“This… isn’t this supposed to be boiled? Are you going to fry this in oil?”
Luca asked, his face a mask of bewilderment.
The ingredients were chopped with reckless inconsistency, lacking any shred of culinary grace. Yet, Bunny merely chuckled, nodding with unwavering confidence.
“Yup. And then please simmer this.”
“Ah, I see. What is this? It looks like water, but…”
“It’s a sec-wet ingredient.”
“Oh… I see.”
Luca scratched his head, forcing a nod. No matter how small or young she was, Bunny was a young lady of this house, and he was nothing more than a hired hand.
Bunny stayed glued to Luca’s side until the dish was complete, issuing instructions with the precision of a pint-sized foreman.
* * *
“Huh? Where on earth do you expect me to go at this hour?”
Alan, having been kidnapped—or rather, practically dragged away—by Bunny the moment his advanced class ended, spoke with a disgruntled huff.
Of course, he never once let go of the small hand he was holding.
“Alan.”
As they neared the market, Bunny looked up at him with eyes brimming with pity. Alan flinched, coming to an abrupt halt.
“We have to make a good impression on the Young Master.”
“Why would I—!”
“Adults don’t like annoying kids. They like kids who are impressive, cute, and special. Bunny isn’t special yet, so… we have to give the Young Master allowance money! Adults love kids with lots of money!”
“Why are you so obsessed with adults? If you want to be an adult, you don’t necessarily need a guardian…!”
“No-no.”
Bunny marched forward, her gait a rhythmic, pattering contrast to nine-year-old Alan’s longer strides.
“What do you mean ‘no’…”
“Children get lonely when they’re all by themselves.”
Her voice dipped, heavy with a sudden, uncharacteristic shadow. Alan stared at her, curious. But just as quickly as the somber mood arrived, it vanished. Bunny beamed, already setting up shop at the market entrance.
“…A stand?”
She produced a fabric mat from nowhere, spread it out, and plopped down a collection of neatly wrapped lunchbox-style packages. She finished her display by arranging a bundle of paper bags and propping up a sketchbook in a triangular formation.
“W-wait! What are you doing?”
Just as a flustered Alan reached out, Bunny curled the corner of her mouth into a grin.
*Heh.*
“Alan, you’re still a baby, aren’t you? The first step to becoming an adult is earning money for food.”
“…What?”
“Watch what Bunny does. Next time, we’ll do it together. The Young Master will love it.”
*Praise!*
*Pat-pat!*
Lost in a swirl of her own imagination, Bunny tapped a rolled-up piece of paper against the floor like a street hawker.
“Step right up! A treat you won’t see anywhere else!! A super-duper delicious snack that’s to die for. Only five left for today!!”
*Heh.*
‘Bunny actually has a hidden talent.’
She certainly did.
‘Bunny is a genius who can mimic any action she’s seen once.’
She was a disciple who had spent three years shadowing Luriel’s masterful sales techniques. Luri once said:
‘If a fence sits for three years, the village school will be… uh…’
Bunny didn’t know what a fence, three years, or a village school were, but that didn’t matter. In her mind, she was a very smart village school.
“Hey, beautiful lady over there! Try one of these! It’s delicious!”
“Oh my, what are you kids doing here? Are you running an errand for your mom?”
“Yup!”
It wasn’t an errand, and she didn’t have a mom, but Bunny answered with infectious energy. She knew that if she mentioned having no parents, people would simply turn away.
The woman squinted at the bowl, which was piled high with unevenly sliced, glistening morsels.
“What is this? I’ve never seen this before.”
“Heh-heh. It’s sweet potato strips with Bunny’s special sauce!”
“Sweet potato…? That bland, tasteless thing? Oh…”
As the woman hesitated, Bunny instinctively poked a piece with a wooden fork and thrust it toward her.
“It’s delicious! Here, here, just try one!”
*Twinkle.*
Bunny’s eyes sparkled with pure, disarming innocence.
“Gulp!”
Unable to resist, the woman squeezed her eyes shut, grabbed the fork, and popped the morsel into her mouth. She opened her eyes, then widened them in shock.
“…Wow, it’s actually good?”
*Heh.*
Bunny’s nose lifted in triumph. *Luri, you genius!*
“Only five left as of now!”
“You mean 500 Lostro, right? Can I have one?”
“Yes!!”
Bunny chirped, opening a paper bag and picking up the tongs. As her mouth puckered in concentration, the woman couldn’t help but smile, covering her mouth to hide her amusement.
“Have a nice day!!”
“Yeah, goodbye.”
Bunny waved her arms wildly, chuckling as the woman disappeared into the crowd.
“Bunny, become rich.”
It wouldn’t be long before she conquered the market.
* * *
*Clink, clink.*
At the sound of coins hitting the bottom of her purse, Bunny’s lips twitched. It was the fifth day of business.
With a sell-out streak running, Bunny was officially rich.
*Heh.*
Even after stuffing the elephant-shaped bank, she had enough left over to fill her own tiny hands three times over. She decided to splurge, buying a book to learn her letters.
A great child, after all, was one who studied on her own. Having already mastered the Demon language, Bunny was determined to conquer the human tongue and ascend to true genius status.
“But what do I do with this?”
She stared blankly at the quail egg resting on her bed. She had asked around, and apparently, you had to keep the thing warm…
‘Bunny is too busy…’
Classes in the morning, cooking in the afternoon, the market in the late afternoon, and dinner in the evening.
“Social life is hard…”
Thinking of Luriel, who often vanished at dawn and returned at night, Bunny drummed her small fists against her shoulders.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Alan!”
“How can you not hear a knock when you’re doing something?”
Alan entered, complaining, but Bunny only clicked her tongue at him, shaking her head as if to say, *Don’t you even know that?*
Alan’s face flushed, looking as though he might explode.
“I’m going to the Young Master’s place today. It’s the day I give my allowance.”
“Allowance…? What allowance?”
“This! Alan, come with me. We earned it together, so this is yours, too!”
Alan looked baffled. He hadn’t realized she meant giving, not receiving. As he stared at her, stunned, Bunny tugged on his hand. Her beaming face was so bright that Alan felt his cheeks grow hot; he reached out and pressed his finger into her chubby cheek.
Bunny paused, then grinned.
*Heh. Bunny is cute, right?*
“Wh-wh-who said you were cute?! You ugly…”
*Dejected.*
Before he could finish, the corners of Bunny’s eyes drooped. Alan gasped, turning his head away sharply to hide his expression. He bit his lip, grabbed her hand, and began to pull her along.
“You said you were going to the Young Master, right? Let’s go! I’ll take you.”
He strode ahead, navigating the Judia Dukedom by memory. But as they reached the main mansion, Alan faltered. The grand, snow-white edifice loomed over him, daunting and cold.
“…”
Alan gulped.
“Isn’t she a half-beast? Isn’t that just a beast…?”
“They say she turns completely into a monster on the night of the full moon.”
“Ugh, creepy. Won’t she spread germs? She’s a wild animal.”
“They say she’s a violent beast. Rumor has it she even eats people.”
“She’s the shame of the Judia family. Why was she even born? It must have been so horrifying that even her parents abandoned her.”
The whispers bit into him. Alan trembled, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Everyone was watching. Everyone was judging. Just as Alan hung his head in defeat:
*Tug, tug.*
A small hand pulled at his sleeve. Alan flinched, his shoulders shuddering as he looked down.
Bunny’s calm eyes met his, and slowly, her face transformed into a crescent-shaped smile.
“It’s okay. Bunny is here.”