This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 7 - Helper (1) - Part 4

An unbelievably gigantic bird.

The bird, with its silvery feathers, quickly soared past me and flew toward the burning orphanage. Recognizing its familiar plumage, I hurried to follow.

“Looks like there are people inside, so hurry!”

Just as I suspected.

It appeared that Obella and his group had arrived after hearing the explosions. Obella stood in front of the orphanage, frowning at the intense flames and raising his voice.

Beside Obella was the large bird, which was likely Terisier. Next to him was an unfamiliar woman.

The woman, with her hair tied up high, nodded at Obella’s instructions and stood in front of the building. She took a deep breath and a large transparent barrier formed around her.

The woman ran into the building with the barrier intact. I watched in amazement as the fire was blocked by her transparent shield, preventing any harm to her.

So this is the tanker they mentioned.

It was indeed a useful ability. However, it seemed that only the woman could use it, as Obella was outside, helping to evacuate the children who had fallen nearby.

Anise was nowhere to be seen. I worried that she might have already entered the building.

The flames made it impossible to see inside clearly, and the heat was intense even from the outside. I couldn’t imagine how bad it was inside.

I decided I couldn’t wait any longer and called out urgently.

“Terisier!”

Determining that time was of the essence, I approached Terisier, who was fluttering around, seemingly trying to locate people in need of help. I quickly moved toward the large bird.

“Why are you here?”

Terisier seemed surprised by my sudden appearance, but there wasn’t time for casual conversation.

I climbed onto Terisier’s back, and although Terisier looked shocked, he didn’t try to push me away.

“Fly around the building in a circle! My companion is inside, but I don’t know exactly where. We need to locate her!”

“What? There’s no time for that! There are many more people to rescue!”

“Finding my companion is the way to save everyone!”

“What on earth…”

“Please, just trust me.”

Terisier looked over at Obella, who, after hearing my request, paused and then nodded. Terisier clicked his tongue in frustration but soon took off into the sky.

From the elevated view, I held onto Terisier’s feathers tightly as we flew over the building. The flames were a problem, but the real issue was that the smoke might suffocate Anise and the children.

“Anise!!”

I shouted her name repeatedly, hoping my voice would reach her despite the chaos.

“Use your ability! Someone has come to rescue you, so use your power as strongly as you can! The children’s lives depend on it!! Anise, use your ability!”

I spoke with urgency, hoping to encourage her to use her powers. Even though I wanted to keep her ability a secret, it was the only idea I had under these circumstances.

“Anise! Use your ability!!”

I shouted repeatedly, my voice growing hoarse. Just as I was beginning to think Anise might have already lost consciousness, a large, transparent shield appeared around the building.

The shield, growing from inside the building, pushed back the flames and enveloped the entire structure, effectively containing the fire. The flames, deprived of fuel, began to wane and diminish.

It was clear that Anise had heard me and used her ability. The tanker’s abilities must have been amplified by Anise’s influence.

“What on earth is this…?”

Terisier murmured in disbelief as he continued to circle the building.

The woman I had seen earlier emerged from the building, carrying two children. Anise stumbled out behind her, holding a child. Terisier, who had been hovering in the air, finally descended after I tapped his head, realizing he needed to follow.

Obella and Anise were checking the children’s conditions. I quickly dismounted from Terisier and approached the woman with the ponytail, who was resting a hand on Anise’s shoulder.

“Was that your ability just now?”

“Eh? What do you mean…”

“My original ability was to create a protective shield only around myself, but it felt like a powerful force was being emitted from inside the building just now. The ability seemed unusually strong! Obella, you saw it too, right? My ability shouldn’t be this strong!”

The woman appeared excited and surprised. Indeed, it wasn’t common for someone’s ability to be amplified by another’s.

Anise, apparently uncomfortable, was focused on taking care of the children rather than responding to the woman’s queries. Her expression looked strained, likely from inhaling smoke.

I sighed and approached Anise.

“Please, let her go now. How long are you planning to hold her?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m with the woman you’re holding. Right now isn’t the time to debate abilities. The children need immediate attention, and it looks like they need treatment. Could you please focus on that, Bella?”

Obella glanced around, taking in the scene. Most of the children were unconscious, though fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any fatalities. Still, immediate treatment was crucial.

“Phel, she’s right. Our priority is the rescue now. Please calm down.”

“But… Alright! Fine! Just don’t glare at me like that! I’ll go with Terisier, so make sure to keep an eye on the woman and don’t let her go! Got it?”

The woman named Phel grumbled as she approached Terisier, preparing to leave quickly. Terisier’s gaze briefly met mine with a detached expression before shifting back to Phel’s urging.

As Terisier and Phel departed, only Anise, Obella, and I remained.

“Moa, I’m sorry. I guess you came because of me?”

“You were reckless, Anise. I understand your intentions, but please don’t do something like this again.”

“I’m sorry…”

Anise apologized, coughing as she spoke. I dusted off the dirt and ash from her face and clothes, feeling the weight of the lingering gazes from those around us. Anise, noticing the stares, glanced uncomfortably at Obella.

I expect him to follow them as they leave.

Obella also seemed to covet Anise’s abilities.

“Bella, your gaze is so intense.”

“I heard from Terisier. You left because you found a place to go back to.”

“Terisier said that?”

I hadn’t seen it that way, but it’s rather shameless.

Suppressing a smile, I turned my head to look at Obella. The handsome man with the dazzling blonde hair was still dressed impeccably.

The snug shirt revealed his physique without any filters.

His broad shoulders and well-defined waist… Is that what they call an inverted triangle physique?

I was distracted by the unnecessary thought that the shirt could have been a little more translucent, and then I focused on Obella’s troubled expression.

Since Obella had no reason to doubt Terisier’s words, he seemed to be contemplating how to interpret my words.

“Terisier’s words are correct. I thought it might be a nuisance to stay at a friend’s place indefinitely, so I left. I wanted to greet Bella as well, but I’m sorry for just leaving.”

“Was it uncomfortable?”

That’s not what I meant, but does he not understand my words, or was he concerned about my convenience more than I expected?

I shook my head at his question.

“That’s not it. I was quite comfortable thanks to Bella. By the way, if there’s nothing else, may we leave first? My party also seems to need some rest.”

“You can rest at our place since it’s close. The children’s condition will be reported to me, so wouldn’t it be more comfortable for you to stay with us and leave after receiving the news?”

I had thought he might offer to let us rest, but using the children as a pretext was unexpected.

Anise looked at me when Obella spoke. She was probably concerned about the children’s condition. Given the situation, sending Anise alone would be awkward…

I had no choice but to smile and nod.