Chapter 51: The Orphanage and Aria’s Feelings
Several days had passed since Jin and the girls began living together.
They had already finished greeting Erza and Rachel’s relatives, and had also informed close acquaintances like Greg and Gantz about their new shared living arrangement. Thanks to the clear rules they’d established, their first attempt at communal living was going smoothly, without any major problems.
One of those rules stated that, whether they were acting as a party or going about their own individual business, the three of them would have breakfast and dinner together whenever possible. Jin was fully in charge of preparing all meals, planning menus that balanced nutrition and taste.
Back when Jin had diabetes, he’d had to think carefully about not just calorie intake, but also protein, carbohydrates, and fats—maintaining a comprehensive balance of nutrients. For someone living alone, it was a skill born of necessity, and in a way, a sad habit to have gotten used to.
He still hadn’t mastered all the ingredients and seasonings available in this world, so his recipe repertoire was limited, but the dishes were generally well-received by the two girls. Seeing others genuinely enjoy the food he made filled Jin with a quiet, unexpected joy.
The whole shared-living setup had started rather suddenly, but Jin found himself growing to enjoy it more and more.
That morning, after the three of them finished the breakfast Jin had prepared, he lifted his teacup and said,
"Like I mentioned yesterday, I’ve got something to take care of this evening, so I won’t be able to join you for dinner. I can prep something in advance if you want—what do you two think?"
He took a sip of tea.
"In that case, why don’t we eat out tonight? Rachel, the inn where Jin and I stayed before served really good food. Want to go?"
"Wow, that sounds nice! I’d love to!"
Rachel agreed eagerly to Erza’s suggestion, and with that, their dinner plans were set.
If any of them were going to miss a shared meal or be late, they were required to inform the others beforehand—another one of their household rules. It was a basic courtesy, but after learning the hard way about the importance of communication, Jin had insisted on making it official.
They also had small rules like hanging a "Occupied" sign when using the bath or toilet, or a "Do Not Disturb – Focusing" sign when someone wanted privacy, during which others wouldn’t knock or enter.
Most of these rules existed to protect each person’s privacy, the most important thing in communal living.
While mixed-gender share houses were not unusual in Western culture, they weren’t very common in Japan. Jin had only heard of them through TV shows and had no real firsthand knowledge. So he’d consulted male friends like Greg, collecting their advice and cautionary tales, and incorporated those into their house rules.
At the same time, he learned that living together among party members was standard practice in this world, mainly for safety, coordination, and efficiency.
Because of that, Jin now genuinely believed that sharing a home had been the right decision.
After chatting and enjoying their tea for a while longer, the three of them went their separate ways to follow their own schedules.
In the morning, Jin trained in potion mixing under Bean’s supervision. After lunch, he headed for the orphanage where Aria and Burke had once lived.
He had two reasons for visiting the orphanage.
First, he wanted to see the place where Aria and Burke had grown up—because it was necessary for a certain plan he was quietly developing.
The second was to visit the place where the children of fallen adventurers—comrades who had lost their lives before achieving their dreams—were now living.
The other day, Aria had told him the orphanage’s location, and he’d marked it on his MAP. Following the marker, he soon arrived.
It was a large two-story building. Through the open front doors, Jin could see numerous tables and chairs inside. In front of the building was a small yard where children of various ages—mostly up to elementary-school age—were laughing and playing together. A middle-aged woman, probably a caretaker, stood a short distance away, watching over them fondly.
Since he hadn’t arranged an appointment, Jin stood quietly outside, observing the cheerful scene. But then he suddenly felt someone’s gaze. When he looked toward it, he saw the woman watching the children, beckoning him over.
There didn’t seem to be anyone else she could be calling, so Jin stepped onto the orphanage grounds and walked toward her.
"Hello. Did you call for me?"
Up close, Jin realized the woman was a little older than she had appeared from a distance. She smiled warmly at him, eyes kind and welcoming.
"Yes, I saw you watching from over there, so I wondered if you might have some business here."
Her tone was calm, with a trace of refined grace.
"Yes. It’s nothing serious, but a friend of mine grew up at this orphanage, and I wanted to see what kind of place it was."
Jin found himself naturally straightening his posture as he spoke.
"Oh my, and which child might that be?"
"Aria-san and Burke-san."
Hearing his answer, the woman seemed to understand immediately. Individually, those names might not mean much, but together, they pointed to only one possible group.
"I see—you must be here about Heath, then."
"Heath?"
The name didn’t ring a bell for Jin.
"He was a boy who used to be close friends with Aria and the others."
Only then did Jin realize—Heath was the younger friend Aria often mentioned, and one of Burke’s former party members.
"Yes. I know it’s none of my business, but I’ve been hoping to somehow mend the rift between Aria and the others."
Jin spoke honestly, without hesitation. There was no reason to hide it, and for some reason, he instinctively trusted this woman.
"I see. My name is Hilda. And you are?"
"Ah, my apologies for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Jin—I'm an adventurer."
The introduction had come a bit abruptly, but Jin replied calmly. Hilda’s smile deepened, and she gave a firm nod.
