– Tap tap tap!!
“Nyahaha─!!!”
“Be, Benya─!!”
Within the quiet Nun’s Building, Benya’s cheerful laughter echoes loudly as though a tremor has struck.
Flapping her wings noisily, she strolls through the corridor as if it were her own room.
“I don’t want to take a bath─!!”
“I said you just have to endure a little longer! We’re almost done, so come back quickly!”
“I don’t want to─!!”
As soon as the short conversation with the Abbess ended, I headed straight to the bathroom with the dirty Benya in tow. However, true to her usual personality, Benya couldn’t stay still even in the bathroom, and ultimately made an escape, sending chills down my spine.
Droplets of water splatter here and there along the neat corridor. The floor soon became soaked with the traces Benya left behind.
“Be, Benya─!! Please listen to me─!!”
“I’m hungry─!! I’m going to eat─!!”
Thus began an impromptu game of tag with Benya that went on for quite some time.
Eventually, I was able to catch her and finally take a breath of relief. However, after the ordeal was over, the expression on the Abbess’s face that appeared quietly was rather peculiar.
It wasn’t a playful smile nor a stern scolding; there was an enigmatic quality, as if her thoughts were untraceable.
“Are you enjoying yourself─?”
“…Huh?”
“While playing is certainly important, shouldn’t you choose the time and place wisely?”
“Ah, no… I didn’t mean to be playful….”
The fact that she never took her eyes off me made me feel quite resentful. The Abbess only showed up when I was in trouble, and I couldn’t understand why I was the only one being scolded.
I was just following orders. It was Benya who made the mess in the corridor.
I really didn’t know why I had to be the one getting scolded.
“Realize that you are walking a different path from ordinary people. It’s important to maintain composure and a calm demeanor, no matter where or what you are doing at all times.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t good to stand out, you know.”
“Yes, yes….”
By now, a crowd of novice nuns had gathered around to watch the situation unfold in the hallway.
Their gazes were filled with curiosity and interest, but there was also a hint of fear mixed in for some reason.
Having never experienced such an atmosphere before, I felt quite pressured and unnecessarily self-conscious.
“Haah….”
A quiet sigh escaped the Abbess.
Despite thinking about whether I really needed to stay here anymore, the reason I hadn’t run away yet was simple.
“Nyahaha─!!”
It was because Benya surprisingly enjoyed this dreary place.
Somehow, it seemed she was well aware that no one here would harm her as long as everyone lavished her with attention.
So I entered with a light heart, thinking I’d inform her that places like this exist.
I thought the training as a nun the Abbess mentioned would consist of just theoretical knowledge. But contrary to my expectations, the nun training was rather strict and fierce.
“Nyaha! The captain is different, after all─.”
As much as I would like to run away right now, it wasn’t easy to do so because of Benya’s desire to enjoy this place a little longer.
Had I known it would be like this, I might have ignored it from the beginning and just passed by….
But of course, since I can leave this place tomorrow, it’s not a major problem to bear with it while thinking of it as a learning experience─.
It seems unavoidable that my feelings are slightly complex.
“What are you all doing? Return to your spots quickly.”
At last, with the Abbess’s stern order, the novice nuns hurriedly returned to their original positions and vanished in an instant.
The surroundings were soon enveloped in uncomfortable silence, tightening its grip around me, but even so, I couldn’t show any signs of it.
Given the situation, I couldn’t blame the little Benya for my predicament.
“In an hour, we will go to the orphanage to volunteer. So you should finish up your work early and take a break, even if only for a moment.”
“The, the orphanage?”
“Yes. We volunteer at a nearby orphanage every day. Caring for the children is also one of our important duties.”
I fell silent for a moment.
I never imagined that I would be looking after children after coming all this way.
However, since it was one of the few things I could confidently do, I managed to raise the corners of my mouth slightly and show a confident demeanor.
This might be an opportunity to make up for my mistakes so far.
“I’m confident in taking care of children. Just leave it to me!”
“…Well, enthusiasm is great, but I hope you keep that enthusiasm in check.”
“Of course. I’ve already taken care of four children and sent them off!”
“Four children?”
“Yes! In other words, I’m experienced. I can do this without any issues!”
“…That’s quite surprising.”
For a brief moment, the Abbess’s expression turned bewildered, but I didn’t pay it any mind.
If I showed a good impression at the orphanage, my trustworthiness would gradually increase, leading to less scrutiny.
“Huh? Levi had a baby?”
While I was confidently smiling, Benya suddenly spoke up, her voice low from my arms.
In an instant, I frowned without realizing it.
“And you had four?!”
“Th-that’s nonsense… Why would I have a baby…?”
“But you just said you took care of them.”
“They weren’t my babies! Don’t misunderstand.”
“Nyaha?”
Ignoring the abrupt awkwardness, I cleared my throat. The Abbess, standing before me, turned away while subtly smiling and began to walk away.
“Anyway, come out to the garden in an hour. I won’t tolerate tardiness.”
After leaving that one remark, the Abbess continued on her way, disappearing without further ado.
“…….”
Now, only Benya and I were left in the desolate hallway.
