Anastasia came over with a beautiful array of chocolates and settled onto Ella’s lap, laying her head down. The way she did it was so natural that Ella could only watch, bewildered, as her lap became a makeshift pillow.
Ella blinked her eyes and tried to protest to Anastasia, but—
“Little sister! Could you give me some chocolate?!”
“Huh? What?”
“Chocolate!”
Anastasia rolled her head around, urging Ella with her expectant gaze.
Ella thought about why she should have to do this, why this strange being claiming to be her sister was lying on her lap and bossing her around, and what exactly she was supposed to do, but with the continued insistence, she had no choice but to pick up a piece of chocolate and shove it into Anastasia’s mouth.
“It’s sweet! You should have some too!”
When Anastasia was fed the chocolate by Ella, her face brightened with a smile, and she picked up another piece, popping it into Ella’s mouth. The moment Ella tasted the rich chocolate with hints of hazelnut, she felt all her tension slip away, and she smiled contentedly, as if happiness was consuming her.
After stuffing a few more chocolates into Ella’s mouth, Anastasia stood up and dashed towards the door, spreading her palm wide toward Ella.
One finger bent down.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
And finally, when all her fingers were folded down—
Clunk.
The door swung open, and two people entered.
“It’s so cold….”
“What’s so cold? It’s because you keep holed up in your room and don’t exercise.”
“If I have more muscles, I’d feel colder, you idiot… And I’m cold because I got hit by the snow.”
“Come on, getting hit by snow makes you cold? My friend swam in minus twenty degrees in just a swimsuit!”
It was Iserin and Iarin.
Iserin had her long, unkempt hair draped down, wet from what looked like snow. Meanwhile, Iarin was fussing beside her, her hair loosely braided, but oddly enough, hers was dry as a desert, like she had just come back from a dry spell.
This was the difference between the one who threw the snowball and the one who got hit by it.
“Hey! Anastasia! Did you come to greet me?!”
As Iarin prattled on, her eyes landed on Anastasia.
Seeing the white dress of the white-haired girl, Iarin quickly dashed forward, scooped her up, and lifted her high into the air. It looked like she was proudly showcasing a trophy.
“Uh, Iarin? This is kinda heavy, put me down~.”
“Not heavy at all!”
“Put me down~!”
“I told you it’s not heavy!”
“Down.”
“…Okay.”
Although Iarin boasted of her warrior-like strength and stamina, when Anastasia gave her a serious look, she sulked and set her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Anastasia beamed as if she hadn’t just been scolded and took Iarin’s hand, leading her towards the Great Witch and Agnes. Iserin, watching this unfold, couldn’t help but follow behind them.
“Ah, hello! I’m Iarin, Ella and Anastasia’s best friend.”
“Hello… I’m Iserin…”
“Right, do come in. I’ve heard you and Ella have been good friends with Asha.”
Agnes responded to their polite greetings with a warm smile. However, Odilia, upon quietly observing their faces, frowned slightly, turning her head away.
Seeing this, Iserin began to wonder if they had done something wrong.
[Contractor, my contractor. No need to worry. If you think back to when that bunny-like kid called not long ago, the answer will come to you. It’s simply because that woman’s temperament isn’t quite right; she resembles an old hag with a nasty personality befitting her title of Great Witch.]
‘Ah.’
Iserin recalled the call where Ella was being scolded, soothed by Grimoire’s whisper in her ear.
Remembering that made her feel a twinge of sympathy for Ella.
‘How could she live with someone like that…?’
[Let’s see… Hmm. It must have been challenging, though bearable. There didn’t seem to be much overlap, so they probably didn’t face each other often. Naturally, if they rarely saw each other, there would be little contact, meaning verbal abuse wasn’t an everyday affair… But given she became the target of spite, it couldn’t have been easy either. She would’ve likely lived in fear during her time in Germany.]
Iserin subtly turned her gaze towards Iarin.
She was worried that she, too, was pondering if she had done something wrong.
Yet, Iarin’s expression was calm.
It was like she expected everything that was happening, completely composed.
[Contractor. It seems your sister caught on quite quickly. With an animalistic sense, she’s figured everything out; truly remarkable.]
