Chapter 2

"Ane-chan!"

My little sister, who usually has a very cute face, was now crying with it contorted. Tears streamed endlessly from her large eyes, and no matter how many times she wiped them with her handkerchief, they wouldn’t stop. Her nose was also running, and she was displaying a rather unbecoming sight for a 16-year-old girl.

I patted my sister’s back while glancing at the prince standing a bit behind her, who looked at a loss. The prince, with his golden hair and blue eyes, was the second prince of the Kingdom of Gilberta, Cain. Despite our short acquaintance, he often had a refreshing smile on his well-defined face, but now he only looked tired and resigned.

When our eyes met, Prince Cain silently shook his head. He must have tried everything to calm my sister down, but it was beyond him, so he finally brought her to me.

I sighed quietly so my sister, who was still sobbing in my arms, wouldn’t notice. I knew what to do when my sister, who was always so clingy, was in a bad mood. The magic words that always worked on her. I whispered them softly in her ear.

"I’ll make you pudding for tomorrow’s snack, so will you cheer up?"

"Sniff... Really!?"

Sure enough, the crying child immediately smiled. Seeing my sister’s large, tear-soaked eyes widen with joy and her cheeks relax, I couldn’t help but smile a little, thinking, "Well, what can you do?"

The fact that she could be so happy about eating her favorite food made me hug her tightly, and I felt a bit relieved. Then, I looked up at the sky for no particular reason. Just a moment ago, I had been filled with an uncertain anxiety about the future. But seeing my sister’s happy face, most of that anxiety had vanished.

I stroked my sister’s smooth, chestnut hair. It was almost sunset. The sky was dyed a deep crimson by the setting sun, and it was very beautiful. A large moon was faintly visible, looking down on us.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Aoi Torigai, 24 years old. Until recently, I was a working woman raising my 8-year-younger sister, slightly more hardworking than my peers, but not by much. I was a pretty ordinary woman.

My sister, Hiyori, started helping with household chores when she entered high school. Without our parents, we two managed to get by with each other’s help.

Our parents died in an accident 6 years ago, when I was 18 and my sister was 10, just as I had graduated from high school and was about to enter university.

When our parents died, my sister and I, along with our pet dog, were at a loss, but fortunately, our grandparents were still alive, and we were allowed to live in their house in the countryside.

I gave up on going to university and started working as a clerk at a small company through a relative’s connection. Since then, I have been working at an unfamiliar job while taking care of my aging grandparents and my teenage sister.

Our grandparents’ house was in a very rural area, where you couldn’t go anywhere without a car. There were no convenience stores, and my sister was initially shocked, but she soon grew fond of the chickens we kept in the backyard, got along with the neighborhood kids, and enjoyed fishing in the nearby river and collecting insects in the mountains, experiences she couldn’t have in the city. At least, she spent her days playing outside and was always sunburned as a child.

As for me, I also liked the rural life, though not as much as my sister. This was largely thanks to my grandparents.

My grandmother, who was starting to become a bit forgetful, seemed to perk up when making preserved foods or local dishes, and I learned a lot from her. My grandfather also doted on us, planting various vegetables and fruit trees for us, and we enjoyed harvesting them together every year.

I think the slow pace and fresh air of the countryside suited me. Even now, when I look back, I have many happy memories, and I think I was as happy as when my parents were around. There was no time to mourn the loss of my parents, as I was busy experiencing and learning new things, and the days passed by in a flash.

I think my kind grandparents taught me many things to help me become the person I am today.

Even after my grandparents passed away two years ago, we were allowed to continue living in the house thanks to my uncle, who inherited it. The rent was a significant issue for us, living on my meager salary from a clerical job, and we wanted to use the insurance money from our parents for my sister’s education. I was grateful to my uncle for letting us use the house.

Despite the many challenges, our lives were finally on track, and I vaguely thought that my sister and I, along with our pet dog, would continue living in the countryside until one of us got married.

However, a turning point came for us on Christmas Eve. After we had a hearty meal and my sister excitedly brought out a Buche de Noel from a popular bakery, just as she was about to cut the cake, the scene before us suddenly distorted, and we felt a sensation like free-falling. Then, with a tremendous roar, the house began to shake violently.

Thinking it was an earthquake, we rushed outside in our pajamas, holding our dachshund, only to find five men in suspicious robes and a sparkling prince—Cain, of course—waiting for us.

Seeing the unfamiliar figures, I froze. My sister and Prince Cain were staring at each other, motionless, while the men in robes were flustered, and our dachshund, Leon, was growling at the strange figures from behind my legs. It was a chaotic scene.

Reflecting on it now, it was quite an irregular situation, and they seemed just as confused.

To summarize, we were in a different world, and our house had been summoned along with us. My sister was identified as a special figure called the Holy Maiden, and I was just an ordinary person who got dragged along.

The most authoritative-looking man in the robes cast some spell to determine that my sister was the Holy Maiden. While my sister was excited by the unfamiliar term, I was still trying to process it and was frozen in place.

We were then asked to move to a different location for a detailed explanation.

We followed the prince quietly, wanting to understand the situation. It turned out that our house had been summoned to the middle of a vast garden in the castle. The garden was beautifully maintained with flower beds and hedges, and a light snow had fallen. In spring, it would surely be a beautiful sight, but I felt guilty that our house had likely destroyed some of the garden. I felt sorry for the gardeners.