I had finally managed to escape the Abbess’s vigilant watch and should be enjoying a bit of freedom, but for some reason, I didn’t feel entirely at ease.
“Nyahaha─!! You had a baby with Levi─!!”
“I told you, it’s not true! Why do you have to say such things so loudly that could lead to misunderstandings…?”
“I’m curious!!”
Could it be because of Benya….
.
.
.
“Thank you so much for coming today as well, Abbess.”
“You’re welcome. It’s something we should naturally do.”
After the rather tumultuous bath for Benya and feeding her, I finally had a moment to relax as I lay down on the bed in my personal room, only to realize it was already time to go to the orphanage.
Looking back now, I had never actually bathed the children myself when I first cared for them either.
Most of it, they had managed to do on their own.
“Ah, that’s a nun I haven’t seen before.”
“Really. But why is her face covered?”
Perhaps that was why I felt quite exhausted.
I had only bathed one little dragon and fed her, yet I didn’t understand why I felt so drained.
“It’s a personal matter. So, please try not to touch my veil as much as possible.”
“Huh? What? This nun is strange.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll play with the other nuns.”
I tried my best to show a good side to the children who were showing interest in me.
No, I acted the same way as I had when I first began looking after children, recalling my past experiences.
However, the children seemed uncomfortable with my mannerisms and quickly lost interest in me, moving on to the other nuns.
By the time I snapped back to reality, the children had already disappeared, leaving only me feeling miserable.
“…….”
“Nyahahaha─!! You’re being left out, left out!!”
At that moment, caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Benya approached me naturally, making me feel even worse.
She continued to tease me, who was frozen in place like a stone, being abandoned by the children….
It was frustrating, but since her teasing was purely innocent, I found it impossible to get angry.
With a wry smile, I helplessly stared at the ground when suddenly─.
“Eh?! What’s happening!!”
I heard the loud cheering of the children.
Not only that, they came rushing towards me, startling me momentarily.
But given how fickle children’s affections are, I thought this must just be one of those instances and readied myself to welcome them once again.
However, it seemed that the interest the children had was directed at Benya, not me.
“Isn’t this a monster?”
“She’s small! And cute!!”
“Can you talk too?”
As I witnessed that scene right before my eyes, my heart shattered into pieces.
“…Well, it’s no surprise that they’re more interested in a rare monster than an average person they can see anywhere.”
“Wow…. She looks really unique. What’s her name?”
“Benya─!!”
“What a cute name. Let’s be friends.”
“I don’t want to─!!”
The children completely ignored me.
No matter how bluntly Benya spoke, the children didn’t take any offense and actually seemed to enjoy the situation even more.
Feeling awkward, I merely blinked vacantly, but since I was already feeling tired, I didn’t see this situation in such a negative light.
It might actually be a good thing.
Regardless of the process, it’s certainly true that I wasn’t touching anything in this manner.
“…….”
As I slowly raised my crouched body, standing like a statue in the center of the orphanage, just then.
“Are you the new nun?”
The orphanage director, who had just been speaking with the Abbess, approached me carefully.
“…Yes, I’m here temporarily for personal reasons.”
“I see. May I ask when you arrived?”
“Yesterday.”
The white, elongated mustache was quite impressive on his face.
Though he looked like an elderly gentleman, he walked around quite impressively without a cane.
His strides were very solid and stable, and he did not at all appear to look his age.
“Ah, so that’s how it is….”
“…?”
Suddenly, the elderly gentleman began muttering ominously after hearing my answer.
For some reason, despite our conversation not being anything special, his expression seemed quite satisfied.
“Why is that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. This is a snack the children like, so if they don’t stop crying, please give them one. It should quiet them down quickly.”
With that statement, he abruptly handed me something.
Although I was slightly puzzled, I accepted it nonetheless.
“Candy, huh?”
“Yes. I’ve given some to the other nuns too, so there’s no need to hold back.”
There were quite a lot of candies in my palm.
“…Thank you. I will use it well.”
“Yes. Then I look forward to having you here today.”
“Yes.”
After exchanging simple greetings with the elderly gentleman and slowly turning away, a very quiet voice reached my ears almost as a whisper.
“It still seems a bit early to execute the plan….”
My ears instinctively perked up.
As soon as I heard those words, I immediately turned around, but the elderly gentleman was already quite a distance away from me.
“…….”
Holding candy in one hand, I stared at the fading silhouette of the elder.
Since I wasn’t so fatigued that I could hear things, I was left puzzled, tilting my head and rapidly blinking my eyes.
Even though it sounded like an auditory hallucination, it was undoubtedly the voice of the elderly gentleman.
“Nun, nun.”
At that moment, while I stood there with a puzzled expression, suddenly the hem of my clothing was tugged, and a child’s voice rang out brightly.
“Candy, please─.”
I snapped back to reality and looked down to find a good number of children gathered around me, their eyes sparkling brightly.
Of course, Benya was naturally included in the mix.
“What’s candy─? Just give it to me─.”
I couldn’t help but feel a pinch in my heart seeing the children’s duality.
I was disappointed in the children.
“Ask Benya for it.”
With that one remark, I shoved the candies I was holding deep into my pocket.
