The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 108

Episode 108. Shiro

“Shiro! Food!”

Smack—a sudden impact hit me right in the face.

Still rubbing my sleepy eyes, I slowly opened them to find Raizu-kun, who had apparently just woken up from his nap, peering into my face.

“Mm, good morning.”

“Good morniiing.”

This kid, currently under the orphanage’s care as a “protected child,” is still small and adorable, but perhaps from watching the other kids, he’s brimming with way too much energy.

Even when he naps, he wakes up after only about thirty minutes.

And he’s got a huge appetite.

“Food!”

At this point, it’s practically his catchphrase. He says it like this every day.

“You already had lunch, and it’s too early for dinner… Hmm, what should we do?”

“What should we do~”

I sat up and tilted my head in thought, and the little guy mimicked me, tilting his head too.

“Didn’t Kua-san say she was free this afternoon? Maybe we can ask her to make a snack.”

“Cookies!”

“Mm, it’d be nice if she can make some.”

As we chatted like that, my still-sleepy head swaying, I let myself be pulled along by the little one as we started walking.

――――

“Kua-san, are you in?”

I knocked on the director’s office door—knock knock—and from inside came a relaxed voice, “Yees~,” followed by the door opening.

“Oh my, Shiro-san and Raizu. What brings you here?”

Despite her usual gentle tone, Kua-san stood there holding a bundle of documents to her chest.

Naka-san was currently out.

It was for work, so I suppose you could call it a business trip.

She’d been told to rest in the meantime, but of course, she was still working anyway.

“Well, we’ve come to kidnap you—to forcefully make Kua-san take a break.”

“Break time!!”

When I muttered that, Raizu-kun stood beside me and threw his arms up with a “Grr!” like he was on the attack.

“Fufufu, shall we do that then? But I was only tidying up, you know?”

“Sorting documents counts as work.”

“That’s true, you’re right. Then, shall we all take a break together?”

And so, successfully securing Kua-san, the three of us headed off to the kitchen.

――――

“Alright, they’re ready!”

“Raizu-kun, they’re still hot. Wait for them to cool down first, okay?”

“Kita-ma! Ajuma! Niida!!”

Raizu-kun was all fired up, pointing eagerly at the various cookie shapes fresh out of the oven.

The cookies were made by Tharl-san, the Hearty Eater Dwarf who’s in charge of the kitchen.

Apparently, he made them to cheer up the kids since they were constantly worried about the leaders of our group.

There were cookies shaped like two crossed spears, big twin shields, and multiple short swords fanned out like wings.

When we tried serving them during snack time, they instantly became a hit with the kids.

“Raizu-kun, what about Minami? This one.”

I held out one of the cookies to him.

“Kitty!”

“Yep, thought so.”

This is the “Direction Cookie” set.

And for some reason, Minami’s one ended up being a cat.

We thought about using a crossbow, but it was too hard to depict in a cookie. Arrows might have worked, but that would’ve overlapped with me.

So, we made Minami cookie a cat.

It’s definitely popular—but Raizu-kun never calls it “Minami.” It’s always “kitty.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Shiro-san talk about the past. Everyone else shares stories now and then. Even Nakajima-sama told us one recently.”

Kua-san brought it up a little while after our snack time had begun.

It’s true—Kita, Azuma, and Nishi often talk about what was on the “other side,” or share stories from there with the kids.

Seeing the children and even the Dwarves trying to recreate those stories, it seems to be quite a positive influence.

But in my case…

“I’m not good at telling stories like everyone else. I mean, I don’t enjoy telling them, so I just don’t.”

“…Was it something I shouldn’t have asked?”

“No, not really. I can talk about it if you want, but it’s not a fun story. I told a bit to Kita others before, but it probably just made them feel worse.”

“Sorry… Everyone always sounds so cheerful when they talk, so I assumed ‘the other side’ was a happy place…”

“They’re just good at talking about the happy parts. I don’t think they ever mention the painful stuff. For me, ‘the other side’ felt like hell.”

I stared into my reflection in the tea Kua-san poured and let out a soft sigh.

