hunger, you hardly seem to notice pain, right?”
“Yeees.”
“That’s why you need to be careful. The people of Pasayen are... frightening. They’re among the better nobles, but you still mustn’t upset them. I’m very worried about you. You awakened far too early...”
I hadn’t understood even half of what she said.
But one thing was crystal clear.
If I did something wrong, Teacher would worry.
So I had to do my best and act mature.
“The Educational Hall is mostly composed of Pasayen bloodlines, but there are also children like you who were personally chosen by the Ancestor Whale and granted a destiny. They receive the same treatment as members of the family.”
“Then does that class have a class president too?”
At my question, the man paused and frowned.
“That... I don’t know. My sons never got anywhere near such a position. Perhaps there simply isn’t one.”
“I’m a class president.”
Ahem.
I proudly puffed out my chest.
His gaze landed on the name tag I stubbornly kept pinned to my pretty dress despite the maids’ objections.
“Your Grace, there is a class president system. There’s also a vice president.”
The man standing behind us like a shadow—Mr. Kamin—spoke softly.
At the moment, Mr. Kamin was my second-favorite person in the mansion.
My favorite was the grandpa who kept feeding me delicious things.
“There is? And those boys never managed it?”
“Unfortunately not. The position always went to Lady Chesilia’s children. The vice president changes every three months, though. Incidentally, the next election is in about two weeks.”
“Hah.”
A name I didn’t recognize made my ears perk up.
Lady Chesilia?
That was such a pretty name!
Apparently it wasn’t a pleasant subject.
The man looked increasingly irritated.
Tap. Tap tap.
His fingers drummed against the table before he suddenly turned to me.
“If you become vice president, I’ll arrange additional funding for that daycare of yours. What do you think?”
Additional funding!
That was something the teachers always wished for.
“Really?!”
“Not only that. I’ll select talented children and send them to an academy. I’ll also have several boxes of sweets delivered.”
That sounded incredible.
All I had to do was become vice president!
I instinctively started nodding—
Then froze.
Behind the man, Mr. Kamin was desperately crossing his arms into an X.
His mouth moved silently.
I could read it.
"More."
Get more out of him.
But there’s nothing else I want...
Asking to return to daycare was pointless.
I’d tried for days already.
It never worked.
“Hmmmm...”
Setting down my fork, I buried my face in my tiny hands.
Then suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head.
“There is one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Come with me.”
“To where?”
I’d read it in books.
Children with mothers and fathers had parents who accompanied them to school.
I’d always been a little jealous of that.
Not much.
Since I lived at daycare, I didn’t really need it.
But still...
Sometimes I envied them.
“I know you’re not really my daddy. But...”
Would he find that annoying?
Teacher said I shouldn’t upset him.
After hesitating for a moment, I looked up at him.
Then I smiled brightly.
The moment our eyes met, he frowned again.
“Miss Chuu is still adjusting. Perhaps Your Grace should escort her to the Educational Hall personally for a while.”
“Me?”
“Yes. She might get lost. And despite appearances, I’m sure she’s very frightened inside.”
“That one?”
The man stared at me in disbelief before rubbing his face.
I seized the opportunity immediately.
“Then... will you come pick Chuu up later?”
“...If I have time.”
It was a promise delivered in a flat tone, as plain as half a slice of bread without jam.
But he did come to pick me up.
I was wearing a cute jellyfish-themed dress, and Rina had clipped a dolphin hairpin into my hair.
Who was Rina?
The macaron lady I’d met before!
“Sniff... Miss, you must be careful, understand?”
“Mhm!”
“Don’t let them push you around! And if anyone bullies you, teach them a lesson!”
Rina had become my personal maid.
Apparently, “personal” meant someone who could stay with me all the time.
So now Rina and I lived together in a room bigger than my entire daycare.
“I only need to escort her that far?”
“Yes, Mister.”
“Mister?”
“Mr. Mister, did you change clothes?”
I asked because he looked way cooler than he had this morning.
Honestly, he was the most handsome adult I had ever seen.
Deep sea-blue hair.
Magenta eyes with crimson glimmers buried in their depths.
And an aura like a terrifying man-eating shark.
Now he was wearing a perfectly fitted white uniform.
Even I could tell he looked amazing.
The man looked as if he had many things he wanted to say.
In the end, however, he simply answered.
“Yes. I changed.”
“Why?”
“...You certainly talk a lot. We’re here. Go inside.”
The Educational Hall wasn’t actually a school.
It was simply one of the many rooms inside the enormous estate.
I stood before the gigantic doors carved with whales, staring in awe.
Creeeeak.
The doors opened.
And instantly—
Dozens of eyes locked onto me.
My feet stopped moving.
I’d vaguely assumed it would be similar to daycare.
But...
I don’t think it is.
At that moment, the man placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.
“If someone hits you, bite them.”
“...?!”
“Always fight at full strength. Otherwise, you’ll be swallowed in a single bite.”
Looking down at me, the corner of his mouth curled upward.
Waaah! I take it back!
I take back calling him handsome!
Mom... I think I’ve become a little clownfish stuck between a shark’s teeth!
