Vending Machine - 209 - Shirley's Daily Life

Chapter 209: Shirley’s Daily Life

Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/

Author: Hirukuma

Translated by Zzonkedd

Edited by Gumihou

“Hey, isn’t that an… orphanage?”

“Yup, I came by here with Shui not long ago,”

“I was here with the other Big Eaters and played with the kids.”

As mentioned by the ladies, this was an orphanage run by Principal Hoxie. [1] After moving to Clearflow Lake, she had this place set up with Director Bear’s full support.

The previous tenants of this place had lost their home to an incident in the past, and Principal Hoxie had since transformed the place into an orphanage. Speaking of which, I know all of this because we helped in the renovation and cleaning of this place.

The orphanage was filled with Hyurumi’s inventions, making it as convenient as a modern Japanese home. It was so comfortable that if I weren’t a vending machine, I’d want to live there.

“But, what is Shirley doing at the orphanage?” said Ramis.

“I can make a guess, but we can ask Principal Hoxie later,” said Hyurumi.

As we peeked from our hiding spot, Shirley knocked on the orphanage door. Seconds later, several footsteps were heard, and children came rushing out.

“Ah, it’s Big Sis Shirley! You’re here to play with us!”

“What should we play today?”

“Let’s play with this ball we got from Hakkon!”

Shirley was quite popular with the kids. In no time at all, she was surrounded by them. There was a gentle expression on her face, quite different from the sexy, suggestive business smile she usually wears for others. Her smile was natural, almost maternal.

Yeah, I gotta say this smile was so much more beautiful.

“Do wait a little, hm? I need to speak with Principal Hoxie first. After that, we can have a little game together.”

“Okay! Principal Hoxie! Big Sis Shirley is here for you!”

Eager shouts soon brought the principal out.

“Yes, yes, coming. I can hear you all the way back. Oh, thank you for stopping by again, Miss Shirley.”

“The children are just as energetic today. Oh, and please take this,” Shirley took out a large bag and handed it to Principal Hoxie. “It’s just the usual.”

“We are very grateful for all the help we receive. Come now, please do come in. The children will be so pleased to see you.”

“Do excuse me,” said Shirley as she stepped into the orphanage with Principal Hoxie.

So, Shirley had been donating her time and money to the orphanage. I did hear that Principal Hoxie was a skilled hunter, but she probably can’t make money while taking care of the orphanage. With so many children around, she had to hire two part-timers to assist in the care of the children. On top of that, it must cost quite a lot to keep these kids properly fed and clothed.

Shui made regular donations, but Principal Hoxie seemed reluctant to accept too much from her. We had also been gently turned down whenever we offered to ‘come and play’ with the children in place of making donations. I had been wondering how the orphanage stayed afloat.

Looks like I have the answer now.

Although the night workers earned a good wage and business was good, Shirley appeared to live a very modest life.

Had she been giving most of her earnings to the orphanage?

“Come to think of it, Shui did mention that Shirley was an orphan too…” Ramis said with her head tilted to her side. The frown on her face showed that she was thinking hard, trying to recall something.

If that was the case, it must be hard for her to see children in similar situation.

“Shirley’s pretty amazing, right? She has my respect as a woman!” said Ramis.

“If I were a man, I’d probably fall for her,” observed Hyurumi.

“Yup, yup,” said Suko.

I was in agreement with all three of them. We had only been observing her for half a day, but her stock was rising rapidly in my mind.

My dear friend Gorus, I’m afraid the woman of your desires is not only beyond your reach. She is like a treasure guarded by a sleeping dragon hidden in the depths of a remote wilderness.

“You know, I’m starting to feel like I’m doing a bad thing, stalking her…” Ramis muttered in a small voice.

“Right, let’s apologise for today’s action. Maybe we can even play with the kids together,” said Hyurumi.

“Let’s play the Mister Bear game!”

“Welcome”

Looks like I was not the only person feeling guilty about sneaking around behind this lovely woman’s back.

All of us marched forward (well, I was marched forward strapped to Ramis’s back) and knocked on the orphanage’s door. The children tumbled out, and we were dragged inside without question.

In a large room situated at the back of the building, we saw Shirley playing with the rest of the children.

“Oh my, are you done tailing me?”

Hm? So she noticed us? The smile on her face was like that of a child whose prank had succeeded.

Today was a wonderful day indeed, we had the privilege of seeing different kinds of smiles from Shirley.

“Looks like we weren’t that subtle after all. Sorry, Miss Shirley. We just want to know what you do on your days off,” said Ramis.

“I’m sorry too, we did it out of curiosity…” said Hyurumi.

“Yeah, sorry..”

“So-ry”

My lack of ability to properly express my feelings must make me sound like I wasn’t sincere enough. It’s times like these that I wish I could speak properly.

“It’s fine, I sensed your presence the moment I left the house.”

Hm? Wait, what about all those random happenings in the morning before you left the house? Were her senses dulled because she wasn’t a morning person?

“Well now, if you feel bad about it, why not play with the kiddies?”

“Yeah! That sounds awesome!”

“Well, we can play with this toy I just developed.”

“Who wants to be Mister Bear!”

The four ladies ended up spending the rest of the day playing with the kids while I stood in the corner like a good vending machine.

At dinner time, I provided the group with various snacks and meal items and even filled up the buckets and tubs with hot water from my <Hot Spring Vending Machine>. Once bath time was over, the excited children finally went to bed.

“Thank you for today. The children had a great time. Do come by soon,” said the Principal as she walked us out.

