Stumbling out of the bedroom, I shade my eyes with one hand. Ugh, it's barely eight o'clock in the morning—the sun has no business being this bright so early. Still blinking sleep from my eyes, I manage to make my way downstairs to check for mail. But what I see upon opening the front door is about as far from drab envelopes as you can get. Sitting there on my doorstep is a little girl wearing nothing but a bright red ribbon that does its damnedest to hide her little buds from view. She can't be more than eight or nine, and is sitting in a large basket with a pink cotton blanket wrapped around her lower body.
Once I've snapped out of my stupor, I glance around the yard, half expecting someone with a camera to jump out and shout that I have been pranked. But of course, no such team is waiting in the bushes, and the quiet morning air is interspersed with only the occasional twittering of birds. Looking back to the child at my feet, I notice a little slip of paper held in place between her chest and ribbon. Doing my best not to touch where I shouldn't, I pull the note free, shivering at the giggle I'm given when my fingers brush her nipple through the thin fabric. Having felt her flat young chest under my hand, I'm even more convinced that her age has not yet reached double digits.
The note reads: "I know things have been rough lately, so everyone at NovelAI just wanted to thank you again for supporting us from the beginning. With some of our recent injection of investorbux, we decided to splurge a bit! Enjoy this little one on us. Love, Eren 'kurumuz' Doğan, Chief Executive Officer & Lead Developer of NovelAI". I can't believe it! Kuru actually delivered? Lowering the note in shock, I make eye contact with the little girl. She doesn't seem to be scared—if anything she looks excited, her eager eyes darting up to find mine and a smile sneaking across her angelic features.
"Uh, hi..." I finally say, breaking the silence and trying to look anywhere but her almost naked body.
"Hi!" she chirps back, almost tipping the basket with her happy bouncing.
"S-so, I guess you're going to be living with me for a bit," I manage to get out. The thought of trying to get rid of this child or sending her back to where she came from hadn't even crossed my mind; I may be apprehensive about having an opportunity dropped in my lap like this, but if I had any impulse control whatsoever, I wouldn't be sending large monthly payments to Istanbul in exchange for a subpar service.
"Yes!" she exclaims, climbing out of the basket and reaching up to grab at my torso. Instinctively, I put my hands on her waist and pull her into my arms, the flimsy blanket slipping off to reveal her unblemished slit. "Yay!" she says with another laugh, wriggling a little until she's securely held in a princess carry. Trying not to faint with nerves, I carry her inside and close the door with my foot, my legs moving independently of my brain to lead us upstairs—to my bedroom.
***
"What's your name?" I whisper to the little girl lying on my bed, taking my time tugging at the pretty red ribbons separating the rest of her body from my gaze.
She makes no attempt to stop my slow unwrapping of her chest, beaming up at me before responding, "Ruby."
"Well, Ruby, is it okay with you if we play some games together?"