No Demi-Humans allowed?

"So bitter..."

Raphtalia held a medicine bowl bigger than her own head and struggled to drain it in one go. The medicine washed over the root of her tongue, its bitter, pungent taste lingering in her mouth. Her little face scrunched up, and she stuck out her tongue, wishing she could scrape it clean.

As Chuan Wenwu put away the medicine pots and bowls he had used earlier, he chuckled and shook his head. "Well, bitter medicine is good for you. You're in such poor health that you'll have to live on the stuff for a while. That's how we'll get you healthy again. Your name is Raphtalia, right? It's a lovely name, just a little long... Can I call you Talia?"

"...Mm." Raphtalia was still timid and meek.

Her tragic experiences had left her with psychological wounds that were difficult to heal. Even though she had now been told she was free, she could not immediately smile with relief.

"I wanted to ask you something..." Chuan Wenwu looked at the tiny, skinny Raphtalia. He had meant to ask how she had become a slave and where her parents were now, but he swallowed those questions. Asking them now would be no different from tearing open wounds that had yet to heal. He quickly changed tack. "Are you hungry?"

As it happened, the daylight was fading, and the sun was setting. Brilliant golden sunlight slanted through the windowpane into the room, bathing it in a thin veil of gold.

It was about time for dinner, too.

"I'm not hungry..." Raphtalia instinctively tried to hide her condition, but her body was more honest than her mouth.

Grrr...

A soft rumble came from her stomach, earning her a bemused look from Chuan Wenwu.

Good heavens! What's going on with this kid? I've already made her drink seven or eight bowls of medicine today-nearly two whole pots. Even if liquids don't fill you up, surely her stomach shouldn't still be growling with hunger?

He glanced at Raphtalia's status panel-hungry (mild).

So most of the medicine I gave her went toward healing her illnesses and injuries, and the rest only brought her from moderately hungry to mildly hungry... Which means she's still pretty hungry, huh?

"Um... I'm a little... hungry." Raphtalia pressed desperately against her stomach and lowered her head in shame, speaking in a timid whisper.

"Haha, if you're hungry, just say so! I'm getting hungry myself. Let me take you out for something tasty-and stop ducking your head. Relax. Nobody here will hit you for wanting food."

Chuan Wenwu laughed heartily, ruffled Raphtalia's hair, and draped the canvas cloak the weapon shop owner had thrown in for free over her shoulders.

The air had grown cooler that afternoon. Raphtalia's clothes were not particularly thick, and she was still weak, so walking around outside could easily give her a chill. A thick, roomy cloak was just what she needed to keep warm.

"Eek!"

At the sudden touch on her head, Raphtalia instinctively ducked again and covered her head with both hands. Only afterward did she realize he was merely patting her head, and she awkwardly lowered her hands.

Yet she could still seem to feel the lingering warmth of Chuan Wenwu's palm in the hair on top of her head...

"Come on, Talia, Bruce! Let's go have a feast at a restaurant!"

Chuan Wenwu waved his arm, pushed open the guest room door, and called for his two Demi-Human companions, neither of whom was an ordinary person, to follow him.

"Um..."

Raphtalia looked at the honest, good-natured Bruce, but a trace of fear crossed her face. Her short little legs hurried to carry her after Chuan Wenwu.

"Hel..."

Bruce stiffly lowered the hand he had been about to raise in greeting and slowly finished the word. "...lo."

He muttered to himself inwardly, beginning to doubt himself.

What's going on?

Why does that kid seem so scared of me?

Do I look that frightening?

If we're talking about race, that raccoon girl and I are the same kind, aren't we? We're both Demi-Humans, so we ought to get along better naturally. Why does she seem closer to the boss instead?

Unable to figure it out, he suddenly noticed that Chuan Wenwu and Raphtalia were getting farther and farther away. He hurried after them. "Boss! Wait for me!!!"

Before long, Chuan Wenwu made his way to his usual restaurant with practiced ease, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Raphtalia, however, stood outside the entrance, hesitating.

Before the series of disasters that had changed her fate, Raphtalia had enjoyed a happy, loving family and received some basic education. She could make out the words on the sign hanging by the restaurant entrance:

[No Demi-Humans allowed]

The treatment she had suffered during her time as a slave had made her painfully aware of just how dire her situation as a Demi-Human could be-she did not dare enter a restaurant explicitly displaying a "No Demi-Humans allowed" sign.

"What's... wrong? Go inside..." Bruce arrived at the entrance behind her and, seeing Raphtalia lingering there so strangely, could not help asking out of curiosity.

As a dog who had traveled to another world and been raised by Chuan Wenwu, Bruce naturally took after his master. Although he had gradually learned to speak, he could not read this world's writing any more than Chuan Wenwu could, which spared him such worries.

Completely ignoring the sign as though it were just a decoration, Bruce ducked his head slightly and walked into the restaurant.

This was his first visit since acquiring his transformation skill.

Seeing Bruce walk openly inside as well, Raphtalia gritted her teeth, steeled herself, and followed him in.

"We don't allow..."

"Hm?"

The moment the two-and-a-half-meter-tall Bruce entered, a server came over to try to throw them out.

But once the servers approached Bruce and felt the intimidating presence of the burly beastman with an enormous cleaver strapped to his back, not one of them dared tell him to leave.

"Over here!"

Chuan Wenwu, who had already picked out a spot, waved them over. Once they had both sat down, he gave Raphtalia a puzzled look. "You were right behind me a moment ago. How come you only came in with Bruce just now... Were you waiting for him? What a polite little girl!"

"I..." Raphtalia lowered her head in shame, stammering without managing to say anything.

"All right, since we're at a restaurant, let's see what we want to eat. Bruce and I have been here several times, so we've already found dishes we like. What about you, Talia? Is there anything you'd like?" Chuan Wenwu pushed the menu toward Raphtalia.

"I... I don't know..."

Raphtalia stayed perfectly still, doing nothing but keeping her head down.

"Mm, true. Deciding what to eat really is a difficult question..."

Chuan Wenwu nodded with an understanding look. His gaze swept across the diners in the restaurant and the meals on their tables. Suddenly, his eyes settled on something. He pointed at the food on the table of a mother and child nearby. "Talia, look over there. How about I order you the same meal as that child? It looks pretty good."

Raphtalia looked in the direction Chuan Wenwu was pointing. A mother had brought her child to eat at a table for two, and a generous, appetizing meal was laid out in front of the child.

Gulp. Raphtalia swallowed, lowered her eyes, and said with a sense of inferiority, "Is that really all right...? I'm... I'm just a slave..."

"..."

Chuan Wenwu looked at her with compassion and reached out to pat her head. "Of course it is. It's not expensive. Besides, you're not a slave-"

"Server! We're ready to order! Six deluxe all-meat feasts for me! And get this little girl the same children's dinner as that child over there," he called out loudly.