We walked down the road at night, with my body illuminating the way and Suko asleep on my head. She must be tired from playing with the children.

“Is this how you usually spend your days off, Miss Shirley?” asked Ramis.

“Hmm, mostly. I don’t shop much, as for food, I usually bring leftovers home. I received plenty of clothes as gifts, so I don’t have to buy any. I usually just sit around the house and laze the day away.”

Despite her glamorous nightlife, her real life was pretty modest. She does not indulge in excessive luxuries and likes children. Won’t she be the perfect wife for someone one day?

We parted ways with Shirley in a friendly mood. After setting me up at my usual position, Ramis and Hyurumi also returned home.

I think it was great that I got to see an unexpected side of Shirley today, but… in the end, I never did get a clear idea of what she likes. Well, she likes children, but that was not a good gift-giving reference. I could give her more flowers, but given the state of her garden, it would probably not be a good idea to overcrowd the little space.

I really can’t think of a good present, but I’m going to try my best for Gorus’ sake.

“Hakkon.”

While I was lost in thought, Gorus appeared like a ghost in front of me.

It was almost dawn, and from the state of his coat, which was stained with monster blood, it looked like he had just returned from some hunting work. His partner, Karios, was not with him.

“Welcome”

“Do you have anything?”

He sounded as serious as ever, but I could tell that he was nervous. Well, he was one of my regular customers, so of course I would notice the little difference.

“To-da-y”

Since I had recorded the day’s happenings, I put the highlights up on my LCD projector for him to watch. Gorus’s brows furrowed at the sight of the suspicious individuals lurking around Shirley’s house, making his already stern-looking face even more menacing.

“I shall speak with them later.”

Looks like I can leave those people for Gorus to deal with.

His face twitched as he stared at the tiny figure [1] of the messy-haired woman on the LCD screen. Was he trying to hold back a grin?

After watching Shirley play with the children at the orphanage and putting them to sleep, he looked up at the night sky and let out a long breath.

“She’s an even more amazing woman than I imagined.”

“Ye-es”

“It is foolish of me to even think about getting involved with her.”

Huh? So, he’s giving up? Gorus is a really sincere and loyal guy, to the point of foolishness, I thought, but that’s actually a good thing, right? I do think they would make a good match.

Although he would have an uphill fight ahead.

“I shall protect her happiness from afar… and not cause trouble for her…”

It was his final muttered declaration before leaving. I was sorry that I could not respond in time. Well, if this is what he has decided, maybe it’s not my place to interfere?

While I did feel a bit uneasy, there was nothing much I could do as a vending machine.

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I had been assisting with Shirley’s opening week for a while now, and today was my last day. After I saw off the last customer, Shirley came to my side and stood in place for a long while. Usually, she would thank me in a flirty way before retreating back into the shop, but things were different today.

Did she want me to help her restock some things?

After waiting for a long while, I said, “Shir-ley”

“Oh, dear me, I was lost in thought for a moment. Well, some strange things had been happening for a while, would you care to listen?”

“Ye-es”

It was rare for Shirley to volunteer personal information like this. I wonder if something was bothering her.

“See, the neighbours had been letting me know that they had seen some suspicious people loitering around my house. To be honest, I do get the odd underwear stolen, so I try to be on guard, but I’m not really good with mornings.”

As expected, that scruffy person was her true self in the mornings.

To think that underwear thieves exist in this world, too, huh? Well, there’s that one shoe fetish guy I know… so, I guess it’s not that surprising.

“Well, I digress. The thing is, the underwear thefts had stopped. Not only that, but I haven’t spotted a single suspicious person for a while. I am glad for it, of course, but it’s still a little puzzling.”

Ah, that must be Gorus’s doing. He must have patrolled the neighbourhood during the mornings after his night shift was over.

Should I tell Shirley about this? However, Gorus did say that he will watch over her from the shadows, so it’s really not my place to interfere. What should I do…

“Oof, am I late?”

Gorus appeared to have rushed here after his night shift. [1] Wait, he looked clean and there’s steam rising from his body… did he take the time to take a bath?

“Hey, is the bar closed, Hakkon?”

“Too bad”

It looked like Gorus had not noticed Shirley at all. Which was not surprising since she was standing on my other side, hidden by the shadows.

“Thought I’d get a drink before heading home. Hey, let me buy some liquor off you, eh?”

“Oh my, shall I have some too? I hadn’t had much today either~”

“Miss… Shirley…”

“Thank you for your continued patronage, Mister Gorus.”

As Shirley stepped out from my shadow, Gorus’s back straightened.

I produced two cans of beer and tried to hand the goods to them through <Telekinesis>. I managed with Shirley, but Gorus was standing outside of my range.

“Clo-ser”

I moved the can, trying to get Gorus to step closer. He shuffled over on stiff limbs, as though all his joints had locked up.

You’re too nervous, Gorus.

The two of them ended up standing quite close together, with me in between.

“Thank you for your hard work, Mister Gorus.”

“Thank you as well, Miss Shirley.”

The two of them clinked their cans in a toast before taking a sip.

The following conversation was a little awkward, but neither seemed to object in the other person’s presence. In fact, it looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I can’t do much but silently support their relationship from the shadows.

“I do wish that you could join us for a drink, Hakkon. In fact, I will be happy to join you for a drink anytime~”

“Hakkon…”

Excuse me, could you please refrain from speaking with me in that provocative tone? Are you drunk? Don’t tell me you’re drunk from one can of beer?

The look of envy on Gorus’s face is starting to scare me…

[Gumihou: Ah, good mother, eh? Highest compliment from a guy, I guess?]

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