While watching Zwei-san being teased by Ein-san… or rather, as she
tries her best to somehow pull Ein-san, who was teasing her, I
continued listening to Alice.
[Well, in a good and bad way, that child is really serious… so perhaps,
that's why she was often misunderstood in her family.]
[Is that so? However, she certainly is strict in many ways but… Even I,
who have only met her for a short time, can tell that Zwei-san cares
about her family.]
It's true that Zwei-san is strict about etiquette and scolds Dr. Vier for
her mistakes. However, I also understood that this is because she cares
about her family.
Dr. Vier and Neun-san were also scared of Zwei-san, but from what I
could read with my Sympathy Magic, they didn't seem to have any ill
feelings towards Zwei-san.
If one had to describe it, "they like her for being a family-oriented big
sister, but they're afraid of her strictness". With that image in mind, I
don't feel like I'm misunderstanding her…
[No, in the first place, Zwei-san… She "isn't strict at all" though?]
[…Unnn?]
[There are two main evaluations that Zwei-san's family had towards
her. "Those who think of her as a strict but family-oriented big sister",
and "those who think of her as a kind and family-oriented big sister".]
[Those evaluations looked like they're polar opposites… Why did her
family's evaluation towards her diverge that much?]
[Well, that's the biggest point for that misunderstanding. Wait a minute,
I'll get someone from each of those two patterns…]
Saying that, Alice disappeared for a few seconds before two people
appeared in her place.
[Ayaya? Kaitokun-san! Hello~~ Congratulations!]
[Raz-san… Errr, thank you.]
[Yes!]
One of them was Raz-san, who had a big smile on her face as she used
her small body to express her congratulations… Unnn, Raz-san would
definitely be on the side of those who think that "Zwei-san is a kind and
family-oriented big sister". She and Zwei-san seemed to be on good
terms back at the Six Kings Festival… Well, to begin with, I've never
seen anyone who doesn't get along with Raz-san, the communipower
monster…
[Miyama-kun, hello. Thank you for inviting me today… So, errr, why did
Shalltear-sama told me to come here?]
[Dr. Vier, hello.]
The second one was Dr. Vier, who spoke to me with a gentle smile. I
guess she would be on the side of those who think that "Zwei-san is a
strict but family-oriented big sister".
The clumsy Dr. Vier seems to be scolded a lot, and although she doesn't
hate Zwei-san, she seems to be quite afraid of her.
As I was thinking about this, Alice appeared again and talked to the two
of them.
[Both of you, look there for a moment. See Zwei-san over there?]
[Uwaahhh! It's Big Sister Zwei! She's been so busy lately, so I'd like to
talk with her later!]
[Gehh, it's Big Sister Zwei… W- W- W- What should I do? Miyama-kun,
do I look strange?]
Their reactions truly were far apart. Raz-san smiled happily when she
spotted Zwei-san, while Dr. Vier looked flustered and began to worry
about her appearance.
[Well, these are the two patterns I mentioned earlier.]
[U- Unnn. I understood what you meant by that… but in the end, what
misunderstanding were you talking about earlier?]
[You'll find out the answer to that soon enough. Raz-san, may I ask you
something?]
[Yes? What is it, Phantasmal King-sama?]
After lightly chuckling at my words, Alice turned to Raz-san and spoke.
[Since Raz-san has been hanging out with Zwei-san for a long time, have
you ever been scolded for your manners and etiquette?]
[Of course, she has. "Stop that!" she said.]
[I see, I see… Incidentally, when you were scolded, was there a "long
sermon"?]
[Unnn? What's that? Big Sister Zwei is very kind, so "she isn't giving me
a long sermon", you know? The longest she had scolded me is just about
"10 minutes"?]
[Eeeeehhhh!?]
Hearing the words Raz-san said, sounding really curious as to why Alice
was asking her that, Dr. Vier's eyes widened in astonishment. I guess
her acting like that isn't strange, because I'm actually surprised too.
According to Dr. Vier and Neun-san, Zwei-san's sermons are extremely
long, lasting several hours. However, Raz-san said that her longest
sermon only took 10 minutes, so there was a big difference between
their statements.
[R- Raz!? What do you mean? Y- You've never received a long sermon
from Big Sister Zwei?]
[No? Is it different with Big Sister Vier?]
