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IBP 80
I wanted to nod my head with all my might.
That I am actually Big Sister's Coco.
That I wanted to tell her to please love me and cherish me more, right now.
But even after all this commotion, the words "I am Big Sister's little sister, Coco" remained stubbornly stuck in my throat.
Suddenly, I remembered what Cherry had said.
She said that when the "decisive moment" for Big Sister to find out about me arrives, that's when I can tell her I'm Coco, right?
Thinking of the halo of light that had enveloped my body, I closed my eyes tightly.
It felt like the day Big Sister would recognize me wasn't far off.
For some reason, I had that instinctive feeling.
* * *
In the spot where Coco and Chloe had left, Ruth and Caligo remained in an awkward silence.
Following the etiquette of an adult, Ruth was the first to speak to Caligo.
"I heard you're returning to the North after the social season, is that correct?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, this social season is almost over..."
"That's why I'm worried. Coco will be left alone."
"What do you mean alone? I'm here, Father is here, and Chloe is here too."
"...Left without me."
Caligo's eyes narrowed slightly.
As he wore an expression as if he were thinking of something, Ruth squinted.
"Why did you suddenly stop talking while mentioning Coco? Suspicious."
"What's suspicious?"
"You've been paying an awful lot of attention to Coco for a while now."
As soon as Coco left, Caligo immediately started acting like a prickly cat.
'Oh, look at this. He was playing innocent in front of Coco.'
Ruth had known it from the moment he started being so sweet and attentive to Coco.
Ruth tilted his head teasingly while looking at Caligo.
"Coco is cute, right? You want to be close with her?"
"...She's cute and kind. But I don't want to be close."
"Hah, why? Wow, your standards are low."
Caligo spoke confidently.
"We're already close. Since we decided I'd be her first friend."
At the boasting tone, Ruth's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hehehe..."
Caligo flinched.
"A friendship between a five-year-old and a ten-year-old. Wow. I guess they're becoming childhood friends. I don't know why this is so cute."
Laughing joyfully, Ruth tried to pat Caligo's hair.
"No. You'll ruin my hair."
...Though Caligo absolutely refused to let anyone touch his head.
It was quite funny to see Caligo, who was usually so prickly, soften up in such unexpected ways.
'Ah... is this why everyone raises kids?'
Ruth Ardos.
In a life of over twenty years as a lifelong bachelor, he had recently started thinking that way.
* * *
The next morning at breakfast.
Duke Ardos, having experienced last night's great commotion, declared:
"Coco is to stay strictly inside the house for the time being. Every time she goes anywhere, she must tell a maid. Yes, understood?"
My eyes widened.
'Gasp, this is extreme overprotection...!'
But that wouldn't do.
Although I had wavered and shown a weak side, I had to diligently hang around Big Sister and protect her.
'I have to go to the hunting competition with Big Sister too.'
I lowered my voice, pretending to be pitiful, and spoke softly.
"I want to go outside too..."
Glancing at my slumped shoulders, Duke Ardos immediately retracted his declaration.
"Hah, goodness. Fine. Then she can just go with a whole line of maids and servants! Where do you want to go? Just say the word!"
"...Right now, I want to go see the downtown area. And next time, I want to see a social event."
"Then, come with me."
I nodded my head vigorously.
I'm going to travel all over with Big Sister!
And I'll drive away all those bad auditory hallucinations that keep trying to dominate my heart!
But then, Ruth threw a bucket of cold water on the mood.
"There's one problem. Does anyone know a downtown restaurant suitable for taking Coco? Since we're going sightseeing, we should take her somewhere nice."
"I'll look into it."
"Chloe, you? You don't have any friends. Didn't all those lackeys from before go and attach themselves to other people?"
At Ruth's words, Chloe tidied the table half-heartedly and replied.
"I do. Someone I can contact."
* * *
The next morning.
Lady Miru was waiting awkwardly at a cafe with a few ladies who followed her.
She had received a message from Chloe yesterday asking for a recommendation for a cafeteria downtown.
"Is Lady Chloe really coming?"
"Together with Lady Coco?"
"Yes, that's right."
No matter how you phrased it, Miru and Chloe were not on close terms.
Nevertheless, the reason she showed up was simple.
'Because I'm curious.'
Miru didn't dislike Chloe.
Rather, she enjoyed that Chloe was acting socially for the first time in a long while. It brought a fresh breeze to the social season.
And the best part was...
"Wowww, hello!"
It was the girl chattering adorably beside Chloe.
As Coco gave a cute, polite bow, Lady Miru smiled softly.
* * *
"Wow! This is so amazing!"
"I heard this coffee house is currently popular among noble ladies."
I stared wide-eyed at the catalog the clerk handed me.
"Hup, sweet potato tea...? How interesting. I'll have this one!"
