Chapter 10: Runaway

This is the fourth night since Maru followed Al from the dumpster. Al got used of Maru living with him. It's only been four days but it feels like they knew each other for years.

For the last few days, Maru has been with Anica's house during the day and when the night or when Al finishes his work he will come and get Maru from Anica and head home. Maru could eat breakfast there, lunch and sometimes dinner if Anica is being generous, to them. And Al doesn't need to do anything but to tell him bed time stories before he slept.

For Al it was more convenient and cheaper that way. It feels like he could just leave Maru there and bailout.

But Maru is smart. If Al didn't come back in time, he will come home himself. Which, as said Anica, is dangerous for a toddler like him. She didn't know that this tiny human is very smart to the point he could survive by himself.

Al has been busy running from the slum to his work to Aros to get Maru home. He's so tired, that sometimes he forgot about Maru.

So now the fourth day of Maru with them, a problem occurred. A toy was destroyed.

Al had his hands on his knees as he sits up straight, in front of Anica's reckoning eyes. Switching between him and little Maru sitting next to him.

Maru and Yda have been getting along together. Maru minding his own business at the books inside Anica's office while Yda on the side playing with her toys. Surprisingly, that image is peaceful, until today.

Yda a cute little girl at the age of eight. She's very beautiful and had long, wavy, golden hair left to hang freely around her shoulder, jade green eyes shine with a friendly radiance, the dimples on her face are deep enough that you can't help but poke on her cheek. Ah~ so soft and cute >.<

Although Yda is a miniature of Anica. Anica is far from soft and cute. She has more strength than a normal human. Thinking that Al unconsciously trembled as he remembered how he almost died when he was smacked by Anica.

Yda is taller than the toddler little Maru by a huge gap kekeke ()'艸 '() that's why the first time Al saw them together he thought they wouldn't get along because the stubborn little Maru takes his pride seriously. Maru is one year older than Yda.

Al wasn't sure what really happened or why Maru did that. Maru won't talk about it and Yda keeps crying until she fell asleep. Al just knew that the favorite toy of Yda has been torn apart.

Now the pitiful panda plushie lay lonely on the ground. Such a cute toy was destroyed, he could only sighed heavily.

Al is no child expert but he could easily guess what must have occurred in the house of Anica thus Al apologize. But Anica insisted that Maru should be the one to apologize.

"Little Maru go apologize."

Maru just looks at him as if he didn't hear anything. "Hmph!" Then he whips his head to the side not saying no but his actions exude of stubbornness.

Al was speechless!

He really wanted to beat him, the kid is really testing his patience. For the last three days of them living together aside from being independent and mature, this guy is so dmn stubborn.

He doesn't listen at all!

"Maru," he said in a threatening voice.

For a moment they engage in a battle of staring contest. Both not letting go of their eyes, ss if, if they let go they will lose.

Anica watched the two stubborn individuals. Somehow she saw similarities in both of them. Although both Al's hair and eyes are brown and looked ordinary, very opposite of the crystal blue eyes of Maru and jet-black hair, Anica knew what Al really looked like. Appearance-wise they don't look alike but seeing them together with their competitiveness and stubbornness, you can see their resemblance.

Anica lightly sighed, hand on her forehead. Since Yda is still sleeping, Maru can just apologize when she woke up and it seems Yda won't wake 'till tomorrow.

"Fine, but what will you do tomorrow?" She asks Maru, "Are you still not going to apologize to her?" The child looks back at her and you can see guilt in his eyes. So he does feel bad when he saw her cry huh?

She can't help but look back at Al. There was also a time when Al troubled her and often make her cry but really just wants her to play with him. Are all men think this is how to make friends?

But what he saw is that the corner of Al's lips curls in smugness as soon as Maru looks away first. 🙄 winning over a child?

Sighed...

Anica stands up and gestures Al to follow her. She grabbed the fallen plushie and gave it to Al, "Can you fix this?"

"Sure." Al agrees with gusto. A golden magic circle appears and seconds later it was fixed good as new.

"Al, I think Maru is feeling alone."

"What? Why would he?" Dismissing the idea of Maru's possible attachment towards him.

"Why would he not?" Anica asks "Whenever you come, you only look for Yda. Always asks for Yda. When there's Yda you forgot Maru who's waiting for you all day. Do you know what he's doing when you leave him here?"

Anica waited for Al to at least try to guess but he only gave him a dumb look. "What is he doing?"

She glanced at Al with a condescending look, donning a face that expressed, 'asking such a stupid question, do you have neither eyes nor brain?' She snapped at Al.

"Nothing! For an hour he will wait at the entrance! Waiting for you to come back. But after an hour of waiting he will go inside and get a book and wait again. I told him to come inside and play with Yda but the only time he will come inside is when he knew it was time for you to come back.

"He wouldn't eat if we didn't eat with him at the entrance! I thought he needed adjustment so little by little we made progress but he won't take his eyes off from the door. He should always be in a place where he could see the door. If he doesn't he will panic and bolted out to get back to your apartment!"

Al was astounded. He really had no idea that the child's attachment to him is that great. Maybe because he got used to it but now that he thought about the child's eyes are always on him.

"Tell me Al, did you even ask Maru if he wants to stay with us?"

"That's... I thought that if I leave him alone in the apartment he would be lonely so I take the initiative to leave him at yours. And since you know how to take care of a child, I thought you could fulfill it for me."

"You!" Anica's eyes blaze as she heard his words. "Didn't it ever occur to you that he might not feel safe with me!? That he's alone!?"

Oh. His face when he realized that Anica and Yda are strangers to Maru. And then he suddenly left him with them as if it was normal. He even thought of leaving him to them. Although he admitted that Maru is also a stranger to him, he's the first person he saw. He even saved him even before he knew about him.

He said he doesn't remember anything and he's obviously lying but the Slums is a place Maru didn't know. A place where you don't recognize, Al know what it feels to be in that situation. He himself knew very well what its worth.

And the only person Maru knew was Al and he left him to a house of strangers. Added to that that he's a child. No matter how smart and mature he acted, he is a child.

Al guessed that the reason why he's here was he runaway. Al has been asking Maru why is he in front of the slum but he just said, he needed to hide from the people looking for him. So Al assumed that he was running away from those people in the slum.

Whatever reason why he is running, it must have been something to do with his curse. He run away from his home because he doesn't feel safe there. Because he needed to protect himself.

There are two kinds of people inside the Slums, one is thrown away and the other is running away and hiding.

If you don't want anyone to know your existence, go to the slums, there you don't need identification to work.

The same as Maru, Al also a runaway.