Chapter One: The Demon Lord’s Frantic Gift Hunt
Chapter One: The Demon Lord’s Frantic Gift Hunt
Anima found himself shrouded by a veil of darkness. In it, there were no light sources, no sounds, nothing. What was he doing in such a place? Not even he could recall.
“Ah, of course. How could I have forgotten?”
Opening the door that would lead him to his goal, he set out for Garaat in search of a birthday present for Marie. What was meant to be a quick errand, however, took more time than expected. Even so, he didn’t let it bother him. He’d found the perfect gift, and when he finally arrived back home with it, he was welcomed by the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps trotting his way.
“Daddy home!”
Anima smiled as the little Marie rushed over to welcome him. It was her birthday, so to celebrate, she wore a beautiful dress and a dandelion crown. She looked just like a princess.
“I’m home, Marie.”
He pet her head, careful not to crumble her crown, and was answered with an adorable giggle. Following her, Luina and the girls came out to the entrance too.
“Welcome back, Anima.”
“What took you so long? We were really getting worried, m’kay?”
“Where did you even go?”
“I took a walk.”
He didn’t want to risk letting them find out that he had actually taken until the last minute to get a present for Marie. Admittedly, he’d forgotten what he’d bought, but the lump in his pocket was enough to remind him that she was sure to be ecstatic when she saw it. He couldn’t wait to see the huge smile it put on her face.
“Daddy, lookie! I getted this pesent!”
Marie proudly presented a box to him. It was decorated with various shiny stones, giving it the appearance of a jewelry box.
“You should’ve seen Marie smile when she got that.”
“She was super excited to show it to you, m’kay?”
“You’re a very lucky girl to have such caring sisters.”
“Uh-huh! I love my sissers lots!”
Marie’s radiant smile made their house all the brighter, but it also gave birth to a new kind of worry in Anima’s heart. He had managed to secure a present for her, but what if she didn’t like it? The thought that he could very well ruin his gleeful little angel’s birthday gave him the chills.
“Now then, Anima, I’m so happy you’re back. Marie’s been trying to guess what you got her all morning. She’s really excited.”
“I’m ’cited!”
“It’s from Daddy; I’m sure it’ll be incredible!”
“It’s totally gonna blow your mind, m’kay?”
If anything, the expectations they had for his gift were blowing his mind. He could only hope that it—and he—was able to live up to those expectations.
“Ah, but what’re we standing around for? Let’s go eat!”
The girls took Anima’s hands and dragged him into the dining room. The table was already set, but the plates were empty. There were no delicious smells wafting in from the kitchen, either.
“You haven’t started making breakfast?”
“Not yet, no. It’s yummiest when it’s fresh out of the pan, so I wanted to wait until you came home.”
“Well, now that I’m home, let me help out.”
“I appreciate the gesture, but I think you should start by giving Marie her gift.”
“Definitely! You’re the only one who didn’t give her a present yet.”
“We’ll have breakfast after that, m’kay?”
“I bet you’re excited to see what Daddy got you, huh, Marie?”
“I’m ’cited!”
As Marie looked up at him with stars in her eyes, the pressure on Anima to live up to everyone’s expectations grew more and more immense. The girls’ eyes all began to gather on him, sending his anxiety level through the roof. So as not to worry the girls, he crouched down, doing his best to keep a straight face.
“I wanna know what you got her, m’kay?”
“C’mon, show us!”
Amidst all the pressure, he reached into his pocket and pulled out… nothing.
“No way…”
Anima froze. His pocket was empty. The gift he’d gone all the way to Garaat to purchase had vanished. The only explanation he could come up with was that he’d dropped it somewhere after he’d gotten home.
That’s it! Everything’s fine, it’s somewhere in the house!
He rushed out of the dining room and scanned the hallway with bloodshot eyes. But it was nowhere to be found.
“Is everything okay, Anima?” Anima whipped around, turning toward the voice. It had come from Luina, who had a heavy look on her face. “Don’t tell me you don’t have anything to give Marie. That’s just mean.”
“I hope you didn’t lie about getting her a present, m’kay?”
“No pesent?”
Marie looked up at him, distraught. Seeing her lose hope sent him into a panic.
“N-No, I have your present! I had your present! B-But it vanished from my pocket somehow, I swear…”
He watched as tears began to gather in Marie’s little eyes. A moment later, they began streaming down her adorable, round cheeks.
“No pesent from Daddy? Does Daddy hasses me?”
“No, I love you! I love you so much, and I did have a present for you. I got you the best present money could buy, believe me! Please… You have to believe me!”
Anima tried his absolute best to cheer her up, but to no avail. Her tears just wouldn’t dry up.
“Daddy won’t give pesent! He hasses me!”
“Please don’t cry, my little angel. Please…”
“I love Daddy!” The bawling Marie ran over to Luina, who crouched down, hugged her tightly, and then gently rubbed her head. “I love Daddy and Daddy hasses me!”
Luina shot a glare at Anima.
“What kind of man doesn’t get their little girl a birthday gift? I’ll never give you another kiss.”
“I’m not taking a bath with you ever again!”
“Don’t even try to get into the same bed as me, m’kay?”
“Please…”
The disappointed glares from his loving family pierced straight through his heart. He was getting dizzy from the pain. Darkness began taking his vision, and Marie’s sobs grew ever quieter…
◆◆◆
“Gh!”
Anima’s eyes flew open. He sprung up from the bed he lay on and looked around—he was in his bedroom. It was quiet. He could hear his heart racing. Light was shining in through the window, which immediately made him realize that he’d overslept. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead just as a chill shot up his spine.
“A nightmare…”
The thought of making his little girl cry and disappointing his family terrified him more than anything. He was glad that it had only been a dream, yet he couldn’t quell his terror, for that dream still held the potential to become a sinister reality. He had to act quickly if he was to avoid that dark future.
I’ll have to think of what to get her after I help Luina with the chores.
With that plan in mind he got up, put on his robe, and left the room. The moment he stepped out, he heard someone trotting toward him.
