Fixing the Orphanage

"Well, I'll be going now. It was nice to take a breather for once."

"Travel safely~!"

"My goodness, such a polite and well-mannered child."

It would've been nice to spend a bit more time together.

But Ellie, who had only stopped by while taking a break from her work, said she needed to leave and bid me farewell.

"Thanks for all your hard work. See you next time, Ellie."

"Yeah, see you later, kiddo."

"...Ellie? What about me? Don't I get a goodbye?"

"Bye."

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

One moment, Ellie was standing in front of me, and the next, it was as if she had vanished into thin air.

I hope we can meet again someday.

To send her off, I waved my hand toward the empty air, imagining that my goodbye would reach her.

Bye-bye.

"Man, it's so strange to see someone so obsessed with money acting like that. I mean, someone who divides everything in life into either profit or loss..."

"What do you mean?"

"...Oh, it's nothing. Just talking to myself."

"What does it mean though?"

"It's nothing a kid needs to know. You'll understand naturally when you grow up."

"But I am a grown-up."

"Sure, sure."

Seriously, this man just can't let anything go.

Why does he start teasing me the second Ellie leaves?

It's as if he'd drop dead if he couldn't get a rise out of me—it's ridiculous.

Still, today is the first time I've earned money, and I'm in a great mood.

So just this once, I'll let it slide.

But only this once.

"I'll let it go today."

"Oh? Normally, you'd be stomping around, turning red like a tomato by now. What's gotten into you?"

"...That's oddly specific. Anyway, I'm in a good mood today, so I won't get mad."

Jingle, jingle.

With every step I took, the coins in my pocket jingled cheerfully, filling the air with their crisp sound.

Hearing that refreshing sound made my spirits soar even higher, and a wide grin spread across my face.

"Hehe, hehehe."

"Are you really that happy?"

"Yes! Of course! It might not seem like much, but this is the first real money I've ever earned!"

"Hmm... I see."

Now that I had earned money, it was time to spend it.

It was time to flex.

With visions of a warm home and a full belly dancing in my head, I briskly made my way toward the marketplace.

Dragging an unwanted shadow behind me.

"But why are you following me, anyway?"

"Who, me?"

"...Who else would I be talking about? You're the only one following me."

"I'm curious about where you're going."

"I'm going to the market."

"The market? It's not open today."

"...What?"

I froze on the spot at his unexpected answer.

The market... isn't open today?

"You didn't know?"

"...No."

How could I have forgotten something so simple...?

"But there's still so much I need to buy..."

"For basic supplies, this old man can help you out. Just tell me what you need."

"Really?"

"Of course. This old man has connections all over the place."

Thank goodness.

I was so worried I'd have to sleep out in the freezing cold wind again tonight.

"Okay, then I need some food, a good piece of wood to fix the broken door, and if possible, a blanket to keep warm..."

"Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on."

"...Huh? Did I ask for too much?"

"Broken door? A blanket to keep warm?"

"Yes..?"

"...So, you slept last night without a blanket, exposed to the cold wind?"

"Well..."

Technically, yes.

"..."

As I was about to nod in confirmation, a strange chill ran down my spine.

For some reason, my body began trembling, and an inexplicable sense of dread crept over me.

"Answer me."

"Y-Yes, I did!"

"I see..."

"But it wasn't so bad! I didn't freeze to death or anything. I just woke up a few times and maybe caught a light cold, but nothing serious..."

"That's enough. I understand, so stop explaining. I'll be right back after dropping by my house. Stay here and wait."

"Okay..."

With that, Alex turned and stormed off toward the village.

He seemed... really angry.

"...Why is he mad?"

Did I say something wrong?

Did I cross a line without realizing it?

I wasn't sure, but I decided I'd apologize when he came back, just in case.

* * * *

"I'm back."

"That was quick. Um, I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry—wait, what is that?!"

"This? It's nothing."

"That does not look like nothing."

When Alex returned, he was carrying an enormous bag on his back, almost as big as he was.

Poking out of the bag were all kinds of items—giant shovels, a massive hammer, and other tools that immediately caught my eye.

What in the world is all that stuff?

Where does he even plan to use it?

"Alright, let's get going."

"Where to?"

"Where else? The orphanage. Didn't I mention it before? Back in the day, I was a carpenter alongside being an adventurer."

"...No, you never mentioned that."

