Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 26: The Little Fox Girl’s Pinocchio
When Marlon returned to White Oak Street, the sky was painted with nothing but a vast expanse of fiery sunset.
“At least… tomorrow will still be a bright, sunny day.”
Muttering this to himself, Marlon pressed the doorbell of Inspector Bernard’s small villa.
While waiting for someone to answer, Marlon considered how he could possibly explain to Inspector Bernard why he had spent the entire day wandering outside.
Soon, the door swung open, and he saw a little fox girl—Amy—cradling a puppet doll dressed in a white princess gown.
As she opened the door, the little fox girl made an obvious motion as if she were about to leap forward. But upon realizing it was Marlon at the door, she deftly twisted her slender waist and halted the movement.
Though his mind was still a little dizzy from narrating stories all day, Marlon could clearly tell that there was nothing in him that would make a little girl feel uncomfortable around him.
So he smiled at the little fox girl and asked, “Uncle Bernard hasn’t come back yet?”
As soon as he asked, the little fox girl immediately pouted. With a gaze that could only be described as scolding, she lowered her head deliberately.
Marlon could feel it—there was a trace of menace!
He instantly understood that the little fox girl harbored resentment at his late return. Not a good sign…
Before Marlon could even start explaining, the pouty little fox girl reached out, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him straight into the dining room.
Inside, four wooden plates were laid out. Except for one that was almost empty, the other three were filled with food that had long since lost its warmth.
“Amy, why haven’t you eaten yet? That won’t do, little ones need to eat on time to grow up healthy, or else they’ll grow up looking… odd!”
Marlon’s expression showed surprise. Unconsciously, he had slipped into the kind of words he used at the children’s welfare center to coax kids.
Even guessing, he could tell the nearly empty plate had definitely been eaten by his little cousin, Anvi.
The fluffy sapphire-blue fox tail swished as Amy pouted, giving Marlon a look that clearly said: “I was waiting for you!”
Then she set down the princess-doll puppet she was holding, picked up a cold plate of food, and headed to the kitchen.
Moments later, the little fox girl, now wearing a pink apron, returned and placed the reheated food back on the dining table.
Seeing that she had no intention of warming the second plate and only gestured for him to eat, Marlon asked, “Amy, you’re not waiting for Uncle Bernard to eat together, are you? Can’t we just eat now?”
The little fox girl nodded firmly, leaving no room for compromise.
Marlon smiled wryly. Though he was indeed hungry, he couldn’t bear to eat alone while Amy, who had prepared the food, remained hungry.
“All right, then—we’ll wait together.”
With that, Marlon turned and headed toward the living room.
“Don’t dawdle, little Amy, hurry up! I guess before Uncle Bernard comes back, listening to your Uncle Marlon tell stories is a great way to pass the time!”
Without turning his head, Marlon walked on, speaking in an unwavering tone. Amy, stunned for a moment, watched his retreating figure. Her sapphire-blue eyes gradually softened, the anger fading and replaced by joy.
Her fluffy fox tail began to sway happily from side to side. She moved lightly to catch up to Marlon and, without hesitation, slipped her soft, delicate little hand into his warm, large one.
Feeling the tiny hand gripping his fingers tightly, Marlon turned around in surprise. He saw Amy’s expressive sapphire eyes looking up at him, brimming with happiness and trust.
“Huh—?! I just tried to act cool a little!”
Marlon couldn’t understand why a single cool remark had such a huge effect.
His empty stomach, low on calories and glucose, made him too lazy to think further… Well, at least it was a good thing, wasn’t it?
“Little Anvi, your cousin is back! Cousin is going to tell a story—come out quickly!”
Arriving in the living room, Marlon called out, then plopped down on the comfortable sofa. Pretending to look pitiful, he addressed the little fox girl following him:
“Lovely and beautiful Miss Amy, could you pour me three cups of rich milk coffee?”
Marlon’s pitiful act made the little fox girl giggle, her beautiful blue eyes curving into two crescent moons. She nodded vigorously again.
“…Ah! Saved—”
Not caring about the heat, Marlon gulped down the delicious milk coffee, a look of pure satisfaction spreading across his face.
Then, without needing constant smiling from Amy or eager prompting from little Anvi, Marlon began telling a fairy tale:
“Long, long ago, there was a piece of wood. It wasn’t particularly valuable, just ordinary wood for burning in stoves and fireplaces. One day, this piece of wood was placed in an old carpenter’s shop. The carpenter’s name was Antonio, but people called him Master Cherry…”
There was no doubt—it was Disney’s Pinocchio.
Perhaps because it was the third time he had told it, Marlon’s vivid narration soon had Amy and Anvi completely immersed in the fairy tale world, laughing and gasping in turn as the story unfolded.
As the sky darkened bit by bit, by the time it was almost too dark for Marlon to see the little fox girl’s expressions beside him, Inspector Bernard’s signature doorbell and loud call finally reached his ears.
“All right, story time paused! Anvi, go light the gas lamp. Amy, come with me to welcome our triumphant Inspector.”
Marlon stood up, clapped his hands to snap the story-absorbed little fox girl and boy out of their trance, and swiftly assigned the tasks.
“All right, cousin!”
Little Anvi carried out Marlon’s instructions without hesitation.
Amy, however, silently slipped her soft little hand into Marlon’s palm once again.
Marlon assumed she was afraid of the dark and didn’t think much of it, holding her hand as they walked to the villa’s door.
Opening it, they saw Inspector Bernard standing outside. Unlike this morning, his once-pristine uniform had now become shabby, almost like a beggar’s clothes.
“Ah, sorry, kids. There were some issues today. I had to capture a wandering old martial artist who dared to rob people in my jurisdiction after coming from another city, so I got held up.”
Under Amy’s pouting, impatient gaze, Inspector Bernard hurriedly explained, patting his now-shabby uniform and adding, with a tone of lingering fear:
“Fortunately, that old guy was not only starving and weak, but he’d also once been shot in the knees…”
What was said, was fully understood.
After hearing Inspector Bernard’s explanation for his late return, Marlon’s eyes, previously dull from hunger, lit up.
He felt that he had perhaps found the key figure to execute his “triple-win plan.”
“Uncle Bernard, are you sure? That was a wandering old martial artist who just came from another city?!”