If I hadn’t been born like this, would my life have been a little more normal?

If I died once, could I be reborn or move on to another world?

I’ve thought about those foolish things more times than I can count.

That’s how bad my life was.

Which is exactly why… I don’t think it’s a story worth telling.

“Shiro, here.”

Raizu-kun held out a cookie to me.

Even though he usually wants more and more of his favorite snacks, he offered one of them to me.

“…Can I have it?”

“Iz okay.”

What was this little one thinking, offering me something he loved with such a bright smile?

As I opened my mouth, he popped the cookie in with a little toss.

Mmm, delicious.

I’m probably the most childlike eater in the whole Hearty Eater squad.

I like soft egg dishes, and I have a big sweet tooth.

Salty things are tasty too, but if that’s all I eat, it just gets too overwhelming.

When that happened, those three idiots would always bring me soup or a drink.

“You don’t hurt anymore?”

“…Huh?”

“You looked like you were hurting.”

With a small, worried smile, Raizu-kun looked up at me.

Ahh… this is amazing.

The people here, they’re not like my “original family.”

Even a child this young can sense my emotions.

Everyone the Hearty Eaters bring in ends up influenced by them.

Myself included, I think.

“Yeah, I’m okay now. Thanks, Raizu-kun.”

“Mm!”

I smiled and ruffled his hair, and he looked satisfied as he went back to munching his snacks.

Ever since I came to this “side,” I’ve been able to feel happiness.

There are people who see me, need me.

A place that accepts me.

And that, more than anything, feels like home.

――――

I’ve always had a hard time with “men.”

Back in elementary school, the boys in my class bullied me, calling me “white-hair” or “granny.”

After that too, people stared at me like I was a freak, whispering behind my back.

But above all, the ones who scared me most were “my family.”

Especially my father—he terrified me.

Apparently, my silver hair was unexpected for my family too, and I have no memories except of being punished for it.

Even for tiny things I didn’t understand, he’d yell at me.

He’d beat me, screaming that I was bad, that I needed to be punished.

Sometimes, he even locked me in the storage room during winter.

Going hungry was just normal—my stomach would growl in class and people would laugh at me.

I used to run to my grandma’s house, where I’d play games or get something to eat.

She gave me food and let me play, but she never got too involved.

Still, after she died, I really had no place left to run.

I killed my emotions, living each day not even knowing why I was still alive.

And then—I was summoned to this “side.”

To be honest, I was hopeful at first.

A game-like world, a story-like setup.

Maybe I could finally live freely.

But the very next moment, I was thrown outside the castle.

“It’s okay. I’ll figure something out. It’ll be okay.”

Even though he was in the same desperate situation, Naka-san took care of me.

He said it was more dangerous for me, since I was a girl, and found scraps of cloth to help me cover up.

Even if it was just leftovers, he always found some kind of food for me each day.

It struck me so deeply—there was someone who’d go that far for me.

He helped me, getting himself hurt in the process, but never giving up.

And then…

“How about this one, sir?”

One day, a strange man caught me.

So in the end, whether it was “that side” or “this side,” there was no such thing as a happy life for me.

I looked up in despair and saw—

“Get lost.”

I still remember the chill that ran down my spine the moment I heard that voice, filled with rage.

But it wasn’t directed at me.

“I came to get you. You hungry?”

He was clad in jet-black armor.

He held out his hand to me.

I took that hand.

And that’s how I became part of the Hearty Eaters.

So if you ask me to talk about “that side,” I really can’t do it with a smile.

Sure, I can talk a bit about fun games or good books.

But I’m not like the three idiots—I can’t tell stories that entertain the kids with gestures and flair.

To be honest, my happiness only began after I came to this side.

That’s why I want to enjoy this world to the fullest.

Because I love this “family” called the Hearty Eaters on “this side,” with their laughter, food, and sense of belonging.

I don’t care about the past. I didn’t leave behind any family or friends worth missing.

And maybe that’s exactly why—

“Hope the Direction Squad comes back soon…”

“Indeed, the wait is starting to wear on me.”

Saying that, I took a sip of my tea, sweetened generously with sugar.