Chapter 276

　　Orphanage

　　“No, we haven’t decided yet . ”

　　The next day, right after we finished breakfast, Rebecca-san asked us what we were planning .

　　“If you have not decided, why don’t you go with me to an orphanage?”

　　“Orphanage? Sure, why not . ”

　　Orphanage, huh~ Erm, is this something like a sympathy call?

　　Huh? In different world stories, it’s usually the temple that manages the orphanages, right? I went to the temple in every town we visited, but I never noticed an orphanage . Do things work differently in this world?

　　“Err… right now?”

　　“I plan on going a little before lunch . I’m bringing ingredients for lunch with me . ”

　　“Is that so? I have to do my best to help you then . ”

　　“”Do my best to help!””

　　“Fufu, thank you . ”

　　So, we accompanied Rebecca-san to the orphanage .

　　During the carriage ride, I asked Rebecca-san about the orphanages in detail, and she told me that orphanages are not run by the temple, but by funds from the country and the lord of the fief .

　　“h.e.l.lo, Director . ”

　　“Rebecca-sama, thank you for coming . ”

　　The person called the Director was an elderly woman who smiled calmly at Rebecca-san .

　　“Are there any changes?”

　　“Yes, the children are in good health . ”

　　“I see . That’s good to hear . Then, I will let you prepare the meal as usual . ”

　　“Thank you very much . ”

　　Under Rebecca-san’s direction, the cooks and maids from the Ruven household began to bring in the food and other items .

　　“Umm, I should help too…”

　　“”… Help too . ””

　　“Oh my, you don’t have to help over there . You are helping me by staying by my side . ”

　　I came here with the intention of helping with the cooking, but Rebecca-san quickly dismissed me .

　　From Rebecca-san’s point of view, visiting with her is helping .

　　“Tak.u.mi-san, this is your first time visiting an orphanage, right?”

　　“Yes, that’s correct . The children here seem to be healthy and the environment also looks good . ”

　　“Oh my, does it seem that way? That is great . ”

　　There were more than a dozen children in the room . All of them have the characteristic plump face of a child .

　　“It’s Rebecca-sama~”

　　“Really!”

　　“Rebecca-sama, welcome!”

　　From three or four years old, smaller than Allen and Elena, to fifteen years old, pre-adolescents kids were rus.h.i.+ng towards us .

　　“Huh~? Who is thish~?”

　　The gathered kids noticed us and inquired .

　　“h.e.l.lo . I’m Rebecca-sama’s helper, Tak.u.mi . These children are——”

　　“… I’m Allen . ”

　　“… I’m Elena . ”

　　Allen and Elena were becoming less shy, but they seemed to be a little nervous, probably because they’ve never been looked at by so many children before .

　　“My little brother and sister . Will you play with them please?”

　　“Sure!”

　　“Let’sh pway!”

　　“What should we play?”

　　The children of the orphanage seemed to be sociable and approached Allen and Elena with immediate approval .

　　“”… What about helping~?””

　　Allen and Elena look up at me timidly .

　　They seem to be concerned because I told them we were here to help .

　　“It doesn’t seem like they need our help here . You can go play with the other kids . ”

　　It’s not often that they get the chance to play with so many children, so I want Allen and Elena to have fun .

　　“Rebecca-san, is it all right if I take out some toys to play with?”

　　“There’s no problem at all . ”

　　“Is that so? Thank you . ”

　　I took out a soapy balloon from my Infinite Storage .

　　“Here, how about you play with this?”

　　“What is that, Oniichan?”

　　“It’s a soapy balloon . Allen, Elena, how about you teach them how to play with it?”

　　“”Okay, got it . ””

　　“Quickly, let’s go~”

　　“Let’s play, let’s play . ”

　　Allen and Elena received the balloon and moved to a large area with the children of the orphanage .

　　“Right, Rebecca-san . What should I do if I want to make a donation?”

　　“Oh my, Tak.u.mi-san, you shouldn’t give donations so easily . ”

　　“Eh!? Is that so?”

　　Donations are no good? We have a good amount of money, so I thought it would be good to donate some…

　　“Easily, I mean . It’s not like you can’t . ”

　　“It’s fine as long as I don’t give out donations easily, then?”

　　“Yes . However, you seem like someone who would instantly make a donation if the children in orphanages were skinny . You have to be careful~”

　　“Ah~ I might not be able to stand it and just watch…”

　　In fact, I found Allen and Elena when they were scrawny, and I immediately gave them food to eat and raised them . Well, that’s because we had a connection .

　　I wouldn’t take others in if we are not fated, but I have plenty of money, so I might as well help them, right?

　　“As I said before, orphanages are run by the country and the lords . And yet, if the children’s nutrition is poor or the building is obviously in shambles, what can you think of?”

　　“Ah~ the lord or the director of the orphanage is neglecting the management?”

　　“It could also be someone else’s work, but that’s what it is about . ”

　　I see~ You can’t just donate money to an orphanage just because you feel that the orphanage doesn’t seem to be doing well .

　　“That’s why you have to immediately report to His Majesty if you find orphanages like that in other towns, Tak.u.mi-san . ”

　　“Eh, to His Majesty, you mean Tristan-sama!?”

　　“If you do a bad job trying to find out who is at fault, they could conceal their traces . The best thing to do is to report it to the top and leave it in the hands of the investigation team . ”

　　Certainly, it’s as Rebecca-san said . If I find an orphanage like that, I will report it to Tristan-sama before anything .

　　“I understand, I will do just that . However, there’s no problem in donating to a proper place, right?”

　　“Fufu, that’s fine . The buildings will inevitably age and unforeseen incidents might happen, so there are cases when the annual budget is simply not enough . That’s why we appreciate donations . ”

　　“I’m afraid I can’t do it here, so please help me with the donation when we return back to the mansion . ”

　　“Thank you . By the way, it’s also important to properly state what you want your donation to be used for . Or you can donate daily necessities instead of money, too . ”

　　“I’m learning a lot . ”

　　I’m learning a lot of things I really didn’t know about .

　　While I was talking with Rebecca-san, it seemed that lunch preparations were finished . I saw all the children moving together to the dining room .

　　I could also see that the children from the orphanage were inviting Allen and Elena to go with them .

　　However, Allen and Elena seemed to be wondering if it was okay for them to go, as they were glancing at me .

　　“My, oh my, it seems that they have become good friends already . ”

　　“Indeed . ”

　　I gestured for them to go, and Allen and Elena nodded and headed toward the dining room .

　　“We should move to the dining room as well, Tak.u.mi-san . ”

　　“Okay . Though, this makes me feel a bit lonely~”

　　“Because the children distance themselves a little from their older brother?”

　　“Yes . ”

　　Allen and Elena, who would have come back to me without hesitation before, started to distance themselves from me . I was happy to see that they had grown up, but at the same time I was sad .

　　“Fufu, children grow in a blink of an eye~”

　　“That is true . Ah~ What am I going to do if I’m the one that can’t distance myself from my little brother and little sister?”

　　“My, oh my!”

　　When I expressed my sincere feelings, Rebecca-san started laughing .

　　“You are terrible, Rebecca-san . I’m being very serious here~”

　　“Fufu, sorry about that . But, it’s fine . It won’t change the fact that both Allen-chan and Elena-chan love their older brother . ”

　　“They both love you too, Rebecca-san . Of course, me as well . ”

　　“Oh my, I’m happy to hear that . Then, I will have my precious son escort me to the dining room . ”

　　“Leave it to me . ”

　　We smiled at each other and headed to the dining room .