Chapter 276
Orphanage
“Say Takumi-san, do you have any plans for today?”
“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 .
“Hello, 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 .
“Takumi-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 rushing towards us .
“Huh~? Who is thish~?”
The gathered kids noticed us and inquired .
“Hello . I’m Rebecca-sama’s helper, Takumi . 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, Takumi-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, Takumi-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, Takumi-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 .