The Ambitious Children of the Main Building
The main building of Hope Tree Orphanage operated on an entirely different system from the annex. Given the vast difference in scale and number of children, that was only natural. While the annex housed only the children Aren had personally rescued, the main building was home to a full seventy-five kids—including the newly arrived Gordon.
With so many children, the living quarters were meticulously divided beyond just the sleeping rooms. Excluding the toddler class for those eight and under, there were four distinct classes: Tiger Class, Lion Class, Wolf Class, and Bear Class. Each class had two dedicated teachers, and above them was a head instructor who oversaw all the staff. Branche held a position one rank above that—essentially the deputy director.
Each class maintained around fifteen children, and the appointed class leaders helped preserve the delicate balance of power. Without the toddler class, each group functioned like a small organization of its own.
“Emergency! This is a super emergency!”
The skinny, green-haired boy named Mont dashed through the interior, deliberately stepping into the hallway so every child in every class could hear him.
“Mont’s yelling about a super emergency?”
“When he comes out to the hallway like that, it means it’s an all-building emergency, right?”
“…Is tonight’s dinner the director’s health soup again?”
“Ugh, she brought that last time. Not again?”
The children in each classroom muttered among themselves. Then Mont dropped the next line, and it hit every single one of them like a thunderbolt.
“Gordon! That arrogant new kid who declared he’d make the Bear Class leader kneel and steal his position—he, that new kid—he proposed to the director!”
For a single moment, silence swallowed every classroom. Not a single child spoke, as if the world itself had frozen. And then the reaction that followed was explosive.
“Proposed? Proooopooooosed?!”
“I knew it! That new kid! Looks like a bear and has the brain of one too!”
“To reach for a god beyond one’s grasp—is that the arrogance of mortals who cannot let go of desire…? Ah, mercy. Isolia, please…”
“Even the deputy director wouldn’t say something like that even as a joke! This calls for execution! Execution!”
The children poured out into the hallway in a chaotic wave, each of them reacting with intense emotion.
“H-hey, kids… I know it’s free time, but if you all come out like this at once…”
The teachers hesitated to speak up in the face of the children’s fierce momentum. That was when Memma, the teacher in charge of the Bear Class, bravely stepped forward to calm the excited mob. A soft-hearted twenty-year-old woman who lived just a twenty-minute walk from the orphanage, she was still a rookie who had only been working here for two months.
“…Teacher, we already know everything.”
A boy stepped in front of Memma. He had short black hair and a rough aura, with a knife scar running down the left side of his face. He was the leader of the Tiger Class, the oldest child in the orphanage at fifteen years old, and one of the very first orphans taken in when Hope Tree Orphanage was first established. Valen gently took Memma’s hand—hers was nearly the same size as his own—and spoke in a calm voice.
“When that arrogant new kid Gordon pressed down on Timon’s head and forced him to his knees, you were too scared to stop it, weren’t you, teacher?”
“N-no, that’s not…”
“We also know you cried secretly in the corner of the food storage room.”
“H-how did you know that?”
“Children’s eyes and ears are sharper than you think. Much sharper.”
The scar on his face and his sturdy build—enough to be mistaken for an adult—would have been intimidating to most women. Yet his low, composed voice still carried a trace of boyishness, and it soothed Memma’s heart. Though she had been frightened of him at first because of that scar and physique, she now thought his eyes looked far more mature than her own.
“…All right. I’ll leave it to you, Valen.”
Memma’s face softened considerably as she spoke. He truly was the representative who led all the orphanage children.
“Yes. Leave it to us.”
Valen bowed politely to the other teachers as well. Relieved that the children hadn’t dragged them into it, the adults gave their silent approval. Even if a little violence followed, they understood that children had their own territory.
Valen turned to the gathered kids.
“Mont. Where is Gordon right now?”
“…He was talking with the director and deputy director for a while. When the director left, he said he’d see her off and has been standing outside ever since.”
“Perfect timing. I was wondering how to get revenge for Timon, and he just handed us a massive opportunity.”
“…Hey, I’m not dead, Valen…”
Valen ignored Timon’s weak protest from the side and addressed the children.
“Even if we overwhelm him with numbers, he’s not the type to back down. Honestly, most of you were scared stiff the moment you saw Gordon. Am I wrong?”
