Volume 4 Chapter 115: The Big Sister Detective

“Ahh~ This is the life, I tell ya!”

In the grand bathhouse of Spirit Wind, my father let out a satisfied sigh, completely at ease as he sank into the spacious tub.

Sprawled out with his arms stretched across the edge, legs fully extended, he looked like he’d already achieved enlightenment.

Meanwhile, I sat beside him, knees drawn up, soaking in the water, seriously questioning how my life had ended up like this.

To start with, I’d been stuck with my father all day. He had no destination, no purpose—just aimlessly dragging me around the capital, wasting my precious time.

Not that I hate him.

It’s not that I hate him.

But this old man is too much.

Spending even an hour with him is enough to give someone like me indigestion. Despite it being our first reunion in a while, I was already at my limit.

If Sierra and Tesea hadn’t been there, I probably would’ve ghosted him the moment he went to the restroom.

Maybe everyone was trying to give us some quality family time or whatever because, for once, even Fiona, who usually insists on tagging along wherever I go, stayed behind at White Road without complaint.

When we left, Sierra had flashed me this smug, victorious grin—an expression no girl should ever make. But maybe I imagined it.

Then, when we returned to White Road in the evening, the massive pile of shopping bags from yesterday had arrived.

I had secretly prepared slime beauty serum for everyone and handed them out as gifts. That part was fine.

The problem was…

Elle broke.

She assumed she didn’t get one.

She didn’t even react when Fiona, never one to miss an opportunity, went all-in on teasing her. Supported by Sophie, Elle just kept muttering disturbing things at high speed.

Panicked, I quickly explained that her portion had been sent to Spirit Wind’s party house.

Instantly, her expression transformed into the most radiant, flower-blooming smile.

It was terrifying.

And so, in an exceptionally good mood, she offered to let us use the grand bathhouse as thanks.

Which brings us to now.

…Yeah. This was mostly my fault.

To be fair, using the White Road baths in shifts was a hassle, so this was definitely convenient.

But, honestly?

After yesterday’s mess, I really didn’t want to be here.

I wanted to refuse. I just couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse.

And worst of all, it wasn’t just me and my father—everyone else decided to tag along too.

I was not at ease.

Elle had even said we were welcome to stay the night—rather, she insisted on it.

But the second I got out of this bath, I was leaving.

Mina was apparently still holed up in her room. Elle hadn’t noticed any signs of her, probably because Mina erased her presence.

Either way, I shouldn’t stay long.

More importantly, I didn’t want to.

Sticking around would only stir up memories.

And I didn’t want to trouble her any further.

I ignored my father, who had started humming, and decided to get out.

“By the way, Noil, I hear things are close to being resolved, but… How’s your body holding up?”

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to stand, he hit me with that question.

I instinctively turned to look at him—his profile, still wearing his eyepatch, even in the bath.

So… he did notice.

“…You knew, huh?”

“Of course I did.”

Still not looking at me, he continued, his tone oddly casual.

“Who do you think carried you home that day when Sierra showed up and you suddenly collapsed? You were out cold for a while after that. No illness, nothing. Just completely bedridden. Then, when you finally got back on your feet, you seemed… weirdly weak.”

I stayed silent as he spoke, processing his words.

“Never would’ve guessed you had multiple other souls sharing your body.”

“…Yeah.”

“Even I was surprised. No wonder no one could figure it out.”

He let out a short breath and tilted his head back, gazing at the ceiling.

“So, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure you’re not about to break?”

“If anything, they’re holding me together.”

“Sounds like good people.”

“Better than you, at least.”

We continued our conversation without looking at each other.

My father hummed, satisfied with my answer. Then, out of nowhere, he suddenly stood up with a splash.

Water went flying, drenching me completely.

“Then I gotta thank ‘em properly!”

“Do it after you put some clothes on.”

Half-lidded, dripping wet, I wiped my face while he guffawed and dunked himself back into the bath.

Once again, I was hit by another splash.

I was seriously considering how best to deal with this annoying old man.

“Good point!” he said with a grin.

I didn’t dignify that with a response.

Instead, I ran a hand through my wet hair and asked:

“…So, tell me. Did you send me to the Magic Academy because of all this?”

I didn’t need to ask.

I already had a hunch.

The real reason he enrolled me in the Magic Academy was probably to figure out what was wrong with me.

But no matter how advanced their research was, even a world-renowned institution wouldn’t be able to analyze this—a situation where multiple souls were crammed into one body, all thanks to a divine artifact.

Had he been worried about me this entire time…?

“Nah.”

…”Oh.”

Wait, what?

Could I get a refund on my brief moment of sentimentality?

Why was he looking at me like I’d just said something ridiculous?

That hurt.

“It’s ‘cause you and Sierra were getting too close. Honestly, it freaked me out.”

“…What?”

Now it was my turn to give him a baffled look.

With a hand on his chin, he frowned.

“I mean, yeah, you’re not actually related by blood, so it wouldn’t technically be a problem, but still…”

“Like Hell That’s Fine.”

You’re his father, for crying out loud.

“I just thought you both needed to see a bigger world. There are tons of guys out there way better than you. Poor, sweet Sierra looked like she was being tricked—it was honestly pitiful.”

“……”

“You were in the way, you know? But, well… in the end, Sierra ended up being the real unfortunate one—huh? Oi, Noil? You heading out already? Hey—!”

Leaving the lunatic behind, I silently walked out of the grand bath.

I could hear something behind me, but I didn’t bother turning back.

After drying off, I stepped into the dressing room.

And there, for some reason, was Sophie, stuffing my clothes into a bag.

