There is a limit to the number of children that can be accommodated. If I leave, one young child will be admitted instead.
Maybe I was admitted to the orphanage at the age of four. So, I can only be thankful, I have no fragment of resentment. 12 years old is old enough to live alone. At least, compared to a 4-year-old who fished in a trashcan on the back streetā¦
Of course, when leaving the orphanage, the headmistress always tries to find employment in various professions. And I decided, on the job of working at a certain store.
Only being fed and given a thin blanket, treated like a slave with a meagre pay.
ā¦ was not bad. At least compared to garbage fishing life.
At the age of fifteen, you are no longer obliged to be under adults protection and can live freely. The choice of employment would be greatly expanded, and it is no longer necessary to stay in a store that looks down on orphans.
Maybe I think this store will be usable for a long time, but Iām not that stupid. Thatās why I study a lot about business in between work.
I am grateful to the headmistress who taught me reading and writing for the future. I have to give back the favor someday.
Three years of patience until I turn 15 years old. I could just use the time to study and prepare.
ā¦ or thatās what I thought, but one year later, the store was crushed.
ā¦ Aha. Ahaha. Ahahahahahahaha!ā¦ā¦ Haaa.
At the age of 13, there is no decent employment.
It would be nice if I could be hired as an apprentice servant even if the pay was just meals, so that I can survive. Even so, most of them are occupied by the children that have connections. Itās not something that the likes of an orphan can get their hands into.
Such children could only do crimes such as pickpockets, scraping, or engage in prostitution.
Only 2 years more.
I hope I can survive for two more years before I can get a normal job.
If possible, I donāt want to dye my hands in criminal acts or prostitutionā¦\n
If I could do that easily, I didnāt have to endure three years at such a store. It would have been better to do that from the beginning.
In this country, human lives are trivialā¦ especially the lives of orphans.
And, of course, the pay for human labors are beyond cheap.
The small coins in my pockets is already gone in just a few days of food expenses, it is already three days after the owner fled from that store at night, Iāve been wandering around looking for work since then just to be driven away from one after another.
The orphanage provided an [asylum-aged worker permit], but the store owner took it so that the children canāt move to another place, and he didnāt return it.
Did he just forget to return it, did he intend to falsify it and use it for vagrants, or did he intend to sell it to a forged document brokerā¦?
Either way, I couldnāt get the permit back.
And I wonāt ask for reissue either, I donāt want to trouble the orphanage.
Even if I go with the formal procedure to get some kind of permit at the government office, I need to pay the bribe. Especially for those who are trying to duplicate the permit under the pretense such as [Reissue because Lost].
In order for this country to make a good face towards developed countries, laws such as [Any person under the age of 15 must have a proper permit and be under the protection of an adult to be eligible to work] have been enacted, but that just means, you have to work for your protector in return of the protection and the permit, you only get paid with clothes, food, and shelter.
Without a permit, both you and your employer are subject to custody, and if you do not want to be arrested you will have to pay large bribes, which makes it difficult to find employment.
Even if you could get hired, itās mostly [that kind of job]
In developed countries, those under the age of 15 shall not be allowed to work unless the circumstances are clear, such a law might work in order to protect the children.
But in places like this country, it only binds children more and makes them as objects of exploitation. Perhaps the great people of this country have made this law while being aware of that. In order to make face in front of developed countries, the riches in this country, those who exploits child labors, and the officials that receives bribes, this kind of law is in everyoneās favor.
ā¦ they should just eat crap!
Then, when the last coins in my pocket had become four loaf of breads, a poster came into my sight.
ā¦ Is this a dream?\n\nLike that, Silua returns my words.
Then I told Silua, my first colleague and my first subordinate, clearly.
āIāll never forgive that idiot, friendly, and naĆÆve owner in case she betrays usā¦ā (Rudina-chan)
Then, Silua with a dark smile on her face.
āā¦me tooā¦ā (Silua)
Is that soā¦. I was not the only one who was saved from the brink of hopeless stateā¦
And it is a harmless timid girl at thatā¦
āWell, letās do our best together. Attract more customers, make more moneyā¦ and bounce back the enemies without disappointing the owner. Are you okay with this?ā (Rudina-chan)
āBring it on!ā (Silua)
And like that, our battle just began.
Three days later, the owner came.
āThis is for youā (Mitsuha)
I was given the [Asylum-aged worker permit].
Then, during a small talk, I learnt that the owner also lost her whole family and that she lives by herself without a single relative.
After the owner returned, I called Silua.
āAbout the talk from last time, I want to make some changesā (Rudina-chan)
āā¦ what kind of change?ā (Silua)
āFrom [bounce back the enemies without disappointing the owner] to [crush the enemies and please the owner]ā (Rudina-chan)