After washing her hands and returning to the table, the little girl stared eagerly at the hamburger, eyes practically glowing.
But this time, she only reached out after Kiriko nodded permission. Carefully, she grasped the burger and took a small bite.
Her eyes sparkled instantly.
Then, as if possessed, she began wolfing down the burger, hardly chewing before swallowing.
"Slow down, no one's gonna take it away from you."
The hamburger itself wasn't very big, so by the time Kiriko had barely dealt with a few mouthfuls of fried rice, the girl's entire burger was gone.
"Already finished? Are you still hungry? You can eat these too, you know."
Kiriko pointed at the grilled chicken wings and steaks on the table.
Before Kiriko could even pull her hand back, the girl had already snatched a chicken wing and shoved it into her mouth.
With a few loud crunches, the whole chicken wing vanished down her throat.
Bones and all.
Kiriko just stared blankly.
"Are the chicken wings tasty?"
"Mm! Very tasty!"
"But...you should probably spit out the bones, right?"
"The bones are tasty too!"
The little girl subconsciously broke into a delighted smile.
But soon realizing something, her expression turned anxious again.
Noticing her sudden change, Kiriko asked in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
The girl tried her best to appear calm.
"N... nothing..."
Kiriko didn't fully grasp the situation. Although she felt it was odd, now wasn't the time to pry.
"Alright, keep eating then. The food's gonna get cold soon."
The girl nodded.
"Mm..."
In the end, the little girl single-handedly finished the hamburger and everything else Kiriko had ordered—except the fried rice.
She didn't look it, but the girl sure had a big appetite.
Or maybe she's just been starving too long…
But only now did Kiriko recall something she'd read before: someone who'd been starving for too long shouldn't immediately eat solid food. They should first consume liquids, and definitely not too much at once.
However...
Kiriko glanced at the girl walking obediently beside her. Perhaps sensing Kiriko's gaze, the girl's cute ears twitched as she glanced up nervously.
Well, she already ate all that stuff... I can't exactly tell her to spit it out now, can I?
Besides, as far as methods for inducing vomiting went, Kiriko's limited otaku knowledge only conjured up ancient, disgusting remedies like using "golden broth."
But making a weak, pitiful, helpless little loli drink "golden broth" after finally having a decent meal...
No matter how emotionally detached she was, she wasn't twisted enough to do something like that.
"You... Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
The little girl shook her head.
"Really? How about your stomach… Does it feel bloated?"
She shook her head again.
Is she really okay, or is she just afraid to say something...?
Given the girl's earlier reactions, Kiriko could tell she was still extremely wary of her.
She could roughly guess why.
Whatever. Worst-case scenario, I'll just go back to the pharmacy later and pick up some digestive medicine.
For now, though...
"Let's get you cleaned up."
This tavern had private baths, but they were expensive—just taking a bath cost almost as much as a night's stay.
Most adventurers and commoners wouldn't bathe here for that reason.
After helping the girl undress, Kiriko immediately noticed countless horrifying scars all over her thin body.
It went without saying—these were definitely inflicted by her previous master.
Kiriko's gaze—or perhaps just the hot water filling the tub—caused the little girl's face to flush bright red.
Kiriko didn't comment. Instead, she soaked a towel in the hot water, wrung it out slightly, and began carefully wiping down the girl's body.
"Cough, cough-cough..."
Kiriko frowned.
The tavern didn't have anything like shampoo or soap, so Kiriko gently cleaned her with the towel several times, then carefully dried her off.
When the girl tried to put on her old, prisoner-like slave rags, Kiriko stopped her.
Instead, Kiriko wrapped the girl in her own black coat. She'd just leave the dirty clothes here for the staff to discard.
Kiriko led the girl to the room she'd rented, had her lie down on the bed, and instructed her to stay put and rest. She'd be back very soon.
Before Kiriko left, she thought briefly, then decided to lock the door.
It wasn't that she feared the girl would run away, but rather worried some suspicious creep might barge in.
However, what Kiriko didn't realize was that as soon as her footsteps faded down the hallway, the little girl climbed off the warm, comfortable bed.
After looking around anxiously, the girl quickly crawled beneath the bed, wrapping herself tightly in Kiriko's still-warm coat, hugging her fluffy tail, finally showing a slightly reassured expression.
...
After leaving the tavern, Kiriko first went to a clothing shop in town and bought several outfits suitable for a child.
Next, she returned to the pharmacy.
The pharmacist seemed surprised she had come back so soon. He'd only managed to finish preparing half the medicine Kiriko requested.
Thus, Kiriko waited patiently as he finished the remaining medicinal potions. She also bought a few extra bottles of digestive potions and some tonics to quickly restore nutrients and strengthen the body.
By the time Kiriko returned to the tavern with clothes and potions, evening had already fallen.
But when Kiriko stepped into the guest room, she was startled to find the previously tidy bedcovers partially thrown aside, with no one on the bed.
Did she run away?
But I locked the door properly...
Kiriko hurried to the window, but it was still shut tight, with no sign of being opened.
Could a living person just vanish into thin air in broad daylight?
As Kiriko pondered this, something fluffy caught her eye—a fuzzy tail sticking out from beneath the bed.
She approached the bed, knelt down, and peered beneath, only to see the little girl curled up like a cat, quietly sleeping. She was even chewing lightly on the edge of Kiriko's coat, looking oddly content.
Kiriko's current feeling was probably similar to that of a parent who, right after bathing their child, found that child immediately covered in dirt again.
"Hey, what are you doing down there? Come out."
Kiriko called out several times, but the girl didn't respond, her eyes tightly closed, ears flat against her head.
Seriously…
Kiriko sighed, hand on her forehead. However, her attention soon shifted to the girl's fluffy, plump tail.
She glanced at the deeply sleeping girl, then back at that irresistibly fluffy tail.
If she were awake, she definitely wouldn't let me touch it...
Not that I particularly want to touch it; it's just scientific curiosity, that's all.
Driven purely by the spirit of scientific exploration, Kiriko reached out toward the tail, her hand unconsciously landing on it.
This sensation…this incredible softness and warmth…
A raccoon demi-human's tail was ridiculously fluffy and warm, unbelievably pleasant to touch.
By the time Kiriko realized it, she wasn't just touching with her hand—she had placed her face directly onto it, using the tail as a pillow.
Ah♀, this feels amazing♀.
It was somewhat like burying her face into a cat's fur, only ten times better.
Sleeping deeply, the little girl vaguely sensed someone doing strange things to her body. Still groggy, she slowly opened her eyes…
Immediately, the room was filled with a marmot-like shriek.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!"
---
T/N: OMG KIRIKO!!! HOW SCANDALOUS!!!
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