“Ah! Daddy’s ’wake!”
The footsteps belonged to Marie, who rushed over to Anima and jumped into his arms. He caught the little girl and gently hugged her.
“You’re up early, Marie.”
“’Cause I’m a big girl! Daddy, know how big I am?”
“No, how big are you?”
As if she’d been waiting for him to ask that question, Marie proudly looked up at Anima.
“I’m four!”
“Wooow, you’re already four years old? You really are a big girl!”
Anima squeezed Marie’s cheeks as a huge smile grew on her face.
“Ehehe! Y’know, y’know, Mommy telled me to go here! She telled me to wake Daddy up!”
“Wow, Mommy trusted you with such an important job? I guess it’s only fitting for a big girl like you.”
“Yep! But, y’know, I didn’t wake you up, ’cause you doed it on your own! ’Cause you’s a biiig boy!”
Anima smiled warmly as Marie pet his head.
“Thank you, Marie, but you’re much more impressive than I am.”
“I am?”
“You are. You woke me right up.”
“I did? I waked you up?”
“You sure did. I was still half-asleep before you got here, but now I’m wide awake. Thank you, Marie.”
“You welcome! Ah, bekfiss! Lessgo eat bekfiss!”
Big girl that she was, Marie may have found hugging too childish, as she hopped down from Anima’s arms and pulled him toward the dining room. When they arrived, he immediately noticed that breakfast was ready and waiting to be eaten. A deep wooden bowl filled to the brim with a delicious vegetable soup sat in the center of the table, with a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches off to one side. Luina was presumably still working in the kitchen, while Myuke and Bram, already in their seats, celebrated Anima’s and Marie’s arrival with applause.
“Wow, you actually managed to drag Daddy out of bed!”
“Only big girls can wake him up, m’kay?”
“You welcome!” Marie boasted smugly. She was so proud of herself that there was practically a visible puff of steam coming out of her nose.
“Whatcha sleeping in for, Anima?” Bram asked in a worried tone. “I hope it’s not ’cause of all the stuff you do around here, m’kay?”
Bram had become part of their family two months earlier, yet she still hadn’t called Anima “Daddy”. She didn’t dislike him by any means—she was clearly worried about him, they took baths together, and she trusted him like her father—she simply wasn’t ready to take that step. No matter how much he wanted her to, Anima knew that he had to think of her feelings; he wasn’t going to force her to call him that if she didn’t want to. The day the magic happened would come naturally, so until then, he would simply treat her like his daughter and shower her with love, just as he did with Myuke and Marie.
“I’m as healthy as ever. I have all the energy in the world. There’s nothing for you to worry about; we can still play together just as much as we have been.”
“Woo-hoo! I love playing outside with you, so that’s awesome to hear, m’kay?”
Bram couldn’t contain her excitement. Her parents hadn’t been able to play outside with her due to their poor health, so spending time out in the garden with her new family was her absolute favorite thing to do.
“Good morning, Anima,” Luina said as she walked into the dining room.
“Good morning. Sorry I didn’t help with breakfast.”
“Don’t worry about it. You always help with everything, so you’re more than welcome to take it easy every once in a while.”
“Mommy, Mommy! I waked Daddy up!” Marie chirped, fishing for compliments. After putting the water jug on the table, Luina pet her head.
“Well done, my big girl!”
“Marie, tell me how old you are, m’kay?”
“Um, um, I’m four!”
Bram knew exactly how old Marie was, but she also knew that asking her directly would make her very happy. As proof, Marie proudly held out a hand with four fingers extended, a wide smile on her face.
She’s a wonderful sister. I’m so proud of her.
Silently praising his daughter, Anima sat down. He and the rest of his family did their pre-meal ritual, and he started his breakfast with a bite from one of Luina’s sandwiches.
“How is it?” she asked.
“Incredible. Eating your heavenly food makes me the happiest man in the whole wide world.”
“Oh jeez, there you go again,” she said, flushed but smiling.
“Ugh, guess we should’ve seen this coming now that both of the lovebirds are up.”
“We’re reaching dangerous levels of secondhand embarrassment here. Tone it down, m’kay?”
Myuke and Bram teased the couple with playful smirks, which only made Luina turn even redder.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. You’ll bite your tongue.”
“Look at her blush.”
“She’s really cute when she’s being shy, m’kay? Don’tcha think, Anima?”
“She’s really cute no matter what.”
“Please stop teasing me…” she complained, but her smile wouldn’t fade.
Enamored by his beautiful wife, wishing he could stare at her until the end of time, Anima filled his spoon with soup and carried it to his mouth. There were all kinds of vegetables in it, finely diced so they wouldn’t get caught in Marie’s throat. The vegetables’ gentle flavors were enhanced with a mild seasoning, and Luina had added a touch of ginger to really bring it all together. The result was a dish that was nothing short of extraordinary; a single spoonful was enough to keep a person warm on the coldest of nights.
“How’s the soup?”
“It’s fantastic. Your soup is always delicious, but this one is something else. The ginger adds a whole new level of flavor to it. It’s truly amazing.”
“Phew, I’m so glad to hear that. It seemed like you weren’t sleeping well, so I was afraid you’d gotten sick. Ginger’s really good when you’re sick, which is why I put some into today’s soup.”
The thoughtfulness almost made Anima cry. Her words warmed him all the way to his core.
“Thank you, but I’m fine. I’m not sick at all.”
“Anima’s sturdy as a rock, m’kay?”
“But then why did you sleep so poorly?”
“I was having a nightmare.”
“Tell us all about it, m’kay?”
“I already forgot what happened, sorry.”
He hadn’t actually forgotten, but telling them about it would have revealed that he still needed to get Marie a birthday present.
“Hmm… Maybe he said something in his dream, m’kay? Did you hear anything, Mommy?”
Bram turned to Luina to help her learn more about Anima’s nightmare, but she just shook her head.
“I watched him for a bit while he was sleeping, but he didn’t say anything.”
