This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 12 - Spy (1) - Part 3

The girl, who was running straight at me, had a slightly frightened expression on her face.

With curiosity about her expression, I looked behind her and saw someone chasing her.

“Help, help me!”

Panting heavily, the girl reached out toward me. But seeing the woman in front of her seemed weak, her face paled a bit.

Could she be someone I know, or did the girl do something wrong? Or perhaps…

The man chasing the girl didn’t seem particularly unsettled by my sudden appearance. He scanned me up and down.

The frightened girl hid behind my legs. Judging by the unpleasant smile on the man’s face, I concluded that it was an abduction.

The alley where we were located had no one else around. And there’s no way they have a cell phone.

“This seems like quite a troublesome situation, doesn’t it?”

I said with a smile to the girl, who nervously looked up at me while gripping my calf. The girl seemed perplexed by my attitude.

The man was different from the shaggy guy I had dealt with before; he was rather clean-cut, though still a bit sinister.

I glanced around the area but found nothing particularly useful. It was an alley, so the walls were the only things on either side.

I should carry a self-defense item with me next time.

“You seem quick to grasp the situation… If you want to get out of here safely, hand over that kid.”

“You don’t seem to know this child, so what are you planning to do with her?”

“Is it my duty to explain that?”

The girl tightened her grip on my leg. She seemed anxious that I might hand her over to the man.

Just like with Luke, I might not have a face that inspires much trust.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like you’re taking her for a good reason. The child is scared too… How about you just leave?”

“Hah, you’re quite the insolent woman. What gives you the confidence to act so arrogantly? There’s no one here to help you. Or do you want to be sold off along with her?”

“Oh my. You’re involved in human trafficking, are you? How surprising.”

I stretched my leg back, causing the girl clinging to my leg to stagger away.

The girl, who had been anxiously clinging to me, eventually backed away and looked at me nervously. It was as if she was worried that my presence had put me in danger because of her.

The man chasing her was holding a knife. Though it was a small dagger, it was a threatening weapon to someone like me with no weapon or extraordinary physical ability.

As the man approached, I smiled.

“I was a bit anxious just in case, but seeing you wielding a knife, I feel more at ease.”

If he were an ability user, he wouldn’t need such a weapon.

As soon as I used my ability, the man’s hair shot up sharply. He seemed surprised by the sudden movement of his hair and grimaced in pain as if his scalp was hurting.

But he quickly recovered from the shock and, sensing no other significant changes, tried to swing the knife at me again, so I released my ability.

The hair fell instantly, obscuring his view. I moved in and tripped him, causing him to fall.

Though I was a bit unnerved by the knife swinging, it fortunately didn’t touch me.

I stomped on the arm holding the knife, raising the hairs on his palm and arm to pin him to the ground. Then I kicked him under the chin, lifting his head.

“Ugh!”

With a short groan, the man’s chin snapped upward. Simultaneously, his head struck the wall. The hair, sharpened into needles by my ability, began embedding into the wall.

I quickly stepped back, noting that, unlike the shaggy guy from before, the man’s arm hair was sparse and didn’t hold him down strongly on the floor. He soon managed to shake off the hair and started swinging his arms.

But with so much of his hair pinned to the wall, it would be quite a hassle for him to remove it.

The man, struggling with his chin tilted up and trying to rise while supporting himself with his hands, had dropped the knife. I approached and kicked the knife far away, out of his reach.

“Well, it’s fortunate. If you had used the knife to cut the hair, you might have been able to get up easily, but it seems you lack that level of intelligence. Thanks to that, we’ll be able to return safely.”

I said calmly while looking down at him. His glaring expression seemed quite unpleasant.

With his neck twisted, it must be difficult for him to exert any strength.

I tossed my hair behind my ear and laughed out loud, turning away. The girl was still there, not running away.

Should I commend her for staying put or scold her for her stubbornness?

“It’s better to run away in such situations next time.”

“But… I put you in danger.”

“Even if you stayed, you wouldn’t have been much help. You should have asked someone else for help instead.”

