Chapter 28: Ambitions (1)
Benjamin and the three sisters had a talk on the same day Sun woke up from her coma.
It was requested by Sun herself, and she was the best aware of her condition, so no one complained or questioned her.
Moon helped her get to the shrine while Estelle and Benjamin followed them, holding hands. Even though they were only a short distance away, Sun and Moon had a short exchange in which Sun mentally prepared Moon for a long conversation about their future plans and the problem that Moon couldn't hide from Benjamin.
The problem he couldn't discern with his Investor's Keen Eye.
Moon bit on her lower lip and nodded.
Before long, everyone sat at the table. The young couple were sitting beside each other while Sun and Moon sat across them, and each naturally had a cup of a drink.
Estelle had intended to make a light dinner for everyone, but Sun interjected and shook her head.
Sun smiled at everyone, then locked her eyes on Benjamin, "I'd like to confirm one thing with you, Benjamin. You're an owner of the mythical class. Am I right?"
"Yeah," Benjamin nodded, his words shocking the rest of the sisters. Even though he had told them he could invest in them and bring boons to himself and them, no one expected his class to be highly prestigious.
Mythical classes were said to be classes that break space, time, and worlds.
Sun curved her lips up, "I am to believe you're serious about working with three of us as long as we provide you with enough means to improve yourself."
"As I said to Estelle and Moon already, I don't want to look at my laurels. My current role is a side character role, and I'll latch myself to any protagonist or even antagonist as long as it allows me to see the end. That finale might not even come to pass in my life, and I might die before it, but at least I will die with new ambitions and trophies," Benjamin explained.
Still wearing shock from Benjamin's revelation about his mythical class, Estelle picked up quite a cruel word 'antagonist' with her wolf ears and turned her eyes to look at him.
Her kind disposition didn't like that word.
It sounded so problematic, too.
Sun and Moon, however, were opposite.
"In this case, I'd love for you to listen to our story… it's meant to explain things to our adorable fluff, but I will use it as a foundation to reveal our ambition to you," Sun's smile didn't fade, but the fire in her pinkish eyes turned the entire conversation serious. "It started when our Mother learned that she had been used by an antagonist."
"Eh?!" Estelle yelped and slammed her hands on the table, leaning closer to gaze into her elder sister's eyes worriedly.
Unmoved by that reaction, Sun continued, "She's learned about it too late."
Benjamin interjected, "Probably with Estelle in her belly."
"That's indeed the case. However, please, do not cut in, Benjamin," Sun admonished Benjamin with the same tone she used to tell off Estelle and Moon, making these two awkwardly smile.
Benjamin curtly nodded and apologized, his reaction drawing even wider smiles from the two sisters.
Content, Sun carried on, "Yes, she learned about that with Estelle in her belly… Mother used all means to take us back from the Sun Shrine and Moon Shrine, then… but that had been too difficult. She came up with many excuses and finally got us home for a short vacation. That's when she helped us become normal."
As Estelle and Benjamin tilted their heads and urged her to explain, Sun chuckled and explained, "We were taught that those foreign existences within us are trials sent by the goddess for us to overcome them and become their vessels so as to those goddesses could descent into this world whenever it'd be demanded. This meant that once we overcame those hardships, we'd become the main priestesses of our respective shrines and wield much influence worldwide."
Estelle chimed in, her voice timid, "W-where is the antagonist in that?"
Even though her case was milder than her older sisters, Estelle had gone through a lot of problems and fears because of the foreign soul within her. She didn't even question what it meant for their Mother to help them become normal as Estelle could imagine that living in the main shrines of the goddesses, with people devoted to them, could really mess and trigger those souls and cause her sisters much more pain.
Estelle didn't want to bring that topic up and instead asked about the antagonist from which it all must have begun.
Sun smiled at her lovely fluff's kindness and nodded, "It's unknown as to how that antagonist knew that… but he passed for Father the information that once he and our Mother were to have children, three of them would be sisters like the three sister goddesses of Sun, Moon, and Earth, and that their bodies would be that of protagonists apt enough to become the main priestesses. It could have been divination like Moon has learned or any other power. It's terrifying and sad, but we were born into the playground of the antagonist, and our Father is blinded by him, too."
A thick silence descended onto the kitchen.