Soon, the tea arrived in a beautiful teacup. Since they said it was tea with sweet potato shoots, I took a sip with great excitement, but!
"Ack."
"...Why?"
"It's not sweet at all! I think these are fake sweet potatoes!"
Seeing me make such a fuss, the other ladies and Big Sister burst into laughter.
'Why are they laughing?'
Is it funny that I'm drinking sweet potato tea?
I felt a bit sulky, but I soon continued chatting with the other ladies while sipping my tea.
They told me—who hadn't had my debutante yet—and Big Sister—who had been secluded from society for a while—all about the latest trends in the social circle.
"These days, it's trendy to carry a handheld fan. Lady Miru started the trend, didn't she?"
"Wow! It's so pretty!"
Lady Miru showed me her fan.
Looking at the engravings on the fan and chatting, my gloomy mood vanished.
Then, Big Sister smiled and opened the fan to fan me.
"How is it? Is it cool?"
"Yes!"
I nodded vigorously, feeling the gentle breeze...
Suddenly, I noticed the surrounding reaction had gone quiet.
'Oops, today's goal is to help Big Sister get close to the other ladies!'
Everyone is just looking at me.
I looked back and forth between the other ladies and Big Sister.
But this moment, when all eyes are focused, is exactly the opportunity.
Quickly shifting the topic from the fan, I asked maturely.
"By the way, are the other ladies not very well acquainted with my Big Sister Chloe?"
Big Sister just looked at me with an incredulous expression.
But she didn't deny it.
Another lady looked back and forth between me and Big Sister, speaking as if it were curious.
"Ah, yes."
"My Big Sister might look a bit cold on the outside. But actually, she's super, super warm!"
I gestured toward Big Sister, who hadn't stopped fanning me, and spoke confidently.
Big Sister had a look that said, 'What is this child doing all of a sudden?'
But I wanted Big Sister to make many friends, so I had no intention of stopping.
"Honestly, I didn't know Lady Chloe was such a kind and warm person."
"And I especially didn't know she was so good to the little one."
I squared my shoulders proudly.
Because everyone who likes my Big Sister is a good person.
"I love that everyone is kind and warm!"
Lady Miru looked at me with a broad smile.
"I didn't realize it when I first met the little one, but you are a truly gentle person as well."
Taking it a step further, I moved the conversation to the latest topic at our house.
"A new puppy came to our house!"
"Ah, Lady Coco recently got a puppy."
Big Sister answered in my stead.
"Some mindless person sent it as a gift in a carriage without even asking for my consent."
Lady Miru wore a heartbroken expression.
"No, how could they just send it without consent?"
"Exactly. Thinking about it that way... it makes me feel quite sad."
Until now, I had only been thinking about myself.
As I locked eyes with Lady Miru, I suddenly felt sulky out of worry for that puppy.
'That little one must be very lonely since it's also a baby...'
I'm probably the one who understands its heart the best.
Even though I'm a former puppy, I was foolishly jealous...
'I'm older. I'm a more grown-up puppy. I guess I was too narrow-minded.'
Until then, Lady Miru seemed to be thinking about something.
She whispered softly.
"About that new puppy."
"Hm?"
"...Would it be alright if I visited the mansion to see it? I'd like to see it too."
Pure curiosity was contained within her wavering gaze.
"It's a bit pitiful that it was sent as a gift... and I'm curious about what kind of puppy it is."
* * *
A few days later, Lady Miru visited the Ardos mansion.
Actually, it seemed like Big Sister rarely invited other people directly to the mansion...
But Big Sister readily invited Lady Miru.
Thus, Lady Miru carefully stepped inside Big Sister's mansion.
"Is this the one?"
A puppy full of snow-white fur, which had been whining and playing with a ball on the floor, suddenly sprang up.
It immediately recognized someone who would adore it and ran all the way here.
Had it rolled on the floor during a walk?
As it rubbed its body against the hem of Lady Miru's dress, it looked a bit scruffy with dust clinging to it.
However, Lady Miru didn't find it dirty, nor did she look at it as something bad.
As if looking at a beautiful and cute creature, she gazed at it quietly with a smile on her lips and laughed.
"...It's warm. I wonder what its name is."
"I heard it hasn't been named yet."
"Ah... it's so lovely, it's a pity it doesn't have a name yet."
"I couldn't be the one to name it. And the original owner expressed that it would be difficult to get it back."
Together with Big Sister, I looked at Lady Miru with eyes mixed with a bit of anticipation.
"Woof! Wa-oooong!"
"Oh, goodness. Do you want to play bite?"
"Wa-oooong! Grrr."
"You mustn't bite. Okay?"
Watching the warm daily interaction between one puppy and one person, I felt it instinctively.
"Big Sister, I think Lady Miru wants to take the puppy..."
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