"Orca?"

"..."

"I have some delicious snacks. Would you like some?"

"..."

"How about a drink?"

"..."

"Um, maybe some rare whiskey that just arrived..."

"I'm a student!"

"Right..."

It seems Orca isn’t fond of alcohol.

Given that she was a child who wandered the back alleys, I thought she might enjoy it.

Was that just a stereotype?

I had hoped to see her reaction to alcohol once she became an adult, but now I’m a bit disappointed.

...Well, I might sneak her a taste when I have the chance.

"Hmph."

"Mmm..."

But that’s a matter for later.

Right now, I need to figure out why Orca is reacting this way.

Surely, she wouldn’t get this upset just because a few cookie crumbs fell on the bed.

Of course, it’s annoying, but...

It’s not something to be this angry about, right?

Orca isn’t the type to be bothered by such things.

The environment she grew up in was too harsh for her to be disturbed by something so trivial.

"Is there something bothering you...?"

"No."

"Oh, okay."

Hmm, the atmosphere is really awkward.

I thought today was going well. After all, I had fun playing a game with someone I get along with for the first time in a while.

But now it feels like an unexpected problem has arisen.

Why is she angry...?

Orca isn’t the type to get angry over nothing. There must be a reason.

But I can’t figure it out.

"Hello, Ophilia-sensei. Are you in?"

"Oh..."

"Go ahead. It’s really nothing."

Is it really okay to leave?

I read on the internet that if your partner says to go ahead and you actually leave, it can make things worse.

...But, well, Orca and I are just a teacher and student, so it shouldn’t matter, right?

We’re not in a relationship or anything.

"I’ll be back. If you get hungry, feel free to grab some snacks."

"Sure."

Thankfully, Orca didn’t seem to be in a particularly bad mood.

It didn’t look like she was sick or anything.

I sighed in relief and opened the door to the counseling room.

"Hello."

"...Oh, it's you, Guardian. Hello."

"Would it be alright if I came in for a moment?"

"Um... well..."

I glanced at Orca to gauge her reaction.

She didn’t look sick, but she didn’t seem to be in a good mood either...

"The counseling room is a bit messy right now, so I think it needs to be cleaned up. It might be difficult to come in at the moment."

"...I see."

"Sorry."

This should be fine.

Orca and Anastasia don’t exactly get along well, to put it mildly.

Orca harbors hatred for the church because of the persecution she endured growing up, and Anastasia wants to find clues through Orca to redeem her father.

I hope they can become friends someday, but...

Now isn’t the right time. The risks are too high. At least not until Anastasia’s issues are resolved.

When that time comes, I wouldn’t object to them meeting. In fact, I might even encourage it.

"I see... Then, would you like to take a walk with me?"

"What?"

"I wanted to have a counseling session... Would that be okay?"

"..."

I nodded in response to Anastasia's suggestion.

"Sure."

She probably just used the counseling session as an excuse.

I know that well enough. She likely wants to get close to Orca and thought befriending me was the first step.

But I didn’t refuse.

If she wants to get close to me, that means I can help her.

...And I also want to get close to her.

It feels like one of the members of my favorite idol group just asked me to be friends.

It’s really hard to keep a straight face.

In my excitement, I didn’t notice it.

I didn’t see Orca glaring at me with eyes full of discontent.

"So, what’s the subject of today’s counseling?"

"Um..."

...Did she come without even thinking up a lie?

I suppressed the urge to sigh at her carelessness.

Well, I suppose that’s understandable. She’s spent her whole life as a clergyperson.

She grew up in a typical family with a strict father and a kind mother, like something out of an old-fashioned introduction letter.

Of course, she’s not used to lying.

She’s not as blatantly obvious as a comic character, but she’s still quite unskilled at deception. She’s not talented at fooling people.

"...Ah! Um, well, the church is quite understaffed these days."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Due to some unfortunate events, our numbers have decreased..."

"Are you talking about the war?"

"W-War might be a bit strong..."

"It’s a war, no matter how you look at it."

In this world, power is clearly divided into two: the royal family that governs the country and the church that spreads the word of God.

For a long time, these two forces have coexisted without infringing on each other’s territory.

...Or at least, they did. Not anymore.

This was an event that happened before the game started.

You know, the kind of event that serves as the backdrop for the main story.

The game I used to play wasn’t much different. That event was the catalyst for everything.

It’s why Anastasia’s father was consumed by a demon.

It’s why a demon resides in Orca’s body.

It’s why Leo became infatuated with knights.

It’s why Eilyn gave up the sword.

And it’s why Stella, despite her young age, got caught up in a power struggle and developed a belief in survival of the fittest.

All of this is connected to that war.

...And, of course, it didn’t just affect the playable characters.

Most of the NPCs were also influenced, either directly or indirectly, by that event.

"...Yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t deny it. It was a war."

One of the most prominent characters affected by this is Professor Ian.

The reason he became a terrorist bomber is because of that war.

He lost his wife and daughter in the conflict between the royal family and the church and spent years wandering in despair.

It’s a bit tragic that it ended with him becoming a terrorist.

"But because of that, we’re trying to atone for our sins."

"Trying to atone..."

"Yes. We run facilities to care for children who lost their parents in the war."

"And?"

Anastasia, who had rushed over without even planning out what to say, blurted out this excuse.

This is probably true without needing verification.

Even if her father didn’t want to, Anastasia likely would have.

And the demon possessing her father probably had no choice but to operate the orphanages because of public scrutiny.

"The problem is that the number of children far exceeds the number of facilities available."

"I’m aware of that."

How could I not be?

It’s obvious just from Orca’s background.

She probably doesn’t remember because she was too young, but her family was killed in that war.

Naturally, Orca became a homeless orphan, wandering the cold streets.

If there had been enough orphanages, that wouldn’t have happened.

"Here’s the main point... We’ve been hearing a lot about the lack of manpower, not just facilities, because of the sheer number of children."

"...That’s unfortunate."

"Yes, it really is."

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"I was wondering if you could spare some time to help at the church... The children could really use some motherly care..."

Where exactly are you looking?

I subtly raised my hand to cover my chest.

"Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that..."

"...It’s fine."

"Ahem... Uh, would you consider it?"

Honestly, this is incredibly sloppy.

Weren’t you supposed to be here for counseling?

Where did that go? Your true intention of bringing me to the church to build rapport is so obvious.

You’re really terrible at lying...

Well, I guess that’s why you couldn’t escape the plot laid out by the demon and just nodded along.

Instead of pointing out her sloppiness, I nodded.

"Alright."

"...!"

There was no need for me to point it out.

In fact, it felt kind of nice that Anastasia was so bad at lying—it’s very true to her character.

"Th-Thank you so mu—!"

"I’m coming too."

I accepted her request and let her off the hook for her mistake.

If it hadn’t been for the voice that interrupted her attempt to thank me, we probably would have exchanged farewells and parted ways.

"...Orca? Since when were you here?"

"Since you stepped out of the room."

From the very beginning! How long have you been there?!

While I was still in shock, Orca looked at Anastasia and said,

"Is that okay?"

"Oh, yes. The more help, the better."

"There you go. When are we going?"

"...Should we go on the weekend?"

"Sounds good."

Ah.

I knew today was too good to be true.

I grabbed my head in exasperation.