Chapter 3 : Release

“…Luna. Come forward.”

…Huh?

As soon as I heard the name that came out of the director’s mouth, my thoughts froze.

“Wait a minute, Director…!”

When I suddenly spoke up, the director snapped.

“Go back to your place, Saya!”

“Why Luna instead of me…?!”

The children started whispering and looking at me. They must think I’ve gone crazy—a child eager to be expelled.

“It’s the result of the vote. If you really want to leave, go together!”

“Ugh…”

I briefly made eye contact with Luna.

Of course, depending on the situation, I had considered leaving this place with her.

If I were alone, I’d endure it by filling my stomach with tree roots and muddy water, whether I was hungry or thirsty.

But with Luna?

“…That’s….”

That’s a selfish thought.

Right now, I’m just a penniless 7-year-old girl. I’m not in good nutritional condition because I’m starving every day, and the thought of feeding Luna too is, frustratingly, almost impossible.

The director glared at me with cold eyes, then turned away.

“Yes. You know what will happen if you go outside. You’re not that stupid.”

“I’ll vouch for her.”

All the children who were there looked at me.

“…Saya, I’m not in the mood for jokes…”

“I’ll take her place in being expelled. Please give Luna one more year.”

I stared at the director with silent, serious eyes. She must know by now that I’m not joking.

“…Let’s talk. Follow me for a moment.”

Leaving Luna, who seemed like she wanted to say something, behind, I followed her into the director’s office.

“You. Do you know what kind of child I hate the most?”

The director took a pipe out of the drawer and put it in her mouth. I remember that she only smoked it when she was upset or on special occasions.

“…A child with defects?”

“Of course, I hate that too. Even commoners avoid them, let alone the rich.”

She closed her eyes and slammed her fist on the desk.

“It’s the child who kicks away their own opportunity like an idiot! This is the 7th time! 7 times! That child Luna has kicked away her chance to be adopted a whopping 7 times!”

The director inhaled the pipe as if trying to calm her frustration.

Recently, she had to apologize on her knees because Luna kicked the shin of a man who took a liking to her.

“How can I not expel her when she acts like that!?”

…

I was partly to blame for that.

Every time Luna repeated such behavior, I should have scolded her harshly.

My desire to stay together a little longer, a little more, ultimately led to this situation.

“I’ll guarantee it. It won’t happen again.”

“You? How?”

The cause of Luna’s problematic behavior is entirely due to my presence.

If I disappear from the orphanage, Luna will have no reason to insist on staying here.

“I can persuade her. She’ll listen to me.”

“….”

Whoosh—the director exhaled the smoke she was holding in her mouth. She put the pipe back as if she had made up her mind and stood up.

“Okay. I don’t know how you’ll persuade her, but make sure you correct her.”

“…Of course.”

“No! Can’t I go with you? Why does Saya have to leave because of me…!?”

Ah…

I expected it, but Luna still burst into tears.

Her face was covered in tears and snot, and she was crying her heart out.

“I’ll listen to Saya outside. I won’t cry or complain…!”

“Luna.”

“I’ll brush my hair by myself, and…”

“Luna!”

I grabbed Luna’s shoulders firmly and made eye contact.

And I waited calmly until she calmed down.

“…Right now, I don’t have the ability to take you with me. That’s the reality.”

I didn’t lie. I conveyed the reality in front of me plainly, as it was.

“Hic…. Sob…”

As I tried to soothe her crying, I felt like I was about to cry too.

After spending 7 years together, I considered her almost like my own sister, but unless we separated, neither of us could survive.

“Promise me that when the next adoption opportunity comes, you’ll behave.”

“Hic…. Sob, then, Saya, can I see you again?”

I don’t know.

I don’t even know if I can survive, and even if I do, I don’t know if I can meet Luna again.

I don’t know. I don’t know, but I answered like this.

“Yes.”

“So, you have to behave and be adopted into a good place. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

I couldn’t tell her the truth about this.

If I did, I felt like I would break down too.

That evening, Helena made an exception and allowed me to stay until the next morning.

We spent the day as usual, without anything special.

We ate, and I brushed Luna’s hair.

“…What will you do when you go to the capital, Saya?”

“I’m going to enter the academy. I have to become a spirit master.”

“Spirit master…”

It doesn’t matter whether she understands what the academy is or what a spirit master is.

I just wanted to have one more conversation.

I brushed each strand of her hair carefully, to remember the touch that might be the last.

The next morning, after finishing my preparations, I said my last goodbye to Helena.

“Be careful. Watch out for bad adults.”

“What about Luna?”

For some reason, Luna was nowhere to be seen.

“I told her to say goodbye, but she pulled the blanket over her head and lay down. Isn’t it strange? She used to be so attached to you.”