Apparently, Raz-san never really received a long sermon. Turning
towards Alice with a questioning look on my face… a wry smile
appeared on Alice's lips again as she continued.
[Yes, this difference in perception is their big difference. And the reason
for this is… Vier-san, what do you do when you are being scolded by
Zwei-san? Is it that you sit quietly and listen to Zwei-san's sermon until
she finishes?]
[T- That's right…]
[Big Sister Vier, you shouldn't do that!]
[Eh? I- I shouldn't?]
[Yes! After all, if Big Sister Vier just stays silent, Big Sister Zwei
"wouldn't know if Big Sister Vier heard what Big Sister Zwei said or
not"!]
[Eh? Ehhh?]
Fumu, what is this… I think I'm starting to see what misunderstanding
Alice was talking about. Alice said that Zwei-san has an overly serious
personality, both in a good and bad way, and with the difference in
perception and response between Raz-san and Dr. Vier… and from the
words said just now…
[Hey, Alice. Could it be that Zwei-san's sermon being too long… was just
"Zwei-san repeating the same thing over and over again because she
thinks the other person didn't understand what she was saying"…?]
[ ! ? ]
[Correct. And because she is overly serious, she even adjusts the
phrasing and content of her sermons every time she repeats herself.]
Coming upon a realization, Dr. Vier looked completely stunned.
[For the time being, Kaito-san, now that Ein-san's teasing is over and
Zwei-san seems to have calmed down, please try saying what I'm about
to say to Zwei-san.]
[A- Alright.]
[Vier-san, please stay here and listen. You should be able to hear them
from this distance, right?]
[…Y- Yes.]
Even as I was surprised by what she wanted me to tell her, I agreed to
what Alice said and walking towards Zwei-san, I told her what I heard
from Alice.
[…Zwei-san, ummm, thank you for your hard work.]
[Miyama-sama. My apologies for showing you something unsightly.]
[N- No, don't worry about it. That aside, I have a few questions I'd like
to ask you, Zwei-san…]
[Questions? Yes, if it's anything I can answer, ask away.]
Probably because my impression of Zwei-san had changed after the
conversation we had just had, but I didn't feel as nervous as I had been
before when I talked to her like this. There was almost no change in her
facial expression, and her sharp eyes make her look stern… but putting
aside my preconceptions, Zwei-san is someone polite and considerate.
Even now, when I told her about suddenly asking her a question, she
responded without question… I guess it really is as Alice said, she really
is a kind person.
[Errr, I heard that Zwei-san often guides your family, but isn't it
troublesome?]
[No, if it's for my important family, I would never feel like it's
troublesome. It hurts my heart to scold my sisters and brothers, but I
can't regret it if I overlook it and my family gets embarrassed in the
outside world. Even though it pains me, but sometimes, I sometimes
scold them a little too harshly.]
[Is that so… How should I say this… That's rather impressive.]
[I'm flattered by your compliment. However… I can't say I'm too proud
of it. Embarrassing it may be to say this, but I have a bad habit of
"telling things to them with words that are too difficult" and because of
this, my teaching often goes on unnecessarily long.]
[R- Really?]
[Yes, if I was able to explain things more skillfully, I would be able to
give them more concise instructions… but it's difficult. I'm trying to
improve it, but it's not going well.]
It seems like I really had guessed correctly. And now, I understand why
Alice said that she was just being overly serious.
I guess Zwei-san is the type of person who, when something goes
wrong, thinks "it's her fault". Indeed, with the way she holds on to
things by herself, she would be the type of person who is easily
misunderstood.
Chatting like that with Zwei-san for a little while, I then thanked her
and went back to Alice and the others.
Dr. Vier seemed to be in a state of confusion, with her gaze restlessly
moving about.
[Eh? T- Then, is it really the case that Big Sister Zwei's sermon was so
long… was because I just quietly listened to her?]
[That's right. Think back carefully to Zwei-san's sermons so far. After a
certain amount of talking, "she would pause for a bit", right?]
[…I- Indeed, she often pauses…]
[If at that moment, you said something along the lines of "I'm wrong
with this, so I'm going to do that next time", the sermon would have
been over. However, if you kept your silence, the serious Zwei-san
would have thought "I guess she didn't understand because I didn't say
it right" and repeated the same thing with different words.]
