Sevens

Volume 4, Chapter 54 – Monster

Translated by: Reiji

──Novem who returned from the Academy was washing clothes in the house of the Circry sisters.

The amount of laundry was really great with five or six people living in one house.

She had gone through the commotion in the Academy since the morning. Then when she returned Aria collapsed from twirling round and round until she was dizzy and she had to look after her. She stopped Sophia who was trying to get out to buy snacks in her appearance that was half naked…….

「……Now then, let’s air them.」

The time was a bit late for drying up the laundry, but it was a season where it was easy for laundry to dry. Novem thought that it would be fine even if she dried them from now and so she hung the laundry to dry one after another.

The garden that was surrounded by fence had quite the size because it was built with the wealthy in mind.

It was a house that seemed like it would be bought by a household that was wealthy even among the nobles and merchants to be given for their children. With the size it was assumed that the residents would hire servants from the start.

With how Miranda was doing the housework alone until now, there were places that she couldn’t take care off thoroughly.

One of them was the lawn. The grass was growing slightly too long.

Novem looked at the long grass after she finished hanging up the laundry.

After that, she checked the surrounding with her sight and nodded slightly.

「There is no time, and I don’t think that there will be any spare time after this. Here──」

Novem snapped her fingers.

Then, the laundry was making flapping sound due to the wind and they began to sway. And then the lawn was neatly mowed. Even though there was no one else, the mowed grass floated in the air and gathered to one spot in a pile.

「I actually don’t want to do something like this.」

After saying that Novem moved to leave from there with the laundry basket in her hands, but then a girl appeared at the entrance. Novem looked at that girl and guessed her identity.

(If I remember right, she is Shannon-chan? But, those eyes are……-!)

The yellow eyes were emitting light. Novem raised her guard seeing those eyes that could also be seen as golden colored. She put on a smile and called out to Shannon.

「Good afternoon. Could it be you’re Shannon-chan?」

When she returned, there was only Aria and Sophia inside the messy room. Aria said that Miranda was going out shopping when she asked her.

Lyle and the automaton immediately started cleaning up the room. The loud laughter of Lyle could be heard sometimes even from here in the garden.

If there was an unknown girl here, then she could only be Shannon who Miranda went to pick up in the morning.

Novem was smiling. However Shannon’s face was stiff. No, she was scared.

「You, what did you do just now?」

「I was doing the laundry. You know, with the increase of people the laundry also increase──」

「Not that!」

Shannon was looking pale while yelling towards Novem. Her legs were shaking from terror.

「Just now, the magic that you used! Mana won’t move that neatly! You ordered the small particles of mana separately like that……just what in the world are you?」

Novem’s eyes narrowed hearing Shannon’s words.

(She can see it as I thought. There was only one person in the Walt House who possessed those eyes, the eyes that Milleia-sama obtained. I see, the cause of Lyle-sama’s actions is this girl.)

Novem approached Shannon with the laundry basket still in her arms. Shannon turned around to run away into the house, so Novem caught her arm.

「Where are you going?」

「Le, let go! Someone like you, I can do this──」

Shannon’s eyes shined. Novem felt a feeble power interfering with her body. However, a power of that level wouldn’t work against Novem.

(The same eyes like Milleia-sama. But, she is still unable to draw out their ability.)

The struggling Shannon got away from Novem’s hand. She pushed her aside and went to the garden. She tried to escape to the outside then. Surely it was in order to go to where Miranda was.

However, Novem went around and cut her off.

「You’re slow. Perhaps you normally don’t walk that often?」

(I was told her eyes cannot see. If I remember right she was using a wheelchair. Then she must be lacking in exercise.)

Novem who cornered Shannon towards the fence reached out to her and touched her cheek.

Shannon was trembling hard.

「You aren’t human! The fluctuation of your mana is strange! Normal humans will fluctuate more and yet……yours, aren’t fluctuating at all! Monster……you’re a monster!」

Novem smiled. But, it wasn’t that she was harboring a kind sentiment towards Shannon.

Shannon jerked. Her body shook and her eyes that were looking at Novem were dyed with terror. Surely Novem was looking like a genuine monster for the current Shannon.

「I know that. Mana fluctuation due to emotion rarely happens with me. Now then, now I’ll be the one asking the question now. Since when did you obtain those eyes?」

Shannon was making a scared look. Novem told Shannon who wasn’t replying to her.

「Those eyes are really dangerous. I see, now I understand. Of course Lyle-sama is showing a strong interest towards you sisters. The two of you are really interesting.」

But, Novem was also getting curious at the same time.

