Volume 3 Chapter 88: Tesea Arlens

“……I was wrong.”

“……Yeah.”

In the store ‘White Road,’ Sierra sat on a guest sofa, her usual blank expression unchanged as she spoke.

Sitting across from her, Tesea nodded with a solemn expression.

“……Noil has grown.”

“……Yeah.”

Her voice, as always, was calm and composed.
Yet, the tension in the air between them was palpable.

“……I can’t stay like this either.”

“……Yeah.”

Sierra’s gaze was piercingly serious. Her expression didn’t shift, but Tesea could sense the weight behind her words.

And so, Tesea knew she had to respond sincerely. After sixteen years apart, her younger sister had finally turned to her for advice.

Talking to Sierra about anything was enjoyable, and Tesea wanted to spend more time together. From now on, they would reclaim the years of sisterhood they had lost.

“……That’s why I want you to teach me.”

“……Yeah.”

But then—

“……How can I have a chest like yours?”

“……I don’t know, okay?”

This question had Tesea completely flustered.

Having gone through this exchange numerous times already, Tesea glanced down at her own chest and sighed before speaking tiredly.

“Like I said, probably… it’s because of the food I ate when I was growing up.”

“……But that food isn’t available anymore.”

“……Yeah, that’s true.”

“……Then, what should I do?”

“……I really don’t know, okay?”

For Tesea, this was an unresolvable issue. She hadn’t done anything specific to make her chest bigger—it had simply happened naturally.

There was nothing she could do to help.

“……I’ll say it again.”

“Wait, wait, Sierra. That’s enough.”

“……I was wrong.”

“That’s enough already!”

As the conversation looped back around again, Tesea hurriedly stopped Sierra and pressed her hand to her forehead. With a deep breath, she looked at her sister, who wore the same unchanging, expressionless face as her own.

“Look, I don’t know, okay? Why don’t you ask Fiona-san about it?”

At the moment, Tesea was borrowing clothes from Fiona. Those were the ones that fit her body best, meaning Fiona had a similar build—or perhaps was slightly larger. That much was clear at a glance.

So it made more sense for Sierra to ask Fiona. She would probably give much more accurate advice than Tesea could.

Thinking this was a reasonable suggestion, Tesea offered it to her sister—but—

“……I was wrong.”

“You don’t want to, do you? Alright, I get it. Let’s figure this out together.”

Sierra was about to start the conversation from the beginning again.

With no other choice, Tesea hurriedly stopped her.

Over the past few days, Tesea had noticed—no, it had become glaringly obvious—that Sierra and Fiona didn’t get along.

There was a distinct tension, sharp and uncomfortable, whenever the two were near each other.

In fact, it seemed that most of the women around Noil viewed each other as rivals.

Even when they appeared to smile and talk amicably, there was an underlying sense of competition.

If even someone as socially oblivious as Tesea could pick up on it, then it was undoubtedly true.

Even now, the arrangement to stay by Noil’s side as he sleeps is on a rotation basis. There’s a set time limit, and it seems it’s to ensure mutual surveillance, as private visits are generally not allowed.

Frankly, it doesn’t make sense.

It’s not that their relationships are bad… but maybe they are? I don’t really know.

Tesea finds it difficult to fully grasp the dynamics between these women.

Yet, she somehow finds enjoyment even in that confusion.

Previously, Tesea struggled immensely with things she couldn’t understand. Equipped with the “Analyze” ability, she could usually grasp most things at a glance. That’s why dealing with incomprehensible beings was her weakness.

But now, she finds joy in not knowing.

The outside world is a novelty to her; everything she sees and touches is fresh. Ignorance makes every discovery a source of surprise and excitement for her.

She found great joy in learning new things one by one.

Tesea no longer uses “Analyze” carelessly. Understanding everything at a glance seemed wasteful.

The world is overflowing with the unknown, and it’s wonderful because of it.

Despite her troubles, Tesea turns a smile towards her somewhat troublesome younger sister.

“……Please, Nee-san. I want a body fitting for Onii-san’s growth.”

“……”

And then she froze.

“……What do you mean by ‘that’?”

With a frozen smile, she timidly asked her slightly odd sister.

“……Chi—”

“Sierra? Sierra?”

“……What?”

“Maybe… you don’t need to say it.”

Tesea was exasperated as her sister was about to blurt out something outrageous.

This child is definitely strange.

Even Tesea could understand that much.

Tesea felt no shame in her sister’s words, but she knew that such things shouldn’t be spoken aloud. It’s inappropriate, especially for women. Even though she had never been outside, she still possessed what could be considered common sense.

Reflecting on that, what was said was definitely not appropriate.

Moreover, why is her sister comparing men’s “that” to women’s breasts? They are completely different, and their sizes shouldn’t be related.

They shouldn’t be related at all!

Could she be wrong? Should the size of a man’s “that” and a woman’s breasts be comparable? No, that can’t be right.

That just can’t be!

Tesea felt like she was going insane.

Moreover, Sierra is his sister.

Not in terms of Tesea.

Sierra is also Noil’s sister.

Though not related by blood, she is his sister.

She is, indeed!

Why, why is she comparing her brother’s “that” to her own chest?

Why is she comparing them!

Noil’s affection seems to be that of a brother’s love for his sister. Now that Tesea dearly loves Sierra, she can understand how Noil feels about her.

However, the nature of Sierra’s affection for Noil is clearly different.

