Chapter 174: “Yeah, Overthinking It.”

"You…"

Airi turned around and looked behind her toward Shien, who was hugging, with a somewhat disbelieving expression.

"What is it?"

Shien showed a calm facade, but he was actually shouting excitedly in his heart.

It couldn't be helped. The loli in his hands was just so soft, so nice and light too. Plus, she felt great in his hands. Shien nearly fell the instant he picked her up.

Plus, Shien kind of wanted to laugh at the disbelieving expression that Airi was showing him.

"I only picked you up, that's all. Is there a need to be so surprised at it?"

Given just how unbelievably adorable this little girl was, likely everyone in the world would have wanted to try picking her up and hugging her. Her family probably have done that a lot, right?

Yet, as Shien was thinking that, Airi instead fell silent.

"… It was indeed very surprising." Airi muttered, "I don't even remember how long it's been since I've been hugged like this."

Shien's previous thoughts were thus shattered by Airi's words.

"Has no one hugged you before?"

Shien was truly surprised now.

Yet, unexpectedly, Airi just lowered her eyes even further.

"Of course there was." Airi spoke dully, "Only, that was something a long long time ago."

"Is that so?" Shien looked at her like a child pretending to be an adult and laughed, "How long ago was that exactly then?"

"At the very least, far longer than you may have thought." Airi spoke in a tone that was half reminiscing, half sorrow, "There was only her who could pick me up and hold me like this, but she's no longer around anymore."

Airi's words turned the atmosphere around them heavy.

"Cough…"

Shien didn't know what to say there.

Looking at the cute girl reminiscing, Shien had now seriously started suspecting something.

(This girl called Airi. Could she really be someone unbelievable?")

Undetectable magic power.

Strangely mature yet self-assured mannerism.

And now this atmosphere now.

All those factors were pretty much telling Shien that Airi may not be merely a cute little girl like what her appearance shows.

(…Based on the usual tropes, she might seriously be some unbelievable big shot.)

It can't be some hundreds or thousands of years old goddess or demon who ran here to the mortal world to pretend to be a kid, right?

Just as Shien was thinking that, Airi seemed to have detected something and turned her head.

"I feel like you're thinking something rude about me. Am I mistaken?"

Airi stared intently at Shien, making Shien feel a chill down his back for some reason.

Now Shien was certain.

This cute little girl was definitely not just some normal kid from some noble family, but a real bit shot.

As for how big a big shot she might be, that's something that Shien didn't know.

Thus, Shien could only give a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Not at all. You're overthinking it. Yeah, overthinking it."

It's unknown if those words were said to Airi or for himself.

"Never mind." Although Airi still had a suspicious look on her face, she gave up pursuing it further in the end. She just looked at Shien, who was still holding her up, "Speaking of, why did you grab me?"

Of course it's to prevent you from running off!

Shien really wanted to say that.

However, there were plenty of other ways if he just didn't want her to run off on her own. Like calling for her to stop, or grabbing her arm or something. There was no real need to grab her and pull her up.

But that's exactly what Shien did.

The reason for that was simple. It's just that when he saw that cute little girl getting ready to run toward the palace with her little legs in that strangely self-assured way of hers, Shien ended up being unable to resist and just did it on impulse.

(Would I get hit if I just told her the truth?)

Shien hesitated.

If his guess that Airi was actually some kind of big shot wasn't wrong, then Shien might not actually care about that. However, now that he did guess it, there's no way that he'd actually speak truthfully here.

After all, who knows just how big a big shot she might actually be, and whether or no he'd be able to handle it if she got mad?

With that in mind, Shien could only speak vaguely.

"No particular reason. I just suddenly wanted to. Is that no good?"

The moment he said that, Shien kind of started to suspect if he was some kind of pervert.

He suddenly wanted to hug her, so he hugged her. Did he even need to ask permission?

What kind of predator like words was that?

But, just as Shien had been wanting to hit himself for it, Airi instead went quiet for a long while before finally letting out a sigh.

"Since you already did it, there's no real point to talking about it anymore." Airi gave Shien a glance before continuing, "However, you're not allowed to treat me like a little kid. I hate it when others treat me like a child. I hate it even more when others act like I'm short. Therefore, you're not allowed to pat my head, nor are you allowed to add ‘little' to my name, got it?"

Airi's expression was serious. She was obviously not joking at all.

It looks like this little girl really does hate it when others treat her like a child.

"Alright." Shien nodded without particularly minding it, but then he thought of something and spoke without thinking, "Then can I keep picking you up and hugging you like this in the future?"

Airi was dumbstruck by that response.

"You still want to hug me?" Airi spoke uncomprehending, "Why?"

Why?

Does it even need to be said?

She felts so nice, so soft, and she smelled nice too. Isn't it a shame not to keep hugging her?

Either way, Shien at least doesn't want to let go of her, even if he did know that Airi was actually some big shot in disguise.

"Just tell me yes or no. If you refuse, just say so."

Then, Shien added another caveat.

"If you refuse though, then I'm taking back what I said before. In that case, I'll be adding ‘little' to your name and patting your head from now on."

Shien started acting shamelessly.

Now Airi was both stunned and had no words.

This Hero. Isn't he a bit too different from the ones before?

When could a Hero turn this shameless?

That said…

(It's pretty interesting though.)

Airi couldn't help but think that.

If it was anyone else, even if they were a Hero, if they dared to act so rudely to her, then Airi would have already killed them.

Yet, even though Shien was pretty rude here, Airi didn't dislike it at all.

Maybe it's because Airi could feel the affection Shien had for her. Or maybe it's because she had rejected letting others hug her for so long that she started missing it.

Thus, Airi fell silent for a while before letting out a second sigh.

"Whatever. Since it's already gotten to this point, I'll especially grant you permission to do so." Airi spoke half like she's given up and half reminiscing, "Be honored. Only one person was allowed to do this, be it in the past or in the future. Now, you're the second one."

"Yes yes yes." Shien listened to those arrogant words and spoke impatiently, "I'm indeed honored, my lady Airi."

"Don't call me lady either." Airi was dissatisfied again.

"Alright, alright." Shien sounded like he was just humoring her.

The two of them bickered for a bit longer before Shien finally let Airi down.

"Here, I'll give you a few more. Take your time eating them." Shien handed a few more sweets to Airi, "I'm going to deal with someone troublesome now, so don't follow me for now."

"Alright." Airi didn't seem to have cared that much either, so she just took those sweets as she spoke, "Go ahead then. I'll wait for you here."

"Wait for me?" Shien stopped for a moment.

"Hn." Airi nodded and seemed to have seriously decided to not leave.

"Alright." Shien confirmed it and nodded resignedly, "Then I'll come back as soon as I can. Don't go too far from here now. Also, don't get tricked by anyone else. If anyone tries to chat you up and get you to go with them, then just send them flying with a punch."

"Alright." Airi agreed without any real hesitation. She didn't notice at all that Shien's words were pretty much just like what one would normally use to deal with kids.

Then, the two said a few more words before separating.

Airi watched as Shien left. She looked at the sweets in her hands. Then she thought back to the hug just now. A small smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"He really is quite interesting."

That was Airi's appraisal of Shien.

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