“…So you live in a single-family house.”
Having carried the groceries to her place, I was a little surprised by the building.
In the scholarly city, most students lived in apartments. Miranda owned a stand-alone.
For a wealthy noble’s child it wasn’t unthinkable, but only for a narrow slice.
She gave a wry smile.
“I’m still the eldest. I’m not particularly useful to the family, but — appearances. They bought the house in that spirit. Around the time I graduate they’ll probably sell it.”
The eldest daughter of House Sirclay studying in the scholarly city — letting her live in an apartment was off-brand.
The Fifth.
“Appearances matter. — Though if they sell it later anyway, why fuss? Lyle… how’s the Skill reading?”
Wary Fifth. I activated the Skill quietly.
The Sixth’s Skill classified Miranda as ally.
Allies blue.
Unrelated people, yellow.
Hostiles or monsters, red.
Miranda showed no hostility.
(Over-cautious?)
The Fifth.
“Don’t drop your guard. There might be a reason the help quits… go on, into the house.”
Carrying the bags, I followed her in.
A garden, two stories. From outside you could count plenty of rooms.
“Big for one person to live in.”
For an instant, her face clouded.
(What was that?)
But she smiled and shook her head.
“I have a little sister. Four sisters at home, but the youngest — her eyes don’t work. I came here so I could fix them.”
She’d come to the scholarly city for her sister.
A beautiful story on the surface. The ancestors had the worst reactions.
The Second.
“Eh — no. The eldest can’t be doing that. Court-noble, right? Usually she’d be marrying.”
The Third.
“Nice story, but she’s putting her effort in the wrong place.”
The Fourth, careful with his words.
“Nice girl, but the parents allowing it are at fault. The precious eldest? Looks pretty and personable, marry her into a house you want a connection with.”
The Fifth, cold.
“Youngest sister’s eyes don’t work? — Sounds like she got pushed away from home. Eldest came along to look after her, with a convenient cover story. Though she herself may be sincere.”
The Sixth.
“Well — sister-thinking is a good thing. Sisters getting along is good.”
Remembering the prior awkward conversation, the Sixth probably had his own sibling history.
I sympathized and listened to the Seventh.
“Pushing a problematic child away from home isn’t unusual. Even in my time, behind house-arrest or odd disease-deaths there was always something. Even a plain disease-death drew gossip.”
A genuinely dry line, my clan.
I almost felt moved.
(This woman’s a good person.)
The construct elder sister working for her sister was wildly different from me and Ceres.
(A little enviable. Wish I’d had a sister like that. If I had, things would’ve been… no, no different. Just one more person turning cold.)
A monster that warps even the surroundings.
Even kind parents had stopped seeing me entirely.
“A nice story. I wish I’d had a sister like that.”
I praised. Miranda came back:
“Oh? Already aiming at me? — Well, I’m not sure I’m that great a sister myself. — Lyle-kun, siblings?”
Worried whether I could hold my face, I gave a simple answer.
“A sister… one.”
Whether she was asking knowing, or just asking — I couldn’t tell.
Skill still showed her blue.
“Sisters are great! Cute!”
“Y-yeah.”
I forced agreement. She noticed something and let the topic drop.
She might’ve read me.
We went to the kitchen and I set the groceries on the table.
I’d seen the house up to here — kept clean.
Handrails everywhere except for that, it was a normal house.
“You said the help left, but it’s still tidy.”
“Ahaha… they left two days ago.”
After a few days, things wouldn’t stay tidy, she said.
Classes and assignments at the academy meant housework slipped.
I’d been about to ask why the help quit but held off — felt wrong to push.
“This much space — cleaning’s got to be a lot of work, no?”
Our old house in Darion had been kept clean by Novem.
I hadn’t noticed at the time, but once Aria moved in, the cleaning had gotten visibly heavier.
Novem was amazing — and a house more than double that size, with only two girls — that was a lot.
Honestly a lot.
“Right. — I learned housework, but only the basics…”
She was working hard.
Just then—
“Sister, do we have a guest?”
