The following side story is an alternative scenario in which Mika brings Aris to Trinity.
*
Aris had decided to stay in my room for a while. Well, I was already accustomed to sharing a room with Nagisa, so that wasn’t much of a change for me.
With an unexpected roommate added to the mix, Nagisa was forced into a vow of chastity and, even after crawling into bed, she refused to let go of me, holding me tightly from behind as she tried to sleep.
She kept whimpering softly, voicing her discontent, so I turned around and forcibly covered her mouth.
I understood that this was a period of heightened emotions, but I hoped she could hold it in for a little longer.
The next morning, I woke up before Nagisa and stumbled groggily to the bathroom. After quickly splashing my face with cold water, I checked the time.
6:17 AM.
It seemed like my wake-up time had half solidified during the Student Council President’s disappearance, as I now found myself waking up even before the alarm went off.
…The early bird must prepare breakfast.
After loosely tying my hair back, I decided on a simple menu of hash browns and pancakes.
Taking the hash browns out of the freezer, I began preparing the pancake batter. Since we had one more person now, I made more than usual.
Wrapping the batter bowl with plastic wrap, I placed two frying pans on the stove and poured what remained of the milk into a glass for myself. I still couldn’t let go of my unfulfilled 160cm dream.
After waiting for the pans to heat up, I placed the hash browns in one and started frying them.
Just then, a familiar sound—creak—and footsteps reached my ears. Nagisa approached from behind, wrapping her arms around my waist. Leaning her head on my shoulder, she greeted me with a voice still thick with sleep.
“Good morning, Mika-chan…”
“Mmhm. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes… yawn.”
Still resting her head on my shoulder, Nagisa was quiet for a moment. I was relieved that cooking wasn’t too demanding.
“Mika-chan… when do I put the pancakes on?”
“Heueng? It’s a bit early, but you can start putting them on now.”
“If that’s the case, can you wake up Aris for me? I think it’d be easier for her if you do it rather than me.”
“Are you sure you’re wide awake?”
“Yes. You don’t have to worry.”
“Okay, got it. I’ll leave it to you, Nagisa-chan.”
After giving Nagisa a moment to take my place, I headed to my room. Opening the door, I saw a neatly organized space, and a girl sleeping soundly on the pink-covered bed.
Was she having a tough time sleeping? I approached her, noticing her sideways position and messy blankets.
…Should I sing her a lullaby tonight?
“Aris-chan… it’s time to wake up. Aris-chan…!”
I lightly shook Aris’s body and whispered gently in her ear.
After a while, a square-shaped halo began to form slowly above her head.
“Mmm… where…?”
As Aris opened her eyes, her expression was blank for a moment as she struggled to wake up. When she finally focused on me, her eyes sparkled with innocence.
“Mother.”
“…Ugh.”
It was a strange feeling I couldn’t quite express. Having lived in this body for almost a year, I thought I had adjusted fully to life as a woman, but Aris referring to me as “Mother” reminded me that I was in a body capable of bearing children. It stirred a ticklish emotion within me. Is this what maternal love feels like?
“Good morning, Aris-chan. Did you sleep well?”
“Is this… a morning greeting?”
Aris asked, repeating my question. Compared to yesterday, her tone had definitely improved. Regardless, it still seemed like there was a long way to go.
“Yes, greetings are important no matter the time.”
Speaking of which, Atsuko seemed to value greetings quite a bit. She didn’t seem like a bad conversation partner for Aris.
“My sleep was comfortable.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m preparing breakfast, so let’s head out for now?”
“Breakfast…?”
“I usually refer to making breakfast as morning preparation.”
“I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Mother.”
“U-uh, okay.”
Well, her speech will improve gradually. The more we converse, the more naturally she’ll develop. There’s no need to rush.
The Nameless Priests didn’t refer to Aris as a princess for nothing. In essence, this was like a Kivotos version of Princess Maker.
After helping Aris sit upright from her bed, she took my hand, and we headed to the kitchen, where Nagisa was busy preparing breakfast. When she noticed us holding hands, she smiled brightly.
Her smile was so bright and beautiful it could almost make one squint.
“Good morning, Aris. It won’t take long, so could you please sit at the table and wait?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Fufu, what a good girl.”
“…Heueng.”
I found myself lost in thought for a moment, watching Nagisa be so happy simply because she was called “Mother.” The title issue weighed on my mind a bit. Wasn’t there a little too many people I’d be called “Mother” by? Furthermore, it would be confusing if we couldn’t distinguish between them.
