A Lucky Day
"Orca?"
"..."
"I have some delicious snacks. Would you like some?"
"..."
"A drink?"
"..."
"A... rare whiskey that just came in recently...?"
"I'm a student!"
"Right..."
It seemed Orca didn't enjoy alcohol. Since she was a kid who had wandered the back alleys, I had an impression she might like drinking. Was that just a prejudice? I wanted to see her reaction after giving her a drink once she became an adult, though. What a shame. ...I should sneakily try to give her some when we have some free time.
"Hmph."
"Mmm..."
But that was a story for later. Right now, I needed to figure out why Orca was reacting like this. Surely she wouldn't be this sulky just because a few cookie crumbs fell on the bed. Sure, it was annoying... but was it really something to get this mad about? Orca wasn't the type to care about that kind of thing. Her original living environment was far too harsh for her sleep to be disrupted by such trivialities.
"Um, is there something bothering you...?"
"No."
"Ah, okay."
Mmm, the atmosphere was awkward. Today had started off so well, and I even got to play a game meant for two with a like-minded kid for the first time in a while, so I thought it was my lucky day. It felt like a problem had cropped up in an unexpected place. Why on earth was she mad... Orca wasn't the type to get angry over nothing. There must be a reason. But I had absolutely no idea what it was.
"Hello, Teacher Ophelia. Are you in?"
"Ah..."
"Go on. It's really nothing."
Was it really okay to go? I had seen on the internet that when a lover gets mad like this and tells you to go, actually leaving only makes the problem worse. ...Well, Orca and I were teacher and student, so it shouldn't matter, right? We weren't lovers.
"I'll be back. If you're hungry, help yourself to some snacks."
"Fine."
Fortunately, Orca's complexion didn't look too bad. It didn't seem like she was sick or anything. I let out a sigh of relief and opened the door to the Counseling Room.
"Hello."
"...Ah, Watcher. Hello."
"Would it be alright if I came in for a moment?"
"Uh... well..."
I peeked back to gauge Orca's reaction. She didn't look sick, but she definitely didn't seem to be in a good mood either...
"The inside of the Counseling Room is a bit messy right now. I need to clean up, so I don't think right now is a good time."
"...Is that so?"
"I'm sorry."
This should do. To put it mildly, the compatibility between Orca and Anastasia was not good. Orca hated the Church because she had suffered severe persecution from church members since childhood, and Anastasia wanted to find a clue to her father's salvation through Orca. I hoped they could become friends someday... but not right now. The risk was too high. At least not until Anastasia's issue was resolved. Once that time came, I wouldn't stop them from meeting. In fact, I'd practically push them together.
"I see. ...Then, would you like to go for a short walk?"
"Pardon?"
"There's something I'd like to consult you about. ...Would that be alright?"
"..."
I nodded at Anastasia's invitation.
"Sure."
Her wanting a consultation was probably an excuse. I knew that much. She likely wanted to get close to me first with the ultimate goal of contacting Orca. But I didn't refuse. Getting closer to me meant, conversely, that I could help her. ...And honestly, I wanted to get closer to her too. It felt like a member of an idol group approaching an idol fan and asking to be friends. It was really hard to keep a straight face.
I was so excited that I didn't notice. The fact that Orca was staring at me with eyes full of discontent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...So, what is today's consultation about?"
"Um..."
...Did she come here without even thinking of a lie beforehand? I suppressed the urge to sigh at her clumsiness. Well, sure. It made sense. She had lived her entire life as a cleric. She was born into a textbook family that looked like it came straight out of an old self-introduction letter—a strict father and a gentle mother. Naturally, she wouldn't be used to lying. Of course, she wasn't so clumsy that it was glaringly obvious like a cartoon character, but she was definitely awkward. She had no talent for deceiving people.
"...Ah! T-That is. The Church has been quite short-staffed lately."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Due to an unfortunate incident, the Church's manpower has decreased compared to before..."
"Do you mean the war?"
"W-Well, to call it a war is..."
"At that point, it's basically a war."
In this world, power was easily divided into two. The Imperial Family that ruled the country, and the Church that delivered the word of God. For a long time, the two factions coexisted and interacted without encroaching on each other's territory. ...Yes, they *used* to. Meaning, they didn't anymore. You could call it an event that occurred before the game started. You know, that kind of setting where a massive incident has already swept through before the game even begins. The game I played was no different. That incident was the beginning of everything.
Anastasia's father being consumed by a devil.
The devil taking root in Orca's body.
Leo's yearning to become a knight.
Aileen's reason for abandoning the sword.
Stella being swept up in the power struggle despite her young age, resulting in her meritocratic ideology.
All of it was connected to this war.
...And, of course, it wasn't just the playable characters who were affected. Most NPCs were also influenced by that incident, to a greater or lesser degree.
"...Yes, indeed. I shouldn't deny it. It was a war."
A representative character of this would be Instructor Ian. After all, that incident was the reason he became a bomber. A man who lost his wife and daughter after getting caught in the war between the Imperial Family and the Church, wandering for a long time. It was a bit tragic that the result of that was him becoming a terrorist.
"But because of that, we are striving to atone for our sins."
"Striving..."
"Yes. We run facilities that care for children who lost their parents in the war."
"And?"
The words coming out of Anastasia's mouth, who had rushed over without even deciding on the topic of her consultation. There was no need to verify this; it was undoubtedly true. Even if her father was a different story, she herself would want to do that. And the devil possessing her father wouldn't have been able to avoid running an orphanage either, simply due to public perception.
"The problem is that the number of facilities is woefully inadequate compared to the number of children."
"I know."
How could I not? It was plain to see just by looking at Orca's background. She probably didn't remember because she was too young, but her family lost their lives in that war. Left as an orphan, Orca naturally ended up wandering the cold streets. If the number of orphanages Anastasia mentioned had been sufficient, that wouldn't have happened.
"This is where the main point begins... Because there are so many children, I hear a lot of talk about how we are short on not just facilities, but staff as well."
"...That is unfortunate."
"Yes, it truly is."
"So, why are you telling me this?"
"I was wondering if... when you have some spare time, you could stop by the church and help look after the children. After all, it's hard for children to experience motherly affection..."
Just where are you looking as you say that? I subtly raised my hand to cover my chest.
"Ah, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean it in that way..."
"...It's fine."
"*Ahem*... S-So, would it be possible?"
To be frank, she was incredibly clumsy. Didn't she come to see me under the guise of a consultation in the first place? Where did the consultation go? Her intention to build intimacy by taking me to the church under the pretext of helping out was so transparent. She really was terrible at lying... Well, I suppose that's why she couldn't escape the board the devil laid out and could only nod and comply.
Instead of pointing out her clumsiness, I nodded.
"Sure."
"...!"
There was no need for me to point it out. In fact, her being bad at lying felt very much like Anastasia, which actually made me feel quite good.
"T-Thank you so—!"
"I'm coming too."
"...Orca? Since when on earth...?"
"Since you two left the room."
That was from the very beginning! Just when did she follow us out?! While I was utterly dumbfounded by her shocking revelation, Orca looked at Anastasia and spoke.
"That's fine, right?"
"Ah, yes. The more hands we have to help, the better."
"Hear that? When are we going?"
"...Shall we go... this weekend?"
"Sounds good."
Ah. No wonder I thought today was my lucky day. I clutched my head.