“You watched him sleep, hmm? You’re crazy in love, m’kay?”
“Oh, I certainly am. I love Anima very much. Plus he’s cute when he’s asleep.”
“Daddy cute!”
“You’re cute too, Marie.”
“I’m cute! Daddy said I’m cute!”
Luina watched with a smile as Marie merrily reported the results of their brief conversation. She really was just an adorable ball of happiness that could cure any illness with her lively giggle—which was exactly why Anima couldn’t allow himself to let her down the way he had in his dream. He had to find her the best present Garaat had to offer. He had to finish his breakfast first, though, so he ate until he’d cleared his plate and then some.
“Thank you for the meeeaaal!” Marie cooed.
“Wow, great job, Marie, m’kay?! You ate your whole breakfast!” Bram applauded. “All right, as a reward, I’ll play with you all day. And you can pick the games, m’kay?”
“Yaaay! Y’know, y’know, I like dawing! I like dawing with Myukey ’n Brum!”
“Okay, let’s do some drawing,” Myuke said. “But we gotta clean up first.”
“That’s okay, I’ll clean up. You girls go play.”
“Are you sure? Aren’t you tired?”
“Not at all!” Luina struck a show-offish pose, flexing her biceps. “I could do this all day!”
“Let me know if you need any help, okay?” Myuke requested.
“I will. Thank you.”
“I’ll help too, m’kay?”
“Me too, me too! I’m big girl now!”
“Thank you so much, girls. You’re always looking out for me. Now get going! Have fun!”
“’Kaaay! Lessgo!”
Marie took the girls’ hands and led them out of the room.
“I’ll help you clean up,” Anima offered.
“Thank you. Would you like to hold hands as well?”
“How can I say no to that?” The endearing offer made him smile as he reached out and linked hands with her. The softness of her skin and the way her thin fingers interlocked with his filled him with warmth. “Though now that I think about it, we probably just made clean-up a hundred times more difficult.”
“So we did. What a bummer…” she said, her cheeks red. She wanted to hold hands with Anima so badly that the consequences had completely escaped her. “Should we hold hands later, then?”
“Yes, definitely.”
“Promise me?”
“I promise.”
They reluctantly let go of each other’s hands, then spent the next half hour or so cleaning the table and washing the dishes.
“We finished so quickly! Thank you for helping out.”
“You’re welcome. I’m happy I could be of help.”
“I’m going to do some sewing now, so you can spend your time with the girls or relaxing.”
“I see…” Anima wasn’t great at doing intricate, detail-oriented work. He’d gotten used to washing the dishes, but if he tried to help Luina with the sewing he would only slow her down. “What are you going to sew?”
“One of Marie’s favorite dresses got torn, so I’m going to fix it.”
It wasn’t the first time Marie’s favorite pieces of clothing had to be patched up. Playing with her sisters, rolling on the ground, and running around was sure to wear down even the strongest of cloth. They could have easily freed up Luina’s time by using some of the fortune Anima had made to replace the ripped dress, but as it was one of her favorites, repairing it was the way to go.
“I’ll fix your clothes whenever they get torn too,” Luina added. “Just let me know.”
“Thank you. You’re very good with needles, so I’m sure it will look as good as new.”
“And you’re very good with compliments. I’ll make you a scarf for when it gets cold, so be on the lookout for that!”
“Really?! You will?! Thank you!”
His lovely wife was going to knit him a scarf. Just the thought of wrapping it around his neck warmed his heart. While longingly thinking about the cold days that awaited him, a question popped into his head. “Wait, are you giving Marie a scarf for her birthday?”
“Nope. I made her one last fall, and even if I made her a new one, she wouldn’t be able to use it since it’s still warm outside. I tried making her a bunny plushie for her birthday.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. I’m sure she’ll love having a homemade plushie.”
He had figured as much, but he’d finally gotten confirmation that Luina had a present for Marie. Not just any present, either, but a bunny plushie that she’d made herself. It was sure to put a smile on Marie’s adorable little face. As her father, it was his duty to get her something she would love just as much. If he didn’t, she could take it as a sign that he didn’t love her. That was the one thing he had to make absolutely sure to avoid.
“Oh, and I’m also going to bake a cake. You like apple cakes, right?”
“I love them. Everything you make is wonderful.”
Anima had a very deep emotional connection to apple cakes. Their mere mention was enough to flood him with sweet memories—the first time he’d had one was the day he and Luina had shared their first kiss. It quickly became apparent that he wasn’t the only one who had that connection, as Luina was looking at him even more lovingly than she usually did.
Though he was never great at reading women, it had already been over half a year since he’d moved into the orphanage with Luina and the girls. He knew exactly what she was waiting for. He put his hands on her petite shoulders, leaned in, and gently kissed her lips.
“…Can we do that again?” she asked as he leaned back.
“Of course we can,” he replied, and they shared a long, sweet kiss. “How’s that?”
“Umm… One more please.”
“I’ll shower you with kisses if that’s what you want.”
Standing in the middle of the kitchen, they shared no fewer than eight kisses.
“That was a lot of kisses, and after such a long time since our last one. It feels like my lips could swell up at any moment. How do yours feel?”
“I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness. I’ll get to sewing now, but I’m looking forward to sharing many more kisses with you.”
“I’m looking forward to that just the same. I’ll go play with the kids now, so, um… would you like to hold hands on the way?”
“Oh, you remembered our promise.”
Hand in hand, they left the kitchen. They went up to the second floor, where they parted ways. Luina went into the bedroom to sew, while Anima made his way to the sunny room at the end of the hallway that was the girls’ designated playroom.
In the wake of her parents’ passing, Luina had had to sell almost everything she owned, so the room sat empty for a long time. With the family’s recent influx of wealth thanks to Anima’s and Myuke’s hard work, however, they had no trouble refurbishing much of the house, including the playroom.
Not wanting to interrupt the girls’ fun, Anima peeked through the door to check on them. Inside, the three of them were sitting around a table, merrily chatting with each other.
