LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 26
“Thud.”
A day that seems ordinary, yet not quite ordinary.
Except for the chaos that started early in the morning, time has been flowing smoothly, not much different from usual.
Honestly, even though the kids call me “Nun,” it’s all just an act.
Even though I live in the church, there’s no strict schedule I have to follow.
Just morning and evening prayers—basically, a daycare wearing the shell of a church.
I feel a subtle pang of guilt, but I’m quite satisfied with my current daily life.
“Alright, is everyone here?”
“Yes.”
“Yep─!!”
“Yes.”
Before the evening prayer, I habitually count the kids.
They’ve never missed a single prayer—such diligent kids.
But still, I always have to check.
Because you never know when they might suddenly cause a scene.
“Alright, let’s start the evening prayer.”
At my soft words, the kids immediately straightened their postures, ready to offer their prayers to Faelia.
Just as I mindlessly clasped my hands together, about to pray to what I assume is a statue of Faelia—
“…Wait.”
A flustered voice of Aizen quietly came from behind me.
“What’s up, everyone…? No, why does this feel so natural?”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Ellie tilted her head, asking Aizen, who was blinking rapidly, unable to regain his composure.
Aizen frowned even more, his expression full of confusion.
“Uh, no… Is it just me? Am I the only one seeing something weird…?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
When Ellie couldn’t understand him, Aizen turned to Iris and started asking again.
“Iris… Say something… Do you not feel anything strange…?”
But Iris didn’t answer Aizen’s question.
Her gaze was firmly fixed on me, her eyes strangely sparkling.
“What’s wrong, Aizen?”
When I cautiously opened my mouth, Aizen slowly turned his head toward me, his face pale.
“Is there a problem?”
“Uh, no… I mean, is it a problem…? Maybe it’s just me seeing things…”
“Just tell me what’s wrong. I won’t say anything.”
“……”
After hesitating for a while, Aizen licked his dry lips and cautiously spoke.
“Well, how do I put it… Levi looks a bit weird today…”
“Huh? Me?”
“Y-yeah… Just this morning, everything seemed normal…”
“Hmm… I don’t know. I don’t feel any different.”
“…Huh?”
I don’t feel any different from this morning.
I don’t understand why Aizen is so flustered.
“Ellie, Iris, do I look weird?”
“No─!! You look incredibly beautiful!”
“Pretty.”
“Hmm… What’s the problem?”
I’m just wearing the clothes Ellie made for me.
We even agreed to remove most of the excessive decorations, so it shouldn’t be much different from a regular nun’s habit─.
“How is it, Aizen? I made that─. Isn’t it amazing?”
“Sister suddenly looks sexy.”
“Ah, damn!! It IS weird!! Why is everyone acting like it’s nothing?!”
Unlike Ellie and Iris, who were smiling at me, Aizen’s face was stiff, and he was sweating profusely.
“Your legs are showing! That’s not like Levi!”
It seems there’s a problem with the outfit Ellie designed.
Well, I was pretty flustered about it earlier too.
But now I’m in a state of complete emptiness.
If I can’t do anything about it, I might as well clear my mind and act as usual.
“What were you thinking, giving Levi such an outfit?!”
“Why are you so angry…? I just thought it would suit Sister…”
“Even so, this is too much. It’s too provocative!”
Aizen’s face had turned as red as an apple.
“Change back into your old clothes…! I can’t stand this…!”
Finally losing his temper, Aizen started ranting, and I had to calm him down by pinching his cheek without hesitation.
“Calm down, Aizen. I understand what the problem is now.”
“Ugh…!!”
Indeed, my outfit must look very provocative to Aizen.
I thought it wouldn’t be strange to feel embarrassed in this remote mountain church where the only eyes on me are the kids’.
But I guess I was wrong.
“Should I change?”
“No? I’ll keep wearing this all day today.”
At my indifferent remark, Ellie’s gloomy expression instantly brightened.
“W-what…?!”
“This is an outfit Ellie worked hard on, staying up all night. Even if it looks no different from a nun’s habit, it’s filled with Ellie’s sincerity.”