Most of the children looked down with gloomy expressions but nodded in agreement. Honestly, that physique was cheating. From the outside, he looked stronger than even Deputy Director Cassel. One shove from his palm could send five kids flying. For real.
“Still, I think we all feel the same way. You guys stay back. The class leaders will handle this. Dead Timon can just rest.”
“I’m not dead, bro…”
Leaving the loser’s grumbling behind, the class leaders gathered in front of Valen.
“Comson. Miranne.”
“If we’re going to do something before it gets bigger, it has to be now. I’m in, Valen.”
Comson, the Wolf Class leader whose build was nearly equal to Valen’s, crossed his arms and nodded.
“The nerve of him, trying to cling to me and then proposing to the director on the very first day we met…”
The girl with long brown hair and refined features ground her teeth. She was one of the few main-building children personally brought in by Director Aren, a former noble, and the leader of the Lion Class. Miranne.
“The director’s beauty is supreme, which is exactly why I cannot forgive this! How dare he—how dare he propose to the director?!”
After confirming the spirit of the other two, Valen nodded in satisfaction.
“…Let’s go. We need to teach that idiot exactly what you’re never supposed to do in this orphanage.”
Receiving cheers from the children, the three class leaders strode confidently out the door.
“…I’m coming too. I’m still the class leader, you know.”
“I don’t think anything the loser says will be helpful.”
“Ugh, whatever! I’m getting revenge! At least give me the chance!”
Correction: the four class leaders strode confidently out the door.
Four children stepped outside, radiating a menacing aura so fierce that even the adults in the village wouldn’t dare touch them. They didn’t have to walk far. The new kid they were looking for was leaning against the stone wall surrounding the main building, arms crossed, staring toward the forest.
“Hey, new kid. Let’s talk.”
Valen spoke first. His tone was far too mature for anyone to think he was just a child.
“Tiger Class leader… and all the other class leaders are here too.”
The reply that came back was equally beyond what one would expect from a child.
“All the class leaders have come out. Not a bad lineup. This is about the right level to make talking worth it.”
Gordon slowly scanned the faces of the four leaders, then uncrossed his arms and stood up straight.
“…Is that truly what you want? To become the peak of all the children in this orphanage?”
Before Valen could step forward, Comson spoke first.
“What are you talking about?”
When Gordon looked puzzled, Comson answered.
“You proposed to Director Aren.”
Not intimidated by Gordon’s size, Comson glared at him with eyes befitting the Wolf Class and continued.
“Even though you’re new, you can’t possibly be unaware of how absurd and provocative that action was to the rest of us, right?”
The hierarchy of Hope Tree Orphanage. When considering the entire main building rather than just the annex, Deputy Director Cassel was merely third place. Second was Zia, the children’s saintess, excellent advisor, and everyone’s big sister. First place was the children’s goddess, their savior, and their provider—Director Aren.
“…Even though the director torments our taste buds with things like health soup, we are all living here thanks to her merciful heart.”
Valen glanced up at the grand building of the main building for a moment. His left hand touched the scar on his face. The previous orphanage. The mark left when the director had stabbed him with a heated knife simply because she didn’t like the look in his eyes still throbbed.
“It may not be widely known, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Hope Tree Orphanage the greatest orphanage in the empire—no, on the entire continent.”
It simply wasn’t well known because the location was poor, they weren’t aggressively recruiting orphans, and Aren disliked becoming famous. Every child living here was convinced that no better orphanage existed.
“The fact that she chose the warm word ‘orphanage’ instead of the colder ‘orphan facility’ already shows the director’s virtue.”
“Yeah. I may be a muscle-brained idiot, but even I can tell this place is good.”
“…And you proposed to someone like that. Whether it was a joke or serious, we cannot accept it.”
“That’s right! A bear-brain should know his place!”
At Valen and Miranne’s words, Gordon simply shrugged. Though he seemed to understand their reaction, his stubborn face made it clear he had no intention of backing down.
“…It’s precisely because she’s that kind of person that I said it.”
“—What?”
“—Excuse me?”
“Are you all satisfied with the current situation? That someone like her lives separately in the annex?”
Gordon looked toward the forest with sorrowful eyes. He had heard there was an annex, and that was exactly the direction Aren had gone.
“I asked the deputy director. She said the director lives separately in the annex and focuses on managing the children there.”
“So what? You’ve seen Sister Zia, even if you haven’t seen the others, right?”
