✯ Chapter 10 ✯
“So, shall we head to the bookstore now?”
Hannah looked around for Ian so they could go into the bookstore together.
But Ian was already inside.
Jeremy answered instead.
“I think he’s already picked out his book.”
While Masha had been choosing his skull, Ian had quietly selected the book he wanted and was already waiting at the counter.
“That’s impressively efficient.”
Hannah smiled in admiration.
He said he didn’t need anything, yet he had already picked something.
She couldn’t help laughing at how Ian’s actions didn’t match his words.
She quickly walked into the bookstore and paid for his book.
“What book is it, Ian?”
She looked at the book he was holding tightly against his chest.
“It’s a book about the war that happened four hundred years ago.”
“Hmm…”
Don’t children usually like fairy tales?
Maybe it’s something like Greek mythology.
Well… since this world doesn’t have giant robots fighting aliens, maybe war stories are the closest thing.
Hannah tried her best to understand children.
“Teacher! Teacher!”
“The sword! The sword!”
Jeremy finally thought it was his turn.
“You already have a toy sword.”
“But I want a real one!”
It seemed he had become fascinated with the thugs’ swords after what had happened earlier.
Of all things, why did he have to notice those?
“But Jeremy, real swords are too dangerous.”
“When you’re a little older, you can have one.”
“You’re the only one who won’t buy me anything!”
Jeremy puffed out his cheeks.
“Jeremy.”
Hannah called his name.
He immediately turned his head away.
“They’re dangerous.”
“I’ll buy you a toy sword instead, okay?”
“No!”
“Listen carefully, Jeremy.”
“Pirates often die by falling into the sea.”
“Mages die because of magic.”
“So what do swordsmen die from?”
“They die after getting stabbed by swords!”
“Imagine how much that would hurt!”
Hannah deliberately made a scary face while saying it.
It had absolutely no effect on Jeremy.
“Then what about you, Teacher?”
“Huh?”
“How will you die?”
The villain orphanage teacher dies at the hands of villains…
No! What am I thinking?!
“My job is… safe.”
“Very safe…”
Suddenly…
Hannah felt wronged.
She wasn’t a pirate.
She wasn’t a mage.
She wasn’t a swordsman.
Yet she was risking her life every day.
“Ah!”
“No!”
“If I can’t have a real sword, I don’t want anything!”
Jeremy was convinced that if he threw a tantrum…
Soft-hearted Hannah would eventually give in.
But…
Hannah truly bought him nothing.
And they returned to the orphanage.
“Everyone!”
“I made cherry pie using the cherries we bought at the market!”
The children gathered happily around the dining table.
Except…
One seat was empty.
“Where’s Jeremy?”
“I think he’s still sulking.”
“He won’t come out of his room.”
The missing child was Jeremy.
Hannah immediately understood what was happening.
“You all washed your hands, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good.”
“Then go ahead and eat.”
“Teacher will bring Jeremy.”
She picked up the pie she had made for him and headed to his room.
Knock. Knock.
“Jeremy.”
“It’s Teacher.”
There was no answer.
“Jeremy, I’m coming in.”
Thinking he was simply refusing to respond because he was upset…
Hannah opened the door.
“……”
“……”
Jeremy was hurriedly hiding some cookies under his bed.
The moment he looked up…
Their eyes met.
“…Sorry.”
Maybe I should’ve waited until he finished hiding them…
Both Jeremy, who had been caught secretly eating…
And Hannah, who had witnessed it…
Felt incredibly awkward.
She had worried that he might be lying here crying instead of eating anything.
That concern suddenly felt rather pointless.
Jeremy calmly shoved the rest of the cookies under the bed before sitting heavily on it.
Cookie crumbs still covered his pouting lips.
“Jeremy.”
“Are you still upset about earlier?”
“No.”
His stiff tone practically shouted,
“Yes, I’m upset.”
Hannah sat beside him on the bed.
Then she tilted her head until their eyes met.
“Jeremy.”
