Chapter 53: It’s a Diary, Huh?

On my way back to the orphanage after organizing the storage shed, my entire body was covered in dust and soot.

“Ugh, I’m filthy.”

There had been so many things Alex had left behind that sorting them all out had taken quite a while.

I brushed off the dust clinging to my clothes and stepped into the orphanage.

“Hey, kids, I’m ba— Huh?”

The moment I entered the living room, I froze at the peculiar sight before me.

Sua and Liel were lying side by side on the floor.

Liel was hugging Sua tightly, her face peaceful as she slept, while Sua had buried her face in Liel’s arm, breathing softly.

“What is this…? It’s cute, but why are they sleeping here?”

Scratching my head, I approached them.

Their sleeping faces looked so calm that I almost felt bad about waking them.

I gently patted their heads before glancing around the orphanage.

“But… where’s Harp?”

Before I left for the storage shed, I had asked Harp to watch over the kids.

She should have been taking care of them, yet she was nowhere to be seen.

She wasn’t in the living room—where could she have gone?

Just as I debated whether to start searching for her, I heard a faint sound coming from the bedroom.

“Is she in there…? What is she doing?”

Carefully, I silenced my footsteps and approached the bedroom door.

Before opening it, I pressed my ear against the door and heard Harp muttering to herself.

“How… How could something like this be written here?”

It was Harp’s voice.

But unlike her usual calm tone, there was an unmistakable tremor— As if she were shaken by something.

What’s going on?

Curious, I quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside.

There, I saw Harp sitting at a small desk, her face buried in her hands as she stared at an old, worn-out book.

“Harp? What are you doing in here?”

At the sound of my voice, Harp’s head snapped up in surprise.

Her face was completely flushed red.

“Te-Te-Te-Teacher?! When did you get here?”

Harp quickly slammed the book shut and turned toward me.

Her hands were trembling, and her face was burning up.

“Just now. But what’s wrong with your face? Are you feeling sick?”

Worried by her anxious expression, I stepped closer.

“Do you have a fever?”

I placed a hand on her forehead.

Not hot… or maybe a little warm?

“N-No! It’s not that! I just… got a little flustered while reading.”

“A book?”

I glanced at the book she had hurriedly hidden.

Its cover was old and worn, but there was something strangely intriguing about it.

“What kind of book is it? Can I see it?”

“N-No way!”

Harp quickly hid the book behind her back, shaking her head.

“It’s just an old book. There’s nothing important in it, and you don’t need to read it.”

“…If it’s making you blush this much, there’s definitely something in there, isn’t there?”

“It’s really nothing! It’s just… um… a bit embarrassing, that’s all! It’s not a bad book or anything.”

“Embarrassing?”

I tilted my head, studying her.

She stubbornly kept the book hidden, refusing to meet my eyes.

‘What kind of book would make her react like this?’

Watching her face grow even redder, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Could it be… Harp’s diary from last time?’

That day, I had found a diary lying near her bed.

The book in her hands looked a little different, but it still seemed to be that kind of personal journal.

If Harp was blushing this much, it could only be a diary.

I felt a little disappointed, but I decided to let it go.

Well, she is at the age where puberty starts kicking in.

I quietly smiled and gently patted Harp’s head.

“Alright, Harp. You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to.”

At my words, Harp looked up in surprise.

“Huh? Really? You’re not curious?”

“Yeah. It’s an important book to you, right? If that’s the case, I don’t need to see it.
You can tell me about it when you’re ready.”

Harp stared at me for a moment before giving a small nod.

“…Thank you, Teacher.”

“Good.”

I gave her a bright smile and ruffled her hair once more.

Harp let out a small sigh of relief and hugged the book tightly.

“Teacher, really… thank you. It’s… um… really nothing at all.”

Her cheeks were getting redder by the second.

Seeing that, I playfully teased her.

“But Harp, your face is really red. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not actually sick, are you?”

“N-No! I told you, it’s just because of the book!”

Harp frantically shook her head, waving her hands in denial.

