“…I thought you were coming to my territory with the little ones.”
“What am I going to do there? Do you want me to work for free and do chores to repay you for everything you’ve done?”
Reiru said it jokingly, but Gio looked at him with an extremely displeased expression, to which Reiru responded with a bitter smile.
“I know. You wouldn’t say such things.”
Although he said it jokingly, Reiru didn’t mind working for free.
But Gio wouldn’t treat Reiru like that.
The only thing that Gio had insisted on over and over until now, was to warn Reiru that he was putting off taking care of himself. Because of this, the children at the orphanage became concerned about the amount of food Reiru ate and even the amount of sleep he got.
Even when handing out the souvenir sweets that Gio brought to the children, Reiru had to promise to check in with Gio to ensure he had eaten his portion properly.
Once Reiru was caught lying saying, “I ate earlier,” and from then on, Gio wasn’t convinced until he ate right in front of him.
Reiru had said he would eat it later and when he tried to put it away in his desk drawer, Gio took it from him, unwrapped it, held it out to Reiru’s mouth, and was met with a strange threat, “If you don’t eat it obediently, I’ll feed it to you from my own mouth.”
Reiru wasn’t interested in food. Sometimes he even found it troublesome to be hungry. Although he found the sweets tasty when he ate them, he had no desire to eat them and take away the children’s share.
But Gio deliberately ignored Reiru’s complaints.
Gio always brought enough sweets to go around for all the children plus Reiru. But seeing the joy of the children, Reiru would rather feed someone else extra later than eat it himself.
For example, he would rather feed them to a child who was having a hard time, or another child who shared their sweets with the younger children, just like Reiru.
Gio was well aware of this and said, “I bought extra, so make sure you eat your share.”
Gio wouldn’t smile at all, and he had a sharp tongue. Still, he always cared for me.
Reiru believed that Gio’s consideration was an application of the fairness he possessed. With his fairness, Reiru thought that Gio intended to continue to support him along with the children.
If Gio became a nobleman and Reiru followed Gio to the orphanage in his territory as Gio said, Gio would not let him work for free, but instead would try to overpay him. He had a feeling it would be like that.
That’s why he felt like he shouldn’t stay.
“Gio, you don’t have to take care of me anymore. Don’t worry, I too can at least provide for myself. And what the princess and these people said was probably right; I’ve only been in your care, and I’ve done nothing for you.”
Gio’s eyes darkened as he listened to Reiru’s words in silence.
His aura was eerie, like the calm before the storm. Reiru, who was clearly trying to separate from Gio, was the deciding factor as to whether or not the storm rolled in. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
The companions examined the two with uneasy thoughts.
“Y-young man, we were wrong about that. There is nothing wrong with you. Gio really cares about you, you know.”
The swordsman vehemently argued in frustration.
Gio is in love with you. That’s why, please go home. If you like, you can even follow him to his territory and stay in the mansion. Men can’t marry each other, but if it was Gio, he’d have you by his side as his partner, and he won’t keep any other women either.
The swordsman wanted to say so, but as expected, that would have been too intrusive. As a result of him being careful with his words in order to not reveal Gio’s feelings, he felt ashamed that he could only talk about something that had no heart.
“I don’t think it’s my fault, or that you guys are wrong in particular. And I have already said Gio doesn’t have to take care of me anymore… I am satisfied with him just taking care of the children.”
Taking care of the children in the orphanage while doing the unaccustomed territory management may be a difficult challenge at first.
But with Willie around, the children would be organized. Also according to the rumors on streets, the princess was already supporting the orphanage in the capital, so she would probably also help in hiring people and managing the orphanage.
The swordsman couldn’t help but groan when he heard Reiru’s quiet claim.
Reiru had already detached himself from everything. Reiru had no attachment to Gio or the orphanage, to the point that it was pitiful for Gio. Was it necessary for him to be there or not? That’s all he’s focusing on.
In fact, listening to him talk about his resolute future plans before coming here was heartbreaking.
