A long wooden table stretched across the center of the room, surrounded by simple chairs, some already worn down by time. On top of the table, plates filled with simple food were neatly arranged—coarse bread, warm soup, and a small portion of boiled vegetables.
Around twenty children sat surrounding the table. Their ages varied—from the youngest around seven years old to the oldest about Ethan's age—each with a simple plate in front of them.
The soft clinking of spoons, light chatter overlapping one another, and the occasional small laughter filled the room, bringing warmth to the otherwise modest space.
In the middle of them, Charlotte sat calmly, occasionally helping the younger children or reminding them to eat properly.
"Ethan…"
A small girl spoke first, her voice cautious.
"Are you… not sick anymore?"
That question became a trigger.
"Yeah, what happened to you earlier?" another child chimed in, a bit bolder.
"I heard you shouting from your room…"
"You fainted, right?"
One by one, voices began to rise, overlapping with each other, filled with unfiltered curiosity.
Ethan paused for a moment. He didn't answer right away.
His eyes swept across the small faces around him—honest, innocent, with nothing but concern.
"…I'm fine," he finally said, shortly.
"Really?" a boy in front of him asked, worry clear in his voice.
"Yeah."
"If you're still sick, just say it…" another child said softly. "Don't push yourself…"
Ethan didn't respond this time.
But before things could get awkward—
"Here, take mine!"
A child suddenly pushed half of a boiled potato toward Ethan.
"Here… just take it!"
"Hey, don't do it alone! I wanna give some too!" another child followed, hurriedly sliding their small bowl of vegetables forward.
Several small hands began to move, one after another offering parts of their food—pieces of hard bread, a bit of soup, leftover potatoes—slowly inching toward Ethan with hesitant but sincere gestures.
Ethan stared at all of it in silence for a second.
"…no need," he said at last.
His voice wasn't loud, but firm enough.
"Just eat your own food."
"But—"
"I've had enough."
This time, his tone pressed a little more, enough to make them stop.
The children exchanged glances.
Hesitant.
But slowly, they pulled their plates back, though some still glanced at Ethan with worried expressions.
Damn it… this is an eroge world, right? Then why is there a situation like this?
At the center of the table, Charlotte—who had been watching the whole time—finally spoke.
"…Ethan," she called gently.
Ethan turned to her.
"Are you really okay?" she asked, her tone more serious than the children's. "If you're still not feeling well, you can eat in your room. You don't have to force yourself."
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
"I'm fine," he replied, this time more relaxed. "If I were really sick, I wouldn't be sitting here."
Charlotte looked at him for a few moments, as if weighing the truth behind his words.
"…alright," she said in the end. "But don't push yourself."
Ethan gave a small nod.
After that, the atmosphere slowly returned to normal.
Spoons moved again.
Light chatter resumed, though not as lively as before.
Ethan finally focused back on his food.
A few minutes passed in relatively steady calm.
Then—
Tok.
Charlotte placed her spoon down.
That small sound immediately drew attention.
"Children, there's something… I need to tell you," she said.
Slowly, the noise at the table faded.
Small hands stopped moving.
One by one, they turned toward Charlotte.
And in an instant—the atmosphere changed.
"As you all know… things have been getting harder for us lately," Charlotte said softly, but clearly enough for everyone to hear.
She looked at each child before continuing.
"The church hasn't sent any aid for a long time. That's also why I asked you all to start planting crops around the orphanage."
Some of the children exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious.
"However…" Charlotte took a small breath, "things haven't improved the way I hoped. The food supplies in storage are running low."
"Because of that," she continued, her voice calm but slightly heavier, "starting tomorrow… I've decided to work at the adventurer's guild. I'll earn extra money from there."
The table instantly fell silent.
For a moment, no one reacted, as if the words hadn't fully sunk in yet.
Then—
"Hah?!"
Several children shouted almost at the same time.
"That's dangerous!"
"Miss Charlotte, don't do that!"
"There are monsters out there, right?!"
