The Reincarnated Lizardman Wants a Hamburger

“Uncle Lizard, listen to me. I came up with a game where you play with paper. What was that paper called again… Ah! Right! Cards! So, I thought of a game where two people fight each other using cards with various magic spells written on them! What do you think?”

“Fight with cards?”

“Yes! There’s mana, and the amount needed to cast spells is limited, so you can’t just use any spell you want. You have to think and fight!”

“Oh. You know about mana too?”

“Yes! I learned it at school! So, two people take turns playing cards, and the first one to knock out the opponent wins! I’m going to call this game a card game!”

If one of my friends from my past life had heard this, they would have flipped their eyes and called her a genius.

I nodded at Jungwoo’s words, thinking that.

The little girl in front of me, who was inventing the concept of a TCG in real-time, is Jungwoo.

She’s the girl I saved from human traffickers around this time last year.

Back then, to comfort her, I made her a hamburger using Fruit Tree Antlered Reindeer meat, and since then, she often comes to the Adventurer Guild to hang out.

Though, saying she comes to “hang out” at the Adventurer Guild is a bit of a stretch.

In reality, she mostly comes to snack regularly.

Jungwoo, sitting at the table, munching on potato chips.

The girl, who had been chattering, snacking, and busily moving her mouth and hands, soon noticed the presence of another guest who had come to the Adventurer Guild with her.

“Ah! Elsee oppa! Try this! It’s super crispy and delicious!”

“Ah, no… I’m good! I don’t like potatoes!”

“Huh? Really? I don’t think that’s true…”

Jungwoo, offering the potato chip she was about to eat, but the boy, waving his hands, refused.

The boy, named Elsee, was a year older than Jungwoo and lived next door to her.

He seemed awkward in the rough atmosphere of the Adventurer Guild, flinching and looking around nervously.

Honestly, it’s normal for a kid his age to react like that.

Still, he always followed Jungwoo to the Adventurer Guild, probably because he couldn’t leave his childhood friend alone.

Admirable.

“So, I’m going to call this card game a duel, and the people who duel are duelists! Isn’t that cool?”

“I see.”

“Meow~.”

“But I got caught by the teacher for thinking about the card game during class… Ah! A cat!”

Jungwoo, excitedly chattering about her homemade TCG ideas and school incidents, suddenly spotted a cat (plant) and ran off with quick steps.

“Hi, kitty! You’re so cute today!”

“Meow.”

The cat (plant) didn’t show any resistance to Jungwoo’s touch and soon closed its eyes, purring.

It even purred like a real cat.

Earlier, she was talking about something else, but her attention quickly shifted elsewhere. Truly, a child’s attention span.

Meanwhile, Elsee, in stark contrast to the lively Jungwoo, looked like he was about to die in real-time.

He flinched every time adventurers passed by but managed to stay in his seat.

Even though he was scared, he stayed for his childhood friend. Admirable.

Just as I was thinking that.

Creak

The door of the Adventurer Guild opened, and adventurers who had completed their missions returned.

But these adventurers were different—they were my comrades.

“Jungwoo, you’re here!”

“Ah! Mari unnie!”

Mari, having finished her mission, called out Jungwoo’s name warmly and approached her. Jungwoo, upon seeing Mari, immediately clung to her.

Not just Mari, but Karina and Serena also found Jungwoo and doted on her, treating the friendly Jungwoo like a little sister.

Today, since they had completed a request with the Arisa party, Arisa, Liche, and Yuri also joined in doting on Jungwoo.

Jungwoo, surrounded by her unnie’s and being pampered, looked just like the cat that had been purring under her touch earlier.

So peaceful.

“Ah, hello, Yuri unnie.”

At that moment, Elsee spoke to Yuri, who was among the women doting on Jungwoo.

Elsee, who had been tense for a different reason earlier, now seemed nervous for another reason.

“Ah! Elsee, you’re here too!”

“Yes, yes…”

Yuri, noticing Elsee speaking to her, greeted him, and with that one greeting, Elsee’s face turned red as he shyly responded.

Come to think of it, Jungwoo and Elsee often mentioned meeting Yuri at the academy.

