SWNOVELXO Chapter 21
**Chapter 21.**
My daily life was always the same.
I woke up early in the morning, prepared a simple meal, and went to the grocery store to start working.
I should have filled the empty shelves before the uncle arrived, but they were already stocked.
I should have cleaned the trash and dust that I hadn’t noticed yet, but it was already clean.
For a moment, I was at a loss for words at the sight of the entire cluttered storage area having been tidied up.
“…”
It led me to think that there was not a single corner that remained the same.
Anyway.
“Welcome!”
Even though the cuteness of being a child had faded, I energetically greeted the customers who visited the grocery store and began my day.
“Ain, it seems like you’ve grown even taller!”
“Ah, and you, ma’am, have become more beautiful!”
A smile mixed with a little bit of pretense and flattery came naturally to me now, leaving no trace of embarrassment.
“How about letting our daughter meet you? She’s really a pretty and kind girl.”
“Well, I truly appreciate the kind words, but I might be lacking compared to your daughter, so you might want to find her a better man….”
Now, I casually deflected all the proposals to make me a son-in-law while ringing up the groceries they purchased.
“Ain, where would you find a child as sharp and clever as you! Don’t be like that, just meet our daughter once, alright?”
“Haha, the total is 1080 derai, but since you’re so lovely, I’ll secretly discount it to 1000 derai! Thank you!”
I welcomed each customer while reducing the price of their groceries in order to avoid persistent matchmaking attempts.
So, the hustle of a busy time continued.
While my time flowed as it always did, even in the midst of welcoming customers and earning money, my gaze would unconsciously drift to one side.
My daily life remained ordinary and unchanged, yet there was a strange sense of dissonance that had crept in.
I found myself preoccupied with it, developing a sense of unease.
Between all the processes of forcing a smile while serving customers, my gaze would turn aside.
“Ain.”
“…”
And it was a small voice whispering from behind the counter where I stood.
“Ain.”
The woman peeking her head out while wearing the robe I had given her long ago spoke again.
“…Are you in need of something?”
“No. Ain, stay strong.”
She watched me with a slightly dazed expression, her hands fluttering as if encouraging my work.
“…Okay. Thank you.”
“Yes.”
Smiling softly at my words of gratitude, the woman peeped out to look at me once more.
So.
She had stayed at the store for only a few days to regain her strength and receive care.
“Ain.”
“…What is it now?”
“Stay strong.”
Even after some time had passed, she was still there in the store with me.
This story takes place the day after she had cast the ash-gray spell.
The uncle and I had discussed her treatment after awakening her powers as a witch.
“Ain, you rascal. It seems like you’ve healed from your illness, but what will you do now?”
“Hmm… It might be a bit inappropriate to have her stay in the store, so shouldn’t we take her back to where she used to live?”
It might have sounded a little indifferent, but at that time, I believed it was the best option.
I had called her a good girl first, but honestly, it wouldn’t be comfortable for the uncle to keep a potentially explosive bomb in a corner of the store.
Instead of living with anxiety and suspicion, I thought it would be better to build a proper wooden house and send her back to the alley.
At my words, the uncle hesitated before speaking.
“Hmm… That seems right, but still, putting a woman like that back in the alley…”
“However, keeping her here in the store wouldn’t be good either.”
Besides, the means to resolve any issues that could arise from letting her stay were nonexistent for both the uncle and me.
After pondering, the uncle nodded and opened the grocery store door.
“Well then, it’s best that we see the alley where she used to live.”
“Oh, are you really going to do that?”
“Yes, it’s right to go and see.”
And so, I guided the uncle to the alley, believing it was a good idea.
Well…
As for what happened after that…
“You… you trashy kid! You thought I would really return her to that doghouse just because I treated her like a stray dog?!”
“No, that’s not it…”
“You scoundrel! If you’re a human, you should have begged to let her stay at the store!”
“No, uncle, I mean, let me explain…”
Even as I tried to explain why I said that, the uncle wouldn’t listen.
“You trashy brat! That girl will stay in the store, understand?!”
“…”
“What are you standing there for?! Gather up the things that she cherished and come along, you absolute scumbag!”
Damn it.
In the end, I became the absolute scumbag.
I felt so wronged, it was unbelievable.
Anyway.
That was why.
She still stayed in the small room of the store, and while I was working, she would peek her head out to watch me.
It was because, in the end, I had unwittingly become a scumbag, yet had received the permission to continue staying together.
After receiving that permission, there was a woman who smiled brightly, seemingly happy about being able to stay in the store.
The uncle’s face, which was momentarily speechless at that sight, remained vivid in my memory.
Additionally, there were things that had changed over those few days.
As I mentioned earlier, the tasks I had to complete by the time I arrived at work were already finished.
She had woken up early in the morning, waiting for me, and had meticulously watched what I was doing even before I arrived.
So.
To put it simply, my daily routine was gradually changing.
The daily life that always flowed the same was changing slightly, as if it had veered off in a somewhat different direction from what used to be considered normal.
“Ain.”
“…”
In a quiet, frail voice, she only called my name.
“Ain.”
“…”
Even as I ignored her and continued working, that voice kept resonating.
“Ain.”
“…, what?”
Eventually, I responded to her call, which held little significance.
“Thank you.”
It was just the same thank you or an encouragement to stay strong, or perhaps she was just bored and wanted to say something.
“What for?”
“For everything?”
“…, okay.”
She and I repeated this process throughout our time in the grocery store, like a broken record.
Thus, my day continued on, soon reaching the midpoint as it headed toward its conclusion.
As the afternoon transitioned to the sunset, I quietly stood up from the counter and began to tidy up.
The scene of the empty grocery store, after the customers had left, looked like a battlefield ravaged by a bombing, as I swept the remnants of scattered groceries off the floor.
While I was sweeping like that.
“Ain, this.”
“Oh, yes.”
I could see her now, having taken off her robe and following closely behind me.
As she followed, she picked up any trash or dust I had missed, as if seeking praise.
“Ain.”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you?”
“….”
And it seemed she genuinely wanted applause.
“Aren’t you thankful?”
“…Thank you.”
Like a puppy hoping for praise from its owner, even though she couldn’t truly wag her tail, there was an ashen hue that fluttered in midair like a tail.
I still didn’t know how to respond to this.
“Did I help?”
“Yeah, you helped.”
Catching a glimpse of her cheerfully running off to gather other things while responding that she had helped made me think.
She had certainly changed.
The light in her eyes and the flickering ash around her were both manifestations of that change.
Yet at the same time, she hadn’t changed.
While her feelings had undoubtedly become clearer, ever since the moment she was enveloped in ash, they had been restrained.
There were no signs of madness; she remained a dazed and kind woman.
So.
I decided to treat her as I used to.
After some fleeting contemplation, I soon came to that conclusion.
Finally, the tidying up was complete, and the time for farewells approached.
While the word “farewell” may sound sad, it was quite familiar to us.
“Ain.”
“Yeah.”
So, I started the greeting in the same manner I had for years.
“Tomorrow.”
“…”
Only one word that had changed broke through, as if it had been forcefully inserted.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ain.”
“…, okay.”
The long month had transformed into a mere day.
The expression that was supposed to be blank suddenly got altered.
The curve of her eyes turned toward me.
I could see the corners of her mouth lift slightly.
“Goodbye, Ain.”
“…”
I faced her gentle, swaying hand gesture.
And I thought.
That her appearance seemed so ordinary.
It fit quite well with her smiling in the sunset light.
I thought my choice wasn’t wrong after all.