In the research room, Truth took the black tea offered by Professor Lister, while Suna sat nearby, her ears flushed red, too embarrassed to meet Truth’s eyes.
No one spoke at first. Truth glanced around and noticed a pile of suggestions left behind by players.
Seeing that Truth seemed interested in those, Lister took out an ancient stone tablet that had been deciphered to contain the characters for “Truth”:
“Suna kept emphasizing that you’re from five hundred years in the future. If that’s true, could you help us translate this sentence?”
“Let me see… Oh, it’s a famous quote. ‘Within the range of a cannon lies the truth.'”
The range of a cannon? Lister and Suna were both shocked. So that’s the origin of Truth’s name? They had assumed it was something philosophical or poetic, but it turned out to be… this?
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t match Truth’s personality or her cleric profession at all.
What stunned Lister even more was how Truth’s translation practically matched the result of his months-long deciphering work— and hers even conveyed the meaning more accurately!
“Miss Truth, can you point out which words are ‘within’ and ‘lies’?” Lister eagerly began his academic discussion, and Truth didn’t refuse.
Seeing that Truth was acting the same as always, Suna let out a quiet breath of relief.
So she wasn’t angry about what happened with Mellen after all.
Suna had been afraid Truth would blame her with something like, “This is all your fault for dragging me into it,” especially since she was the one who had called Truth over in the first place.
If she wasn’t angry, then… maybe this was a good chance to get closer to her. After all, I still want to be her friend…
With that thought, Suna presented another ancient stone tablet to Truth:
“Truth, look! What does this ‘XD’ mean?”
“It means laughing really hard…”
“Miss Truth, please help me translate this sentence!”
“‘No horses ahead…’”
“And this one, what about this one!”
“Trap + V3058 something something… I can’t make out the rest…”
……
After answering several questions in a row, Suna and Lister finally brought out their greatest treasure— a massive ancient message board:
“Truth, can you tell us what all these characters and symbols mean?”
They had never been able to make any sense of it. The symbols were incomprehensible, and both Suna and her teacher had failed to decipher them. Truth gave it a quick glance— and her heart nearly stopped.
Eh… ☆Is♡a♡fellow♡being♡nya♪ (Yuno in backlight, face in hands.jpg) Those bakas will never understand… About the “beauty of 2D” ♡ you know, if my existence has any meaning, then it must be because of “2-DI-MEN-SIONS”☆ right? So—any human who dares to taint this “love” shall be “E-R-A-S-E-D” by me ♪(quietly) Ugh… people who hate 2D, those baka 3D folks, they’re the most disgusting, damn it! ★ Hey, all you 2D beings… you’re the purest and kindest beings of all☆ Dossite… you want to “laugh at” kids like this? I don’t get it—? Ugh… in the end, aren’t you all just filthy “adults from the 3D world”? Adults are the worst ★♪ Huh? QAQ Dossite… Onii-chan ww? Hey, kyoudou madakku… are you already “sick” of me? Hmph… what a “c-o-l-d h-e-a-r-t-e-d person” you are QuQ—— ☆(๑°⌓°๑) Well… even someone like watashi must have some “purpose of existence”, right~★ Hurry up and “acknowledge” me, or else… I’ll “go dark” ♪ Hey hey…
“Well? What do you think? Can you make anything out of it?” Suna asked eagerly, clearly excited for Truth’s interpretation.
“This, this is…”
What kind of ancient chuunibyou nonsense is this?! Where the hell did you dig this thing up from, a forum post from hell?! These godlike cringe words— I do NOT have the guts to read this out loud!
No, I can’t keep translating for them. I should’ve never said I was from five hundred years ago. Now I need a way to get out of here!
Faced with their expectant gazes, Truth’s face suddenly turned serious. All right, looks like I’ll have to use that trick!
Then, under the hopeful stares of Suna and Lister, Truth suddenly clutched her eyes with both hands:
“N-no! My eyes! They burn! This message… it’s cursed! Anyone who comprehends its meaning will be haunted by something terrible!”
No more words— let the performance begin. Only chuunibyou can defeat chuunibyou.
“What?!”
It’s a forbidden black magic curse? The kind where even reading it once dooms you to misfortune?!
Lister quickly covered the message board— but it was too late. An evil aura surged from Truth’s body, and she fainted on the spot…
“Truth?!”
“Quick, take her to High Priestess Tia!”
……
Ten minutes later, the “fainted” Truth was brought before High Priestess Tia.
Tia, slightly puzzled, laid her on the bed and gave her a quick examination, then asked Suna and Lister to leave.
“High Priestess, is Truth really going to be okay?”
Suna asked anxiously. Why did trouble always follow Truth whenever she was around? Could it be that she was some sort of walking jinx in Truth’s life?
“She’ll be fine, I promise I’ll return her to you full of life and energy.”
Reassured by the priestess’s words, Suna returned to the research lab still worried, and Professor Lister, after some thought, decided it might be best not to have Truth translate ancient stone tablets anymore.
After all, she was a rare living fossil— her life was more valuable than anything else. The translation work could be left to modern people like them.
Who knew what kind of curses those tablets might contain? Besides, they could only guess at the general meaning, and any magical curses likely wouldn’t affect them anyway.
Once Suna and Lister’s footsteps had faded into the distance, High Priestess Tia finally sat down beside the bed and gently poked Truth’s cheek:
“They’re gone now.”
At her words, Truth shot up like someone resurrected from the brink of death. Suna had actually brought her here? I love her…
Then, without warning, Truth climbed onto Tia’s lap and settled comfortably onto her smooth thighs, her head resting against two soft, natural pillows.
“Mm, way more comfortable than a bed.”
“Eh…”
Tia instinctively wrapped her arms around Truth, who nestled perfectly under her chin.
She was a bit flustered— weren’t they only meeting for the second time? How was she already acting this familiar?
“Little Truth, why did you pretend to faint all of a sudden?”
“Certain people tried to force me to read the most vile, evil text imaginable, and now I can’t get it out of my head. I needed a quiet place to clear my mind.”
“I see. Then just rest here for a while. I checked—you’re perfectly fine.”
“Good night.”
“Wait— are you planning to lie on me this whole time?!”
For a while, neither of them said a word. Truth rested contentedly against Tia, and Tia gently tilted her face to rest her cheek on Truth’s little head.
Outside the window, a gentle breeze occasionally stirred their golden and silver hair, intertwining them softly.
Truth wasn’t sure why, but every time she saw Tia, she had an irresistible urge to get a little handsy.
Was this what they meant by the small head controlling the big one? In the end, big sisters really were the best.
“Tia, will you be my wife?” Truth asked suddenly.
“Nope. I already have someone I like.” For Tia, her heart and soul were already devoted to a great being who would soon awaken.
“I could just kill them.”
“Then I’d be very sad. Also, I’m your senior, you know? Isn’t it a bit disrespectful to just call me by name?”
“Then… Tia-jie?”
As soon as she said that, a soft blush crept up Tia’s cheeks. Jie… This was the first time anyone at the academy had called her that.
Other students always addressed her as High Priestess Tia or Professor Tia— always with utmost respect.
But now, someone this adorable had just called her jie! Tia’s mood instantly lifted. She held Truth even tighter, smiling as she said:
“Then I’ll call you Little Sister Truth from now on, okay?”
“Call me Lady Truth, thank you,” Truth replied seriously.
“What?”
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Tftc!