059
Carrying a heavy pouch, we left the bank and headed straight to pick out gifts.
“I think I’ll get this.”
Brother Mikard chose a plate-shaped magical device.
It was called a Rond. When you press the center and say your name, it recognizes the owner and activates. It floats in the air and records its surroundings.
Apparently, it’s a special magical tool that captures moments.
It could even send footage over long distances, so it was used in the military. The moment I heard that, I immediately thought about using it to film whales.
‘It was ridiculously expensive, though.’
Brother Mikard, however, seemed unfazed.
Is that how much gifts usually cost?
“Now, it’s Chubby’s turn to pick a present.”
“Mm!”
“Do you have anything in mind?”
I actually had a few ideas, but…
“A handkerchief…?”
I hesitated, wondering if it was too insignificant as a gift.
But since a handkerchief is something one always carries, I thought it might be useful.
Brother Mikard quickly dismissed my worries.
“What? That’s an amazing gift!”
“…Really?”
“Yeah! He’s going to love it! A handkerchief might even be the perfect gift!”
“Really?”
It didn’t have to be the best gift.
But when I imagined the Admiral happily receiving it, I felt a surge of confidence.
“Then let’s go over there. There’s a shop that sells various fabrics imported from foreign lands.”
“Will they have unique cloth?”
“They might even have something like a snakeskin handkerchief.”
No, that’s a bit much.
Not only would that be sad for the snake, but it probably wouldn’t absorb anything well.
“Welcome!”
We entered the shop, and after carefully looking around, I chose a sleek, jet-black handkerchief.
It had a jellyfish embroidered in blue thread on the edge, which I found incredibly charming.
“We can embroider a name on it as well. Would you like that?”
“Um… yes!”
“What name should we inscribe?”
“My name. Shupetty.”
I liked the Admiral.
So, I wanted him to carry something with my name on it.
That way, it would feel like I was always close by.
“Alright, we’ve bought everything, and nothing went wrong either.”
Since we had spent a long time at the bank, by the time we left the handkerchief shop, the sun was already setting.
Now, it was time to head home… but—
‘Come to think of it, I know this street.’
As I stepped down the stairs, I suddenly stopped.
I hadn’t noticed when we first entered the shop, but now that everything was done, the surroundings caught my attention.
“Chubby?”
“If we keep going straight down this road…”
“Yeah?”
“…There’s something there.”
A long-forgotten memory suddenly surfaced like a rising bubble.
A straight road I had walked, starving and weak.
A time when I was too hungry to think straight.
Walking, walking, and walking… until I reached a certain iron gate.
And then, there was that warm voice that spoke to me. The steaming carrot soup.
‘I was told I couldn’t return to the Carrot Class anymore.’
It’s not that I wanted to go back to living at the daycare.
I had found a precious family now.
The Pashayen estate was my home.
‘Still…’
I missed them.
I wondered how my friends and teachers were doing.
“Is there somewhere you’d like to visit?”
“Huh?”
“You seem like you have a place in mind. Just tell me, and I’ll take you there.”
Would that be okay?
Would I get in trouble?
I hesitated, unable to say it easily, and just pursed my lips.
Then, suddenly, brother Mikard confidently stepped forward.
“Hey, Chubby. Do you know who I am?”
“… Brother Mikard?”
“That’s right. I’m Mikard Pashayen. No matter where you want to go, I’ll take you there. So don’t worry and just tell me. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Wow, that was cool.
Feeling a lump in my throat, I rubbed my nose and mumbled in a muffled voice.
“I want to visit the daycare again.”
“Alright, let’s go. But… it’d be weird to go empty-handed. Should we bring some gifts?”
His navy-blue hair shimmered under the warm sunset light.
His mischievous amethyst eyes reflected the golden glow, making his expression look gentle.
He had the kind of warmth that made you trust him just by looking at him.
Holding his hand tightly, I just nodded.
It felt like it would be okay.