"Thank you, Jin-san. Please, take care of those children."
After smiling warmly, Hilda bowed her head. She then promised to fully cooperate with him in any way she could.
After that, she began sharing many stories—about life at the orphanage, about Aria and Heath’s relationship, and more.
Hilda had been working at the orphanage since before Burke and the others were even children, and many who had grown up there still visited her out of affection. Because of that, she knew better than anyone how Aria’s group had become distant after Heath’s death, and she had often tried to advise and comfort them.
But none of her advice had ever seemed to help; their relationship remained unchanged. That fact had been a source of quiet pain for Hilda as well.
However, when Aria had stopped by the orphanage recently, Hilda had sensed something different in her—a subtle but definite change. They hadn’t had much time to talk, but Hilda had felt that perhaps now, things might finally turn around.
Then Jin appeared. Feeling intuitively that he might be the reason behind Aria’s change, Hilda trusted him almost immediately.
Through their long conversation, Jin became certain that Aria, too, truly wanted to mend her bond with Burke and the others.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve made up my mind to bring Aria-san and the others together again."
Jin bowed deeply as he said it.
"No, thank you. I’m just happy if I could help in any way. Please—take care of those children."
"Of course!"
Jin answered with firm resolve to Hilda’s heartfelt request.
Having gained more than he expected from the visit, Jin was about to take his leave when he felt a tug on his pants.
"Hello. Are you done talking? Are you Aria Onee-chan’s friend, mister?"
The voice belonged to a little girl—probably in the lower grades of elementary school. She must’ve overheard Aria’s name in the conversation and had waited patiently for them to finish before approaching.
Her politeness made Jin smile. He crouched down to meet her eye level and answered gently.
"Hello. Yeah, I’m Jin, a friend of Aria-san’s."
"I’m Mint! Hey, when’s Aria Onee-chan coming next? I want to talk to her, but she always leaves so fast!"
Listening to Mint’s story, Jin learned that when Aria visited the orphanage, she usually just handed sweets to the staff before leaving almost immediately. But once, when Mint had been crying, Aria had comforted her—and ever since, Mint had adored her. Because they hadn’t had much time to talk that day, Mint said she wanted to play with her again someday.
"I want to grow up to be a cool adult like Aria Onee-chan!"
Her eyes sparkled as she said it. Jin smiled warmly and promised that he’d be sure to tell Aria that.
Afterward, at the children’s invitation, and under Hilda’s gentle watch, Jin spent some time playing with them.
When a few kids got too excited and fell, scraping their knees, Jin used Water to wash away the dirt, wiped the wounds gently with a clean towel from his pack, and then used a combination of Wind and Fire to send a stream of warm air to dry them off.
"Don’t ever let dirt or mud get into a wound, okay? You might get sick if you do."
What Jin was worried about was tetanus. From his hazy memories, he recalled it being an illness caused when bacteria from the soil entered an open wound. Alcohol could sterilize, yes—but it killed good bacteria along with the bad, so it wasn’t always ideal for small injuries. As he treated the children, Jin couldn’t help but wonder if there was a kind of magic that could disinfect only the harmful bacteria.
He went around tending to the other kids who’d gotten muddy and scraped up, cleaning and drying their wounds one by one.
After that, Jin taught everyone a game called "Red Light, Green Light," which didn’t involve much running around, and they all had a great time playing together.
""Bye-bye, big brother! Come play again!""
A few hours later, Jin left the orphanage, seeing off the children and Hilda waving at him.
Around evening, the older kids who worked part-time at nearby shops were due to return, so Jin handed Hilda a bundle of baked sweets he’d kept in his Item Bag, saying they were for those kids, too.
The afternoon had turned into an unexpected break, but Jin felt refreshed.
He went home, took a bath to wash off the sweat and dirt, changed clothes, and then headed back out.
He heated his bathwater using a combination of Water and Fire magic, then after bathing, raised the temperature again and refilled the tub so the next person could use it. Of course, he left a note about it on the message board before leaving.
The board was basically a small blackboard hung on the wall where they wrote things they wanted to tell each other.
Jin arrived at the meeting spot ten minutes early. After waiting a short while, his companion appeared.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Jin-san."
"Not at all—I just got here myself, Aria-san."
Yes, his companion was Aria. Today was the dinner they had planned together.
The restaurant Jin had chosen was a little way away from the guild. He’d picked it so they wouldn’t run into other adventurers and make Aria feel awkward. It wasn’t an expensive place, but the decision to avoid a tavern had definitely been the right one.
""Cheers.""
They raised their glasses together. The place had a casual, homely vibe—both Jin and Aria were dressed simply. Jin was in his usual outfit minus the armor, and Aria, from what he could tell, was dressed similarly to when he’d seen her on her day off before. Of course, she’d made an effort to look nice without overdoing it—but expecting the somewhat oblivious Jin to notice such details was asking too much. Even so, he couldn’t deny that he felt a little tense sitting across from her in her everyday clothes.
