Chapter 348

It's perfectly normal for children to have such rapid mood swings.

Therefore, in the days that followed, the matter was put aside in Ilya's mind, and she no longer paid attention to Ivia, returning to her usual life.

In other words, it's just going to class, leaving class, chatting with friends, having lunch with friends, going to class again, waiting for school to end in the afternoon, going home to watch the newly bought Musashi DVD, doing homework, eating dinner, taking a bath, and going to bed. It's just a very ordinary daily routine.

However, the Third Term went by very quickly, because it only lasted three months, and after a one- or two-week spring break, the new grade would start in April.

Because the final exams will begin in mid-January to early February, the academic year summary will be in mid-February, and a small sports meet will be held from mid to late March.

Well, Ilya actually thought it was pretty good. Although there weren't many ups and downs, it was fulfilling. Until one day at lunchtime, Tatsuko, who was eating with her, suddenly brought up a topic—

"Ivia, have you joined some kind of Cult?"

"Don't talk nonsense, Tatsuko. This is not a light topic."

"But isn't it strange for someone to directly call themselves Maitreya?"

Looking at Suzuka Kurihara, Tatsuko Yamama continued seriously, "I looked it up online, and a lot of strange religions in Japan are related to Buddhism, like the Aum Shinrikyo, Shinnyo-en, Peace Church, and so on. Maybe this guy has been being called to the Nurse’s Office Teacher Caren every day for some kind of psychological counseling."

Even so, it shouldn't concern us, we're just elementary school students...

"That's true, but I'm only slightly interested."

"Huh? Tatsuko is interested? Could it be a secret crush?"

"No, it's just that Ivia seems to have some very interesting secret."

Tatsuko Yamama readily denied it, "Besides, according to the security guard, he never comes to or leaves school with Teacher. Caren. Isn't that strange? They're clearly siblings, and they always leave school very late. What does that mean? It means their family life isn't so harmonious!"

This did awaken Ilya's memory of bumping into Ivia on that day in the Third Term.

Could it be... that he actually ran away from home that day?

Spending a night in a park in winter is so cold... so after I accidentally stumbled upon this, I went somewhere else?

"What the Tatsuko said makes some sense..."

Among the four Moriyama Nanaki nodded slightly. "So how about the rest of us observe for a bit today? Anyway, we don't have much to do lately."

"Absolutely."

"Alright, the manuscript has already been submitted, so my sister's pressure has decreased a lot, and my time won't be squeezed out anymore."

Suzuka Kurihara adjusted her glasses and looked at Ilya, who was silently eating without saying a word. "Ilya, would you like to come with us?"

"I do think it's not a good idea to investigate others without permission..."

"Ilya, who sits next to Ivy and was caught up in this drama, should have become good friends with Ivia by now. Things are progressing too slowly."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Suzuka, really don't overthink it. It was just a small accident."

Ilya, with a hot fried meat patty in her mouth, said, "But if you all think that way, include me too."

Thus, the four began to observe Ivia.

On the first day, just as the security guard had said, the four people outside the school noticed that Ivia left the school very late, and they didn't know what she was doing at school. Unfortunately, they also lost her.

So the next day, the four of them decided to stay inside the school to see what Ivia was doing late at night.

So when school was over, the four of them stared at each other in the girls' restroom in the hallway.

"I mean, isn't it a bit strange to hide in the bathroom for so long right after school...?"

Ilya raised one hand, looking at her three friends with a somewhat speechless expression.

"This is for confidentiality; detectives can't let anyone know when they're investigating intelligence."

Suzuka Kurihara smiled confidently and helped the group put on camouflage Sun. "I'm a professional!"

After taking the Sun and putting them on, Ilya could only mutter, "These are way too conspicuous..."

"Impossible! I've seen on TV that even when my mom is face-to-face with someone wearing glasses, she can't tell the difference!"

"That's just for the plot..."

"Alright, alright, quiet Ivia has come out of the classroom. Hurry up and catch up. She actually stayed for a whole class period. She really can stay."