I turned. A girl was standing there. She braced on the doorframe — and her gaze was on us without seeing us. An off-key impression.
The Third.
“This must be the blind little sister.”
She was small. Light-purple hair, wavy — like Miranda’s.
Gold eyes, watching us — but not focused.
She started groping her way over; Miranda rushed up.
“Shannon! I told you to stay in your room.”
“I’m sorry, sister… but — a guest? A man?”
By conversation, or by feel, she’d picked it up.
I introduced myself. Testing Miranda — I gave my surname too.
I checked Skill for hostility.
(What happens? Wariness?)
“Pleased to meet you, miss. Lyle Walt. A friend of Aria’s. I stopped by carrying the groceries.”
Smiled at her, for form’s sake.
The Fifth and Sixth reacted at Shannon Sirclay.
“That’s quite a…”
“Blood, isn’t it.”
Couldn’t ask, so I observed.
When Shannon looked at me, that one instant I felt seen.
”…I see. Thank you, Lyle-san. I’m Shannon Sirclay — Sister Miranda’s little sister. I’m sorry, my eyes don’t work, so all I can do is…”
She lowered her eyes. Miranda called.
“Y-you’re fine, Shannon! Lyle-kun doesn’t mind.”
She glanced at me. I nodded.
”…Thank you.”
I smiled at her.
For an instant, Shannon’s display flipped from yellow to red, then back to blue.
Miranda’s didn’t change.
The reaction was to Walt. From Shannon.
Sitting in the kitchen over tea, after Miranda walked Shannon back to her room and returned, I got intel on Aramsus.
Mostly about the academy.
A current student, broadly interested — different intel from Clara.
“Academy’s Seven Geniuses? Impressive people, I take it?”
When I heard Seven Geniuses, Miranda chuckled.
It had come up in conversation, and I was curious — but they weren’t who I’d assumed.
“Impressive, sure, but not what you’re thinking. Since the academy opened, the seven most outlandish people. — Seven, but some are dead. Currently maybe three? Some retired, only two are still at the academy.”
The seven biggest problem-children since the academy’s founding.
“Just problem children?”
“But—”
She added.
“Genuinely excellent. They’re outstanding, which is why the academy struggles. First-rate sorcerers, real accomplishments… they’re just — totally off the standard.”
The genius type.
Values different from the average. Hard to read.
“What kind of people?”
“I know Damian Bale, who became a professor young. The other one’s on the scholarly city’s council, so I haven’t met him. Damian Bale — Damian the Doll-Master.”
A doll-master byname — must be serious.
She filled me in.
“An eccentric, but very capable; created the Golem magic on his own. His Skill operates the golems. Devoted to research — he’s a professor, so he should be teaching, but he just buries himself in research. Disciplined repeatedly from above. He lectures now, but he’s famous for showing no motivation.”
What kind of man.
Too capable to fire — a real piece of work.
“Can’t he just be a researcher?”
”…Research funding’s different at the professor tier. So he became a professor… but his research is so iffy he can’t quit being one. Funding might dry up otherwise.”
What is he researching?
When I asked, she colored slightly.
”…You know automatons? Not the Magic Implement kind — the ancient-tech, human-shaped ones? He plans to recreate one.”
“Not with Magic Implements? Unusual nowadays — automatons, those are self-moving dolls, with springs or something?”
I’d pictured a wind-up toy.
She corrected me.
“That’s the part… where they call him a pervert. What he wants to build is a human itself. He says — I want to make my ideal woman.”
I was surprised too.
Pure to his desires, sure. For a man, a dream story, maybe.
But—
(I have Novem, so I’m fine.)
“Quite a man. Nobody stops him?”
“Ancient-tech automaton, right? If recreated, the scholarly city profits. He’s a genius — if he can’t do it, no one can. The drive is real. Recognized as one of the Seven Geniuses, well-earned — that’s how people put it.”
I understood I didn’t want to get involved.
“Even so, success — leadership can’t tell. So they don’t fund the research; they let him professor. No motivation, but plenty of sorcerers want to learn his magic — he’s quite popular.”
