Sevens

Volume 4, Chapter 44 – Miranda Circry

Translated by: Reiji

──Arumsaas.

Located at the center of the city were the underground dungeon that Arumsaas managed and the library that was famous throughout the continent. Lastly, there was the Academy that was the reason why this city was known as the Academy City. Originally it was a place for scholars to gather, but before anyone realized it also gathered students to educate.

Right now it boasted a popularity that gathered the young nobles of the royal capital Centralle and the regions around it.

A girl who was attending such an academy, Miranda Circry, was the eldest daughter of the Circry House, a capital noble.

Her wavy light green hair was cut at an even length around her shoulder. The color of her eyes was the green of fresh verdure with a tinge of blue rather than normal green. And then her well ordered face and body style that was charming even from the view point of the same sex were the object of adoration of the academy’s boys.

Although, Miranda’s popularity didn’t come from only her beauty as a female.

The Circry House had no son, only three sisters.

In other words, if someone could marry the eldest daughter Miranda, it would be possible for them to inherit the Circry House. The noble young men who were unable to inherit their own house approached Miranda with such ulterior motive behind them.

Inside a large classroom with the seats placed in a tier shape.

When the class was over, Miranda put all her belongings like her textbooks and so on into her bag and stood up. The girls immediately gathered around her.

「Miranda-san, how about we drop by somewhere today on the way home?」

「Unfair~! Hey, go shopping with me instead.」

「You should go with me, Miranda-san.」

Girls who also had noble background gathered around her when she was at the academy.

Miranda made a vague smile and refused their invitations with her usual excuse.

「I’m sorry. My little sister is waiting at home. Besides my servant has just resigned so I’ll have to do the housework. I have to go home quickly.」

Then the three girls went 「Ee~」 with a disappointed expression.

There, it was the boys who gathered around this time.

「Then, how about I walk you home? If you’re going shopping you will need someone to carry your things right?」

「Me, me! I’m free right now Miranda-chan!」

「You just shut up. Here it should be someone from a Count house like me──」

The young men were blatantly making their appeal.

Miranda responded with a smile even towards these young men.

「Thank you. But, I will be fine by myself.」

Miranda said that and left the classroom, but she noticed that she forgot something while walking in the corridor.

(Oh no. I have to return to get it.)

She returned through the path she passed. Then she heard voices from inside the classroom when she approached the entrance. The young men and women whose invitations she refused just now were speaking in irritation.

「What’s with that woman! Even though I’ve taken the trouble to invite her!」

The girl who approached her with a smile just now was complaining to her surroundings with a disgruntled voice.

「Even though I’m taking the trouble to get close to her because of the authority her Circry House has. Without that there is no way I’ll call out to that kind of woman.」

One of the men clicked his tongue.

「Chih, you all are getting in the way. I need that woman in order to rise in the world! The Circry House is a proper house that holds a wonderful position. If I can marry into that house, then even I」

There was only the six people who approached Miranda just now remaining inside the classroom.

「But you know, that woman’s little sister, her eyes cannot see isn’t it? They said that it was because of an accident but, it seems the truth is she couldn’t see since she was born you know? Isn’t that a problem as a noble?」

The topic changed to Miranda’s little sister──Shannon.

One person, a pompous young man fiddled with his front bang while he started talking with a know-it-all air.

「The third daughter huh. The house where the two are living was originally a house to lock up the third daughter there. It’s a truth that the Circry House wants to hide.」

Miranda bit her lower lip when the topic of Shannon came out.

(Even that child……that child hasn’t done anything wrong.)

Noble, and then status, position. All those things became hindrances that caused Shannon to get chased out from Centralle to Arumsaas. But, if she wasn’t born in the Circry House, it would also be doubtful whether Shannon would be able to grow until this age safely.

It could also be said that Shannon was able to survive because of the power of the house she was born into. If she was born in a poor house, she might have been abandoned right away after she was born.

「Aren’t you knowledgeable?」

「I asked my house to investigate. My house must have also judged that it would be beneficial for me to marry into the Circry House. That’s why, you guys just give up. Actually I also have a plan──」

「Stop jesting! A third son like me needs to marry into her house in order to prove myself to my house!」

The reason why the men approached Miranda was clear. It was simply because they wanted to marry into her house.

