Hmm... Maybe I should build something next door since they’ll need somewhere to live while I’m doing renovations? Ristia thought as she mowed the weeds growing in front of her with magic and collected them in one location. With Ristia’s magic, she would be done in an instant. In fact, it was entirely possible for her to even dig a plot, manufacture lumber, and construct an entire house. However, building a house all by one’s self was something that would clearly be considered abnormal. That was how she came to the conclusion that she was going to hire a carpenter for the rebuilding process, and to do so, she was going to have to sell the enchanted item through Eindebelle’s connection.
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit, so could you mind the children while I’m gone?” Ristia called Maria to the entryway, leaving her to babysit. This was nothing out of the ordinary for Maria. She was the oldest out of all of the orphans, so it was apparently always her duty to watch over the other kids. Although, it was probably more accurate to say that since the former director had never done his job to begin with, the task of taking care of everyone had inevitably fallen upon her. At any rate, she asked Maria, knowing that she could comfortably leave her in charge, but for some odd reason, Maria seemed nervous.
“...Maria, what’s the matter?”
“Um... you’ll be back before lunchtime, right?”
“Hmm, I’m going out to procure the money for rebuilding the orphanage, so it might be a bit hard to come back before lunch. I do plan on coming back by dinner, though.“
“Oh... you will?”
“Sure will. I’ve left ingredients in the kitchen, so could you use those to whip something up to eat?”
“Well... sure. Okay, then. But... um...” Since she had worked yesterday, she basically understood how a day around the orphanage went. She knew that the children made the meals, so she had stocked the kitchen in advance with meat, vegetables, and other ingredients she had in her Item Box. Her going out should have been no problem, but Maria seemed nervous about something regardless.
“Really, though. What’s the matter?”
“Erm, well.. I was worried about what would happen if Director Georg were to come back...”
“Ah, so that’s what’s wrong.” Director Georg had left town—and since not even his soul was still around, the “town” he was headed off to was “the afterlife.” But all she had told Maria was that he had simply “left town,” so it was natural that she would be worried about him possibly coming back. As Ristia considered what she could do for her, Maria suddenly clung to her tight. It was something that Ristia had never experienced before, so she was taken aback.
“M-Maria?!”
“Um, so... I know you have things to do, but I’d like it if you could stay next to me...” Maria said, opening up her worries while still clinging to Ristia. Normally, she carried herself in a grown-up manner and acted as everyone’s older sister, but right now, she was showing her vulnerabilities. It was a sight that Ristia couldn’t help but find cute, and it was piercing her dead through the heart.
I want Maria as my little sister. Her brand of cute is different from Nanami’s and I want it all to myself. As soon as that thought ran through her head, an impulse similar to the time she’d carried Nanami in her arms assaulted Ristia. With Nanami, it had happened so fast she couldn’t tell what it was, but... now Ristia knew the true identity of that feeling. It was a feeling that Ristia shouldn’t have experienced from Maria holding onto her—her vampiric impulses to feed.
But... why? I’ve never had these impulses drive me before, so why now? Ristia bit her lip, trying to keep those vampiric impulses in check as she slowly pulled Maria away from her.
“...Director Ristia?” Maria looked at her with uneasy eyes.
“O-Oh, don’t worry. Nothing’s wrong,” Ristia assured her, pretending that she was fine as she shook her vampiric impulses off. She then desperately worked her brain, trying to think up a way to help Maria from her worries.
“...Let’s see. Oh, maybe that would do. Wait just a second.” She procured a few materials from her Item Box. Gritting her teeth and using some enchantment magic, she created a magic item capable of telepathic communication.
“Huh? I feel like you just pulled a bunch of things out of nowhere,” Maria said, rubbing her eyes in disbelief before Ristia took her hand and placed a tiny hairclip in her palm. “Oh, uh... What’s this?”
“It’s a magic item that communicates the thoughts of whoever touches it straight to me. This will be yours, so make sure to put it in your hair. Any time you call for me, I’ll come rushing back.”
