Nonō sighed and said quietly, "We got the notice this morning. The village has issued its war mobilization order... The orphanage's funding has been cut by seventy percent."
Her voice grew softer and softer. "We barely had enough to begin with..."
Nonō thought of Danzo, who had visited the orphanage a few days earlier. Perhaps it was time to agree to his demands...
Yūto's hands tightened sharply on the cart. "Those bastards at the top..."
He forced half a sentence through gritted teeth, then swallowed the rest.
In the end, he simply crouched down and gently patted Nonō's dirt-covered hand. "Things will get better. Once we win..."
He regretted it the moment the words left his mouth.
Were there ever any winners in war?
Death notices and compensation money could never fill the orphans' stomachs.
They would only create even more orphans!
He abruptly stood up. "I'll move these supplies into the storeroom first!"
Yūto carried the sacks of rice and flour into the storeroom one by one, his movements mechanical and heavy.
The sounds of children playing reached his ears. He took a deep breath, tried to suppress the gloom in his heart, and turned around with a smile already on his face.
"Yūto!" Several children bounded over and surrounded him, their little hands tugging at his clothes. "Play hide-and-seek with us!"
Yūto crouched down and ruffled a little boy's hair. "Sure. Whose turn is it to seek?"
The children cheered, completely unaware that the shadow of war had already fallen over the village.
They pulled Yūto along as they ran around the yard, their laughter easing the oppressive atmosphere.
He deliberately slowed down so a little girl could catch his sleeve. Her triumphant laughter pierced the clouds in his heart like sunlight.
After the game ended, a nun called the children away for their nap.
Yūto stood at the storeroom entrance, gazed at the empty yard, and sighed.
He turned and pushed open the door to leave, only to see Nonō bending over the well to draw water.
Sunlight gilded her silhouette, her slender waist and full curves coming in and out of view as she moved.
Yūto suddenly felt his throat go dry, and the title Icha Icha Paradise flashed through his mind.
Maybe...
Could my novel make a fair amount of money?
I could donate the royalties to the orphanage. Then I wouldn't have to worry when I returned to Blue Star.
Before he knew it, he spoke. "Nonō, how much do you think a book about... um, intimate stories between men and women could earn?"
The bucket in Nonō's hand dropped into the well with a thunk, and her cheeks instantly flushed scarlet. "Wh-what nonsense are you talking about!"
She hastily straightened her glasses, but catching sight of Yūto's serious expression, she suddenly thought of Tanzaku Town's thriving sex industry. Her voice abruptly dropped. "P-probably..."
Yūto's eyes lit up. Five days would be enough for him to finish the manuscript!
After saying goodbye to Nonō, Yūto returned home and spread out the draft he had written earlier.
Yet his pen hovered over the paper for a long time without coming down.
Images kept surfacing in his mind: Nonō's slender waist as she bent over to tend the vegetable seedlings, her dirt-covered fingers, and those melancholy eyes behind her glasses.
"Damn it..." Yūto scratched his hair in frustration. "Nonō is my benefactor! How could I put her in my book!"
"But my head is full of her right now. A mature woman on that level is just too much for me!"
He simply tossed down his pen and paced back and forth in his cramped room.
"This can't go on..." Yūto suddenly stopped, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes.
If I'm going to write a bestseller, I should do some proper research.
Yūto had barely opened his front door when he ran straight into Tsukimi, who was just about to knock.
In a rare change, the girl had tied her hair into a high ponytail that day, and she was carrying a bulging lunch box.
The moment their eyes met, the tips of Tsukimi's ears turned pink. "I-I was just passing by..."
"Tsukimi?" Feeling guilty, Yūto tucked the binoculars he intended to use for research behind his back. "What a coincidence."
Tsukimi keenly noticed his little movement, her gaze settling on the hand behind his back. "Where are you going?"
Thinking that he might never return once he went to the battlefield, and that his research was only meant to give the children some security, Yūto decided to tell the truth.
"Tsukimi, I'm going to do some research..."
After hearing Yūto's explanation, Tsukimi's eyes went wide, and the lunch box clattered to the ground. "Pervert!"
"I'm doing it for the children at the orphanage!" Yūto puffed out his chest, though his voice grew quieter and quieter. "Writing a book takes material..."
Trembling all over, she pointed at Yūto, her eyes growing moist beneath her bangs. "You actually... You actually..."
Yūto scrambled to explain. "I'll donate all the royalties to the orphanage! I mean it!"
Tsukimi's fist was just about to strike Yūto's face when it inexplicably froze in midair.
The girl's face suddenly turned as red as a ripe tomato, and her voice became barely audible. "Th-then at least let me keep watch for you..."
"Huh?"
"If the ANBU catch you, the children really will have nothing to count on!"
Tsukimi stamped her foot as she shouted, yet she did not dare look up at him. The earlobes showing through her hair were so red they almost looked ready to bleed. "I-I'm not worried about you!"
The sky gradually darkened as Yūto and Tsukimi walked single file along the path to the bathhouse.
Tsukimi was so nervous she could almost hear her own heartbeat.
She kept glancing around, terrified that someone would spot them.
"Hey, why are you walking so fast!" Tsukimi lowered her voice and grabbed the hem of Yūto's clothes. "What if the ANBU on patrol spot us?"
Yūto had been brimming with confidence, but Tsukimi's words made even him swallow nervously.
He patted his chest, pretending to be calm. "Don't worry. I know this route like the back of my hand."
After turning through several alleyways, Yūto deftly led Tsukimi to a secluded corner outside the bathhouse wall.
To her surprise, Tsukimi discovered that the spot offered an excellent view while making them difficult to detect.
"H-how do you know this place so well?"
Tsukimi's eyes widened, a hint of surprise in her voice.
Yūto scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "Actually... this isn't my first time here."
At his words, Tsukimi's face suddenly went deathly pale.
She clenched her fists, her voice laced with unmistakable jealousy. "So you often peep at other girls bathing?"
"No!" Yūto hurriedly waved his hands. "Last time was for research too..."
Tsukimi's face suddenly flushed bright red. She lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. "I-if you really need material... you could look at me..."
Yūto froze.
In the moonlight, he saw Tsukimi's flushed cheeks and faintly trembling eyelashes, and a sudden warmth welled up in his heart.
He gently patted Tsukimi's shoulder and said sincerely, "We're good friends. How could I put you in that kind of book?"
Tsukimi abruptly raised her head, a complicated light flickering in her eyes.
She was touched by Yūto's consideration, yet his words about being good friends also left her a little disappointed.
In the end, she could only stamp her foot in bashful frustration. "Yūto, you idiot! Wh-who wants to be your good friend!"
Just then, splashing water and the sounds of girls chatting and laughing suddenly came from behind the wall.
They both froze, holding their breath in unison.
Before you continue