Their aim was her Circry house. Miranda herself was nothing more than an extra.

(Well, I’m already aware of it──)

In the academy there was also a lot of students who didn’t come from noble backgrounds, but fundamentally the majority of them were wealthy. Because of that many of the men who approached Miranda had similar reasons.

But, perhaps they didn’t think that they would be able to marry into a Viscount house so suddenly that some of them were saying things like wanting to get introduced to her little sister.

Their objective was to marry a daughter of a noble and buy a position as a noble or raising their prestige from their own house.

(Well, just that is still cute compared to others.)

These men who were making a ruckus were still in the cute category compared to the men from that kind of wealthy house. Previously there was even a son of a merchant who was talking about marriage proposal to her little sister as though he was talking about a business transaction.

Besides, Miranda was also a daughter who was born to a noble house.

(Nobles can be as they are exactly because of their houses. I can’t criticize them.)

She had no intention to reproach the six people inside the classroom because she guessed their circumstances.

Miranda turned around and left without doing anything──

.

──The house of the Circry sisters.

Waiting for her big sister’s return was the third daughter of the Circry House, Shannon Circry.

She was wearing a red outfit. Her long, wavy light purple hair had been cared for really well. It was beautiful.

Her normally yellow eyes were shining golden right now.

Shannon was alone inside the house. She was humming.

A teapot was moving at the same time with the humming. The teapot that was placed on a small round table inside the bedroom was floating by itself and pouring tea into a cup.

With her hands that were wrapped in arm gloves, Shannon rhythmically tapped the arm rest of the wheelchair she was sitting on with her fingertip. She had a slender body and fair skin, but the figure of an ephemeral girl couldn’t be found there.

The finger of her right hand touched her lips. She stopped humming after tea was poured into the cup and took a deep breath. She seemed to be tired. Shannon’s eyes that were looking to the ceiling lost its shine and returned to a yellow color.

Inside the dim room, Shannon’s hand reached out searchingly for the cup. She then grabbed it with both her hands and brought it to her mouth.

「It’s tiring just as I thought.」

She drank tea while remembering everything until now.

The girl called Shannon couldn’t see from birth.

But, due to a certain incident as the impetus, she obtained eyes that could see “the flow of mana” that human couldn’t see.

It happened three years ago.

「……It’s already three years since that day.」

A really bitter emotion could be felt from her low voice. Shannon who harbored such deep frustration remembered what happened that day really clearly even now.

「Soon……it’ll be soon.」

At that time, Shannon was still living in the mansion of the Circry House──

.

──Three years ago.

Shannon was passing the time in her room like usual.

She couldn’t see from birth, but they told everyone that it was caused by an accident in order to hide the fact.

Shannon’s mother immediately died after Shannon was born. The second daughter Doris thought that Shannon stole their mother and held a grudge against her. Because of that her attitude towards Shannon was extremely bad even when they met in the mansion.

If there was something that could excuse Doris, at the time when Shannon was born she was very young and at the peak of the period when she wanted to be spoiled by her parents.

Her mother was also kind and the household could be said as harmonious.

But, that mother died from giving birth to Shannon. Because of losing the mother, it was as though the fire had vanished from the Circry House.

The current head of the house, Miranda and Shannon’s father deeply loved their mother. Because of that he became completely absorbed in his work since then without ever taking a new wife.

Only the eldest daughter Miranda was kind to Shannon. For Shannon, Miranda was a big sister who could do anything that she was proud of. She was also like a mother to her.

One day it happened.

At the time when she thought that the constant daily life would continue forever.

「An important guest will come soon. You have to attend the party too.」

Her father told her that.

An important guest would come to the mansion of the Circry House. Shannon who usually wouldn’t be allowed to come out from her room was told to come out in front of everyone only for that day.

Shannon was feeling embarrassed but happy at that.