Of course, there’s an age difference, and Elsee and Jungwoo are commoners while Yuri is from a noble family, so they don’t attend the same academy. But since they belong to the same academy run by Astram, they often run into each other.

I heard that Astram’s academy has a very open atmosphere, thanks to Count Astram’s personal character, so commoners and nobles share the same campus.

“Did you come to the Adventurer Guild because you were worried about Jungwoo being alone? How admirable!”

“Ah, no. It’s not like that…”

Elsee, though saying that, couldn’t hide his smile at Yuri’s praise.

Hmm. So, I thought he came to the Adventurer Guild because he was worried about Jungwoo, but it seems he had other motives.

Well, it’s not like he wasn’t worried about Jungwoo at all…

But still, I take back what I said earlier about him being admirable.

“Here. Elsee, don’t be shy, have some. The potato chips Kurt made are really delicious.”

“Th-thank you.”

When Jungwoo offered, he clenched his teeth and waved his hands to refuse, but when Yuri offered, he accepted without hesitation.

At that moment, Jungwoo, who had been monopolizing the affection of her unnie’s, looked at Elsee with a puzzled voice.

“Elsee oppa. I thought you didn’t like potatoes?”

“Huh? When did I say that?”

“You said you didn’t like potatoes when I offered you chips earlier!”

“Oh my. Is that true?”

At that, Yuri also tilted her head and tried to take back the potato chips she had offered. Elsee, flustered, stopped her hand and made excuses to Jungwoo and Yuri.

“I-I never said that! No! I like potatoes! I don’t picky eat!”

“What? So, you’re saying I’m lying now? I’m not a liar!”

“Shut up! You’re lying!”

Elsee shouted at Jungwoo.

“…”

“…Huh. Ah, no. That’s not what I meant…”

Elsee, realizing what he had said, started to make excuses in surprise.

But words once spoken cannot be taken back.

At Elsee’s words, Jungwoo looked like a sparrow hit by a slingshot, then twisted her face and started crying pitifully.

“Sniff…”

“Hey, Jungwoo. I mean…”

“Sniff… I didn’t lie! I hate Elsee oppa!”

“Jungwoo!”

In the end, Jungwoo ran out of the Adventurer Guild, sobbing.

As Jungwoo left and silence fell, I quietly thought to myself.

The kid finally caused trouble.

…

…

…

Jungwoo, who had run out of the Adventurer Guild, walked through the market, sniffling.

“Sniff… Elsee oppa is so mean. Just because Yuri unnie talked to him, he got all flustered. I’m not going to school with him tomorrow.”

When she tried to share the potato chips she wanted to eat all by herself, he ignored her.

And then he called her a liar.

Jungwoo cried tears of betrayal.

“Hmph! Even if I become rich with my card game, I’ll pretend I don’t know him.”

So, he better come and apologize to me soon.

Glance

Jungwoo, crying pitifully, secretly glanced towards the Adventurer Guild, hoping Elsee would come running to apologize.

But there was no one at the Adventurer Guild.

Seeing that, Jungwoo started walking again, crying pitifully.

How long had she been walking?

Crying also takes stamina.

After walking and crying for a while, Jungwoo, exhausted, found a suitable building nearby and crouched down.

“…Huh? Where is this?”

Only then did Jungwoo come to her senses and look around.

She realized that, driven by her sorrow, she had wandered into an unfamiliar, remote area.

Realizing this, Jungwoo became scared.

But then, she puffed out her small chest and comforted herself.

Come to think of it, something similar happened last spring.

Back then, she had wandered around the market without her dad’s knowledge and ended up in a remote area, almost getting kidnapped by a bad man.

But now is different.

She’s a whole year older now and has started school.

If she asks an adult around here, she can probably find her way back.

Thinking that, Jungwoo cheered up, brushed off her bottom, and stood up.

Just then, someone grabbed her shoulder.

“Elsee oppa?”

At the touch, Jungwoo turned around, her face betraying her recent tears.

But the person standing there wasn’t Elsee.

“Long time no see, little girl?”

It was the shady merchant who had tried to kidnap her last spring.

The man looked at Jungwoo with an unpleasant smile.

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