From Sister Therese’s words, this M. Liberach is the slimy sort that acts like a tyrant. He disregards the law and strong-arms poor people, but he always manages to stay above the law.

He doesn’t seem like someone from the unseen side so I can’t in good conscience use my full power on him. I mean, I could, it would just be a hassle to explain myself if the detective Raina or prosecutor Julia find out. I’m sure there are rules in place to prevent people of power from abusing normal people.

Maybe there’s a chance to settle this dispute peacefully and give everyone a satisfactory outcome.

Becca 「 Let me talk to this M. guy. You have his contact info? 」

Therese 「 I threw out his business card already. It was gold-plated, you know? Is he insulting us? 」

Only someone like the sister could throw out solid gold like that.

Becca 「 Well I guess I’ll stick around in case he shows up soon. Let me help out around the place. 」

Therese 「 You? I’ve never seen you help out when you stayed here before. Why the sudden change of heart? 」

Becca 「 Way to hit a sore spot. I’m feeling nostalgic so let me help. 」

Although I say that I’m doing more than just help out. My gaze sweeps across the building. This is the main hallway that leads to other rooms and the 2nd floor. It has a dusty chandelier that doesn’t light up and hangs by a hinge. I take some cloth and use crafting to transmute it into a different material.

When I was in Arcoul I remember running into a monster resembling a giant spider that shot webs so thin one barely noticed it, and yet it had amazing tensile strength. I cast the translucent web around the base of the chandelier, it should hold for at least several years.

Maybe I can design a web dispenser so that I can swing from buildings with it. The only thing in the way would be eye witnesses and the tons of sticky web left stuck to buildings. A girl can dream.

I sense the life forces of termites in the wood burrowed deep into the foundation. A lot of furniture and appliances are old and falling apart. I can feel a draft coming from some crack and there’s a smell that is indescribable. A normal person would retch but I’ve luckily lived here for years, or rather, unluckily, so I’m used to it.

I bet I could fix the whole place up with some well designed magic and skills, but how would I explain it all?

The best solution would be to use money and renovate it without a trace of magic, but I know the sister is the type to turn away charity. She is a big mass of pride and tries to stand up as a role model for the kids. She wants them to believe that they can be strong and independent like her one day.

It’s just sad that ideals can’t keep the wind out or fresh food on the table. Lunch nears and I see the kids crowd around the kitchen where some of the older girls stir a pot of soup. Cheap instant soup and hard bread, a staple of this orphanage. Some of the better stuff like expired cans of food from the food bank are reserved for special occasions.

I see one of the young cooks stealthily take out a bouillon cube from her pocket and throw some into the broth. She most likely bought that out of pocket money or got it somewhere else, maybe from a friend?

I decide that while I’m here to investigate and solve problems I can also solve the problem of an unappetizing dinner.

I find a deserted corner and make a call to Lina and explain roughly that I need some meals for the orphans downtown. Turns out she and Brigid are out shopping so she grabs some more groceries and heads to the orphanage.

Now all I have to do is force Sister Therese to acquiesce, which shouldn’t be too difficult. I look around and spot Sister Therese talking with another caretaker, someone who grew up here and stayed to help.

Besides her and the sister, there is also a young mechanic who volunteers to fix up what he can, although there are limits to how much duct tape can hold things together. The sister won’t let him use more expensive measures as according to her, the kids should not be spoiled and take things for granted. They should value what they have and learn to take good care of their home.

Sister Therese leaves to seek out some government worker so I make my move. I gather together the mechanic and the caretaker, the sole volunteers of the Stone Bridge Orphanage. Their names are Mark and Hannah.

Becca 「 Mark, Hannah, the thing is, I asked a friend who’s good at cooking to stop by and help me treat the kids to a feast. 」

Hannah 「 Goodness gracious, that sounds delightful. 」

Mark 「 I’m all for it, but I doubt that the sister would be pleased. She might even deny you or break out the savings to repay you. 」

Becca 「 Don’t I know it. So here’s what I’m thinking… 」

With their assistance my plan goes into motion. All I need is a representative figure of the children, a natural leader of the group. Someone who can stand up to Sister Therese. Mark and Hannah point me in the direction of the kitchen.

In it is the cook that I saw sneak in some chicken soup stock. She is of the oldest among the children and seems trusted enough to work in the kitchen. Her name appears to be May. She would be fine to have on my side, but I can’t be too quick.

I spot a little boy barely waist high playing in the kitchen. May berates him and tells him to not bother her and play elsewhere. I see the toy he is playing and walk up with a smile.

Becca 「 Those playing cards, I remember when we found them a few years back. They were thrown away but still in decent condition with only a few numbers missing. 」

Boy 「 Miss, you grew up here too? 」

Becca 「 I’m Becca, and yes, I did. Want to play a few rounds? 」

Boy 「 You may not know this, but I’m the best when it comes to cards around here. No one dares to play with me anymore, that’s why I gotta bother the older ones to play. 」

I engage the boy within sight of May and play a game like poker to get him riled up. We use crude wooden chips to bet with for fun. I play normally and win some, lose some. I get a good sense of his competitive spirit which will be useful for my plan. Time slowly passes.

From reading his mind I understand that he thinks he’s going to win. I reveal my hand beating his and take all the chips away.

Becca 「 Look’s like you’re out of chips. Want to keep playing? 」

I made sure to make the match look close so he feels more inflamed and eager to win. He nods in agreement.

Becca 「 Then let’s make things more interesting. Instead of these chips how about we bet with something else? Something like, a snack or piece of dinner? 」

I bring out a small bag of cookies and wave it in his sight. His greedy stare follows and the game is on. For each chip we wager, a single cookie is the bet. It seems this isn’t the first time he’s bet with snacks against the other kids and I’m sure he has some stashed away.

The game goes back and forth as I make use of mind reading to keep a slight lead. I let him win the whole pot in one big move that boosts his ego. Then I bring out some more snacks to bait him further. He takes it and I win back the pot with ease, making him gasp in shock. Now he knows that I’m not just an ordinary opponent but it makes him more determined to win. Right now he is purely focused on winning back those cookies and snacks that I have piled up on my side.

Becca 「 Playing for snacks sounds good and all, but why not make this game even more interesting? Let’s play for some real stakes. 」

He looks nervously at my beaming confidence and asks for clarity.

Becca 「 Let’s go all-in, all the snacks you got, and your dinner tonight. You win, you get this all back and more. I win, you give me whatever you have left. 」

The boy thinks hard on my proposition. At this point our little game has attracted more attention from the kids who are excited to see all the snacks flying around. This kind of all-in bet is a first for them and excites them.

Becca 「 You kids watching can participate in the pot as well. If I win, you all owe me some of your dinner. He wins and I give you all some snacks. 」

The boy agrees and so does most of the crowd. We play one round and I can see from tapping into his vision psychically that all he has is a low pair. He doesn’t seem too enthusiastic but it’s too late to back out. I have a higher pair in my hand but I use illusion magic to change it so it looks different.

The big reveal comes, and his pair goes up against my hand filled with nothing but garbage. His eyes light up and his expression is one of utter joy. With this, I spread the snacks to the kids and talk to the girl still stewing the pot of soup.

Becca 「 You heard the bet, right? They put up their dinner for it, and now I owe them all dinner. Don’t you agree? 」

May flashes me a smile of understanding. She definitely realizes that I lost on purpose.