But asking her to call me something like “Nagisa’s mother” felt a bit off, even bordering on “someone’s mom,” and it was strange.
I don’t know. If I think of something better later, I’ll just change the title then.
Before helping Nagisa, I temporarily secured Aris’s bangs with a hair roller. Given how long her bangs were, they were likely to interfere with her eating, so this seemed necessary.
After that, I generously drizzled maple syrup over the completed pancakes, cut them up with a knife, and served them to Aris.
“Is this today’s daily bread given by the primordial divine?”
“Uh… um… Well, I guess I should say that for now…”
Since Trinity was fundamentally a mission school… if Aris mingled with the Sisterhood and accepted faith decisively, she might become a devout believer.
Thinking about it made me feel like I had given her the scriptures a bit too soon. Still, having read various other books, it seemed like it wouldn’t be a significant issue.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Aris, having remembered the greeting I taught her the night before, pierced a piece of pancake with her fork and brought it to her mouth. Then, her eyes widened in surprise.
“…!”
“How is it, Aris-chan? Tasty?”
“Yes, it’s delicious! This is the taste of sweetness…”
Watching Aris obviously brighten in mood made our meal start off cheerfully too.
As we ate, smiles that resembled each other bloomed on our lips.
*
Leaving home was a bit later than usual.
If I had to explain the reason, it would be largely due to Aris’s hair.
Both Nana and Nagisa had hair that was unusually long, but Aris had taken it to another level, making combing her hair quite a task.
As we ambled around Trinity’s campus and the T-party building, curious glances filled with interest were directed at her.
Who was that girl wandering around with Misono Mika, who had now officially become Trinity’s true idol, from the early morning? Naturally, curiosity couldn’t help but arise. As for Nagisa, our relationship was already common knowledge among those who knew us.
Particularly within the T-party, it was no surprise that Pater’s kids sent extra curious glances since Aris was a face they had never seen before.
Once we arrived at my office, I prioritized Aris’s enrollment procedure. Although there were plenty of classes to attend today, I decided to skip them without hesitation.
What’s more important than our princess?
Stealing a glance towards Aris, quietly continuing her reading beside me as I handled minor tasks, I nodded contentedly. Yes, this truly represented royalty.
While the broken princess melded into both life and a game had its own unique charms, this was a different kind of nobility that painted a different picture.
It felt almost like comparing a child famous for their success as an internet celebrity to one who had managed to start a small business. Despite the fact that they might usually earn similar amounts, people often tend to favor the company owner more.
That being said, I had no intention of debating what was right or wrong or which was better. I simply wanted to do my best to ensure that my choices, which had already altered destiny and were moving in a better direction, wouldn’t turn out to be wrong.
Thus, I continued my work, and Aris enjoyed a calm atmosphere while reading when suddenly, a customer appeared whom I had contacted earlier.
“I wish for blessings upon you today, Sister! It’s nice to see you, Mika-chan.”
“Welcome, Sakurako-chan. And Mari-chan too.”
“Yes, Sister Mika… but you didn’t visit last week. Was there an unavoidable circumstance?”
“…Um, about that.”
That day… after attending mass, I was immediately dragged off by Nagisa and had quite a rough time…
“Ahaha. Well, I guess I forgot without even realizing it. Sorry☆”
“…You have sinned again?”
“…?!”
Wait, how on earth did she know that? My innocent expression acting surely should have been foolproof even among the social circles of Trinity.
“M-Mari-chan, let’s talk about that later. This is actually really important today. First, this girl is Aris.”
“I’m Misono Aris, the daughter of Mother.”
“Eh? U-uh, Aris-chan, whose surname is that…?”
“Himari grandma told me to say my full name is Misono Aris!”
“Wow—!!”
Just what kind of cooking would make that Himari person’s reputation soar?
Something involving a love-filled slap to the back of the head that disregards the other person’s frailness?
Taking a comforter hostage?
Carrying her around on my back or in my arms while giving her a tour of Millennium to instill a sense of embarrassment?
Should I just try everything that pops into my mind?
“…M-Mika-chan? Daughter? What do you mean by that? Is this… perhaps what they call an incident where a future child gets involved in a case and travels back to the past—?”
“N-No! It’s nothing like that. She’s a child born from my heart, so don’t misunderstand, Sakurako-chan.”
“…Phew.”
How absurd that the one getting relieved by my words was actually Mari. I can’t imagine what kind of trouble I’m in this time.
Still, how could they think she was my biological child? That’s practically impossible…!
