Mischievous Fairies
The playful little pests were gazing up at the full moon, all wrapped up in their sentimental moment, when a whispery unfamiliar voice drifted in from somewhere.
"...She suddenly pops out of the tub, and now she's just staring at the sky."
"Whitey's a weirdo."
Whitey?
"Yeah, totally weird."
"That's what makes her fun."
I whipped my head toward the sound.
"Eek!"
"Whitey saw us!"
What entered my vision was... well, something small emitting a sparkling light as it flitted through the air.
"Nah, she just happened to look our way by chance. Whitey can't see us."
"Not many in the monastery can see us anyway."
"Right, right."
Fluttering their wings mischievously, circling around me with eyes full of curiosity—they looked exactly like the fairies straight out of a fantasy novel or game.
Yeah... spirits or fairies could exist in this world, sure.
The issue was why they'd suddenly shown up and how I should react to their appearance.
"But this kid... she forgot she's naked?"
"Yeah. We're all dressed up."
"Come to think of it, I heard some humans wander around naked and enjoy showing off."
"Whoa~ For real?!"
"Hehehe, Boomgirl told me."
"Don't believe a word Boomgirl says. She's a perv and a liar."
"And mean."
"Totally! Last time, she heard I said something weird to another nun, came looking for me, and harassed and threatened me to confess I'd lied! All I did was repeat what Boomgirl said to her."
It was a bit disconcerting, but I averted my gaze for now.
Pretend I didn't see them.
Whatever they were, getting involved with them right now felt like it would lead to a huge mess.
Whoosh—the sudden gust brought a chill sweeping over my skin.
"...Ugh, so cold."
I headed to where I'd left my clothes, toweled off the water, and got dressed.
"So she wasn't planning to strut around naked?"
"Dummy, there's no one around to appreciate it right now anyway."
"Then maybe next time she'll go nude?"
"Probably."
Ignoring the weirdos and their weird chatter, I slowly checked the floating alert windows.
Acquired the effect 'Luminaris's Afterglow'
Achieved the feat 'Moon Visitor'
→ Reward granted
Gained interest from 'Exile of the Forgotten Moon'
Status ailment 'Cold' has been cured
'Luminaris's Afterglow' effect has stopped
Accepted 'Hidden Quest: Playmate'
Acquired 'Moon Eye'
Seeing the system window pop up again made me feel oddly reassured.
First up, Luminaris's Afterglow.
I checked each new effect one by one.
-----
Category: Special Sustained Effect
Effect: Aging is delayed, and the flow of time applies more slowly to the user's body.
Detailed Description: By using petals from a flower belonging to a different time axis than this world as a bath additive, the afterglow of the petals seeps into the skin, allowing the user's body to partially share those traits and temporarily be influenced by that time axis.
It was properly stopped, at least.
Whew. Almost ended up stuck as a kid forever.
Next was the quest.
-----
Goal: On a night when the full moon rises, seek out Lumina and converse (0/??)
And finally... Lumina's gift.
-----
Moon Eye (Reactive / Unknown)
Status: Restricted
Category: Truth
Detailed Description: It pierces the essence of all things, including objects and living beings, but the human brain cannot handle the vast information of truth it reveals, so its power is severely limited.
Known as the Moon Eye for its ability to see through shadows in moonlight, its other name is the Eye of Truth.
→ Can observe the essence of all existing things, including living beings, objects, spirits, etc.
→ Instinctively activates when a veil that must be revealed or a hidden truth enters the field of vision.
→ In active state, it places severe strain on the brain and body; prolonged use causes headaches, vision loss, mental confusion, etc.
→ Strain and restrictions are slightly alleviated under moonlight, especially optimized and constantly active on full moon nights.
⟨ Truth-Piercing Gaze ⟩
I see...
I shot a glance at the weirdos hovering in front of me.
That's why I can see these things now... thanks to the eye Lumina gave me.
