Vol 2: Chapter 4: The Choice to be Happy

AN: The family will grow

The Saint and The Hero of Salvation

The Choice to be Happy

Ah, damn, this has turned into a pain in the ass... It was all fine up until the point that I saved that unfortunate brat from three useless actors.

I also ended it by showing mercy to one of them and letting him go, so it shouldn't have left a bad taste in my mouth.

Then the unfortunate girl would have made a miraculous return with my help, and her parents would have cried and knelt down, thanking the saint for their child's safety, while I said, "Please look up!" That was supposed to be a beautiful turn of events that would bring my Unfortunate Campaign to a beautiful close...

But then there were those damn parents.

"We sold our daughter. My wife and I did it of our own volition... Would a parent sell their child? Selling your precious child is not what parents do, it's what scoundrels do. So, I'm sorry, but that girl is not ours. There's no way a scoundrel like us could have such a cute daughter..."

"I'm sorry you came all the way here, but please take her away. Our daughter was a very good girl. Too good for someone like us. We have no right to say this, but please, please, please take her away..."

What are these idiots thinking? They're crying and chanting meaningless words into my ears.

What, you're telling me to take her? This skinny brat? No way. She's no good, she's just a freeloading parasite.

Besides, it doesn't make sense that she is no longer your child because she was sold. What does that even mean? Whether you sell her, abandon her, or abuse her, she is still your child!!

Don't try to erase the existence of your child! It's just painful for you to face the facts of what you did! Also, don't force weird things on other people!

I don't need this stuff! If you already sold it, you can just take it back and sell it again!

You can sell it again, and Boom! You will get twice as much money! I can say goodbye to that annoying little brat! Look, everyone is happy except for the little brat, it's only good things! Geez.

What should I do... I've been going around the slums pretending to look for her parents, asking if anyone knows her parents, and making it clear everywhere that I helped her...

If I were to leave her somewhere like this, it would look like I had abandoned the girl.

Even now, I'm a beautiful girl who stands out in my pure white clothes, and I'm holding a brat, so it hurts to see people looking at me... Anyway, I guess I'll just have to take the brat to the inn, put her to bed, and wait until she wakes up.

She just a brat her age... When she wakes up she'll probably start crying over pointless things like "Where's Dad? Where's Mom? I miss them" and beg me to let her go back to her parents.

I have no choice but to respect her wishes, right? I'm the egocentric saint, the Maximum Devotion Saint! So, even if her parents don't want her, I have to respect this brat's wishes and force her onto them... no, I have to revive that beautiful family love! As expected of me! So kind!

So wake up already, you little brat. How long are you going to keep sleeping in someone else's bed? I helped you, and now you're causing me trouble.

Wow, my misfortune knows no bounds. Die!

It was late afternoon, nearing night, when a girl named Reno, who was sleeping in a bed at an inn, woke up half-asleep. It was a room she had never seen before. Suddenly, Reno felt someone looking at her from next to the bed she was sleeping in, and she looked in that direction.

A girl in pure white was looking at her and smiling. She had seen her face up close when she had helped her, and she was such a beautiful person.

"I'm glad you've woken up. You've been asleep for quite a long time, so I was a bit worried."

"Ah..."

The girl spoke to Reno in a gentle voice, but Reno was so shocked by the sudden speech that she couldn't speak. This made her feel anxious and she felt a deep shame. Her face was as red as an apple.

"Um, well... um, the help.... thanks... well, um... uhh"

"It's okay, so don't rush and try to talk slowly. No one will do anything bad to you anymore, so it'll be okay."

Saying this, the girl strokes Reno's head and gently reassures her. Reno feels at ease and calms down as the girl strokes her head. Having regained her composure, she thanks her for helping her and tells her what she wanted to ask.

"Umm, thank you for helping me. Umm, can I ask your name?"

"Now that I think about it, I haven't told you my name yet. My name is Christina. Is it okay if I ask your name as well?"

"My name is... Reno. Thank you for helping me, Christina-sama."

"You don't have to add '-sama' to my name! You can call me Chris. In fact, I prefer it that way."

"I understand... Chris ...-sama."

"Still -sama... No, it's not good to force her to change. So, Reno-chan? Is there anywhere that hurts? I've healed all the areas that look like external injuries. But there are some things that only you can tell."

As Chris said this, Reno looked at her own body. The small scars that had been there had completely disappeared, revealing Reno's original beautiful skin. Reno herself was surprised by this.

"It's amazing, even though I was covered in so many wounds. Are you a priest, Chris-sama?"

"It's a similar skill. I'm traveling on my mission as a saint."

"Eh?! Chris-sama was a Saint...? You are such an amazing person!"

"...I may be called a Saint, but I'm just a person who wants to help innocent people however little I can. I'm nothing special or amazing."

"That's not true. Chris-sama is a very, very amazing person. After all, she saved me from hell...she helped me."

Just imagining a future where Chris hadn't come to help her was enough to make Reno's whole body tremble with fear. To Reno, Chris was a savior who reached out to her and rescued her from despair.

Chris hugs the trembling Reno tenderly, just like when she saved her. For some reason, Reno feels very safe when Chris hugs her. Naturally, Reno puts her arms around her waist and embraces her, as if to depend on her.

"Have you calmed down yet?" Chris whispered in Reno's ear, and when Reno nodded, Chris let go. Reno looked reluctant to leave the sense of security, but Chris began to talk about the future.

"So, about what will happen next for Reno-chan. At first, we wanted to return Reno-chan to your parents, so Aleph and I searched for your home."

Chris step-by-step explains what happened after Reno fainted.

"So, I found it. I went to Reno-chan's house, and talked to your parents... but..."

As she talk about Reno's house, Chris' explanation becomes less and less clear.

"Umm, what about Dad and Mom...?"

Reno asks Chris what happened, wanting to know the honest outcome. Chris looks heartbroken, but eventually tells Reno with a determined look on her face.

"Your parents... they said they sold Reno-chan so they're not fit to be parents, and they said they don't have a child, so they refused to take you back..."

"......!"

Reno's face distorts as her parents deny her existence. Considering her parents' feelings, it's clear that they didn't refuse to take him in because they disliked him.

Rather, it was a decision made precisely because they loved her, but for a child of around twelve years old, having her existence denied by her family, whatever the reason, was a traumatic shock.

She had been sold, and now she had been abandoned.... Upon realizing this, big tears began to flow from both of Reno's eyes. There sit the poor girl, who had lost even her ties with her parents, and had nothing left.

"--... Hiiig!... I, I have nothing left..."

Lonely, just lonely... The environment surrounding the girl was abnormally unkind to her. What if she could be saved?

"Rino-chan... please don't cry. You are never alone."

"...Eh? Chris-sama?"

--Isn't that just a loving, Motherly presence?

Fortunately for her, this compassionate woman appeared before Reno, as if she existed to save her.

"I will never, ever leave you alone."

Then there's only one thing for Reno to do.

"So, Reno-chan... please tell me. What do you want? Do you want to live with your beloved parents again? If that's what you want, then I'll try and convince your parents to accept you, no matter how many times it takes."

All you have to do is reach out your hand and honestly ask for help.

"Yes, I know that's the best thing to do. But I had a little fun spending time with Reno-chan. When I hugged you, it was so warm, and although I thought it was to soothe you, before I knew it, I was being soothed too... I couldn't help thinking about what it would be like if I was with you forever... So, if you don't want to go back to your parents' place... Then ... Reno-chan...."

If you reach out to those who need you, Reno, I'm sure you will.

"Would you like to become a family with me, no, with us?"

-- You will definitely find happiness.

AN: Well done, Reno!