“Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to die.”

Guinevere frowned at Siod’s straightforward approach, something she wasn’t used to. He was also the one who left immediately after impregnating her. Angered, Guinevere grabbed Siod by the collar and threw him out of the window.

“A tutor?”

Larisa was puzzled by the sudden proposal.

“Wasn’t I supposed to go to primary school?”

“You can go or not.”

Guinevere’s answer didn’t clear Larisa’s doubts. Looking up at Siod, she saw a beautiful man, smiling and introducing himself.

“Hello? My name is Siod.”

“Hi, I’m Larisa.”

Larisa blushed.

Guinevere, momentarily disturbed by Larisa’s shyness, hit Siod on the back of his head.

“Ow, why!”

“Just because.”

Guinevere hid her hand in her sleeve and looked away. She was worried for no reason, knowing it was just the child’s shyness.

“Really now.”

Although she grumbled, Siod didn’t dare respond, thinking she was still angry about his previous absence. Larisa watched them and thought,

‘They must be quite close.’

It was her first time seeing someone interact so casually with Guinevere. Larisa relaxed a bit around Siod.

“Anyway, so you’re Larisa. I’ve heard a lot about you. From today, I’m your teacher. Let’s get along well.”

“…Okay.”

Siod’s face, usually expressionless, looked kind and gentle when he smiled. Larisa shook his hand, glancing at Guinevere cautiously.
“Alright, since it’s our first day, how about we skip studying and just have some fun conversations with your teacher?”

“Fun conversations?”

“Yes. Just a moment.”

Siod smiled warmly and turned around, speaking to Guinevere who was standing quietly.

“What are you doing? I thought you were busy?”

“What are you planning to talk about?”

“Well, today, we’re just going to play. If you’re not too busy, why don’t you join?”

Guinevere gave a skeptical look and turned away. Siod waved goodbye to her, and once she had left, he cast a barrier to ensure their conversation remained private.

Then, he crouched down in front of Larisa and asked,

“Larisa, are you happy right now?”

“Huh?”

Larisa looked back at him with a scared expression.

“No, no, don’t be scared. I’m just asking. You’re not unhappy, are you?”

Larisa was confused by his question but, seeing Siod’s concerned face, she pondered a bit. Though she was sad about her mother’s passing, objectively, her current situation didn’t seem entirely unhappy.

“No, I’m okay.”

“Phew, that’s good. Just, you know, don’t ever tell Vera, I mean Guinevere, that you’re unhappy or sad, okay?”

“Okay.”

Siod was surprised by her straightforward response.

“You’re not asking why?”

“If I say I’m unhappy, it might make Mother sad, right?”

“Ah… yes.”

It was more than just sadness; it could lead to death. But Siod couldn’t say such a thing to a seven-year-old child. He patted the mature little girl’s head and said,

“You’re really smart.”

“But what will I be learning?”

“Well, whatever you want to learn?”

Larisa pondered for a moment before answering.

“Then, I’d like to start with reading and writing.”

“Can’t we just play today?”

He was a strange teacher.

“Kids should play a lot. If you’re thinking of studying hard just to impress Vera, forget about it. Being happy at your age means playing a lot.”

“Ah, okay…”

He was quite strange, indeed.