*
“So… You’re saying that you’d like our Sisterhood to help Aris adapt to life in Trinity?”
“Yep, that’s right!”
“If that’s the case, our Sisterhood would be more than happy to help. I imagine the reason you’re asking us is that the busy Sister Mika is finding it difficult to assist Aris personally… Yes, this is definitely something our Sisterhood should take care of.”
Sakurako nodded eagerly after a sufficiently detailed explanation.
The Sisterhood is fundamentally a part of Trinity while maintaining a secretive nature with minimal external interaction, so for someone like Sakurako, who often feels trapped in that regard, a new means of communication with the outside world must have been rather welcome.
“By the way, I have the highest hopes for Mari-chan.”
“Huh? Me?”
“From my conversations during confession and what I’ve seen of your behavior and reputation, I truly believe Mari-chan is the best person to look after Aris-chan. Yes, it’s said that when one associates with kind people, they naturally become good themselves—like a spout of water from a well!”
“I… I had no idea Sister Mika held me in such high regard. I’m a bit embarrassed. Still, I’ll do my best to guide Aris in the right direction!”
“Ahaha, I’d be grateful for that… Mari-chan speaking so highly of herself fills me with confidence! I’m counting on you!”
Our Aris, I’m really going to make sure she walks a flowery path… She must be happier than in the original!
“Oh, and Sister Mika. Just to ensure you don’t forget, I’ll remind you again. After this week’s mass, you’ll have to hang out with me twice as much! Because I have twice as many sins to confess!”
“…That’s not—”
“I sincerely hope that Sister Mika reflects on her sins and becomes a better person. While the effort you put into the students at Trinity deserves respect…”
It’s well-known that the kinder someone is, the scarier they become when they’re angry or serious. I’ve learned that the hard way through my experiences with the dark side of Nagisa.
“It’s only right that someone who should be a model for the students corrects such unsuitable behavior. Sister Mika, don’t you agree?”
“…Yeah…”
But when Mari—who’s usually the embodiment of ‘goodness’—said this with such seriousness, it was an entirely different level of frightening.
…Am I that kind of person?
“It seems like you’re having impure thoughts again… So let’s pray together with a devout heart to drive those filthy thoughts away!”
Hmm, that sounds about right.
Seeing Sakurako explaining the virtues a proper sister must possess to Aris made me feel an odd sense of foreboding. Yet at the same time, I felt a bit hopeful.
One day, perhaps I’ll witness Aris and Sakurako casting ‘Wappi~☆’ or ‘Pyororon~☆’ together… I buried that thought in the corner of my heart.
*
A week had passed since bringing Aris over. According to what I heard from Noa, it seemed that for some inexplicable reason, Yuuka had been persuaded by the teacher and was currently cooperating to win the Millennium Price for the Game Development Club…
Surely I can’t be the only one feeling curious about how and why Yuuka was persuaded, right?
There were quite a few changes over the week.
Firstly, Nagisa had finally left her beast-like lifestyle behind and regained her former delicate and noble appearance. Remarkably, a week of abstinence and the maternal instincts she must have felt for Aris surprisingly restored the old Nagisa!
What? Isn’t ‘beast’ a term that should be used for me? I’m absolutely not that kind of person.
Aris still called us ‘Mother,’ and that hadn’t changed. She understood everything perfectly well on her own.
One notable change regarding Aris was how her tone had softened significantly. She’d transformed into a polite, kind, and energetic young lady, clearly showing the influence of Mari.
“Mother… if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to fall asleep listening to the lullaby you sing again today!”
“Okay… But if I do that, won’t Nagisa-chan be lonely waiting by herself again?”
“Then… please let Aris sleep with you tonight…!”
“Uh, uhmm? Well…”
And she’s become way more clingy and charming. It feels like someone must’ve given her some advice, but honestly, it doesn’t really matter who—I’m just thankful.
But isn’t sleeping together a bit different from that? It’s not that her height is a problem, but will Nagisa accept it…?
“Sure, Aris. Let’s sleep together tonight. Fufu.”
Yup, seems like I’m accepting it. In just a week, I became a complete doting parent.
“Now, Mother won’t be lonely either. And when you sing me a lullaby, I am sure both of us will fall asleep in the blink of an eye.”
“Uh, is that so? Ahaha.”
“Then, if Aris sleeps with you, Sister Mika will be left alone and lonely. So if Aris waits in dreamland, we’ll quickly come to find you. Is that alright?”