"Well, now you know. That's good enough, right?"

"..."

"I'm going to reinforce the orphanage and make it sturdy as can be, so look forward to it. Now, let's head out."

"Ugh, fine."

I felt like I was being dragged into something against my will.

And so, with Alex in tow, I headed back to the orphanage.

Alex turned out to be surprisingly fit.

Even with a bag the size of his entire body on his back, he walked so quickly that I could barely keep up.

"This won't do. If you're already tired, you'll never last."

"It's because your legs are way longer than mine!"

"Aha! I didn't think about that. Our little miss is just a shortie!"

"...Ugh, seriously. I am short, so slow down already! My legs are killing me!"

I tried my best to keep up.

But no matter how fast I moved my legs, I couldn't close the massive gap between my tiny steps and his enormous strides.

In the end, I completely ran out of energy and flopped down on the ground.

"Ahhh! What are you doing?!"

"You need to eat more. I can't even feel a difference between carrying you and not carrying anything at all."

"I can walk on my own, so put me down!"

"What's that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you. Must be because you're too short."

"...Ugh."

And just like that, Alex picked me up effortlessly and carried me all the way to the orphanage entrance.

Not going to lie—it was comfortable.

Maybe I'll ask him to carry me again next time.

"We're here."

Despite a few hiccups along the way, we eventually arrived back at the orphanage.

"...What is this?"

It seemed like this was Alex's first time seeing the orphanage. He stood there looking at the building's exterior with a bewildered expression.

"It's an orphanage."

"No, I mean... How could anyone live in a place like this? Ugh, forget it. I'll fix more than just the door. I'll repair everything. Go inside for now."

"Everything? But I don't have enough money for a full renovation..."

"I'll do it for a single silver coin. You're a special guest in our village, so I can give you a discount."

"Whoa. That's amazing."

I wasn't entirely sure how or why, but Alex seemed ready to handle all the orphanage repairs.

And all for just one silver coin!

"There's going to be a lot of dust flying around, so go on inside."

"Okay."

"You can even take a nap if you want. I'll call you when I'm done."

I knew it.

Today was shaping up to be one of the best days ever. My instincts are never wrong.

"Alright, I'll wait inside. Oh, and don't hurt yourself!"

"Don't worry!"

"...I'm serious. If you get hurt, um... uh... I'll... I'll scold you!"

"Haha, scary. I'll make sure not to get hurt."

Worried that Alex might overwork himself and get injured, I made sure to warn him repeatedly before finally stepping into the sitting room.

Renovating the orphanage was important, sure.

But making sure Alex stayed safe was way more important.

* * * *

How much time had passed since then?

Fidget, fidget.

Fidget, fidget.

"...I'm bored."

I was bored out of my mind.

For a moment, I'd been excited, imagining how the orphanage would look after the renovations.

But after being cooped up in this tiny room for hours on end, I was getting antsy.

Even though I could technically go outside, I didn't dare leave.

The frustration of being stuck here was unbearable.

Wasn't this basically what Rapunzel went through?

Peek.

In the end, I couldn't resist my boredom any longer. I poked my head out to take a look outside.

For some reason, I felt the need to make a little "peek" noise as I did.

"Oh, looks like this area's already done."

The room in front of the sitting area was the kitchen.

The kitchen, which had been covered in cobwebs and dust, was now fully transformed with clean, fresh wooden fixtures.

No wonder the sound of hammers and saws had been especially loud about an hour ago. He must've been working on this area.

But if I just went up to Alex now...

Didn't I tell you not to come out? What, you're too much of a kid to handle being bored?

...He'd definitely tease me.

There's no way he wouldn't.

I could already see it happening.

What should I do? There's got to be a good excuse for going out there...

What if I brought some soup?

If I went out there with some soup, pretending it was a snack to keep him going, I could say I was worried he'd get hungry while working...

That sounded natural enough, right?

"Alright, let's go with that."

* * * *

"So, you came out because you thought I'd be hungry and decided to bring me soup?"

"Yes."

"I appreciate it, but, uh... this is more like a stew than soup..."

"It's soup."

"Got it. Soup it is..."

This was my special, homemade ABC soup!

How does it look? Doesn't it look absolutely delicious?

"...This apple here. Why does it look like someone already took a bite out of it?"

"Oh, that. I got hungry on the way, so I had a bite."

"..."