Trucker, playing with the kids.
Me and Shiny were sitting in the truck seats, checking on our deliveries.
Thanks to Nina and Shiny’s past tales, we were late for our afternoon delivery. But this time I didn’t mind so much.
“Only one house this afternoon, huh?”
“Eh, why? We have a lot of luggage.”
“These are all one delivery, you know. Apparently, it’s a gift for an orphanage.”
“Well, it’s located… in the town of Hazure. Surprisingly close, isn’t it?”
“Oh. We’ve made a few deliveries in the past, but this is our first time at an orphanage. And what’s with the gifts?”
<“I’ll answer your question.”>
According to Tama, it’s for the following reason. The story is a bit confusing, so I’ll try to rearrange it in my own words: a support group for orphans in Zenimouke sends gifts to the orphans once every six months. Until now, they have been using several horse-drawn wagons to send the gifts, but the cost is ridiculous, so this time they asked us to do it. In other words, one truck is cheaper than several carriages.
There are quite a few orphanages in this world. There are a number of orphanages here in Zenimouke, and the one in Hazure, where we are going this time, seems to be of a decent size. There are various cases, such as children left in orphanages because their families are unable to raise them, or children abandoned by their parents and turned into vagabonds are taken into care.
So the Merchants Guild, not the Zenimouke Merchants Association, has created an orphanage and a support mechanism for orphans. Well, in short, it collects money by asking the merchants. So they are building orphanages, distributing sweets and gifts, sending them to school, and educating them.
Some of the trade associations have expressed their opposition to the project, but they have been generally cooperative. There are many reasons. For example, if the children are left unattended, they will commit crimes such as theft, and if they grow up to be such children, they will become troublesome bandits. Instead, they thought that if they took in the children and educated them, they could hire them as employees of the trading company. It’s a great business spirit, looking ahead and investing upfront. And… like this.
<“That’s all. This is the information I gathered from the merchants in the town.”>
“I see. Well, I’m sure it’s all a bit speculative, but I suppose it’s all good in the end.”
“I guess so. But still, Tama, when did you get this information?”
“Information is also a weapon.”
“You’re a big deal, buddy.”
Come to think of it, I’ve been so busy I haven’t checked the upgrades. I guess I’ll check it as we move along.
Still some distance to the town of Hazure. I thought I’d browse the added entries on the truck.
“Tama, I see that there are some new entries.”
“Yes. Would you like to hear an explanation of the new Kaiser Custome?”
“Yeah, that’s all I could understand. For now, please.”
“Understood, thank you very much. [Kaiser Custom] is an entry to acquire combat skills for the Dekotora Kaiser. Would you like to see the current skills?”
“Yes, please.”
“Understood. The present operation method is the controller type. I will display the command method.”
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[Dekotora Kaiser] Level 40
[Skill commands]
○ Punch [Red] ○ Kick [Green] ○ Jump [Yellow] ○ Armament [Blue]
○Short Upper [↓↘→Red] ○Rush Punch [Red repeatedly]
[Special Weapon]
○ “Driving Buster”
[Special forms]
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“This time it’s a fighting game huh?”
“What’s with the arrows? Dekotora Kaiser is that giant, isn’t it?”
“Currently, Dekotora Kaiser can only transform into its “truck form”. It is possible to acquire a new form using points. Do you want to get a new command skill for the Dekotora Kaiser?”
“No, I’ll leave it for now. I don’t think I’ll have a chance to transform anyway. And by new form, do you mean form change?”
“Yes. Would you like to browse the [Special Forms] section?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Understood.”
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[Special Forms]
○ Unic Dekotora Kaiser [150000]
○ Not unlocked below
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“I see, only a Unic truck can transform, right? Speaking of which, I’ve reached level 40, can I acquire a new form?”
“Yes. Do you want to open [Vehicle Transformation]?”
“Yes, please.”
“Understood.”
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[Vehicle Transformation]
［Truck form] Standard setting
[UNIC form]
[Conversion list]
[Dump form] [Bull form] [??????]
[??????] [??????] [??????]
[??????] [??????] [??????]
《Next Unlock・Level 60》
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“Bull…Bulldozer huh?”
“What is that?”
“It’s a useful vehicle for construction sites and such. Well, I don’t think a transportation company would need it.”
If it had been a refrigerated truck, I would have bought it without hesitation. Well, I’ll put it on hold for now. I’ll hold off on the interior equipment for now, too. If I make the truck too substantial, I won’t be able to appreciate my home.
“Speaking of which, how many experience points do we have?”
“Yes. The current points are 《450,000 points》”
“Huh!? Why such … Oh, Genbuou Basartes?”
“Yes. The experience points gained from Genbuou Basartes were 300,000.”
I believe I had about 150,000 points left before I defeated Genbuou Basartes. That makes sense, I guess I won’t have to worry about points for a while.
“Well, that’s about it. I’m not going to bother with the form change for the time being.”
“Understood.”
We continue to drive even as we talk. Thanks to this, we are almost at the town of Hazure.
“Well, we’re almost there, aren’t we?”
“Yes. I hope the kids will be happy.”
“I’m sure they will.”
The truck arrived at the town of Hazure.
The town of Hazure is small compared to Zenimouke, but it is more prosperous than the village. There are a few restaurants and an Adventurers’ Guild. Since I had been here several times, the residents were not surprised to see my truck.
“Well, the orphanage is…”
“I’ll start showing the route.”
I didn’t say anything, but that’s the flow. Tama is a fine worker, too.
