Okami Wa Nemuranai

"Sorry, could you run that again."

"Like I said, your next service quest is to play with the temple orphaned kids for the whole day."

"Can I take other quests instead."

"Just between you and me, to tell you the truth, Shira-san actually put this quest in herself."

"Got it."

Honestly speaking, even the garbage collecting job Lecan did in Pirariko's mansion yesterday was already quite difficult for him. He would have thrown in the towel midway through if it wasn't a test to become an apothecary apprentice.

But children.

And playing with them.

If he were told to kill, he might feel a bit conflicted, but it's not like he couldn't.

But, playing.

What was playing again.

"Must I work on this quest today."

"You don't have to. This quest is a permanent quest. You can go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow if you want."

"Then I'll do it tomorrow."

"Understand. So you'll be taking it tomorrow. Please go to the site after breakfast."

Lecan is heading into the forest.

There's a gateway check to go out of the town.

"Show me your Adventurer Badge."

Lecan took off the badge hanging on his neck and handed it over, then the guard observed the back of the badge, and wrote something in the register.

By doing this, it's possible to skip paying as long as you go back within the day.

Everyone who's going in from outside the town is obliged to pay tax. Free passes are issued to the citizen but everyone else has to pay tax.

However, adventurers who have got inside the walls are exempt from paying tax if they get back right after going outside.

Since this was the first town that required Lecan to pay admission fee, he's not sure if it only applies to this town, but he's just happy that he doesn't have to cough up for this.

Lecan proceeded into the forest. And went around killing magic beasts. He thought that he could get a good idea in the middle of doing it. Lecan's heart was healed by the long-awaited hunt.

<TLN: If you're reading this novel at any other site than Sousetsuka.com you might be reading an unedited, uncorrected version of the novel.>

"Attention please, every~body. This gentleman here is Lecan-san, he's going to play with you today, you know~"

The apprentice priestess introduced Lecan as such, but the children were looking at Lecan with stiff expressions.

"Name's Lecan. Nice to meet you."

Lecan spoke with deep stern voice. But no one is making a sound.

Having no choice, Lecan approached a slightly older girl, squinted his right eye and broke his ace-up-sleeve smile.

The girl's face warped in fear before she was in tears. Anxiety and fear are contagious. All the kids began to cry out all together.

The apprentice priestess who couldn't bear to watch any longer was going to say something, but Lecan gestured her to stop.

And then Lecan did something unusual.

He leaped at the spot and somersaulted backward in the air.

They're in an open space behind the temple, there's more than enough space here. Using all that space, Lecan leaped around left and right, rising while somersaulting high in the air.

The children finally stopped crying as they watched Lecan's action with awestruck expressions.

Lastly, Lecan somersaulted twice in the air before landing.

"Uwaaa"

"Awesome"

Several kids cheered.

Lecan waved at the kids with his big right hand. And once the kids' attention was gathered on him, he put his clenched right hand in front of his chest. And then he slowly opened that right hand.

A beautiful red flower was in it.

Lecan gave that flower to the girl who cried earlier.

This time he swung his left hand. And then he produced a yellow flower and gave it to the next girl.

Of course, these flowers were flowers he picked up in the forest yesterday that were put in <Storage>.

Eventually all the girls got their flowers. They stared at the flowers happily and turned their attention back at Lecan, waiting for his next act.

This time, Lecan knocked his palms together to make a sound. The children twitched in surprise. However, none cried this time. Since there are two green round things on top of each Lecan's palms. The children were curious about those things.

Lecan handed over the two round things to two boys. The boy were timid at first, but soon enough, they boldly touched the round things all over the places.

"This thing's soft."

"It's flopping around."

"Try squeezing it, so weird!"

Lecan produced out more and more round things. He gave them to all but one boys. That boy is among the oldest here.

Lecan did not hand over the round thing to him, instead he retreated around five steps back and threw it at him.

The boy caught the round thing with both his hands.

Lecan faced his palm upward, and beckoned with his index finger.

The boy figured out what that gesture meant and threw the round thing at Lecan. Lecan caught it with his left hand, and tossed it back at the boy with his right hand.

The boy caught the round thing cheerfully, without a trace of anxiety from earlier. Urged by Lecan, he threw it back again.

Lecan turned around showing his back, and caught the round thing with his left hand behind his back. And with his back still facing the boy, he raised his right hand, and threw the round thing over his head.

When the boy caught it, Lecan turned around and clapped his hands.

The kids around them gave an applause.

Then Lecan spread and swung his arms wide.

"Now then, play all you want!"

The children immediately began to threw the round things at each others in a variety of ways. The girls also took part before long.

After watching the children playing and shouting out cheerfully for a while, Lecan clapped his hands to get their attention.

"Wonder what's coming out now?"

While saying that, Lecan thrust his hand into his breast pocket, and then dragged something out. Of course, in reality he was taking it from <Storage>.

It was a short piece of wood.

Lecan swung around the stick with his right hand.

And then he instructed a boy with gestures.

'Throw that round thing at me'.

The boy threw the round thing, and Lecan sent it flying with the stick.

'Waaa' a cheer erupted, and the boy ran after the round thing.

Lecan took five more sticks from his chest pocket and handed them over to the children.

"Think up many ways to play with."

The round things were made by rolling up elastic ivy he found in the forest.

The short sticks were some random dried wood lying around, shaved to shape.

Children are exceptionally gifted in playing.

Once you give them some toys, they should come up many ways to have fun with those themselves.

Before long, it was meal time. This orphanage serve three meals a day, even though the amount is not much. They understand that it's good for the children's growth from experience, Lecan finds that out much later.

It was siesta time after the meal. Lecan slept together with the children.

After the nap, one of the girls demanded Lecan to piggyback her.

One Lecan complied, the girl got in high spirits like 'kyakkya, kyakkya'.

"Yay. Yay. I'm the tallest~~"

Naturally. There's probably not many opportunity to get a piggyback from a human as tall as Lecan. The view from there must be quite spectacular.

A queue has formed for piggyback applicants. As Lecan piggybacked the children one by one, a line of applicants followed behind him, and they all paraded around.

The lively boys came up with many new ways to play with the round things and sticks.

By evening, the time for him to leave, the children have become completely attached to Lecan.

"Uncle wolf, come again okay!"

"You've gotta to."

"Thank you!"

"See you!"

After leaving the orphanage with a smile, Lecan went to report his quest completion at the Adventurer Association, then he got back to the inn and flopped down to sleep like a log.

Completely worn out.