(Wha, what to do? I cannot see, so won’t I make some kind of blunder? A, as I thought not showing up will be……)

From the perspective of Shannon who was usually put at a distance by her family, this was like she was recognized by her family. It made her happy.

The guest would be someone important. She asked Miranda many times what she should do so that she wouldn’t blunder.

「Onee-sama, is it alright even if I show up?」

Miranda warmly encouraged Shannon.

「It’s fine, Shannon. Besides, I’ll also help you out.」

Doris seemed to be dissatisfied, but it was their father who decided to make Shannon attend, so she couldn’t say any complaint.

Inside her room Shannon was really looking forward to participating in the party to welcome an important guest to their mansion.

(Will I be able to go outside after this? Not just to the garden inside the mansion, but outside……)

For Shannon who was half forced into a life of house arrest, it was a really meaningful day.

It happened on the day of the party.

「Welcome to our mansion.」

The party that was using the hall of the mansion was really extravagant. The state of the thorough preparations was conveyed even to the blind Shannon through the atmosphere. The servants inside the mansion were also really busy.

And then, as for the guest who was welcomed──

「Wonderful. I’m really pleased to have received the invitation.」

「Truly. If it’s the invitation of the Circry House that has ties to us, then there is no reason to refuse. Now, “Celes” too, give your greeting.」

──It was a Count house, the Walt House.

「Nice to meet you, I am Celes Walt. I have heard from my parents about my lord Viscount. It’s a pleasure to meet you.」

Celes made a fluent greeting. Her father replied to it with a gentle voice that he had never directed to even his daughters. Shannon felt slightly jealous at her father’s reaction.

「What a prim and proper young lady. No, this is the Walt House we are talking about, so perhaps it will be better to call her a princess then.」

Shannon couldn’t really understand what her father said about princess.

While she was thinking about the meaning that was filled into that word, her two big sisters greeted Count Walt, his wife, and Celes in turn.

And then Shannon’s turn came──

「Ni, nice to me──」

「Oh? This girl is?」

Celes interrupted when Shannon was going to give her greeting. And then she approached Shannon and brought her face closer. The scent of a stranger that she wasn’t used to smelling was right in front of her.

(Wha, what!?)

She didn’t know what she should do to deal with the sudden occurrence. Celes sighed while she was feeling bewildered.

「──What, this is boring. She is just a garbage.」

Shannon was shocked. Shannon who was shut inside the mansion until now had never really came into contact with other people, but this was the first time she got told something this terrible right to her face.

「……Eh? Ga, garbage?」

When Shannon tried to look for help from the people around her, she felt the presence of Miranda approaching.

But, the people other than her agreed with Celes’s words and showered Shannon with scorning laughter.

「Shannon, it’s alright. Let’s leave this place with me.」

Miranda whispered to her ear and pushed her wheelchair. They left the venue like that. When her back was turned to the venue, she could hear various voices from behind.

「Celes, as expected that attitude isn’t good.」

「Yes, Otou-sama.」

When Celes apologized as though she was scolded for a small mischief, the adults around her laughed and forgave her.

「Well, it’s fine then.」

「That’s right. Besides what she said is the truth.」

「However, the house head too, why did he show that kind of child in front of everyone?」

Her relatives and others, her family were criticizing her. Far from defending her, they agreed with Celes and speaking ill of Shannon.

(Why……why!)

Miranda pushed the wheelchair as fast as she could to retreat from that place in a hurry.

At the end, she could hear her father’s voice.

「No, I apologize for my embarrassing daughter.」

(Embarrassing……I am?)

The words that her father spoke while laughing in order to match the surroundings were deeply engraved into Shannon’s chest.

Tears were falling out in large drops.

「Shannon? Are you okay? Let’s return right away to your room.」

Shannon forcefully stopped the wheelchair, then she moved by herself while crying. Shannon originally could walk by herself. But she was sitting on a wheelchair simply because she was told to do that.

「Shannon, it’s dangerous!」

Miranda talked to her in panic with her hand reaching out, but even that felt irritating to her. Tears were overflowing in large drops and then frustration welled up inside her.

The treatment as a laughingstock to her made her feel fierce anger and sadness.