(Lyle-sama was on his guard towards, Miranda-san? Or else……is this coincidence? Besides, Lyle-sama shouldn’t know about these eyes.)

However Novem set aside the matter of Lyle for now and focused on the matter before her.

After all, the eyes that Shannon had were something really dangerous.

「……It seems you were treated coldly by your family of the Circry House. Are you planning to take revenge on them?」

「Tha, that’s──」

「Answer me honestly. I will know it right away even if you’re lying.」

Shannon strongly reacted when Novem expressed in words her conjecture that was based on Shannon’s information. She strongly bit her lower lip and then she clenched her hands.

Novem saw that there was a strong anger there.

(She is, dangerous. It’s necessary to seal these ey──)

Shannon yelled.

「That’s right! I’ll take revenge on everyone who looked down and laughed at me! I’ll put bugs inside Doris-oneesama’s dress and scribble on Otou-sama’s paperwork! After that, after that──anyway I’ll take revenge a lot! I absolutely won’t forgive them!」

Novem heard that yell of Shannon and her hand stopped. Her voice changed to be gentler compared to before.

「……That’s your revenge? Will you feel satisfied with that much?」

Shannon looked at Novem and her gaze wandered.

「Yo, you idiot. There is no way it will end with just that. A, after that……I’ll put a lot of green pepper in their meals.」

Novem tilted her head while looking at Shannon.

「Green pepper, do you hate it?」

「Haa!? Just who will like that kind of bitter thing. Obviously everyone hates it. What nutrition. I don’t care for something like that! I’ll put a lot of it in their meal and I absolutely won’t forgive them until they eat them all!」

Novem’s hand let go of Shannon and then she looked down slightly with her hand holding her chin.

「……Revenge is it?」

Shannon dropped her gaze away from Novem’s face.

「What, you want to tell me that revenge is no good? Too bad for you. I’m a bad child, so I’ll go through with it no matter what. Onee-sama also betrayed me……betrayed me」

Seeing the crying Shannon, Novem crouched in order to put her gaze at the same height with Shannon.

「……This is a secret okay?」

Novem made Shannon close her eyes, then she lightly touched both her eyes with her index finger and middle finger. She could feel Shannon trembling behind the eyelids.

「Grant light to those eyes.」

Shannon slowly collapsed after Novem muttered that. Novem caught Shannon’s body in her arms.

「Well, she won’t remember anything when she wakes up though. She will feel confused for a while then.」

Novem smiled. Her smile now was different from before, it was a natural smile. But, Lyle rushed to that place at that timing.

「Are you alright, Novemmm──nuoh! Koh! Fudabaraaaa!」

When Novem turned around, Lyle who was running into the garden slipped on the pile of grasses that was piled up there and tumbled down. He ended up lying down on the ground in a strange posture.

「Lyle-sama, just what happened?」

Lyle stood up with grass covering his body. He dusted off his clothes from the grass.

「What, I came running because I detected hostility near Novem’s location. Even so, my radiance isn’t dimming at all even when I’m covered in grass. It makes me feel scared of myself.」

Novem thought.

(Lyle-sama who is that confident is the scary one.)

「I, I see. But, first let’s take off those clothes.」

Novem was thinking that the laundry increased again, even so she made a troubled smile seeing Lyle came running for her sake.

Then, chasing after Lyle, this time it was the automaton who was equipped with cleaning tools who appeared in the garden.

「Chicken dickwad! The wife and mother-in-law game is still continuing──tsk, so you are here, vixen.」

Novem also frowned at the automaton who was making a loathing expression from the bottom of her heart. And then, she asked Lyle what they were doing.

「Lyle-sama, what does she mean by game?」

Lyle made a pose with some falling leaves and grasses still stuck on his hair.

「It’s a game where I was finding fault in the result of her cleaning like a mother-in-law, while she acted vexed from that. But this fellow, her cleaning was perfect and I couldn’t find anything to find fault in so I got bored.」

The automaton crumbled on her knees after being told that Lyle got bored.

「To be told that chicken dickwad got bored of me on the first day, does that mean I’m being fired already? No way……please not that……even though, I finally obtained a chicken dickwad to serve!」

Lyle ignored the automaton and looked at Shannon that Novem was holding. He poked at the cheek of Shannon who fainted.

「What, she is unconscious?」

Lyle took Shannon from Novem, and then he immediately began to walk.

「Yosh, Novem is busy right now so I’ll bring her until her bed.」

「Eh, that……」

The automaton stood up and followed behind Lyle.

「Ah, I’ll also come. Please leave the bed making to me.」

The three left from that place like a storm. Novem looked at the hand that she reached out with towards Lyle──

.

