An Outing With Maiodoru (2)

Freed in exchange for Niku, Maiodoru came over.

Spreading out her handkerchief next to me as I rested in the shade, she sat down.

"Phew… honestly, those children don't hold back at all."

"Well, that's just how it is."

Maiodoru's voice was lively as she said that. Perhaps playing with children her own age really is fun?

"Most of the children here had parents who were adventurers."

"Oh…"

"Had," as in past tense… well, that's probably why they're orphans.

Maybe some of them are children of adventurers who died in our dungeon… Thinking about that makes me feel a bit conflicted.

After resting a bit and catching her breath, Maiodoru turned to face me.

"… Um, this is the orphanage I support. What do you think of it, Kehma-sama? Do you think it's just a publicity stunt?"

"Are you doing it for publicity?"

"No! I would never do it for something like that. It's just, there are people who say that."

"Then isn't it fine?"

Maiodoru seemed somewhat relieved when I said that.

"The orphanage itself existed before, but after I started supporting it, the children told me with smiles that they've been getting more food."

"Children not going hungry is a good thing. That's wonderful."

"Yes… Um, Kehma-sama. I want to continue supporting this place even after I'm married."

"Then you should. Is there a problem?"

"Well… it's a matter of money. Right now I can support them thanks to my father, but once I'm married, I'd have to ask my husband, right? So, Keh—"

"I see, relying on others for money is unstable. Then why not earn it yourself? Better yet, why not use the orphanage to make money?"

Don't you dare say Husband = Me, okay?

Good, let me use this opportunity to subtly show off how stingy I am and get her to dislike me. I still need to get information about the [Divine Pillow] from Vonodoru, so I have to be subtle enough not to be disliked too much.

"Use the orphanage to make money?"

"Yes. That way, even if Mai-sama can no longer provide support, the orphanage could earn money on its own and survive, right? I don't like wasting money, after all."

"But making money from an orphanage would mean… selling the orphans?"

That's immediately where your mind goes? Well, I suppose I'm not one to talk since I've had similar thoughts.

"I'm not saying you should make them slaves. You could legitimately teach them how to do business. That way you won't have to keep giving them money either… Have them run a stall, make small crafts to sell, or cultivate fields. Anything that lets them become self-sufficient would work."

"Become self-sufficient?"

"Wouldn't it be better if the orphans wouldn't starve even if you left them alone? They were surviving without your support before, so even if it fails, they won't die. But thinking of what to have them do is troublesome… Oh, I know. The merchant in my village would definitely do a good job if I told him to 'teach these kids how to do business.'"

Kukuku, behold my callous "just leave the orphans alone" attitude and be disillusioned.

"I see! So I should hire a merchant as a teacher!"

"Huh? Well, that's one way to do it too."

Eh? How did it turn out like that?

… If that's how it is, I'll push even harder with my greedy side!

"You could also lend them the starting capital and collect it back once they make a profit. If things go well, you could even charge interest. That would be great. Well, if it fails, deal with it when it happens."

"Hmm, I see. If they fail, I could just treat it as regular support. I could probably manage the necessary permits on my end too. This sounds interesting."

With the lord's daughter backing them, they could get permits for just about anything. If merchants could run whatever business they wanted as long as they employed the orphans, some might even jump at the chance to invest.

Huh? Would it actually be hard to fail with that kind of backing? Hahaha, no way. Business isn't that simple. Things only worked out by just handing over the money because our village's merchant happened to be exceptional.

But if it actually succeeds, that'd be annoying in its own way. I should rein this in a bit.

"Well, if you just want to let the children play, or if the whole point is the act of supporting them and you want to show it off for popularity, then just handing them money like you're doing now might be better."

"…"

"Mai-sama should do as she pleases. It's not my job anyway."

"… Yes, you're right."

Maiodoru seemed to be thinking about something.

… Hmm, did that work? Or did it fail?

What a hassle. Thinking about it won't get me anywhere, so maybe I should go rescue Niku.

Hey, you brat! That's my hug pillow! Don't try to wipe your boogers on her!

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

After leaving the orphanage, we were walking down a main street with good public order.

We weren't traveling incognito, so there was no need to hide. Just act dignified.

"Kehma-sama, could we stop by that shop?"

"Hm? … A grocer?"

Looking closely, isn't that the shop where I bought an apple a while back? That apple was sour.

"Are you going to buy something? An apple?"

"Yes. Shopkeeper-san, may I have a moment?"

"Welcome… M-Maiodoru-sama! Welcome to my shop!"

As soon as he saw Maiodoru, the shopkeeper straightened up. Considering her face is well known, she must take strolls like this quite often.

"I'd like to have some of that fruit over there, please. As much as this will buy."

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Maiodoru handed the shopkeeper a silver coin.

The shopkeeper moved away from the front of the shop to fetch his inventory from the back.

"Here you go! Please take them with you!"

And he came out with a barrel of bananas… Buying that much, is she going to distribute them? Wouldn't it have been better to buy those before we went to the orphanage?

Also, she doesn't have any other attendants, so am I supposed to carry that? When I glanced to my side, Niku's tail was wagging back and forth as if to say "leave it to me."

However, Mai immediately stored the barrel into empty space using [Storage].

Then she looked at me proudly and said:

"Fufufu, I can use [Storage], you know. I'll have some at home, but it's more than I can eat, so I'll give them to the orphanage next time I visit."

"Oh, that's impressive. [Storage] stops time too, so it's perfect for storing perishable food. It's also convenient for carrying things around."

"… You don't seem very surprised, and you know so much about it. Have you seen [Storage] before?"

That's because I use it all the time. I didn't say that though. It's apparently quite an expensive magic skill.

Umm, let me deceive her with my established cover story.

"I've seen the White Goddess-sama use it."

"… As expected of Kehma-sama."

Shouldn't that be "as expected of the White Goddess-sama"?

When I looked at Niku, her tail, which had been wagging energetically at the thought of carrying the barrel, was now drooping and swaying limply.

Did you want to carry the bananas that badly? Alright, alright. I'll buy a bunch for you too, so cheer up.