Life didn't get easier, even in another world

236 Moving

“Sniff... Sniff...”

The sound of a kid sniffling was the only noise heard in the car.

“Ariyan, stop crying.”

“Hic!”

Pat Pat

Kairen patted the kid’s back.

“You’ll have a room for yourself even in our new house with all of your toys in there!”

“Sniff... hic.”

“It’ll be an even bigger and better room.”

.....

Kairen said those as he patted the kid’s back and looked out of the window at the same time. They were finally moving to the new house. They didn’t have much to take with them. It was not like Kairen could take Kain’s house’s stuff and move them to a new place!

Well, yes he picked up some things he would need, like the stuff in his room and everything Ariyan had, and some small furnishings he would need. He had moved things to the new house already and they were now going themselves.

“But... Sniff. But...”

Kairen lowered his head towards Ariyan that was sitting on his lap and had buried his face in Kairen’s chest.

“Yes?”

The kid clenched Kairen’s shirt with his small fists.

“But mama and papa won’t find me if we live somewhere elseee! Then I won’t see them againnn! Waaahhh!”

The kid that had calmed down after Kairen comforted him for a whole hour burst into tears again.

Pat Pat Pat

“Ariyan, stop thinking about such-”

“WAAAAHH!”

“Y-you know, there is actually someone whom you might-”

“WAAAAAHHH!”

“You know we can-”

“PAPAAAA!!”

Pat Pat Pat

Receiving angry glares from the car driver for some reason, Kairen hastened his pats on the kid’s back.

“When papa comes and sees that we are not there, he can just call me and ask where we are!”

“...Uh?”

“Then, I can just simply give him the address!”

“Uh!!!???”

The kid suddenly stopped yelling and looked up at Kairen. Tears were still dripping down his cheeks and his eyes were red.

“H-he can? Hic!”

Kairen’s heart got stabbed by a blade named guilt. Kairen looked away from the kid’s teary eyes while still patting him.

“Y-yes. He can.”

“Uh... Sniff...”

Hearing the satisfying answer, Ariyan stopped crying and went back to quietly sniffing while grabbing Kairen’s shirt.

Pat Pat Pat

While patting him, Kairen glanced at the driver.

“....”

“....”

‘Why is he glaring at me like that?’

Kairen felt like a criminal under the gaze of the unfamiliar middle-aged uncle driver.

“Ahem!”

Whatever... He had to endure the gaze until they arrived.

. .

“We are there!”

In the end, the kid didn’t let go of Kairen’s shirt and he had to carry him in his arms. Ariyan didn’t even seem interested in his new house as he had put his head on Kairen’s shoulder and was sniffling for himself.

“Thank you, sir!”

Kairen smiled at the driver, but only received another glare from him.

‘I swear I didn’t kidnap this kid, Mr. driver!’

Kairen silently picked up his stuff from the car and then walked toward the building.

It was just an ordinary house. An ordinary house in an ordinary residential area and an ordinary neighborhood. The house was not too big, but it was not small either. It was nearly the same size as Kain’s house, not smaller if not larger.

In front of the house stood a middle-aged woman with gray hair. The landlord was waiting for them. Kairen had already met the woman before when he was signing the contract so he knew her face. If you looked at her face, you could clearly see the resemblance to captain Neal’s.

“Good afternoon.”

Kairen politely greeted the woman.

She was the landlord. He had to be super polite to her.

“Good afternoon.”

The woman nodded and greeted Kairen.

“Ariyan, say hello.”

Kairen whispered to Ariyan’s ear.

“...Hello...”

The kid gave a half-hearted and low-pitched greeting that Kairen wasn’t sure if the woman even managed to hear it.

“Hello, little boy.”

It seemed that she had indeed heard as she smiled at Ariyan even though the kid’s back was to her.

“You must already know the way since you’ve visited a few times before.”

“Yes.”

Despite saying that, the woman still lead the way and walked inside the house with them.

“I’m not a little boy! Hmph!”

Ariyan raised his head, glared at the middle-aged woman, pouted his lips, and then put his head on Kairen’s shoulder again.

“Oh! I see!”

The woman smiled at the kid’s cute action.