As we walked, we passed a place with thick, white columns intricately carved, reminiscent of a Roman temple. We entered a large, white building, and inside, it was like a European castle, decorated with gold and vivid murals.

Moreover, everyone we passed was dressed like characters from a fantasy movie. Some even bowed deeply and respectfully, and I reflexively bowed back, still trying to process everything.

Finally, we reached the king’s audience room. It was a place where nobles met the king, and it was truly opulent and magnificent. As a commoner, I could only think of such words to describe it.

We sat in the overly decorated chairs, sipped tea served by real maids, and listened to the king explain why we were summoned.

Apparently, this world experiences a surge of evil energy every few hundred years. This evil energy corrupts living beings into monsters and makes the land uninhabitable. If left unchecked, it could lead to the destruction of humanity. Therefore, the Holy Maiden is summoned to purify the evil energy.

The king explained in detail why the evil energy accumulates, but to be honest, I don’t remember much. The terms like magic and monsters were hard to grasp. My sister, a game enthusiast, listened with a nod, looking excited.

In short, the Holy Maiden is summoned from another world to purify the evil energy. After the purification, she can return to her original world. If she chooses to stay in this world, she can, but if she returns to her original world, she will be sent back to the day she was summoned, which was Christmas Eve.

Hearing this, I felt relieved. I had been secretly worried that we might never be able to return. There were many things to do in our world. My sister was still a student, and I had a job, but most importantly, the house. The house belonged to my uncle, and he would be shocked if we suddenly disappeared.

I asked the king why our house was summoned along with us. After a long explanation, it turned out that when they tried to summon the Holy Maiden, they inadvertently brought everything around her as well.

...Summoning a whole house, what a bold move, this different world.

After the explanation, my sister, with a flushed face, said excitedly, "Holy Maiden...! My time has come...!"

Unlike her, I was filled with anxiety. What would I have to do as a Holy Maiden? Would it be dangerous? I was worried about my sister, but she grabbed Prince Cain’s hand and said, "Come on! Let’s go...! The legend of the Holy Maiden begins...!" and quickly left the room.

I watched her go, dumbfounded, and exchanged a look with the equally stunned king.

"Um... please take care of my sister..."

Despite not understanding much, I bowed to the king as a guardian. The king smiled and nodded, saying, "Leave it to me."

My sister would receive training as the Holy Maiden, and I, as her sister, would be treated as a guest of the kingdom. The king prepared a room for me in a separate palace and assigned a knight and a maid to me.

For the next month, I spent my days in boredom.

I regularly returned to our house to dispose of perishables and clean. The house was old and would deteriorate quickly if not used. I understood the need to occasionally return to maintain the house, but being confined to the palace was mentally taxing.

I had always been busy working to support my sister, and suddenly having nothing to do made me restless.

Thanks to the summoning, I could communicate without issues, but I couldn’t read the language, so reading books was tiring as I had to learn from the maid. Cleaning was out of the question for a guest, and the maid suggested embroidery, a noblewoman’s pastime, but I couldn’t do it.

So, every day, I either lounged around, wandered the garden, or struggled to read books, longing to return to my original world.

My dog was a hit with the maids and was enjoying the different world, but he had definitely gained weight. Obesity is bad for dachshunds. ...Really.

Unlike me, my sister seemed to be having a tough time. We met occasionally.

At first, she was enthusiastic about purifying the evil energy and returning home quickly, but she seemed to lose energy and look worn out day by day.

According to her, she was studying with many scholars and training to use magic. She couldn’t explain much to me, but it sounded quite challenging. The Spartan training and unfamiliar magic were tough for her, and she became more and more dejected each time we met.

Of course, as her sister, I tried to support her as much as I could, telling her not to overwork herself and listening to her complaints.

Finally, my sister reached her limit, leading to the scene at the beginning.

"Ani-chan, I don’t like it anymore!"

She loosened her grip on me and looked up with teary eyes. Her usually plump face seemed a bit gaunt. The unfamiliar life in this different world must have been very hard for her. As her sister, I wanted to help her.

"Do you dislike the Holy Maiden’s studies?"

She shook her head in denial. Prince Cain also looked worried.

"The studies and magic training are tough, but only I can purify the evil energy, so I’ll try...! But I can’t bear this one thing."

"What is it?"

"Food..."

"Food?"

"I want to eat Ani-chan’s pudding and food! I can’t stand a life without them anymore!"

The moment she said that, the atmosphere in the room froze.

Oh, my sister.

To think that this was the reason. I remembered that my sister was abnormally fond of my cooking.

...Ah, my poor, dear sister.

I sighed loudly, not caring if my sister heard, and ruffled her hair. I could hear her pitiful cries, but I ignored them.

...And I made a decision. No, I had no choice but to make it.

"Alright. Leave it to Ani-chan."

So, to keep my sister motivated, my job now is to make pudding and cook every day. It’s a simple task, but it’s wonderful to have something I can do.

What should I make today? I hummed a tune as I flipped through the recipes in my head. Under the sky of this different world, in the kitchen of our old Japanese house, I will cook for my sister.

1/20: Corrected the explanation of the evil energy.

2/23: Changed "Christmas" to "Christmas Eve."

3/16: Decided to give up on going to university. I apologize for the frequent changes.