Memoirs of the Returnee

Young Hearts (2)

When I opened my eyes again, it was Tuesday.

The match had been on Monday, so I had been unconscious for a whole day.

“……Is it fun?”

This place was the infirmary inside the orphanage. I, who was hospitalized, asked the kids who were going ‘beep-beep’ on the opposite bed.

“Uh-huh……”

“……Ugh!”

Berry and Bell. The two were sitting head-to-head, playing a game on a smartphone.

They had been like that since I woke up.

They seemed to have explored the smartphone on their own while it was ownerless, progressing from YouTV to mobile games.

—Game Over.

“No!”

“Ugh.”

“Berry is dead……”

I smirked. Then Berry and Bell looked at me. Their innocent eyes made me feel embarrassed.

I scratched the back of my neck and said,

“I’m sorry.”

I had a good run, but I lost.

To be honest, I couldn’t help it. Who would have known that such a monster would come.

“But still. Promises are meant to be broken. Lies are meant to be told. This is the way of the world-”

“Shion was really cool.”

“Cool.”

Berry and Bell showed their teeth and laughed. There was no sadness or disappointment in their smiles towards me.

Thanks to that, I froze for a moment.

“Like, the bad guy swoops in, bang! bang!”

Berry moved her arms around with an unnecessarily rich expression.

“Right away!”

Bell joined in.

“……Hmm.”

I felt awkward for no reason. I shrugged my shoulders and ran my fingers through my hair.

“But I couldn’t keep my promise.”

I pointed to the smartphone in Bell and Berry’s hands.

“I’ll give you that.”

The eyes of the two kids widened in an instant. A current shot up. Their hair stood on end as if they had become human static electricity.

“Oh, woah-”

“……”

Bell’s cheeks swelled with anticipation, but Berry bit her lip.

“No.”

Then she calmly shook her head. She pushed the smartphone back to me.

“It’s okay.”

“……Why?”

“We’ll lose it when we leave our house.”

It was a very realistic reason. Too much for a child’s mind.

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At an age when it’s not enough to fill only with what you want, without worrying about losing it.

“……”

Seeing my expression, Berry laughed bashfully.

“Berry is okay. It’s not that fun anymore-”

“You. You’re thinking wrong.”

I pushed her forehead with my finger. I forcibly placed the smartphone in her palm.

“It’s not about not taking it because you might lose it, it’s about getting stronger so you it wouldn’t be taken. Why give up without even trying.”

“……Huh?”

Suddenly, Berry’s eyes dimmed slightly. She looked up at me quietly. I spoke as if to grip her gaze.

“Try holding it. Tight.”

Then strength entered Berry’s small fingers.

The smartphone, which was too big for her to hold with both hands, was wrapped in her chubby fingers.

“Even if you’re weak now, you can grow stronger, so it won’t be taken away.”

“……”

Berry bit her lip without a word. She seemed to be holding back her tears, but her cheeks inflated like bread. Her eyes turned watery, and her expression twisted.

She was on the verge of crying.

“If you understand, take it and go. I have things to do.”

As soon as Berry nodded her head, she darted outside. Bell followed her sister without understanding why.

Watching them, I let out a sigh.

“……I’ve grown fond of them for no reason.”

Pointlessly.

But well, we’re parting soon anyway.

I flopped down on the bed.

“Ah…… damn, it hurts.”

My physical condition was worse than I thought. The side effects of Perion were as expected, no, more severe.

“I shouldn’t use this unless necessary.”

I felt it almost instinctively.

If I use it more than twice a week, I will definitely die……

I fell asleep again in no time.

* * *

The next day.

When I woke up late and went out to the corridor, the dormitory of the youth section of the orphanage had turned into a party venue.

“……What’s this?”

I stood dumbfounded and looked around.

A closing party? Like when a store goes bankrupt, and all the remaining items are sold off cheaply.

But the supervisor and Dent, and even the guys in the youth section, all seemed strange. Each of them had a smile on their lips.

“Hey, Shion!”

Then Telrun called me. Everyone in the lobby turned to look at me.

I asked him.

“What’s this party about?”

Telrun grinned and spoke.

“We’re celebrating because we’re moving the orphanage to the countryside.”

“……Countryside?”

My eyes widened slightly.

“Yeah. It’s not a complete shutdown.”

“……”

Moving to the countryside.

That was a story that didn’t exist in the future.

Not only was it completely shut down, but the orphans here were scattered all over the continent.

“But it seems like the scale will be much smaller. Probably only kids up to 9 or 10 years old will go…… We’ll be independent as we are.”

Telrun gave a small smile. The nameless guys in the youth section also approached me one by one.

