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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Plump Choco Cookies
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"Y-Yes...?"
The conversation had veered off track for a moment midway through, but Nibelria still managed to explain the basics of working diligently to Arep with surprising seriousness.
Arep watched her with a mix of awe and admiration—half amazed, half impressed.
It was astonishing that a noble was working to earn money, and admirable that someone so young was determined to do the same.
"Alright, let's get started!"
"Yes."
The two soon set to pulling weeds.
Today's task was weeding.
Summer was right around the corner, so weeds were starting to sprout thickly in every flower bed. Nibelria and Arep carefully picked out and yanked only the ones the gardeners had pointed out.
"Wow, Arep, you're good at this!"
Nibelria praised Arep for pulling the weeds out cleanly, roots and all.
"You're really good at it?"
"That doesn't look like the work of a first-timer..."
"Impressive...!"
The gardeners working nearby couldn't hide their own admiration.
"I-I did it a lot at the orphanage."
Arep confessed the secret behind his skill, blushing shyly.
Pity flashed across the gardeners' faces for a moment.
But Nibelria clapped her hands enthusiastically and praised him even more.
"That's awesome! Nini wants to get better too. Teach me."
"You have to grip the base firmly here."
"Like this?"
"Then gently dig around the roots and yank hard."
"Heave-ho!"
She followed his instructions and pulled with all her might, only to tumble backward onto the ground.
The startled Arep fumbled in a panic to check on Nibelria.
Her white silver hair splayed messily over dirt, grass, and flowers as she blinked her wide, surprised eyes.
She lifted her arms slightly, and two weeds—roots intact—were clutched in her hands.
"Hee hee!"
Nibelria thrust the weeds right in front of Arep's nose.
"I did it! Nini succeeded!"
"A-Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"I'm fine. Nini doesn't cry over something like this."
Nibelria got up on her own and brushed the dirt off her clothes without a care.
Arep straightened her crooked hat and picked the clumps of dirt from her white silver hair.
But Nibelria paid no mind to her disheveled state.
"Let's pull more quick!"
"......"
"Today's snack is choco cookies! Let's finish this and eat choco cookies!"
Plump, plump, plump.
Plump choco cookies!
Nibelria hummed an impromptu work song.
It was more like mumbling than actual singing, but she enjoyed her labor all the same.
"......"
Arep stared at her in genuine wonder—and a touch of bewilderment—before focusing back on the weeds.
"...Plump, plump."
Plump choco cookies.
Before he knew it, the silly work song had stuck in Arep's mouth too.
The gardeners coldly evaluated the flower bed the two children had weeded so diligently.
"Very clean work. You both did well."
"But why are these crushed? Did someone fall here?"
"Shouldn't we deduct pay for this...?"
The pair had completed the task far better than expected.
The problem was the few flowers Nibelria had flattened when she fell.
Nibelria waited anxiously for the gardeners' final verdict.
Arep's heart pounded right along with hers.
"Hm."
The gardener looked them over sternly.
"We'll handle these flowers as our own oversight."
"D-Do we get all the money?"
Nibelria asked in a tense voice.
"Taking money from kids... that's not something adults should do."
"You know it well."
"Daddy once lost all Nini's money playing cards when Nini was two. Nini was so sad back then..."
"Oh dear..."
The sympathetic gardener pulled a pen from his pocket.
"Now, if you two could bring out your notebooks?"
Nibelria and Arep pulled out their passbook-shaped notebooks.
They were the 'wage passbooks' Seletrina had made for them.
They used stickers for debt-repayment chores, but for earning money like this, they recorded it in the wage passbooks.
Once the date, task, results were noted and signed by the supervisor, they got paid.
Nibelria beamed at her notebook entry for the day's task.
"We earned money!"
"What will you save up for bit by bit?"
"Investments!"
"Oh, aiming high, are we?"
"At Nini's age, it's time to try the hard stuff."
"Hahaha! Indeed!"
After parting with the gardeners, Nibelria and Arep washed off their sweaty, dirt-covered bodies.
Changed into fresh, soft clothes, they dug into the snacks Dether had brought.
"Hehe, plump choco cookies!"
Nibelria first sliced a big, round cookie in half.
"Oops."
She diligently picked up the crumbs that fell on her skirt and the table, then glanced sideways.
"......"
There sat Arep, still mesmerized by his wage passbook.
"Arep, what's wrong?"
Nibelria asked.
