Chapter 8: Amazing! Absolutely Amazing!

After having a late lunch with Alex, I went around the orphanage, inspecting all the newly remodeled items one by one.

“Wow… the door is so sturdy now!”

“Of course! This old man used handcrafted premium wood for that door. Even a few minor monsters wouldn’t be able to scratch it.”

“Amazing! This is absolutely amazing!”

I grabbed the door handle and pulled it as hard as I could a couple of times.

The old door would’ve shattered instantly if I’d done this before, but this new one didn’t even budge—it stayed perfectly intact.

“The windows are new too!”

Even the windows, which previously served as nothing more than giant holes letting in drafts, had been completely fixed.

“Did you repair the windows as well?”

“They were beyond saving, so I replaced them entirely. Oh, and I cleared out all those glass shards scattered on the floor too.”

“Wow!”

“Honestly, it’s a miracle you didn’t step on those and end up with glass embedded in your feet.”

“Why, thank you for the concern.”

“That wasn’t a compliment, kid.”

It wasn’t just the doors and windows.

The entire orphanage now felt like a newly constructed building.

The rich, warm scent of fresh wood filled the air, making the place feel alive and vibrant.

“W-whoa, Alex?! What’s this?!”

“What’s with the fuss now?”

“T-the bedroom! Is this real? Am I seeing this correctly?!”

Where once there had been only a bare bed frame, the bedroom now featured soft, fluffy blankets and pillows neatly laid out.

Oh my goodness. No more cold, restless nights filled with stiffness and discomfort.

I could finally sleep in comfort!

“Haha, that’s a much stronger reaction than I expected. So? How is it? This is a little gift from me to you, our little miss. I hope you like it.”

“Like it? I love it!”

Honestly, I wanted to just run up and hug Alex right then and there.

Of course, I’d probably die of embarrassment if I actually did it, but I felt so grateful that I needed to express it somehow.

“Can I hug you?”

“Of course! Come on, I’m always ready for a—”

“Yippee!”

Before he could finish, I leapt into the air, spun around, and sprinted straight for the bed.

It was my own little tradition—whenever I had a new bed, I just had to jump on it.

“Wow, this is so cozy!”

I hugged the soft, fluffy pillow and pressed my cheek against it, letting out a satisfied sigh.

The texture was incredible. Absolutely heavenly.

Dear Bed, we’re going to be together forever. From now on, it’s just you and me.

“Alex, this is amazing! I love it!”

“…Alex?”

Overcome with excitement, I called out to Alex, but for some reason, his expression didn’t look as happy as I thought it would.

“…It’s kind of a shame,” he muttered.

“Huh? What’s a shame?”

What could he mean by that?

Ah, maybe he’s upset because he couldn’t get me something even better?

I’m already so happy with what I have, but maybe Alex doesn’t feel the same way.

His slightly pouty expression looked oddly unattractive, though it was almost endearing in a way.

“It’s okay. I’m really happy as it is!”

“If you’re happy, then that’s all that matters.”

I gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs-up, which he returned with a crooked grin.

“Oh, look! The sun’s already setting!”

“I guess working since morning really makes time fly.”

“Shouldn’t you head back before it gets too dark?”

When I glanced out the window, the orange-tinged sky caught my attention.

One of the two suns had already disappeared, and the other was barely hanging on the horizon.

“You’re right. I usually go patrol around the village at this time.”

“Whoa, that sounds so cool when you put it like that!”

“What, so I wasn’t cool before now?”

“Just a little bit.”

“Not even a polite lie, huh? That’s harsh.”

“I’m just not the type to lie.”

No wonder I hadn’t seen a single monster around here.

Alex must’ve been clearing them out every day on his patrols.

He’s good at carpentry, runs a food stand, has connections with merchants…

Honestly, Alex might be way more impressive than I thought.

“If it weren’t for my patrol, I’d stick around longer. That’s a shame.”

“Well, you’ve got your responsibilities. Besides, even if you stayed, there’s nothing to do here.”

“‘Nothing to do,’ huh? What about the kid standing right in front of me who clearly needs someone to look after them?”

“…Like I said before, I’m an adult. I can do everything on my own.”

“Oh, really?”

Alex shrugged, then gestured toward the “ABC soup” I had made earlier, which was still sitting nearby.

Ugh, bringing that up is kind of unfair.

“This doesn’t change anything, huh?”

“I just made a small mistake while making the soup, that’s all.”

“Sure you did.”

“I-I’m serious!”

It was true. If I were asked to remake it, I’d do it perfectly this time!

“Anyway, I don’t think I can leave. I’m too worried about you.”

“But you have to go, don’t you?”

