Sato and Gray both headed into the orphanage. Of course, when the children realised that the pair was visiting, they immediately went on a frenzy spree. The newly painted door was opened and revealed a large number of children greeting the couple.
"Good morning Big brother Sato and Big brother Gray!"
"Ah! Big brother Sato is here to play with us again!"
"Hey guys! Don't forget to thank Big brother Gray for the awesome playground!"
"Oh, I forgot! Thank you, Big brother Gray!"
"Thank you!"
...
The atmosphere was exactly the same as before, just that this time, instead of just Sato getting all the attention, Gray too, was getting a fair bit of love from the children. Gray smiled and rubbed the little boy's head. When the Sisters of the Sunflower Orphanage saw Gray's smile, they couldn't help, but blush. Gray was simply too handsome.
"Alright, alright. We should let Sato and Gray into the orphanage. Don't make them stand outside in the cold for too long." Shooing the children away was a norm for Mother Maria. She gave Sato a hug and brought the pair around to see the progress.
It was Gray's first time back here, ever since he decided to just let the contractors do their job of renovating. As the couple first stepped into the hallway, what was once chipped wood flooring, had been refloored and varnished over to create a nice dark hardwood floor. The walls no longer had mossy stains from the damp old drywall and was replaced with a nice clean white cement plastered finish. The scratched up windows of the Orphanage from the wear and tear of the children's games had also been replaced with more durable alternatives.
The stairs that lead upstairs to the children bedrooms had also received a redo. Be it the steps on the stairs or even the railings, they had all been teared down and replaced with a smooth and cleaner finish that complemented the current new aesthetic. It was crazy how the contractor had managed to finish such a huge renovation in a short period of time.
Gray must've rushed the hell out of those poor man, thought Sato guiltily. Yet, when seeing the final product, he was still thankful for what Gray had done for the children and those that work in the orphanage. The children's two room had also been renovated over and now, the place was definitely more cheerful. The walls had been painted over with a bright yellow. The old beds had all been replaced with more comfortable double decker beds. In addition, on the wall near the entrance to the room, there was a brand new addition.
"Wow! Look at all these books!" Sato walked up to look at the new varieties of short stories that were available. The classic story time books like Cinderella, Pinocchio, Snow white and the Seven Dwarves, Bambi and many more, were placed on the tall bookshelf. The craziest part about this was that there were even books that Sato had never heard of when he was a child. For a crazy fanatic of studying, Sato was also an avid reader.
To be able to read a vast variety of books as a child, it gave Sato a good foundation when it came to writing essays and building up strong vocabulary. Now, the children would be able to do the same and not be stuck reading the same few books.
Sato looked behind him to find the culprit. He gave Gray a thankful nod and a smile. That was more than enough for the love-struck General.
...
The day went by in a blink of an eye. Sato and Gray entertained the children in doors, ranging from card games to helping them with school work. Although the children were orphans, they were enrolled into the nearby public school that was free of charge.
Unlike Sato who felt and acted like a big brother, Gray was more like a teacher. Surprisingly, Gray was extremely patient with children. His cold and quiet aura was nonexistent when teaching the little kids. He was even able to explain to them using simple terms. By the end, everyone called Gray, Teacher Gray, instead of Big brother. Gray was very happy with his new nickname.
At night, after they had tucked in the children with a new bed time story, the pair could finally sit down and talk with Mother Maria. She was really thankful for everything that Gray and Sato had done. After all, this would not have been possible in her wildest dreams.
"It is really nothing, Mother Maria." Gray told her the truth. To him, these things were really nothing. It was the outcome that mattered more in this case. "I'm more than happy to see the children live in a better environment."
"Yes, yes. The children really adore you for what you had given them. Also, speaking of giving, I have good news to share." Mother Maria took out a clear file that contained several documents. On one of them, it had a picture of a little girl from the Sunflower Orphanage.
"After liaising with The Miracle Foundation, we received a response from them a week later. There was a couple that was interested in adopting, Little Leah. I met up with them to have a chat the other day and they seemed like really great people. So after a week of paperwork, they will officially adopt Little Leah tommorow."
The smile on Mother Maria face was extremely warm and blissful. She had waited many years for potential parents that would be willing to adopt these poor little children. Yet, it was never successful and so, in the end, there were many orphans that had to live independently once they cross a certain age. It was truly heartbreaking.
Tommorow would be the first successful adoption of the Sunflower Orphanage. The Three year old Leah would be brought into a loving home and loved by her new parents.
To the two boys that made it possible for this to happen, Mother Maria was very grateful and thankful for their kind souls.