“But still…”

“Let’s forget about this incident since it ended well. Next time, don’t go out alone. Did you realize how dangerous it is to go out alone from today’s experience?”

If it were my previous reality, it might have been different, but here, where the security is poor and women seem to have a lower status, it’s dangerous to go out alone.

The girl, hesitating for a moment at my words, finally started crying.

“I’m sorry… I just felt so trapped because I’m weak and kept at home, so I went out.”

“Don’t worry about apologizing to me. It’s okay. Do you know where your home is?”

Seeing the girl’s tears, I sighed, feeling a bit harsh, and asked. She shook her head from side to side. It seemed she had wandered into an unfamiliar place while fleeing from the man.

“This is troublesome… Let’s get out of here first. It will be a hassle if that man wakes up.”

“Okay…”

“Do you know your name and the name of the person taking care of you?”

Should I ask Obella to help find them?

As I sighed softly, realizing that seeing Luke today might be too much, the girl, who had been watching me cautiously, hesitated before answering.

“My name is Ding… And I don’t have parents, but the person I’m living with now is named Sidon.”

I stopped walking and looked at the girl. She seemed to be on the verge of tears, perhaps worried that she had done something wrong.

Ding?

I was surprised to meet the child I was looking for by chance, and her guardian was Sidon.

“If it’s Sidon, are you talking about the man with cloud-like curly hair, sometimes called cotton candy?”

“Yes! Sidon’s hair looks like sheep’s wool! Are you friends with Sidon?”

Since she might not understand if I said “cotton candy,” I corrected myself, and the girl’s face brightened as she nodded. It seemed that Sidon was indeed someone she knew.

In that case…

“Do you know someone named Khan? He’s an older man who limps on one leg.”

“Do you know Khan too? Khan said he would come pick me up soon, but he hasn’t come yet!”

Oh, my goodness. They say doing good deeds brings rewards.

I bent down to meet Ding’s eyes. The innocent girl seemed to have lost some of her anxiety upon hearing the name of someone she knew.

“I’m glad, Ding. I think I can take you home.”

I now had leverage over Khan.

Moreover, Khan had said he was working under Zerdan to protect Ding.

If Ding was living with Sidon…

Then the conclusion was obvious. The spy Zerdan had planted was likely Sidon. His claim of being a non-ability user was probably false.

For now, I decided to take Ding to Obella’s house.

When Ding heard that Sidon worked there, she followed quite willingly. Curious about Khan, the girl bombarded me with questions.

“Are Khan and Sidon there too? Does Khan talk about me?”

“I haven’t been there long, so I can’t say for sure if Khan talks about you, but I did hear him mention that he has someone to protect. Is Khan your father?”

“No! Khan was the first person who took me in! I don’t remember it, but my real parents left me behind, and Khan took care of me.”

“I see. So why are you living with Sidon now?”

Ding’s face fell at my question. She kicked a small stone on the ground with her tiny foot.

“I’m very sick, and only Sidon can help me get better. So I live with Sidon. Khan has to work, so he can’t come to visit.”

“Are you receiving treatment?”

Since Sidon had mentioned wanting to become a doctor, I wondered if Ding was receiving treatment. But why would he do it if he wasn’t a doctor?

Or maybe it was just a form of care. Ding didn’t seem visibly ill, and her complexion looked good.

“Hmm. Sidon says it’s treatment, but he doesn’t do much! He just helps me sleep. He always says it’s treatment, but he just makes me sleep. I don’t take any special medicine, but I feel refreshed after sleeping next to Sidon.”

“Does he only help you sleep?”

“Yes! One time I asked if I really had to sleep, and he said that the treatment only works if I sleep. But when I sleep with Sidon, I have nightmares every night, so I don’t want to sleep. I don’t dislike Sidon, but it feels strange.”

Only putting you to sleep for treatment? And nightmares…

What could that mean? He’s a mysterious man.

It seems he’s not an ordinary person after all.

“Ding, do you know someone named Zerdan?”

“Zerdan?”

Ding blinked, clearly not recognizing the name. She shook her head, indicating that it wasn’t anything significant.

So, Zerdan might not have been directly involved with Ding.

