Chi never forgets a favor he's received.
When the teacher called out, Tien, who had been lying down at a distance, woke up with a start.
"...Yes."
Her face became more pale, and she looked clearly healthier than before.
I think I'm coming out of my funk.
It may seem that a single meal can make a difference, but that is how bad my eating habits were until now.
He walked over to us with a firm step and bowed to Nina.
"Thank you. You saved my life. Chi never forgets a favor he's received."
"Oh, no, you're exaggerating."
Nina waved her hand in panic at the mention of such a heavy word as "saved my life,
"If this had gone on, Chi would probably be dead in a few days."
"What, what?"
"It really helped me. I want to repay you in some way."
"Yes, Nina-san, the monastery would like to return the favor. Tien may have left the orphanage, but she is still our child."
"Sir..."
Tien looked at the teacher, then at Nina.
"Whatever you say."
Nina said, staring at him.
"...In that case, I have a favor to ask."
"Yeah. What?"
I'm sorry if I'm being presumptuous, but I'm going to tell you this.
I want you to show me the mine," he said.
"No, no, sorry! I'm sorry to bother you. I'm sorry to barge in on you while you're working..."
It was not only Tien who was stunned, but also the teacher.
Emily and Astrid are laughing at her.
"She's like this~"
"He really wants to see the inside of an iron mine. Really, genuinely, just out of curiosity."
"I'm sorry... it's just that I've never seen it before, and I want to see it..."
"......"
Tien looked at the teacher and nodded, "I see."
"It's a small price to pay. If you know someone who works in the mine, they can show you around without prior application. When would you like to go? Tomorrow? Day after tomorrow?"
"Oh, tomorrow! Tomorrow, please!"
"In that case, Tien stay here today."
"Why? Teacher."
"I can't let you go dirty when you're here as a guest. Besides, don't you want to eat the rest of the food that Nina-san cooked for you tomorrow morning?"
Then..,
--KuruRuru ....
Tien's stomach rumbled.
But the sound was much more subdued than usual, almost as if he was afraid.
weak
The next day was a cool day with light clouds, just right for going out.
It was a good day for a tour of the mine, though there was no such thing as a good day since we were going into the mine.
"Good morning, Tien-san..."
Nina's eyes widened when she saw Tien coming from the mining town square in the morning.
Tien's color had improved to such an extent that it was hard to believe that it could change so much in just one day.
Her body was refreshed and her hair shiny, probably because she had taken a bath.
The clothes were the same as yesterday, but they looked clean, as if the nuns had washed them in a hurry.
That was all it took for Tien to turn into a beautiful girl.
Nina blinked at the transformation.
"Good morning, Nina... is Chi still strange? The teachers' sama-child was strange too. She was smiling."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! It's cute! So cute! Hey, Emily-san, Astrid-san!"
"Well, you've changed."
When I honestly praised Emily and Astrid, Tien's face fell,
"Well, then we go. Follow me."
I walked away to hide my embarrassment.
It was not a large town, and Nina and the others had learned a lot about it in the past few days, but they had not visited the mining area much.
Tien walked over,
"It's a building where the various records of the mine are kept. It smells like old paper. The woman at the reception desk wears a lot of makeup and smells bad."
Or..,
"There's a trolley running on the street behind here. The trolley runs at certain times of the day, but you can't see it now."
Or..,
"The ore dressing plant is just up ahead. We'll look there later."
He explained to me things that only those who were involved in the mining industry could understand.
Every time Nina did, she would say, "Wow! or "What does the ore dressing plant do?" or "What does the ore dressing plant do?
Tien, perhaps because of his serious nature, answered every question that Nina asked. He even said, "I'll check and tell you later" when he didn't understand something.
"That's the administration office. I'm going to apply for a tour."
"Hey, can I come in?"
"Not that I'm okay with it, but... it stinks?"
Tien's criteria are "smelly" or "not smelly".
"If it stinks, I don't care."
"I'll go get a drink or something."
Emily and Astrid refrained (or rather, ran away safely), and Tien and Nina entered the management office together.
In the evening, the office is crowded with people receiving their fees, but in the morning, it is quiet.
At the reception desk, there was a clerk and two foremen, who were making small talk with each other.
"Good morning. I have three visitors and I need a visitor's pass."
"Yes, yes. .... Hmm? Who the hell are you? You look like you're wearing one of my work clothes."
The clerk at the reception desk looks at Tien suspiciously.
They don't seem to recognize you because you look so different.
"Chi is chi."
"What's with the black ears? Are you a ghost dog?
The foreman noticed and shouted loudly.
The clerk must have noticed it, because she let out a "What?" and then exclaimed.
"...Chi is just here to get a visitor's pass issued."
"Uh, yes..."
"Wait. What the hell were you doing yesterday? You didn't make any money."
The foreman stopped the clerk's hand as she tried to apply for a visitor's pass.
"I don't have to explain what I did."
"There is! I'm in charge of the site. I can't have an accident with an unknown person like you! I thought you didn't have any money. And yet you look different today. Then there's only one thing to do... where did you go and what did you steal?"
"......"
Tien's eyes narrowed at the ridiculous comment, but before he could say anything else,
"...Come on, please."