「I DON’T WANNNAAAAA!」

I buried my face into a pillow and covered myself with a blanket while yelling at Novem who was outside the room.

Novem was making a troubled voice on the other side of the door.

「That’s why I told you. Even though I locked the door, you went as far as escaping from the window to get out. Lyle-sama, please quickly come out.」

I talked back at Novem who was slightly cold towards me who wanted to break out crying.

「You should just tie me up so that I wouldn’t be able to go outside!」

「Just some degree of restrains wouldn’t be meaningful wouldn’t it? It’s fine, please just come out and eat. It’s already noon.」

After the Growth my mana and physical capability were pointlessly increasing. Certainly it might be useless to only tie me up normally.

I was shaking while remembering yesterday. Just how many memories that I didn’t want to remember that I mass produced yesterday.

Furthermore──

『As I thought for me it has to be “It’s my first kiss” I think? An automaton is a mechanical puppet, in other words they’re just a puppet right? A first kiss with a puppet, that’s funny. Though I also got uneasy wondering if this guy is alright with this.』

The Second suggested seriously. I wished that he wouldn’t display his seriousness for something like that.

『No, “wake up kiss”……I think this one has an impact. Even so, Mr. Lyle this time really made a lot of famous sayings. They can also be called stupid saying instead though.』

Mr. Lyle──the Third called me like that when I was in the state of high tension after the Growth because I was like a different person.

Furthermore he was delighted with it and instigated me for a while using this material. This person had a bad personality just as I thought.

『”I’m your prince”, is there any other saying that can win against this one? As I thought, there is no other saying that is worthy for the award of The Best of Lyle.』

Before I noticed it the Fourth was trying to decide my best stupid saying calling it as The Best of Lyle or whatever.

Why were these people getting serious for something like this? They should be more serious for something else.

『”A man who won’t miss the best timing”──I recommend this one. In the case this time it’s the truth that his timing was the best without doubt. This one is a good saying to represent this case.』

Even the Fifth was participating. Or rather, even though he was planning various horrible things before this like crushing a girl’s eyes and various other things, to change his attitude this quickly……no, this guy!

「Fifth, could it be you are proactively joining in this because you want to switch the teasing target to me?」

『……Shut up.』

I hit the bull’s eye. This guy was the worst. As I thought the Fifth was the worst animal lover.

『As I thought, this time it should be “my radiance isn’t dimming at all even when I’m covered in grass”. What about this one? It was a masterpiece when Lyle rushed into the garden and tumbled like that.』

The Sixth was also seriously joining in the conversation. It was unclear whether he also wanted to switch the teasing target to me or just seriously having fun.

『Simple is the best you know? “It’s time for the wake up kiss” expressed everything this time. Is there any other saying that surpasses this?』

Don’t get involved too. Even though your grandson was troubled, what were you doing talking seriously like that?

「Seventh──」

『Wait Lyle. Right now we are having a serious talk.』

The Fourth was groaning.

『It can’t be decided. Then, first let’s narrow down the prospects. Today will be a long day.』

The ancestors were more serious than usual.

I thought…….

「You guys are the worst.」

……I’ll absolutely become a delinquent.

「Lyle-sama, you won’t be able to cheer up if you don’t eat. Aria-san and Sophia-san also won’t come out, so Lyle-sama should take the lead here to come out and call to them──」

It seemed the two whose symptoms were lighter than me were also shutting themselves inside their roomd. If I had to say then they still had it better than me, so it was strange that they were shutting themselves up inside their room.

And then, there was one more strange person. No, should she be counted as a person?

「What are you doing over there?」

「──Eh?」

Coming inside from the window on the second floor was the automaton who would insult me as chicken dickwad when she opened her mouth. She was currently stepping on the window frame.

「No, I come bringing the meal. It won’t be good for your body if you don’t eat.」

It sounded like she was only speaking the natural thing if you only listened to the words, but this automaton was really holding a tray that had a meal prepared on it.

「How are you climbing up here? Or rather, don’t enter from the window.」

Because of this automaton I couldn’t be alone even when I locked myself up here. I reluctantly crawled out from the bed and got outside.

「Ah, wait! Please don’t leave me behind!」

.

──About noon.

Miranda was feeling exasperated at Lyle, Aria, and Sophia who still wouldn’t come out of their rooms in addition to Shannon who still hadn’t woken up.

「Haa, the meal got cold. Everyone won’t come out anyway even if we brought the meal to them. ……Even so, Shannon is also late. Did I overwork her too much yesterday?」

When Miranda returned from shopping yesterday, Shannon was sleeping from fatigue.