(I……in order to receive this kind of treatment I……if only, someone like me, wasn’t born!)

After that she didn’t know how she managed to somehow return to her room.

But, her body remembered the structure of the mansion. After she entered the room and closed the door, she buried her face into the bed and bawled.

She cried, and cried……and then, Shannon lifted her face.

「……What?」

Red particles were emitting light inside the darkness where there was nothing that could be seen by any means. They floated in the surroundings, clung to objects and showed their shape. It was surprising for Shannon who knew nothing except darkness.

Particles of light floated around her.

「Wha, what’s this!?」

When Shannon raised her voice, the particles simultaneously started to move. They stuck to the surrounding furniture, room’s wall, floor, and ceiling, showing the object’s shape to Shannon.

「……Eh?」

Shannon looked around. The sight of shapes formed from red lights looked completely the same as the position of the objects that her body remembered.

She looked at her hand.

Then, the red light turned and changed color. It showed her as yellow……no, as gold.

Shannon was entranced at her shape that she was seeing for the first time. She was feeling moved that she could see.

「Amazing. Amazing!」

Shannon whose eyes were bright red from crying until just now was feeling excited. She stood on her own legs and walked inside her room.

She stopped in front of a small table and when she tried touching it, there was certainly a table there.

The small red particles moved following Shannon’s will. When she blew air from her mouth, they would soar up like dust and whirled in the air, starting to rotate.

When she realized that they moved just like she wanted, for some reason the red particles looked lovely to her.

「Just, what’s this……eh? It’s hurts slightly.」

Her eyes were gradually beginning to hurt. Shannon rubbed her eyes. Then, the particles of light that were visible until then suddenly vanished.

The sensation of suddenly being thrown into darkness made her search for the particles in panic. Then the red light particles slowly came into view again.

But, her eyes hurt.

「I can see but it’s really tiring.」

Shannon returned to her bed, closed her eyes, and calmed her breathing. Her body was slightly sweaty because she was getting too excited.

She wiped the sweat on her forehead and thought.

「That’s right. I’ve to tell Onee-sama.」

She wanted to tell Miranda quickly about this happy occurrence. But, the party apparently was still going on. She could hear the noises.

Shannon waited until the party was over.

(I’ll apologize for before this and then tell her that I can see now……I wonder if Onee-sama will be happy then.)

She was feeling complicated from being turned into a laughing stock at the party. Even Shannon opened her heart only to her big sister Miranda.

She then fell asleep for a bit. When she opened her eyes, it was getting dark inside the mansion. She could hear the voices of the servants tidying up the aftermath of the party. The time was just right.

Shannon poured power into her eyes and became able to see the red light particles. She then rushed outside the room.

Mysteriously, she could see people’s location even with walls and passages in between. Each person was emitting their own light with their own characteristic.

Shannon searched for the light of her beloved sister Miranda among those lights. It was her first time seeing the light, but she understood which was Miranda’s light instinctively.

(Over there!)

She headed to a room that was near the hall. She advanced stealthily so that no one would discover her. Like that she approached until near Miranda, but then someone else was approaching Miranda’s location.

(Who is it? Is that Otou-sama?)

Shannon guessed that it was her father from the aura and hid in the next room. She focused to listen to the voice in the next room, but she couldn’t hear anything. However when Shannon focused to listen to sound, the red light particles shook and allowed Shannon to listen to the voice in the next room.

(Amazing! I am actually amazing!)

Shannon was rejoicing in her hiding. However, what she heard was a harsh reality.

Her father talked with a cold tone that was the opposite of his tone when talking to Celes.

『I thought itShannon would be useful but, the other side refused the marriage talk with you. It seems the talk of disinheritance is the truth.』

Miranda’s voice was gloomy.

『Yes. But, there was no need to use Shannon like──』

『That’s just how dangerous it is to get close to the current Walt House. Even so, that girl called Celes……she is even more than I imagined. I’m surprised that she is like that when she is the same age as Shannon.』

『Otou-sama, please don’t blame Shannon too much.』

『You also knew about the matter today. Think about the house more.』

The two’s conversation was continuing, but Shannon was dumbfounded.