“And that’s what makes it a shame.”

Despite grumbling about how reluctant he was to leave, Alex busied himself packing up his things.

I guess this was goodbye for today.

Oh, right! I almost forgot.

“Wait a second, Alex!”

“Oh? Are you trying to stop me? Should I just stay here, then? Ah, how could I refuse when our little miss begs me not to go?”

“…What are you even talking about?”

Ignoring Alex’s nonsensical rambling, I gestured for him to hold out his hand.

Though he looked puzzled, he complied, extending his large, calloused hand toward me.

Wow, his hand is huge.

Keeping my thoughts about his rough, oversized hand to myself, I pulled out some coins from my pocket and dropped them into his palm with a satisfying clink.

“What’s all this?”

“It’s money.”

Specifically, one silver coin and three copper coins.

“A silver coin makes sense for my work, but what’s the copper for? Oh, wait—are you giving me extra because you think I worked so hard?”

“Not at all.”

I handed him the extra change I’d been meaning to return to Mrs.

Gordon—the shopkeeper who had given me too much last time.

I’d planned to return it earlier, but Alex had dragged me along, and there hadn’t been time.

“It’s for Mrs. Gordon. Could you give it to her? She accidentally gave me too much change during our last transaction.”

“So…”

“Yes.”

It was already far too late for me to go to the village myself, and since Alex was heading back that way anyway, I thought I’d ask him to return it for me.

It wasn’t like the coins were heavy or anything.

“Fine.”

But Alex seemed to take it differently.

He looked noticeably deflated, as if running a simple errand like this was a massive blow to his pride.

When he opened the door, he did it so slowly and dramatically that the hinges let out a mournful creak, like the world was ending.

‘Ugh, really?’

Now I felt too bad to let him leave like this.

Jumping off the bed, I dashed over to him with quick little steps.

“Alex!”

“Hmm?”

And then… hug!

I wrapped my arms tightly around one of his thick legs.

I wasn’t sure if it was because I was too small or because he was just too big, but this was as far as I could manage.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“I just… wanted to say thank you.”

This was my small way of showing gratitude to Alex.

He didn’t have any obligation to help, nor any reason to go out of his way to remodel the orphanage.

But he did, without hesitation, and I wanted to let him know how much it meant to me.

If it weren’t for Alex, I’d still be shivering in the cold every night.

“…Well then, have a safe trip!”

Of course, it was still a little embarrassing.

I only hugged his massive leg for about three seconds before bolting back to my bed, diving under the covers, and pulling the blanket up over my head.

“Alright, take care of yourself. Try not to go outside at night. I’ll be clearing out any monsters nearby, but it’s still dangerous.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Thud.

The sound of the orphanage door closing echoed softly.

“…Is he gone?”

I peeked out from under the blanket, sticking just my head out.

Through the window, I could see Alex walking away in long strides.

Even though he was heading out for work, he seemed to be in an oddly good mood, smiling as he pulled out a massive greatsword.

…That’s kind of scary. Where did that huge sword even come from?

Now that the noisy Alex was gone, the orphanage was eerily silent.

Not even the sound of bugs could be heard.

“What should I do?”

Should I just go to sleep?

But I wasn’t tired yet.

It felt like a waste of time to just lie there doing nothing.

“Hmm…”

I started wriggling around, thinking of what to do.

For a while, I wriggled around in the soft blankets, but before long, I jumped out of bed.

I felt a bit peckish since quite some time had passed.

“Guess I’ll eat something.”

While I was at it, I figured I’d make enough food for tomorrow too.

And this time, I was determined to perfect the ABC Soup.

Clenching both fists tightly, I steeled myself for success.

“…It turned into a stew again!”

Of course, my determination didn’t amount to success.

It was slightly thicker than last time, looking a bit more like actual soup, but it was still stew.

Tch.

Oh, and I found out something interesting later.

Apparently, Alex had been in such high spirits that day that while clearing the area around the village, he went further and wiped out an entire group of C-rank monsters near a neighboring village.

He even received an award from the guild for it.

I’m not sure why he was so pumped.

Was it because of the fruit stew I made?

Or was Alex just that strong?

Whatever the case, a good thing is a good thing.

But… what exactly is a “C-rank monster group”?

I’ll have to ask Alex about that later.

And then, in the cold winds of dawn…

“So… cold… hurts… hungry…”

A figure much larger than me, draped in a robe far too big for their body, stumbled through the forest.

Blood dripped from one of their legs, and their breaths were rough and labored.

“Light… a light…”

Thud.

The person collapsed, unconscious.

With a faint glimpse of a fire and the small sign that read “Orphanage” barely visible in their fading vision…