Plant Seeds of Kindness, Reap a Maid

"Mother..."

Why did this happen...?

Perhaps it was because, apart from her mother, she had met the first man in her life who had shown her kindness, which inadvertently lowered her guard.

Mine could no longer hold back her tears. She slowly squatted down, curled up on the dirty ground, and cried quietly.

Maybe it would be better to just die like this, then I'd never have to endure being bullied again.

For no apparent reason, the girl couldn't help but have this thought.

She didn't know how long she had been crying when suddenly footsteps came from not far away, getting closer and closer until they reached her.

At the same time, a warm and strong hand pulled her up.

Mine involuntarily looked up and saw that it was that older brother again, and he was carrying a new bag of bread.

You can even see wisps of steam rising from it, and the aroma of bread fills the alleyway.

Here, eat.

"I didn't give you that piece before because I ate from it, and it wasn't very clean."

As he spoke, Mahiro took a piece of bread from the bag and stuffed it into the girl's hand.

"This is fresh out of the oven, still warm!"

Real...

Holding the panel in her hands, Mine could clearly feel the warmth emanating from her palms, which warmed her heart as well.

The rich aroma of wheat lingered around my nose.

"It smells so good..."

She couldn't help but mutter to herself, and her stomach began to rumble involuntarily.

But she was hesitant to eat it, and even more hesitant to believe it.

So she looked up and asked Mahiro again, "Can... I really do it?"

"Mmm, eat quickly, it'll get hard if it gets cold."

With Mahiro's permission, Mine couldn't resist any longer and took a bite of a piece of bread.

Instantly, the soft texture, along with the rich aroma of the food and a warmth that wasn't too hot to burn, spread throughout my mouth.

As Mine ate, she couldn't help but shed tears.

"So delicious... it's really so delicious..."

She hadn't eaten such delicious food in ages. It was just an ordinary bread, but she tasted her mother's cooking in it.

"Mother..."

Tears gradually blurred the girl's vision, and in her daze, she seemed to see her mother right in front of her, smiling at her.

Meanwhile, Mahiro also took out a piece of bread and started tasting it.

To be fair, freshly baked bread does taste better than cold bread, but the imperfections still can't be hidden.

This is his most honest assessment of the bread.

Perhaps in my spare time, I could even compile a guide to otherworldly cuisine?

Although this thing is not very useful, it can only be used as a record.

"... Um... thank you so much... could I have another one?"

Before she knew it, Mine had finished the piece in her hand and was now eyeing the rest of his bag with longing.

Although she knew it was embarrassing, she wasn't full yet.

If she could, she would like to eat until she's stuffed, so she wouldn't have to eat for the next few days.

However, ideals are often grand, while reality is often harsh.

"No, that won't work."

Mahiro directly refused her request, explaining, "It's not that I won't give you any. Even if I give you this bag, I can give you ten more bags as well, no problem."

I'm not giving it to you because you look like you've been starving for a long time. If you eat too much at once, you could easily stuff yourself to death.

You don't want to die from overeating, do you? Let me tell you, people who die from overeating always look extremely gruesome...

Hearing his vivid description, Mine's face turned ashen, and she shook her head repeatedly to indicate that she didn't want to eat anymore and was already full.

"Yes, that's more like it."

Mahiro was very satisfied with the girl's attitude.

Then he continued:

"Now that we've eaten the bread, let's get down to business."

Upon hearing that they were talking about serious matters, Mine's expression changed, and her face turned pale.

She immediately got up and quickly backed away. Even though she accidentally fell into a mud puddle, she tried her best to inch backward, hoping to get as far away from him as possible.

"No, am I really that scary?"

Mahiro stroked his chin, a strange look in his eyes.

He figured his handsome face shouldn't be scary, right?

It's understandable that he was so scared when he met Asaka in the last world.

Why is Mine so afraid of me now that I'm here?

Although he said he didn't care, he was still saddened by seeing this reaction time and time again.

"Please... please don't hurt me."

