Chapter 14: Just Checking Your Body!

After a satisfying meal, there was, of course, a mountain of dishes to wash.

Since Harp had done the cooking, it naturally fell to me to handle the cleanup.

Harp did try to argue that she could do the dishes too, but I insisted.

I had to show that I could be the responsible adult here. Eventually, she reluctantly nodded her head.

“…Ugh, being this small makes washing dishes so much harder.”

Huff!

I stretched my stiff body, trying to shake off the strain.

At least my joints didn’t creak like an old door anymore.

That was proof I was still young.

Yay!

Anyway, after scrubbing the dishes clean, I left the apron—or, well, more like a scrap of cloth—in the kitchen.

“Huh? Harp?”

Jumping down from the little stool Harp had made for me to reach the sink, I spotted her standing at the orphanage’s front door.

What’s going on? Did someone come by?

Curious, I forgot to dry my hands and scurried over toward the entrance.

“Harp, what are you doing out here? Did someone come by?”

“Oh, Miss Eve!”

“You don’t have to call me Miss.”

“But you’re my teacher, so you’re Miss Eve to me.”

“…Ugh. Anyway, why are you standing here? Is there a visitor?”

Since Harp had only cracked the door open slightly, I couldn’t see who was on the other side.

Judging by the long shadow cast inside, though, it looked like they were extremely tall.

“Well, um… the sun is standing outside.”

“…The sun?”

“Hey, you shouldn’t refer to adults like that!”

Before I could process the strange phrase “the sun” and tilted my head in confusion, the orphanage door opened wider.

And then… a blinding beam of light flooded through the gap.

A familiar, blindingly powerful sunlight.

It was none other than Alex’s infamous bald head shining like a beacon.

“Ahhh!”

“Miss Eve! Are you okay?!”

“My eyes! My eyes!!!”

Confirming that the figure behind the door was our eternal bald hero, Alex, I immediately launched into an Oscar-worthy performance of pain and suffering.

There wasn’t a particular reason for it.

I just felt like teasing him whenever I saw him.

Maybe it was some instinctive urge in a child’s body.

“Even if I’m bald, I’m not that shiny, kiddo.”

“W-Wait, when did you figure it out?”

“From the beginning. Your acting skills are great, but you were just a tad too unserious. I almost fell for it, though.”

“Darn it.”

What a waste.

If I’d been a bit more detailed, I might’ve actually fooled him.

“Well, it’s good to see you’re healthy and full of energy. Makes me feel better.”

“Hehe, I’m so happy you were worried about me after just one night! I’m touched.”

“So keep growing strong, okay? Grow enough that I don’t have to worry anymore.”

“No need to say that—I’m already an adult!”

“Of course you are, Miss Little Adult Eve.”

As always, our back-and-forth banter played out like clockwork.

Lighthearted, familiar, and as routine as breathing.

We were in the middle of our usual playful chatter when—

“…Hmph.”

“Huh? Harp? What’s with the pouty face? Are you feeling sick?”

“It’s nothing, Miss.”

“Pfft.”

“…Why are you laughing, Alex? And what’s with the random peace sign? That’s not like you.”

“There’s such a thing, you know.”

“…”

For some reason, Harp had gone quiet.

Was it because Alex had shown up?

She seemed uneasy, almost as if she disliked the situation where I was chatting away with Alex.

Oh-ho.

So, Harp is more shy than I thought, huh?

Well, it makes sense.

It’s probably easier to talk to someone her age, like me, than an adult like Alex.

Looks like I’ve got no choice but to help her out.

“Ta-da!”

“W-Wha?! M-Miss Eve?!”

“How’s that? Feeling less tense now?”

“No, uh, you’re way too close! And, uh, your clothes are—!”

There’s one tried-and-true method for helping someone overcome awkwardness.

It’s to let them be physically close to a ‘safe person’ they’re comfortable with while engaging in conversation.

This creates a sense of psychological security, encouraging them to open up and build courage to form new connections.

That’s why, at this very moment, I had one arm tightly wrapped around Harp’s, pressing myself snugly against her.

Her body feels really hot…

Is it because she’s nervous? Or is it that her cold still hasn’t fully gone away?

Harp’s body was incredibly warm, almost as if her temperature was rising.

“You’ve got this, Harp!”

“A-ah, w-whoa… I-I…”

…Why is this happening?

