Chapter 30
“Aref, you’re doing it too? How much have you saved?”
“I… I’ve filled it up to here.”
Aref showed the paycheck passbook he always carried.
“Wow! This is already your third one? Ugh, I need to catch up quickly too…!”
Aref and Rubens, both eight years old, quickly became close as they compared their passbooks with each other.
Watching them so intently, Al approached Nivellia’s side.
“Hi, Nini.”
“Hi!”
Nivellia greeted Al warmly.
“You’re earning allowance with a passbook too, right?”
“Yeah. And I invest as well.”
“That’s impressive! Can I see your passbook too?”
Nivellia willingly showed her passbook.
Al’s eyes widened in admiration as he flipped through it, page by page.
“…Wow, Nini, you’ve really worked hard.”
From pulling weeds to moving dishes, delivering newspapers, carrying luggage, cleaning shoes, organizing books… even helping with laundry and cleaning the bathroom.
‘Of course, they’d only make me do things suitable for a four-year-old…’
Nivellia diligently completed every task assigned to her, never picky about the work. Despite her young age, she already seemed responsible.
‘Ah… so that’s another effect of a paycheck passbook.’
It wasn’t just about learning the value of labor.
It also taught responsibility—the sense that you must complete the tasks you’re given.
Al handed back the passbook with a smile.
“As expected, Nini, you’re amazing. Impressive.”
“Hehe! I know! I know!”
Blushing from the repeated praise, Nivellia spun around in place for no reason.
Al, watching her cutely, noticed Aref out of the corner of his eye.
Aref was staring at them with a peculiar expression. He looked pitiful, like a puppy who really needed to go outside.
“Aref! Aref!”
But as Nivellia approached, Aref’s expression immediately relaxed.
‘…Ah-ha.’
Al swallowed a mischievous smile.
“Al, why are you like that?”
Soles, who had approached, asked.
“Because I’m happy. Playing with you all is the most fun.”
“Are we friends?”
Nivellia asked, surprised.
“You and him—weren’t you my subordinates?”
“Puhahaha!”
Al burst into laughter.
Nivellia looked at Al strangely. Aref quietly hid her behind his back.
After giggling for a while, Al leaned back and took a deep breath.
“Really… it might have been even more fun if he had been here too.”
“Leticia?”
Soles asked.
Leticia was a young lady from one of the few noble families serving the DeiAmore household. She had gone down to the estate with her family and wasn’t in the capital.
“She’s also a younger sibling I care about. But I was talking about Lima.”
As soon as Lima’s name was mentioned, Aref’s expression stiffened slightly.
“She was supposed to come today too, but she couldn’t because of work. Lima is earning money with a paycheck passbook as well.”
“Lima went to the square today with the maids.”
Rubens said this to Nivellia while handing her a cookie.
After breaking the cookie in half, Nivellia gave one piece to Aref and asked,
“What kind of child is Lima?”
Before putting the cookie in his mouth, Aref replied,
“…I don’t know well because we’re not close.”
“Send these to the DeiGladis mansion in two days, and the rest to this address…”
“Could you record it in this ledger? This address is in the southeast. Even if it’s far, it should arrive within five days.”
While the maid of the DeiGladis mansion handled business with the boutique owner, Lima stood quietly nearby.
With her white ribbon tied in twin tails, Lima waited politely for the maid.
Impressed by her behavior, the boutique staff spoke kindly.
“You’re standing so quietly even though you’re young?”
“Would you like a candy?”
“Your parents must be very proud to have a daughter like you.”
When receiving the candy, Lima politely bowed and thanked them. When receiving compliments, she blushed and swayed slightly.
“Thank you very much!”
After receiving the staff’s kindness, Lima left the boutique with the maid who had finished her errands.
“You waited a long time, didn’t you?”
“No! I saw so many amazing things, it was great!”
“Thank you for waiting patiently. Now, let’s…”
“Um, um!”
Interrupting the maid, who was about to suggest returning, Lima pleaded earnestly,
“Can I just look around here a little longer?”
“Huh?”
The maid looked troubled.
“It’s my first time in such a big market…”
Lima lowered her head, fiddling with her hands in front of her chest. She raised her gaze slightly, then quickly looked down again.