“Let’s go straight back home after work. I want to wash the truck.”
“Yes, I know. We have to clean Tama, too.”
I try to wash the truck every three days. If it gets dirty in any circumstances, I wash it. The truck is the company’s billboard, so it’s only natural to keep it clean.
We followed the directions of the navigation system and arrived at the orphanage in Hazure.
It is a large building for the size of the town. It is a single-story, horizontal building with a fairly large yard. There is also handmade playground equipment. There are iron bars and chairs that resemble monsters, but they are a little out of taste.
We parked the truck at the entrance of the orphanage, and Shiny and I got out of it.
“I don’t see anyone here.”
“It looks like they’re in class.”
Inside the orphanage was a room made to look like a classroom, and inside I could see children studying. They were all different ages, some as young as five years old and some as old as middleschoolers.
The classrooms consisted of desks and chairs, not tables and chairs, and I could see them sitting at horizontal desks and writing on notebooks from the blackboard. Everyone is studying seriously.
“Oh, Mr. Transporter, I see you’re here.”
“I am sorry for the delay in greetings. We are from the Agatsuma Shipping Company.”
An elderly woman came out. Judging from her atmosphere, she must be the principal.
“No, no, no, thank you very much for coming. May I have them brought in right away?”
“Yes. Where are we supposed to bring them?”
“Class is about to end, so I’ll ask you to take them to the classroom.”
“I understand.”
As soon as the conversation ended, the bell rang. It seems that class is over.
“All right, let’s get them in.”
“Got it.”
The principal walked into the classroom. Apparently, she’s talking about how the gifts have arrived and they should just sit quietly. I could hear the orphans’ gasps of joy.
I opened the rear door of the truck, unloaded the folding cart that I always have on hand, and placed the presents on top of it.
Some of the presents are in cloth bags, some are in wooden boxes, and some are bare stuffed animals. The long, thin packages were probably sword toys, judging from their shape.
There was a fair amount of gifts, but I could carry them all with just one cart and my hands.
I pushed the cart, Shiny carried the packages by hand, and we entered the orphanage classroom. Then I heard the screams of joy from the children.
“Hey, look, there’s so much stuff!”
“What a cute doll, I want that one.”
“I want a sword!!”
“I want new clothes.”
Well, it’s a big fuss. How are they going to distribute them?
Then, the teacher who was teaching the class and the principal were talking about something.
“Well, what do you want to do this time?”
“If you start with a small children like before…, the big children will always be the last to go. On the other hand, if you start with the big kids, the little ones will cry…”
“I guess I’ll just have to hand out the ones I like to the little ones first…”
Well, it seems that they are giving priority to the little ones. Well, they are not wrong, but the big kids will be dissatisfied.
I can’t leave because the gifts are loaded on top of the cart. Then I’ll give them an idea.
“Excuse me, may I have a word?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll take the presents off right away.”
“No, I mean, this may be none of my business, but I have a way to distribute the gifts fairly.”
“What?”
I told the principal, the teacher and Shiny how to do it. The principal and teacher nodded, and Shiny grinned, as if amused.
“This sounds interesting. This would be fair.”
“Surely…”
“Okay, you’re the moderator, Shiny.”
“Okay, let’s do it.”
There were about fifty kids. Me, the principal, and the teacher left the classroom once to get ready. Preparation was easy and would not take more than a few minutes. In the meantime, Shiny would explain to the kids what was going on.
Well, it’s good to do something like this once in a while.
“Okay, everyone, I’m going to go over the rules one more time!!”
We moved to a different location and went out into the yard with the kids. Shiny’s voice sounded good. The children seemed excited about this game.
By the way, the principal and the teachers were waiting inside the orphanage.
“The rules are simple. In this little bag, there is a piece of paper with a number written on it. I’m going to scatter them around the orphanage, and each child must collect one and return to the classroom. Do not open anything inside, okay!?”
“”””Yes!””””
This is a treasure hunt I used to be forced to do when I was a kid. It’s equality and you can’t complain because you got it by your own luck. And since it’s your own, you’re free to trade it for something else.
It’s like there is no lottery in this world. The teachers were surprised when I explained to them that they could get the same number of presents by sticking a number on each present and scattering the numbered papers around.
I and the teachers scattered bags of raffle tickets in the hallways and on the floor to hide them so that they could be easily found. Even a little kid could find them.
“Okay, one for each of you, and no child can fail to follow this, okay?”
“”””Yes!””””
“Okay, then, don’t get hurt. There are bags for everyone, so no fighting, and if you find one, go back to your classroom and wait there!!”
The children remain excited. Their minds are already on the bags in the orphanage. The kids were so excited to pick up the treasure, they didn’t even listen to the explanation at the end.
“Okay then, let’s start!!”
The children rushed out into the orphanage with great vigor. It’s so funny, isn’t it? I could hear the sound of the children slamming into the orphanage, and I was glad I had attended this event.
“That’s…”
There was one girl standing there with a pout. She was wearing a hood and all I could see was her face.
Shiny approached the girl with a smile and patted her hooded head.
“What’s wrong? Come on, go.”
“Go…”
“Oh God, it’s a beautiful day, take this stuff off.”
Shiny put her hand on the girl’s hood and took it off.
“Eh.”
Then, Shiny’s expression froze. I was surprised, too.
“Oh, hey Shiny…”
“You are…”
“…”
The girl’s hair and eyes were a very beautiful “blue”.