I debated talking to them again but shook my head.
Too tired today...
I ignored them, tidied up, and headed back to my room. The moment I hit the bed, I was out.
...
..
.
The next morning, I woke before dawn broke and headed to the courtyard. I stretched slowly to loosen up.
I felt more fatigued than usual, but it wasn't enough to hinder my movements.
"Look~ Whitey's here~"
And just as I finished stretching and was about to start serious training... suspicious voices piped up from somewhere.
"Looks like she's gonna do that training thing again~"
"Perfect. We can play today too!~"
Play?
"What should we play today?"
"Leave it to me. I got an idea."
One of them, with particularly pitch-black wings, hopped onto my back mid-pushup and started riding my up-and-down body like an amusement ride... and soon the others piled on one by one.
"Whaddya think? My new game invention?"
"Blackie's the best! So fun!"
"Yeah, yeah. Who knew we could use Whitey like this? Blackie's a genius."
"Hehehe... Look forward to more. Next one's even better."
I could hardly believe what I was experiencing.
What the hell are these things?
During sit-ups, they hung from my head and let go at the perfect moment to launch like a catapult.
"..."
Squats had them gripping my arms like safety bars on a ride, swinging up and down. Jumping jacks turned my shoulders into trampolines. Side stems had them dangling from my legs, singing "Wheee~" as I twisted side to side.
...These little shits...
For running, they clung all over me like jockeys with reins, whooping away.
No wonder my body felt heavier lately... I thought I was just tired.
Finally, I couldn't take it. I snatched the whatever-it-was—Blackie or Black Bean—off my head.
"Eek!!"
The sudden grab sent the tiny bodies scattering like startled birds. Their eyes went wide in shock, and they flailed around, tangling into a chaotic mess.
"What!? Blackie got caught by Whitey!"
"How did this happen?! How can Whitey grab Blackie!?"
I glared at each tense little one, pitching my voice low and menacing.
"You guys... you've been messing with me like this all along, haven't you!?"
Their faces drained white in an instant. The giggling energy vanished as they screamed and bolted every which way, even bumping into each other in their panic.
"Kyaa~!!!"
"Big trouble! Whitey's mad!!"
"Run! Whitey can see us!"
"Whitey's scary!!"
All that remained was the one wriggling in my grip: Blackie.
I glared down at it.
"Hiiik...!"
"S-sowwy! Fowgive me! Waaah... Weally! It huwts!"
"Ah, sorry... Didn't mean to grab that hard."
I hadn't squeezed that tight, but its expression was so pitifully real that I loosened my hold without thinking.
"!"
But then.
"Haha, hahaha!!! Fooled ya! Didn't hurt at all!"
It slipped free the second my grip slackened, then clutched its belly laughing at me.
"What?"
"Nyah~~!!"
It stuck out its tongue one last time and zipped off somewhere.
"...That, that little... bastard...!"
For some reason... they were seriously irritating.
...
..
.
After finishing training and returning to the room, Marie was lying on my bed for some reason.
Why?
I pinched her sleeping cheeks.
"Abuh... puh."
I could've just moved her nicely, but her cheeks seemed to beg, 'Pull me~'.
Definitely not venting about the fairies on her.
"...Ugh, Teresa..."
She finally woke up.
"Sleep well?"
"Ugh... yeah, but my cheeks hurt."
I kept tugging as I asked.
"Why're you sleeping in my bed?"
"...W-well... I woke up earlier, and you weren't there..."
"How does me not being here mean you sleep in my spot?"
"I wanted to be with you, but since you weren't... I settled for your bed with your warmth still in it..."
Are you my pet dog or something!? I wanted to snap, but held back.
"Sigh... Get up. Service is starting soon."
"...Ah, yeah... Thanks. Um... can you let go of my cheek now?"
"Nope."
"...Ugh... You're prickly today, Teresa."
I fiddled with her cheeks a bit more.