“……Right. Onii-san and, uh—”

“Sierra? Sierra?”

“……What?”

“So for Sierra, Noil is Onii-san, right?”

“……Yes. So, uh—”

“Sierra? Sierra?”

“……What?”

“Is it possible I’m the one mistaken? Let me confirm something. …Do normal siblings do… that kind of thing?”

“…Yes. As skinship, it’s… normal.”

“Sierra? Sierra?”

“…What?”

“Can I ask someone else about this?”

“…No.”

As expected, it seemed that normal siblings didn’t have such a relationship. In that case, Sierra’s feelings might not be appropriate.

Tesea pondered.

And after pondering, she felt like she was losing her mind.

In the end, she decided to leave it all to Noil.

If it were him, he’d surely handle it well. He wouldn’t do anything to make Sierra cry; he’d figure out a way, even if it were a forbidden love.

By now, Tesea had placed her absolute trust in Noil.

To her, he was her hero.

She still didn’t know the real Noil, though—his lack of responsibility and tendency to be careless were completely unknown to her.

“And, well… I’ve also technically become a little sister now, but…”

“…No. Actually, it’s not normal.”

“I know. I wasn’t planning to, anyway…”

Will this girl really be alright…?

Tesea couldn’t help but feel a little worried about her perpetually expressionless sister.

But still, “little sister”—a little sister, huh.

Tesea’s full name was now officially Tesea Arlens.

To prevent her from getting tangled up in complications from her ties to the Sacred Heavens, Lumelherc, and to make her resemblance to Sierra less suspicious, she had taken the Arlens name.

In other words, she was now Noil’s little sister—family.

Issues with identification papers and her official registration had been handled by Milis Albama, who had said, “Such things are no problem at all,” and had indeed taken care of everything.

And so, Tesea became part of the Arlens family.

Noil’s father, whom she had never even seen, was unaware of this development. Sierra had said she would inform him by letter later. When Tesea had asked if a letter would be sufficient, Sierra had replied, “It’ll be fine; Father will understand.”

For a man to accept a completely unknown daughter into his family based on a letter alone—what kind of person was Noil’s father?

The thought piqued her curiosity, but since she couldn’t immediately visit and explain things in person, Tesea decided to rely on everyone’s kindness for the time being.

Tesea touched her head gently.

What she remembered was the warmth of that hand, which had softly patted her head, and the calm smile that had accompanied it.

Was that what a brother was like?

If Noil had been projecting his feelings for Sierra onto her, then that smile and those gentle touches must have been his way of showing brotherly affection.

A little sister… a little sister, huh.

“I wish he’d wake up soon… Onii-chan.”

Tesea muttered softly under her breath.

Then she smiled. If she suddenly called him that, would Noil be surprised? How would he react? Would he pat her head again?

She wanted to go shopping for clothes with him soon. She wanted to go out for a delicious meal.

Since arriving in the Capital City of Elist, Tesea hadn’t gone out much. She truly wanted to explore the city right away, but it had to be with Noil. He’d help her pick out clothes and take her to eat delicious food.

After all, that’s what he had promised her.

Tesea eagerly awaited the moment her brother would wake up safely.

“…No.”

“Huh?”

Tesea looked up, startled by Sierra’s sudden remark.

Before she realized it, Sierra had been staring at her intently.

“…Onii-chan is off-limits.”

It seemed Sierra had clearly heard Tesea’s earlier muttering.

“…You’re overlapping.”

Overlapping? What does that even mean?

“…You’re the big sister.”

“Uh… yeah?”

“…And I’m the little sister.”

“…”

“…Even though you’ve become Noil’s little sister, you’re still the big sister. You’re not the little sister.”

“Sorry… I don’t really get it.”

“…In other words, you’re you, and I’m me, so I’m the little sister.”

“Uh… yeah?”

“…As the little sister, I’m the one who gets to be the little sister. You’re the big sister, so stay the big sister.”

“Uh… okay.”

Is my little sister really going to be alright…?

Tesea felt a pang of concern.

Well, to put it simply, Sierra was trying to say that she wanted to monopolize the right to be the little sister who could cling to her brother.

“…You can just cling to me instead, Nee-san.”

Sierra spread her arms as she said this.

With a chuckle, Tesea stood up, moved to Sierra’s side, and threw herself into her arms without hesitation. Smiling brightly, she thought to herself that, like this, it was hard to tell who the big sister really was.

“…There, there.”

While Sierra patted her back, Tesea made a proposal.

“Would it be okay if I act like a little sister to Noil sometimes?”

“No.”

Her response was sharp and immediate.

“…Just once?”

“No.”

Tesea puffed out her cheeks.

She didn’t intend to do anything in particular with Noil, but Sierra’s possessiveness was too strong. Tesea decided she’d just sneak in a moment later.

With that decision in mind, she voiced her complaint.

“Stingy.”

“…Being spoiled is the privilege of the little sister.”

“But I’m a little sister too!”

“…You’re the big sister.”

“Oh, what a hopeless little sister.”

“…And what a clingy big sister.”

“Pfft.”

“…Hehe.”

Laughter escaped from both of them.

And so, the two laughed together. Tesea laughed out loud in delight, while Sierra closed her eyes and chuckled quietly.

Despite their contrasting styles of laughter, their identical faces made the resemblance uncanny.

The twin sisters spent some time laughing together.