༺ Sisters Are The Closest Friends! (5) ༻
Research facility.
By nature, a research facility needs to maintain a professional work and research environment.
But Freesia’s research facility opened to the public every weekend and as a result, they adjusted to the crowd and noise of people bustling in it.
“Look at this! It’s the latest armor!”
“That’s awesome!”
Today was especially full of children.
It was due to Graham Academy’s 1st-graders visiting on a field trip.
The researchers, all being kind people, explained many things to them.
“If you press the button like this, it becomes a lightsaber. Its cutting force is like that of a steel sword but it can double as a lantern inside dark places like caves.”
“Wow! That’s so cool!”
A lightsaber.
While the children were drawn to its shining force.
Naru, Cecily, Elizabeth, and Tywin were searching around the facility.
“That’s weird. Molumolu should really be in the basement…”
Molumolu ran to avoid the needle.
Naru, being Molumolu’s friend and master of the familiar, sensed that Molumolu was somewhere in the lab’s basement.
But no matter how much she looked, there was no way down to the basement.
There were neither stairs nor an elevator.
Perhaps the facility was too large that they couldn’t find which way—.
She was thinking that when Cecily called a female researcher passing by.
“Excuse me.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Is there a way to go to the basement?”
“The basement?”
The researcher crossed her arms and thought about it.
Then with a sincere expression, she shook her head.
“This facility doesn’t have a basement. The foundation of this land is weak so they couldn’t build a basement area. Although they say that there are noises sometimes from below. Ah, are you asking because of the ghost story?”
“Ghost story?”
Cecily frowned.
A ghost story.
A research lab.
She recalled what had happened recently.
The lady with striking curly, orangish hair looked around, acting like it was good news. Then as if she was revealing something forbidden, she told the kids.
“This lab has a very scary ghost story. Like a researcher falling asleep past working hours and waking up to find that meters changed into yards. And kilograms changing into pounds. Or talking to themselves and hearing someone repeat after them…!”
A strange ghost story–thought Cecily to herself.
The researcher who chattered on, excited to frighten the children, left as soon as someone called her to say, “Napoli. Lunch is almost over so we need to get back to work soon!”
“Naru, it seems there is no basement?”
Elizabeth tilted her head.
Naru’s friend Molumolu was supposedly in the basement of the facility but according to the researcher, there was no such thing.
“Naru doesn’t know.”
Naru was stumped as well.
If that was the case then Naru could only wait until Molumolu returned by itself.
Molumolu must have really hated the needle because there were no signs of it returning to Naru anytime soon.
If this continued then free time would be over, and she might have to go home without Molumolu behind.
Then Molumolu will take days to come back to Naru’s 「Junk Mansion」, and in that time there will be no one to do her math homework!
Therefore, Naru absolutely needed to find Molumolu during this free time.
“Huuu, what should I do? Molumolu.”
Without Molumolu, Naru’s math score will go down…!
While Naru was very concerned by such thoughts, Elizabeth was touched by the sight of Naru worrying.
‘Naru is really worried about Molumolu! She prepared lunch for Tywin and shared some of her food with me who only had a sandwich. Naru is really kind!’
Elizabeth believed Naru to be an absolute angel.
How can she help such a friend?
“Cecily, do you have any good ideas? A noble-like solution of sorts.”
At Elizabeth’s question, Cecily thought for a bit.
A basement that didn’t exist.
Sensing the presence of Molumolu from such an area.
In Cecily’s experience, this was better left alone.
Something scary could happen!
But Naru was a friend and sister.
A sister’s crisis should be overcome together.
Cecily remembered her mom saying that.
‘Though it’s still hard to believe that the hunter is Cecily’s mom….’
Everyone was lost in brainstorming.
Then Tywin let out a big sigh.
“Free time will be over if we stay like this. It can’t be helped, I guess. This is for the lunch that Professor Brigitte gave me. If there’s a piece of Molumolu’s fur, then give it to me.”
“Is there one?”
Naru tilted her head.
Then she started to rummage through her bag, and amongst all the opened cookie bags and crumbs that Molumolu ate, she found a piece of Molumolu’s fur.
“Why this?”
“It’s to make a compass.”
“A compass?”