“...Thank you,” Maria said with a wry smile. —Heh heh, I’ve never heard of a tool that lets you communicate thoughts to another person, not even in fairy tales. But she’s trying to get me to relax because she knows I’m worried. Director Ristia really is too kind. The hairclip transmitted Maria’s thoughts to Ristia, since it was sitting in the palm of the girl’s hand. Ristia didn’t have it in her to point that out right now, but she was willing to settle with that for the time being since she knew that Maria felt a little more at ease.
“I’ll be off, then.”
“Okay, take care!” Maria said, seeing Ristia off as she began to walk away from the orphanage. Immediately after that, she heard Maria’s surprised thoughts. “Wha?! All the weeds in the yard suddenly got mowed?!” Ristia ran away before Maria had a chance to pelt her with questions about it.
She eventually made her way back to Eindebelle’s shop.
“Welcome on in... Oh, if it isn’t Ristia!”
“Good afternoon, Belle.” Eindebelle, running the shop, smiled at her. Soon after, hurried footsteps could be heard from the back as Nanami came running up to the front.
“Lady Ristia, you are safe!” Nanami shouted as soon as she saw Ristia’s face, jumping at her. She caught Nanami’s small body in her arms.
“Good afternoon, Nanami. I’m sorry. Did I make you worry?”
“Yes, I was worried. That orphanage has a bad reputation, and you went there and spent the whole night out.”
“I see... Thank you for being so concerned for me.” Nanami knew that Ristia was a True Blood, the ultimate lifeform which no human could ever stand up against. She knew that fact well, but she was still concerned for Ristia’s wellbeing. So this is what it would feel like to have a little sister, Ristia thought in bliss. However, as Nanami stared up at Ristia in her arms, her face started to take a sulky turn.
“Lady Ristia, I said I was worried about you, so why do you look so gosh darn happy?”
“Huh? Oh, well, you see... Um, I’m sorry?” Ristia apologized, but her face was all smiles, which made Nanami puff out her cheeks and pout. Eindebelle saw all this happen and let out a laugh.
“Nanami, Ristia here is a-smilin’ ‘cos she’s happy that you were so worried for her.”
“Huh...? Is that true?” Nanami peered into Ristia’s eyes.
“Yeah, I was so happy that you were concerned for me... but I’m sorry.” Ristia apologized again, this time looking genuinely apologetic. She then pulled out her Item Box and created the same type of hairclip that she’d given to Maria as an apology. “Just touch this magic item and think something to yourself, and the words will be conveyed to me.”
“Huh? Oh, thank you very much... Wait, Lady Ristia?!” Nanami panicked and peeked at Eindebelle. Nanami didn’t know that Ristia had made an enchanted item in front of Eindebelle before, so she was worried that Ristia had screwed up again. However, having witnessed it yesterday as well, Eindebelle was outright impressed, nevermind surprised.
“Hah... Unbelievably skilled, as always.”
“‘As always’? Wait... Mom, you too?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah, I know ‘bout how skilled Ristia is with magic.”
“Lady Ristia... did you not say you were going to be a normal girl?” Nanami said with a disappointed look in her eyes as Ristia looked back at her as calm as could be. Her reason?
“So, listen, Nanami. Nowadays, even normal girls can make enchantments.”
“...Did Mom tell you that?”
“She... did...? Why?” Ristia answered, prompting Nanami to look at Eindebelle. Seeing that Eindebelle quickly turned her eyes away, Nanami looked up at the heavens.
“Umm, is... something the matter?”
“Well, you see... Okay, I’m about to tell you something, so please prepare yourself for this.”
“U-Uh-huh?”
“As I told you before, a normal girl cannot make enchantments.”
“Huh? But Belle told me they could.”
“That was a lie. Mom tricked you, Lady Ristia.”
“...Huh? Is that so?” She looked over to her to confirm that, but Eindebelle kept her eyes averted. Ristia now knew that she had been deceived.
“...Grr, why did you feed me that lie?” she asked Eindebelle, who was still averting her gaze and keeping her head turned to the side. Eventually, the woman found herself unable to bear the stares and silence, and she looked at Ristia straight on.
“Um, y’see... I wanted to see yer enchantments, Ristia.”
“So basically, you figured out that I could use enchantments and tricked me into confessing?”
“W-Well, if I hafta be blunt...”
“So I see...” Realizing that she had been tricked, she let out a sigh.