The small voices mixed together, clearly filled with panic and resistance.
One girl even stood up from her seat, clutching the edge of her clothes tightly.
"You can't go! What if something happens to you…?!"
Ethan shifted his gaze toward her.
[Name: Evelyn
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Affiliation: St.Liora Orphanage
Job: -
Status: Orphan
Lv: 1
Hp: 120
Mp: 95
Str: 10
Def: 10
Int: 10
Dex: 10
Vit: 10]
{Note: HP = VIT × (10 + Lv × 2), MP = INT × (8 + Lv × 1.5)}
Wow… just as expected from a villainess… maxed-out stats right from level one.
And then there's me…
Name: Ethan
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Affiliation: St.Liora Orphanage
Job: -
Status: Orphan
Lv: 1
Hp: 60
Mp: 95
Str: 8
Def: 6
Int: 10
Dex: 5
Vit: 5]
It does make sense that I have 10 INT… but what the hell is this VIT? just 5?
I'm sure this kid will fall asleep after one ejaculation
His thoughts were cut off by another voice.
"Yeah! We can just eat less!" another child said quickly. "You don't have to go that far…"
"If you leave… then who's going to stay here…?"
The voice trailed off at the end, almost as if they didn't dare to continue.
The table that had once been warm was now filled with unease.
Some children lowered their heads, others stared at Charlotte with teary eyes, and a few bit their lips, holding back something they didn't want to show.
But one thing was the same—none of them agreed.
"Don't worry," Charlotte continued in a calming tone. "I've already talked with some villagers. They said I can take light quests—like gathering medicinal herbs around the forest. It's not too dangerous."
The children still looked uncertain, but not as strongly as before.
"…if it's just picking plants… it should be safe, right?" one of the youngest muttered.
"Yeah… not fighting monsters, right?" another added.
"If that's the case… then it's fine," a small voice began to calm down. "As long as Sis Charlotte is careful…"
One by one, their resistance slowly softened.
Not truly agreeing—but they knew there was no other choice.
Charlotte smiled faintly at their reaction.
"Thank you," she said gently.
She then shifted her gaze, looking at the entire table with a slightly more serious expression.
"While I'm gone, I can't leave you all without supervision," she continued. "So I'll appoint a few people to help maintain things here."
The atmosphere grew tense again.
Some of the children straightened their backs unconsciously.
Charlotte slowly raised her hand, then pointed one by one.
"…Evelyn."
The purple-haired girl lifted her gaze slowly. Her expression remained flat, but her eyes held something difficult to read.
"You're the calmest among them. I want you to help take care of the younger children."
Without waiting for a long response, Charlotte continued.
"Ethan."
Ethan, who was holding his spoon, paused slightly but said nothing.
"You're the closest to the children here. I trust you can keep things under control."
A brief silence.
Then—
"and… Rylan."
A brown-haired boy sitting on the other side of the table flinched slightly.
"Eh? M-me?"
He pointed at himself with a shocked expression, but quickly straightened his posture when Charlotte nodded.
"You're responsible enough. I want you to assist the two of them."
Rylan swallowed, then nodded quickly.
"Y-yes!"
Charlotte lowered her hand.
"While I'm gone, the three of you will act as temporary supervisors of this orphanage."
Some of the children immediately began whispering, looking at the three of them with a mix of admiration and slight envy.
Meanwhile—
Ethan remained silent, staring at his food. Slowly, without realizing it, his gaze shifted toward Evelyn.
The girl had already lowered her head again, continuing to eat as if nothing had happened.
Too calm…
If my guess is right… this is definitely the beginning of that dark prologue.
His thoughts began to spin rapidly.
If I don't do anything… everything will play out just like in the story.
A glimpse of that future flashed through his mind—just enough to make his chest feel uneasy.
And I have no intention of letting that happen.
Ethan took a slow breath.
Then—
"…I refuse."
His voice wasn't loud.
But in the suddenly silent room, those words rang out clearly.
Every head turned toward him.