Chapter 4
Despite coming all the way here for a vacation, it wasn’t ideal to confine her indoors. Yesterday, I unwittingly left her alone, so I suggested we go out together as a way to make up for it.
However, even though she was a different person inside, it’s probably the first time I’ve walked side by side with my grown-up younger sister like this. I feel a bit jittery. I realized I had never walked beside a woman, let alone my sister, besides our mother. Hmm. I’ve moved past being nervous and now just feel pathetic. It was a lonely youth.
Raldine clutched a guidebook that she had apparently purchased beforehand.
“I really want to visit this place…”
She said and opened the page to reveal the words, “[Teens Love It! [Like a Drink! Fizzy and Fluffy Castella Central Square Store].”
…I’d be grateful if we could overlook what occurred there and move on as soon as possible.
However, despite going out, as an unemployed person, I had no extra money to spend on entertainment. The money I earned from scavenging in the gutters vanished in no time, and was barely enough to cover these expenses. I had to be mindful of my spending.
Reluctantly, we headed to the Princess Victoria Memorial Botanical Garden near the central square. Although it was named a botanical garden, it was a vast forest park that housed a greenhouse, pond, and outdoor concert area. It was the pride of our town, and there was also a library and an art museum on the grounds, which were accessible to the public free of charge. As expected, the high taxes paid off.
An orchestra was performing on the outdoor stage, so Raldine and I sat next to each other and watched. Raldine listened intently, sitting with her knees together. It was the kind of music that would usually put me to sleep, but the fact that a girl who had taken over my sister’s body was sitting next to me made it sound different, and I felt as though I understood art.
I can’t help but wonder if Raldine’s house has nightly soirées (evening parties) with music like this. Stella is probably relishing the luxurious lifestyle with the Duke’s family in Holy City at the moment, while Raldine is stuck in her own body.
Speaking of Stella, Belle divulged last night that she’s been accepted to Madou University in Holy City. She’s truly exceptional, almost unbelievable for my sister. However, attending university will pose another challenge. Even during her time in the higher grades of Magic Academy, it was a struggle to gather enough funds for textbooks and other expenses, despite receiving a scholarship for tuition and housing fees. I need to secure a job soon. It would be a huge help if Raldine could vouch for me and assist me in securing a position, but…
The sound of applause brings me back to reality.
“Big brother, you seem to have a genuine passion for music. You were completely engrossed in listening…”
“Not really, I don’t quite understand music, but it made me feel happy…”
Without intending to reveal my financial troubles, I blurted out something nonsensical.
“I feel the same way…”
Raldine, who had taken on my sister’s appearance, smiled at me. It was a gentle and lovely smile that exuded calmness and softness.
Although she looked identical, I couldn’t help but feel that this girl was not Stella.
Her face didn’t seem to carry any concerns about money.
If it’s Raldine, then it should be much easier for her to hire an extra warrior as a bodyguard than standing in line for more than 30 minutes to buy some “fluffy castella cakes.” I’ll try my best to get her to hire me.
“There’s a pond over there…”
Raldine pointed towards the pond.
“Shall we go have a look? There might be migrating birds…”
I tried to get into the spirit of things, with the job-hunting process engraved in my heart.
“Migrating birds? I would love to see…”
“Does Stella have a fondness for birds?”
“Yes. And how about you, big brother?”
“I used to hunt ducks a lot during camping trips. They’re delicious…”
“Well…”
Oops, I made a mistake.
I recall hearing that discussing such topics is not suitable for women and children. They say it’s savage or something. Maybe my sister despises me because I always talk about these barbarous things.
However, Raldine spoke with enthusiasm, “By the way, big brother eats iguanas and cactus fruit too…”
“Ugh, how do you know that?”
“Of course, I know. Didn’t Big Brother mention it in his letter?”
“Huh?”
“I read it too…no, I mean, I showed it to my friends. Cactus fruit contains both water and nutrients, so it’s a valuable commodity in the desert. However, in the southeastern region, it’s a common fruit that you can purchase at any grocery store, right? I tied Big Brother’s letter with a ribbon and kept it safely. I read it over and over again, so I remember it…”
Once again, Raldine’s unexpected words leave me puzzled. Yesterday was just like this.
With nothing else to do, I’ve written letters to my family from the frontier before. However, the replies I received from Stella were only dry, formal letters that she must have reluctantly written on behalf of our illiterate parents. While she may have read my letters aloud to our parents at least once, I presumed they were later used to ignite the kitchen fire and discarded.