Honestly, I’m feeling an indescribable sense of shame right now.
Before Aizen mentioned the outfit, I had managed to clear my mind.
But once it was brought up, all the feelings I had forgotten came rushing back like a tsunami.
“Even so…”
“Hmph! You’ve never given Sister anything, yet you talk so much!”
“What?!”
“I wanted to express my gratitude to Sister through this outfit. It was originally even prettier, but since you said it was uncomfortable to move in, I had to tone it down…”
“How is this toned down…?”
“At first glance, it’s not much different from the usual nun’s habit, right?”
“W-well, I guess…”
Since it was originally a saint’s robe modified from an abandoned nun’s habit, removing the decorations made it look like a regular nun’s habit.
But if I hadn’t convinced Ellie and worn it as it was, I would have felt even more ashamed than I do now.
Because this outfit is quite small in size.
“Alright, that’s enough─. Let’s not fight. This isn’t something worth getting so worked up about.”
“Ugh…”
“As Aizen said, I know my outfit isn’t suitable for the solemn prayer time. But Faelia surely understands Ellie’s pure heart, so I’m sure She will forgive me for just one day.”
I’m glad there’s no mirror around, because the embarrassment and shame have firmly settled in a corner of my heart.
My pale skin makes it easy to see my face turning red…
I’m worried.
What if Ellie notices my feelings by chance─.
“Sister.”
After barely calming them down, just as I was about to slowly stand up from my crouched position, Iris, who had been quietly observing the situation, suddenly spoke.
“I want to give you a gift too, Sister.”
“Huh?”
“But I don’t have anything right now.”
“…Oh, are you giving me a heads-up?”
“I want to make an accessory that would go well with that outfit.”
A small question mark floated above my head.
“I really want to make it and give it to you…”
“Oh, Iris…?”
“I feel just as grateful to you as Ellie does…”
Though I didn’t show it, I was secretly shaken by a very confusing feeling.
At first glance, Iris’s words seemed like nothing out of the ordinary.
But with a little thought, I could roughly guess the underlying meaning.
“W-wait… Are you saying you want me to wear this outfit tomorrow too…?”
“……”
Iris silently nodded her head slightly.
Faced with this completely unexpected situation, my mind went completely blank.
“Ah, haha… Well…”
“Is that not okay…?”
“Do I really have to wear this outfit to receive it…? I can receive it normally…”
“I want to give you something that matches that outfit…”
Why is this happening?
How did things turn out like this?
I thought I just had to endure wearing it for one day.
But now, I’m faced with the sad reality of having to wear it tomorrow too.
“Stop it, Iris. You’re making Levi uncomfortable.”
Just then, Aizen’s saving words came from beside me.
For a moment, I unconsciously smiled slightly and looked warmly at Aizen.
“It’s already quite scandalous as it is, what more do you want to do?”
“Why is Sister scandalous?”
“It’s not that Levi is scandalous, it’s the outfit.”
“Why? It’s just pretty.”
At Iris’s firm words, Aizen couldn’t hide his flustered expression and awkwardly scratched his head.
“Well… It’s not that it doesn’t suit Levi… It’s just a bit hard to look at…”
“Then Aizen, just don’t look. Problem solved.”
“Huh? Why is the conclusion going that way?”
I guess I had false hopes for Aizen.
After all, he’s just a 10-year-old kid. What was I expecting?
“…Alright, Iris. I’ll look forward to your gift tomorrow.”
“Huh?! You’re going to wear it until tomorrow?”
“Of course… Since Iris wants it…”
“Yay─!!”
Countless thoughts raced through my mind, making my complexion increasingly pale, but there was nothing I could do.
Just like with Ellie, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse Iris, who was looking at me with expectant eyes.
“J-just out of curiosity… What kind of accessory are you planning to give me?”
“Secret─! I can’t tell you yet─.”
Iris was firm.
She didn’t give me any information.
For some reason, a sense of unease washed over me, and a drop of cold sweat rolled down my cheek and fell to the floor.
“Look forward to it.”