"Nearl, just focus on your race. I'm still here to handle things, so don't worry about the orphanage."
Standing outside the door, Komori Party hugged Nearl close, offering last-minute reminders. But it was clear her words weren't entirely convincing to Nearl.
"Don't overexert yourself. You can't handle all that alone—I was helping you sort through paperwork for ages yesterday."
Nearl didn't mince words, and the moment she said it, Matron Komori's embarrassment became plain to see.
"Um…"
Unable to come up with a retort after a long moment of thinking, Matron Komori released Nearl and, with a huff, began pushing her toward the exit by her back.
"Alright, alright! Time to go."
Nearl could only sigh in resignation as she was ushered out, though she understood the older woman's intentions well enough. Aunt Komori simply didn't want herself or the orphanage to become a burden.
"Children, say goodbye to your big sister Nearl."
After guiding Nearl outside, Komori Party turned back and called out to the dozen or so children who had come to see Nearl off.
The oldest among them was only twelve or thirteen—still young and innocent, yet life had polished them into surprisingly mature souls.
"Teacher Nearl! Have a safe journey!"
One of the oldest children spoke up first. Though the words were simple, they carried her wholehearted blessing.
With someone leading the way, the other children also began openly sharing their own thoughts.
Each message was different, yet without exception, they were all sincere wishes.
"You all take care as well. I've left a study schedule—remember to follow the order on it. It'll help you learn more efficiently."
"Oh, and please help Matron Komori out when you can. Don't let her carry too heavy a load."
Nearl bent down, carefully reminding each of them.
Not one child seemed impatient; they all listened earnestly. If anything, it was Komori Party who couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, that's enough now! Off you go! It's getting late."
Nearl shot her a helpless look as she was cut off. She sighed, straightened up, and finally prepared to leave for real.
"Well then, everyone, I'll come back to see you another time. Goodbye."
With those final words, Nearl called over Ardan, who'd been standing off to the side looking shy all this time, and the two set off toward the station.
Everyone at the orphanage watched her figure recede into the distance until she was completely out of sight.
"Children, your big sister Nearl has left, but she did leave that study plan behind. Make sure you study hard, alright? Grow up to be someone just like her."
Matron Komori dismissed the children and returned to the reception room alone.
Thanks to Nearl's help in clearing the backlog of work, she could finally take a breather.
"Hm? What's this…"
But the moment she sat down, she noticed a large envelope left deliberately on the table by Nearl.
A tan kraft paper pouch—its size and thickness immediately brought one thing to Komori Party's mind.
"No way…"
Her mouth twitching, she opened the envelope.
Sure enough, it was stuffed full with thick stacks of banknotes. A rough estimate put it close to several million.
"This girl… Don't tell me she left all her prize money with me…"
Clutching the thick wad of cash, Komori felt both touched by Nearl's deep care for the orphanage and deeply worried about her well-being.
"Being so hard on yourself… It'll only make people worry, you know, little Nearl. When will you learn to take care of yourself, too?"
--+--
"Nearl, you left so much money with Aunt Komori… What are you going to do for yourself?"
As they walked, Ardan spoke up, her voice tinged with concern.
She had clearly noticed what Nearl had done.
Close to over two-thirds of Nearl's savings were now gone. After factoring in her trainer's share and public expenses from the remaining prize money, there was practically nothing left.
Even though she knew how frugal Nearl was, Ardan still found it hard to imagine how she'd manage from here on out.
"Don't worry," Nearl reassured her with a gentle smile. "I already bought a lot of training gear before—more than enough to last. Accommodation at the academy is free, and so are meals. When you think about it, there's almost nowhere I need to spend money."
Ardan opened her mouth, then closed it again. It struck her just how few desires Nearl seemed to have—so few it hardly felt like she was living in this world at all.
She felt that even if you dropped Nearl into some remote, deep mountain forest, she'd manage to live freely all on her own.
"Speaking of which, Ardan, you don't seem to be blushing anymore. Have you recovered?"
Out of nowhere, Nearl's question shattered Ardan's composure completely.
"You promised not to bring that up!"
Ardan turned her face away, too embarrassed to let Nearl see her expression.
Not that she could help it—not after what had happened that morning.
--+--
Flashback to that morning.
Ardan had been quietly smiling, watching Nearl's sleeping face, occasionally gently stroking her cheek with her palm. The whole atmosphere was warm and tender.
But then, suddenly, the sound of the door opening ruined everything.
Ardan instinctively looked up and saw Aunt Komori stepping inside. She noticed Ardan too.
"Miss Mejiro, why are you sitting here so early? Did you not sleep well last night?"
With that, Matron Komori started walking over.
"W-Wait…!"
Ardan hurriedly reached out to stop her. Nearl was still asleep on her lap—if an elder saw them like this, she'd want to crawl into a hollow tree and hide.
Her attempt worked; seeing Ardan's gesture, Komori Party stopped in her tracks.
But before Ardan could even catch her breath, Nearl—hearing the voices—instinctively sat up.
"Matron, I'm getting up now—Mmh?!"
As Nearl rose, her head bumped straight into something soft and plush above.
The rebound made Nearl instinctively relax her muscles, and she fell back down.
But the force of sitting up had been strong—those soft, bouncy things swayed heavily from the impact. For a moment, the scene became extremely suggestive.
Both Nearl, lying underneath, and Komori Party, standing nearby, saw everything clearly.
For a moment, the meeting room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All three of them seemed to hear an imaginary 'boing' echo in their ears.
"…"
Ardan's brain short-circuited.
If it had only been Nearl who bumped into her, she would've been embarrassed, sure, but not to this extent—she might've even cracked a joke to lighten the mood.
But having an elder present? That changed everything! What was she supposed to do now?!
Mejiro Ardan's thought processes came to a screeching halt.
That was also why she had been bright red and silent during the farewell earlier.
By bringing it up now, Nearl had hoped to distract Ardan and stop her from worrying about the money situation.
It's just… the effect might have been a little too strong.
Nearl, what you're doing right now is downright sneaky.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.