I casually grabbed my towel from my shoulder and made sure Noil Jr. was properly covered.

…What the hell is she doing?

The moment she noticed me, she gave a polite bow before smoothly continuing to pack away my clothes.

“You’re out rather quickly. How was the water?”

“It was good… What are you doing?”

“I am collecting your clothes, Noil-sama.”

“Why?”

“No need to worry. We have prepared new garments for you.”

“Oh, I see. Thanks—wait, why?”

I brought a change of clothes.

There’s no need to prepare new ones.

Why is she packing away my fresh set, too?

After neatly stuffing both my worn clothes and my spare change into separate bags, Sophie hugged them to her chest and took a step away from the shelf where the laundry baskets were stored.

“The Master has use for them.”

“Use for… Wait, no. Forget it.”

Some things are better left unknown.

With a deep sigh, I gave up and reached for the clothes Sophie had prepared for me.

It was my usual outfit.

Since I’d changed out of Gulf’s clothes before heading out, the ones taken were all mine—just… replaced exactly as they were.

Even my underwear.

Everything, perfectly identical.

I felt like I was losing my mind.

Well… whatever. At least my old clothes are clean now.

Yay. Freshly laundered.

With another deep breath, I grabbed my underwear first and started changing—

“……”

“Is something wrong?”

Sophie hadn’t left.

She was staring.

Tilting her head slightly in confusion, her gaze never wavered.

“Uh…”

She’s watching me.

Why is she watching me?

I mean, I don’t care or anything, but… when someone stares that intently, it’s kind of hard to ignore.

Technically, she’s already seen Noil Jr. in his fully evolved form, so it’s not like this should even matter anymore, but…

For peace of mind, I tightened my towel securely around my waist before quickly putting on my underwear with minimal exposure.

Crisis averted.

Then I reached for my pants—

“By the way, Noil-sama.”

“What?”

“Last night… you were with Mina-sama, weren’t you?”

My hands froze.

My heart pounded.

Loud.

Too loud.

“W-why…”

How does Sophie… know?

There shouldn’t have been any evidence.

Even Elle, of all people, had no idea I was here last night.

So how—?

I forgot to keep dressing.

Like a wind-up doll, I turned my head stiffly towards Sophie.

I felt cold.

Still staring at me, she spoke matter-of-factly.

“Sophie has confidence in detecting even the slightest changes within this estate. And when you returned this morning, things were… a little too clean.”

Before I could process the weight of that statement, Sophie carefully set the bags down on a nearby shelf.

Then, without warning, she pulled out a deerstalker hat—the kind detectives wear.

She put it on.

Next, a pipe—where the hell did that come from?

Finally, she dramatically draped an Inverness coat over her shoulders.

…Sophie’s insight is terrifying, but her actions make zero sense.

“Yes. As if…” she paused for effect, her voice still flat as ever, “the traces of a visitor had been deliberately erased.”

What the hell is this bit?

It was so bizarre coming from her of all people that my earlier panic had completely vanished.

“At that moment, Sophie thought, ‘Something is off.’”

She brought the pipe to her lips and mimicked taking a deep puff.

No smoke came out, of course.

Just a little “Fwhuuu” sound.

…Sophie, who are you trying to imitate?

“Master did not notice. Of course, he wouldn’t. He only inquired about the spirits, and when they reported no abnormalities, he saw no reason to suspect anything. Only Sophie noticed the minute changes. Only Sophie.”

…Oh, she’s proud of that.

“I should have informed him immediately, but… Sophie’s intuition said otherwise. ‘This requires observation,’ I thought. This is—”* she lifted a finger, “a woman’s intuition.”

Uhh…

Uuuuhhh…

Even with her little “dramatic” pose, I wasn’t sure if that phrase was even correct in this context.

I had no idea how to respond.

Adjusting her slightly oversized hat, Sophie raised another finger.

“The next oddity was Mina-sama herself. Since yesterday evening, she had been in h—ahem… experiencing her annual condition.”

Oh wow. She actually tried to be subtle.

I mean, she still basically said it, but effort was made.

“However, by morning, the condition had almost completely subsided. She remained in her room for safety, but she was well enough to allow Noil-sama and Grey-sama into the estate today.”

Sophie placed a hand on her chin.

“Now, she could have managed it alone, of course—”

“Sophie. Sophie.”

“Yes?”

“Speed it up.”

I could tell she was really into this whole detective act, but if I let her keep going, we’d be here forever.

And I really didn’t want to be half-naked when my father walked in.

“Understood.”

With a nod, she swiftly put away her detective gear.

I still don’t know how she does that.

Magic? Sleight of hand?

“To summarize, Mina-sama’s condition vanished overnight, and any trace of a visitor was erased. I deduced that she had engaged in intercourse with said visitor and attempted to conceal it.”

“And you figured out it was me because…?”

“Of all the men close to Mina-sama, you were the most likely candidate. The level of secrecy required, combined with your behavior this morning, led me to this conclusion. Though I lacked absolute proof.”

“I see.”

I exhaled.

Then, forehead to the floor, I whispered:

“It was an accident, Sophie-neesan…”

Pathetic as it was, I tried to plead my case.

“Aah, I figured it was something like that. C’mon, lift your head.”

Sophie, in the most deadpan, monotone voice, placed a hand on my shoulder, her words dripping with theater.

When I looked up, she had somehow swept back her bangs, as if playing the part.

“Relax. My lips are sealed. It ain’t my place to talk.”

“Nee-san…!”

“Love, huh? The most beautiful, yet most troublesome thing in the world.”

“Heh…”