Rio frowned, slightly upset at their words. He was aware of the fact that his current state wasn’t ideal, but he had just washed himself...

Rio turned to look at the two little girls. Their faces were covered by hoods, but he could feel them looking down on him anyway. Meanwhile, the small figure next to them was also watching Rio observantly. He couldn’t feel any negative emotions behind this gaze, though.

“Hey, are you listening to me?” the eldest woman asked in a serious tone. “Don’t tell me you can’t even understand what I’m saying.”

She seemed to be in a hurry for some reason as she threateningly pressed for a reply.

“I hear you. What do you want?” Rio replied coldly.

He observed the four of them cautiously — their clothes were too clean for them to be residents of the slums. He could see an expensive-looking hilt peeking out from between the robes of the eldest woman. What could they possibly want from an orphan of the slums? They didn’t seem like the types that would want to hire thieves, but Rio raised his guard anyway.

“Have you seen a little girl with lavender hair? She’s around your age,” the woman explained.

There was an air of superiority behind her words, as though she was looking down on someone that she expected would obey her orders.

So they were looking for someone.

Rio wasn’t particularly bothered by her attitude, but he didn’t feel obliged to answer her politely, either. And in any case, he didn’t have any clue where this girl could be. He stood up with a sigh and shot them one more glance before briskly walking away.

“Hey, wait. Answer the question,” the woman called back to Rio, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

“No clue. Sorry,” Rio said, pausing mid-step and tossing his answer over his shoulder.

“Answer her properly.”

“Hiding the truth won’t benefit you.”

The two little girls pressed Rio imperiously, seemingly doubting Rio’s statement. He huffed.

“Like I said—”

“I don’t think he’ll answer if we speak to him like that, everyone.”

Just as Rio was about to restate his point, the small figure who had been silent until now interrupted him. It sounded like the slightly tired voice of yet another girl.

“Hm... Celia.”

The eldest woman looked at the girl she had called Celia.

“Please leave this to me, Miss Vanessa.”

“Good idea,” the woman addressed as Vanessa said, hesitating for a brief moment before passing the baton to Celia. “A teaching professor like you could probably handle this situation best.”

Celia then took a step forward.

“Hello there. Sorry if we surprised you before. Will you tell me your name?” she asked kindly. “Oh, and I’m Celia.”

“...Rio,” he muttered in response.



“Rio? That’s an unusual name.”

“...I’m a migrant child, so.”

“I see... so that’s why your hair is black. Would you mind if I asked you a question, Rio?”

“Go ahead.” Rio nodded.

“Have you seen a little girl with lavender hair by any chance? We’re currently looking for her. Would you happen to have any ideas?”

“Sorry, I haven’t seen anyone like that...” Rio shook his head.

But you’re probably too late, he didn’t add.

He couldn’t imagine any child from another district remaining unharmed after wandering into the slums. To the residents of the slums, even commoner clothes could be resold for a ridiculous amount. If the aforementioned girl was related to these four in any way, she’d probably be wearing high-quality clothes — those would have been long stripped from her by now. If she was lucky, that’d be all that was taken. She could end up in one of those brothels for men that had a taste for little girls.

“I see...” Celia’s voice trailed off with disappointment. She took a breath and pulled herself together before asking, “The slums are past here, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Is it a big area? Would we get lost easily if we went in?”

“It’s pretty big, and the roads are kind of complicated... Are you going to go in?” Rio’s eyes widened a little.

“Yes. We have to find this girl,” Celia asserted without hesitation.

“I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Why not?”

Celia tilted her head in confusion as Rio looked her up and down.

“...Your clothes are too nice. It’s like you’re asking to be attacked. There aren’t many people around this early, but you’re still asking for trouble. It’s not a place for a girl like you,” he informed her politely. Celia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“He sure speaks well for an orphan,” one of the smaller girls muttered.

“Ah, I see. It must really be a dangerous place,” Celia said, looking down at her own outfit with a strained smile.

“This was a plainer robe, too...” she mumbled to herself.

If Rio didn’t have Amakawa Haruto’s memories and personality within him, he probably wouldn’t have shared that information with Celia. He especially wouldn’t have bothered with the warning if it had just been Vanessa, who was overbearing, and the two little girls.

They could wander off and die in the slums for all he cared.

That’s what he was supposed to feel in the bottom of his heart... yet, the man named Amakawa Haruto was kind. Kind enough to stop a little girl who spoke to him with the minimal level of respect from wandering into the slums.

“Umm... what kind of clothes do women in the slums wear, then?”

“What do they wear? Just your usual commoner clothes, worn down to rags. There are people in nice clothes, too, but they’re usually the types that run wild in the slums.”

“I see. That’s very helpful.” Celia nodded cutely in contemplation. “By the way, you speak very politely for an orphan. Do all orphans talk like you do?”

“...Who knows? My mother told me to speak this way before she died,” Rio answered rather stiffly.