***
The Blub Blub Daycare was a place that took in and raised children who had lost their parents due to pirate raids.
It was located on the outskirts—practically at the edge—of Pellun. Since the Pashayen family had built it themselves, the building was large and sturdy.
The front yard was spacious enough to raise sheep and even have a vegetable garden.
Compared to other daycares across the country, it had relatively good conditions.
There were a total of seven such daycares in Pellun.
If you counted across the entire Pashayen territory, there were more than forty.
Not all of the children had lost their parents due to pirates. Some were simply abandoned because their families couldn’t afford to raise them.
At Blub Blub, about 300 children lived there, with only six teachers in total.
One of them was in charge of the kitchen, which meant that the number of caretakers was severely lacking.
Each teacher was responsible for nearly 60 children.
But since the welfare budget was limited, there wasn’t much that could be done to provide more support.
“If we receive more funding, it means other daycares will get less.”
“That’s true. But at least the Admiral promised to send talented children to the academy. That’s something to be grateful for.”
While preparing dinner for the children, the teachers whispered to each other.
It would be a lie to say it wasn’t difficult, but the teachers took pride in their work and endured it no matter what.
Not long ago, the Admiral of the Pashayen family personally reached out and asked them to submit a list of children eligible to attend the academy.
What an incredible opportunity!
And it was all thanks to Chuu.
“I’m relieved to hear that Chuu is doing well.”
“Yes, although she was never the type to have trouble adjusting.”
“I miss her…”
That little baby with pink hair and a tiny, delicate face.
Chuu, who used to eat so much, had now found herself in a place where she could have all the delicious food she wanted.
Even after moving into the estate and becoming a noble lady, she never forgot about them. She would regularly send snacks, which they deeply appreciated.
“Teachers! Teachers, come outside!”
At that moment, the dining hall doors burst open, and one of the children came running in, gasping for breath.
Just as someone was about to scold them for slamming the door—
“Presents! There are presents! And Chuu is here!!”
Everyone froze on the spot.
Speak of the devil, and she appears!
***
Kate, the teacher of the Carrot Class at Blub Blub Daycare, stared in shock at the pile of gift boxes filling the front yard.
More than ten carriages had arrived, unloading box after box with no end in sight.
Even the children who had been eating rushed outside, hopping up and down in excitement.
The kitchen staff, still holding a ladle in one hand, were too stunned to speak.
What was happening?
Then, finally, a pure white carriage pulled in.
It was unmistakable—one of the grand, elegant carriages used exclusively by the Pashayen family.
Gulp.
As the door opened, Kate found herself holding her breath.
She wasn’t sure why she felt nervous.
Was it because it felt like someone from an entirely different world had arrived?
“Teacher!!”
“Chuu—no, Lady Shupetty!”
But the small child who came tumbling out of the carriage was exactly as Kate remembered.
She was now wearing expensive clothes that couldn’t even be compared to what she had worn at the daycare.
Even the sparkling hairpin on her head looked too precious to touch!
Yet her bright, cheerful smile was still the same.
She hadn’t changed at all.
“Oh my, what’s all this? Are you healthy? Have you been doing well?”
Kate, her voice trembling, spread her arms wide and scooped Shupetty into a warm embrace.
Only then did she notice Mikard, who was clearing his throat behind them.
“Well, since my little sister used to live here, bringing gifts was the least I could do.”
“My goodness.”
“I wasn’t sure what the kids here would like, so I just bought out three entire stores filled with dolls, snacks, and books.”
“……..…!”
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Mikard slowly looked around the daycare grounds.
‘They’ve taken good care of this place. You can tell how much love went into it.’
Before meeting Shupetty, he had never paid attention to places like this.
Managing the family’s affairs wasn’t his responsibility, nor was it something he had ever needed to learn about.
But now, he was curious.
What kind of place had Shupetty lived in before coming to the estate?
Who were the teachers and children who had been part of her world?
Why had she ended up here in the first place?
At that moment, Mikard’s world expanded—because of love.