They awkwardly started conversations and sent awkward glances. Their meaningless actions contained gratitude. There was goodwill. There was also regret.

“It’s thanks to you.”

Telrun, who said that, seemed to reminisce for a moment and then looked at me.

“You were amazing. You were so fast, weren’t you? Honestly, it’s almost like you won, right? Your opponent was too-”

“When was this decided?”

I cut off Telrun’s words. Then Dent, who had approached unnoticed, answered instead.

“It was decided at the Libra headquarters this morning. We found out in the morning. The kids are taking the bus that comes at lunch, and we’re staying here until it is demolished.”

“……But why is it thanks to me?”

I was puzzled. Honestly, I was dumbfounded.

Why was this sudden development because of me?

“The youngest one…… Lady Zia herself mentioned you. She said she was impressed by your fighting spirit.”

Zia, me?

My mouth fell open in surprise. Dent laughed and patted my shoulder.

“Surprised, huh? Well, I did tell you. If you work hard, you’ll be rewarded. But where’s your luggage? We have to go now.”

“……Huh?”

“Your luggage, I said.”

“Ah. I don’t have anything like that.”

I shook my head.

There’s really nothing I need to take with me.

……No, wait.

There is one thing.

The Ascal sword that has been handed down from my grandfather’s generation.

Well, I can just pick that up from the dormitory later.

Dent said.

“Alright then. The bus that will take the kids is coming soon. Let’s head to the playground.”

* * *

The playground of the orphanage.

The eldest son, Derek, was indeed swift. Already, architects and technicians were gathering, discussing the demolition method.

I sat in the stands with Telrun, watching them.

“The kids are coming out.”

Small children began to line up and come out from the infant dormitory.

Wearing yellow hats on their heads, yellow bags on their backs, each holding hands tightly, their heads bobbing up and down, they looked like little penguins.

The playground they walked onto was now filled with laughter. Their unique, youthful voices were ticklish. It was as if they were going on a trip.

—Ah!

Among those 200 or so children, there were two who were specifically looking for me.

Bell and Berry.

They ran towards me together.

“Shion~ We’re not parting. We’re just moving to a different house.”

“Yes yes.” (I translate it like this to make it cute. Originally ????. Maja Maja – right away, but not cute enough)

Berry and Bell, who quickly approached, smiled showing their teeth. I looked at Berry’s neck. A cute handkerchief with a smartphone was hanging on it.

They made a loop and attached it to the smartphone, and then put a handkerchief on it to make a necklace.

“I see.”

Berry laughed bashfully.

“What are you going to do now, Shion?”

“Don’t know. I’ll do something.”

“Oh…… doing something……”

“Oh……”

While Berry and Bell were admiring, three large buses entered from the entrance of the orphanage.

“The bus is here. Go now. There’s no time.”

“Yes, sir!”

As if they had watched some cartoon movie yesterday, Berry and Bell made a strange salute. Then they tied the handkerchief necklace tightly again.

“Call us.”

Laughing while tapping the smartphone that was now theirs, the children took one step – two steps – and started to move away with small strides.

I stared at them quietly.

“They’re really leaving now, huh.”

Just then, Telrun approached me.

“Hey, Shion. This is the correct phone number, right?”

He asked, showing me a piece of paper with a phone number hastily written on it.

“Yeah.”

“That’s a relief. At least we can keep in touch with them.”

It seemed like Telrun intended to maintain his connection with this place.

“Are you going to do the same?”

“……”

I thought for a moment, but soon shook my head.

“I’m busy. I have to go to college. I don’t have time for things like keeping in touch.”

“……What? Wow~ Really? You’re fucking heartless.”

Telrun pouted and turned away.

—Alright~ everyone, sit down~ Make sure to fasten your seatbelts as soon as you get in~

Just then, Berry and Bell sat in the very back of the bus. They turned around in their seats and waved at me through the window. They moved their small lips as much as they could, chattering away.

“Bye.”

I waved back at them. Berry and Bell laughed heartily.

Soon, the bus, filled with children, closed its doors.

The noise and laughter that had filled the playground disappeared.

In the ensuing silence, the bus started its engine.

Vroom——

Fortunately, the children wouldn’t have to see ‘our home’ being demolished.

We could avoid saying goodbye.

And so, it might be okay for them to leave for a far-off place.

Because the young hearts of children can find hope and laugh at any moment.

“……It’s interesting.”

A story so different from the past I knew.

Today, Libra had preserved a tiny bit of humanity.

Was this change brought about by me?

“Shion Ascal.”

As the bus slowly started to move, Dent called out to me. He was already shedding tears as he watched the bus.

“You can become a better person than your father.”

His trembling voice conveyed a sentiment that was somewhat comforting.

Not ‘like’ my father, but better.