This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 19.5 - A Flower on the Parched Land (Past) - Part 1

19.5. A Flower on the Parched Land (Past)

Who could she be?

As I remained wary of the unknown situation, the middle-aged woman quickly scanned me up and down. Despite her still-smiling face, I felt a scrutinizing gaze.

In a situation that an ordinary child might not easily perceive.

“It doesn’t look like you’re hurt… Are your parents not around? It’s dangerous for a girl to be alone in a place like this. I have sons around your age; would you like to come with me?”

After thinking for a moment, I managed a gentle smile. I was unsure about the current situation, and though I didn’t have a good feeling about the woman, she piqued my curiosity.

Was it because she reminded me of Zerdan and Obella?

“Will there be friends and food when I get there?”

Feigning innocence, I asked, and the woman smiled and confirmed it.

She took my hand, helping me up. The woman gently brushed off the dirt from my clothes.

A kind and beautiful woman. It’s easy for children to let their guard down.

What exactly is she planning to do? Human trafficking? Or perhaps arranging something else for the children?

Following her with a smiling face, I thought about it and glanced down at the shadow moving beneath my feet.

‘Fortunately, the shadow of the Khan is connected.’

Perhaps it was because Terisier’s interference made it difficult to use my ability. If I had a moment, I could quickly take her or send someone for me.

While walking, I diligently scanned my surroundings. I noticed a girl in a nearby shop who looked similar to Ding.

She was a bit different from Ding, who always had her hair neatly tied and a bright face. The girl had her hair flowing to her shoulders and an emotionless face that was uncharacteristic of a child, yet her face was very similar to Ding’s.

It was remarkably similar. Could this be a coincidence?

“How old are your children?”

“My eldest is eleven, and the younger one is around seven, so the younger one should be about your age.”

“Are both of them boys?”

“Yes. The eldest resembles me a lot, and the younger one… well, he might not look much like me or my husband. He’s a bit stubborn, but he’s not a bad child.”

They must be siblings.

I smiled at the woman and nodded. To an outsider, I might have seemed like an ordinary child happily making a new friend.

The woman chatted away busily as we walked, seemingly trying to keep me from feeling suspicious or cautious. I responded with a smile, pretending not to notice anything unusual.

Most of what she talked about was mundane, such as how pitiful and unfortunate I looked and what kind of life I would have if I lived with them in the future.

During this conversation, she didn’t ask for my name or age. Although she seemed to like me, it appeared her interest was for different reasons.

“We’ve almost arrived. My husband and eldest son are living separately due to some circumstances. I’m staying here with the second child and other kids.”

“Other kids?”

“Yes. New family members like you.”

The woman led me into a building and down a long stairway to the basement. She even carried me, as if to ease my discomfort.

As I was carried down into the dim basement, it felt eerily like being dragged into hell.

“Here we are.”

The basement revealed a vast space. It was hard to believe such a large space existed underground.

However, despite its size, the surroundings were eerily quiet. The space was somewhat ambiguous, neither a home nor a living area.

It resembled a large auditorium with no distinct separation between living areas and rooms, and only a few glass partitions scattered around.

“Now that I think about it, Terry isn’t here at the moment.”

“…Is that child the second one?”

“Hm? Oh, no, that’s not it. Terry is a child I brought here just like you, and he’s the most precious to me. He’s briefly away right now but will be back soon, so don’t worry. For now, only the second child is here.”

The woman continued walking. Following her, we passed several glass partitions with only chairs placed sparsely. It was a strange sight.

It wasn’t quite a room… What kind of place is this?

As I frowned and looked around, the woman led me to the innermost white partition.

Beyond the partitions we had passed, which only had chairs, was an area that felt strangely out of place, where a young boy was sitting alone on the floor, his face expressionless.

He had likely been watching us approach.

The moment I saw the boy’s face, my eyes widened.

He looked similar to the woman in terms of the long bangs that covered his eyes and the golden color of his eyes.

Though he was a child, his appearance and aura were strikingly similar to someone I knew.

“He’s the second child, Zerdan.”

“……”

He had been introduced earlier as the second child being around seven years old, but why was he confined in such a place like a test subject?

I could tell without asking. It was something he had directly explained. Zerdan, directly from his own words.

Looking at his appearance and the current situation, I finally understood what was happening. It seemed I had somehow been transported to the past, to Zerdan’s traumatic childhood.

The woman who had asked me to wait had quickly moved to another place. Zerdan, who had briefly watched her, turned his gaze back to me.

The child’s face, staring silently, was expressionless. It was a stark contrast to the relaxed smile Zerdan had when he was always smiling.

“…Hello, Zerdan.”

When I greeted him, Zerdan’s expression twisted as if he were disgusted.

