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"How could I, a dignified Grand Unity Golden Immortal, end up like this? This is truly unfair!"
Kaito lay flat on the ground, staring up at the clear blue sky with an expression of complete despair. He was covered in footprints.
"Mommy, why is that big brother lying on the ground?"
A little girl passing by pointed at him and asked her mother with a puzzled look.
The mother glanced at the words written in the dirt nearby and gave her daughter a stern look. "This is what happens when you try to steal money. Remember that."
"Okay, Mommy!"
Kaito, lying there and listening to every word of this exchange, felt himself shrivel with shame. He rolled over, switching from flat on his back to flat on his face. As he did, he caught sight of the message Rimuru and the others had left scratched into the ground:
This is what happens when you try to steal pocket money!
He reached into his pockets. Empty. The thirty thousand Tempest Coin he'd had for all of five minutes, gone. Reclaimed by a pack of extremely motivated bandits.
He felt like he wanted to die.
"No. This world is too dangerous. Only cute little girls can heal a wounded heart."
The moment he finished speaking, a white portal opened silently beneath him. He sank into it without ceremony.
"Whoa! He's... he's sinking!"
The little girl watched in wide-eyed shock as he disappeared.
Her mother smiled down at her. "He's just going home. We should too."
"Hai!"
The mother didn't seem even slightly unsettled by the whole thing. That was fair. Citizens of the Jura Tempest Federation had seen everything; a man dissolving into a portal barely registered.
Binchou-tan World · Morning
"Quack! Quack!"
An old mother duck and her duckling came gliding in from across the water and drew up to the lakeshore. The little girl who had been waiting nearby broke into a wide smile the moment she saw them. She tiptoed carefully onto the mother duck's back, and the duck, with quiet warmth in her eyes, carried her steadily across to the other bank.
When they reached the far side, the little girl took a handful of wheat from her small basket and held it out.
"Um... this is a thank-you gift."
"Quack! Quack!"
The mother duck took the wheat and swam off with her duckling. The little girl raised her hand high and waved at their retreating shapes.
"Thank you. I'll be relying on you again."
With that, she turned and headed into the forest to look for edible ingredients. She made her way through the trees until she came out into an open clearing filled with wildflowers and drifting butterflies, and her face went soft with delight. The butterflies found her immediately, circling around her in lazy loops as she worked.
By the time the sun began to set, she had a basket full of wild vegetables and a look of quiet satisfaction on her face. She picked it up and started for home. It wasn't until the outline of the house came into view that she noticed something odd: smoke curling from the chimney.
"Huh? Did someone come?"
She didn't immediately think intruder; her family was too poor to make a tempting target. Still, she approached the open door carefully and peeked inside.
A young man in expensive clothes was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. He was, by any measure, quite handsome.
"Um... excuse me. Who are you?"
He heard her and turned around with an easy smile, extending his right hand.
"Yo!"
"Huh?"
The little girl froze, thrown off by how completely at ease he seemed.
"Hehe. I'm a traveling merchant. Got here and felt a little hungry, so I couldn't resist borrowing your stove. Don't worry, I'll pay for it."
She relaxed at once. It was simply her nature to. She smiled and shook her head. "Um... no need! If you're hungry, please use it."
She set down her basket and straightened up, placing her hands in front of her the way her grandmother had taught her, and bowed slightly. "My name is Binchou-tan. Please take care of me."
"Hehe. My name is Kaito. Please take care of me too!"
Yes, the well-dressed young man who had materialized in Binchou-tan's home was none other than Kaito-sama, freshly robbed of every coin to his name.
"I accidentally made too much, and I can't finish it all myself. Why don't you join me? It's the least I can do for barging in."
At those words, Binchou-tan's eyes drifted almost involuntarily toward the stove. A rich, savory smell was coming from the pot.
Grumble.
Her stomach made its opinion known. Her face went red.
"Hehe. Come on, don't be shy. Sit down."
She couldn't hold out against the smell or the smile. She looked down, embarrassed. "Thank you very much. I'll repay you for this."
"We can talk about that later. Eat first."
Kaito produced two clean porcelain bowls from somewhere behind him with a small flourish, then lifted the pot lid. Inside was a full pot of congee: white rice porridge with century egg and lean pork, steam rising off the surface. He filled a bowl to the brim and set it in front of Binchou-tan, then served himself.
Binchou-tan stared at the bowl. The smell alone was almost overwhelming. But she glanced at Kaito-sama and held herself back, spoon untouched.
"What, is it not to your liking?"
He had already started pulling side dishes out from somewhere.
"No, it's just... Mr. Kaito, you haven't eaten yet, so I..."
Kaito-sama let out a soft laugh. "This meal is a thank-you. Don't be polite, eat."
"...Then I'll dig in!"
His smile settled it. She scooped a spoonful of porridge and put it in her mouth.
"Delicious!"
She couldn't help closing her eyes. A slow, satisfied smile spread across her face.
"Hahaha. If it's good, eat more. Try the side dishes too, come on."
Watching her, Kaito-sama felt the last of his post-robbery gloom lift completely.
[Didn't you steal from others first?]
'Get out!'
[Tch...]
"Huh? Mr. Kaito, aren't you eating?"
Binchou-tan had gotten several spoonfuls in before she noticed he was just watching her. She looked up, worried.
"Of course I'm eating. Starving, actually." He picked up his bowl and dug in with an enthusiasm that made her blink in surprise.
By the time they finished, they were both sprawled on the floor behind them, hands moving slowly back and forth over very full stomachs.
"Um... Mr. Kaito, are you leaving tonight? It's already dark."
Binchou-tan looked at the moon hanging outside the window and asked, a faint nervousness in her voice. In her heart she was more than a little reluctant to see him go. Since her grandmother had left, he was the first person to be kind to her like this.
Kaito-sama glanced at the sky with an expression of theatrical surprise. "Oh my, it really is dark. I suppose I can't leave now. Binchou-tan, would you mind putting me up for the night?"
At that, the nervousness vanished from Binchou-tan's face entirely, replaced by a bright, unconcealed smile. She nodded firmly.
"Mhm!"