“Myuke, gimme the red when you’re done with it, m’kay?”
“Uh, sure, but now I’m curious… Are you drawing me?”
“Sure am! I’m drawing a picture of the time we went to the beach. I hope it’s not too bad, m’kay?”
“No, not at all! It looks great!”
“You’ve got an eye for art, m’kay?”
“Me too! I’m dawing Myukey too!”
“Wow, look at that! It’s really cute, Marie.”
“Only big girls can draw so well, Marie. Be proud of yourself, m’kay?”
“Ehehe! I’m gonna daw Brum too!”
“I can’t wait to see it, m’kay?”
Each of them was holding a crayon from the set they’d bought the day before. They were drawing, just as they’d decided at breakfast.
“You girls seem to be enjoying yourselves.”
Hearing Anima’s voice, the girls quickly lifted their heads up.
“Daddy! Daddy, lookie! I dawed Myukey ’n Brum!”
“That’s great, Marie. Is this when you were playing in the field?”
“It iiis! Lookie, this the dadelins! And you ’n Mommy!”
“Yes, there we are. Come and show me again when it’s all done, okay?”
“’Kaaay! I show you!”
Full of smiles thanks to Anima’s compliment, she went back to working on her masterpiece. The colors she’d used for drawing were all over her fingers, and her face must have itched at some point, because they were all over her cheeks as well. She was a very colorful little girl; Anima couldn’t help but smile at her cute “makeup”.
“How’s my drawing? It’s the time we went to the beach, m’kay?”
“It’s very good. Everyone’s splashing around so happily. How lovely.”
“It was super fun! Let’s go again sometime, m’kay?!”
“We can do that.”
“Yaaay! It’s a promise, m’kay?”
“Daddy, how’s my drawing?”
“Let’s see… Is this when we crossed the rope bridge?”
“Yep! Bram wasn’t with us then, so, like, I wanted to show her how cool that place was!”
“Wow, that’s really nice of you,” Bram said as she bashfully cast her eyes down.
“It’s the least I can do for my little sis— Whoa, what?!” Myuke yelped as Bram snuggled up to her and rubbed their cheeks together.
“I just got an urge to snuggle you because I love you so, so, sooo much, m’kay?!”
“Still, don’t just jump on me like that! You scared me half to death!”
“It’s snuggle time, mmm’kay?” Despite Myuke’s protests, the smile on her face didn’t lie. And Marie, who would normally have been quick to jump into a family snuggle, was too preoccupied with her drawing to notice. It was only a few moments before Bram pulled herself off of Myuke. “I gotta get back to my drawing. I’ll show it to you again once I’m done, Anima. Prepare to be amazed, m’kay?!”
“I will.” That was when Anima got a brilliant idea. The girls loved drawing, and that went double for Marie, so he could draw something for her as her birthday present. She was sure to love to get something that he’d drawn himself. “May I join you girls?”
“Sure! C’mon, sit next to me.”
“Here’s some paper, m’kay?”
“Thank you.”
He sat down next to Myuke and picked up a crayon. He was going to draw the most beautiful drawing to give as a birthday present for his precious daughter. The only problem was that, in the more than a hundred years he’d been alive, he’d never done so much as a single drawing. Doubt clouded his mind and his muscles grew tense from anxiety, but he had to overcome it. He would devastate the girls if he were to snap one of their crayons in half.
He turned his attention to the paper and planned out his drawing. The theme of his piece had popped into his brain the moment he’d sat down: his beloved family. He would draw all five of them, holding hands and dancing in a circle, bathed in the gentle moonlight that seeped in through the window. Knowing that it would make for the perfect gift, he focused all of his energy on creating the most beautiful piece of art his family had ever seen and began to draw.
“It’s done!”
It had taken some time, but his very first drawing was complete. Myuke and Bram leaned toward him, curiosity gleaming in their eyes, and shared their impressions.
“What’s it supposed to be, exactly?”
“Looks like a ball of yarn, m’kay?”
He had been too lost in the process of drawing to notice, but they were absolutely right. The idyllic family picture he’d intended to put on paper looked more like a ball of yarn.
Ouch…
Anima wanted to shut his eyes so that he didn’t have to look at his failure any longer. Being the first time he’d ever drawn, he hadn’t expected to create a masterpiece worthy of a place in the king’s personal gallery, but what he had created was far below his expectations. Aware of his sadness, Bram scooted next to him and patted him on the shoulder.
“Cheer up! I’ll always be here to help you draw, just say the word, m’kay?”
“Yeah. We’re here to help, so turn that frown upside down!”
“Bram… Myuke…” Their kind words made him blush. He had wanted to give Marie a drawing, but his family gave him warmth instead. “Thank you, girls. I’ll do my best.”
Starting the next day, he would do just that. Before then, however, he had something much more important to attend to. He couldn’t possibly give his drawing to Marie, and to his knowledge, there were no magic potions that would make him a great artist, so he had to find something else. Luckily for him, Marie was too focused on her own drawing to pay attention to his, so he still had time to ensure that his creation never saw the light of day. But that meant it was back to the drawing board for him. He had to get a present for Marie, but what?
I can’t cook, sew, or draw, so…
He had to head into Garaat and buy something, and he had no time to waste. Springing up from the table, he got himself ready to leave.
“Where ya goin’?”
“Don’t worry about it. Can you two look after Marie for a while?”
The girls nodded and smiled at him.
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“And I’ll keep an eye on Myuke, m’kay?”
“I can keep an eye on myself.”
“I’ll watch you watching Marie, m’kay?”
“I told you that’s pointless!”
“Anyway, I’ll be going now.”
With a pet of the girls’ heads, Anima left the room. He grabbed his money pouch on his way out of the house and headed off for Garaat.
◆◆◆
The moment Anima arrived at Garaat, he made his way to the main road, dotted with various shops and stalls. He scanned the area, looking for a family—any family—that had a daughter about the same age as Marie. He wanted to ask them for help understanding what girls that age liked, but his search wasn’t going very well. He couldn’t focus on his task at all, and he quickly realized why that was.