Naru tilted her head.
Seeing this, Tywin scolded her slightly.
“Naru Barjudas. And Cecily and Elizabeth. If you want to raise a familiar, then at least learn to make the compass to find it. If you lose it or leave it alone, it becomes lonely. I’ll concentrate now.”
Mumble— Mumble—
Tywin held Molumolu’s fur and uttered an incantation.
Tywin Cladeco immersed deeply into the inner world.
Tywin was fairly skilled at making magic tools.
Though she hadn’t needed to make any recently.
Thinking back to when Tywin was three or four years old, she remembered her mother Elle Cladeco had ordered her to make different things.
━That’s good work. Then how about the deepening process?
━A failure? As expected, I suppose you can’t be like your sister who opened a portal at four.
━Another failure.
“…….”
Perhaps due to focusing on her inner mana, many memories surfaced like rising air bubbles.
Of course, Tywin ignored those bubbles of memories and spoke.
“Compass!”
1st Circle. A one-word spell.
When she spoke it out loud, Molumolu’s bit of fur lit up with a vooooom—.
Watching this, Elizabeth was highly impressed.
“Tywin, so it was true that you could use magic even as a 1st-grader. I guess you need to do this much to be called a genius at Graham Academy?”
Though she considered Tywin her rival, Elizabeth couldn’t help but genuinely admire her at this moment.
Of course, Tywin settled her heavy breathing and acting fine, she explained.
“Like things have properties that want to come together. Because Molumolu’s fur and Molumolu are of the same property, they’re attracted to each other. Using that, we can find the actual Molumolu.”
“Wow, holy shh…! I don’t know what you mean but let’s hurry!”
Swish— Swish—
The direction in which the end of Molumolu’s fur was swaying.
The children slowly walked that way.
* * *
“Ah, it stings–”
Brigitte’s lab.
Seeing the blood drip, Brigitte brought her thumb to her mouth.
“Sewing is hard after not doing it for a while.”
Brigitte was patching up her friend, ‘Aru’.
And then she got poked with the sewing needle which hurt more than expected.
“Even if it’s a body that doesn’t die, it still hurts.”
Though it was an immortal body due to the Curse of Devastation, many things were still inconvenient.
Not dying—besides that, it was the same as any regular person.
“Well, at least it’s good that it heals quickly.”
Already the hole in her thumb was closed.
It also stopped bleeding.
External wounds were this easy to heal.
But the internal ones still remained.
The teddy bear, Aru, was torn here and there.
Observing this, Brigitte became rather sad.
It reminded her of her early days.
The large and intimidating mansion.
To Brigitte, her family frightened her more than any ghost or evil spirit.
However, even in that massive prison-like mansion, she had some fond memories.
Like meeting Aru—
“—I’ll steal you away. From this uselessly big jail—. Hiiik, like this!”
Brigitte messed around while imitating the man’s voice.
Because of that, she poked herself again.
“Ah, ouch! Ugh.”
Shouldn’t play around while holding a needle—
While telling herself that, Brigitte finished fixing Aru perfectly.
He was patchy due to different fabrics being sewn all over but it was better than how he was before.
“That Judas, acting all cool unlike himself. Aru, don’t you think so?”
Brigitte asked the teddy bear.
Of course, the teddy bear didn’t reply.
“…….”
That moment of silence.
Brigitte strongly felt the weight of the marble in her pocket.
It was the 「Homunculus’ Core」.
If this was used, then it might be possible to reanimate Aru.
“Maybe…, I can even break this curse of immortality. Beyond that, it might solve the problem ailing Judas….”
Of course, it was impossible for Brigitte to research this alone.
However, the Graham Academy was Pangaea’s greatest research institute.
There was also the genius who was called ‘The World’s Greatest’.
“…….”
Brigitte considered the different aspects.
Then as if decided, she moved her hand.
She grasped the crystal terminal in her hand.
Being the latest magically-engineered invention, it allowed communication between far distances– or so it was described as.
Brigitte also received it as a gift recently.
Swoosh—
After operating it, a familiar voice was heard.
━Professor Brigitte, how may I help?
“Elle Cladeco. We need to talk.”
Elle Cladeco
The woman holding the solution to many problems.
