CSA 77 - I Got Homesick (Patreon)

“Chiwaa─ssu. Lotorl here.”
“Kya-!? Could you please stop appearing suddenly!?”

Leaving aside Ruriko-san, who normally speaks like a young lady, it seemed that Seira-san was no longer at the inn and had left.

* (T/N: Ruriko speaks somewhat formally here, but I don’t really know how to sound like that, so I just used standard English.)

Was this good timing or bad timing...?

I can't help that she’s not here, so let's go out to the city.

“Then, I’m going to go shopping in the city, so if you’ll excuse me.”
“Wait a minute! If you use this gate like an exit, wait, you’re already gone!?”

I retrieved the insect cage that I had completely forgotten about and left the inn.

I went to a secluded back alley, used my Compounding Skill to remove the gold and jewel from the golden rhinoceros beetles and jewel stag beetles, and, so that they wouldn't die from being played with by children, I synthesized aero adamantite into them and decided to leave them at the orphanage.

The fact that some of the jewels that had disappeared into the void were returned thanks to the insects was lucky for me. Thank you.

I opened a gate next to the orphanage and looked around, once I was sure no one was there, I moved through, and then, I walked confidently through the front entrance of the orphanage and went to the staff room.

“Oya, isn't it Lotorl? Are you back here again?”
“Ah, Obaa-chan...”
“Who’s an old hag?”
“I didn't say that, I didn't say that.”

When I entered the staff room, I saw Director Obaa-chan sewing the children's torn clothes together.

I don't have anything in particular to talk about to Director Obaa-chan.
Since I had almost no contact with her, I only knew her as an obaa-chan whom I occasionally saw.
It’s the same as the principal of a school in my previous life.
If it’s a school in the countryside, we might talk every day, but I have zero recollection of talking to the principal of the elementary school that Otaku-kun attended in my previous life.

“So, you need anything?”
“Umm... I think letting the children take care of insects to help educate them would be a good idea, and if you breed them well, you'll be able to sell them at the market every year, so what do you think?”
“...If you can't keep them, don't buy them, geez.”
“...I’m sorry.”
“Well, it's fine if it’s just insects. So, how much can you fork for the annoyance?”

I was expecting something like this since she's the boss of that blonde gorilla, but I guess there are only money-hungry people in this orphanage, aren't there?

No, well, the fact that I'm bringing an annoyance isn’t wrong though...

“I don't have any on hand right now, so... I'll leave some high potion behind.”
“Not potions, but high potions?”
“Yes.”

I took out 10 high potions from Storage and gave them to Obaa-chan.

“A Skill called Item Box, you have it?”
“I just happened to get it.”
“That so. So, these are the high potions?”

I thought I was going to be asked a lot of questions about my Skills, but she brushed it off quite easily I see.
She might have read from my expression that ‘this kid isn’t going to say anything about her Skills’, so she brushed it off.

“I have an appraisal ring, so please use it to appraise these.”

I took out the appraisal ring from my inventory and put it on Obaa-chan’s little finger.
Good, rugged hands.

“You got some convenient thing, huh? Can you give me this?”
“No.”
“So stingy. Now, high potions, huh? Hmm, it's definitely the real thing. Did you make this, Lotorl?”
“That’s right.”
“...Fufu, I'm happy to see that you've grown up to be a good child. You did your best.”

It was the first time other than my birthday that Obaa-chan patted me on the head, so I felt a little ticklish.
By the way, for orphans whose birthday is unknown, their birthday is the date they were placed in the orphanage.

“Would you like to try drinking one? It can help relieve stiff shoulders, back pain, and more.”

I tried offering her a bottle of high potion to cover up my embarrassment.

“I'll make more money selling it than drinking it myself, won’t I.”
“Money is important, but health is also important. Then, I'll give you another bottle, so please drink it now. If you say you won't drink it, I won't give it to you.”
“Who’s a money-obsessed, miserly cheapskate old hag?”
“I didn’t say a word of that at all!”

She might have become a little demented because of her age.

Pretending to scratch my back, I took out two mega potions from Storage, synthesized them to create an ex potion, and temporarily put it back in Storage, then I took out the ex-potion from Storage while making sure Obaa-chan could see it, and make her drank it in one gulp. (All of this takes 10 seconds)

“Apo-!?|
“Bft!?”

Apparently her teeth were fake, and due to the ex potion, her teeth suddenly grew, and the fake teeth flew out of her mouth with force like in a comedy movie.

“What are you doing!?”
“Isn’t it good that you become healthy... Pft.”
“You naughty child!”

By making her drink the ex potion, her face and hands, which were once full of wrinkles, have regained their luster, and it feels like she has rejuvenated from an obaa-chan to an oba-chan.

* (T/N: obaa-chan: grandma, oba-chan: aunt.)

“Still, my body sure is light. It's like I’m rejuvenated to my 20s.”
“That’s true.”

As expected, it didn’t rejuvenate her until she’s in her 20s, but if I say anything unnecessary, I'll bring trouble to myself, so I suppressed my desire to tsukkomi and simply affirmed it.

“If you have any trouble again, come back anytime. Of course I'll charge you for the annoyance, okay?”
“What about when I’m in trouble with money...?”
“At that time, you'll have to pay with your body. You can prepare meals, change diapers, and clean the garden, there’s a lot to do, you know?”
“Uhe...”

After that, I took the appraisal ring back, left the insects with Obaa-chan, and left the orphanage.

“Is it raining?”

When I looked up at the sky, there was not a single cloud and I could see the stars twinkling.

“I feel like I'm getting homesick...”

I might have been reminded of my grandmother from my previous life, and my soul wants to go back to that house from my previous life.

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