「……They planned, to make me a laughingstock from the beginning? Onee-sama knew about that?」

Shannon’s largely opened eyes shined from increasing in power.

Tears spilled out, and then Shannon continued to cry without letting out any voice.

Next her father spoke about Shannon’s treatment from here on.

『There is also no reason to keep thatShannon in this mansion. I’ll send it to Arumsaas for studying. A servant who knows the circumstances will also go along, so you just forget about it.』

That meant she would be chased out from the mansion.

Shannon noticed at that time that she was abandoned.

「Aha, ahahaha……I’m an idiot from getting excited that I could attend the party. What, so he planned to throw me away.」

However Miranda talked back to her father.

『No way! I won’t accept that! If you’re going to do it no matter what, then I’ll also go to Arumsaas! I’ll stay at Shannon’s side forever!』

The words that her father spoke out wasn’t something that should be directed to his own daughter.

『……Do whatever you like. There won’t be any problem if I make Doris take a husband. I held expectations in you but, it’s disappointing.』

Shannon in the next room saw Miranda rush out from the room.

And then she cried while laughing.

「What’s with that, even though she knew everything from the start. Even though she was also laughing at me……even though I believed in her. Even though Onee-sama was the only one I trusted!」

She pressed her face with both her hands and wiped her tears. The tears she couldn’t wipe fell on the floor in large drops, and the Shannon swore.

「Fine. I’ll absolutely……absolutely won’t forgive them. Otou-sama, Doris-oneesama, Miranda-oneesama……also, everyone who made fun of me too! And then, that girl too!」

That day, Shannon began harboring a strong anger and vengeful thoughts towards that girl──Celes.

.

──The present.

Miranda who finished shopping in Arumsaas’s shopping district was holding a brown paper bag that was stuffed with many things.

All of them were food ingredients for her and Shannon.

At Centralle she had no experience of returning home while holding heavy baggage. But, it was something that she experienced repeatedly since coming to Arumsaas.

Now she was used to shopping and she was also acquainted with the middle aged women who opened shops in the shopping district.

Her relationship with them was one where they would sometimes give her extra for free.

「Haa, I’ve to hire a new servant soon.」

But, for Miranda there was also a part of her that felt unwilling to do so.

Originally she planned to hire a servant and entrust the majority of the shopping and housework to them.

The amount of money that her house sent her was enough to do that. In fact she had hired servants several times before but they would all immediately resign.

(I believe that the working conditions aren’t bad though. Is it no good even if I pay a higher salary than others?)

Working time, holiday, and then salary──no matter which aspect, her treatment to her servants should be better than other employers.

A lot of young people came to Arumsaas in order to enroll into the academy. Because of that a lot of apartments for young people were constructed.

Largish houses with gardens attached were prepared for wealthy nobles and merchants. Those houses weren’t just rented, some were also sold.

Most of them would change owner every several years, but there were also nobles who would keep ownership of the house forever.

The Circry House was also like that. They bought a house that was given to Miranda and Shannon.

But, Miranda also had it hard from being a student while taking care of her little sister and also doing the housework.

No matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t keep up with the amount of work.

(Perhaps I should just ask our house to send servants……this is no good, wanting to rely on them right away like this.)

She shook her head and chided the indulgence of her own thinking while fastening her walking pace on her road home.

It seemed that she used too much time shopping. The setting of the sun and the brightness were gradually changing into evening.

(If I don’t hurry back, Shannon will be waiting too long.)

When she looked ahead, suddenly a young man with characteristic blue hair and eyes was walking from there.

She got a slightly young impression from his features. He looked like one or two years younger than her.

The male who looked like he had just turned from a boy into a young man had a saber dangling from his waist. His hand was holding a jacket. His shirt was largely opened around his chest.

(Ah, come to think of it, there is also this kind of man at the academy.)

On his neck was a silver pendant with a blue gem……a Gem was shining there.

(He has a rare thing there. Is he an adventurer?)

He wore boots and dressed in a casual fashion. His hair was ruffled up.

