The mermaid princess Shirahoshi was very happy today!
Come to think of it, this was the first time in ten years—since Vander Decken IX had started threatening and attacking her—that she'd eaten and talked with so many people in public without having to worry about her safety. So when she took her seat, she couldn't help trembling slightly. The new experience left her at a loss, and eating seemed far less important.
After that, she barely ate at all. She just sat excitedly in her seat, watching her father, her brothers, and the ministers as they chatted with the little girl, Annie, beside her.
"Wha—!?"
"W-what?"
"Annie, they just said... You're the most powerful pirate in the whole world, the brat?"
"Is that true?"
"You're amazing! I've seen that newspaper. They made you sound so scary!"
Naturally, when Shirahoshi heard everyone reveal Annie's true identity, she couldn't help exclaiming. She looked down at the tiny girl beside her, who was sitting on the table and eagerly stuffing her face with delicious food.
"..."
(￣▽￣~) Tch~~
"Annie isn't... a brat..."
( )
Annie was eating and didn't feel like answering such a boring question. She simply did what she always did and publicly denied that annoying "brat" label once again.
"Eek!"
"You really do look exactly the same..."
Shirahoshi leaned down to examine Annie closely, comparing her with the pictures she remembered from the wanted poster and newspaper.
"Hehe!"
"I never thought it was you before, but now that I'm looking closely, it really is you!"
The cute little girl with golden hair and blue eyes, dressed in a red dress and always accompanied by her stuffed bear—those unmistakable details were exactly like the ones in the enlarged newspaper she'd seen before!
Perhaps because this was her first time seeing Annie