After enduring the countless stares that rained on our little 'squad' of kids, Leo's 'siblings' stormed into the Blackbird with anticipation.
"Oh, you are finally here!"
However, the first thing that came into Leo's sight threw him into confusion. If it wasn't for the voice that was still familiar to him…
'This is… Crane?'
Other than the voice, Crane went through a miraculous change. His hairy face that made him look like a hobo bigfoot was no longer there, instead, it was replaced by a handsome face with a neat haircut and a groomed short beard. Furthermore, his baggy workshop clothes were replaced by a set of casual slim-fit clothes. If only the first impression was taken into consideration, one could easily mistake him for a noble.
'His background does fit, but isn't this too exaggerated?'
If the old Crane looked more like a beggar, the current Crane seemed like a royal. Even though the author had hinted towards Crane having a special background, Leo didn't expect this transformation after just asking him to clean himself up a bit.
"Arthur? Are you planning to stand still like this for long?"
While Leo was still in shock, his 'siblings' had already run to Crane who 'bombed' them with candy, even Ria who was still hesitant seemed to relax a bit as she stepped in.
'This makes my job easier… but why do I feel slightly irritated?'
Crane didn't even seem to be faking his fondness for the children, and the children seemed to easily accept his amicable face in return. Leo could barely comprehend the change that even extended to his personality. What happened to the grumpy guy that he met at the very beginning?
'It's great that I had such a positive effect… I guess.'
"Ah, no, I was just taking a quick look to make sure nothing dangerous is in the open."
Just like Crane that changed, the unclean smithy full of ash was squeaky clean, even the fire in the furnace was put off. Furthermore, all the failed weapons and sharp objects that had littered the place had all disappeared, shocking Leo even further.
'Just how did he do all of this in one day?'
Considering the effort that has been put into all of this, Leo understood that it was unlikely for this 'house visit' to be the main motivation behind it. Instead, it seemed like Crane had merely used it as a trigger for the change.
'Not that it's that important now.'
As a reader, Leo couldn't help but theorize the reason just like he did when he read interesting novels. However, he quickly tried to suppress the urge since it wasn't the time to think about it with his life on the line.
After organizing his thoughts once more, Leo walked towards the couch where Ria was seated and sat beside her as he watched Crane playing with the children.
"I thought Arthur was exaggerating when he spoke about you all, but now I think he did the opposite! You really should have come here earlier!"
Perhaps it was because they were related to the protagonist, but Leo couldn't deny Crane's words. Just like both Crane and Arthur who were special to varying degrees, all of the children in the Orphanage were extremely adorable. In fact, if they weren't supposed to die today, one could say that they had rubbed off quite a bit of protagonist aura from the main character.
"You flatter us, sir Crane, I'm more impressed by your hospitality."
Time seemed to flow by quickly as Ria watched the children play with Crane while exchanging a few words themselves. On the other hand, Leo barely relaxed as he kept replaying the next part of the plan in his head. Without anyone noticing, it was already past midday as Crane put down Annie before proposing lunch.
"I made this myself, even though I'm a blacksmith. I must say that I'm pretty confident with my cooking!"
Crane proudly announced as he started the fire in the pot that he had prepared earlier, moving on to the table and distributing the plates.
"No need to be reserved, just hop on into whichever chair you like, the food should be ready to serve in a few minutes."
Although Ria was slightly embarrassed by how straightforward Crane was, she couldn't really refuse the lunch that he had already prepared with how friendly he was, especially with the children's eyes sparkling in anticipation for a change of palate, having already been stimulated by the smell.
"Then we will have to impose on you, sir Crane."
With Ria finally standing up and pulling out a chair to sit on, the obedient children quickly did the same. Despite wanting to do so much earlier, they knew that they had to restrain themselves outside. In fact, the only reason they played this freely with Crane was that Leo vouched for him. The way they were raised as a 'family' wasn't just for show.
'Let's do our best so this laughter can last longer…'
Being the last to move into the table, Leo couldn't help but feel emotional observing the delight of his siblings. Ever since he came to this world, he experienced a lot of emotions that he could only feel through reading before. For the sake of this vibrant life, he didn't want this world to collapse.
'Why do I suddenly feel slightly edgy?'
"Alright, you can dig in."
While Leo was doubting the possibility of an edginess infection from the protagonist, Crane had already served the stew he heated along with a few pieces of soft bread. After observing the appetizing plate, Leo brought the spoon to his mouth.
'Is there nothing that he isn't good at… eh?!'
Entertaining the possibility that Crane was a hidden protagonist himself considering how good he was at everything after his transformation, Leo was taken by surprise as he tried his hardest to resist spitting what he just tasted…
'So he is the 'legendary' cook character?'
Compared to the appetizing smell and appearance, the taste reminded Leo of a certain stereotype character that appeared in a few novels he read.
Not knowing what to do, Leo could only look at Crane whose face turned green, seemingly realizing the taste of the food he was proud of.
"Ahem, it seems like the seller had sold me spoiled ingredients. Forgot about this stew, we will regrettably have to do with the food of the restaurant across the street…"
Quickly collecting plates that were thankfully untouched by the rest of those on the table, Crane put them aside, rushing to the door.
"Sir Crane, no need for that, we can just end…"
Having not tasted the food yet, Ria confusingly tried to convince Crane that there was no need to change it considering how it looked, but Leo was quick to stop her, though Crane was faster to leave the smithy.
'Should we leave…?'
Not unsure what to do, Ria considered just leaving, but quickly refused the idea considering its rudeness. In the end, she didn't get to think much as Crane returned with a restaurant worker transporting meals into the table.
Looking at Crane who started eating himself, trying to hide his embarrassment, Ria repressed her thoughts and just started eating herself.
The atmosphere on the table could only be described as awkward at the beginning, but as the children ate with zeal, the smithy turned cheerful once more as they started conversing while eating.
Being the first one to finish, Leo put his utensils down and wiped his mouth before standing up.
"Since I'm done eating, I will head out to prepare for tomorrow. I will see you all a bit later."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Leo's intent and seeing him acting on it, Ria stopped eating herself and stood up, only to be stopped by Crane's gesture.
"Don't worry and just continue your meal. You see, today might be a break for the smithy but he still has work to do for tomorrow. You can all stay here until he is done… what he has to do, can only be done by himself."
Klang…
As the sound of the door closing could be heard, Ria sat down helplessly. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, Crane's words clearly resounded in her mind as she remembered the look she exchanged with Leo.