The way she panicked was so cute that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Alright, alright. Just promise me one thing—if something like this happens again, let me know first. I don’t want you worrying about things all on your own.”

“…Yes, Teacher. I promise.”

Harp nodded quietly and clutched the book close to her chest.

Not wanting to make her any more flustered, I decided to leave her be and stepped out of the room.

“Uhhhnn…”

“……”

Outside, the two little troublemakers were still sleeping soundly.

I looked down at Sua and Liel, sprawled out on the living room floor.

Their faces looked so peaceful.

I felt bad about waking them, but I couldn’t let them sleep on the floor all night.

“Alright… I guess I should move them to bed first.”

I quietly approached Sua and carefully lifted her up.

She was a little heavier than I expected, but since the bedroom was close, it wasn’t too difficult to carry her.

“Mm… She’s heavier than I thought… Maybe it’s because her original body was an adult.”

She weighed much more than she looked.

With Sua slung over my shoulder, I made my way into the bedroom.

Inside, Harp was quietly organizing books when she looked up, eyes widening in surprise.

Unlike before, her expression had returned to its usual calm.

“Teacher, why are you bringing Sua into the bedroom?”

There was a hint of confusion in her voice.

“She was sleeping on the floor, so I’m moving her to bed. Besides, Harp, I think I can trust her to behave. The Hero hasn’t caused any trouble so far.”

Harp fell silent for a moment.

Just then, Sua mumbled in her sleep.

“Nooo… Nooo… Give me more…”

I froze for a second before chuckling.

“Hmm… Maybe I spoke too soon.”

Harp let out a small sigh.

“Sua really has an untrustworthy side to her.”

I gently laid Sua down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her.

Still murmuring in her sleep, she snuggled deeper into the covers.

“Sleep well, Sua.”

Just as I was about to turn toward the door, Harp called out to me softly.

“Teacher, wait a moment.”

“Hm? What is it?”

She stepped closer and pointed at the dust and soot covering my clothes and hands.

“You’re really dirty… You must’ve worked hard organizing the storage, right?”

“Oh, this? It’s fine. I’ll wash up in a bit.”

Harp shook her head slightly.

“If you leave it, it’ll just get more uncomfortable. Hold on.”

Harp raised her hand and began tracing a small magic circle in the air.

Glowing symbols floated before her, and a gentle light wrapped around my body.

In an instant, all the dust and soot on me vanished.

My clothes looked as if they had just been freshly washed, and my body felt much lighter.

“Wow, I’m really spotless now. Thanks, Harp.”

When I spoke in admiration, Harp turned her head slightly and mumbled softly.

“You’re welcome.”

Smiling, I patted her head.

“Harp, you really are reliable.”

Her face turned slightly red as she gave a small nod.

“Now, are you going to move Liel too?”

“Yeah. She should be sleeping in bed as well. No more kids sleeping on the floor like Sua.”

Harp nodded with a small smile.

I stepped back into the living room and walked over to Liel, who was still sleeping peacefully.

She was lighter than Sua, but carrying a child was never an easy task.

Just then, a knock knock came from the door.

I set Liel down and walked toward the entrance.

“Yes, I’m coming. Just a moment.”

Right before I reached the door, a familiar voice spoke from the other side.

“Eve, are you inside? Could you open the door?”

The moment I heard that voice, a name flashed in my mind.

‘That voice… The Pope?!’

That couldn’t be right.

There was no reason for the Pope to visit the orphanage again.

But the voice was unmistakably familiar.

At that moment, I sensed something odd from behind me.

Liel’s signature stray hair suddenly perked straight up.

‘Huh? What’s going on?’

I turned around to see that Liel had woken up.

Her big, round eyes blinked sleepily as she looked at me.

“Th-The Pope?! Why is he here…?!”

Frantically, she glanced around before diving into a corner to hide.

Her panicked, exaggerated reaction was so ridiculous that I stood there, momentarily stunned.

“Liel, what’s wrong? What’s going on?”

But she didn’t answer me.

Like a rabbit fleeing from a predator, she curled up tightly in the corner, her wide eyes locked onto the door.