Snapping to at her call, Arep hurriedly set the passbook down.
"W-Well..."
"Yeah?"
"It's just... amazing."
"What is?"
"That... I earned money..."
Of course, the wage passbook wasn't actual cash.
But Seletrina and Kaleo had promised to give them real money once it was filled.
Arep believed them.
He no longer doubted the sincere kindness the adults here had shown him.
"I can't believe it. What if it's a dream...?"
"It's not a dream. Definitely not!"
Nibelria placed half the cookie she'd just cut onto Arep's plate.
"Eat this and perk up. Let's work more and earn lots of money!"
"B-But this is your cookie, miss."
"It's fine! Nini ate plenty. Yesterday too, and uh, anyway, lots!"
"......"
A half cookie atop a whole one.
Her hands weren't strong enough yet for a clean cut.
Yet Nibelria had given Arep the bigger half without hesitation.
"Protecting your subordinate is the boss's job."
Nibelria thumped her chest, signaling not to worry.
"Eat up, get strong, and let's work hard again!"
"......"
"And if this is a dream, then... um..."
But what if it was a dream?
Nibelria hadn't thought that far and pondered for a moment.
"...Then let's dream again! Sleep together!"
"......"
"Nini will snore right along with you."
Grinning, Nibelria picked up her smaller share of cookie.
She carefully dipped it into her lukewarm milk to soften it.
The cookie was small enough that it might slip into the glass if she wasn't cautious.
Arep watched her nibble the moistened cookie, then picked up his own.
Thud.
"Miss."
Arep offered her the larger half of his cookie—just like she'd given him.
"Here, you eat this."
He placed it on Nibelria's empty plate.
"P-Protecting the boss... is the subordinate's duty."
"......"
"I have to protect you too. That's why I came here. If a subordinate doesn't protect the boss, w-well, it just won't do!"
His face flushed as he emphasized his words with conviction.
'Yeah, I have to protect her.'
A younger, smaller child was vowing to protect him.
'Then I have to protect her right back.'
I'm way more of the big brother, and bigger too.
I can't just be protected.
Arep met Nibelria's blue eyes squarely.
"This time, I'll definitely protect you."
"......"
"...Huh?"
This time?
Arep's head tilted slightly.
'Didn't something like this happen before?'
When Solles had suggested he learn swordsmanship. He'd felt something eerily similar back then.
'What... is this?'
As he mulled it over deeply, something warm and cozy suddenly enveloped him in a tight hug.
"Thank you...!"
Still seated, Nibelria stretched her short arms with a grunt to hug Arep as hard as she could.
It wasn't her usual bright, energetic voice.
Her trembling tone, like she was on the verge of tears, was heartbreaking.
Arep couldn't understand why the always plucky Nibelria was suddenly like this.
But instead of panicking this time, he slowly patted her faintly quivering shoulders.
It felt like the right thing to do.
'No... it's what I want to do.'
Like I'd wanted to, for a very long time.
Maybe even before I was born...
Word that the Dayamor children were earning pocket money with wage passbooks had reached the neighboring Degladis estate too.
"Commendable."
Duke Kalarop Degladis chuckled.
"Nini really is something else."
Al, who had been helping with paperwork beside him, smiled along.
"She's only four, but so determined to earn her own money. Her drive is truly admirable."
"Someone might think you're her dad or grandpa."
"That's how much there is to learn from watching Nini."
No slacking.
No lies.
'...The total opposite of someone.'
A head of fine pink hair floated into Al's mind.
Al really liked pink.
It was his mother and sister's hair color.
But right now...
"Father."
"Yes?"
"So, what if we tried that wage passbook thing too?"
Kalarop looked genuinely intrigued by Al's suggestion.
And a few days later.
"Here you go."
Kalarop summoned the children to his study and handed each a passbook-shaped notebook.
Rima received hers too.
Clutching the notebook tightly in both hands, Rima tilted her head.
"Your Grace... What's this...?"
"It's called a wage passbook."
"W-Wage... passbook?"
Is it some magic tool I don't know about?
Rima's face lit up with excitement.
"From now on, your pocket money will be paid through labor."
"...Pardon?"
Rima's elated mood plummeted to rock bottom.
She stared at Kalarop in disbelief.
"L-Labor?"
"Heard about a fun idea from the neighbors."
Kalarop told her while looking at Rima.
"Especially you, Rima. You'll be independent someday, so it's wise to start saving now."
Rima was on the verge of fainting.
