The Beginning of the Misunderstanding
Suddenly asking me to become her daughter... Of course, I had no choice but to refuse.
"As expected, huh?"
"...Um, that... I'm sorry. I was just so flustered... But why did you suddenly say something like that?"
Vanessa bowed her head for a moment in thought, then gave a light smile as she replied.
"Just... I suddenly thought it would be nice to have such a cute daughter."
She seemed like the impulsive type.
"And now it's too late to marry some decent guy or whatever..."
"Aren't nuns forbidden from marrying anyway?"
"The nun thing... I can just quit. I've been thinking it's about time anyway."
She says it so casually...
"I didn't particularly want to become a nun either."
"You didn't?"
"Yeah, just... by chance, the boy I liked said he was going to become a priest, so I chased after him and somehow ended up like this."
Still, she must have had real talent to reach that level, right?
Either way, it sounds like she found her path pretty well...
"Things didn't work out with that guy?"
"Who knows... He's probably off adventuring right now, flirting with a couple of pretty girls."
"What a jerk. Leaving behind a beautiful nun like you to cheat with other women."
"Right? That guy's the absolute worst."
Vanessa's mouth twitched.
Wait... a couple of pretty girls?
Suddenly, a certain someone from this world popped into my head—someone adventuring with exactly two pretty girls.
"Uh... um, by any chance... the boy you liked... it couldn't be Carlos oppa, could it?"
"I don't know that guy."
For a split second... a fierce killing intent flashed across her eyes.
It's him.
Then, for no reason, she grabbed my cheeks and started pinching.
"Mmnya... It hurts..."
But she controlled her strength just enough not to really hurt, though she didn't let go easily.
"The good thing is, you don't look anything like that guy."
"...Wh-what's that have to do with anything...?"
"When that guy first brought you here... I thought you might be some kid he had stashed away."
"Haha..."
I forced a smile and looked away.
"Ah, I figured he'd gone off to save the world, then come back with a kid from some other woman."
Her first love returns after so long, kid in tow—no wonder it was a shock...
"But somehow I got cleared of suspicion?"
"Obviously. No daughter of his could be this adorable."
"Ha, haha... Th-that's a relief."
A brief silence fell, and Vanessa finally released my cheeks before speaking again.
"So... really, not even for me? Won't you leave the monastery and come live with me?"
It didn't sound bad at all. With her, she could probably cast buffs to manage my curse...
Honestly, I really liked her.
But... no, it won't work.
To live with her, I'd have no choice but to explain my whole situation...
And who knows if she'd stay this kind once she learned about my curse.
Even if she did, maintaining buffs every eight hours wouldn't be easy.
In the end... the monastery was still the safest place for me right now.
"It's not that I don't like you, Sister... But I really can't leave the monastery."
"I see..."
Vanessa's shoulders slumped visibly, her eyes wavering for a moment. Disappointment was written all over her face.
"I'm sorry."
She shook her head and quietly stepped closer, stroking my hair.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for."
Her touch was surprisingly soft and warm—it felt nice.
Mmnya...
Suddenly, I remembered what she'd said earlier about maybe quitting.
"Then, are you quitting your nun duties now, Sister?"
Vanessa glanced away as if pondering, then slowly looked back down at me after a pause, the corner of her mouth quirking up.
"Nah, I just thought sticking with it a bit longer might not be so bad... I decided to give it more time."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Anyway, I need to get ready now, so I'll head out."
"Okay."
After she left... I stayed behind in the garden, sitting there blankly for a while.
If I were her daughter... would that make her my mom?
What can I say... Hearing someone offer to be my family didn't feel bad at all.
Even if it could never happen, even if it was just a casual joke that passed by...
For that brief moment, imagining what having a family might feel like... it made me happy.
...
After lunch ended, I headed to the monastery courtyard a bit late.
Most of the kids were already gathered in little groups at the meeting spot, their light banter and stomping feet mixing into a cheerful buzz here and there.
"Today's practical training is picking Lumeberries at the Lumeberry farm in Eggnew Village."
Standing in the center were Vanessa—who'd just been with me—and a few other nuns, giving instructions to the kids.
"They say there's a party in the village afterward, so we'll eat dinner there tonight and come back to the monastery late. Any questions?"
"How many Lumeberries do we have to pick?"
"The village chief will explain once we get there."
"What kind of food will they have at the party?"
"They said it's the same as last year—pork barbecue."
"Wowaah!!"
A few more questions from the kids... and once they stopped, the nuns got everyone moving.
"Alright, let's go."
The kids hurried along with excitement, and the nuns in charge led the way, opening the monastery gates.
I paused for a moment at the back of the line.
It should be fine, right?
I checked my status window one more time, then scanned the surroundings.
Just the sound of birds taking flight in the distance and leaves rustling in the wind—no sign of monsters.
I took a deep breath and followed them out of the monastery.
As I walked, keeping watch around us, Isaac, Annette, and a few other familiar faces gradually fell in beside me.
"Teresa! Where'd you go at lunch? Even Marie didn't know... We looked everywhere for you."
"...I just met someone for a bit."
"Who?"
"Secret."
The kids giggled and leaned in to whisper.
"Ehh? Teresa, no way... you already got a boyfriend?"
"...As if. Why does a boyfriend suddenly come up out of nowhere?"
"Well, if you're sneaking off at lunch to meet someone... it has to be a boyfriend, right?"
Well... kids this age are right at that point where they're starting to get interested in the opposite sex.
"Teresa would be super popular with boys."
"Heh... you think? The only guy who's ever come at me was Marco, that jerk trying to steal Hania from me. No way a nobody like me is popular with boys..."
Suddenly, someone blurted out loudly.
"No! Teresa is pretty!"
It was Isaac.
"...Huh?"
"Teresa's face is pretty... and she's got a kind heart... she's really a great person! So... um, Teresa... she'd definitely be popular with boys..."
He had his fists clenched tight, biting his lip hard. When our eyes finally met, his flushed face darted away in a hurry.
This guy... 100% has a crush on me, doesn't he?
It was so obvious, even I could tell.
And man, he's got some serious rose-tinted glasses on.
Pretty is subjective, sure. But calling my heart kind... that's a stretch.
"...R-really...?"
"Yeah! Teresa would be super popular with boys. Though... that's not so great for me..."
The other kids seemed to pick up on it too. One of the girls watching the scene suddenly tossed out a question.
"So~ what's your type, Teresa? What kind of guys do you like?"
It was blatantly aimed at teasing Isaac.
Sigh...
I wasn't into that stuff at all, and dragging it out felt kinda mean...
So I decided to shut it down clearly.
"I'm not interested in boys at all."
That oughta do it.
"Not interested in boys?"
"Yeah."
I could clearly see Isaac's face crumple in defeat. The flush drained from his cheeks in an instant, his shoulders slumping as he went silent for a long while.
At the same time, the girls started putting some distance between us for some reason.
"...Kids?"
From afar, I faintly caught their murmurs.
"(Whoa, shocked. Never thought Teresa was... that way.)"
"(Isaac and all the other boys who had crushes on her are gonna be crushed...)"
"(But... someone like Teresa? I could maybe go for that?)"
"(What?!) "
"(Well... she's pretty... and cool.)"
"(True... I'd be okay with Teresa too.)"
"(Right?)"
What the...? What do they mean 'that way,' and why am I suddenly 'okay'?
I couldn't make out the full conversation, but it felt like they were gossiping about me...
It didn't sit right, and I started feeling left out.
Why are they acting like this? Did I do something that wrong?
No way... am I getting ostracized?