Chapter 130

Chapter 130 – Bear-san Takes Anzu To The Orphanage

The next day, I was waiting for Terumi-san at my home .

「Good morning . Am I late?」

「No, you are right on time . Well then, I will be counting on you today . 」

Yesterday, I told Terumi-san that Anzu had came to Crimonia, and asked her to accompany me today . I was worried that she would refuse because of her job, but she gladly accepted .

「What about the eggs?」

「It’s okay . My daughters are helping, and Liz is there, too . It might take them a while, but they will do it properly, so no need to worry . 」

It was fine, then . I was always relying on Terumi-san for practically everything work related .

We went to the dorm and found all the women there, relaxing on the first floor .

「Ah, Yuna-san, good morning . 」

Anzu, who was sitting on a chair and having a drink, noticed us entering .

It didn’t take long for the other girls to notice and greet us, too .

「Did you sleep well?」

「Yes, I slept like a log . The bed is great and really soft . 」

「Yuna-chan, can we really use these rooms?」

「And not be charged for using them?」

「Even though you told us we will also get a wage…」

「Are we possibly going to be doing some strange jobs or something else like that?」

They all intently looked at me .

「I will properly pay you, and you won’t be working any strange jobs . We will properly discuss your salary and what you will be doing soon, so please don’t worry about it . You are also free to refuse if you don’t want to do it . 」

Well, there was a saying that fits this situation very well . ‘Some things are too good to be true . ’ It was normal for them to be worried .

I also didn’t really know how employees were treated in this world .

I once overheard that an apprentice was given food, clothing, and shelter, but no wages .

It probably depended on the employer, but I would definitely pay them wages .

「So, Yuna-san, who is this person?」

When Anzu asked who Terumi-san was, I told her that she was the mother of Fina and Shuri, whom she had met in Mireera, and that she helped me with the store, mainly anything related to finance .

I then introduced everyone else, starting from the oldest, Nifu-san, and ending with Anzu .

With introductions out of the way, we sat down and started to talk about the future .

「Well then, I will summarize your jobs, okay? If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask . 」

I proceeded to briefly explain their jobs .

Anzu would be in charge of the restaurant and its menu while the others would help both at the restaurant and at the orphanage .

Some children would be sent to help the restaurant, too .

There would be six work days a week and one day off; the same as the 『Bear-san’s Relaxing Shop』 .

「I’m in charge……」

「You don’t have to worry; Terumi-san and I will help you, too . 」

I added my name, but it would be mostly Terumi-san who would help them .

Next to me, Terumi-san showed a bitter smile . Had she read my mind?

「Anzu, you just have to make food the way Deiga-san does . 」

「…I will do my best . 」

She said with a small nod .

「Anzu-chan, when you make the menu, you should also make a list of the ingredients and their amounts, so we can discuss the selling prices with them in mind . 」

「Okay . 」

Anzu answered with an earnest expression .

「Hmm, I want to check out the ingredients myself, so could you tell me where the shops are?」

「Sure thing . I will take you to my recommended meat and vegetable sellers after this . 」

Anzu thanked Terumi-san .

「I just have to follow Anzu-chan’s orders, right?」

「Yeah, I plan on leaving everything to Anzu . 」

「Ugh, I have so much work…」

「Anzu-chan, if you need help with anything, just tell us . We will do our best to help you . 」

「Okay . 」

Anzu happily looked at her seniors .

After that, we moved on to the salary, and the use of the dormitory and the restaurant .

Nobody complained about the salary Terumi-san suggested .

On the contrary, they were even saying things like: “Is it really okay to receive that much?”

「Anzu, don’t regret agreeing to this amount later, okay?」

「Wh-why would you say such a thing?」

「Anzu, you, who inherited Deiga-san’s cuisine, are more amazing than you think . You should be more aware of your skills, you know . 」

She should have a lot of customers, I imagined .

Well, on the other hand, I might be wrong, and nobody would come .

Still, Anzu had been taught by Deiga-san, who made very delicious meals, so I didn’t think that could really happen .

It might just take a while for the news to spread .

「My father’s cooking is delicious, indeed, but my skills aren’t there yet…」

「The meals you had prepared were delicious enough, you know . You should be more confident in yourself . 」

「Th-thank you very much . I will do my best . 」

「That’s why, even if it gets really busy, your salary won’t increase, okay?」

「I-I understand . 」

I told Anzu her salary wouldn’t increase, but I was still planning on increasing it if the number of customers got high . We had to increase the funds for Anzu’s marriage, after all .

It wouldn’t matter whom she married since she wouldn’t be troubled over money .

After we finished discussing things about the restaurant, we went on to talk about the orphanage .

I told them that some of the children were raising cluckers while others were helping at the bakery .

「So, Yuna-san, what will we be doing at the orphanage?」

「Will we help taking care of the birds?」

Nifu-san asked .

「Well, basically, you will be taking care of the youngest children . With the number of children increasing, it has become really difficult for the headmistress to take care of them by herself . You will take care of the babies and other children up to six years old; I normally just call them the youngest group . 」

「We just have to take care of the children?」

「We will have to discuss it with the headmistress and the other person in charge first, but yeah . 」

It wouldn’t be good if I was the only one deciding; we had to discuss it with the people who were actually working there, or we could trouble them .

「I would also like for you to help them with their studies; reading and writing, and simple math . 」

Terumi-san said .

She was right; it was very important for the children to study .