He was alone. After meeting Myuke, all of his trips to Garaat had been with his family. They’d been by his side each and every time. It was unimaginable to him that he’d have to walk the streets by himself, yet there he was, tortured by loneliness. He wanted nothing more than to go home to hug his beloved daughters and kiss his gorgeous wife, so he had to find a family with a young daughter. With his determination rekindled, he looked around the street once more.
“Hmm?”
A small girl was standing next to the entrance to an alleyway. She was around the same age as Marie, maybe a bit younger. Glancing around nervously while sucking on her thumb, she caught Anima’s attention mainly because her parents were nowhere in sight. She was probably lost and scared. Anima couldn’t ignore her.
He began walking toward her, but stopped just as quickly. A couple years earlier, he had been faced with the same situation. At that time, the girl had started bawling the moment she spotted him. The image of her terrified face, the sound of her soul-shattering scream were burned into his mind.
Fortunately, any horrible rumors about him were only circulating in his previous world, but even then, kids were taught not to engage with adults they didn’t know. There was a chance that he’d complicate things by talking to her, but she was just standing there, scared and all alone. Imagining her pain tugged at Anima’s heartstrings. He started walking toward her once more, putting on the warmest smile he could muster.
“Are you okay?” She looked up at Anima, who crouched down and looked into her eyes. “Did you get separated from your parents?”
“I seed a kitty…” she said quietly, practically whispering. Anima nodded understandingly in response.
“It must’ve been a very cute kitty. Tell me, what’s your name?”
“I’m Ena. The kitty was really cute, but I lookeded up and Mommy was gone…”
“I see, I see. Did you go after the kitty?”
“Mm-hmm. But it runned away… It went in there…”
She pointed toward the dark, narrow alleyway next to her, but refused to look at it. It must have been a scary place in the eyes of such a little girl. Anima looked at her again and smiled.
“Don’t worry. Mommy must be somewhere around here.”
“Really?!” she asked, her eyes twinkling with hope.
“Really really.”
That wasn’t a lie meant to cheer her up. Anima reasoned that Ena had chased the cat through the alleyway, during which time her mother must’ve noticed that she was missing. Hoping that her daughter would make her way to a place she knew, she probably went to Ena’s favorite place in town. In other words…
“Ena, do you like toys?”
“Mm-hmm! I love toys!”
“Then what if I told you that your mommy was right in there?!” Anima pointed to a two-story building on the other side of the alley—the toy store. There weren’t any other shops nearby that a girl her age would enjoy, so her mother would almost certainly have gone to that one. “Should we go see Mommy?”
“Lessgo!”
Anima reached a hand out, which Ena tightly grabbed, and they entered the shop together. It was filled to the brim with toys, but Ena completely ignored them. She was frantically looking around the space in search of her mom.
“Ena!”
It wasn’t long before a young woman rushed up to them.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
The woman crouched down and hugged the little girl, who started bawling, tightly in her arms, gently stroking her back.
“I was so worried… where did you go?”
“I sorry! I seed a kitty, and then… you wasn’t there, and… and then Mishter bringed me here…”
Through sobs, Ena recounted the events of the past ten minutes. Her mom gently pet her head, then stood up and looked at Anima. There wasn’t a hint of sadness or anger in her eyes; they were filled purely with gratitude.
“Thank you so much, Anima!” she exclaimed, taking Ena’s hand. “I don’t even know what to say, I’m just… Thank you.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I work at a pub where Krain was a notorious troublemaker. He was terrible, but ever since you chased him out of town I’ve been able to work in peace.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thanks to his golem stone, Krain had been the most powerful man in Garaat. He’d picked a fight with Anima about six months earlier, but he’d also tried to drag Myuke into it, which resulted in him getting a taste of Anima’s wrath. He was given a thorough beatdown, and the passersby all lauded Anima for giving him what he so deserved.
The townsfolk had a deep hatred of Krain, as Anima had learned from how they’d praised him. He didn’t particularly care about the reasons behind their hatred, but it seemed that Ena’s mother had suffered greatly by Krain’s hand.
“Thank you, Mishter!”
Ena had managed to calm down while in her mother’s embrace. She turned toward Anima with a big, bright smile and thanked him for saving her.
“You’re welcome. Make sure to always stay with Mommy, okay?”
“Uh-huh!”
Anima smiled seeing how she immediately clasped her mother’s hand.
“Again, thank you so much for taking care of my daughter. I’d love to repay you, but— Ah, I know! It’s just about lunchtime, so why don’t you visit our pub? Everything’s on me!”
“I’m honored, but I’m sure my lovely wife has already made lunch back at home, so I’m going to have to decline. There’s not a meal in this world or any other that can compare to the ones she makes.”
“Oh, okay then…” she replied in a dejected tone, but Anima still had a question to ask.
“This may sound strange,” he told her, “but would you tell me some of the things your daughter likes?”
“I like Mommy and Daddy!” Ena answered. “And I like Mommy’s food!”
“She eats everything I cook. There are barely any crumbs on the plate when she’s done with it.”
“’Cause it’s yum-yum!”
“Thank you, Ena. I’ll keep cooking for you so you can grow up big and strong, okay?”
Ena’s stomach growled just as her mother pet her head.
“I’m hungy!”
“Me too. I’ll whip something up as soon as we get home, okay?”
“Yum-yums!”
The woman hugged her daughter before bowing to Anima.
“Thank you again, Anima.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Bye-bye, Mishter!”
“Take care!”
Saying their goodbyes, the girls took their leave, while Anima took some time to browse the toy store. He immediately noticed that it was full of families; parents wore warm smiles as they watched their children get lost in the sea of toys. Amongst all those families, however, he noticed a man browsing toys all by himself, wearing a grave expression as if he were marching into battle. The man shuffled through the toys one after another, but didn’t actually select any of them. Then, as he was moving to the next set of shelves, he noticed Anima. He looked away for a split second, then looked back. His jaw practically hit the floor, but he quickly pulled himself together and walked over to Anima.
