Chapter 143: A Childhood Promise!
"I see. So you're the boy who hid in the tree with Touka back then."
Shiro's story awakened a memory Kanata had buried many years ago.
"Hm? Wait, you were there too? And you noticed us?!"
"You may not remember, but we met once a long time ago."
The orphanage where Touka lived was called [Wakaba House], and it was funded by the Totokubara Group.
Naturally, members of the Totokubara Group were invited whenever the director celebrated her birthday.
Kanata was a daughter of the Totokubara Family. With nothing else to do that day, she happened to attend the director's birthday party.
That was when she saw the two small figures hiding in the tree during the celebration.
"Shiro, move your head a little. I can't see."
"There's barely enough room to hide. If I move any farther, a branch will stab me."
Rustling came from the sparse ornamental tree, and several leaves drifted down from its branches.
Young Touka lay against Shiro on a fork in the tree. Together, they crouched beneath the cover of its leaves.
It began shortly after they set out.
After Shiro asked Torajirou for leave, the two children began their journey to the orphanage.
However, once they finally reached the entrance after a difficult trip, Touka's gentle nature caused her to hesitate.
She had acted on impulse earlier, but after calming down, she could not bear the thought of seeing disappointment on the face of the woman who had raised her.
"Touka, don't worry about the orphanage. I'll take good care of the children after you leave."
"Come back after becoming a hero everyone can be proud of. The children and I will be eagerly waiting to see what you accomplish."
Mama's words still echoed in her ears.
She had not yet completed what had been entrusted to her.
Could she truly return like this?
The orphanage stood in a remote area. Only a few dim streetlights could be seen along the road.
Touka stood in the darkness, staring at the brightly lit orphanage without daring to move.
She feared the director would ask whether she had become the children's hero.
She was also afraid the children would look at her with disappointment.
The closer she came to the orphanage, the stronger her fear became.
She finally understood why useless children on television desperately wanted to see their families, yet still lacked the courage to return home.
Standing in the night wind, Touka's small face turned red from the cold. She twisted the hem of her clothes and spoke hesitantly.
"Um... Shiro, maybe we should go back. I can leave the doll at the entrance and say a courier delivered it."
"Hah? What nonsense are you saying after coming this far? How could we turn back now?"
The trains had already stopped running.
In this country, anyone under eighteen needed an accompanying adult before a hotel would accept them.
Unless they entered the orphanage or found an adult to book a room, they would have to sleep outside all night.
Shiro's body would probably be fine, but a girl Touka's age clearly could not remain outside in the cold until morning.
She would undoubtedly wake up sick tomorrow.
"But..."
"No buts. You need to learn how to be selfish sometimes, Touka. Children who cry are the ones who get sweets."
"I can't... I really can't do it..."
The children's laughter continued from the courtyard beyond the wall.
Shiro sighed at Touka, who stood with her head lowered as though someone had frozen her in place.
"I understand. It'll be fine as long as the director doesn't discover you, right?"
"Eh? Wait, what are you doing?"
Under Touka's startled gaze, Shiro placed the doll she had worked so hard to make at the orphanage entrance.
Then he ran over and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong~
The laughter inside the courtyard abruptly stopped, as though someone had pressed a pause button.
"Mama! I think someone's here!"
One child shouted first, hoping to display his intelligence and earn more affection from the director later.
"I heard it~ Play here for a while. I'll go open the door."
A gentle woman's voice drifted through the courtyard like a breeze brushing across water.
However, Shiro still did not move.
He carefully listened to the activity inside.
When the sounds of play resumed, he understood that the opportunity had arrived.
It was like a noisy classroom becoming silent when the teacher made an announcement, then immediately returning to chaos once she left.
Seizing the moment while the director opened the door, Shiro kicked off the wall.
Like an agile monkey, he flipped through the air and landed steadily atop it.
"Come up."
Standing on the narrow wall, Shiro extended his hand toward Touka.
His smooth sequence of movements startled her, but she hurriedly took his hand and climbed up.
