New chapter!
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Nono sighed and said quietly,
“This morning, I received the notice.
The village’s wartime mobilization order has come down, and the orphanage’s funding has been cut by seventy percent.”
Her voice faded with each word.
“The original funding was already barely enough…”
Nono thought of Danzo, who had come to the orphanage a few days ago.
Perhaps it was time to agree to his demand.
Yuto’s hand tightened sharply around the cart handle.
“Those bastards at the top…”
He forced out half a sentence through clenched teeth, then swallowed the rest back down.
In the end, he only crouched and gently patted the back of Nono’s hand, which was still covered in dirt.
“It’ll get better.
Once we win the war…”
The moment he said it, he regretted it.
What winner was there in war?
Death notices and compensation payouts could not fill an orphan’s stomach.
They would only create even more orphans.
He suddenly stood.
“I’ll move these supplies into the storage room first.”
Yuto carried the rice and flour into the storage room bag by bag, his movements mechanical and heavy.
The sounds of the children playing reached his ears.
He took a deep breath, forced down the gloom in his heart, and turned around with a smile already on his face.
“Big Brother Yuto!”
Several children hopped over and surrounded him, their little hands tugging at his clothes.
“Play hide-and-seek with us!”
Yuto crouched down and rubbed a little boy’s hair.
“Sure.
Who’s it this time?”
The children cheered, completely unaware that the shadow of war had already fallen over the village.
They pulled Yuto around the yard, and their laughter thinned the heaviness in the air.
He deliberately slowed his steps so a little girl could catch his sleeve.
Her proud laughter was like sunlight breaking through the dark clouds in his chest.
After the game ended, the nuns called the children in for their nap.
Yuto stood at the storage room door, looked at the empty yard, and sighed.
He turned to leave, only to see Nono bending at the well to draw water.
The sunlight gilded the outline of her body.
As she moved, her slim waist and full curves appeared and disappeared beneath the light.
Yuto suddenly felt his throat go dry, and the words Make-Out Paradise flashed through his mind.
Maybe his novel could earn quite a bit of money.
If he donated the royalties to the orphanage, then he would not need to worry even after returning to his old world.
As if possessed, he asked,
“Big Sis Nono, if someone wrote a book about…
you know, intimate stories between men and women, how much money could it make?”
The bucket in Nono’s hand dropped into the well with a thud.
Her cheeks instantly flushed red.
“Wh-What nonsense are you talking about?”
She hurriedly adjusted her glasses, but when she saw Yuto’s serious expression, she suddenly thought of the booming adult businesses in Tanzaku Town.
Her voice dropped.
“P-Probably…
some.”
Yuto’s eyes lit up.
Five days was enough time to rush out a manuscript.
After saying goodbye to Nono, Yuto returned home and spread out the drafts he had already written.
However, his pen hung over the paper for a long time without touching down.
His mind kept filling with images of Nono bending over to tend the seedlings, her slim waist, her dirt-stained fingers, and those melancholy eyes behind her glasses.
“Damn it…”
Yuto irritably scratched his hair.
“Nono is my benefactor.
How can I write her into that kind of book?”
“But my head is full of Nono right now.
A mature woman like that is way too dangerous for me.”
He simply threw down the pen and paced back and forth in his small room.
“This won’t work…”
Yuto suddenly stopped, determination flashing in his eyes.
If he wanted to write a bestseller, he needed to gather proper material.
The moment Yuto opened his front door, he ran straight into Tsukimi, who had been about to knock.
For once, Tsukimi had tied her hair into a high ponytail, and she was holding a bulging bento box.
The instant their eyes met, the tips of Tsukimi’s ears turned pink.
“I-I was just passing by…”
“Tsukimi?”
Yuto guiltily hid the binoculars he had prepared for research behind his back.
“What a coincidence.”
Tsukimi sharply noticed the small movement and looked at the hand he had hidden behind him.
“Where are you going?”
Thinking that he might never return after going to the battlefield, and that this research was only to give the children some security, Yuto decided to tell the truth.
“Tsukimi, I’m going to gather material…”
After hearing his explanation, Tsukimi’s eyes widened.
The bento box hit the ground with a clatter.
“Pervert!”
“It’s for the children at the orphanage!”
Yuto puffed out his chest, though his voice grew smaller as he spoke.
“Writing a book requires material…”
She trembled as she pointed at him.
Her eyes, hidden beneath her bangs, shimmered with tears.
“You actually…
you actually…”
Yuto scrambled to explain.
“All the royalties will go to the orphanage.
Really.”
Tsukimi’s fist was about to land on Yuto’s face, but for some reason, it froze in midair.
The girl’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato, and her voice shrank until he could barely hear it.
“Th-Then at least let me keep watch for you…”
“Huh?”
“If the Anbu catch you, then the children really won’t have any hope.”
Tsukimi stomped her foot and shouted, though she did not dare raise her head to look at him.
Even the earlobe visible through her hair was so red it looked ready to drip blood.
“I-It’s not like I’m worried about you.”
The sky gradually darkened.
Yuto and Tsukimi walked one after another along the path toward the bathhouse.
Tsukimi was so nervous she could almost hear her own heartbeat.
She kept looking around, afraid someone would discover them.
“Hey, why are you walking so fast?”
Tsukimi lowered her voice and grabbed Yuto’s sleeve.
“What if a patrolling Anbu finds us?”
Yuto’s confidence wavered, and he swallowed.
He pretended to be calm and patted his chest.
“Don’t worry.
I know this route very well.”
After turning through several alleys, Yuto skillfully brought Tsukimi to a hidden corner outside the bathhouse wall.
Tsukimi was surprised to discover that the spot had an excellent view while being difficult to notice.
“H-How do you know this place so well?”
Her eyes widened, shock slipping into her voice.
Yuto scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
“Actually…
this isn’t my first time here.”
Tsukimi went pale.
She clenched her fists, and jealousy seeped into her voice no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
“So you often sneak peeks at other girls bathing?”
“No!”
Yuto hurriedly waved his hands.
“Last time was for research too…”
Tsukimi flushed bright red.
She lowered her head, her voice barely audible.
“I-If you really need material…
you could look at mine…”
Yuto froze.
Under the moonlight, he saw Tsukimi’s embarrassed red cheeks and faintly trembling eyelashes.
A warmth suddenly rose in his chest.
He gently patted her shoulder and said sincerely,
“We’re good friends.
How could I write you into that kind of book?”
Tsukimi abruptly raised her head, complicated light flickering in her eyes.
She was moved by Yuto’s thoughtfulness, but the words good friends also left her faintly disappointed.
In the end, she could only stamp her foot in embarrassment and anger.
“Idiot Yuto!
Wh-Who wants to be your good friend?”
Just then, the sound of splashing water and girls chatting came from inside the wall.
Both of them froze at the same time and held their breath.
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