(All right — no requests from that man.)
The clock said it had gotten late. Long-staying was wrong; I’d head back.
“I’ve stayed too long. I’ll be going.”
“Already this time? Sorry. Talking like this — it’s been a while.”
Academy, then home — sister-care and chores. She was working hard.
Couldn’t she bring help from home? But it wasn’t my business; I didn’t ask.
But Shannon’s one-instant hostility — bothered me.
I stood with Miranda. Her face lit with an idea.
“That’s it!”
”…What is it?”
◇
Back at the inn, I talked with Novem and Aria — they’d been visiting real-estate.
Dinner done, before downtime, we’d swap the day’s news.
I told them Miranda’s proposal.
”…Are you serious?”
Aria’s face was serious.
“I think doing as Lord Lyle prefers is best.”
Novem was smiling — and I remembered the lunch with Clara.
(Damn — the Fourth said all that and now I can’t stop thinking about it.)
What would Novem think if she knew I’d eaten with a girl?
I dodged the topic, framing the rest as intel Miranda gave me about the local adventurer situation.
And finally—
“Miranda was serious. Glad to have us if we don’t have a place yet, sis-by-herself is unsettling, and Aria might know Shannon too.”
The proposal: if we hadn’t found a place in Aramsus, come to the house.
I’d wondered: a man, in the house?
Even with okay public order, there was risk.
A man’s hand around would be useful, was her angle.
What bothered me was Shannon’s reaction; the Fifth and Sixth had voted accept.
The others opposed.
Outcome: leave the call to Novem and Aria.
“I’m a touch against. Miranda, Shannon — me, a man, live-in is off, isn’t it? — Rent: cleaning, laundry. Housework. If we’re on a job, no obligation.”
Free housing for housework was attractive.
Plenty of rooms. Basically only food cost — and Miranda had even offered to cover that, but no, too much.
Aria was confused.
“Two of them? What about the help?!”
“No idea. Could I even ask? Why did they quit? — She said several people had quit, so there’s something…”
Miranda didn’t look problematic.
What bothered me was Shannon.
(Don’t tell me—)
Aria flipped to for.
“I — I’m for it. Money’s saved…”
Sudden flip. The Second clicked.
“She changed sides.”
The Third laughed.
“The Second really dislikes Aria-chan. — I’d vote against, but the Fifth and Sixth have their reasons, so I think this is acceptable. — Lyle, your call.”
The Fourth.
“The Third just needs the library, doesn’t he.”
The Fifth.
“Ideally I’d want Miranda’s offer accepted. To me, those girls are descendants too. — For the record, they’re your descendants too.”
The Seventh, today the dry one.
“Another family’s daughters. Calling them descendants is a stretch. — In my era there were house-to-house ties; better than strangers, sure.”
The Sixth.
“Lyle, I’d accept this offer despite minor issues. House Walt’s hand isn’t visibly in this, but there are things that concern me.”
Things that concern him — neither he nor the Fifth would explain.
Living in the inn long-term wasn’t cheap; staying in the house had financial appeal.
“Novem?”
She thought, then:
“Miranda-san, was it. Sister included, eyes don’t work… we’d need to confirm. Right — let’s live with them and judge.”
Her answer caught.
“Judge what?”
“For your harem-plan roster, of course. You seem to like large chests, Lord Lyle.”
Aria reacted to Novem’s misread.
I’d just learned I was apparently considered a boob guy.
“You! You’re still on about that?! Not interested — you said!”
I scrambled to clear it.
Novem was giggling at us.
“N-no! Absolutely no! Miranda made the offer — not me! Novem, say something!”
Hand to her cheek, head tilted, she said:
“Right. By my evaluation, she passes. Congratulations, Lord Lyle.”
I clutched my head and shouted.
“Wrong!!”
The Fourth muttered.
“Novem-chan — actually understanding this and doing it on purpose?”
I didn’t want to believe Novem was black-hearted, so I didn’t want to agree with the Fourth.
Novem is a good person. Has to be!