Street Children and Mine

"If you want it... forget it, I'll just give you a Big Meat Bun. Boss, give this child a Big Meat Bun and put it on my tab."

The girl's smile was both adorable and pitiful, stirring the middle-aged customer's sympathy. He spoke to the Bun Shop Owner.

"Thank you, Uncle. Thank you, Boss."

Mine was overjoyed as she accepted the steaming bun, but she did not dare let the Headscarf on her head fall off.

The bun was scorching hot, yet she clutched it tightly in her hands and began eating impatiently.

After paying, the customer seemed to have somewhere to be and left at once.

Seeing this, Mine hurried after him. The Street Children at the corner stared at her unwillingly, but there was nothing they could do. They feared that snatching Food would anger the adult who had given her the bun.

"Phew..."

Only after swallowing the entire bun did Mine finally let out a breath. She had survived another day.

Up ahead, the middle-aged man noticed her and turned to look at her.

Mine smiled again and politely bowed to thank him, but she did not dare keep following him.

Adults were dangerous. If she carelessly trusted someone's kindness completely and exposed her true identity, she might end up being harmed.

Mine turned into a nearby alley. During her life on the streets, she had learned how to beg, but she never begged from the same person more than once. It was for her own protection—to avoid getting too close to anyone who might hurt her.

"Hey, you're pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

Mine avoided people who might hurt her, but that did not mean those capable of hurting her would stay away from her.

"I didn't do anything."

Mine took a step back, but other street children were blocking her from behind as well.

"Everyone else is waiting to eat bun wrappers, but you're the only one who gets to eat a whole Big Meat Bun!"

The child in front said resentfully.

"That customer gave it to me on his own."

"Hmph. You're obviously a Mixed-blood Bastard, yet you always act cute to beg things to eat from adults."

"You can do that too."

Mine said this, but her words only made the children blocking her even angrier.

"If we could do it, we would've done it long ago!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Tear off her Headscarf and see if she can still beg for things afterward."

"No, this is something my Mother left me."

Mine hurriedly removed her Headscarf and protected it against her chest. Without it concealing her head, her pink hair was exposed, revealing that she was a child with Different Race Bloodline.

"Give it to me!"

The Street Children did not care whether the Headscarf had been left to her by her mother. They were simply Jealousy that this mixed-blood girl was doing better than them.

She was clearly a pink-haired freak, clearly someone with filthy Different Race Bloodline...

Mine endured the beating and rushed out of the children surrounding her, clutching the Headscarf. But the Street Children remained in Relentless Pursuit. When it came to beating a freak with Different Race Bloodline, they seemed to have reached a shared consensus.

Mine was, after all, a young girl, and she was alone. Under the Street Children's pursuit and interception, she was soon surrounded again.

"Damn it, you actually made us chase you for so long?"

The street children chasing her were panting heavily.

"I won't stay around here anymore. Can you please let me go?"

Mine pleaded.

"Of course not!"

There might be sympathy among the weak, but that sympathy was never extended to the notorious Different Race.

Even though Mine was mixed-blood, and the Different Race Tribe her father had belonged to—the one that had given her that bloodline—had long since been wiped out, it still did not matter.

"Beat this Different Race to death!"

The Street Children swarmed forward. The adults on the street watched as if it were a show. Mine tried to beg the nearby adults for help, but it was useless.

Not many people here liked the Different Race, who had a reputation as bandits, and the Different Race themselves were not united either.

No one would help her, just like before. But having Different Race Bloodline was not her fault.

Mine thought of her mother, who had been abducted by the Different Race, yet had still been willing to treat the child born from that accident with tenderness after returning.

She also remembered being driven out of the village after her mother died, becoming one of the Street Children.

The life she had once lived under her mother's care now felt like a dream.

Yet now, they were even trying to Take Away the only thing she could hold onto while dreaming.

"Please, don't Take Away it."

Mine made a weak plea as she was beaten.

But it was useless. The Headscarf in her arms was still slowly pulled away.

"I got it!"

"She cares so much about this Headscarf. Let's tear it up."

"No!"

Just as the two boys each grabbed one end of the filthy Headscarf, preparing to rip it apart.

Smack~

Both of them were punched on the head.

"That hurt! Why did you hit us?"

If an adult had hit them, they would not have dared argue.

But the one who had struck them was a child just like them.

"Because you were bullying someone."

"She's just a Mixed-blood Bastard from a Different Race."

Smack~

"Precisely because she's from a Different Race, we hit her."

The two boys were punched on the head again. Broly and the others had stepped in. After eating and drinking their fill at the Noodle Shop, they had not even walked two streets before coming across the commotion here.

They had not intended to interfere in a fight between Street Children within the city, but upon hearing the words "Different Race," Broly and the others stopped.

The reason was simple: they knew Different Races such as the Red Leaf Tribe, and did not believe that all Different Races were bad.

So they could not stand by while these Street Children used someone's race as an excuse to unfairly gang up on and bully another child.

"Damn it, don't tell me you're that bastard's companions?"

The boy who had been punched again questioned them.

"And if we are?"

Akame, Kurome, and the others had already Clenched their little fists. If it came to a group fight against Street Children their own age, they were not afraid.

After all, they had the powerful Broly Big Brother backing them up. Even Danger Beasts could become Food by the campfire. Enemies on the level of Street Children could simply be left to them.

"Damn it, beat these guys to death!"

The group fight began, but it ended quickly. A group of ordinary Street Children was beaten to the ground.

"Just you wait."

The boy who had given the order to attack left behind a harsh threat and prepared to retreat with the others.

"Give it back."

But Broly blocked his way. Broly held out his hand, demanding the item in his possession.

"This lousy Headscarf, I'll tear—"

"If you tear it, I'll beat you to death before you can."

Broly Clenched his little fist and spoke seriously.

Capture Target discovered: Mine. Current Happiness Value: 0

Without a subjective reason, Broly rarely had any desire to kill other living beings. But there was one exception: when someone wanted to hurt a friend he acknowledged.

Although Mine was a Girl Broly had only just met, her status as a capturable Wife recognized by the Crystal Palace naturally gave her a bonus to her Affection Level in Broly's eyes.

If his companions had not acted first to help her and said that he did not need to intervene, something rather bloody might have happened here.

Because Broly did not mind getting rid of a life completely unrelated to him for the sake of a Wife he had just met—a Meal Ticket.

The Boy was not afraid of Broly, but he was afraid of the other children behind Broly, who were Glaring Like a Tiger at him.

"Damn it, if you want this lousy Headscarf, take it. I don't want this worthless thing anyway."

In the end, he did not dare tear the Headscarf in his hand. After throwing it at Broly, he ran away.

"Here, it's yours."

Broly caught the Headscarf, walked over to Mine, and returned it to her.

"Thank you."

Mine's Happiness Value is rising.

After pulling the filthy Headscarf into her arms and relaxing somewhat, Mine fainted.