From what Lyle and the others said, she must be tired from accompanying Aria and the others on the first day after leaving the hospital.

(Was it harsh for her to look after the house on top of getting those two pushed onto her?)

Thinking that, Miranda headed towards Shannon’s bedroom.

When she knocked on the door, a reply unexpectedly came back.

「Shannon, are you awake?」

「……I’m awake.」

Shannon’s voice that sounded really in a bad mood made Miranda ponder how to pacify her while opening the door.

There she found Shannon staring at her own hands. She clenched her hands, opened them, and then repeated the same thing.

「Shannon, as expected that attitude is just bad isn’t it? Even though previously you would reply ‘I’m awake Onee-sama’ cutely.」

Then Shannon took a pillow and threw it at Miranda. Miranda easily caught that pillow with her right hand and carried it at her side.

(Aa~, she is really angry now.)

Just as she imagined, Shannon was obviously in a bad mood from her appearance. She didn’t know what was irritating her so much like that, but her bad mood right now was really serious even compared to anything she had seen until now.

「Shut up! Shut up, shut up! I hate someone like Onee-sama! Even though you made me a laughingstock! Even though you didn’t help me when that woman made fun of me!」

Miranda noticed something out of place when she looked at Shannon.

Shannon’s eyes weren’t shining. And yet, she was staring straight at Miranda’s face.

「Shannon, you……」

Shannon shed tears. She was sniffing and then she wiped her tears.

「I can see. Onee-sama’s face, my own hands……I can see everything now! Why! Even though I couldn’t see at all until now, why now……it’s too late! It’s too late even if I can see after this long!」

Miranda closed the door and hugged the pillow. She then sat down on Shannon’s bed.

(She became able to see and feels confused.)

Various feelings like happiness and sadness were welling up inside Shannon and her emotions exploded. Miranda put down the pillow and hugged the raging Shannon.

「Shannon, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you at that time.」

That day──the day Shannon obtained her mystic eyes.

(The day that monster came to the Circry House. I hurt Shannon.)

Shannon was crying while clinging onto Miranda.

(That day, Otou-sama tried to put distance with the Walt House by showing Shannon. But, that was the correct action. That house is already……)

Miranda strongly hugged Shannon, and then she apologized.

「I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Also, I’m glad. You now can see with your eyes right? There are, a lot of things you want to do, don’t you?」

Shannon spoke while crying.

「I want to go outside!」

「Yes, let’s go out. You wanted to go shopping right?」

「I want to choose the snacks by myself. A lot……I want to choose a lot by myself!」

「It’s okay. Let’s go shopping. Let’s buy so much you won’t be able to eat them all. It’s alright……I’ll be together with you forever from here on too.」

(I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you from that woman.)

Miranda stayed at Shannon’s side until she got tired from weeping and slept──

.

Evening.

My mood was heavy, but because Novem was telling me to get out of the room and the automaton that entered the room even when I locked the door, I had no choice but to get out.

「That automaton is strange in the head.」

The automaton was happily serving me while heaping insults at me. Novem who was watching that also seemed strange. It felt like she was burning in rivalry.

I sighed. Then when I got out of the room, I came across Miranda-san who came out from Shannon-chan’s room.

「──Ah」

「Oh」

Miranda-san’s eyes were slightly red. While I was flustered from being unable to judge the correct way to interact with her, Miranda-san looked at me and chuckled.

I also heard stifled laughing voice「Puh」 from inside the Jewel. I wanted to interrogate them later who was the one laughing.

I scratched my head and then tried greeting her.

「Good evening.」

「Right. It’s already that time isn’t it. ……Hey, Lyle. Want to talk a bit?」

She called me without honorific. Miranda-san led me towards the garden. Miranda-san started talking after we sat down on a wooden bench.

「I want to talk about this first. Lyle, your house is the house of count Walt House isn’t it?」

I nodded. I was chased out, but that fact didn’t change.

「I was chased out though.」

Miranda-san muttered「I see」 while raising her face.

「I want you to listen to what I’ll say now seriously. This is also the answer for the matter that you asked in the dungeon. Why did I seek strength? Why am I in Arumsaas with Shannon……the answer is simple. Shannon and I ran away.」

I was unable to understand the answer of ran away.

「I think this is the bad way to say it but, if I remember right Shannon-chan is──」

Miranda-san continued her story.

「To be more accurate she was driven away. But, I made use of that. This becomes a talk of three years ago from now but, I met your little sister──Celes. The Circry House held a party that invited our relatives and the Walt House.」

My heart beat quickened hearing Celes’s name. It reminded me of my pathetic figure who was unable to land even a single hit on Celes. And then also the figure of the First who told someone like me that perhaps it was only me who could stop Celes.