It was Nina who made a stifled sound.
When the teacher called out, Tien, who had been lying down at a distance, woke up with a start.
"...Yes."
Her face became more pale, and she looked clearly healthier than before.
I think I'm coming out of my funk.
It may seem that a single meal can make a difference, but that is how bad my eating habits were until now.
He walked over to us with a firm step and bowed to Nina.
"Thank you. You saved my life. Chi never forgets a favor he's received."
"Oh, no, you're exaggerating."
Nina waved her hand in panic at the mention of such a heavy word as "saved my life,
"If this had gone on, Chi would probably be dead in a few days."
"What, what?"
"It really helped me. I want to repay you in some way."
"Yes, Nina-san, the monastery would like to return the favor. Tien may have left the orphanage, but she is still our child."
"Sir..."
Tien looked at the teacher, then at Nina.
"Whatever you say."
Nina said, staring at him.
"...In that case, I have a favor to ask."
"Yeah. What?"
I'm sorry if I'm being presumptuous, but I'm going to tell you this.
I want you to show me the mine," he said.
"No, no, sorry! I'm sorry to bother you. I'm sorry to barge in on you while you're working..."
It was not only Tien who was stunned, but also the teacher.
Emily and Astrid are laughing at her.
"She's like this~"
"He really wants to see the inside of an iron mine. Really, genuinely, just out of curiosity."
"I'm sorry... it's just that I've never seen it before, and I want to see it..."
"......"
Tien looked at the teacher and nodded, "I see."
"It's a small price to pay. If you know someone who works in the mine, they can show you around without prior application. When would you like to go? Tomorrow? Day after tomorrow?"
"Oh, tomorrow! Tomorrow, please!"
"In that case, Tien stay here today."
"Why? Teacher."
"I can't let you go dirty when you're here as a guest. Besides, don't you want to eat the rest of the food that Nina-san cooked for you tomorrow morning?"
Then..,
--KuruRuru ....
Tien's stomach rumbled.
But the sound was much more subdued than usual, almost as if he was afraid.
weak
The next day was a cool day with light clouds, just right for going out.
It was a good day for a tour of the mine, though there was no such thing as a good day since we were going into the mine.
"Good morning, Tien-san..."
Nina's eyes widened when she saw Tien coming from the mining town square in the morning.
Tien's color had improved to such an extent that it was hard to believe that it could change so much in just one day.
Her body was refreshed and her hair shiny, probably because she had taken a bath.
The clothes were the same as yesterday, but they looked clean, as if the nuns had washed them in a hurry.
That was all it took for Tien to turn into a beautiful girl.
Nina blinked at the transformation.
"Good morning, Nina... is Chi still strange? The teachers' sama-child was strange too. She was smiling."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! It's cute! So cute! Hey, Emily-san, Astrid-san!"
"Well, you've changed."
When I honestly praised Emily and Astrid, Tien's face fell,
"Well, then we go. Follow me."
I walked away to hide my embarrassment.
It was not a large town, and Nina and the others had learned a lot about it in the past few days, but they had not visited the mining area much.
Tien walked over,
"It's a building where the various records of the mine are kept. It smells like old paper. The woman at the reception desk wears a lot of makeup and smells bad."
Or..,
"There's a trolley running on the street behind here. The trolley runs at certain times of the day, but you can't see it now."
Or..,
"The ore dressing plant is just up ahead. We'll look there later."
He explained to me things that only those who were involved in the mining industry could understand.
Every time Nina did, she would say, "Wow! or "What does the ore dressing plant do?" or "What does the ore dressing plant do?
Tien, perhaps because of his serious nature, answered every question that Nina asked. He even said, "I'll check and tell you later" when he didn't understand something.
"That's the administration office. I'm going to apply for a tour."
"Hey, can I come in?"
"Not that I'm okay with it, but... it stinks?"
Tien's criteria are "smelly" or "not smelly".
"If it stinks, I don't care."
"I'll go get a drink or something."
Emily and Astrid refrained (or rather, ran away safely), and Tien and Nina entered the management office together.
In the evening, the office is crowded with people receiving their fees, but in the morning, it is quiet.
At the reception desk, there was a clerk and two foremen, who were making small talk with each other.
"Good morning. I have three visitors and I need a visitor's pass."
"Yes, yes. .... Hmm? Who the hell are you? You look like you're wearing one of my work clothes."
The clerk at the reception desk looks at Tien suspiciously.
They don't seem to recognize you because you look so different.
"Chi is chi."
"What's with the black ears? Are you a ghost dog?
The foreman noticed and shouted loudly.
The clerk must have noticed it, because she let out a "What?" and then exclaimed.
"...Chi is just here to get a visitor's pass issued."
"Uh, yes..."
"Wait. What the hell were you doing yesterday? You didn't make any money."
The foreman stopped the clerk's hand as she tried to apply for a visitor's pass.
"I don't have to explain what I did."
"There is! I'm in charge of the site. I can't have an accident with an unknown person like you! I thought you didn't have any money. And yet you look different today. Then there's only one thing to do... where did you go and what did you steal?"
"......"
Tien's eyes narrowed at the ridiculous comment, but before he could say anything else,
"...Come on, please."
It was Nina who made a stifled sound.