“…Yes, yes! Sounds good!”
I discovered a new side to Nagisa that I hadn’t noticed before. Who knew maternal instincts could change someone this much? Thanks to that, each day is refreshing and happy.
Moreover, recently Nagisa has been holding my hand far more often than before—at least twice as much. She seems to be subtly wishing for something but doesn’t speak up. Compared to before, I realized quickly what that meant, which made Aris’s presence all the more fascinating.
Oh, there was one awkward situation too.
It was certainly when Aris brought up a question.
“Mother, I have something I’m curious about. May I ask?”
“Of course, Aris-chan! Feel free to ask anything.”
“According to the scriptures, having a loving relationship with multiple people like you isn’t right. So, does that make you an evil person? I wouldn’t like that…”
“Ah, ahaha.”
At that moment, I scrambled to think of how to answer that question, as I had no clue where to start.
“Aris-chan, love is the most precious emotion a person can possess and the only true magic in the world. Most people would likely see those kinds of relationships as wrong, but once someone falls into this kind of magic, it’s impossible to escape. Love is… as powerful as it is precious.”
After racking my brain to come up with such an answer, I jokingly waved my fingertips around.
“…Well, it might not be the only magic. Yes, sometimes there are exceptions in this world.”
After that, I saw Aris marvel at the beautiful galaxy formed by the stars swirling at my fingertips, and I caught her adding,
“Then what I heard must’ve been another exception!”
“Huh?”
“I heard that once you fall in, you can’t get out, that’s the hypnosis magic!”
“…Huh? Where did you hear that from?”
I fell deep into thought upon hearing that. Who could the culprit be? Koharu? Or maybe Hanako?
Could it be that they’ve crossed paths without me knowing?
Or is it entirely unexpected, like Atsuko?
Aris confirmed one of the possibilities in my head for just a fleeting moment.
“I overheard Senpai Hanako talking to a senior named Azusa. They say that in Millennium, you can use hypnosis magic by installing an app on your cellphone!”
…I totally understand that, as my secretary, she would have crossed paths, but really, does it have to happen so soon? I almost blurted out that it only had been a week.
“…Um, Aris-chan? Forget everything that girl said. This conversation is our little secret, got it?”
“Just between the two of us… okay! Hehe.”
Well, at least I managed to settle things down. Until Aris can differentiate good from bad impacts on her own, I must protect my baby at all costs.
Aris is my baby… I must protect her from Hanako…
That day, as I laid in bed with Nagisa on one side and Aris nestled between us, it looked more like three friends of similar ages sleeping together rather than a parent and child, but who cares?
As I sang lullabies for a while, Aris’s halo flickered and then faded away. When I turned my gaze, I saw Nagisa had already fallen asleep before Aris.
…What is this? I’m feeling lonely.
*
Who could have known things would spiral out like this?
It was the tenth day since bringing Aris to Trinity.
That day, when Aris returned home, she was clutching a stuffed owl from the Momo Friends named Big Brother. It must have been the doing of Hifumi and the Big Brother Fan Club.
Originally, no Momo Friends other than Wave Cat was allowed in our home, but just this once, I decided to allow it with tears in my eyes.
On the two-week anniversary of Aris blending into Trinity, she showed up in my office wearing a bizarre getup of a nun’s habit and gas mask.
The perpetrator must have been one of Arius’s trio… Saori, Azusa, or Atsuko. Yet, despite thorough secrecy, Aris refused to disclose the culprit.
Oddly enough, this allowed me to confirm it was Azusa.
Even Aris’s cellphone had the Trinity Bamboo Grove app installed on it without my knowledge.
After having forbidden Azusa from contacting the Bamboo Grove for three months, it reassured me to see she was doing well. But the very moment the period ended, she pulled this adorable stunt.
The gift is confiscated, you naughty thing.
As if that wasn’t already headache-inducing enough, the situation didn’t end there.
Precisely three weeks later, I’d firmly come to realize it was about time Aris moved into the dorms.
The only problem was that I realized this due to a completely unwanted… incident.
“Um, Mother…? This is… um…”
“Wow——?!”
After finishing dinner, Aris left for my room citing homework, only to be caught 15 minutes later curled up under a blanket reading a red book.
What is this? Hand over the innocent princess I once dreamt of…
Seriously, this is life.
Between Trinity and the Game Development Club, I could not determine which was the more serious pitfall.