Even though I was clinging tightly to Harp, she still couldn’t bring herself to say a word to Alex.

Instead, her face just turned beet red.

It seemed she was even shyer than I had initially thought.

Could it really be that embarrassing to say just one word?

She had seemed perfectly fine talking before I got here, after all.

Hmm, maybe she’s the kind of person who finds it easier to talk when she can’t see the other person’s face?

Thinking about it, she did wear a large black robe that completely covered her body before coming to the orphanage.

That might explain a lot.

“Hmmm…”

“Envious.”

“…What?”

The thoughts rolling around in my head came to an abrupt halt at Alex’s random muttering.

“Jealous. So jealous.”

“…Why are you acting like this now?”

“Really, really jealous.”

Out of nowhere, Alex just kept repeating how jealous he was, pouting dramatically.

What is going on now?

“Jealous. Some people don’t even share their name, while others get to link arms!”

“W-Wha—ahh—ahhh!”

It was chaos.

On one side, Harp was stammering incomprehensibly, flustered beyond belief.

On the other, Alex was sulking like a child, mumbling nonsense with his lips stuck out.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?!”

What was this?

This wasn’t a conversation—it was like a whack-a-mole game! As soon as I tried to fix one side, the other would start acting up!

“What is wrong with you two?!”

The strange, awkward moment stretched on for a while, lingering in an inexplicable haze, until it finally ended when I let go of Harp’s arm.

“Ahem. My apologies, that wasn’t very mature of me.”

“M-Me too, I’m sorry, Miss…”

“…Yeah.”

What on earth had just happened?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t make sense of it.

“Let’s not do that again, okay?”

“Yes!”

“That goes for you too, Alex.”

“Got it.”

“Phew…”

In the end, I decided to just let it go.

There was no point in overthinking an unsolvable problem; all it would do was give me a headache.

From now on, I’d just keep one simple rule in mind: Don’t link arms with Harp again.

“That’s not allowed!”

“…Huh? What isn’t?”

“…Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“Hmm. Harp, are you sure you’re not feeling unwell? You’re not overdoing it again, are you?”

“No, I’m fine!”

Suspicious.

“Really. I’m not sick.”

“Alright. If you say so…”

Even when I stared at Harp with an expression clearly saying “Tell me the truth,” she just shook her head and kept insisting she wasn’t unwell.

It was a little suspicious, but she kept denying it so earnestly that I decided to trust her.

After all, believing in children is what adults are supposed to do.

And ever since the incident at the dinner table, we’d promised to never lie to each other.

There’s no need to worry, right?

“Wait a second! Eve, you…!”

“Yes?”

“Your clothes! What’s with your clothes?!”

“…My clothes?”

Following Alex’s horrified outburst, my gaze naturally drifted downward.

“…Oh.”

And that’s when I finally noticed it.

I’d been so focused on saving Harp that I’d completely forgotten about the state of my clothes.

The shirt I was wearing was shredded to the point where, if I stepped outside, I’d definitely be arrested for public indecency.

“…Ah.”

The sight of my barely-there shirt sent my brain spinning.

“Eve! Calm down for a second! I didn’t see— No, wait, I actually brought spare clothes! Just in case!”

“Wha—AHHHH! ‘Just in case’? You perverted old man!”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant! These are clothes the villagers gave me as a gift! I misspoke!”

“AAHHHHHH!”

I can’t believe I stayed like this all this time.

This is unbelievable.

Unable to bear it any longer, I let out a series of panicked screams and dashed toward the bedroom.

But then—

“What’s going on?!”

“What was that sound?!”

It seemed my screams had been heard by the many villagers outside, and they began storming into the orphanage.

“Wha—No! Wait!”

“Oh, right… They did say they’d come in if we didn’t come out in an hour…”

I didn’t know how long they’d been waiting outside, but that wasn’t important now.

“W-Wait! Don’t come in!”

“Are you okay, kid?! Are you hurt?!”

“I’m fine! Please don’t force the door open—!”

And just like that, I found myself in an impromptu standoff with the villagers.

I get it—they’re worried. I understand. But this is not the time!

If they open that door right now, I might actually die of embarrassment.

“Kid! We just want to check if you’re okay—just crack the door open a little so we can make sure! I’m the doctor!”

No! Do you not realize that just checking my body would be fatal for me right now?!

“Please, give me at least five minutes—no, three minutes! Just wait, I’m begging you!”

Please!!