After about 5 seconds of silence beyond the communicator, an answer came back.
━Alright. Let’s talk in person.
Brigitte immediately headed over.
As Brigitte entered Elle Cladeco’s office, the ashen-haired lady who was awaiting her was brewing aromatic herbal tea.
“It’s a herbal tea. It should somewhat calm the curse you have.”
“I appreciate it. But I’m not here to drink some tea. Elle Cladeco. Did you say you could help me? And that I would be of help to you as well.”
Elle’s hand that was pouring the tea stopped.
She gazed at Brigitte and her eyes behind the glasses were quite warm.
“You’re rather impatient, Professor Brigitte. It means you’re passionate. You remind me of my younger sister. She was gentle and liked to be involved.”
Younger sister?
It was Brigitte’s first time hearing that Elle had a younger sister.
That is because Elle was known to be from a ‘facility’ that cared for orphans.
From an abandoned child to a color-assigned mage—
Elle was the very definition of rags-to-riches, self-made triumph.
As if reading Brigitte’s thoughts, Elle began to speak.
“We weren’t blood-related, seeing I was from an orphanage. But that child was most certainly my family. You understand, don’t you?”
Brigitte thought of Aru.
They were related by blood and one wasn’t even a human, but Aru was Brigitte’s family.
Elle must have also had such a valuable person.
And Brigitte resembled that family member.
“So what happened to your sister?”
“She passed away 2 years ago from an unfortunate accident. It was a tragedy, that I had lost my one and only family. I couldn’t eat for days because I was so heartbroken.”
The devastating loss of family.
Brigitte recalled her recent experience with Aru.
And then something odd came to thought.
One and only family–she said.
Doesn’t Elle have her daughter, Tywin?
“Isn’t Tywin your remaining family?”
Brigitte asked directly.
Elle replied, “That is true. Tywin is also my precious daughter. What I meant was a sibling.” and smiled.
At Brigitte’s doubtful expression, Elle continued.
“It’s almost time for Tywin to return from school. I’ve been so busy lately that I couldn’t properly care for her. Even under such a bad mother, she has been growing well on her own so I always felt guilty….”
“…….”
Listening to Elle ramble on, Brigitte recalled this morning.
In the morning, Brigitte packed lunch for Naru and one for Tywin.
Because today had been the field trip.
Thus, Tywin wouldn’t be home anytime soon.
And that meant Elle didn’t even know that Tywin was on a field trip.
‘… Not to point fingers, but mages do tend to neglect their children.’
It was suspicious in many ways.
Vrrrrm—
Elle’s communicator vibrated just then.
Elle after saying, “Excuse me,” distanced herself from Brigitte.
She was trying to speak with someone and the sound was soft enough on both ends that Brigitte couldn’t hear.
Of course, Brigitte overheard many things while living at the Walpurgis mansion and had also spent a long time with the Thief Judas who was called the worst.
She knew how to eavesdrop on a conversation.
「…the children went to the basement….」
“…I will deal…don’t do…anything.”
Children?
Basement?
A lot of keywords were heard.
Soon, Elle hung up and came back.
She spoke.
“There seems to be a problem with the supply delivery for the cafeteria.”
Cafeteria. Supply delivery.
Though she hadn’t heard clearly, that wasn’t the conversation that occurred.
“Headmaster Elle. You’re known as a genius but seem to be a poor liar. Do you know who I live with? That kind of feeble lie doesn’t work on me.”
“Oh….”
“From what I know the facility doesn’t have a basement. A non-existent basement. There must be some secret experimentation. If anything happens to the children, I won’t stand still.”
Brigitte opened her palm.
She was prepared to shoot a spell at any moment.
Elle Cladeco knew well that in the barbaric act of ‘battling’, she’d be no match for the Black Mage, Brigitte.
Her sloppy lying had backfired.
“Indeed, you are like my sister. Except that you won’t die.”
Wanna read ahead? Buy coins You can unlock chapters with coins or rather “genesis orbs”
Wanna unlock all premium chapters? Check the Membership Chapters will seamlessly unlock no need to bother buying coins anymore.
You can also support us by becoming an exclusive member here
You can rate this series here
You can check our dɨşçöŕd for illustrations here
25
