After entrusting Loa to Sara and Daru, I head to the kitchen with Kuro.
โYes, no one is here.โ
โNo oneโs here~.โ
โHehe.โ
Since Kuro is leading, I can move forward confidently.
Next to Kuro, a group of young spirits, who appeared out of nowhere, float happily around.
The young spirits might think that Kuro and I are starting to play.
Like Kuro, the spirits are invisible to everyone except Sara and me.
Theyโre not even physical entities, so they can pass freely through walls, ceilings, and doors.
Spirits can truly be called the ultimate scouts.
โYes, itโs fine. Letโs run.โ
โRun, run~!โ
โHehe.โ
By following Kuroโs instructions, we easily infiltrate the kitchen.
Without the spirits, we would have had to move cautiously, checking carefully. If we had done that, it would have taken three times, no, maybe ten times longer.
โThank you, Kuro, everyone. You saved me.โ
โItโs too early to relax.โ
โHurry, hurry~!โ
โHehe.โ
Kuro continues flying around outside the kitchen, keeping up the reconnaissance.
โLuria must hurry and finish the job too.โ
I work together with Carol, who had arrived at the kitchen earlier, to gather food.
Just before Carol ran out of the room, she had grabbed a handkerchief, and she was spreading it out, arranging nuts inside it.
โYouโre so clever, Carol.โ
Carol gives a proud look, wrapping the nuts in the handkerchief and slinging it over her back.
โI learned from Carol, so I brought some too.โ
I spread out a towel and start placing food on it.
I need food thatโs compact, nutritious, wonโt get soggy, and can be eaten raw.
โIndeed, sausages and bread work best.โ
Sausages can be eaten raw, apparently. They donโt get soggy. And bread tastes great.
Carol silently helps by placing nuts like walnuts on my towel.
โNuts are tasty too, arenโt they? Loa will surely like them.โ
Carol nods quietly in agreement.
โIs this enough? I hope I didnโt overfill it.โ
Carol doesnโt say anything but simply nods in agreement. She must know that her cries echo far and wide.
I wrap the food in the towel, slinging it over my back and tying it around my neck.
โOh, I should bring eggs too.โ
If I wrap the eggs in the towel, they might crack.
So, I shove them into my pockets. With four eggs, the pockets are now completely full.
โI really wish I had clothes with bigger pockets, lots of them.โ
Next time, Iโll ask for clothes with more and bigger pockets, along with a bag I can stuff food into.
As Iโm thinking this, Kuroโs voice rings out.
โLuria-sama! Mother is heading towards your room!โ
โThis is bad, this is bad.โ
โWe need to hurry!โ
I quickly head back to my room.
โHurry, Carol!โ
Together, Carol and I leap out of the window into the rainy outdoors.
My body gets wet, but the sound of the rain helps mask our noise. Maybe weโre lucky.
Mother is heading towards my room via the only corridor. If I try to go back inside, Iโll run into her.
โThe attendants arenโt looking this way, but I donโt know when theyโll sense us.โ
Kuro peeks into the attendantsโ quarters and warns Carol and me, who are running outside.
โAh, the maid is heading to the kitchen. Good luck!โ
The little spirits continue to provide updates about the situation inside the mansion.
Thanks to them, Carol and I can run with all our might.
I focus, using my special skill to listen closely, and peek into the situation with Sara and the others.
โGood morning, Sara. Daru. Oh? Whereโs Luria?โ
โSheโs still asleep.โ
โBaau!โ
To buy some time, it seems like Sara went out into the hallway to talk to mother.
โI see. Oh, Daru, arenโt you going to be sweet today?โ
Normally, Daru would rub his head against mother when he sees her.
โWow?โ
Daru seems to be pretending not to notice.
Just hearing his cry tells me that Daru is tilting his head and pretending to be unaware.
โLoa is hiding under Daruโs neck! Itโs dangerous!โ
โSo fluffy.โ
Kuro and the spirits inform us.
Why is Loa hiding there? The risk of being found is much higher.
Maybe I should have hidden Loa in the wardrobe instead.
But no, that might have made Loa anxious, and Sara likely judged that Loa would cry.
Saraโs judgment is probably correct.
โBaau!โ
โDaru went to the toilet.โ
โOh, I see.โ
It seems Daru ran outdoors.
Though, he went to the opposite side of the mansion, not where I am.
Maybe Daru ran to draw attention, to help me get back to my room more easily.