’Animalistic sense…? No. Isn’t she just an animal, really…?’
Iserin frowned slightly at the praise given to someone who was her blood mate and had just managed to edge ahead of her. Upon noticing Iserin’s frown, Anastasia, mistaking her expression, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bed.
“Come, come here~ There’s delicious chocolate~ It’ll make you feel good~.”
“No! I—wait just a moment.”
Anastasia set Iserin down on the bed and immediately unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into her mouth.
“Delicious…!”
Iserin’s eyes widened in surprise as the sweetness melted in her mouth. In response, Anastasia grinned and grabbed another piece, heading towards Ella.
Ella, who had been leaning against the bed, waved her hands as if saying she was fine, but Anastasia stubbornly stuffed a chocolate piece into her mouth.
“Hey! When your sister offers, you have to eat nicely!”
Iserin stared at Anastasia with a puzzled look.
‘So, she’s settled on being the sister now?’
[It appears so.]
‘Before we left… the two were fighting over who was the sister…’
[It seems the little one won.]
Iserin felt a wave of curiosity wash over her.
What process led to Anastasia being recognized as the sister?
And whether Anastasia was truly the sister.
What if she was originally not a sister, but was blatantly claiming it while keeping the truth a secret?
Iserin sensed curiosity overwhelming her mind.
In the end, she decided to secretly use her powers to spy on Anastasia.
After all, when curiosity arises, one must uncover the truth.
Using Grimoire’s power to see through all secrets, Iserin sneaked a peek at Anastasia.
And then….
『 Sister 』
『 Twin 』
『 Independent 』
『 Younger Sister 』
『 Dream 』
『 Variable 』
『 Paradox 』
『 Symbolic Change 』
『 Mutation 』
『 Control 』
『 Aversion to Variables 』
Iserin couldn’t help but show a flabbergasted expression at the incessantly changing keywords and symbols.
It was as if there was a bug causing the keywords to morph, and the symbols transforming, preventing her from properly examining the secrets.
[Contractor. You are still an inexperienced contractor. At your current level, you won’t be able to comprehend.]
Grimoire stuck out her tongue and licked her own nose.
[She seems to be a girl who can constantly change and utilize her symbols. In accordance with her will, she changes given properties and manifests power derived from symbolic meanings… It appears she can exhibit a form of power akin to what several talented witches have done, making it difficult for you to grasp her essence easily.]
Faced with the demon’s explanation, Iserin felt a surge of determination rise within her.
However, this determination felt less like a healthy craving and more like a somewhat sinister desire to secretly uncover someone else’s secrets.
And perhaps sensing that desire-filled gaze—
“Want another chocolate?”
“I want one! Give it to me!”
Anastasia grabbed another piece of chocolate and came closer. As she reached the bed, Iarin opened her mouth wide as if waiting, and Anastasia giggled as she fed her the chocolate.
Seeing the heartwarming scene brought a smile to Agnes’ face, while Odilia furrowed her brow, clearly displeased.
“Tch. I can’t stand how noisy it is anymore. Ness, I’ll step outside for a bit.”
Finally unable to contain her irritation, she roughly got up and stormed out of the hotel room.
*
“Tch. The summoned shaman is nowhere to be found, and all these young girls come in and make so much noise!”
As soon as Odilia stepped out of the hotel room, she vented her frustrations.
It was the complaint she had swallowed down with Agnes nearby, a means of relieving the boiling annoyance within her.
“Tch, tch, tch. With guests arriving, they make such a ruckus. How on earth were they raised to not even know basic manners…?”
She continuously grumbled, sounding like an old person as she walked down the hallway. However, despite the elderly complaints pouring from her mouth, her physique was that of a youthful beauty. Especially in her purple slit dress, perfectly accentuated by her well-maintained figure and creamy, supple skin.
She resembled a seductive witch from a fairy tale.
Thus, just like bees and butterflies are drawn to flowers, it wouldn’t have been strange for men to approach her.
“Hello there. Do you have a moment?”
It was no surprise for a cute guy to strike up a conversation with a woman who looked young.
“Could we have a little chat?”
It was also not unusual to be invited to converse.