I scratched my head, thinking how childish his reaction was.

I hadn’t expected to be sent back in time. So, is this body supposed to be Moa Ablon’s childhood self?

But even so, the hair color and appearance were too different.

Could it be that I’ve possessed someone?

“You.”

I was surprised that Zerdan spoke to me directly.

“Hmm?”

“What kind of ability do you have to end up here?”

He wasn’t using honorifics.

I was briefly impressed by this new sensation but quickly responded as Zerdan’s expression twisted into one of disdain.

“Ability? I don’t have anything like that. I just came because the lady said there would be friends and food…”

Although I do have an ability, there’s no need to mention it or indicate that I know about it.

However, it seemed that from Zerdan’s perspective, my answer was quite pathetic. His expression, which clearly showed his disappointment, was unexpectedly cute.

Even though he was frustrated and serious, knowing he was an adult made his childlike appearance simply adorable.

“Are you an idiot? Even a younger child wouldn’t be deceived by that. It seems they mistakenly brought a fool instead of an ability user. I don’t care if you escape or die here, just don’t make a fuss.”

“I don’t plan to escape or die yet… Will I die if I stay here?”

Zerdan kept his mouth tightly shut as if he didn’t want to answer.

But since he didn’t deny it, it seemed he knew that this place was unusual.

A quick scan of his body showed no injuries. There were no other test subjects or experiments, and Terisier wasn’t here either.

‘Could the Terry I heard about earlier be Terisier?’

Zerdan had mentioned that his mother, upon discovering Terisier’s ability, had kidnapped orphaned ability users for biological experiments.

He had also mentioned that among those she encountered were Liffree and Ding.

Given that no one was here now, it seemed that the experiments had not yet started in earnest.

Come to think of it, Zerdan’s mother was said to have the ability to distinguish between ordinary people and ability users. So, she might have sensed something about me and brought me here.

I seriously considered escaping before I could be subjected to biological experiments, but seeing Zerdan glaring at me disapprovingly, I decided to hold off.

Even if I ran up those high stairs, I’d probably be caught quickly if an adult decided to pursue me.

Since we were underground, there were no other passages, so escaping seemed impossible.

In that case, it might not be a bad idea to observe the situation for a while. I might get a clue about how Liffree is manipulating Terisier.

“What are you doing? If you know you might die, shouldn’t you escape now?”

Zerdan spoke sharply. His words were cutting, but I could sense a trace of concern behind them, so I responded with a light laugh.

It was obvious that, even though he was mature for his age, he struggled with hiding his emotions.

“Well, it seems escaping right now would be difficult, so I’ll stay here for a while. I’m also hungry… and as the lady said, I needed friends. You might be a good match.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about? You’re such a weird kid.”

Zerdan muttered under his breath.

Despite his grumbling, I just smiled, and it seemed he relaxed his tense body, judging me as not a threat.

“What’s your name?”

When Zerdan asked for my name, I paused for a moment.

It would be better not to say Moa Ablon casually.

So, I needed to come up with another name, but I couldn’t think of one.

As I was thinking, I suddenly remembered how similar my reflection in the glass was to Ding, and I unconsciously blurted out a familiar name.

“Ding. Call me Ding.”

“Ding?”

Zerdan repeated the name, and I nodded. I thought it wouldn’t matter if the real Ding came later, as the name might be shared.

I sat down across from Zerdan. Facing him while sitting on the cold floor, I observed him quietly with my knees drawn up.

Zerdan, who had been looking away, frowned as he continued to feel my gaze.

“What are you doing? If you have nothing to say, go somewhere else.”

“Do I have to talk? There’s no one else here, and I don’t want to be alone in a place that feels so unfamiliar. But since you seem like you wouldn’t appreciate me talking to you, I just watched.”

“Staring without speaking is unpleasant too.”

“Oh, I see.”

He’s quite prickly.

Unlike the future Zerdan, who would hide his feelings, his varied expressions and clear emotions felt new to me. Although his face was still beautiful, whether in the future or now.

“Zerdan.”

“……”

Zerdan, although listening, pretended not to hear and turned his head away. I smiled slightly at this and continued speaking.

“This place feels like a laboratory. From the way you’re kept here, are you like a test subject?”

“What?”

“Oh, did my comment make you even more uncomfortable, even though you said staring was unpleasant? I’m sorry. I was just expressing what I felt.”

I thought about not bothering a child, but knowing that this was Zerdan and that such a side of him would be rare to see in the future, I found myself speaking in a teasing tone without realizing it.

It was enough to hurt him, but Zerdan just looked at me as if he found it absurd.

I maintained my smile, pretending nothing was wrong.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Wow, it’s a bit weird hearing you curse with that face.”