Thus, the four of them followed Ivia 'cautiously' and successfully arrived at the first floor.

Wait a minute, isn't this clearly leaving school? Could it be that he's changed his mind today?

No further words were needed; the same meaning was clear in their eyes. However, what happened next left them stunned—

Ivia opened the shoe cabinet, and instantly it overflowed with letters—love letters—that were practically overflowing the cabinet.

"Wow, that's amazing... So many love letters! None of us have ever received one..."

"Hehe, it doesn't matter... But why is this guy so popular? It's completely illogical. Why don't I see students from other classes surrounding our class?"

"Apart from class time, Yi has been called to Teacher. Caren's Nurse’s Office. If anyone's going to be surrounded, it should be the Nurse’s Office."

"So, the reason you left school so late was just to deal with these love letters?"

"That's not right. Burning it or throwing it down the drain wouldn't take that long."

While the group was discussing in hushed tones, they soon saw Ivia's approach.

The love letters scattered on the ground were neither burned nor thrown into the sewer by Ivia. Instead, they were placed in the desk drawers inside the classrooms on the first and second floors.

"This is simply superhuman! To know who the sender is without even opening the letter, and to know their location, is that memory beyond human capabilities?! Why did they condescend to attend Homurahara Elementary School? Why didn't they just go straight to the university's gifted program?"

"Does believing in Buddhism really have the ability to develop the brain? Then wouldn't Jesus have lost 100% of the time?"

"Maybe it's just a simple prank, they might just be sending it randomly..."

"But this is clearly purposeful, right? It shouldn't be just randomly sending it back?"

"Believe in that possibility, it's better to believe I am the Tathagata Buddha. After all, I'll lend you my homework to copy, so you can call me Buddha a couple of times."

However, having learned why Ivia left school so late, the four chose not to follow him, but instead went to the rooftop.

"That's amazing..."

After arriving on the rooftop with the others, Ilya, who was taking a break, leaned against the railing.

So, let's sort out what's happening right now.

First of all, Ivia leaves school so late every day to deal with these love letters...

"Um..."

Ilya came up with an assumption.

Actually, there were no family conflicts at all. The reason he didn't come to and leave school with Teacher. Caren was simply to prevent Teacher. Caren from being disturbed because of him. In that sense, he really is a good younger brother.

"Hmm, is that really true?"

I don't think so. I remember they were nominally siblings, so... they're not blood-related siblings.

Ilya considered another hypothesis.

In order to get closer to his sister, with whom he has no blood relation, Ivia, the younger brother, transferred schools without permission, which led to an irreconcilable conflict with his sister, who had a different Faith. What a good younger brother!

Isn't this the same?

That didn't seem right, which led Ilya to consider another hypothesis.

"Ilya, do you have some kind of fantasy about your older sister? Why is every guess you make about this kind of sibling story?"

"Heh heh, this is a reasonable deduction based on existing information, Suzuka."

Adjusting Sun sunglasses, Ilya smiled confidently.

"Alright, alright, it's time to end the guessing game."

Moriyama Nanaki was also leaning against the railing, spotted a figure on the first floor. "Ivia is about to leave school. Let's see if she's going back to Caren 'Teacher house."

Without further ado, the four of them, who had already discussed it, ran downstairs together. The security guard at the school gate kept his promise and even tried to keep Ivia from leaving for a moment, saying things like, "Why are you so late again today, classmate?" or "Want to get something to eat?" to get her attention.

So when the four of them walked out of the first floor, Ivia was just leaving the school gate.

Thank you so much, Grandpa.

As the four of them talked, they crossed the pedestrian crossing and ran energetically towards the other side of the road, waving to the security guard.

"Be careful on your journey, and don't stay out too late and worry your families."

The school security guard greeted the group with a smile, and when he returned to his booth, the smile just wouldn't leave his face.

He looked back and saw the Fuyuki bathed in the setting sun.

