Five Years Later
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(Lisa's POV)
My name is Lisa, and today I'm heading to the market to buy groceries. Just as I was about to leave, Himmel called out.
"Going shopping, Lisa?" Himmel asked, sitting on the porch.
"Yes. Do you want me to get you something?" I replied.
Himmel is my master. I've been working for him for seven years now. He never took a wife—no one knows why. He always said that having a wife is troublesome. But nearly five years ago, he brought home a child, claiming he found him drifting in the river.
I didn't believe him. Come on, what man doesn't do perverted things? Even if he wasn't that kind of man, surely he would've done it at least once.
"Could you buy me some tea? Oh, and get a toy sword as a birthday gift for Ren's fifth birthday."
Hearing that, I was stunned. I almost forgot today was Ren's fifth birthday.
"!! Right, I nearly forgot!" I exclaimed. Normally, I never forget his birthday.
'I must be getting old…' I muttered to myself.
It's not that I refuse to marry, but whenever men look at my body, they drool. It disgusts me. But if it were someone with Ren's face… I might…
…
Don't look at me like that, I'm just joking. But truly, Ren's face is already charming and handsome. Even though he's only four, his good looks are undeniable.
"All right, I'll buy him a gift too," I said, and Himmel nodded.
So, I set out for the market. Along the way, I greeted people passing by, and they greeted me in return.
Who doesn't know me here? Of course they do—I'm the maid of one of the strongest men in the world, Himmel the Holy Sword.
That's why no one dares to bother or harm me.
As I passed by the kindergarten, I saw children playing. Among them was Ren, sitting under a big tree.
He was surrounded by teenage girls and little kids alike.
"Again…"
You're probably wondering why I wasn't surprised. It's because I'm used to it. Ren is always surrounded by girls.
That's why he rarely leaves the house. The only reason he's out now is because his grandfather told him to play.
I sighed and approached Ren, who was swarmed by girls. As if sensing my presence, he turned his gaze toward me.
"Hey, Ren~! Auntie's here~" I called.
The moment he saw me, his crystal-blue eyes sparkled. He quickly stood and rushed over, as if I were his savior.
"Auntie!" he cried, hugging me. "Where are you going?" he asked urgently.
"I'm going shopping. Want to come along?" I asked, and Ren immediately replied.
"Let's go!"
He tugged at my sleeve, urging me to leave quickly. I raised an eyebrow, curious why he was in such a rush.
"What's wrong, Ren?" I asked.
"Nothing. Let's just go!" he said while glancing nervously at the girls behind him.
"Ah… I see."
Now I understood his fear. I took his hand, and we started walking away together.
Once we left the kindergarten, I let go of his hand.
"It's fine now, isn't it?" I asked. After a moment, Ren nodded.
"All right~, let's head to the market~!"
"…Yeah," he replied, not realizing that the market would be even worse than the kindergarten.
---
(Ren's POV)
It's been five years since I arrived in this world, and I've gotten used to life here.
By the way, the name of this world is Viktoria.
At first, I thought I had heard the name before. After some thinking, I remembered—it was from a woman on the airplane.
I thought it was just a coincidence, so I dismissed it.
Now, I was eating bread with my grandfather Himmel at the dining table.
I looked around for Lisa, but not seeing her, I asked my grandfather:
"Where's Aunt Lisa?"
Grandfather told me to call her "Aunt" because it's rude to call someone older by their name.
"She's doing the laundry," he said.
"Oh, I see."
I continued eating until my grandfather spoke again.
"How about you go out and play?"
The moment he said that, chills ran down my spine from head to toe. I froze, staring at him. He tilted his head.
"What's wrong? Still scared?" he asked.
"B-but Grandpa! Out there… there are so many women!" I shouted.
Why am I afraid of women? Here's the reason: the women in this village are weird. I know I'm handsome, but whenever I go outside, grown women stare at me as if I were a delicious meal.
" Tch, tch. If another boy were in your shoes, he'd be thrilled to be surrounded by women. Weak."
The word froze me.
'Weak? Me? Why? …Who?' I thought angrily.
"Who?" I asked.
Grandpa frowned as if it were obvious. Veins bulged on my forehead.
There's one principle I hold, both in this world and my old one: never call me weak.
'Damn it!' I glared at the old man and declared:
"Fine! I'll go out right after I finish this bread!"
I hurriedly ate the rest of my bread and stomped toward the door. I paused at the entrance and looked back.
"I'll prove I'm not weak! Remember that!"
Then I slammed the door. But instead of shutting, it bounced open wide again.
"..."
"..."
Grandpa and I exchanged looks. After a long pause, I left.
Himmel chuckled as he watched Ren go.
"Too easy…" he muttered.
---
Now I was on my way to the kindergarten. Honestly, I didn't want to go—mentally I'm still twenty-six, and there are too many girls there. But Grandpa kept pushing me to see the outside world.
"Ren!"
As I walked, a child's voice called out to me. I turned to see Marin.
'Should I even call him a friend?' I wondered.
"Hello, Marin," I replied, then glanced beside him.
"And hello to you too, Lucas."
"Hey!" Lucas greeted.
"Are you going to the park?" Marin asked brightly. He had blonde hair and golden eyes, while Lucas had black hair and brown eyes.
"Yeah. My grandpa told me to play."
"Let's go together!"
He grabbed my hand and Lucas's, then cheerfully dragged us both toward the park.
When we arrived, I saw parents watching over their children playing. As soon as we entered, everyone turned to look at us—or rather, at me.
"Come on!" Marin urged.
Lucas and I exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Let's play on the slide!"
"No," I said.
"Come on!" Lucas replied enthusiastically. They both ran toward the slide on the right.
Left alone, I looked around for my usual spot: under a large tree, away from the playground.
I walked over, sat down, and leaned against the trunk. Bored, I called up my system. Luckily, I was the only one who could see it.
'System.'
---
====== System =======
Name: Ren Ozawa
Race: Human (???)
Age: 4 years
Level: 7 (30/800)
Mana Core: White
Blessings: Mana Emperor (Locked)
God of War:
God's Eye:
Techniques: -
Skills: Imagination
Affinities: Lightning, Crystal Ice (Unique), Water, Blue Fire (Unique)
Stats:
- Strength: 15
- Endurance: 20
- Agility: 17
- Intelligence: 30
- Stamina: 16
- Luck: -
- Mana: 60
- Charm:50
[SYSTEM SHOP] Locked. Available at Level 15.
Points: 700 | Stat Points: 32
Main Quests: None
Side Quests: None
=======================
---
Over the past five years, my stats had grown significantly—from completing side quests to light training with Grandpa, like morning runs in the yard.
After reviewing them, I closed the system by blinking twice.
"Hello, little boy."
A girl's voice greeted me. She was a young teenager, approaching with her friends.
"Hello…" I replied.
"May I sit here?" she asked.
"…Sure."
'No, I don't want you here! Go away!' I shouted in my mind, though I didn't dare voice it.
"Okay! Let's sit here, girls!" she said, calling her friends over.
"In that case, I'll go play," I said, standing up.
But just as I tried to leave, one of her friends blocked my way. I looked up at her.
"Stay here."
"..." I glanced around and realized I was surrounded.
"Fine…" I stammered.
'Damn it! It's happening again!' I cursed inwardly.