After finding her balance, Touka looked down and discovered familiar faces playing directly beneath them.
If even one child looked upward, their location would immediately be exposed.
"Wait, this position is far too dangerous...!"
She lowered her voice while speaking, occasionally glancing below in fear that a child might hear her and look up.
"I know. That's why this wall isn't my destination. It's over there."
Touka followed Shiro's finger and saw a five-meter-tall ornamental tree.
When playing hide-and-seek with the other children, she often hid among its branches.
It was certainly an excellent hiding place.
However—
"I can't. With my current condition, I won't be able to jump that far."
Touka shook her head.
She had only recently recovered from her illness. Traveling all this way had already drained most of her strength, let alone jumping such a distance.
"I know. That's why you need to climb on before the director returns."
Shiro crouched on the wall with his back toward Touka.
"Will you really be all right?"
She worriedly examined the distance between the wall and the tree.
She believed Shiro could reach it alone, but he would now be carrying her too.
If he failed from this height, he might break a bone.
"Hurry. Do I really need to say, 'You don't want the director to learn you came back, do you?' before you'll climb on?"
"Why do you always say such strange things?"
Touka complained before wrapping both arms around Shiro's neck and pressing her delicate body against his back.
Her posture made her resemble a tiny koala tightly clinging to its mother.
The girl's breath brushed against Shiro's ear, leaving it slightly itchy.
"We're going."
Shiro supported Touka's pale thighs with both hands.
He bent his knees, kicked off the wall, and displayed astonishing explosive power as he leaped across the distance.
In truth, he was not fully confident he could reach the tree while carrying someone.
However, Shiro had already noticed that the things he wished for had an unusually high chance of occurring.
It had nearly reached the level of having his wishes granted.
Therefore, this attempt would also succeed.
Rustle—
His feet struck the branch heavily, causing the leaves to shake and release a noisy rustling.
Fortunately, the children below assumed it was only the wind. After glancing up curiously, they returned to what they were doing.
Before long, the director returned from the entrance with the doll Touka had made.
The sharp-eyed children quickly noticed it and crowded around her.
"Eh? That looks like Touka-oneechan! Is it a present she sent?"
"That's right. Your Touka-oneechan made this herself."
"Eh? Let me see too!"
"Stop pushing! I want to see it!"
The moment they heard Touka's name, the children became excited.
They pushed aside the friends they had been playing with and competed to see the small doll.
Watching them, Touka's lips curved while she rested on Shiro's back.
A happy smile appeared on her face.
...
The sky gradually darkened.
After playing for so long, the exhausted children returned to their rooms to rest.
Only the orphanage director remained in the courtyard, silently cleaning with a broom.
"You're satisfied now, right?"
Shiro spoke irritably to Touka on his back.
He had been crouching for an entire hour while carrying someone. His legs had already gone numb.
They could have simply rung the bell and entered, yet she had forced him to go through all this trouble.
"Ehehe, I'm sorry."
Touka poked Shiro's cheek with one of the small hands wrapped around his neck.
She knew she had caused him plenty of trouble.
However, someone who normally cared for others had finally experienced what it felt like to be cared for.
She could not help wanting to rely on him a little longer.
"Forget it. But now we can only leave after the director finishes cleaning and goes inside."
Shiro sighed helplessly.
Jumping down from the tree would create a lot of noise among the leaves.
Children might ignore it, but an adult would at least investigate in case it was a thief.
"Uu... Then we can only wait."
Another half hour passed.
"Yawn..."
Touka covered her mouth as she yawned. Shiro's voice suddenly reached her ears.
"Sleep first if you're tired. Once the director leaves, I'll find a hotel willing to accept us."
"I can't do that. You came all this way to help me. How could I be heartless enough to make you wait in the tree alone?"
"Fine. Then stay awake and watch with me."
That was what he said, but Shiro knew children became tired more easily.
Touka was also still recovering.
As expected, she quietly felt the warmth shared between their bodies while resting on his back.
Before long, her breathing became steady.
She pressed her face against Shiro's shoulder and fell deeply asleep.