The children were already studying during their free time, but with their increasing numbers, there just weren’t enough people to help them all .

If they couldn’t read or write, they could be tricked by some written contract .

If they couldn’t count, they could be tricked during a transaction .

For any kind of job the orphans wanted to have in the future, they would need those basic skills .

The conversation carried on, and we decided to all go to the orphanage to meet the headmistress and the children before going to the restaurant .

It would soon be time for lunch . At this hour, only the headmistress and the youngest group would be at the orphanage, but soon the children taking care of the cluckers would come back to have lunch . I wanted for us to meet before that .

We entered the orphanage, and found the headmistress and the youngest group in the living room .

The headmistress was surrounded by children and reading them a picture book .

「Yuna-san, welcome . 」

「Headmistress, good morning . 」

The children noticed me and rushed over .

They clung to my tummy, arms, and legs .

If I didn’t have the Bear Equipement, I would have been pushed down, but thanks to it, I was able to properly catch all the children .

Nifu-san looked at the children with a warm gaze .

「Why do you come here today? Also, who might the people behind you be?」

I briefly introduced everyone, then told Headmistress all about the restaurant and the dormitory next door .

「I also asked them to help at the orphanage in addition to helping at the restaurant . 」

「You did?」

The headmistress’s voice rose a bit in surprise .

「Since the number of children increased, it has became difficult for you, right? Liz-san is also having a hard time just by managing the children who are taking care of the cluckers . 」

「I’m thankful for your concern, but we’re okay . The children are all well behaved, and since Terumi-san and Yuna-san are helping us, I don’t think of it as difficult . 」

Even though she said that, I was able to see that it was indeed difficult .

The difficulties might have changed from when I first came here, but that didn’t mean it had gotten any easier . Honestly, the only thing Terumi-san and I had done was give work to the children .

「We would be troubled if you collapsed, Headmistress . That’s why you have no right to refuse our help!」

「The headmistress will collapse?」

「Headmistress…」

The moment I mentioned Headmistress collapsing, the children, who were still clinging to me, rushed to her and grabbed her clothes or clinged to her arms in worry .

Headmistress, who was just rushed at by all the children, didn’t waver a bit and received the children properly .

She might be stronger than me, even without the Bear Clothes…

「Don’t worry . I won’t collapse . 」

The headmistress, seemingly troubled, patted their heads in order to soothe them .

It was a really heartwarming sight, worthy of putting a smile on my face .

「Headmistress, for the sake of the children’s smiles, you mustn’t collapse . I will help you so that it won’t happen . 」

「Yuna-san… Thank you very much . 」

Headmistress accepted, so I tried to leave before the clucker group came back, but the women started to talk with Headmistress and play with the children .

Were they possibly reminiscing about their own deceased children?

Only Anzu stayed by my side, not knowing what to do .

It was almost lunch time, so the children in charge of cooking should be coming back soon; the moment I thought about that, the door opened, and Liz-san and a few children entered .

「Yuna-san and Terumi-san?」

Liz-san looked at us, surprised .

「Good work, Liz . How did it go?」

Terumi-san asked about their work .

「We properly delivered the eggs to the guild . 」

「Thank you . 」

「It’s okay . Why are the two of you here, though? Also, who are these people?」

The children who came looked at the women who were playing .

I explained the same way as I explained to Headmistress .

「Really?」

「It’s been difficult on you and Headmistress, Liz-san . 」

「It’s difficult, but thinking back on how it was before Yuna-san helped us, it’s not really that difficult at all . Back then, it was very difficult to even live . We didn’t have any food, and even though we did our best, we were hardly able to procure any at all . But it’s different now . It’s still difficult, but if we do our best, we can procure food and feed the children . It’s all thanks to Yuna-san, that we can have a delicious meal every day . That’s why we can do our best even though it’s difficult . 」

Liz-san’s thoughts were similar to Headmistress’s .

Really, these two… It would be very troublesome if they collapsed, but they didn’t realize it at all .

Well, the children were all well behaved, but there were still a lot of them, so Headmistress and Liz had a hard time taking care of them all .

「Well then, we will go and prepare lunch . Will you eat here?」

I looked around the room .

The women were happily playing with the children .

We wouldn’t be able to leave like this…

「Can we?」

「Yes, I will prepare enough for everyone . 」

Liz-san started to head to the kitchen with the children .

「Excuse me . Can I help you, too, please? . 」

Anzu requested .

「Hmm, you are?」

「I’m Anzu, and I will be working at Yuna-san’s place from now on . I can’t take care of children, but I can cook!」

Liz-san looked at me with a troubled expression .

She was probably thinking something like: “Is it really okay to ask a guest to cook for us? Can’t I just refuse her?”

「Anzu, we have a lot of people who will eat dinner, so can you please help Liz-san?」

「Okay!」

When I said that, Liz-san smiled at Anzu .

「I’m counting on you then, Anzu-san . 」

Anzu happily went to the kitchen with Liz-san .

Terumi-san and I decided to stay in the living room and play with the children until the food was ready .

The children were all full of energy . I was sure that without the Bear equipment, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with them for more than a few minutes .

Headmistress and Liz-san were really incredible for dealing with them everyday; it would be impossible for me .

It wasn’t long before a delicious smell drifted from the kitchen and the children taking care of the cluckers returned .

Soon, the meals prepared by Anzu were lined up on the table, and we all ate them together .