The inside of the store looked much like a massive retail brand colored blue from Earth. Labeled aisles stretched in neat rows, each marked with a letter and number. Each aisle also had signs hanging above them with what each said aisle contained. The bright lights gave the inside a faint silver hue, and the numerous people made for a rather loud environment, but still much quieter than outside.
Grabbing a big buggy, I put Meiomi in the child seat, which she didn't mind. If anything, she seemed to be smiling a bit more than when I carried her.
"Where to first?" I obviously didn't know what she normally got, so it was up to her to lead me around.
"I-I need to get milk, eggs, bread, and that's it."
"Pfft~ Come on. I'm sure you want more than that, right?"
"H-Hm." She nodded her little head, but she didn't voice what she was hiding. This little sister of mine was too mature for her own good. But that was just how her life had made her, so it wasn't actually a bad thing since it got her this far. A pity still, though.
With one hand pushing the buggy, I used my other to pinch her face gently, "Don't worry, I'll pay for everything today, so just tell me if you want something, okay?"
"O-Okay, big brother."
The two of us, with calm silence between us, went around the store to grab her initial items. As I got the milk and eggs last, we came back up from the back of the store where the coolers were to the front. In passing, I noticed Meiomi's black eyes glancing at the magic armor section. It made sense that stuff like this would be here in a fantasy world. There weren't any weapons, just armor and clothes—probably because that would be too dangerous to hold weapons—but I wasn't all that sure.
"Do you want to learn magic?" I could tell she could. Her eyes didn't hide it at all.
"H-Hm."
"That's great! Big Brother has something that he can't really use anyway, so he'll give it to you." Putting my hand in my pocket, I materialized a certain inheritance from my inventory. I pulled out the five-colored ring and put it on her right middle finger. The ring adjusted to her size and lit up a tiny bit before dulling out.
[Five-Elemental King inheritance has been invested to disciple "Meiomi Nightingale".]
[Would you like to trigger investment multiplier now?]
'Not right now.'
[Confirmed. When you wish, just will it.]
'Noted.'
My attention focused back on Meiomi, who stared at the ring with childlike glee. She could clearly tell the ring was mysterious. Her eyes quickly shifted to mine, a silent stare-down between black and gold happening as we moved.
"That ring... it's very important. Don't let anyone else touch it or even try to get something from you. This ring is yours and yours alone, so don't ever think to be nice if others ask you about it. Just say it's a gift from me. They can come to me if they have anything they wish to say, okay?" I pinched her little face again without needing a response.
I knew that she wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for someone's trap. If she made it this far in two years as a child, I trusted her ability to keep herself safe to some degree. I just needed to ensure that no strange powerhouse got a hold of her, but if it's fated to happen, it's fated for a reason. All I could hope was that this investment didn't harm her in any way.
Surprisingly, Meiomi really didn't want anything else other than some way to learn or be connected to magic. I tried taking a little longer and going through other aisles like I was looking for something, but all she did was stare at the five-colored ring on her finger. It made me happy that she liked it, but I was really hoping that she would find something more... childlike, but that was my own desire. If she was fine with the ring, then that was good enough.
'As long as she doesn't have that sad look return, it's fine,' I thought as I finished paying for her items. I put our buggy up, and she walked to my left, grasping the hem of my pants. That's when something else hit me.
'How did she carry all this to her home?'
I looked down at her with a bit of curiosity.
"Y-Yes, big brother?"
"Where is your home? I'm just curious how you managed to carry all this stuff to your home."
"U-Um, my home is the big tower over there." She pointed her little finger over at a silver tower to our right. It was very tall, and it felt a little familiar. Mainly because I felt like I just left that building with Elena not too long ago. Actually, I had just left this tower not that long ago!
"Hahaha~" I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer coincidence. It seems that me and Meiomi were fated to meet more than I thought. I also felt a little relaxed. Her living in the same apartment complex as me made it easier to help her whenever she needed.
"W-What's so funny?" Her face lit up pink. She probably thought I was laughing at her, the cute little thing.
"I just thought it was funny how we both seemed to live in the same place!"
"R-Really?!" Her flushed face broke out in the biggest smile I'd seen from her yet. She didn't even smile like this when I gave her the Five-Elemental King's Inheritance Ring!
"Yep!"
"Hehe~" She hugged my leg tightly, with a sliver of childlike laughter finally coming out of her. Slowly but surely, it seemed that I was getting close to getting her to relax. This was good news because she deserved to be free from the worries of the adult world. Every child deserved such an opportunity, but I wasn't naïve enough to believe that they all got it, nor was I selfless enough to save every child. Meiomi and I just happened to meet, and things just so happened to work out.
The two of us had some fated connection, clearly. I wasn't one to usually spout such things, but the system made it clear that fate did exist. It also made it clearer that there was a need for a fated compatibility for it to accept disciples. Meiomi was just one of the lucky children in the world, a strength in itself.