“I’m terribly sorry, but your white hair and red eyes caught my attention. Are you Anima, by any chance?”
“Yes, I am.”
The man flashed a relieved smile.
“I’m a five-star Hunter, and I’d be honored to go questing alongside you.”
“Why me?”
“Oh, I think it’s only natural for a Hunter like myself to try to party with such an esteemed man as yourself—not many people can claim they’ve been offered a contract from the king, after all. We could tackle the most difficult of quests, and watching you fight is sure to help me hone my own skills.”
“How do you know about the contract?”
“Most of the people in this town know about it. I mean, your daughters were running up and down the streets, screaming at the top of their lungs that their daddy is the strongest and that he turned down a contract from the king to care for his family.”
That had probably been Myuke and Bram’s doing. Those two often went on errands for Luina while she and Anima were busy working the field, so they would have had ample time to boast about their father.
A contract offer from the king was rare in and of itself, but turning one down was completely unheard of. No one in Garaat would have taken their claim seriously if not for the fact that Anima had unilaterally overpowered Krain right in front of their faces. Because of that, the girls’ wild tale was taken as fact, but that was beside the point.
“Sorry, but you’d be better off finding someone else to do quests with. I won’t be doing any work for the foreseeable future.”
The only reason he’d become a Hunter was to protect Myuke while making a little bit of money. Having amassed a sizable sum of money between the golem stone they’d sold and the reward they’d gotten from the king, there was no reason for any of them to put themselves in danger.
“I understand. I’ll work hard to one day become as strong as you are,” he said, bowing to Anima before going back to browsing the toys. He was looking through them very intently for someone who didn’t have a child with him. There was only one reason for that.
“Um, excuse me, but…”
“Yes?”
“I see you’re looking for a toy. Might you be trying to find a gift for someone?”
“I am, yes. Are you here to do the same?”
“I am, but honestly, I have no idea what to get.”
“Oh, really?!” The man flashed a relieved smile. “This is a bit strange to admit, but I may have been blinded by your exploits. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that you could be struggling with something. Still, it makes a lot of sense that you’re having trouble with this. Choosing the perfect present is difficult.”
Anima nodded in agreement.
“This is more nerve-racking than my audience with His Majesty was. The possibility of choosing something she won’t like fills me with a primal, existential dread.”
“You clearly love your daughters very much.”
“You as well.” The man was incredibly serious about finding the perfect gift for his child; he must have loved them very deeply. “How old is yours?”
“He turns six next week, the little rascal.”
“He must have a lot of energy.”
“Oh yes, very much so.”
“Might I ask what you got him for his fourth birthday?”
Anima jumped straight to the point.
“As a Hunter, I’m often away from my family. Because of that, I chose to get him something that he could enjoy by himself. I spent a long time picking out the perfect gift, and I ended up settling on building blocks.”
“Building blocks, huh? Did he like them?”
“He loved them. That said, I’ve never actually seen him play with them.”
“Why not?”
“He always plays with me when I’m home,” the man chuckled.
“I see. That sounds very nice.”
“It most certainly is. I usually arrive back home completely exhausted, but his lively smile is an amazing pick-me-up.”
“I understand that very well,” Anima said with a nod. “My girls love playing late into the night. I really shouldn’t let them, but seeing their cheerful smiles makes me want to play with them until the sun comes up. Just yesterday, we were holding hands and dancing around in circles well past their bedtime. It was wonderful.”
“I’m sure your daughters had just as much fun as you did. Everyone can tell that they absolutely adore you, so I think they’ll love anything you get for them. They’ll know that it came from your heart, and that’s what matters most.”
“From my heart…”
The man was right. The fear of disappointing Marie and his terrible nightmare had gotten to Anima, but they never should have bothered him in the first place. His family was the kindest, most welcoming group of people he’d ever met. They would never hate him for not getting Marie a birthday present, nor could he get her a present she didn’t like.
Even so, he didn’t want to abuse his family’s kindness by not giving her anything. After all, he loved Marie from the bottom of his heart; he wanted to get her a gift that would portray that love. He needed to take his time and choose his present carefully if he wanted to achieve that goal and be rewarded with an adorable, heartwarming smile and small yet ever-so-precious hug.
“Umm, is everything all right?”
Anima snapped back to reality. They had been talking for a long time—it was fun for him to share the blissful experience of fatherhood with another man—and he’d also spent quite some time mulling over his present ideas, or lack thereof. It was time for him to act.
“Thank you. Your advice is invaluable.”
“I’m happy I could help, and it was really fun talking with you about our kids. Best of luck on your gift hunt.”
“Good luck to you as well.”
Their chat helped to finally calm his nerves. He spent a bit more time in the shop, but left it soon after parting ways with the man; nothing there had managed to catch his attention. He was undaunted, though. He was certain that the perfect present was waiting for him in one of Garaat’s myriad shops, all he needed to do was find it.
He walked the streets and perused the stores until the sun reached its highest point in the sky. He had to find something very soon and head home in order to keep his lovely wife from worrying. He racked his brain before making a last-second decision: crayons. The girls loved to draw, and the craft store was nearby, so he would definitely make it there before they closed.
As he made his way toward the town plaza, he noticed that there were more and more people the closer he got. In the plaza itself he found a sizable crowd gathered around what was likely the merchants who would occasionally set up shop there. Perhaps they were offering rare trinkets from faraway lands, but things like that held no meaning to Marie, so he forged on, pushing his way through the crowd. When he made it to the front, he found a burly man sitting at a table, with a much thinner man leaning against the side of a cart behind him. While their builds were polar opposites, their faces were rather similar; they were likely brothers. Anima walked up to a man standing in the crowd.
“What’s going on here?” he asked.
