What? Did the bear suddenly change its mind?

“Phew…… What a relief though. Right?”

Before she knew it, her whole body was damp with cold sweat. Becoming aware of it, Sella tried to let go of the man’s hand that she was still holding.

Hm?

Sella’s wide-open eyes moved to her hand joined with the man’s. It was because the man was gripping her hand so tightly that she couldn’t let go.

Sella, who had been looking at their joined hands, raised her head and looked at the man’s face.

Excuse me, we only just met today…… It’s not so bad holding hands like this when you’re so gratifyingly handsome…… But still, isn’t this going a bit too far for two people who just met?

But for some reason, the man didn’t loosen his grip in the slightest, as if he intended to hold her hand forever.

“You can let go of my hand now…… the bear is gone too.”

Sella finally wriggled her captured hand and spoke carefully.

“You, what did you say your name was?”

The man asked, still not letting go of her hand.

“Sella. But are we going to keep holding hands?”

It felt like heat was rapidly rising from their joined hands. In the cold weather, the man’s hand was warm like a hand warmer, so it wasn’t unpleasant.

But still, even so!

I’m not the type to just go around holding hands with a man I’ve just met!

But why is this man really doing this? Could someone this handsome have fallen for me at first sight? Or is this man also just so startled by the bear that he’s acting like this?

“You must have been very startled by the bear……”

Since the man gave no answer at all, Sella ended up asking and answering by herself.

Fortunately, the man did let go of her hand shortly after.

Well, it’s not that she had specifically wanted him to let go either.

No wait, they only just met today, so he should let go!

“Rodi, are there many bears like that on this mountain? It seems dangerous.”

Sella changed the subject, feeling embarrassed for having all those thoughts to herself.

She was also genuinely a little worried, since she would have to come to this mountain every week to place the wood order. Today she had been lucky that the bear left first, but there was no guarantee it would be the same next time.

“Sella……”

But the man, whether he had heard Sella or not, was absently turning her name over in his mouth.

What, has he fallen for me? Well. My looks aren’t that bad.

No, to be honest, Sella was pretty. When she had first looked in a mirror after the possession, she had thought that with looks this pretty, transmigrating as an orphan was at least a little less unfair.

But looking at him to judge that, his expression was far too serious. The look in the man’s eyes as he repeated her name was intense, as if he could bore right through her.

“Um…… so, may I place the wood order now?”

Sella, who had somehow become uncomfortable under the man’s gaze, thought she should finish her business quickly and disappear.

“Wood order.”

The man murmured.

Wood order? Why is he murmuring that like that?

…… Is this man a bit slow?

“Yes. Come to think of it, Rodi, is this the right path to your mountain lodge? Today I was lucky enough to run into you here, but next time I’ll have to go all the way to the lodge……”

“Next time?”

“Yes, our orphanage places a wood order every week. I mentioned earlier that starting today, I’ve taken over that task from Betty.”

“Ah, you’re coming every week……”

What is with this person? Like he’s completely dazed.

“This time, please send the same as last time, 50 bundles. The price is…… 40 gallops, right……?”

Following the director’s instructions, Sella tried lowballing the price as if she knew nothing. She would probably be turned down immediately, but at least she could try asking……

“Give whatever you want.”

“Of course not…… Pardon?”

Sella, who had been about to back down first out of a guilty conscience, was left completely dumbfounded.

Why was he suddenly offering to sell it so cheaply?

Wait, buying it 10 gallops cheaper?

The little children at the orphanage suddenly came to mind.

What if she skimmed off the extra 10 gallops and bought the children some snacks?

The director sold children and regularly collected the wages of adult orphans from the orphanage in their stead, making quite a comfortable living. The director ate so much that the belly stuck out roundly.

And yet the food given to the children had not a trace of protein in it, and even the portions were cruelly small.

Still, except in special circumstances, the children weren’t starved or beaten, so it was better than being abandoned on the streets…… but in any case, it was a person brimming with greed.

Since Betty had handled all the wood orders, the director had never met this woodcutter directly. All the work of the orphanage was entirely the lot of the adult orphans, and the only thing the director did was manage the money.

So even if Sella skimmed some money, there would be no way for the director to find out.

Buy it for 40 gallops, and tell the director it was 50 gallops. Wouldn’t that work?

While Sella was busily turning this over in her head,

“Do you only place the order once a week?”

The man suddenly asked.

“Yes! It’s always been that way. And starting today, that’s my job!”

“To Rodi’s…… mountain lodge?”

Rodi’s mountain lodge.

Between the short, informal speech and speaking only in single words or fragments, she thought it was like a grown adult talking like a child.

“Yes. Today I happened to run into you here, but next time I’ll……”

“Let’s meet here every time.”

“Pardon?”

“You said you were scared of bears earlier. If you go up further, there are a tremendous number of bears like that one.”

For the first time, Rodi spoke in a clear and decisive way.

Up until now, he had been speaking in short fragments like someone who couldn’t speak properly……

Even so, it was strange. If there were that many bears, how had her sister been coming up this mountain every week all this time?

Her sister had never once mentioned running into a bear on Mount Tolto.

But it was also true that she had just come face-to-face with a bear. In any case, if this woodcutter was willing to come down this far, Sella had no reason to refuse.

That said……

“My arrival time isn’t fixed. I have a lot of work to do at the orphanage.”

Cleaning, cooking, laundry, washing dishes, looking after the children, and so on.

“Whenever you come, I can meet you here.”

“……?”

It was a little hard to understand, but it wasn’t bad for Sella.

Not having to go further up the mountain would save time. That meant she would have room to secretly buy snacks for the children with the 10 gallops and bring them back.

That said…… somehow things seemed to be going a little too smoothly.

“Rodi.”

“……”

“40 gallops is right? And you can meet me here no matter when I come?”

The more favorable a deal like this was, the more she had to drive the stake in so there was no going back on it.

“Yes.”

“No take-backs!”

“……What? What does that mean?”

“It means no changing your mind! Make sure you keep your promise.”

“……”

Sella boldly held out 40 gallops to him as if she had nothing to feel guilty about.

But the man just stood there staring at the money.

Letting out a small sigh at the man’s dopiness, which didn’t match his looks at all, Sella took his hand and placed each coin into it one by one herself.

She felt guilty for knocking off 10 gallops, so she at least had to give the 40 properly.

“You know to deliver it to the Bishell Orphanage by the morning after next, right?”

Having lost confidence in the man, Sella confirmed something that should have gone without saying.

“…… Bishell Orphanage?”

Had he been making deliveries all this time without even knowing the orphanage’s name?

This person…… isn’t…… slow, is he?

“Yes. Bishell! The Bishell Orphanage. The Bishell Orphanage in the village of Pallen down below! You know it, right?”

Sella spoke to him again, slowly and clearly, as if talking to a small child.

“Why are you speaking so loudly? How noisy. More importantly, are you an employee there?”

What, this reaction? She had been considerate and explained things clearly because he seemed to know nothing!

His manner of speaking grated on her anew. Why was he speaking informally from the very first meeting? Was he uneducated?

“I’m an orphan who grew up there, and now I work there as an employee.”

Sella answered politely despite the man’s rudeness.

‘Take a lesson from watching me.’

Well, this man seemed to have a great deal more to learn than just manners. The orphanage system was something anyone in this world would know, yet he was asking about even that.

“Orphan…… Sella.”

The man repeated her name to himself like a murmur. Slowly, like a child just learning to speak, memorizing a word.

Tsk tsk.

No matter how she looked at it, the man was a bit odd. His appearance was perfectly fine, yet to be such a clueless and simple-minded person……