The children at school are leisurely enjoying their youth today; it's true, being young is wonderful.

"Teacher Caren's house... is empty."

"That's strange. I clearly came this way, how did they disappear in the blink of an eye? They couldn't have been discovered and then feinted at me, could they?"

"Let's put this topic aside for now. It's getting late, we need to go home."

The group, who had initially relaxed their pace because they saw Ivia heading in the direction of Caren's Teacher, only to discover at the end that none of the lights were on in Caren 'Teacher house, meaning it was completely empty.

"That's true, it's getting dark already. It wouldn't be good if the family worried. Let's leave it at that for today."

"Oh, right, these Sun..."

Upon hearing this, Ilya, who was about to leave, touched the sunglasses she was still wearing, intending to take them off and return them to Suzuka Kurihara.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, consider it a gift from me."

After saying that, Suzuka Kurihara ran home, as did the other two. Ilya herself also felt it was better to get home quickly, so she chose a shortcut she hadn't taken in a long time—the same road where she had bumped into Ivia.

However, on the somewhat desolate road illuminated only by streetlights, Ilya made a surprising discovery—

Caren, the Teacher in the Nurse’s Office and Ivia's older sister.

Caren was seen cautiously pressed against the wall, just like Ilya had been before, as if trying to spy on the Small Park. This gave Ilya the Teacher that Caren might be imitating her from that day... Feeling very strange, Ilya looked at the Small Park, and just like she remembered, there was no one around.

"Teacher. Caren, you are--"

"Shh."

Caren remained completely calm upon hearing Ilya's voice; she simply turned her head and put a finger to her lips, as if to tell Ilya to be quiet.

Realizing this, Ilya naturally shut her mouth. Then, when she looked at the park again, still puzzled, she saw an unbelievable scene: the park, which had been empty except for the playground equipment, now had a tent?

"This--"

"Illyasviel of the Einzbern Family, do you know what 'curiosity killed the cat' means?"

"W-what do you mean!?"

"If we delve too deeply into this matter..."

Caren's expression was so indifferent, it was as if she were some kind of Demon. "But I'll turn you into skewers, with Scallion and Chili Pepper."

"Wh-what..."

"Moriyama Nanaki, Tatsuko Yamama, Suzuka Kurihara, and you, Illyasviel, I've been watching everything you four have done these past two days. How dare you act like this at such a young age? Perhaps you haven't been given enough homework? It seems I'll have to ask Teacher. Taiga to give you so much homework that you'll struggle to finish it even after school."

From a certain perspective, Caren's words were more terrifying than life and death to a primary school student; at the very least, Ilya already showed an expression that said, "I really don't want this to happen."

"Alright, now that you know, don't bother me again tomorrow."

"I understand... But, aren't Teacher. Caren and Ivia siblings? Why would it be like this?"

Kids are such a nuisance! If you weren't from the Einzbern Family, I would have given you a hint long ago to avoid trouble from your family.

However, Caren had already prepared her explanation. Upon hearing Ilya's question, she immediately showed an expression as if she was about to cry. Biting her lip, she squatted down on the ground, placing her hands on her knees, just like an abandoned animal.

"Actually, Ivia and I are half-siblings, but we share blood."

Sure enough... wait, half-siblings? Related by blood?

"Because the Lord entrusted me to be his Guardian Angel, Ivia's family background was terrible, and the women around him oppressed him. This caused him to experience excessive psychological pressure whenever he saw or became too close to any woman other than me, resulting in him becoming completely unresponsive. This is especially severe for children like you. The reason I call him to the Nurse’s Office every day is for his mental health..."

"Really? Then why are you living in a tent...?"

"Well, that's all. Please don't worry about anything else; this is our family matter."

Caren looked up with a smile, but Ilya's mind was still filled with the question mark.

After a while, her brilliant mind finally understood what Caren had said.

Is this Ivia's hidden past?

Everything makes sense now. No wonder I was going so fast and didn't crash; it was just human instinct.