She looked up and froze. "Mister, who are you?"
Tetsu no Sosuke's face darkened. What was that supposed to mean? Since when was he a mister?
Annoyed, he snorted. "Whose child are you? Where are your manners? Given my age, you ought to call me Grandpa."
"Grandpa?" Kyou-chan had no idea who he was, much less that she had offended him with a single word. She shrank back and said, "Hello, Grandpa."
Tetsu no Sosuke chuckled. "Whose child are you? What are you doing out here instead of going home in the middle of the night? Did you have a fight with your little boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend? He's... he's not my boyfriend." Kyou-chan lowered her head. Remembering how Ken-kun had turned and run away, she felt hurt all over again.
She had thought of him as a good friend, but he had abandoned her in a place like this.
He was... awful!
"He isn't?" Tetsu no Sosuke gave her a knowing smile. "Because from what I saw, that silly boy seemed to like you quite a bit."
"Like me? Don't be ridiculous!"
Kyou-chan touched her face. "We're... we're just good friends."
She didn't sound very certain. Tetsu no Sosuke was a little surprised. Could there actually be something between these two children?
Wait. They're both minors, and I'm trying to play matchmaker? What the hell am I doing?
He coughed. "Forget it. Enough nonsense. I'll take you home."
"Grandpa... who are you?" Kyou-chan didn't seem willing to go with Tetsu no Sosuke.
Tetsu no Sosuke snorted. "I'm your grandpa!"
"No, you're not!"
Kyou-chan hurriedly shook her head. "Are you a bad man who kidnaps children?"
"There's no population-control policy these days, so children aren't worth that much. Besides, you're already so big. If I kidnapped and sold you, you might sneak