Feeling pity for her, the maid made a decision.
“Just for a short while, alright?”
Lima quickly nodded.
“First, let’s hold hands…”
“Then let’s go over there!”
“Li—Lima!”
“Come on!”
“Wait! Too fast…!”
In an instant, Lima disappeared into the crowd. The flustered maid hurried after her, but Lima grew more distant.
“Lima!”
A voice called anxiously from behind.
‘…Phew. Finally lost them.’
Quickly, Lima ducked into a nearby alley to hide. Then she took out a hat hidden inside her clothes to cover her pink hair.
‘I’ll make my sister my personal maid later, so I’ll just endure for now. I’ll ask my dad to forgive me too.’
Ignoring the voices calling for her, Lima hurried toward her destination.
If she missed this chance, it would be a disaster.
‘Who knew a paycheck passbook would help like this…!’
When she first received it, she wanted to burn it immediately.
But since her identity hadn’t been revealed yet, this paycheck passbook was the only excuse she had to go out under the guise of helping the maids.
‘I need to gather information first!’
Lima looked around the signs.
‘A general store. Where is the general store…?’
In “Is it okay to be loved as an adopted daughter?”, the informant who had been a strong ally of Lima disguised his operation as a general store.
The owner of the informant was a young man in his twenties. He had two younger siblings, and though not related by blood, he cared for them dearly.
One of the younger sisters had been sick for a long time, and he was collecting information and money to find a cure.
‘If I can be introduced to someone who can make the medicine, they’ll be on my side. And the younger brother will fall for me too.’
After reviewing her plan, Lima stopped in front of the general store.
‘…It looks different from what I imagined.’
Her imagination had pictured something old but with a classic charm, yet the store looked like an ordinary shop.
Still, she entered.
“Welcome!”
A slightly chubby middle-aged employee greeted her with a cheerful smile.
Looking around, Lima whispered to the employee,
“Five old wooden staffs, please. One made of oak, and the ends of the other four should look like they’re wearing black socks.”
Reciting the secret code to meet the informant perfectly, Lima boasted.
“What?”
The employee squinted.
“What is this kid saying? Don’t mess around here.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You’re not here on an errand?”
“Oh? No, that….”
Flustered, Lima recited the code again.
But the employee just looked at her bewildered, this time more annoyed than before. Then he waved his arms dismissively.
“If you’re going to mess around, leave. Don’t disturb me.”
“No, no! That’s not it…!”
Was my code wrong?
But it’s the code I made!
Panicked, Lima repeated the code several times. Eventually, she shouted loudly, “I’m here to meet the informant’s owner!”
In the end, Lima had to leave the store as if she were being chased away.
“……”
She looked up at the store in disbelief.
But that didn’t change anything.
‘H-How is this…!’
Shaking her head and retreating, denying reality, something bumped into the back of Lima’s head.
“Oh my. Are you okay?”
A lady with brown hair streaked with white spoke with concern. Her kind green eyes blinked slowly.
She looked too young to be called an old woman, but older than middle-aged.
“……”
Lima was speechless and dazed.
The lady watched her for a moment, then asked,
“Sorry, I heard the shouting in the general store. Are you looking for the informant?”
“Oh, th-that’s…!”
Just as Lima regained her composure and was about to dismiss it as nothing,
“Then will you follow me?”
The lady smiled.
“I’m the employee of the informant.”
Still shocked from her experience at the general store, Lima followed the lady without hesitation.
She didn’t want to be at that store any longer.
“Who are you, Grandma?”
Lima, drained of energy, could barely speak.
“I’m the cleaner at the informant’s place.”
“Cleaner?”
Lima couldn’t hide her disappointment.
Looking closer, her hair was just plain brown. No one with special abilities would have such a dull hair color.
“I shouldn’t take outsiders along, but you seemed desperate…”
The lady then led her to a shoe store.
Its exterior, old but elegant, perfectly matched the store Lima had imagined.
Going up to the second floor, a young man noticed the lady and Lima and frowned.
“Cleaner! Who’s this?”
“She said she wants to meet the informant’s owner…”
“Even so, you can’t just bring outsiders here!”
The man shouted, furious at the situation.