“I told you that real swords are still dangerous for you.”
“I know.”
“One day…”
“When someone can properly teach you swordsmanship…”
“Teacher will definitely buy you your first real sword.”
“…Really?”
Jeremy quietly asked while fidgeting with his fingers.
Usually he was mischievous and energetic.
But at moments like this…
He was nothing more than an adorable little boy.
“Yes!”
“Teacher promises she’ll buy your very first sword.”
In truth…
Both Hannah and Jeremy knew how difficult it was for an orphanage to find a swordsmanship instructor.
“…Promise?”
“Alright.”
“A promise.”
Hannah held out her little finger.
Jeremy hooked his own around it.
“You have to buy it.”
“I will.”
“I promise.”
“When we finally find a swordsmanship teacher, I’ll definitely buy it for you.”
“Now… shall we go eat pie?”
“Yes.”
Jeremy jumped off the bed.
Then he rushed out of the room even faster than Hannah.
Knowing how much he loved pie…
She didn’t even need to wonder how badly he had wanted it.
“So cute.”
His excitement made Hannah smile.
Still…
She couldn’t stop worrying about Jeremy’s growing interest in swords.
“Come to think of it…”
“I hope he wasn’t saying those thugs looked cool earlier.”
She truly worried about him.
Please don’t let him realize that the back alleys suit him…
Following the hallway Jeremy had run down…
Hannah returned to the dining room.
“Wow!”
The moment Jeremy sat down…
His eyes grew wide.
“Hmph.”
“If you hadn’t come, I was going to eat yours too.”
Masha huffed.
Jeremy held his pie with both hands.
He simply stared at it.
Normally…
Half of it would already be gone by now.
“I guess Teacher was really worried about you.”
Masha looked at Jeremy’s pie too.
“……”
On top of Jeremy’s pie…
The cherries had been arranged into the shape of a sword.
It was a little crooked.
“…It’s crooked.”
His words sounded grumpy.
Yet…
The corners of his lips twitched upward.
He couldn’t bring himself to take a bite for a long time.
Because…
The pie held feelings too precious to swallow so easily.
“Ah…”
“The weather is wonderful.”
Hannah lay comfortably on a picnic mat spread across the grassy hill, enjoying the warm afternoon sunshine.
Her pillow…
Was Masha’s teddy bear.
That was only possible because Masha’s love for the teddy bear had faded a little…
No.
Quite a lot.
“Masha!”
“Even if you catch a mouse, you’re absolutely not bringing it home!”
In the distance…
She spotted Masha digging through the ground.
Over the past few days…
His hobby had completely changed.
The little boy who once loved playing with dolls…
Now spent his time catching insects and mice.
Hannah was exhausted from constantly stopping him from bringing strange creatures back.
“Jeremy!”
“Climbing trees is dangerous!”
Jeremy was just as energetic as ever.
He had recently become obsessed with climbing trees.
First he climbs trees…
Then he’ll climb people’s walls…
Then he’ll break into safes…
Her imagination continued growing wilder and wilder.
Hannah quickly shook those thoughts away.
“Ian!”
“Come get some sunshine!”
She called toward Ian, who still hadn’t stepped outside the orphanage building.
“…I’m exhausted.”
“So exhausted.”
Hannah wriggled across the mat like a caterpillar.
Simply watching the children drained all her energy.
“I think I need some vitamins.”
She briefly wondered whether this world sold anything like vitamins.
“Teacher!”
Just then…
Masha came running over with a bright smile.
“Come over here!”
“What is it?”
“What’s wrong?”
Holding both of Hannah’s hands…
Masha eagerly pulled her along.
Hannah immediately became nervous.
What trouble has he gotten into this time?
“There’s something strange over there!”
“Something strange?”
Masha pointed toward the tall grass.
Hannah immediately tensed up.
Please don’t tell me it’s another dead mouse…
She let him lead the way.
“What could possibly be over—”
When they reached the grass…
Something really was there.