“I’m sorry if it was hard to read, I’m not very proficient in reading and writing…”
That was all I could manage to say.
“No, I found it quite engrossing as it gave me a vivid picture of the lives of people in the frontier…”
Raldine responded with her usual gentle smile, but I couldn’t help but feel that she appeared somewhat forlorn (lonely).
Belle suddenly appeared and mentioned, “Oh, by the way, I heard that Raldine-sama’s second elder brother became the frontier earl in a territory swap a few years ago… Her caring elder brother, who always looked out for the slow Raldine-sama, has gone far away, so she must be feeling lonely…”
I see. It must be a great challenge for her older brother to govern an unfamiliar land even if it was a directive from higher authorities. Perhaps they could enlist the assistance of a knowledgeable warrior who is well-versed with the frontier. Let’s make an appeal from this area.
However, the Duke’s family siblings seem to have a good relationship, don’t they? Maybe that’s why she was so fond of me, an old man, as an older brother. It’s almost enviable.
Belle grumbled with her wings buzzing.
“If only Master and Lady Geraldine could keep switching places like this forever. If it were Master, she could easily take control not only of the Duke’s family but also of the marriage proposal destinations in other countries. Then even an old man like you…wa!”
“Hey, you annoying toilet fly!”
Belle paled at the sound of my growling voice and halted her words.
“Watch your language. My sister may be mischievous, but she’s not a vile person. She’s a girl who climbed up the ranks through her own efforts. If you talk like that again, I’ll rip out your tongue, pluck your wings, skewer you, and feed you to the sparrows…”
“Uwaa, uwa, s-sorry, big brother…”
Belle turned pale and trembled. It’s not entertaining to bully the weak, so I’ll let it slide for now. Goodness, what part of her is a Bellezebub?
Just then, “Kyaaa!”
Following the source of the scream, I spotted Raldine, who was reaching out to touch the waterfowl and leaning over the fence, tumble into the pond with a loud splash.
❂❂❂
“Eww, big brother, I’m all soaked and gross…”
If someone were to grumble and say, “I can’t take it anymore. I’m going back home…”, it would close the door to my ambition of becoming an official. I swiftly brought Raldine, who was soaked from head to toe with seaweed stuck to her hair and wiping her tears, back home. I lit some “soap incense” that would purify her body and gave her some “mild pepper drops” that would warm her up before tucking her into bed. Due to the stress of being in an unfamiliar house since yesterday, Raldine dozed off without eating dinner.
This evening, I warmed up the stew that Raldine had frozen earlier, and it had thawed nicely by then, so I sat down to have dinner by myself. While eating, I heard an irritating “waaan” noise, but I couldn’t locate its source.
“I’m not angry anymore, so come out already…”
Reluctantly, Belle emerged with a guilty expression, but her eyes widened when she saw a dinner that was prepared for her.
“W-What’s this?”
“It’s a tea set for dolls. I remembered it was sitting in the storage room since I gave it to Stella a long time ago. She doesn’t play with dolls…”
Belle quietly arranged her dinner on the miniature dishes and sat down at the table where the food was already laid out.
“Thank you, big brother…”
“That’s creepy. Just call me old man…”
“Thank you, old man…”
Belle smiled a little shyly and began to eat her dinner while sitting at the edge of the table, but she frowned at me for a moment.
“Old man, there’s something strange about the smell today…”
“Yeah, the soap incense, right? Mint and spiced orange?”
“Hmm… I prefer the typical old man scent…” Belle replied as she chewed on her bread.
“That’s the kind of fragrance that toilet flies are attracted to anyway…” I sighed.
“I’m not a toilet fly, I’m a Bellezebub,” Belle retorted.
“Sure, sure,” I said, not convinced that it made a difference if it was a toilet fly or the king of flies in this situation. After a brief pause, I added, “Well, thanks anyways…”
[insert page=’4633′ display=’content’]
[insert page=’4587′ display=’content’]
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- My Therapist Told Me to Stop Saying “Back In My Day” – Unrelatable TikTok Kids got me STRESSED
- My Classmate’s Waifu Obsession: Is it Cringe or Just…Weird?
- My Brain on UFC: Why I’m Convinced I Could Totally Take on Adesanya (I’m Lying, Don’t Tell Dana)
- When You Realize You’re Too Old for Anime: A Midlife Crisis in 2D
- My Inner Samurai vs. My Real-Life Chicken Heart: Why My Brain Thinks I’m Bruce Lee, But My Body Screams “Run!”
Leave a Reply