“Oh, if it isn’t Anima. These guys rolled up to the plaza earlier today. If you beat the brawny-looking dude in an arm wrestle, you win an item of your choice from their cart. The entry fee is only one copper, so folks are eager to give it a shot. As you can see, it’s turned into quite the attraction.”
The man was acting surprisingly friendly towards Anima and even knew his name, but he decided to ignore that. Instead, he took a look at the men’s cart, which housed countless baubles and curios. Rings, bracelets, ornaments, cosmetics, liquor cups made from various precious metals, decorated vases, wall scrolls, and various magic stones were all being offered as prizes. It was like a collection of odds and ends, and even Anima could tell that each and every item was worth far more than a single copper piece.
Within the hoard of treasures, a single item caught his eyes. It was a small, inconspicuous thing hidden in the corner of the cart, but he knew it would make the perfect gift the moment he spotted it. He absolutely had to get it, and the only way to do that was to win their game. He prepared his copper coin, and waited his turn.
“Aghhh!”
The challenger’s hand slammed against the table. Anima could tell that the burly man was on an impressive winning streak based on the disappointed sighs from the onlookers, but that didn’t discourage the hopeful challengers. With a little luck, they could make their money back a hundredfold. Anima, however, was eyeing an item that likely had little monetary value; one that would sell for a couple copper pieces at best, yet would bring immense joy to his little birthday girl. That alone made it more valuable to him than any of the other treasures being offered.
“Well, that was unfortunate, but it’s all in good fun!” the slender man announced. “Now, gather ’round, everyone, gather ’round! Does anyone have the strength to overcome our challenge? We’re closing shop soon, so let’s speed things along, shall we? Who’s next?”
“Me.” Anima walked up to the table and slammed his copper piece down.
“Step right up, step ri— Oh, I’m terribly sorry, good sir, but I’ll have to ask that you stop using that minotaur stone. My brother may be strong, but not even he can best a beast.”
The thin man, who was the brawny man’s brother like Anima had guessed, was looking at his horns. Everyone outside his family mistook them as a side-effect of him using a minotaur stone to bolster his physical abilities, but he wasn’t using any such thing. He wouldn’t have minded ripping the horns right out of his head if it meant he could make Marie happy, but doing so would have likely had the opposite effect; she would definitely sob uncontrollably if she found out his horns were no more because of her. He had to find another way to get the man to agree to his challenge.
“Have your brother use a minotaur stone as well, then.”
“And why might you want that?”
“Because that way it’s a fair fight. I’ll even get one for him, just give me a few minutes.”
Anima turned around, but the man stopped him before he could take a step.
“Hang on! No need to go running off on us! We’ve already got a minotaur stone here; you don’t have to buy one!” The burly man obviously prided himself on his strength, and as such, a minotaur stone was the perfect match for him. It was no surprise that he had one of his own. “If I might ask, good sir, are you perhaps a Hunter?”
“I am.”
“And what rank might you be?”
“One-star.”
“Great, then that’s enough out of me! Let’s get this show on the road!”
It was easy to see why that didn’t raise any issues with the brothers. Hunters were divided into eight ranks, and were given the ability to rise through them by completing quests and tagging along with higher-ranked Hunters. A one-star Hunter was one who hadn’t done anything of major significance and likely had very little mana at their disposal. Such a person using a minotaur stone would be about on par with a trained and experienced Hunter who’d completed half of their warm-up routine.
Anima sat down and placed his elbow on the table, while the burly man concentrated his mana into his minotaur stone, invoking its power. As advertised, a pair of horns strikingly similar to Anima’s sprouted from his temples. It was Anima’s first time seeing someone use that particular magic stone, but it clearly illustrated the reason everyone assumed he was constantly using one.
With both participants ready to do battle, the slender man cleared his throat.
“All right, on the count of three!” he announced. “One, two… three!”
WHAM!
A slight push later, the table was no more; it was broken in half. The burly man, whose hand had met the unfortunate fate of wrecking the table, was lying atop of its remains. Anima, realizing what he had done, went into a panic. He may have unintentionally put more power into his arm just then than he had into the kick that had sent Malshan flying through the woods.
“S-Sorry, I think I went a bit too far. Are you okay?”
“Owww…”
He was still breathing. Knowing that was enough to let Anima relax again.
“Ahhh, guess we’ll have to close shop for a while,” the slender man sighed upon confirming Anima’s victory.
“I apologize.”
“It’s fine,” he replied with a wry smile, “this is what arm wrestling’s all about; half the fun’s in the risk. Still, I never expected that my brother would get knocked out cold. Say, are you really a one-star?”
“Yes.”
“Well then, with one-stars like you around, I pity the fool who dares wrong this place. Anyway, you won! Choose whatever you’d like, good sir.”
Anima didn’t hesitate in making his selection, leaving the slender man thoroughly confused.
“You sure about that? I mean, if that’s what you want then by all means, it’s yours. But that’s the cheapest piece in the pile. It’s worth more than one copper, sure, but you can score a substantial sum if you do a little digging.”
“That’s fine; this one is perfect. It’s for my daughter.”
The man let out a hearty laugh.
“Well, that makes it priceless indeed! Thanks for stopping, good sir!”
Anima quickly pocketed his present and hurried straight back home.
◆◆◆
“Daddy! You home!”
After rushing through the streets, Anima had arrived home in the blink of an eye. The moment he opened the door, Marie, wearing a huge smile, trotted up to the entrance and tightly hugged his legs. Anima’s heart started to race. Whether or not that adorable smile would stay on her equally adorable face hinged solely on his present.
“Daddy, you sad?” Marie asked worriedly. “Did you getted a boo-boo?”
Children were extraordinarily receptive of adults’ feelings. Anima had to shrug off his worries; he wouldn’t want to distress Marie, especially not on her birthday.
“No, I’m completely fine. I can even lift you up if you want. What do you say, want to go up?”
“Up! Up! I love up!”
“I can even rub your cheeks!”
“That’s tickly! Daddy, I give pets! You goed out aaall alone, so you gets pets!”