If he dressed with a calmer style then he would look like a diligent young man which would be more appropriate for his age, which would be better than his current appearance. Miranda was thinking of such thing while walking to move passed him.

But, the young man in front of her cut off Miranda’s path. He put his hand on the wall along the path so that Miranda’s path was blocked.

「……Eh?」

While Miranda was bewildered, the young man spoke.

「Miss, where are you going?」

His tone felt somewhat awkward, and then his gaze was swimming around. He was also a bit sweaty. Even Miranda could see that he was nervous.

「E, err~……I’m going home.」

Then the young man replied back.

「I, I see.」

Miranda thought.

(……Huh? What is this person planning?)

Miranda was completely bewildered, but the young man seemed to be the same as her. He was acting completely restless. Even his nervous face was telling her that too.

「Err, what are you doing?」

When Miranda asked, the young man dropped his gaze and spoke with a feeble voice.

「Hi, hitting on you……miss.」

Miranda was speechless for a while hearing that reply. The young man was also stumped and fell into silence. The two of them turned completely stiff like that.

(Eh? Hitting on a woman? Is hitting on a woman…..really something like this?)

Miranda had experienced getting hit on by men several times, but she had never received one that was this terrible until now.

The young man who was placing his hand on the wall seemed to get tired of that posture and took off his hand. He stood still in front of Miranda.

Sometimes he would grab the Gem in front of his chest and rolled it around. He was really tense.

And then, he finally opened his mouth. Just when she wondered what he would say……

「Is this, no good? Well, of course this is no good.」

……Suddenly it was he himself who was in rejection.

As expected even Miranda couldn’t bear to look at him and gave him advice. Her helpful personality would be the ruin of her.

(Somehow, it would be too pitiful for him if it ended like this.)

「Err……you are hitting on woman right? Then, you have to say what you want to do. Like asking the woman to have tea together, or going to have fun, there are various things to do.」

The young man pondered for a bit. And then he answered.

「I’m fine with tea.」

「Right, that’s it. Tea is fine! If that’s the case, you have to say it clearly.」

(Eh? How has it become like I’m the one inviting him?)

Miranda was wondering why she was giving instructions on how to hit on woman to a young man whom she didn’t know, but the talk was finally advancing so for now she waited for the young man’s reaction.

「Then, won’t you go have tea with me?」

「I’m sorry, I’m busy so I can’t go have tea.」

The young man nodded when Miranda refused.

「Then a dinner. Do you like meat dishes?」

「No. That’s not it! Understand it, my reply just now was a refusal!」

「Aa, I see! You mentioned tea so I completely thought that you don’t want to have tea.」

Normally Miranda would force a smile and refuse to end the talk, but today she was getting into the talk with the other party due to a reason that even she didn’t know.

Miranda felt amused for some reason seeing the troubled young man before her. She felt interested in the young man who was different from all the men she saw until now and all the young men who gathered around her.

「…..You are interesting aren’t you.」

「Is that so?」

The young man scratched his hair shyly. Then suddenly a young man from the academy who was a bit narcissistic appeared from the street corner slightly ahead. His fingertips were toying with his long front hair.

「Hold right there!」

The young man rushed this way right after he yelled that. And then incomprehensibly he punched the young man who was hitting on her.

The young man was sent flying. Miranda immediately put her paper bag on the ground and ran towards him to help him stand. He was punched on the cheek, but the injury wasn’t so bad.

「A, are you alright!?」

The narcissistic young man walked to Miranda’s side.

「That was dangerous, Miranda. But, I’m here so it’s alright now. Come, this place is dangerous. I’ll escort you until your home.」

The man said that and his hand reached out, but Miranda brushed off that hand.

「Thank you for trying to help me. But, what are you thinking to suddenly punch someone like that? This person hasn’t done anything that deserved that.」

The young man heard Miranda’s words and made a stupid face.

「No, but, that……wait a second, Miranda!」

He started to panic. Miranda ignored him and helped the blue haired young man to stand up and checked him for injury.

「You seems to be fine but, let’s treat your face just in case. Come to my house.」

「……Eh?」

The two young men were taken aback hearing those words──