The environment of the northern snowfields was far too harsh, yet it served as an excellent place to practice ice and snow magic.
Unless the weather cleared up, it was impossible to distinguish between day and night because the heavy snow would blot out the sun and sky.
Fortunately, the heavens were kind today, granting a rare clear sky. Even so, the sunlight offered no warmth. To put it into perspective, it felt like the lighting inside a modern-day refrigerator.
Early in the morning, Nino thoughtfully began preparing breakfast. To make Elliris happy, she had indeed made an apple pie.
While it could not compare to Sophia’s skill, the pie Nino produced was still a feast for the eyes. At the very least, it was countless eons ahead of a certain white-haired girl who once burned a pie to a crisp on high heat.
Looking through the windows pieced together from ice crystals, Elliris watched the warm light refract inside like a kaleidoscope. Her mood improved significantly.
“Thank you, Nino, I feel much better now —” Elliris said, her eyes regaining the lively spark they had been missing for some time.
“You really scared me yesterday, Sister El. I’ve never seen you like that before,” Nino let out a soft sigh, revealing her true feelings.
“Sister El, I’m sorry. I spoke too harshly yesterday and touched a nerve…” The tsundere girl pouted, her eyes shyly darting away.
“Nino, I’m fine now. I’ve thought it through. I’ll leave in a bit so I don’t disturb your alchemy research. I took a look at the alchemy materials in the house this morning; you’re preparing to deal with a certain monster in the northern snowfields, right?”
Elliris had reached a decision, offering her observations on Nino’s alchemy progress.
“Huh? Why are you in such a rush to leave? Hey, wait… Didn’t you say you could teach me a thing or two about alchemy, Sister El?”
Nino expressed deep dissatisfaction at the fact that Elliris had only stayed for one night. She slumped her shoulders and threw out a reason to make her stay.
“I’ve made up my mind, Nino. I’m going to the Second Continent too. I’m going to find Sophia.”
Elliris’s shocking declaration instantly turned the room silent.
***
The two fell into a momentary silence, leaving only the soft crackling of the firewood in the Witch’s Cottage fireplace.
No one knew what kind of mental gymnastics Elliris had performed to reach such a decision, but in a way, she was attempting something no one else could manage.
“Sister El, are you joking? Mother said you have to prepare for the Sela Temple trial. Your time is already very tight.”
Nino could not understand Elliris’s decision to chase after Sophia at all.
Sister Sophia had her own mission; she wasn’t out there for fun.
How could the Saintess of Omnia completely throw her responsibilities to the back of her mind? Had Sister El not seen the hardships the God Race of the First Continent had endured these past years? Nino was truly getting angry.
‘I’m sorry… Sister El… blame Nino if you must, hate Nino if you must…’
‘Why? Why can’t you ever let go of Sister Sophia? Why…’
‘Nino’s heart hurts too. What did Nino do wrong? Sister El… you really are just humoring me…’
‘Sister El is a bad child today. Mother Rachel said that bad children must be punished…’
Nino glanced at Elliris. In a way that was imperceptible to the girl, Nino’s eyes flashed with something strange and hollow.
For a moment, Nino’s thoughts began to twist.
The Sri Lankan black tea brewed this morning had been specially brought from Mother Rachel.
While Elliris was fully absorbed in reading a novel, Nino took the opportunity to add a certain “additive” to Elliris’s cup of tea.
‘The Sister El of today belongs to Nino. No matter what, I feel like Sister El has been very strange lately… I can’t let her continue like this…’
“Sister El, are you thirsty? Try this black tea. It’ll help balance out the sweetness since the pies we had this morning were a bit heavy.”
“Okay, thanks, Nino — you’re the best!” Elliris held the novel in one hand and picked up the teacup with the other. Danger had already arrived.
Elliris took a small sip. The warm liquid carried the sweet aftertaste of black tea, but there was also an indescribable flavor. Perhaps it was just a local specialty of this other world?
It was quite pleasant; she decided to finish it quickly.
Nino had let the tea sit for a while, so it wasn’t too hot to drink.
Elliris found it very easy to swallow and drained the cup in one go.
Suddenly, Elliris saw double. Huh? Why were there suddenly two Ninos? I see! So Nino knows the Shadow Clone Technique!
“Ugh… why is my head so dizzy? Maybe I didn’t sleep well enough yesterday?”
“Yes, Sister El. You’ve been too tired lately.”
“Hmm?”
A look of triumph appeared on Nino’s face. She stood up from the seat across from Elliris and walked to her side.
From behind, she pulled her most respected senior, her most beloved sister, into her arms.
With her fair arms wrapped around Elliris’s slender waist, Nino let her white hair fall over Elliris’s shoulders. The red-eyed girl leaned close to her ear and whispered softly.
“Don’t leave me, Sister El. Have a good sleep. After a while, you won’t keep thinking about going to find Sister Sophia…”
“Nino… wh—why?”
“I’m sorry… Sister El… Nino is a bad child…”
As the red-eyed girl’s apology, filled with gentle affection, echoed in Elliris’s ear, Elliris could no longer hold on. The dizziness was impossible to fight. Her eyes closed, and she fell into a deep sleep…
‘I’m sorry, Sister El… I’m so sorry… Seeing you like this, I have no choice but to take drastic measures to keep you here…’
—
It was evening when Elliris finally woke up, feeling groggy.
She had to admit, the dosage Nino used was a bit high…
“My head hurts…” Elliris slowly propped herself up. She looked at herself and realized she had been changed into a pair of warm pajamas that Nino had worn before. After all, their sizes were similar.
As two honorary members of the Small Chest Club, they could wear each other’s clothes without any discomfort.
Stepping into a pair of bunny slippers, Elliris saw a note left by Nino:
[Sister El, I went out during the day to look for Ice Field Snowmen. Don’t worry, I won’t be foolish enough to attack; I’m just doing reconnaissance.]
[I made three types of pie: apple, strawberry, and banana. There’s hot milk and hot juice in the magic heater for you. Of course, you can also choose to keep drinking the black tea. Also, I prepared some desserts from Miss Mary’s shop for you.]
[Mother Rachel also thinks Sister El hasn’t been being good lately. So, I have no choice but to follow Mother’s instructions and put Sister El in solitary confinement.]
Once her dizziness subsided slightly, Elliris began to inspect the state of the house.
The front door had been locked from the outside by Nino, and all the gaps had been frozen shut with ice magic. She tried pushing the door, but it didn’t budge an inch.
The windows could be opened normally for ventilation, but jumping out was impossible because Nino had placed a barrier over them. There was no way to crawl out.
The chimney… forget it. Elliris didn’t have the energy to climb a flue. She wasn’t some movie protagonist who would crawl through a sewer pipe to escape prison.
Wait, was this really a house arrest scenario?
Help! Her chuunibyou tsundere junior has turned yandere! Was she really going to have to scream for help?
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