Feeling her warm, tiny hand ruffle his hair cast all his worries aside. Just as he was enjoying that bliss, he heard several more sets of footsteps coming his way. Soon enough, Luina, Myuke, and Bram arrived at the entrance.
“Welcome back, Anima.”
“You sure took a while.”
“Where’d you even go? We were starting to get worried, m’kay?”
Relieved that Anima got home, they welcomed him with warm smiles. Strangely, that warmth only made his chest tighten up. A realization hit him: by leaving without a word, he’d put them through hell. No one knew where he’d gone, no one knew if he was okay, no one knew when—or if—he’d come home. All they could do was believe that he’d return.
Marie’s tight hug must have been because she’d been afraid that her beloved Daddy might never come home. The belief that he’d failed her welled up within him. Her precious birthday was supposed to be a happy occasion; he’d managed to get her a present, but at what cost? He was afraid of telling his family the truth, but that fear was nothing compared to the feeling of worrying them. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“I have to tell you something, girls. I went to Garaat to… to buy a present for Marie.”
It wasn’t easy for him, but he’d finally opened up and told them what he’d done. In response, Myuke became visibly confused.
“You say that like it’s some sort of crime.”
“You’re not mad…?”
He didn’t understand why he wasn’t being told off. He looked around, and it wasn’t just Myuke who was confused by his somber tone. Luina, Bram, and even Marie were all looking at him like he had six horns. He needed to explain his thought process so that they could fully understand the gravity of the situation.
“I didn’t want to be seen as a failure. I love Marie from the bottom of my heart, I really do, which is why I had no choice but to get her a birthday gift. The problem is that the first time I’d ever heard of this custom was yesterday…”
Anima opened his heart to them, prompting Myuke to grin.
“You seriously got all worked up about something like that?”
“Presents are not essential for birthdays, m’kay?” Bram explained as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Exactly,” Luina said. “It’s the thought that counts. We all know how much you love Marie, so the only thing that matters is that you’re here to celebrate with her.”
“R-Really?”
“Really really. And besides…” Luina paused and looked down at Marie with a warm smile. “The best gift you could ever give this little angel is the time you spend with her. You spend so much time playing with her every single night. Does that sound like a failure to you? Because it certainly doesn’t to me—to us. Isn’t that right, Marie?”
“Uh-huh! I love paying with Daddy!”
Those words freed him of any and all guilt. He was completely overcome with joy, as shown by the massive smile on his face.
“Me too, Marie! I love playing with you too! I’ll always play with you! Today, tomorrow, the day after that—I won’t miss a single day, okay?!”
“Yaaay!”
“I want to play with you too,” Luina added.
“Don’t even think I’m not gonna be there!”
“I’m in too, m’kay?! But I wanna eat first! I’m starving, m’kay?” Bram added, rubbing her stomach. That was all it took for them all to hold hands and move into the dining room together.
Luina had spent the better part of the day preparing a feast. Set beautifully on the table was an assortment of fruits, a hearty stew, and a mountain of vegetable salad—all of Marie’s favorite foods. To top off the special occasion, in the center of an already incredible birthday dinner sat its crown jewel: a decadent apple cake.
“This must have been difficult to make. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help,” Anima lamented.
“Oh, it was, especially because I was so lonely without you.” Luina looked up at him with a pout. It wasn’t often that he got to see her acting childish. “I hope you’re planning to spend all day tomorrow with me.”
Anima took her playful demand very seriously.
“I will. We’ll even cook together. Promise.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” she answered cheerfully, then sat down. Once everyone else had also taken their seats, she cleared her throat to get their attention. “Before we eat, I have a little something for Marie. Do you want to see it?”
“I wanna! Lemme see, lemme see!”
“Ta-dah! This is for you!”
“Wow! Wooow! It’s a bun-bun!”
Marie’s eyes sparkled excitedly when she saw the palm-sized plush bunny in Luina’s hand. She jumped off her chair, trotted up to Luina, and tightly hugged her gift.
“Thank you, Mommy!”
“You’re welcome. Oh, and look, I think your sisters have something for you too.”
“Yaaay! Whassit?”
She turned toward Myuke and Bram with an expectant smile. The girls exchanged a quick glance, then looked at Marie.
“This is from me and Bram.”
“It’s our masterpiece, m’kay?”
Myuke pulled a sheet of paper from behind her back, which the two of them presented together to the birthday girl. It was a drawing they’d made in secret to surprise her. It was also the first time Anima had gotten to see it.
“Ah! It’s me! Lookie, it’s me!”
“It sure is,” Luina said. “It’s very nice.”
“It’s so pitty! Thank you, Myukey ’n Brum!”
“You’re welcome.”
“Treasure it, m’kay?”
“Uh-huh! I put it in seepy room!”
“That’d be awesome, m’kay?”
“We must’ve done a pretty good job if you wanna put it there!”
They couldn’t have been happier that Marie liked their present. She liked it so much, in fact, that she waddled over to Anima to show it off.
“Daddy, lookie! It’s me!”
“That’s wonderful; I’m so happy for you. And look, I have something for you too.”
“You does?”
“I do. I hope you like it.” Anima reached into his pocket. Fortunately, his nightmare hadn’t come true, as his present was still there. “Happy birthday, Marie.”
“Cuuute!”
Marie smiled from ear to ear when she saw what Anima had placed in her hands. She hugged the gift to her chest and began hopping around in a circle. In her tiny hands were hair ties, but they weren’t ordinary hair ties. What Anima had given her were bunny hair ties.
“Those are really cute, Anima. Well done.”
“They’ll look great on Marie!”
“You’re pretty good at finding presents, m’kay?”
His intuition was right; the hair ties made for an excellent gift.
“Go on, Marie. Isn’t there something you want to tell Daddy?”
Getting so many wonderful gifts made her the happiest little girl in the world. She hopped over to Anima and gave him a big hug.
“Thank you, Daddy! I love you!”
Seeing his daughter’s delighted smile made all his worries disappear.