Estelle broke it a few minutes later and asked, "Then… my name…"
Moon smiled and finally added her few cents, "Yes. It's the one Mom came up with to keep you from the Earth Shrine. She was also so happy to name you herself, you know? I was so young back then, but I remember her holding you in her arms with a wide smile and tears of happiness."
Sun nodded and added, "The name alone was enough to keep you away from the shrine, but the foreign soul was unfortunately born within you at the same time, which meant that we couldn't keep you away from the belief."
Benjamin raised his hand, his eyes piercing Sun.
She flinched for a second, then nodded at him, giving him a chance to speak.
He smirked, "Is that why Estelle calls believers clients and is clearly aware that all donations and stuff aren't going to the goddess but to the shrine under the three of you? While all are done in the name of the goddess, she knows that the three of you benefit the most from it."
Estelle widened her eyes.
Moon sank into the chair and whispered to herself, "Why is he so astute only in this case?"
Sun laughed and agreed with his words, "You're correct."
"I still have some doubts about that move, though," Benjamin voiced his concerns after triumphantly smiling at the sisters.
Sun was the one to solve them, "It's simple. After learning about our stories, most would come to the conclusion that we would want to get rid of the souls within us and separate ourselves from the shrines. It's important, however, to look farther ahead and think of problems that might come out from it."
Benjamin could imagine a few. He nodded.
Sun continued, "Also, we were born to be used… so why would we just let those powers and influence go and forget about past grievances? It's better to use it for our content. Snatch the influence of the goddesses and the shrines, and thwart the plans of all of those who plotted to use us three. This shrine—the shrine of three goddess sisters—is the beginning of our usurpation."
Benjamin agreed with her now that he could see what Sun had planned. Moon seemed to be on her side, but because of his visit to her world, he could see that Moon wanted to kill her stepbrother more than anything.
Estelle's choice was also important. She needed some time to think about her future.
"Is Mom okay?" Estelle asked.
Sun nodded, "Mother has lots of tricks up her sleeve… she might not be a protagonist, but she has given birth to three of them, so she's stronger than you think."
Estelle sighed with relief, "I'm on board with all of you! I won't let you suffer alone!"
Sun and Moon brightly smiled at their youngest sister.
"We should eat something," Sun rose to her feet slowly, "Could you help me?"
Moon and Estelle exchanged a signal that only these two knew. Benjamin had noticed it, but he couldn't discern what that signal meant, and he did his best to avoid looking at them so as to Sun wouldn't pick up on anything.
Estelle quickly got to her feet and ran toward her elder sister, "You have to rest, elder sister! Me and Moon will cook up something light for all of us!"
Moon quickly added her support, "Yep! I can prepare anything simple, after all!"
Sun protested, "I just need to stretch my arms a little, and I will be able to help… it's been a while since I was in a kitchen, too."
"Y-you had better not go there! Ah! No! No!" Estelle shook her head, "You should rest, elder sister!"
Moon glared at Estelle for this slip of tongue before cajoling her elder sister, "That's right. Just go to rest and cook something for us another time."
It was Estelle's turn to glare at her older sister. Moon realized the reason and awkwardly whistled.
Benjamin was holding himself back from laughing. For some reason, these two didn't want to allow Sun to get into the kitchen, and it surely wasn't because Sun had just woken up from the coma.
"I don't understand you," Sun sighed, "I know how to cook."
Estelle's slip of tongue allowed Benjamin to understand the reason, "But you forget simple stuff, such as to wash vegetables and fruits, or even boil the water… you forget anything that's not so important…"
Sun widened her eyes and angrily rebuked her youngest sister, "How could you! Badly cooked food can be more potent than poison! I'd never offer this to my family!"
Moon whispered, "But you did… and you obviously forgot that. Just like you'll forget that we had this conversation."
At that moment, Benjamin connected some dots.
Back in Sun's world, she had told him that she was bad with names and often forgot them.
It seemed this flaw stretched much farther than just names.
He laughed, "Good luck, you two. I'll go read a book."
Sun interjected, "Help me to convince them, Benjamin!"
"No! No! Leave him alone!" Estelle chimed in.
Moon just glared at him now that his name was brought up.
Benjamin squinted his eyes as three beautiful sisters had now their attention on him, "I'll be a good boyfriend and listen to my adorable girlfriend. See ya later."
Benjamin left the lobby.