*****

Lyra had quite a lot of thoughts these days.

Ever since she saw her sister, who always wore a kind smile, in a more vulnerable state at the end of last year, she could only think about her. At some point, she had already figured out that she cared for Cecilia.

Deeply.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be simmering herself in thoughts for days on end. It was apparent that something awful had happened to Cecilia, and she was greatly bothered by it, if not hurt.

So, what could Lyra do?

Until this moment, she was constantly on the receiving end of the relationship. Only she had been patted, hugged, kissed, and showered with sweet words.

She was spoiled.

'I need to repay...'

But Cecilia wouldn't want to be spoiled, would she? It wouldn't be appropriate—common sense said so.

Somewhere deep within the young maiden, a part of her adamantly rejected common sense and gravitated towards doting on that frail girl as she would with Charcoal Jr.—in other words, just like treating a pet—unbeknownst to her.

She wanted to pet Cecilia's head, scratch her exquisitely carved chin, and put the body that was as light as a feather on her lap. It was a weird moment, but eventually, Lyra shook off those thoughts.

For now, she was figuring out how to treat a loved one appropriately.

Fortunately, there was a person who could(?) resolve that problem for her.

''Oh, my... what a cute little lady~!''

''...''

Enter Katrina des Baux, a private tutor renowned for her ability to be loved by her students. Being a socially seasoned lady who was only approaching the end of her twenties, she was universally popular among the other choices in the market. Despite her teaching subject—social science—being one of the rarer topics a typical noble would have their children learn, her approval rate was quite high, indicating a positive reception on the students' end.

Her philosophy was simple—don't force kids to learn what they don't want to.

In other words, her job was to make her lessons as enjoyable as possible whilst maintaining a sufficient amount of knowledge throughout. Her presence in the Orleans' manor was unexpected, however. Originally, another teacher whose teaching subject completely differed from that of Katrina was supposed to take on the job, yet with the grudge Blaire de Dreux now held toward Cecilia, that person had to retreat from the deal at the last minute.

This tutor was a relative of Blaire.

It was an elegant and exquisite demonstration of the butterfly effect.

''Hm... you are the quiet type, aren't you?''

For now, Katrina had made a quick evaluation of Lyra's personality. She was generally good at observing people like this—through experience, that was all.

Seeing the little girl silently bowed and sat down on her chair without uttering a word, Katrina reassured herself of her remark.

''Wait, don't open the book yet.''

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''...?''

So, she signaled, stepping closer to Lyra while turning her back to the board. It was in an effort to 'make friends' with her students—a tactic she often used.

Katrina gracefully sat on the edge of the table, giving the young girl a friendly smile.

''It is our first time meeting. Wouldn't it be too stiff not to get to know each other now?''

''...Okay.''

''Once again, my name is Katrina. Just an old lady dabbing into teaching lately.''

''Lyra de Orleans. Unemployed.''

Katrina giggled, ''That's some good humor you got there. I love deadpan humor.''

''...?'' Lyra tilted her head.

''Pfft—t-that's good, too.''

Surprisingly, the conversation following this exchange went quite smoothly, mainly due to Katrina's unrivaled eloquence and her infinite talks. Slowly but surely, the opponent 'fell' for this and began to open up more and more.

This is going well—she thought.

''So you feel like you're not doing enough for your sister?''

''Mhm.''

At first glance, it wasn't something Katrina hadn't seen before. She had taught many children, and Lyra wasn't the only one with dulled social skills. Usually, a few well-placed words of affirmation would be enough.

''Well? Values are inherently relative, Miss.'' Katrina said. ''You might not consider much of it, but your sister might value your presence enough that she wouldn't mind maintaining your relationship. That's beautifully love, don't you think?''

''...''

Cecilia did indeed seem to love Lyra a lot. Perhaps too much. But should Lyra be contented like this, only being an emotionless hugging bear for her sister?

Noticing her doubts, Katrina continued to push,

''Fufu, I understand your hesitation, Miss. Let me give you an example.''

Lyra perked up, hyping the teacher even further.

''Say... my Suzy often sits on my lap. Every time she does that, all my fatigue and stress magically goes away, you know? Then, when I pet her chin or her head, my mood would become cheerful again! In the winter, her warm body can help me through the cold, too. And—''

Lyra blinked as the ramble went on. In her head, little gears were turning in a slightly odd way.

People tend to make assumptions based on little information.

Suzy was a human name—one.

Other people typically(?) named their pets after objects, as observed via a single case of Cecilia calling the cat a charcoal—two.

Lyra unconsciously normalized petting a human(Cecilia) just moments ago—three.

These factors ultimately led the little heroine to somehow think that her teacher was referring to a human. It was well-known that Katrina loved her pet cat, Suzy, dearly, yet Lyra had no way of knowing that, given her unfamiliarity with high society.

''—and then I rubbed her belly, you know? It was so soft and warm!''

'Is that normal...?'

Petting was one thing, but Katrina also talked about rubbing bellies, leashing, and bathing her Suzy...? It took a while for Lyra to conclude that it was... culture shock.

'People probably do this often.'

Yes. She hadn't learned much about the outside world, after all.

Perhaps if she had thought about it deeper, she could have figured it out, but she really did want those acts toward a human to be accepted, whether she wanted to admit it—or realize it—or not.

''Well, well. What a rant that was. I apologize, Miss.'' Katrina quickly cleared her throat. ''In any case, you have now heard how my Suzy helped me by just being with me, right?''

''Mhm.''

''Then, you can follow this example. Be a source of comfort for your sister!''

''...Mhm.''

At this point, Lyra's overthinking mind had become so crowded that hardly anything could make sense anymore. Even her teacher's profound words were heard in a detached, dangerous state of context-less.

''Still, when it comes to human relationships, it is best if you seize the initiative. Try to think, 'What would I want from me if I were this person,' and give it to them. Does that make sense?''

''...''

'Best to... seize... what I want...'

Somehow, the message came across quite bizarrely.

*****

After sorting out the letters, I went for a light walk around the manor. You know, they say doing this would improve one's overall health—

[I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to you in this case.]

''...''

As Lucy had said, it probably didn't. My health problem was on a whole other level, nay, a whole other species.

But what could I do? I was helpless.

It was a bit depressing to think about, of course. Still, I wouldn't want to turn myself in that direction... again. Besides, I had people I wanted to love now. Wasn't that beautiful?

''Oh, Lyra!''

''Big sis.''

As if cheering me on, Lyra appeared right before me soon after. A smile immediately bloomed on my face.

''Big sis. Come down here.''

Hm?

Something felt off. Lyra rarely ever made requests. What was this all about?

But since I loved my little sister, I obediently bowed my head, putting me at her eye level. Then, almost too naturally, she put her fingers below my chin... and began to rub.

''...??''

After a bit, she suddenly widened her eyes, looking like Isaac Newton discovering gravity.

No, really. What was this all about??