Comson looked puzzled. Just as he said, two days ago—right after Gordon had entered the orphanage—Zia had visited the main building.
“Ah, of course I saw her. I had to hide and peek because she’s a demon, but…”
“—Ha?”
The moment Gordon uttered the word “demon,” sparks flew in the four leaders’ eyes. Miranne moved first. The instant the word “demon” left his mouth, her body reacted on instinct.
—Slap!
She struck his cheek hard enough to snap his head to the side.
“…”
“Hey. Don’t even think about discriminating against Sister Zia by calling her a demon. You’re dead.”
Her eyes were sharp as a blade, as if daring him to hit back. Gordon closed his eyes and lowered his head.
“I only said that because I had bad memories involving demons. I didn’t mean it that way. I can tell she’s a good person.”
“…Sister Zia went through something terrible before. So you’d better watch your words even more carefully, new kid.”
Even after being slapped, Gordon quietly accepted Valen’s warning. The four leaders, thinking ‘Maybe he can be reasoned with a little,’ softened their tones slightly.
“But.”
Gordon opened his mouth again, immediately denying that hope.
“Just because she’s a demon, she gets special treatment in the annex and lives with the director. That’s not fair, is it?”
“—!!!”
The new kid had boldly spoken words that none of them had ever dared utter aloud.
“I heard five kids including her live in the annex. Honestly, aren’t you jealous?”
“…To be completely honest, yes, it is a little jeal—mmph.”
Comson gently covered Bear Class leader Timon’s mouth with his palm. Even his own eyes were trembling slightly.
“They eat meals with the director, receive her teachings directly, and monopolize her ‘love.’ Are you really telling me you don’t envy the annex kids at all?”
No one could answer easily. That silence was answer enough.
Gordon studied the leaders’ expressions and continued slowly.
“I’ve only been here for two days. But I already understand.”
His tone was calm, as if to say, ‘You who have been here much longer must know this too.’
“Everyone here truly follows the director. Not out of fear or because they have no choice, but because she really is like a goddess.”
Valen, who had been listening quietly, lowered the hand that had been touching his scar.
“Everyone acts like it’s completely natural… but why should someone like her be confined only to the annex?”
It was a feeling that had always lingered in a corner of every main-building child’s heart. Gordon had dragged it out into the open.
“I have a proposal for you. There’s the Keon-a-je in ten days, right?”
Keon-a-je. Simply put, it was a children’s sports festival. It was an annual event modeled after something Aren had done at a real orphanage in her previous life. Various events awarded points, rankings were determined, and prizes were given. This would be the third time, and each year the scale grew larger as villagers and nobles friendly with the director came to watch.
“…A kid who’s only been here two days knows about that?”
“I asked. I wanted to know how it works.”
“Proposal… what exactly are you planning?”
Valen asked in a low voice. Gordon smiled as he answered.
“If I win, I’m going to ask the director directly. I’ll ask her to merge the main building and the annex.”
All the class leaders held their breath as they stared at him. It was a territory that every child had thought, ‘There must be a reason the director lives separately in the annex,’ and had deliberately avoided touching. Gordon had just declared he would break through it head-on.
“Of course, even as the winner, if it’s just me asking, the chances of her accepting are low, but…”
His suggestion coiled around them like a devil’s sweet tongue.
“What if everyone who does well in the festival says the same thing? What if we bring the other kids on board too?”
Of course, no matter what the children said, the final decision rested with the director. But with her kind heart, wouldn’t she listen? He looked at the leaders with sincere eyes.
“…Don’t tell me the reason you proposed to the director was to draw our attention and set up this whole situation?”
When the tense-looking Comson swallowed hard and asked, Gordon shrugged.
“No? The director is incredibly beautiful. Of course I proposed seriously. She turned me down, though.”
“…You’re dead.”
“…Execution!”
As if those two matters were completely separate, everyone shifted into fighting stances.
“…It might be good to settle the hierarchy right here and now.”
And so began a fight that would go down in orphanage history. After that day, the main-building children would call this conflict ‘The Rebellion on the Eve of Keon-a-je.’
“Heee.”
In the bushes along the path leading toward the village, where the entrance to the main building was visible. Carmela, who had been hiding naturally, licked her lips with interest as she watched the children preparing to brawl.
“They’re talking about some pretty interesting stuff. Those kids.”