As he was pondering, Mine had already retreated to a corner, curled up into a ball, and was only peeking out with her little head, watching him.

His eyes were filled with fear.

His body trembled uncontrollably.

She knew very well that some nobles enjoyed capturing children and subjecting them to inhumane torture, treating them like toys.

Even worse, they might break limbs and use the animals to breed with dogs.

Although the older brother seemed very kind and gentle, she had witnessed too much and dared not gamble.

I just hope the other person will let me go.

Yotsuba Mahiro: "..."

He could only sigh helplessly and then walk towards the girl step by step.

No matter how the other person called out to him, he ignored them until he reached the girl and slowly squatted down.

Why are you so afraid? I never meant to hurt you.

Mahiro well that this world was like a cesspool, rotten to the core, inside and out.

Therefore, when facing Mine, he also tried his best to express his goodwill.

Actually, he could just turn around and leave right now, letting fate decide. After all, according to the original story, Mine would eventually be rescued by the Revolutionary Army and become a member of Night Raid.

But he didn't want to gamble.

Who knows if his actions might inadvertently cause Mine to miss out on the Revolutionary Army and ultimately die in some street corner.

This is absolutely unacceptable.

So all he could do was try his best to comfort the girl.

"Don't be afraid, I don't mean anything by it. It's just that I'm new here and don't know any better, so I need someone to show me around."

"Of course, I'll pay."

As he spoke, Mahiro took out a heavy bag and placed it in front of the girl.

The gold coins stuffed inside were clearly visible from the open pocket.

He obtained these from kind-hearted people, so it didn't matter how he spent them.

But the bag full of gold coins astonished Mine; it was the first time in her life she had ever seen so much money.

"There are about five hundred gold coins in here. If you'd like to be my guide, then this bag of gold coins is yours."

"... Five... five hundred?!"

Five hundred gold coins may not sound like a lot, but their purchasing power is extraordinary.

One gold coin is enough for a family to use for a long time.

With so many gold coins right now, they could easily buy the best house in this town, and even if they bought a dozen more slaves, they would still have a lot left over.

"How about it?"

"... I don't need that many. Just... one will do." Mine tentatively asked.

She naturally longed for the bag of gold coins, but she wasn't envious.

She knew very well what the consequences of greed would be.

Even a mixed-race orphan like her, carrying such a large bag of gold coins, would only end up being killed and robbed.

"Is it a lot?"

Mahiro stroked his chin, clearly having no concept of money.

In his mind, if he could buy Mine for 500 gold coins, it would be a huge profit.

After all, money was something external to him, let alone gold coins; he could get as much as he wanted with just a little magic.

It can be said that it is continuous.

"Since you think it's too much, then let's do this. How about you become my personal maid and housekeeper? Anyway, I don't know how to manage so much money, so why don't you help me put it to use? What do you say?"

"Ah...?"

Mine was stunned.

She had considered a million possibilities, but she never imagined that the person in front of her would actually hire her as a maid or housekeeper.

"... Can I really do it?"

Mine could hardly believe it.

It's not that I don't trust the other party, but rather that I don't believe I can do it well.

After all, she didn't think any nobleman would try to trick her with so many gold coins. According to the normal practice of nobles, they should have ordered someone to forcibly take her away by now.

They would never speak to me so kindly.

And this older brother looks so handsome and kind.

If I really could...

She was willing to trust this older brother just this once.

"Of course you can, I believe you can do it."

"But... I can't do anything, not even cook. I can only do some simple cleaning."

"It's okay, I can teach you how to cook."

Mahiro crouched down, bringing his eyes level with the girl's.

Try your best to appear gentle.

Then he extended his hand in invitation:

So, are you willing?

"..."

The girl pursed her cherry lips tightly, looking at the hand with hesitation in her eyes, as if she were making a final struggle.

Mine knew very well.

Whether what lies ahead is heaven or hell depends entirely on her choice this time.

But what can you do if you're already in hell?