Chapter Text
“Uh… so, Caine. Care to explain what this is?”
Even Zooble’s low voice, heavy with confusion, didn’t seem to faze Caine in the slightest. Still, perhaps sensing the emotions of the five of them, he put on a faintly awkward expression and sharply pointed at the small girl standing motionless beneath his floating feet.
“Just look at her! A tiny bug turned Ragatha into a little kid. She should be back to normal after a while, so until then, why don’t you all take turns looking after her?”
“Looking after her…? Shouldn’t you, the one who caused this, be doing that?” Zooble shot back. “None of us have any experience babysitting.”
“Exactly, Caine,” Jax added. “Kid or not, that’s still Ragatha. You’re saying we have to carry her around and take care of everything for her? No thanks.”
“Hey, Jax! Don’t say that right in front of her!”
“It’s fine, Pomni. She probably doesn’t even understa—”
Jax’s increasingly heated complaints faltered when he noticed Ragatha’s expression—now shrunk down to a size that made him look down at her. Like a child lost in an unfamiliar place, little Ragatha glanced around anxiously, her left eye brimming with tears that looked ready to spill at any moment.
“Still,” Caine continued cheerfully, “I am an AI, you know!? Aren’t you all always arguing about things like, ‘If you rely too much on technology to raise a child, then—’”
“No one’s having debates on child-rearing, Caine,” Zooble replied with a pained sigh.
Even as Zooble protested, all five of them were thinking the same thing. Ever since arriving at the circus, they had received more than enough of Caine’s particular brand of ‘guidance’—the kind that came from an AI whose programming was fundamentally different from a human heart. It was irritating, but true: if they left Ragatha entirely in his care, there would be no guarantee of her safety. (Not that she could really die—but still.)
“Ragatha, there’s no need to worry. Tonight, I’ll lend you my finest pillow from my room.”
“…Mister, who are you?”
Her timid, genuine question was directed at Kinger as she clasped her hands together. At the same moment Kinger tilted his head in confusion—Who am I?—Gangle looked up at Caine with a stricken expression.
“W-wait… she doesn’t remember?”
“Oh, right! I almost forgot to mention it,” Caine said lightly. “She’s lost most of her memories from inside the circus, too! …Well, that’s about it. If you need anything, I’ll provide it! See you!!”
By the time Jax muttered “You’ve got to be kidding us,” and buried his face in his hands, Caine had already vanished without a trace. All that echoed faintly through the circus tent hall was Ragatha’s quick, anxious breathing as she trembled and looked down at the floor.
“…Nice to meet you, Ragatha. I’m Pomni.”
Following after Kinger, Pomni hurried over to the red-haired girl, crouched down in front of her, and gently held out her right hand. She did her best to soften her voice, careful not to frighten her—and it seemed to work, as Ragatha’s expression brightened just a little.
“…Pom…ni.”
“That’s right. I know everything feels confusing and scary right now, but we’re here with you. Until you turn back, all of us will protect you.”
“…Okay!”
Warmth filled Pomni’s hand. The Ragatha she knew as an adult would never have done something like this, but the little girl’s smile—showing her teeth—was unbearably cute. Behind Pomni, who couldn’t help but smile back, Jax muttered, “Hmph. This is no fun at all,” though he didn’t seem nearly as annoyed as his words suggested.
And so, due to an unfortunate bug, Ragatha—the former “big sister,” now a small child—and the five companions who had once been so carefully looked after by her like younger siblings began a daily life that felt both long and fleeting at the same time.