Everyone tactfully refrained from interrupting the reunion between Bronya, Seele, and Sin. It was Seele who realized they had kept their long-traveled "guests" standing at the gate for quite some time.
"Bronya-oneechan, you guys should come in first," Seele said, stepping out of Bronya's embrace and bowing to Shu and the others. "Hello, my name is Seele, Seele Vollerei. You can call me Seele..."
"Hello, Seele," Shu greeted her with a smile, then turned to Sin.
"Sin, Sin Mal. Call me whatever you want, I don't care," Sin's expression, in contrast, was not so pleasant. Shu read a hint of resentment in it.
He maintained his smiling expression, a little puzzled.
Had he said something wrong? Or was Sin just like this with everyone?
Standing half-hidden behind Shu, Frélle peeked out at Sin in surprise. She had heard of the Mal surname. It was a fallen minor noble family, whose last direct line had been killed in a warlord skirmish a few years ago...
Frélle remembered what the people in her family had said when they heard the news:
"Stubborn old fools, clinging to their honor without seeking change. Their vast fortune was squandered by time. Hmph, apart from their family etiquette, there's nothing to praise."
After that, Frélle had never heard the "Mal" surname again. It was said that the family's assets had been divided among the major noble families, with a small portion flowing to the common people as a favor, and all surnames had been revoked...
To think... there was still one here?
But...
Frélle thought of the noble etiquette that all her elders had praised, then looked at the short-haired, shark-toothed girl... no, woman... in front of her who proclaimed herself "I, the great..." She couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.
Was this really noble etiquette?
Even a Kaslana wasn't this unrestrained, right?
She subconsciously looked up at Kiana, only to see her leaning almost entirely on Mei. The moment Frélle turned her head, Kiana sensed something and looked back at her with a puzzled expression.
No, these two are cut from the same cloth.
Frélle passed her judgment on the two of them.
"Hello, Sin," Shu greeted Sin as well, and in return, received two disgusted emotional feedbacks.
His smile is so fake, so stiff...
Shu's face stiffened. He glanced back at Frélle and saw her serene and genuine smile.
And there was also a near-boastful emotion...
Good grief, is she giving me a demonstration?
Shu couldn't help but pinch his own cheek, gently rubbing it, then gave up on smiling and returned to his most normal expression.
"Tsk..." Sin made a sound that could have been annoyance or approval, then pointed behind her with her thumb. "If you have something to say, come in first. We don't welcome many people here, but you guys... are barely acceptable."
Shu nodded and then silently turned his gaze to Bronya.
This is your turf. Quickly use your connections to get me out of this communication predicament.
Bronya shrugged helplessly and then led the way into the orphanage.
"Sin, where is Mother Cocolia?" Bronya asked on the way to the main building.
"She's not here. Hasn't been for the past few days. I'm handling everything in the orphanage," Sin said, sounding a bit irritable.
Sin was handling everything in the orphanage?
Bronya thought about all the things Mother Cocolia used to do in the orphanage... planning three meals a day, checking homework, and checking on them at night...
Bronya's gaze towards Sin became a bit more complex. Sin suddenly shivered.
"What's with that look?! Are you pitying me?!" She suddenly leaned close to Bronya. "Ha~? Do I need your concern? You should worry about yourself first!"
Faced with Sin's sudden proximity, Bronya didn't even pause in her steps or lean back to avoid her. She was almost pressed against Sin.
And Sin was still pointing fingers. "You think I wanted this job? Isn't it because you weren't here, and in such a big orphanage, only I could step up?"
She pointed a finger. Seele, who was about to try and reason with Sin, trembled all over, blinking her big eyes and pointing at herself in confusion.
"Who can this crybaby Seele manage? Rozaliya or Liliya? She can't even handle Isabella! The best management method I can think of for her is to just cry in front of the troublemakers and make them comfort her instead!"
"I... I..." Seele was at a loss for words. "I haven't... haven't..."
She tried to defend herself in a small voice, but Sin just glanced at her, and Seele's defense immediately got stuck in her throat. She lowered her head deeply.
"And Rozaliya and Liliya, I really can't imagine if they took over this orphanage, would their first act be to stuff all the test papers down the toilet or eat all the cherries and blueberries!
"Maybe they'd declare three hundred and sixty-five holidays a year! And then party every day!"
Sin anxiously ran a hand through her two-toned short hair, her shark-like teeth grinding so hard they were about to shoot sparks.
"There are so many kids in the orphanage, who's going to take care of their meals? Where are there so many supplies for them to waste? They can even set the kitchen on fire just by making cherry jam!"
"And..."
Sin poured out her grievances to Bronya like a flood. Seele, standing on the side, listened with her head bowed lower and lower, her face growing redder and redder.
And then...
"I... I'm sorry. Seele didn't know Sin was... so upset... Seele thought she was helping Sin..." Before Bronya, the target of the rant, could say anything, Seele was the first to apologize with her head bowed.
Sin whipped her head around, staring at Seele with a look of utter bewilderment, sizing her up from head to toe. "What's wrong with you?"
The rest of Seele's words got stuck in her throat.
"You've worked hard, Sin," Bronya said to her. Sin looked at Bronya, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. Her mouth moved a few times before she slowly squeezed out a sentence.
"None of your business."
Wasn't that exactly what she wanted, for her to help manage things? Bronya smiled at Sin, which made Sin shiver with goosebumps. She moved away from Bronya, turning her head so she wouldn't have to see that smile.
Shu, who had been walking behind them the whole time, saw Sin's slightly flushed face. The corner of his mouth had just begun to lift when he saw Sin bare her teeth at him. The smile on his face immediately vanished.
It's funny, but I don't dare to laugh.