Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 1

 

What I see before me is about 30 children sleeping in a large room.

It’s the usual sight.

And as always, I was the first to wake up, lying in a corner of the room facing the wall.

This, too, was nothing new.

It has been six years and a little more since I was abandoned at this orphanage.

Another morning, just like any other.

The only difference—there was something hard clutched in my hand.

It wasn’t a copper coin. Nor was it a silver coin. I’d never seen one before, but it wasn’t a gold coin either.

It was a white, lustrous coin. One side bore the image of a woman, while the other had an engraving of what looked like a temple.

I had never seen anything like it.

But somehow, I had a feeling I knew what it was.

A Holy Coin.

◇

Holy Coins.

They are a divine blessing, given at birth and again on one’s eighth birthday, placed into one’s hands.

Aside from that, they are supposedly awarded for great achievements… or so it is said.

And if you collect enough of them, something good happens. Allegedly.

I don’t know the details, but they seem to be mysterious coins.

What’s most important, though, is that each one is worth 20 gold coins in trade.

That said, since only a limited number of official exchange locations exist, it’s rare to receive the full amount.

Now then.

Now, now, now.

This is an unexpected treasure, but there is one problem.

I’m supposed to be seven years old.

◇

In Japan, I was an ordinary working adult, living a relatively smooth life.

But before I knew it, I found myself surrounded by a bunch of brats in this orphanage—and, as it turned out, I was one of them.

Sure, I had some bad habits, like covering up poor health with alcohol and cigarettes, but this was beyond my understanding.

Still, somehow, I adapted and made it to this point.

However, staying here was not an option.

Because—this orphanage, like many others, collects Holy Coins.

One of the official exchange locations is the church, and orphanages operate under its wing.

If the profits from selling Holy Coins were used to support the orphanage, I could tolerate it.

But from what I saw while sneaking a look at the director’s ledger during cleaning, most of the funds were lining the pockets of the directors themselves.

The children’s meals mostly come from vegetables we grow. The money we use is money we earn working in town.

Even the care of the younger children is handled by the older ones.

In other words, this orphanage is just a system to gather orphans and harvest their Holy Coins.

Because of my small frame, they still believed I was seven, which meant I had been able to obtain a Holy Coin while no one was watching.

I had already considered it, but this sealed the deal—I had to escape.

Forgive me, my brothers and sisters!

◇

You might be wondering, why would someone need to escape from an orphanage?

Until the age of eight, orphans are treated somewhat decently so that their Holy Coins can be collected.

Work consists of simple tasks—helping out at restaurants or cleaning.

But once you turn eight, everything changes.

For example, heavy labor.

I’ve seen kids struggling to carry loads, gasping for breath.

Or farm work.

From dawn to dusk, they have to keep moving.

There are other jobs, but every one of them leaves children collapsing into sleep the moment they return.

Most die here.

If they survive by some miracle and grow to about 12 or 13, boys are sent to the mines or frontier lands.

Girls—if they have the looks, they end up in brothels. Otherwise, they are sent to the same fate as the boys.

Regardless, they are thrown into dangerous, grueling environments.

On top of that, their wages go straight to the orphanage.

Honestly, prison might be better…

Every year, a few children attempt to escape.

What happens to them afterward—I have no idea.

But if I stay on this path, I can already see my fate: a miserable death in the gutter.

I have to get out—no matter what.

◇

My resolve to escape is firm.

But how?

I’m just a child with no family.

And this Holy Coin…

I have to find a way to make use of it.

I sometimes work at a tavern, washing dishes and peeling vegetables.

Every now and then—maybe once or twice a month—a customer comes in who has just obtained a Holy Coin.

They always celebrate by buying drinks for their companions and the surrounding guests.

I was too focused on the existence of adventurers and monsters to pay attention to the information about Holy Coins… a grave mistake.

There are seven or eight similar taverns in this town.

If they all receive Holy Coins at the same rate, that means about a dozen are spent here every month.

Trying to slip mine in for cash would be difficult.

Could I ask an adult to exchange it for me?

They’d just take it for themselves.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped my lips.

Even if I managed to escape, I wouldn’t be able to turn the coin into money.

And even if I did, carrying gold coins around would be far too dangerous.

Unless I had an absolutely secure hideout, it would be impossible.

“…Sigh.”

A sigh slipped from my lips.

I was in the director’s office.

Because of the valuable books and other expensive items stored here, only a few older kids and I were allowed to clean it.

Not many people entered the room otherwise.

I didn’t particularly like the place, but I had no reason to dirty or damage it.

And, despite everything, I enjoyed the solitude it provided.

If I had to name a “hideout” within the orphanage, this would be it.

But since I planned to leave, that was meaningless.

“…Sigh.”

Another sigh escaped.

Life was proving to be far too cruel.