Reiru left the orphanage where he had lived for so many years without telling anyone, without the money the princess had given him, and moved to a strange land alone without family or friends, where he once again lived a simple, ordinary life.
When Gio came to pick him up, he didn’t show the slightest sign of attachment for the life he had lived before, and just asked him to take care of the children.
To make matters worse, it was none other than the hero’s party themselves who once told him that it was how things should be.
The swordsman wondered at how much he had disrespected this young man’s life by saying that. In the face of Reiru’s selflessness, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.
The swordsman really regretted it.
With his dull blond hair trimmed short enough to see his ears, one could tell that Reiru was too worn out to be a lively and pleasant young man, but he was much more pleasant than he used to be. Now that he had cut his bangs, his eyes which had been hidden, were now freely exposed to the world with their stunning golden pupils.
While working at this inn, he had changed his hairstyle and clothes, and was now clean-shaven and well-dressed, which obscured his age in a different sense than before.
It was said that he was only a few years older than Gio, so he probably wasn’t older than thirty. He looked young, but he didn’t have the frankness of a young man. But rather, he had a thoughtful calm demeanor about him.
He wasn’t intimidated by the presence of the crown prince or the rest of the group; when he opened his mouth, he spoke his mind in a simple, honest, and unpretentious way without hesitation.
There was an attentive and realistic love for the children in the orphanage, and a deep affection for Gio could be felt.
The swordsman thought that maybe he should have tried to have more conversations with Reiru before he criticised him. Although, it was already too late.
The beastman chimed in, “Hey, Reiru. Don’t the children at the orphanage love you so much? I’m sure they’re sad that you’re gone.”
His voice sounded gentler than usual, and Gio frowned as he thought, “This guy is being overfamiliar.” However, the beastman was good at keeping these kinds of situations under control, so he did not interfere.
“…Maybe that’s the case now. But they’ll forget about me before too long when the next good caretaker arrives. Even the children leave every year; someone gets a job and leaves the orphanage. There are even children who are unlucky and die young. If you get too emotional every time, you won’t be able to hold yourself together. You have to get used to parting ways with people.” This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
Reiru said it like it was nothing.
Having spent most of his life in the orphanage, Reiru’s words were brutally honest. The beastman also held his tongue at this.
The crown prince stood up gracefully and stood in front of Reiru.
“It seems that the young man can’t be persuaded with ordinary methods. I am curious to see how Gio will strike after this, but I have to get back to the castle now.”
“Haa, I’m sorry you had to come all this way.”
The crown prince gently reached around Reiru’s neck and picked up the gold chain that hung there. He smiled softly as he pulled out a pendant that Reiru had hidden under his shirt.
“It’s a beautiful stone. Gold is trapped in the blue stone. Is this a gift from Gio?”
“Y-yes.”
Reiru nodded awkwardly, caught up in the atmosphere of the crown prince.
“I could tell. This is his very wish.”
He whispered with amusement.
“Don’t touch.”
Gio, who was looking out for danger, suddenly pulled Reiru closer.
The chain of the pendant tensed up and Reiru feared it might snap, but the crown prince nimbly let go.
The stone fell back onto his chest and Reiru clasped it tightly.
“Reiru, if you really want to get away from Gio, you can come to me. I’ll protect you.”
“What the hell are you planning?”
“It’s just a vow, don’t worry about it. You should persuade him one after another. That’s your plan anyway, isn’t it?”
The crown prince lightly dodged the angry Gio and smiled at Reiru, “You have my word,” and disappeared.
TN: I changed a bit in chapter 7 because of a reader’s suggestion. It isn’t much though. We are always open readers’ suggestions. Just ping us in discord. But we have exam next month so our response might be slow.
I want to recommend Kieta Hatsukoi drama or manga for those who want fluffy. It’s really fun to watch. Another one is Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko. Both manga and live action are hilarious. I really recommend it. Sorry about my long, unnecessary note. I just really love them.