Overall, the mood was pleasant and comfortable. They enjoyed both their meal and their conversation at an easy pace.
"By the way, Aria-san, I went to the orphanage today. I met Hilda-san and Mint-chan, and the other kids."
After the main course, Jin sipped from his glass and began talking about his day.
He told her about Mint’s admiration for her, how he’d played with the children, and what Hilda had told him—stories of Aria’s childhood, about Heath and Burke, and the past tied to Heath’s death. What began as lighthearted chatter gradually shifted into something more serious.
He hesitated to bring up things Aria herself hadn’t told him, but he knew this was something that needed to be said if anything was going to change.
"This might just be my selfish wish, but… I think of you as a dear friend, Aria-san. And the same goes for Burke-san and the others. Seeing you all still burdened by sadness—it hurts me too. I know it’s not my place, but if possible, I want to see you all smiling together again."
Jin knew this feeling was, in a sense, his own ego. But after getting to know Aria and Burke, and the other, he simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
It wasn’t just the concern of someone older with more life experience—it came from the heart of a friend living the same time as them.
Aria listened quietly until he finished, then spoke softly.
"You’re not being selfish. Thank you, Jin-san."
She bowed her head, then began to share her past in her own words.
When Aria was nine, she lost her parents—both adventurers—and entered the orphanage. She had become isolated, unable to express her emotions properly after their deaths. She spent her days alone, absorbed in reading the spellbooks her parents had left behind.
Around that time, Heath, who had also lost his parents, came to the orphanage. He was a year younger, and like her, he loved books. Naturally, they became close, like siblings.
Aria smiled wistfully, recalling how his carefree laughter had been her greatest comfort.
When she turned thirteen, she began working as an adventurer. Normally, it took years to acquire the necessary skills—most started only after reaching adulthood at sixteen. Starting that young was unusual, but Aria’s talent and daily effort, especially her growing magic skills, made it possible.
Of course, the adults like Greg kept a close eye on her, forbidding her from taking subjugation requests until she was of age. Aria obediently followed their guidance, taking on gathering jobs and training missions instead, steadily building her experience.
By the time she turned sixteen and officially became an adult, she’d already reached D-rank. With the restrictions lifted, she continued to grow stronger from there.
However, perhaps because of the expressionless face that had become second nature to her, Aria was never able to settle into a single party and naturally ended up working solo most of the time. She took the C-rank exam shortly before turning seventeen, joining Burke’s party just for that occasion. After earning her promotion to C-rank, she went back to working alone.
Not long after that, Heath turned sixteen and became an adventurer himself, with Burke taking him under his wing. When Aria met Heath from time to time, he had grown a bit cheeky—but to her, he was still an adorable little brother.
"(He probably just wanted to stop being seen as the “little brother,”) "
While listening to Aria's story, Jin surmised this when she mentioned that Heath had become a little cheeky.
After that came Heath’s death, Aria’s grief, Greg’s consideration, and her new life as a guild clerk—all things Jin already knew about.
When Aria finally finished speaking, she looked somehow lighter, as though a weight had been lifted from her heart.
"Thank you for sharing that."
She didn’t need to go into such detail about her past just to mend things with Burke and the others. All that really mattered was whether she’d agree to Jin’s plan moving forward.
But the fact that she’d chosen to open up about herself made Jin truly grateful.
"No… lately, I’ve finally been able to think back on the past calmly."
Aria said with a gentle smile, recalling the days since she met Jin.
Now that she thought about it, perhaps the reason she had been drawn to Jin from the start was that his sincere reactions and attitude reminded her of Heath. What began as a small spark of familiarity grew into something she couldn’t ignore.
The moment she realized she’d started to see Jin as a man was when he first asked her name. Back then, she hadn’t understood her emotions, but now it made sense.
There were times when she felt down because she couldn’t talk to Jin the way she wanted to—but when she finally managed to tell him “Take care,” it made her genuinely happy.
Hearing about his battle with the Mad Ants had nearly broken her heart with worry. What used to be just a routine training habit had started to take on a new meaning around that time.
Even though Gantz’s prank involving the red Rosen flower had been annoying, Aria had secretly been happy when Jin gave it to her. She’d held back her anger and kept her revenge on Gantz to a minimum as a kind of thank-you.
It had even been a while since Gantz had teased her like that—maybe even he had sensed the change in her.
She realized she had been making people around her worry for a long time, and she was thankful for their concern.
Since meeting Jin, her world had begun to regain its color. There had been plenty of moments that made her restless or flustered, but even those had become precious memories. She didn’t need Samantha to tell her—Aria knew she loved Jin.
Jin didn’t seem to have feelings for anyone yet, but surely, more people—men and women alike—would continue to be drawn to him. Whether she would ever be his lover or not, Aria wanted to someday stand beside him, just like Erza and Rachel did.
"Jin-san… thank you. And please, take care of me from now on, too.”
Aria said, her words carrying many emotions.
“Of course," Jin replied with a warm, genuine smile. "I’m looking forward to it as well."
Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter
Comments
Post a Comment