[......]
I see, so the reason why Zwei-san's reputation is split within her family
was whether or not they would react to that pause of hers.
[Now that Vier-san knows it, let's try it out. Vier-san, here, please hold
this glass.]
[Eh? Errr…]
[Then, spill the contents of this glass in front of Zwei-san on purpose
and let her lecture you. After that, try to remember what I have just said
and respond to her scolding. I'm sure that this will clear up your
misunderstanding.]
[…I- I understand.]
Her face stiffened for a moment at the part about being scolded on
purpose, but Dr. Vier took the glass and slowly approached Zwei-san.
As I watched her back, I posed a question to Alice.
[…Dr. Vier has a straightforward personality, and with her being that
nervous, wouldn't it be unnatural for her to act like a klutz on purpose?]
[Ahh, it's alright. She has quite the history of klutziness, so I'm sure that
if I ask her act klutzy at something, she will klutzily trip over something
else…]
[Fugyaaahhh!?]
[…And there she goes.]
Before Alice could finish her sentence, Dr. Vier stepped on the hem of
her dress and splendidly tripped on the ground. As expected of Alice,
she had perfectly foresaw this scenario.
Seeing the fallen Dr. Vier, Zwei-san quickly reacted.
[Vier! You again…]
[Hyiiiihhh!?]
[I told you to watch your step, didn't I?]
[Yeshhhh!?]
[Listen here, in the first place…]
And thus, I don't know if I should say that it's to be expected or not, but
the scolding on her carelessness began. The stern expression on her
face and her sharp teacher-like voice was so powerful that I couldn't
help but stretch out my back even though I wasn't the one being
scolded.
Just like that, Dr. Vier sat in a seiza for a few minutes, being scolded by
Zwei-san about her carelessness… Then, after talking for some time,
she stopped and looked at Dr. Vier.
Dr. Vier, who had shrunk into silence at the sharp gaze Zwei-san was
giving her, perhaps remembering Alice's advice, timidly spoke.
[…I- I'm sorry, Big Sister Zwei. This wouldn't have happened if I looked
where I walked… Ummm, I'll be more careful next time.]
[...…]
When Dr. Vier said that with her head lowered, Zwei-san's expression
seemed to soften.
[…It's alright if you understand. Come, stand up, Vier.]
Saying that, Zwei-san pulled the sitting Dr. Vier up, and lightly brushed
the dirt from Dr. Vier's clothes with her hands.
[It's not just about embarrassment… I know that you are strong and
will not be injured by just tripping. However, I would still feel worried
about you, my precious little, when you trip. Please don't make me
worry too much.]
[…B- Big Sister Zwei…]
[There, you're all cleaned up now. Keep what I said in mind, and
continue with…]
[Big Sister Zweeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiii!?]
[V- Vier!? What's wrong with you?]
Perhaps, moved by Zwei-san's kind words, Dr. Vier's eyes teared up and
she hugged Zwei-san.
[I'm sorry! I- I… I've always been misunderstanding Big Sister Zwei!!!]
[M- Misunderstanding? W- What do you mean? At what point of our
conversation is…]
[Big Sisteeeeeerrrr!]
[C- Calm down, Vier. What in the world is with you… I'll properly listen
to you, okay? But there are eyes everywhere, so stop crying…]
Seeing Dr. Vier cry, probably because she felt guilty for being afraid of
Zwei-san, Zwei-san looked confused, seemingly unable to understand
the situation.
Zwei-san, who was flusteredly trying to somehow calm Dr. Vier down,
really just looked like a kind big sister who loves her little sister.
How should I say this… Although I was surprised with all sorts of
things, I was glad to get to know what Zwei-san really is like.
I thought it would be rude to continue watching Zwei-san and Dr. Vier
like that, so I decided to just resume greeting the others and quickly left
the place.
There's a bit of a ruckus, but I guess I can say that the party is generally
peaceful.
Yes, that's what I thought. Although all the people that gathered here
were extraordinary people, I was still somewhat used to them since
they attended my birthday party last year, so I thought there wouldn't
be any problem… Yes… That's what I thought.
…That is until I saw "the God of this world and the God of another
world" staring at each other, their magic power clashing with each
other to the point that the space is warping…