I exchanged a few more words with Ding before heading to the house. During the conversation, I learned how much Ding looked up to Khan and how absent-minded Sidon seemed to be.

Khan, as described by Ding, appeared quite kind, which felt a bit unusual, but it made sense if he was the one who took care of her.

When we arrived home, I saw Phel drinking water. She looked surprised to see a stranger child.

“Who’s this kid? Are you hiding a daughter or something?”

“Phel, you seem to speak your mind immediately.”

“Yeah, that’s true! Wait, are you implying that I’m being ignored?!”

“Of course not. Why would I ignore Phel? You’re such an impressive person.”

I gave a cheeky smile, making Phel mutter to herself, wondering if she was mistaken. Without adding more, I led Ding to the living room.

As Ding sat on the sofa, looking around, she asked.

“Where’s Sidon?”

“Sidon? Why are you looking for him?”

“Don’t look at her like she’s some hidden child of Sidon. I heard he’s temporarily taking care of Ding, but she seems to have gotten lost outside. I brought her here since I don’t have a way to contact Sidon.”

“Oh, I see. But we don’t have Sidon’s contact information either. He’s such a free spirit that Terisier usually finds him whenever he’s missing. Luckily, he enjoys wandering around, so it’s easy to find him.”

“I guess I’ll have to ask Terisier then.”

“I’ll take care of it! I had something to mention as well.”

Seeing Phel smile, it seemed more like she was teasing than anything serious, but that was not my concern.

I nodded and watched as Phel headed toward Terisier’s room. I expected to hear Terisier’s annoyed voice soon.

“Just stay here until Sidon is found and brought back.”

“Alright. Sidon probably doesn’t even know I’m gone. He’s not very perceptive.”

“He did seem a bit absent-minded.”

“Are you going to stay here? It looks like you have a lot of people living with you.”

Noticing the various shoes by the front door, Ding spoke with a hint of envy. It seemed she longed for a lively environment and was used to being with just Khan or Sidon, who were both quiet.

“Envious?”

“Yes. I’ve only been with Khan or Sidon, and they’re both quiet. I didn’t have any friends, so I was bored.”

“Then why not ask Sidon to come stay here with you later?”

“Is that okay?”

“Well, Sidon is part of this group too. I’m sure everyone here would be fine with it.”

I whispered this to Ding, and her face lit up with a bright smile.

I wonder if Sidon will agree to Ding’s request or refuse.

If Ding stays here, Sidon might also move in. It would make it easier to keep an eye on him.

“Oh, really!! It’s so noisy! What does it matter if someone becomes an adult or not?!”

“Since you’ve been well taken care of, don’t you think it’s appropriate to prepare a thank-you gift?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Phel seemed to have once again managed to annoy Terisier.

Terisier, clearly agitated, stopped in his tracks when he saw Ding in the living room. He frowned deeply, pressing his forehead with his hand.

“Is she Sidon’s daughter?”

“…Phel.”

I glared at Phel as if to reprimand her, and only then did she awkwardly laugh and correct herself.

“Oh, my mistake. She’s not his daughter, but someone he’s looking after. Since we don’t have Sidon’s contact information, it seems like you’ll have to take care of it. He might be out looking for her right now.”

“Is he? He probably doesn’t even realize she’s missing.”

“That’s true.”

Ding nodded in agreement, which gave a hint about Sidon’s usual demeanor.

Terisier looked like he had a headache. He sighed softly, acknowledging the situation before heading out, still with his hand on his forehead.

At that moment, Ding stood up and approached Terisier.

When Ding grabbed Terisier’s sleeve, he scowled and looked down at her. Ding seemed startled by his sharp gaze and took a step back.

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t touch me without permission.”

Terisier spoke harshly to the child and then briskly exited the room.

Ding’s face fell into a sad expression, and Phel looked at me, clearly distressed by the situation.

I wasn’t exactly the best at handling kids either, so I took a deep breath and approached Ding.

“Don’t worry too much. Terisier is probably just in a bad mood because of Phel. By the way, why did you suddenly grab Terisier?”

“…I thought he looked like someone I know.”