Chapter 127

Bear-san Brings The Picture Books To The Orphanage

When I opened my eyes, I looked left and right, only to see Swaying Bear and Hugging Bear sleeping, curled up like two Manjuus . After caressing them for a bit, I brought them back to my gloves .

I changed into the Black Bear and headed to『Bear-san’s Relaxing Shop』 .

It was now easier to go there since I moved my house closer .

When I entered the shop through the back door, I was greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread .

Inside the room, Morin-san was baking bread with the help of several children . They were doing their best to knead the dough and make pudding .

「Yuna-chan, you’re back?」

「Yeah, I returned yesterday . 」

Morin-san called out to me when she saw me enter while continuing to bake the bread .

Hearing her voice, the children turned my way .

「I understand that you are all happy that Yuna-chan is here, but we still have a lot to do before we open the store, so don’t stop working!」

Morin-san warned the children .

「You guys should listen to what Morin-san says and do your jobs properly, okay?」

Being told so by Morin-san and me, the children returned to their work looking a bit sad .

Morin-san looked at the children with an expression that was saying something like, ‘It can’t be helped . ’

「Morin-san, could I have some breakfast?」

Being able to eat freshly baked bread was the employer’s special privilege, right?

I also had to ask if I could replenish my Bear Box bread reserves with some freshly made bread . It had decreased a lot because of the practice training and the students…

「Of course . You can take whichever bread you want!」

Taking advantage of Morin-san’s goodwill, I decided to take some bread, which had just came out of the oven .

They all seemed delicious .

While I was hesitating on which one to take, the children watched to see which one I would take .

Was some of this bread made by the children?

When I made my choice, some children looked really happy while some others looked sad; they were perfectly divided in two groups .

As one would expect, I couldn’t really eat all the bread the children made, but I still felt sorry for those whose bread I didn’t take .

I wanted to go to the fridge to get some juice, but Karin-san, who saw through my plan, brought me one with a smile on her face .

「Thank you, Karin-san . 」

I accepted the cold fruit juice .

「You’re so popular with the children!」

More than popular, it looked more like baby birds, which embraced you after you gave them food, though .

I looked at the children while eating bread .

「Karin-san, how has the store been doing recently?」

「As you already know, it has been very busy every day . 」

「Do you have enough people?」

「Yes . The children are working hard, after all . 」

When I heard those words, I felt a bit guilty for making these children work so hard .

In this world, it was normal for children to work, though .

Farmer’s children helped with the farm work, merchant’s children helped with commerce . A lot of children were helping their parents with their work; Karin-san was a great example of that .

「They are so hardworking that it makes me embarrassed remembering what I was like during my childhood . 」

When she remembered her past and compared it to the children who were doing their best, a bitter smile came to her face .

「You didn’t help out?」

「That’s right . She was always playing around, after all . 」

Even though I asked Karin-san, someone else answered in her place .

「Mom!」

Morin-san, who had been listening, joined the conversation .

「You see, she was sort of a problem child; she didn’t help at all, no matter how we asked her . 」

「Mom! That was a long time ago…」

「Long time ago, you say… It was only a few years ago, wasn’t it?」

「Big Sis Karin, you weren’t helping?」

The children innocently looked at Karin-san .

「That’s not true at all! I just skipped work sometimes!」

Karin-san did her best to find an excuse .

「You sure it was only sometimes?」

Morin-san was laughing . Was she reminiscing on what Karin-san was like when she was little?

「Mom!」

「Fufu, that was a joke . I’m really happy that you do your best to help me now . 」

「Even someone like me won’t stay childish forever!」

「You’re right . You have learned your father’s way of making bread properly . 」

「Mom…」

The children intruded this hearty atmosphere of the mother and daugher .

「I-I’m also doing my best to learn it!」

「Me too…」

「Me too!」

The children started to show off their work .

「Oh dear, I’m really happy to have so many students . Karin, if you don’t keep improving yourself, these children will surpass you in no time, you know . 」

「I won’t let them!」

Karin-san said and went back to her work .

The children chased after her while Morin-san looked at them happily .

After I finished my breakfast, I went to the orphanage to deliver the picture books .

I entered the orphanage, but no one was nearby .

Oh right, normally, at this hour, both the group that worked at the shop and the group that was in charge of the cluckers, were out . Only the youngest group should be here .

It was a group that ranged from babies to five, six years old children . In this orphanage, the five and six years old children took care of the ones who were younger together with the headmistress .

They were staying in a room on the other side of the orphanage .

I went and found them there .

「Headmistress, good morning . 」

「Yuna-san, you were here?」

「I just arrived . 」

The children all rushed towards me with their short legs .

I patted their heads while approaching the headmistress .

「So, why did you come today?」

「I came to see how the children are doing and brought some souvenirs . 」

「Souvenirs? What kind of souvenirs?」

One of the children who was holding my Bear Hand asked .

「Food?」

「Delicious things?」

「Sorry, it’s not food . 」

「Really?」

The children looked sad .

「It’s not good to be selfish! Thanks to Yuna-san, you can eat delicious food everyday!」

The headmistress scolded the children .

It wasn’t really thanks to me .

It was thanks to the senior group that was working hard to take care of the cluckers .

I only provided the necessary foundations . After that, the children worked hard to get to where they were now on their own .

「Sowwy!」

The children apologised obediently .

「I will bring some delicious food next time, okay? This time, I brought you picture books . 」

「Picture books?」

I took the picture books out of the Bear Box .

「It’s picture books!」

One child took a picture book from my hand .

「Ah, not fair! I want to see it, too!」

「I want it, too…」

「Thank you very much, Yuna-san . 」

「For now, there are only two volumes of the same story, but please do read it to them . 」

I gave the headmistress the last copies of the first and second volume books .

「Oh, these illustrations are really cute . 」

「If you want some more picture books, please talk to Terumi-san . 」

「It’s okay, I’m teaching these children to not be selfish . 」

「Those picture books will help them learn the characters, so I wouldn’t call it selfish . 」

「Thank you very much . Children, you have to thank Yuna-san!」

The children, who were running around and happily fighting over the books, came back and thanked me .

「You should learn properly and not cause trouble to the headmistress, okay?」

The children agreed cheerfully .

(TN: Another short chapter, I know… But, you might be getting a special bonus next week . )