“An egg?”
A perfectly round egg lay on the ground.
It was slightly larger than a chicken egg.
Unlike an ordinary egg…
It was almost perfectly spherical.
“Will a little chick hatch from it?”
“Uh…”
“Hmmm…”
Looking closer…
There were strange patterns on its shell.
That’s definitely not a normal chicken egg.
“There’s no way it’s a chicken!”
“Let’s roast it and eat it!”
Jeremy rushed over with sparkling eyes, like a predator spotting prey.
“I found it first!”
“So it’s mine!”
“If you keep it, it’ll never hatch.”
“If I sit on it, it will!”
“Are you stupid?”
“What did you say?!”
The two boys argued.
Then…
They both turned toward Hannah.
Hannah blinked.
Honestly…
She had no idea.
The warm sunshine had only made her sleepy.
Feeling their expectant stares…
She hurriedly gathered herself.
“Umm…”
“That egg is…”
What is it?
Can humans even hatch eggs by sitting on them?
Maybe…?
Or maybe not…?
She wasn’t sure at all.
“Well…”
“Since Masha found it first…”
“We’ll do what Masha wants.”
“Then I’ll sleep with it every night!”
Masha jumped up and down happily.
“Hmph.”
“Don’t cry later when nothing comes out.”
Jeremy snorted.
But Hannah felt uneasy.
What if something really strange hatches from it…?
Once again…
A mysterious egg had thrown another unexpected problem into the orphanage’s already chaotic daily life.
That night…
“Masha.”
“If you sleep with it beside you like that… won’t you crush it?”
Hannah asked worriedly while closing the curtains.
Masha had placed the egg beside his pillow and even tucked it under the blanket.
“I’ll sleep carefully!”
“You’re saying that…”
“But you’re not exactly someone who stays still while sleeping.”
Even when Masha fell asleep normally…
He somehow always woke up with his head and feet completely reversed.
There was no way the egg would survive beside him.
“Why are you covering it with a blanket?”
Masha had placed the skull next to the egg…
And covered it as well.
“So the skull won’t get cold!”
It doesn’t even have flesh…
It can’t feel cold…
“I… see.”
Hannah truly wanted to live honestly.
But there were simply too many truths she couldn’t bring herself to tell children.
“How about putting it on a separate blanket instead?”
She was desperately trying to avoid washing egg-covered bedding tomorrow.
“Hmmm.”
Masha seriously considered it.
“Wouldn’t it be sad if the little chick never got to see the world because you rolled over it?”
“That would be bad.”
“Remember…”
“This morning you woke up with half your body hanging off the bed.”
“Hmm…”
Masha frowned.
Apparently…
He remembered.
That morning…
He had practically been sleeping with only his upper body still on the bed.
Anyone who didn’t know better would’ve thought he had been praying on his knees all night.
“Okay!”
The moment Masha agreed…
Hannah quickly spread a soft blanket on the floor beside the bed.
Just in case he changed his mind…
She made it look as comfortable as possible.
“There.”
“How about this?”
“What if I step on it?”
She immediately moved it farther away.
“How about here?”
“I won’t be able to see it.”
“What if it hatches while I’m not looking?”
She moved it again.
“There.”
“This spot is perfect, right?”
“Yes.”
A moment ago you wanted to sleep hugging it…
Now you’re being so picky.
Carefully…
Hannah lifted the egg with both hands and placed it on the blanket.
“How’s this?”
“Please cover the egg with the blanket.”
“Alright.”
He’s treating me like his servant now…
Still…
Thinking about having to wash egg-soaked bedding…
Hannah smiled brightly.
“There.”
“Now both Masha…”
“And the little chick can sleep well.”
“Yes!”
Masha pulled his blanket all the way up to his chin.
The skull still occupied the place beside him.
Even after Hannah blew out the candle…
Masha continued staring anxiously at the egg wrapped in its blanket.
Whoosh.
That night…
It was an uneasy night…
For both Masha…
And Hannah.