Just like that, they walked into the house. Kairen had come before to organize things and clean up the place, so he was quite familiar with it. The one who was seeing it for the first time was Ariyan, that didn’t look interested at all.

“It’s empty!”

The kid remarked that as soon as he entered the house in his uncle’s arms. He was referring to the living room of the house, which had nothing much in it as Kairen... didn’t have the money to buy furniture.

There were a few things that the captain’s mother had placed in the house, like some old couches and such, and some smaller things that Kairen had brought, but the place still looked too empty to be a place where a family lives.

“I’ll buy a lot of things in the future and fill it.”

Pat Pat

Kairen patted Ariyan’s back.

“Where is my room?”

“Here...”

Unlike the living room, Ariyan’s room was full of stuff. Kairen had brought all of his belongings to this house. The kid, as the beloved only son of two overworked freaks, had a lot of things actually. He could even swim in a pull of toys if he put all of his toys together. His parents, guilty of the fact that they couldn’t spend much time with him, spent a lot of money on him instead. And the result was his toys took up more space than the other things in the house.

.....

“Do you like it?”

“...Un!”

“Then, go play until I prepare food.”

“....”

Kairen put down the kid on the bed and turned around to leave, but he had to stop again as two small hands grabbed onto his pants.

“Pizza!”

Ariyan looked up at him with big, round, and teary dark gray eyes.

“No!”

Kairen separated the hands from himself.

“You eat a lot of fast food these days. I’ll cook something real quick.”

Grab

The kid grabbed his pants again.

“I don’t like uncle’s foods!”

“...I’ll cook better this time.”

“No!”

“Ariyan, let go.”

“Nooooo!”

“Hey! Stop pulling my pants!”

“Don’t cook! Don’t cook!”

‘Why do I have to deal with such a kid?’

This kid was such a well-behaved and nice kid just a few weeks ago! Why is he like this now? He had changed to a completely another person!

“Pffft!”

Among the intense struggles between Kairen and the kid, Kairen heard the sound of someone chuckling. Once he turned his head, he could see the captain’s mother laughing while looking at them. Receiving Kairen’s puzzled and hurt gaze, the woman smiled at him.

“I can cook for you today. I don’t want to flatter myself, but I’m a good cook so you don’t need to worry about the food tasting bad, little boy.”

“N-no Mrs. Neal there is no need for you to-”

“I’M NOT A LITTLE BOY!!!!”

‘Gah! My ears!’

Kairen’s ears rang after Ariyan, who was literally sticking to him, yelled so loudly.

“Hey! Kid! Don’t yell when you’re so close to me!”

“I’m not a kid!”

“Yes, yes!”

The woman smiled again.

“You two rest for now. I’ll bring you food once I’m done cooking.”

“No, Mrs. Neal you shouldn’t do such a-”

“Why not? We are going to live in a place for a while so we should help each other!”

“B-but still...”

“No buts! I’m leaving.”

Kairen pressed his lips together.

“Thank you very much.”

The woman left the house and went to the second floor to cook.

“.....”

Kairen turned to the kid after making sure that she was gone.

“Ariyan!”

“Un?”

The kid tilted his head with the most innocent look one could have and peeked at Kairen with his puppy-like eyes.

“Haven’t I told you to behave well in front of the others?”

“I... I behaved well!”

“You didn’t!

Poke Poke

He pocked the kid’s forehead.

“You yelled at an elderly woman! We should treat elders with respect, not yell at them! Do you understand??”

“B-but she called me a little boy!!”

Poke Poke

“You still shouldn’t yell at the others! Yelling in front of the others and complaining about the food isn’t something you should be doing! If you do, you are going to be called a little boy for the rest of your life!”

“Gasp!”

Ariyan gasped and covered his mouth with two hands in fear.

“No! I won’t do that anymore! I’m not a little boy! I’m not a bad boy!”

“Don’t forget to be nice to Mrs. Neal!”

“Un un!”

He nodded his head.

“I will! I will be a good boy!”

“Sigh.”

Heaving a sigh, Kairen laid down on Ariayan’s bed and stared at the ceiling.

‘Man, dealing with kids is harder than fighting Philomns...’