"Touka? Touka?"
After calling twice and confirming she would not awaken soon, Shiro carefully jumped down from the tree.
He landed directly before the orphanage director.
She was a kind-looking middle-aged woman.
Perhaps caring for the orphans had exhausted her over the years, causing wrinkles to appear early upon her face.
At that moment, she stared in surprise at Shiro, who had suddenly jumped from the tree, and Touka sleeping on his back.
"Shh. Touka doesn't want you to know she came here."
Shiro raised an index finger to his lips before slowly explaining what had happened.
Ultimately, no parent would dislike their own child.
Touka had merely frightened herself at the thought of returning home.
"I see. What a foolish child."
As expected, after hearing everything, the director revealed a gentle smile.
She placed her calloused right hand upon Touka's head and softly stroked her hair.
Seemingly sensing something within her dream, Touka's nose twitched as she released an adorable murmur.
"Although she always appears skilled at caring for others, this child can be surprisingly clumsy in certain situations."
The director had watched Touka's behavior over the years.
As one of the oldest children, Touka constantly tried to become a good example for the others.
Even when she cut herself while helping cook, she never cried like the younger children.
However, that maturity only made the director worry.
She did not want the orphanage to become a burden upon Touka.
After Touka left, the director told her to return once she had become everyone's hero so she would worry less about the children.
By the time Touka truly succeeded, the children would probably have grown up.
They would understand how much she had suffered over the years.
Then Touka could sleep until she naturally woke, just like the others.
She would no longer need to rise at five every morning to prepare their breakfast.
When she saw something she liked, she could finally say, "I want it."
She would no longer force herself to give everything to children who cried and complained.
The director's greatest hope was for Touka to live like an ordinary girl.
She wanted her to cry when she felt sad and laugh when she felt happy, instead of keeping everything trapped inside her heart.
Yet her expectations had unintentionally become pressure.
Touka now had to sneak around carefully merely to return home.
"I'll properly apologize to her later. Thank you for taking care of her during this time."
The director spoke sincerely to Shiro.
"More importantly, I need to ask you to help us find a hotel that's still open."
Until Touka resolved the conflict in her heart, she did not want the children to know she had returned.
Naturally, they could not stay at the orphanage.
At this hour, only the director could help them.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me!"
She revealed a hearty smile and confidently patted her chest.
With the director's help, Shiro soon found a hotel willing to accept them.
He placed Touka, who clung tightly to him, onto the bed.
...
Dawn lifted the thin veil of night and revealed brilliant crimson clouds.
Strands of morning light slipped through the window and hid beneath their eyelids.
"Mm..."
The dazzling sunlight caused Touka's eyelashes to tremble.
She instinctively raised a hand to block it before slowly opening her eyes.
"You're awake. Hurry and eat breakfast. We need to return soon."
"Eh? I fell asleep?!"
Hearing Shiro's voice, the memories of yesterday slowly returned.
Touka, who had still been drowsy, instantly became fully awake.
"Mm. You slept soundly while wrapping yourself around me like an octopus. I couldn't pull you off at all."
"I-I'm sorry!"
Ignoring her slightly disheveled clothes, Touka immediately sat upright and bowed deeply in apology.
"Forget it. Hurry and finish eating. We still need to catch the train and return for today's training."
Shiro waved his hand.
After a while, Touka stared hesitantly at the rice ball on the table.
"Shiro."
"What now?"
"I don't want this. I want a sandwich."
"?"
"Weren't you the one who told me I could be a little selfish?"
She revealed a rare, playful smile.
"Then could you please cherish the person willing to tolerate your selfishness?"
"How about I marry you someday and spend my life taking care of you in return?"
"Hah? You think a mere honey trap can tempt me? I'm a man who intends to build a harem someday."
"What is that?"
"One of life's ultimate dreams."
"Are you an idiot?!"
…
(Don't forget to vote, review, and leave a comment below! :D The more you vote, the more chapters I upload.)
...
Read more chapters(25+):
patréon.com/U22
(Note: Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.)