I! Cleaner!

"Squeak"

Accompanied by the jerky turning sound of the rusty door hinge, the small door in the corner of the wall was slowly pushed open, and a tall and beautiful woman with fair skin and delicate features bent down slightly and walked through the door, stepping into the semi-abandoned garden.

However, even in a semi-abandoned state, this vast garden still exudes an elegant atmosphere. A large number of plain stone strips engraved with peony patterns are laid out around the dried-up marble fountain in the center of the garden, forming several petal-shaped secluded paths.

These paths, which are full of gravel and fallen leaves, are neglected at a glance. They intersect and meander outward, passing through collapsed stone pillars and abandoned sculptures, passing by the exquisite greenhouse with broken glass, passing by the courtyard wall with peeling paint, and extending all the way to the corner of the garden, next to the only small wooden house that is still maintained.

"Ellie."

Walking along the path to the door of the cabin, Emma, ​​who was carrying a large bag of things, knocked on the door of the cabin with the back of her hand that was not emerald, and called softly:

"I'm back, are you home?"

"..."

As soon as Emma finished speaking, the door of the cabin was opened, and a little girl with two light chestnut braids, each with a bunch of ribbons tied on it, came out of the door with light steps and fell into Emma's arms like a butterfly.

"Sorry to make you worry again."

After gently stroking her daughter's head, Emma said softly with a very gentle look:

"Don't worry, Mom will not die no matter what. As long as you are still waiting for me at home, even if I really die one day, I will come back little by little and will never let you become a person again."

"..."

The little girl with the ribbon still didn't speak, but nodded slightly, and then as if she suddenly remembered something, she loosened her arms around Emma's waist and raised her slightly clenched right hand to Emma's eyes.

"Hmm? What do you want to show me?"

After putting the things in her hand on the cabinet by the door, Emma squatted down and stretched out her hand to the little girl with a smile. The cute little girl, with a jade-like face, put her right hand on Emma's palm seriously, and then slightly opened it...

"Did you catch this in the garden?"

Looking at the pink and blue little butterfly flapping its wings in her palm, Emma couldn't help but smile in surprise, and then asked with guilt in her eyes:

"It's so beautiful... Ellie, thank you for your gift, mom likes it very much, but you... are you okay these days? Will you feel a little lonely staying at home alone?"

"..."

After hearing Emma's words, the little girl with twin ponytails nodded slightly, then shook her head vigorously, and showed her a big smile.

I may be a little lonely, but now that you are back, mom, I am not lonely anymore.

After understanding her nodding and then shaking her head, Emma bit her lip slightly. Just when she was about to say something, she found that the little butterfly suddenly flew up. It turned out that the little girl loosened her hand that was gently pinching the butterfly and grabbed her bandaged right hand instead.

"?"

After looking at the little green color exposed between the gaps in the bandage, the little girl's big black and white eyes blinked twice, and then raised her hand with worry and pointed at Emma's right hand.

"It's okay, it's just a minor injury."

After kissing the little girl's forehead affectionately, Emma smiled and explained:

"Mom did encounter some troubles when she went out this time, but now it has been resolved. At most, these minor injuries can be healed in half a week, don't worry!"

"..."

After hearing Emma's assurance, the worry on the little girl's face slowly dissipated, and she became happy again.

She let go of Emma's hand, ran back to the room with the pink wooden sign, took out a piece of drawing paper with two colorful people, and handed it to Emma who was changing shoes like a treasure.

Is this... drawn on last year's birthday?

After taking the wrinkled drawing paper and unfolding it, she identified the two colorful people, one big and one small, sitting around the table and clapping their hands happily.

Looking at the round shape of a cake on the table and the small crown on the head of the little man in the middle, Emma hesitated for a moment, then squatted down with the drawing, and asked seriously:

"Ellie... do you still remember that mom once told you that on your birthday the day after tomorrow, there will be a big... uncle coming over?"

"?"

After hearing Emma's question, the little girl blinked in surprise.

Uncle? Isn't he a big brother?

"You are actually quite different in age, and he is my mother's colleague, so... so you should call him uncle."

After understanding the confusion in her daughter's eyes, Emma blushed and explained a few words, then quietly clenched her fists, and asked softly with a slightly feverish ear:

"Ellie, would you like to have more people at home... um... do you like it to be more lively?"

Feeling a little embarrassed by her daughter's eyes that seemed to understand something, Emma changed the subject in a slightly flustered manner:

"I want to say that on your birthday the day after tomorrow, in addition to Uncle Leon, his sister and two children of your age will also come over. Everyone will celebrate your birthday together. Are you happy?"

"Friends... friends?"

"Yes, friends!"

Looking at her daughter's look of surprise and expectation, but also a little timid, Emma understood that she longed for a friend who could talk, but was also a little worried about getting along with them, so she reached out and held the little girl in her arms, and comforted her softly:

"Don't worry, I've learned a little about them in advance. Although they are a little lively, they are all very good children and will definitely have fun with you."

After hearing Emma's assurance, the little girl couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and a cute expression of excitement and expectation appeared on her delicate little face.

"That...that's good..."

Although her voice was as clear and bright as the wind chimes under the eaves, it seemed that the little girl rarely communicated with others, which resulted in a slow speaking speed and a slightly vague pronunciation.

But because friends of the same age were coming to celebrate her birthday, she, who was not very talkative, still blinked her eyes and tried to speak with expectation:

"Do they... like flowers? I planted some in the small greenhouse... and butterflies... birds..."

"..."

After recalling the crows that had been throwing shit on the windowsill in Lyon's memory, Emma's mouth twitched slightly.

Compared to the cute little birds, Lyon's extremely lively brother and sister probably prefer to climb up the tree to take out the bird eggs... Well... this really needs to be paid attention to, don't let them take out the nests of Ellie's favorite little birds.

"Those two children... should still like birds, right?"

After telling a lie insincerely, Emma, ​​who changed into loose indoor shoes, took the little girl's hand and walked into the house. Just as she was about to ask what happened in the past two days, she saw a large piece of flattened open space behind the garden from the window of the cabin.

In the past two days... has anyone been here? !