「Shannon was made fun of by Celes on that day. Otou-sama’s objective was to put distance from the Walt House that had strange rumors about it. In order to do that he made use of Shannon by making her participate in the party. But, there wasn’t any need for that. The talk about my engagement with Lyle was only to the degree of a verbal promise but, that talk was easily cancelled.」

Making use of the fact that Shannon-chan’s eyes were blind. The Sixth spat out when he heard that.

『That left a bad taste. This is why the bean sprouts capital nobles are unpleasant.』

Certainly, it wasn’t a praiseworthy method.

「It seems that Shannon wanted to have payback, but I understood just from a glance. That was hopeless.」

Miranda-san’s words were completely serious. And then she continued her impression.

「It was only one time. Just from one meeting and my relatives sang the praises of Celes. I felt like my head would turn strange from watching it. I led out Shannon away from the venue, then I made up some reason so that I would only interact with her at the bare minimum. ……I was scared. It was a terror that I never felt until now.」

I also understood. Celes was terrifying. You couldn’t help but feel scared.

「Since that time Celes often showed herself in Centralle. If Shannon who became able to see tried something with her, surely it would become something horrible. It was the correct choice to get sent away to Arumsaas. I also came along to here was half for Shannon. And then the other half was in order to soften my fear. I wanted to become strong was also in order to soften my fear.」

So that was the reason why Miranda-san was strong despite being an Academy student. I was able to learn her reason, but what was her intention of telling me that?

「But, Miranda-san said that you never had any difficulty in anything you do. You are a genius aren’t you?」

「Certainly I had no difficulty. I was able to do everything in general. I even manifested my Art and immediately learned it until the third stage. But you know, even then I cannot picture myself winning. Besides, I’m different from a genius. I’m just a talented person who luckily has few things that I’m not good at. Rather, I wouldn’t be able to win against Aria or Sophia if they mastered the path of their choice.」

I couldn’t understand that kind of feeling. Miranda-san looked at me while I was thinking that. And then she made a troubled smile.

「My nerves were completely strained all the time even after coming here. I kept thinking, I have to become strong, I have to protect Shannon. But, from now on you will take responsibility for us. It’s fine for me to depend on you right?」

I nodded, thinking that I couldn’t give a careless answer here.

「O, of course.」

She was a comrade, so there shouldn’t be any problem even if she relied on me. But, even if I told her here that there was a misunderstanding, the talk would become complicated……in the worst case, it might become something even more disastrous than the fight in the dungeon.

Miranda-san smiled.

「Lyle, you lied just now.」

──I thought my heart stopped. I couldn’t stop sweating coldly.

「It’s obvious if you think about it a little. You are someone who is absentminded at some places. But……」

Miranda-san grasped my hand and then she declared to me.

「……I am a troublesome woman you see. That’s why, one day I’ll become Lyle’s number one. I’ll kick down Novem and Aria and Sophia and become your number one. Aa, don’t worry. I came after them, so I won’t complain even if I become a mistress or concubine. But, I want to become your number one.」

──How should I respond to that? I touched the Jewel with my left hand, but the unreliable bunch each only made excuses.

『A romance talk for me is a bit……because, I was devoted to only one wife after all.』

『I also only had one wife.』

『Naturally. Those with multiple wives are the strange ones.』

『Listen well, don’t get involved with that kind of woman quarrel. That’s the only thing that I can say.』

『Lyle, I understand your feeling painfully well. But, this is something that a man cannot do anything about no matter what he tries.』

『No, for the Sixth that was you reaping what you sow. However, as expected, Miranda is a “woman with heavy love” eh.』

Miranda-san’s hand let go while I was being embarrassed.

「I will make you say that you love me someday. ……Also, I absolutely won’t let you go.」

It felt like I could see a spider behind Miranda-san. It vanished when I rubbed my eyes, but this time I was assaulted by a feeling as though I was captured in a spider web.

「It has become dark. I need to prepare the dinner so I’ll be going. Lyle, too, show yourself properly at the dining table later.」

I saw off the back of Miranda-san who was entering the house. When that back was gone from my sight, I noticed that I was sweaty.

「……I wonder what is responsibility.」

The Third who was usually carefree answered my question slightly seriously.

『……It’s the compensation that we pay I think. In this case that compensation is your life isn’t it?』

Paying the compensation that was my life was it……. No matter how I thought about it, it felt like a heavy responsibility to be the compensation for a faked hitting on a girl.

What the ancestors called a rebellious age……I thought that the compensation for that was really expensive.