“…No. It’s okay.”

Luna seems to be trying to adapt to life without me quickly. Good for her.

“Wait a minute, Saya. I have something to give you.”

Helena took a pipe out of her pocket and handed it to me.

“This…. I’ve seen this before…”

“The director told me to give it to you. She said she’s quitting.”

“That director…?”

Pipe tobacco was an expensive item, classified as a luxury in Luden.

She, whom I believed to be a thorough villain, left me a small gift.

Perhaps everyone was just struggling to survive.

“Hey, Blacky! Hurry up. What’s the attachment to this hole…?”

The one calling me Blacky is August, who was expelled with me.

As I said, he has a history of biting two orphanage children and leaving scars on their faces.

“August. Still, it’s the place that raised us…”

“Huh, what did you say?”

“Ah…. Nothing.”

The one cowering to August is Gillian, the cripple.

It’s obvious that he’s been bullied by August all along.

“I’ve packed everything. Let’s go.”

A 7-year-old girl, two 6-year-old boys.

First, we decided to head to Luden’s shopping district, where there is a general store, to earn the gold needed to survive.

You might ask, why are we acting together when it would be better to monopolize the gold?

August is a vicious guy, but he’s so well-developed that you’d believe he’s 10 years old.

Compared to him, my body is almost like a skinny skeleton. It would be better to have a guy like this by my side.

More than anything, I couldn’t trust any strangers in Luden.

The problem is Gillian, the cripple. He’s good at math and kind, but the problem is his leg.

Because we were adjusting to Gillian’s speed, it didn’t seem like we would reach the shopping district anytime soon.

“…! I’m so frustrated!”

Finally, August, who burst out, nervously put down his luggage.

“Hey, Blacky. Shouldn’t we just leave a guy like this behind?? We’ll be sundown because of this guy.”

He’s really worked up.

I looked at Gillian’s face, and he looked flustered. He probably knew he was slowing us down.

“Let’s be patient for a bit. I’ll carry Gillian’s luggage. Then won’t we be a little faster?”

“…Tsk.”

Fortunately, because I have the pipe, he has no choice but to follow my words for now.

“T, thank you. Saya.”

Gillian came to my side and said.

“Among the boys, Saya was the nicest to me.”

“Well, we’re in the same situation…”

But, I think I heard a strange word just now.

“Wait, what did you just say?”

“…Among the boys, Saya was the nicest to me… I said.”

“Gillian.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m a girl.”

“….W, what!? I’m sorry…! I didn’t know…!”

..It’s shocking.

Even if I look like this, they thought I was a boy for 7 years.

Should I be upset, or should I be relieved that I haven’t lost my masculinity?

After that, I couldn’t think of anything to say, and Gillian and I walked in silence for a long time.

Did we walk for about two hours? Honestly, my arms were at their limit from carrying Gillian’s luggage as well, but it seems like we’ve somehow reached the end.

“We’re here. You two wait here. I’ll go sell this at the general store.”

“Wait.”

August blocks my way.

“Blacky, if only you know the price, who knows if you’ll cheat us and give us less? I can’t let you go alone.”

August, this damn brat. He doesn’t seem to have any talent for studying, but his head works well in these situations.

“Are you going to follow me?”

August thought for a moment, then tapped Gillian’s shoulder.

“Hey, you go with her. If you try to cheat, I’ll break your other leg, so don’t even think about it.”

Wow…

Can a 6-year-old say something like that?

“If that’s the case, we can just pack our bags and go together.”

“If we go into that kind of back alley with our luggage, we might get robbed and killed?”

Ah. This is Luden. A medieval slum. I didn’t think about that.

“I’ll keep all the luggage because you might run away. So, the two of you go.”

Indeed, the experience of leading boys from a young age seems to have cultivated a way of thinking that is not suitable for his age.

`The pipe is worth at least 30 gold… If you add the bag, the food inside, and all the contents, it should be around 35 gold…?”

“Saya, what should we do…?”

“…Let’s go.”

Sigh. It seems I underestimated August too much. If I had known this would happen, it would have been better to act separately, even if it was a bit risky.

First, I have to sell the pipe and think about the aftermath. If the pipe is worth more than I thought, I can share the gold only with Gillian and run away, even if it’s a bit of a waste of the luggage.

“Blacky, wait a minute.”

He stopped Gillian and me, who were about to take a step.

“What is it this time?”

“I was thinking, and it seems like this is a bit disadvantageous for me.”

Crazy guy, he has a great nose for the smell of gold.

“What do you want?”

He grinned and pointed to my chest.

“Your necklace, I’ll keep it.”

The necklace that I had never taken off my body since I was born.