The Rainbow Saga (Book Three): The Script of Fate

Script Fourteen: Our Home

Script Fourteen

Our Home

(Yumi)

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“Are you sure?” I asked Scarlet.

He nodded. “Opo, Boss, ito nga po ‘yun.”

I scanned the area until my eyes landed on a Spanish-style old mansion. The building was a little run-down, but it must have had strong foundation in spite of its age.

The building was painted in white and gray. Some of the windows were broken, but they held on. Walls had cracks and the metal gate was already rusty.

The area was covered with grass and trees. A run-down well was in the center of a mini garden. It was unusual for a Spanish-style mansion to be built here in a hidden barrio.

I glanced at Scarlet. “Does this orphanage have any sponsors at all?” I asked.

“Meron naman po, Boss, pero most of the donations ay ginagamit nila sa pagpapaaral ng mga bata,” he answered.

“Oh, so they send the children to school?” I asked.

“Opo, Boss. ‘Yung mga nasa tamang edad na po ay pinapadala nila sa mga pampublikong paaralan. Sa mga gamit at pabaon po halos napupunta ang mga donasyon kaya hindi na nila masyadong napagtuunan ng pansin ang bahay.”

I nodded. “Well, at least they know how to manage their finances well. So who’s in charge of this orphanage?”

“A Japanese lady, Boss. Her name is Inoue Kaoru. Her ancestors used to own the mansion. She was born in Hyōgo Prefecture, but she fled from Japan because she didn’t want to marry the groom her family chose for her. She converted this mansion into an orphanage and devoted her life to taking care of orphans.”

I stared at Scarlet. “Hyōgo Prefecture? You’re saying she came from Hyōgo Prefecture?”

He nodded. “Opo, Boss.”

“Inoue… the name is familiar. Right. I remember her family now. They own the Inoue Silk.”

“Yes, Boss. She had a sister who was secretly financing her orphanage. Unfortunately, her sister died and her family has already banished her from the clan, so she isn’t able to get financial support. She relied on her connections instead, but they weren’t enough to accommodate the needs of each child.”

I bit my lip and nodded. “So how did this orphanage come to your attention?”

“While trying to find those children you’re searching for, we had to penetrate the records of orphanages in this country. And based on their records, it appeared that this orphanage has a numerous number of children from Japan.”

“You got the records?” I asked excitedly.

He nodded. “Pero, Boss, so dami eh. I mean, hindi naman natin alam kung ano ang age bracket ng mga hinahanap mo, so kinuha ko lahat. Mga sampu po ‘yung galing sa Japan.”

Oh, shitty pastries. Ten children? I’m looking for just five. Nothing more, nothing less. And those five should bear something for me to recognize them. I couldn’t just walk inside the orphanage and scan the aura of each child.

“Give me the list, Scarlet,” I said. He handed me his tablet. I scanned the names. “Malalaman ba natin kung sinu-sino ang galing sa Hyōgo Prefecture?”

“Unfortunately, Boss, walang nakalagay. Unless itatanong natin isa-isa—”

“How would you ask a baby, Scarlet? Unless the baby could already talk,” I said, rolling my eyes.